The dust settled on what was once a well kept room filled with an array of jewelry, clothes, trinkets and oddities, now all that remained was a disheveled room. The floor and walls littered with craters of various sizes, splintered wood and broken tables scattered across the room as Cyrus panted heavily, his chest rising and falling with his labored breathing. His body covered in condensed blood and singes, his clothes in tatters and hanging on by threads.
Approaching the knelt Cyrus, Sarah had her arms folded, her head craning back and forth as she looked at the destruction in the room. " huh, color me surprised. I didn't expect you to know about Vivification."
" Vivi what now?" Cyrus tilted his head in response speaking out through bated breaths.
" Vivification! It- no forget it I'm not even surprised you would be the type to yell out your spell names because its cool." Sarah begrudgingly replied.
" Is it not?" He questioned
Sarah sighed. " You are a literal child."
" Hey! I'm in my twenties I'll have you know!" Cyrus stumbled up to his feet, wincing as he clutched at his arm.
" Yeah, Yeah. So did you kill her?"
Being asked if he had killed the woman a blank expression grew across his face, absent-mindedly blinking as his head slowly turned back towards the woman who was face down slumped against the ground. " Umm..... I think she's alive." He nervously chuckled.
Hearing his response Sarah let out a heavy sigh and made her way towards the unconscious woman. Crouching down next to her Sarah flipped the woman onto her back and pressed her ear to the woman's chest. The air seemed to grow silent as Sarah pressed into her before she heard a soft thump, and then another, and then another. Lifting her head she let out a soft sigh of relief. Raising her hand she began to inscribe another one of her runes in the air.
" Restore" She'd mutter out
With her command given the rune would sink down onto the woman's body, the strange lettering etching itself onto her skin and spreading out like bandages adhering to her skin.
Seeing Sarah healing the woman Cyrus grumbled. " I could use some healing to."
" You're not the core user who just got their head spiked into the ground by a living bolt of lightning! Go make yourself useful and find Henry or something!" She snapped
Getting yelled at Cyrus's body stiffened and his eyes widened before he frantically nodded his head. " Got it!"
Making himself useful Cyrus started to look around the building searching for his feathered companion. Looking and looking he'd stumble upon a corner that was for some reason unscathed. Surrounded by dozens of craters and scorched floor was a perfectly untouched sphere of space and smack dead center in the middle of it was the backpack wearing feathered companion called Henry. Seeing Henry in such an insanely lucky spot all Cyrus could do was hang his head and laugh.
" Now aren't you a lucky one." He joked
" Quack"
" Hey! Don't act all smug!"
Henry gave Cyrus a glance from the side of his eye before walking ahead of him seemingly honking in what could only be inferred to be laughter. Getting sassed and mocked by Henry of all people Cyrus's brow furrowed for a few moments before he let out a heavy sigh and simply followed him. Walking behind him as the two made their way back to Sarah and the unconscious woman who was now sitting up and rubbing her head. Her hand pushed her long hair out of her face her pink eyes closing into a glare as she looked at Cyrus and Sarah.
" So, you caught me. Gonna take me back? Well not gonna happen! I'd rather die before going back to Ibis!" She snapped out as stars began to form around her before she'd cough and they quickly fizzled out.
Seeing her reaction Sarah sighed and rolled her eyes. " We're not taking you back anywhere."
" Yeah, we don't even know where Ibis is" Cyrus added
" You, don't know where it is. But ignore him he's an idiot, we're still not hear to take you back" She responded, Cyrus grumbling at being called an idiot.
" So why did you two-"
" Quack"
" Apologies, you three come here and wreck my things?" She questions
" Cause you stole my dagger! Plus I bet everything else in here is also-"
" Shut up! Let me do the fucking talking!" Sarah interrupted, a set of runes appearing and attaching themselves to Cyrus's mouth preventing him from talking, the hunter clutching his mouth and trying to pry them off. "Anyways I'll explain. You've awoken to a new power recently haven't you?"
The woman's eyes widened hearing the question but quickly refocused as she regained her composure. " I have.... how do you know that though?" She questioned
" Because I know how you got it. You and this idiot over here have absorbed a psuedo divine core into your bodies." Sarah explained.
The woman had a skeptical gaze locked on to Sarah. " Divine core? What is that supposed to be and what did it replace my mana core?"
Hearing her questions a single tear began to roll down Sarah's cheek. Seeing this the woman paused and her expression changed to one of pure confusion.
Wiping the tear from her face Sarah takes a deep breath. " No that's a great question. I was just worried every core holder was gonna be an idiot, you actually know what a mana core is."
Blankly blinking a few times she looks at Cyrus and gears began to turn in head. " Wait..... are you saying he doesn't know what one is." She'd point to cyrus.
" No, he doesn't." Sarah responded
Almost immediately the woman burst out into laughter, falling back onto the ground as her laugh echoed throughout the building. Watching her die of laughter upon learning about his lack of knowledge towards a mana core his cheeks started to grow a slight shade of red, attempting to open his mouth and speak nothing came out but incoherent mumbles as the runes continued to seal his speech. Trying to stifle a laugh of her own Sarah covered her mouth with her fist but before long the angel was joining in, her laughter mixing with the woman's as the two of them laughed at the incompetence of the former hunter.
Eventually the woman and Sarah calmed down and she sat back up, wiping the tears that had built up in her eyes from the fit of laughing she had she composed herself.
Having composed herself as well Sarah took a deep breath. " Ahem, so as I was saying you now have a secondary core in your body that was made in Celestia sent down to the mortal realm of Kumo in preparation for a calamity."
Listening to her explanation the woman nodded her head. " So that weird crystal I grabbed that day was the divine core and I'm supposed to stop this calamity."
" Psuedo divine core but essentially yes."
" Got it.... yep count me out." The woman would stand up and dust herself off.
" What!? You can't just say no! The fate of the world rests on you core wielders!" She frantically responded.
" actually I can and I'll do it again... no." The woman chuckled with a bit of a smirk on her face. Having brushed herself off she was starting to walk away.
Frantically looking around the room Sarah racked her brain for a way to convince this woman. " G-Gold! M-Money! l-lots of it"
Hearing those few words the woman stopped in her tracks.
" T-think about it, you become a hero who saves the world you'll get more riches than you could imagined."
The woman turned around and looked at Sarah. " That is tempting but I'd rather not be in that much danger."
" You'd have a shit ton of money after though."
" It probably would be a lot."
" A fuck ton even."
" Ooh you're right."
" Mhmm."
" Alright, I'm In."
" That's what is gonna convince you!?" Finally prying the runes off of his mouth Cyrus couldn't believe the negotiation process he just witnessed.
Seeing his reaction the woman laughed and a smirk appeared on her face as she began to walk off shooting a glance back towards Cyrus. " Hey, there's nothing in this world you can't buy with enough money, that's enough to bet this second life on. I'm Celene and it's nice to meet you my fellow future hero, try not to let me drain you dry."