SERA

Sera woke up slowly. Her body felt exhausted, but strangely uninjured. As her eyes open she finds herself rested against one of the thicket walls. A box holds itself in front of her.

Aura awakened. Gained [ Weak Mortal Aura ] Weak Mortal Aura Ability Art Familiarity 2 / 100 Rank Basic The first shedding of a mortal’s will.

Too weak to muster a response she simply acknowledges it and lets it disappear, turning her eyes to her surroundings. The first thing she notices is Vaun sitting nearby, his eyes on her. The bodies of the three fallen are placed far away into one of the corners of the room, including the rather…disorderly dismembered body. The bloodstains that mark a trail across the ground speak of the unnerving nature of the task. Beyond that, the room is mostly untouched. The beast lays in the same place. The pedestal with the object above it still rests, dutifully waiting for someone. With a heavy groan Sera picks herself up, all of her muscles screaming at her to just lay still and continue to rest. Ignoring them she trudges over to where Vaun is and collapses near him. The two sit there in silence for a moment.

“I fed you a healing item it dropped.” Vaun finally speaks, breaking the quiet moment.

“Mm.” Sera responds.

“I left the beast there since you killed it.”

“Mm.”

“I haven’t looked at the pedestal. The reward is yours.”

“Mm.”

“You killed them.” Vaun blurts out, unable to stop himself. The atmosphere stills into a heavier one as the two look at each other, Sera’s eyes showing no change in expression. Vaun’s own turn bitter as he lets out a sigh. “I know they deserved it. But this killing…it’s hard to get used to. We were schoolmates days ago.”

“You were schoolmates.” Sera says quietly, her eyes growing cold as she gazes at Gray’s dead body. “I was a prisoner.”

“I…” Vaun finds his voice drifting off, unable to respond. He looks at her for a moment as he hesitates, but finally decides to leave it be. The silence remains thick with tension until Sera picks herself up, casting her eyes over to the pedestal. As she walks closer she’s able to make out the details of the object. A cube. Its appearance the color of obsidian, a mixture of purple and black, lines trail along it like the flowing of water as it spirals into an intricate design.

Memory Cube Ability: Focus Name: Body Forging

Eyeing the box Sera’s mind drifts for a moment as she considers its value. In the end she decides against it. After igniting her bloodline and entering her awakened state, Sera can feel that intangible force that had always escaped her grasp intimately. Even now it seeps into herself, constantly strengthening and remoulding her body. Picking up the cube she walks back over to Vaun and tosses it at him. He looks down at the object in confusion.

“Use it.” Sera says. Before he has a chance to open his mouth she presses forward. “Your race has always had bodies much tougher, much stronger than others. A skill so obviously suited to your strengths would be wasted on me.” She pauses at that, turning her gaze to stare directly into his eyes. “It will be easier to advance with someone to fight with me.” Her eyes turn to gaze up at the distant roof, trailing along the exit that pierces through the thickets like a giant rod. Not far off to a couple of the sides contain another two exits of similar nature, giving the feeling of an ever-expanding maze of rooms. “Something tells me this place isn’t as simple as I’d like it to be.”

“I suppose not,” Vaun answers as he follows her gaze, His brows furrow for a moment before he picks up the cube. “Your fur colour has changed.”

“Ah.” Sera looks down at herself, noticing the many purple flecks that trail through her red hair. Her brown eyes, too, would have those purple specks mixed through much like the spattering of stars in the night sky. “So this is what happens when I merge.”

“What happened back there?” Vaun says. “You said you hadn’t awakened. Why did you turn silver then?”

“Think of it like stopping half way.” Sera says, her face scrunching a bit as she thinks back. “It was always an unpleasant feeling, like finally being able to stretch after not moving for a long time, only to find out you can only stretch partway and have to freeze in place. Silver was just the colour transitioning to purple. Not sure why on that part, but it helped fool people.” A harsh laugh escapes Sera’s lips. “The truth was, this so-called blessing is only the passing on of a bloodline. I hadn’t truly accepted the bloodline yet, hadn’t changed, and so could put on a bit of a play. It was unpleasant. But it was worth it in the end.”

“…I see.” Vaun looks at her, wondering a little of the strength required to keep up such a play. His eyes catch on hers for a moment, his breath catching along with it, before drifting by. “I would like to save some students if we come across them.”

“That is your choice,” Sera answers. “But I won’t deal with their arrogance.”

“I know.” Vaun says quietly. He hesitates for a moment before gritting his teeth and forcing it out. “Can you tell me…why are you so attached to that thing-”

“Raze.” Sera says, her voice blunt and withdrawn. “…Raze.” Vaun eventually answers. “Why? His kind is hunted for a reason. They’re monsters with untold amount of blood on their hands.” Sera stills for a moment, growing quiet, before finally letting out a restrained breath.

“Let me ask you.” Sera says, her voice deathly calm. “Have you met him?”

“No?” Vaun answers.

“Then how can you assume he is as you’ve described. A monster. How can you assume that there is blood on his hands.” Sera continues, her voice remaining calm except for the subtle tremor hidden within it. Vaun fails to find an answer as he looks at her. “All you people do is assume, constantly and without reason. I’ve seen the records they keep. Murder here and murder there. It disgusts me.”

“But those records speak true,” Vaun blurts out. “The graves are real - the dead real - so how can you say we judge through assumptions?”

“The dead are real.” Sera stares at the ground quietly, her thoughts growing sad. “I’ve seen their graves, stood amongst them and felt it was truly too much.” A long moment passes as her thoughts drift across many things. Things she had researched, others discovered, and some told. “Throughout our history, the easiest way to cover up incompetency or depravity is to turn around and say look at what the Krateran did. Those scaled monsters. Look at how they’ve committed another slaughter.”

As Sera continues to speak her voice slowly raises until it becomes a shout, anger and frustration and a hint of weakness all mixed together. “Look at how they murdered that village! How they raped those poor women! How they pillaged those merchants! How they killed those soldiers! Our history is one long, never-ending condemnation of the Krateran race to hide our own weakness, our own greed, our own disgusting selves. And now we’ve hunted them almost to extinction. We’ve committed genocide, and turned around and celebrated at the result.” Tears stream down her face as Sera voice quietens to a whisper, intense grief filled inside. “Isn’t it cruelly ironic that we call the Krateran’s monsters when we fit the word so well.”

Another heavy silence fills the room as Sera’s voice peters out. Her eyes stay stuck to the ground, her mind lost in old memories as her emotions spill out in heartfelt tears. Vaun’s own eyes are lost as he tries to process her words, his own heart becoming conflicted. A hint of rejection flickers through them, and then only more confusion remains. Eventually he cannot help but speak the words in his heart. “Not all of those deaths could be fake. I don’t believe every race targets them for no reason.” At this words Sera lets out a laugh, one rather high-pitched and strained. It dies down quickly and only another chilling silence remains to replace it.

“Of course not.” Sera eventually answers. Vaun waits for her to say more, but no words come. As he turns to look at her, the conflicted face has long disappeared. All that remains is a taut, and slightly cold look. “I need to rest for a while. Figure that out while I do.” Sera says. Vaun feels slightly cold at her words, but can only forcefully nod. As she walks a further distance away, he knows there is now a further bridge between the two of them. But even still…a monster is a monster.

After giving himself a bit of time to settle down Vaun casts his eyes toward the cube. Gently touching its surface he feels the strange smoothness of its inlets as his fingers trail over them. Gripping his hand over the cube he directly activates it. The box shines with a deep purple light as the individual lines on the cube start to spiral open and flatten until the surface becomes a flat square, revealing the glowing light within. In an instant that light shoots out and passes itself through his body.

Vaun feels his body start to burn up as the energy works itself through him. At the same time a box forms in front of him.

Body Forging Familiarity 0 / 100 Rank Basic Treat your body as the furnace, and your will as the hammer.

Vaun feels a simmering pain as the box forms, his flesh and bones feeling as if they’re being slowly moulded. At the same time an intense hunger struck him. He could hardly think rationally, only feeling that he must consume anything and everything he can. His eyes cast themselves over the beasts body, but his mind instantly refuses at the thought of eating raw meat. Without hesitation he dashes away and enters the hole in the ground to head back to the house and garden of food. As he disappears he calls out to Sera. “I’m going to get food and water. I’ll bring some back.”

It is only then that Sera recognises the hunger pains assaulting her. Casting her eyes over to his disappearing figure, she closes her eyes and lets herself drift off to a light sleep.

“Chain him here,” a calm voice calls out. It is a desolate landscape, not far off the border of their intended goal - that distant forest, and dark cavern. A group of soldiers surround two somewhat small figures, Sera and Raze. Her fur had long lost their luster, her eyes filled with unwillingness as she stares at Raze. His body is covered in wounds, many scales stripped and other areas pierced. A long fresh slash is cut across one of his eyes rendering it blind. Her hand still lightly grips his own until it is forced away, four thick metal chains appearing in her vision. Even as she looked at them, Sera could feel the bone-chilling coldness that seeped out of them.

“All-mother,” the mocking voice bore into her. Standing in front of her is the groups’ military captain, his gray hair and stoic body staring down at her. His hand slowly reaches up into the air. “I hope this can serve as a lesson to you.” As it clenches into a fist, the chains held by the guards are struck downward, piercing into Raze’s flesh. All five of them gouge huge wounds as they stick themselves through Raze. A heart-wrenching scream escapes his throat as his always impassive face twists into a mask of intense pain, his golden eyes dimming. The chains twist into him, their coldness seeping through and entering his soul, forever chaining him down like a bird in a cage.

“Raze!” Sera’s tearful voice cries out, her body subconsciously lurching forward, only to be forcibly held back by the soldiers. They grunt in strain as four of them hold her back, her immense strength almost blowing them over. Sera’s eyes disregards everyone as they stare right at Raze, her heart only wishing it could be her to replace him, her to bear that pain. As those emotions roll over her, an intense pain fill her heart, she hears the captain speak next to her. “A monster is a monster. Someone like you, who can sympathise with a monster, is no different. Your people have already acquiesced.” A hand clamps down her as the captain’s eyes pierce into her own, Sera finding a coldness there no different from the way one looks at an animal. “Serve your purpose well, girl, and he may live a little longer.”

“Sera!” A hand shakes her awake. Sera’s eyes stay shut as she tries to chase those memories away, those painful moments that still tear into her every time she recalls them. After a few deep breaths she finally gathers herself and opens her eyes, seeing a hand holding a fruit in front of her. “Eat.” Vaun says. She nods her head and takes the food, slowly munching on it. Her stomach cries in relief as it finally receives what it needs. Along with the many fruits Vaun brought back, he also hands her a flash filled with water for her to sip from.

The two sit there in silence for a bit as they eat. Vaun feels relief as the food enters him. Each bite causes the burning inside him to drive just a tiny bit faster, his hunger slowly being quenched, but also growing bigger at the same time. Still, he could already feel the effects. His body was tougher, his strength larger. But even as his strength increased Vaun knew his body was increasingly growing less flexible. Strong and tough, like a train that can only tread one way. His race has always been this way, the effects now only heightening these natural flaws and strengths. Still it is nothing bad. Considering for a minute he decides to voice his opinion.

“I think we should explore different paths,” Vaun says. Sera pauses midway through eating a piece of round fruit, turning to look at him. “In truth from what I’ve observed, a creature as powerful as what you fought is reactive, not aggressive. This might not always be the case but I think it’s worth the risk to explore more, possibly find more people that I can help.” He looks at the dead bodies in the corner a little sadly. “Gray deserved death, but the other two…were merely foolish. I…” his words pause for a moment as a thick sadness fills them. “I don’t want to see all of my schoolmates die in front of my eyes. I was afraid back then in that classroom. I left…there is no excuse. I left them to die. If I can save just a bit more, help just a bit more, my life is worth giving to make up for my mistakes.”

Sera regards him, looking at him for the first time in a new light. Her eyes soften a little. “I don’t hold the same sentiments,” she says. “The people here are no schoolmates of mine. But you have a good heart…I won’t stop you.”

“Thank you.” Vaun says quietly. He picks up some of the fruits and heads toward the tunnel that cuts through the thickets along the right side. His figure pauses at its entrance, leaving behind a few words as he enters. “I’m sorry.” Sera watches him leave, a mix of thoughts filling her mind. As his image disappears she lowers her head and brings up another fruit to her mouth, chewing on it slowly. Her mind drifts once again. It flows across many things, but eventually settles on one. An image of her and Raze together, freely. A deep yearning cannot help but fill her as she closes her eyes and continues to chew, feeling her heart slowly fill just as her stomach does.