VOLUME 3: The Seven Star—Begin
One week after the attack now known as "The Spark," False Continent Faux.
In front of the young boy, the ocean howled, churning and splashing wildly.
The water raged violently, smashing against the shore with such force that it sanded down the face in seconds. In the center of the screeching ocean, there was a massive whirlpool that spun quickly. It was so large and powerful that it resembled the eye of the storm of a hurricane.
Around the whirlpool, a massive tornado of wind danced along the ocean's surface, further churning the already violent waters. Fish and other sea amenities were launched into the air and rained down on the shore.
The boy stared at the disaster in front of him with a blank expression. There wasn't any fear in his gaze, nor was there awe or shock at the wonder of nature he saw in front of him.
That was because he wasn't staring at the storm that split the ocean in front of him.
Instead, he was staring at the massive wall of mist just beyond that spectacle. A massive sheet of white so large that it seemed to soar all the way into the atmosphere and so long that it looked never-ending stood just beyond the reach of that massive storm.
Like a curtain of white death, it settled above the water silently and hung there imposingly. Just behind it, the boy could sense the faint presence of something sinister. It was faint, so much so that with every surge of the churned water in front of him, he nearly lost it.
But he knew it was there. He was confident. Something sinister lurked beyond the wall of mist that marked the world's end.
The Veil.
The World's Edge.
The Mist.
Whatever name the wall of mist in front of him could be called, they all conveyed the same thing.
This mist was hiding something.
Suddenly, a high-pitched wailing sound that resembled the screeches of humans broke out into the air.
"IEEEEEEEIEEIEIEIEI!"
The boy stood in silence as he listened to the sound get louder and louder.
The water began to rise and fall in even larger waves, and the windstorm was fanned by something unseen.
Lightning flashed over the water, and then rain began to fall.
The droplets were as cold as ice, and they fell on his face in rivulets. He stared up at the dark sky and the small rays of sunlight that just barely managed to peek through.
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
Hearing the sound of footsteps crushing gravel, the boy turned around. He then came face to face with a mythical figure.
Tall, with long, dark black hair, and covered in many jewels in chains with an astral theme to it. Bracelets and gems with the shape of different constellations and stars hung from her arms, wrists, and neck.
It was Asteria. The Stark Knight of Heaven.
Any other person would be absolutely shell-shocked to see a World Ender appear right in front of them. Even more so if they were wearing such casual attire, like what Asteria was currently wearing.
Shorts and an oversized shirt, along with a cardigan. Her usual imposing image was gone and instead replaced by extreme tiredness. She was even wearing mismatched socks with sandals.
Even with the image that was the polar opposite of her imposing figure as a World Ender, she still exuded an aura of one of the world's 7 strongest figures.
However, at the current moment, she wasn't concerned with that. She was currently just concerned about her younger brother, who decided that it would be a good time to head out in the middle of one of the largest storms they had seen, period.
"Jayden!" She shouted over the howling and screeching of the ocean.
Jayden slowly turned his head to face her.
Asteria began to walk quicker. "Just what the hell are you doing out here? What made you think it would be a good idea to come out in this storm?"
Jayden's eyes flickered over to the wall of mist for a brief moment before they turned back to Asteria. "Do you know what happened to those people?" When Asteria stared at him in confusion, Jayden elaborated. "I mean, those ones who had come out of the portal that opened up above the ocean."
Finally, Asteria realized what Jayden was talking about. She stopped in her tracks. Standing in silence for a few moments, she fidgeted uncomfortably for a few moments. Jayden laughed dryly at her silence before turning back to face the wall of mist.
Hurt flashed over Asteria's expression for a moment. "Jayden, you know how things currently are—"
"Yeah, yeah. You can't tell me because it's currently top-secret information. Stuff that's completely out of my pay grade." He spoke in a tired manner; however, Asteria could easily hear the pain in his voice. Before she even had a chance to speak, Jayden cut her off. "I get it. After all, you're the strong one. You're the one who rose to become a World Ender. Of course you'd be the one to always be in the know, to do all of the dangerous things, while I'm left in the dark."
"Jayden, come—"
"You've only been home twice in the past two weeks." His voice began to quiver slightly. Asteria could only stare in silent shock. "Every time you leave, you never tell me where you're going. You never tell me what you're doing or even when you'll be back." Tears began to stream down his face, but it was noticeable because of the rain that was falling. "And every time I ask, you give me the same answer. That I know how things are. That it's too dangerous for me to know."
His fists were clenched tightly, and he didn't move. His body was quivering; whether it was from extreme emotion or cold, no one would know.
"I'm sorry—" She stopped herself before she apologized. She knew that doing that would only make Jayden more hurt than he already was. Instead, she walked forward, wrapped her arm around him, and rested her head on his shoulder.
She could feel his quivering slowly begin to settle.
"According to the headmaster of Theta Magic Academy, the people who came from that portal were members of the fangless Python who were a part of the raid on the academy. Apparently, the students at the academy had used a portal weapon of some sort, and it sent them into this ocean."
Jayden nodded slowly at the explanation. "What about you? Where have you been all of this time...?
His voice broke as he spoke those last words.
Asteria rubbed his shoulders gently.
"I've been doing things for the Mages Association. Dealing with leftover Pythons. Attending meetings. Ensuring war doesn't break out between the seven continents once again. Clean-up tasks. There are still so many things that need to be quelled." She squeezed his shoulder tightly. "But don't worry. I'm safe. And I'm sorry. As much as I know you'll hate me for saying it, I'm sorry."
Jayden's tense body finally relaxed. He let his hand fall down limply to the side.
"You've been gone for too long." He said simply. "I've been alone this whole time."
Asteria nodded silently. "I know. I'm sorry. But I'm here now. I promise I won't leave you alone on such short notice again."
"Promise?" Jayden asked.
"Promise." Asteria nodded. "As long as you also promise to not do anything stupid like this again."
"Okay. I promise." After hearing those words, Asteria pulled away from Jayden and gestured back up the hill. "Well then, let's go."
However, Jayden lingered at the edge of the shore for a long moment. His eyes were locked on the wall of mist in front of him. He didn't turn around to face her, but posed her a question all the same.
"Do you have any idea what's behind there?" He asked.
Asteria spent a moment staring at the massive wall of mist. "I'm not supposed to tell you this, however; remember those mysterious plants that the Mages Association collected? Well, according to information they've gathered, those plants come from Antarctica. Not just that, but according to witness reports and those who had direct contact with Fangless Python members, the entire Lost Continent that lies behind 'The Veil' is home to some of the most horrifying, powerful, and mysterious creatures and things we've never seen." Asteria twisted the gem that hung on her bracelet. "The Mages Association is seriously considering the possibility of an expedition to Antarctica in order to uncover its hidden horrors. Also, because a majority of the Fangless Python Technology comes from".
Jayden listened to Asteria's explanation in complete silence. When she finished, he reached his hand out to the side.
A tear in the air opened up, revealing a slit, which Jayden reached his hand into. As he did so, he asked his sister a question.
"And if they do decide to send that expedition, and they ask you to participate. Will you go?"
There was a long moment of silence. Slowly, Jayden pulled out a long lance from the tear in the air. He raised it into the air, directly above his head.
He maintained a one-hand grip, even though the long and large weapon was undoubtedly heavy. It shined in the air as the faint rays of sunlight peeking through the clouds hit it.
All of the rain curved out of the way of the weapon. Even the air itself was displaced by it.
Asteria stared at the weapon in silence as she mulled over his question.
"I'd decline." She finally said.
Jayden didn't respond after hearing her answer. Instead, he drew his lance downwards in a diagonal slash.
With that singular motion, the entire storm in front of him was vanquished in an instant.
The rain clouds were blown out of the sky, and the massive windstorm was completely snuffed out.
The sun was now shining down.
"Ok." Jayden said, as he exhaled deeply. He then turned around and began to walk towards his sister.
She stared at him for a while before saying,
"The Seven Star won't be postponed."
Her words were met with silence.
And on that day, two promises that couldn't be kept had been made.
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I opened my eye to a bright light. It wasn't as bright and blinding as the light of the sun. It wasn't warm either. Instead, it was the harsh white of a fluorescent light that shone down on me.
"Aughgh."
I groaned, wiping my eyes as I slowly began to sit up.
And the first thing I took notice of was the pain and soreness all over my body. Every part of me hurt, and every muscle and ligament in my body felt like it hadn't been used in years.
Just the act of sitting up took much more effort and mental fortitude than it should have.
When my eyes finally cleared, I realized that I was sitting on a bed. Deep blue curtains surrounded me on all sides, and I could see the faint outline of shadows moving about outside.
I looked to my left.
Snore!
And saw Kami, lying down on the side of my bed. She had been sitting in the chair next to my bed, and her head was resting on top of my arm, making it impossible for me to move it without waking her.
My brain worked quickly, and I realized that I was currently sitting within a hospital room.
How long has it been?
As I wondered that to myself, I turned to the side to see Kami's phone on the counter. The date read November 10.
It had nearly been a week since the siege on Theta Magic Academy.
"I was sleeping, for a whole week?" I couldn't really grasp the scale of that in my disorientated state, I just knew that it was a long time to be asleep.
Looking down at my body, I was covered in bandages and cloth. Nearly every limb on my body had some sort of wrapping on it.
I knew that my fight with Pride had been intense, but did I really sustain that much damage?
I knew I had been hurt, but to this extent?
Beep!
A sharp beep sounded throughout the room.
I stared at the thing the sound had come from. A heart monitor next to my bed was the culprit. I stared at it for a while, looking at the green sine waves that it displayed.
Beep!
My brain was elsewhere. Mainly thinking about the fact that currently, the heart that this heart monitor was monitoring wasn't mine.
Reflexively, I moved my right arm to clutch my chest. However, that right arm was the one that Kami was lying on, so the sudden motion of me pulling it back woke her up.
She raised her head quickly, her eyes flashing in fear for a moment.
And then her gaze landed on me. She stared at me as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. She rubbed her eyes and then looked at me again.
I smiled at her. Her disbelief was cut-
The air was knocked out of my lungs by the sudden, crushing hug that had enveloped me.
"Raiden!" Kami shouted as she literally leapt onto me, which was impressive, considering that she had been groggily waking up from a chair not even half a second ago.
Her arms were wrapped around my body tightly, and she buried her head into my chest. Soon, I could feel warm tears.
"You woke up! You woke up! You woke up!" She squeezed me even tighter as she began to shout at the fact I had woken up.
"I just—I didn't know if you'd ever open your eyes again! You were so close! You were on the verge of dying this whole time! The doctors said they didn't know if you'd make it! I was so scared! I didn't want you to die! I didn't want you to leave me already!"
Kami spoke rapidly as she cried in my arms.
After a few moments of staring at her, I slowly wrapped my arms around her and began to stroke her head. Her entire body was racked by her sobs. I could feel her begin to calm down as I slowly stroked her head and back.
"You thought I was going to die? I'm appalled you think so little of me." I impulsively made a joke; however, Kami was having none of it.
"Raiden I'm not joking!" I felt a jolt in my back as she gave me an icy pinch. "1 whole week! You lay unresponsive on that bed for nearly a whole week!"
She fell back into tears, and I mentally berated myself for being so stupid. If I had been in her situation, and I was waiting for her to wake up for an entire week, just for her first words upon waking up to be a joke, I wouldn't be very amused.
Pulling her closer and continuing to rub her back I whispered,
"Sorry. I'm so sorry for making you worry." I knew that no matter how much I apologized, it wouldn't make much of a difference, but I did so anyways. As I continued to console her, I noticed that unlike me, she was dressed in a casual outfit instead of any sort of hospital gown. I did catch notice of bandages wrapped around her side; however, before I could ask about it—
"Ahem!"
I looked up to see a doctor coming through the curtain. He was a short, middle-aged man, and his face was framed by a pair of rectangular glasses. He gave a smile as he walked in. His ID badge read: Dr. Montez.
"Raiden Chisaki. You've been resting for a while. How do you feel?" As he asked me that question, his eyes drifted to the heart monitor, and he stared at it, as if expecting something.
"Excuse my language, but if I'm being honest, I feel like shit." I replied.
Dr. Montez chuckled heartily at my statement. "Well, that makes sense; you've been bedridden for the past week. Not to mention you suffered from pretty grievous injuries."
"Dr. Can you please order Raiden to stop making jokes about almost dying?" Kami requested between sniffles.
Montez smiled before turning back to me. "Dr.'s orders, son."
I chuckled lightly, continuing to rub Kami's head as I asked my next question. I somehow resisted the urge to make a 'just break it to me, doc' joke and instead asked, "I guess I just want to get caught up on everything that happened while I was out. I mean, everything." The fact that I had been asleep for a whole entire week was finally truly dawning on me. I missed literally everything.
"Well before that, there are probably some things you should know about your condition." Dr. Montez pulled out a clipboard from seemingly thin air. "I'll start with the basics, as to not overwhelm you. After that, I'm sure your friends who had also been treated here would leave to explain everything else to you."
I perked up at the mention of 'friends.' Did that mean other students from Theta were being held here? Just how hurt were they? What was the actual outcome of the attacks? Did it end in victory? How many casualties were there?
"Raiden!"
I snapped back to reality to see both Kami and Dr. Montez staring at me with concerned expressions. Kami was gripping my arms tightly, and Montez was frantically dragging his gaze from me to the heart monitor.
Beep!
Beep!
Beep!
The soft beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound in the room for a few moments.
"Raiden. I'd like you to take some deep breaths for me. Try and clear your mind, okay?" I listened to Dr. Montez's words and began to inhale deeply before exhaling a few seconds later.
It took a bit for me to finally eject all of the thoughts that were currently bouncing around my mind. After I was done, I opened my eyes again.
"Good. You're doing great. Just keep that up and listen to my words."
Montez quickly scribbled something down on the clipboard he was holding, and then he began to speak to me.
"First of all, you're being held at Ujishima Central Hospital. You were taken here right after the barrier of Theta Magic Academy opened up, and you've been here for a week."
Dr. Montez started off with the basic information, and I listened in silence. "You were admitted in critical condition, suffering many bruises and cuts, as well as significant damage to your internal organs. However, the most pressing injury was the hole in your chest."
Kami tensed up, and I looked down at my own chest, softly rubbing my hand over it.
"It must have been when Pride's Javelin hit me...." I muttered to myself, pretending to not notice Kami's gaze.
"After nearly two whole days spent under surgery, in which many of your internal organs and bone structure, as well as ligaments, were repaired. After which, you spent the rest of your days until waking up asleep."
After Dr. Montez finished his report, I sighed. "I guess it's a miracle I'm still alive." I turned my gaze upwards and looked Dr. Montez straight into the eyes. "Thank you. I know even that's not enough for all the trouble I've caused, but thank you." I didn't know any other way to express my heartfelt thanks for the fact that I was still alive. In the last moments before I passed out after my battle with Pride, I thought about all of the things I had yet to do and everything that I hadn't experienced. It was in that moment that I realized I didn't want to die. After I had seen the truth that Ariel showed me, I realized I wanted answers. I wanted to atone. And I wanted to experience everything that I had put off for so long. It all culminated in the realization that I wanted to live.
And the only reason I was still alive right now was the hard work and efforts of the many nurses, surgeons, and doctors that I must have burdened.
"Trouble? Not at all, young sir. This is our job. Every life that we save is a reward for us. Every family and person that we watch shed tears of joy as they embrace their loved one is what keeps all of us going. And I'm not the one you should be thanking. There are many different nurses and surgeons who spent nearly every second by your side. You should be thanking them more than me."
I nodded. I would have to get each and every one of their names before I was discharged from here and thank them sincerely.
Speaking of being discharged,
"Uhh, Dr.? Do you have any idea of when I'll get discharged?"
As soon as I asked that, Dr. Montez's expression shifted ever so slightly. His smile returned quickly; however, I had seen that brief hesitation.
"About that. Kami, if it's okay, I'd like to have a conversation with your brother in private."
Kami nodded her head. She gave me one last squeeze before heading out.
After Kami left, I looked back, and Dr. Montez, who now had a serious expression on his face,.
"Raiden. Throughout the entire week that you had been asleep, we were closely monitoring all of your vitals for any sign of danger."
I nodded at his words. Wasn't that just standard procedure? What did he see that made him so worried?
"And well, throughout that one-week time period, you experienced an irregular heartbeat, as well as multiple spikes in your heart rate."
Immediately, I began to worry as well.
Weren't those early signs of heart problems?
"Ultimately, we ran many tests, but we could not identify a key issue. However, the spikes in your heartbeat were much too concerning for me to just say that you had arrhythmia. In fact, even right now, your heartbeat is far beyond what you could call irregular. It's downright something that I've never seen before. I've worked as a doctor for nearly 30 years, and even some of my colleagues who've worked longer have never seen such a thing."
That was more than just a little bit concerning. My conditions were something so odd that even doctors who've worked for decades have never seen anything like it before.
"I'll ask you to be as calm as possible as I say this; however, I won't blame you if you can't keep your cool. Just continue to take deep breaths." I followed his instructions, breathing in and out deeply.
"The only stable conclusion that we could come to is that your heart is currently on the verge of being completely short-circuited. Essentially, your heart is in a hypersensitive state. Any overexertion could end in you experiencing problems as severe as going into cardiac arrest. That effect is further amplified with the use of mana. Especially mana that interfaces with your heart's electrical pulses. In summary, overexerting yourself physically, using too much mana, or using any form of lightning mana is sure to send you into cardiac arrest."
His statement nearly sent me into cardiac arrest.
Using mana for too long, or even slightly physically exerting myself, could literally kill me.
I sat in silence, unable to actually formulate a response.
Not only that, but the mana that I mainly used, lightning mana, had now become my greatest kryptonite.
Is this how people who were born with conditions that affected them in their favorite sport felt?
Just imagining how much I wouldn't be able to do, I wanted to pass out.
I might actually pass out.
Somehow, I managed to not pass out by maintaining my deep breathing. However, I didn't know how long that could last.
"Because of that, we'll probably have to keep you in here for an extra week to ensure things don't go awry. And even after you get discharged, you'll probably have to return to get regular check-ups."
I was listening to him absentmindedly. My brain was still stuck on the fact that my heart had weakened to such an extent.
Well, not my heart. The heart that's beating in my chest right now is a fake. The Witch of Vainglory has my current heart.
The fact that her taking my heart left me in such a predicament only provided me with another reason to do everything in my power to get it back.
Not that I had any idea where to even begin in that matter.
My mind was bogged down with many different thoughts, worries, and concerns. I didn't know the situation with everybody else, the Magic Academy, and the world in general. I had to worry about the fact that a god-like entity was running around with my heart. I needed to figure out how to get that heart back while also being heavily restricted because my body was operating with a fake heart. Then there was the plethora of unanswered questions that I had, birthed from my conversation with Ariel.
I nearly found myself drowning once again. And I had just woken up.
However, unlike the last time, unlike the old Raiden, who would have undoubtedly folded under all of the pressure, I would not let all of the things currently piled up on me be the end. I would just need to push through, despite everything going on currently. I would continue fighting.
"Besides, you'll always have me by your side." A voice from my mind spoke.
That's right. I'd always have Ariel right next to me all throughout. I wouldn't lose.
"Also, Raiden?"
I looked back up at Montez. He then gestured to my heavily bandaged arms. "I don't know what you've gone through. But hurting your body to cope with it is never the right option."
I froze momentarily. Of course they would have seen my scars. Staring at them now, even under bandages, I felt ashamed. What made it even worse was that I was unconsciously moving to scratch my arms once again.
Had it not been for the bandages, the white sheets of the bed I sat in at the moment would be drenched in red.
Montez placed a hand on my shoulder. "Son, I'm not going to pretend like I'm some sort of know-it-all, but that's not the only way you can cope with what you've experienced. Your sister, she cares for you a lot. She had a lot of questions when she saw the cuts on your arms. You can talk to her. I know that it's a difficult conversation to have and that my words may even seem ignorant, but that's what I truly believe to be the best for you."
After giving me these words, Montez turned to leave.
Just before he left, I asked him,
"Did anyone else besides Kami come to visit me?"
"Well, a few other students of Theta—"
"Besides them. Did-did-"
I couldn't even finish my sentence, but Montez seemed to know what I was going to ask next.
"Yes, your parents did come to visit the hospital when you and your sister were admitted."
He tried to leave, but my next question stopped him in his tracks.
"Tell me the truth. Did either of them even bother"?
Montez was quiet for a long moment. When he turned around, his eyes were full of pity.
"Your mother came. She cried at your bedside for a long while, apologizing profusely."
"And, my dad?" I held my breath, sincerely hoping the next words I heard would go against my expectations.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, son."
Despite that, reality struck hard.
I sat in silence for a long time.
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Destruction? Carnage? Massacre?
None of the words could accurately describe what had just happened.
A large town in the countryside, with a population of over 70,000 people.
They all lived a quiet lifestyle in their rural town.
Tight-knit family bonds defined the town.
And despite its size, its people were all in good relations.
Conflict rarely arose, and when it did, it was solved civilly.
A historically low crime rate for a town of such size.
Those who lived there had considered it a utopia.
Had, because none of those people were alive anymore.
The beautiful, vibrantly colored town of over 70,000 people had been reduced to an empty ghost town, devoid of any life.
Even the plants had withered away. Grass, trees, shrub, everything. Not a single bird sang, and not a single rodent scurried. The livestock and cattle were all gone; the only thing left in their enclosure was ash. The once green town had been reduced to a dim gray color. It contrasted against the vibrant green in the distance. The contrast was so jarring that it was almost like something out of an animated show.
It resembled those graphics that compared old black-and-white pictures to modern-day ones.
The gray covered everything.
It was the symbol of death. Everything that died had been reduced to gray ash.
The entire town had fallen in less than half an hour. From the moment that the attack began to the moment that it ended, nobody knew that a single thing was amiss until they died.
However, in the center of the town, there remained two blots of color.
In the grayed-out environment, they shined vibrantly.
A warrior, wearing heavy green armor with elaborate designs and a helmet that resembled the stretching branches of a dead tree, stood imposingly, standing in front of the cowering figure of a young girl.
The girl is on her knees in the dirt, a blank expression on her face. Her blonde hair shined brightly like the sun in the center of the gray world she was in.
A spear was embedded into the ground next to her. Its pink color stood out as well.
She stared at the terrifying figure of the warrior in front of her, who had brought about all of this destruction and death.
"The prophecy truly is great." The warrior said, as she walked forward. "We've been monitoring this town for a while, and yet, you only appeared on the exact day that the prophecy dictated you would, Saintess."
The girl finally showed some emotion, flinching at that title.
The warrior smiled, leaning down to be eye level with the girl.
"That's right. I'm not going to kill you. Instead, I'm going to take you to a holy place. In that place, you will serve as the Saintess. You'll be granted immense power, and when the time is right, you'll be the one who saves the world."
She reached out and placed a hand on the girl's chin. "You don't know me yet; however, in due time, you will come to know everything about our organization." The warrior smiled. "For now, I'll introduce myself. I am Hel, a member of the Axiom Church roundtable. It's nice to meet you."
The girl shrank away slightly; however, she could not escape the grasp of Hel.
"Isn't that right, Sayako?"