Hey all, it's me again. Time sure flies even when you have absolutely nothing to do, huh?
Well, I wouldn't really call it nothing. My Stats have been steadily increasing with each injection of Gnosis. Before I realized it, an entire three years had passed since I entered the DG Cult in the midst of the Hundred Days War back in S1192. I was no longer six years old. I'm nine now. My body went through more explosive growth, slightly being over five feet now. Crazy huh? It really does make me wonder what this body is made of. It isn't a giant in disguise, is it?
Jokes aside, it was quite uneventful here, if you drown out all the noise that is. It's the DG Cult, so what more can I say? I grew numb to all of the cries and yells for help that doesn't exist. I started inside the Sun Fort where it holds a sleeping KeA and that stupid High Priest. Thankfully, I outplayed him with my Blood Magic, and had the goons transfer me out.
I am now in the Altair Lodge in Calvard. But when I was transferred, I wasn't the only one who was sent out. Sherryl and Ennea came with me! And yet, during that process, I did not know that my actions caused KeA to wake up far earlier than what was supposed to happen.
I will now go over what I have developed in these three years. I was granted two Skills. Shocker.
One Skill is called Superhuman Endurance. It does not have Levels or anything. I can block all incoming damage by 20%, and if my HP falls below half, that 20% becomes 40%, making it much tougher to knock me out during battle. The second one is Perception. This Skill is very similar to what Ennea received. But it doesn't show me how far I can scope things out. I can now Perceive a person's flow during battle. Meaning I can see how a person will attack me before the attack actually lands. Almost Precognition in a way, but not to that extreme. Pretty cool, right?
From there, I mentioned that I was transferred to the lodge situated in the shadows of Altair, Calvard. This place is more toward the west near the border than it was to Calvard's capital city, which went by the name Edith. It didn't take long to get acquainted with whom I wanted to meet here. A newcomer to our cell.
This person was a bit younger. I'm currently nine, Sherryl is eight, and Ennea is eleven. This girl is the youngest of the group, only five years old. It must have been a terribly frightening event for her. She was born in S1190, but experienced the kidnapping all the same. That's right, the girl we encountered is none other than Tio Plato! She barely spoke to us at first. She was way too scared after realizing her new home was a dark cell with barely any lighting.
During this, I made sure to check up on Altair's records. With a little bit of Blood Magic, I made sure to have Tio transferred to our cell. That was why I came here to begin with. Blood Magic sure is convenient, isn't it? Using it on the lower-leveled goons like the guards here has proven rather beneficial to me. The common reason needed injury to experience its fullest effect, but I found other ways to have the Blood Magic entered their body. And I found piercing through the eyes was the best way to go around doing that.
There was one upside to this particular lodge in Altair too. The facility itself, that is. It was a giant cave system. The same caves Lloyd and his group explored to chase down Ernest and Hartmann in Azure's prologue. This place was mostly for research. Sure they'd conduct their experiments I'd refrain from saying from the depths. The very same area you'd fight a Demonized Ernest. I'm talking about that room. But we rarely wandered there, if not at all. I made sure of that. This place is a lot better compared to other lodges like Paradise. And unfortunate enough as it is, Paradise is my next destination after this.
So yeah, while the happenings of the Altair Lodge took place, Tio ended up being placed in our cell, being the last person to arrive at this place. Or so I thought.
"Hey brats, we have one more coming for ya!", One of the nearby guards suddenly said, which drew our attention to the cell being unlocked. Strange, I didn't twist the records to authorize a second transfer. So I wonder, who could it be this time? I thought they'd place them in a cell nearby, but ours was chosen. Looks like Tio wasn't the last person.
The four of us saw the guard toss a figure into our cell, who was bigger than most of us. They seemed to be a ten year old boy, one year younger than Ennea. His body collapsed onto the cold, hard floor in front of us without a care in the world. The guards simply treated us like we were trash with zero human dignity. Better than having a crazed priest wanting to record every single bit about you, I guess? There was way less monitoring here, which was a good thing.
As the first guard did that, another guard nearby spoke.
"Hey, isn't this cell getting pretty full? We've gotten lucky with our new arrivals recently. We might need to expand our current blocks.", The second guard said.
"That is true. Amongst the numbers include three transfers, and two new arrivals. We are not to question the High Priest who operates here. I couldn't give a shit about how full this place gets. We just care about results, don't we?", The first guard responded.
"Right. I can't help but pity this new boy, honestly. He must've done something so fucked up to have him get sold by that famous Quincy Company, haha!", The second guard laughed, smirking at the boy in front of us. Did he just say...The Quincy Company? Isn't that the famous chocolate maker who Ries enjoys a lot?
Did this boy somehow cause some irreversible trouble to them? To the point of being sold out and getting kidnapped by the DG Cult no less?
"Whatever happened, I do not care. It aligned to what that Edmond fellow wanted. This brat really tried to push his luck trying to befriend the CEO's daughter. He's gotten beaten up quite a bit already. Sure can take a punch, can't he? Not many can live to see the day after all that went down. One more wouldn't hurt, right?", The first guard replied, also smirking. Without hesitation, the guard kicked the boy's body, right into his chest. A pained voice escaped from his lips.
"Ugh...", The boy said, obviously feeling pain. The couple of guards simply laughed seeing him unable to fight back. They then shut the cell door on us, and retreated away. Sheesh. Seeing this happen, I frowned.
"Tch. Still seeing this happen puts a bad taste in my mouth.", I uttered. Sadly to the guards, they heard me say this. They were about to close the cell door all the way before their ears perked up, and stared right back at me.
"Hoh? Someone still has the energy to talk back at us, huh?", The second guard said, looking directly at me. "Hmm, it isn't time yet for the next round of injections. Why don't we have a little bit of fun?"
Without waiting for me, the second guard approached my way, and reached out their hand. He latched onto my head, and yanked me off the stone bed, and firmly grasped it. It was as if they were ready to drag me away. Seeing this, Sherryl's eyes turned wide.
"No! Don't take big brother!", Sherryl spoke out in a panic. She stood up, trying to rush at the first guard. The guard sneered. Reaching his hand out, the guard punched Sherryl in the chest, causing her to collapse onto the floor beside the boy. While Gnosis has been strengthening her body from the inside out, she hasn't had much practical application yet. It still hurts for her. Seeing the guard do this, Ennea's eyes turned cold.
"Drop him, now.", Ennea said, who stayed quiet during this exchange. She suddenly disappeared, only to have the second guard act quickly and countered her hidden strike with a bang. Ennea backed off, approaching the other wall.
"Oh we know well who you are, little assassin.", The second guard said. He then kicked Ennea who attempted a second attack while slashing him. Bang! She too felt a heavy impact against her gut, only to cough up some blood as she struck the wall. It was enough to splatter onto Tio and the black-haired boy. Tio just sat there on her knees with a blank look in her eyes, not showing much emotion apart from fear.
Seeing this, the first guard clicked his tongue.
"Tch. Is all you've got is bark and no bite? Gnosis is definitely kicking in alright. Hahaha!", The first guard said, letting out a wild laughter. "And you're next, you shitty noble brat. We're going to take you to another area to---?", The guard continued to say, only to see me grin.
"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure about that.", I answered, disregarding the fact he still held onto my head.
"Hah? Have your ears turned the other way? We easily handled your so-called friends. Or are they even your friends? You are all just some shitty brats waiting to rot away in this cell for our one and true god.", The guard said in a cold voice.
Hearing that, I simply sighed.
"I guess playtime is over.", I stated. All of a sudden, Sherryl and Ennea acted weird, pretending like the earlier attacks now had no effect on them. I lied with what I said earlier. Gnosis has already improved these two by leaps and bounds, haha!
"Boo. I wanted to play some more.", Sherryl said, pouting. Her normal voice came through, not the scared one. I mean yes, blood still trickled down from her lips. That much was true. But she acted like nothing happened.
"How disappointing.", Ennea said, also becoming uninterested with the two guards. She just laid there, looking up toward the ceiling. As for Tio, she still didn't show much emotion. But the fear she held in her eyes no longer was present. She even cracked a rare smile.
"Ha ha, you reap what you sow.", Tio said. Her tone had little to no tone at all, making it very monotone. That was one downside Tio had while receiving Gnosis. Unlike us, she actually lost most of her emotions. It was already a surprise to see her smile like this. Just hearing us say this, the guards became confused.
Feeling the hand still on my head, I just looked at them.
"I only allow certain individuals to touch my hair like this. And sadly, you don't fit the bill. Kindly stay your hand. Or better yet, how about having no hands at all?", I said, revealing a cold voice of my own. In the next instance, the guard suddenly yelled out in pain.
"AHHH!", The guard exclaimed, releasing his grip entirely. He saw his left arm entirely get crushed in half, breaking the bone altogether. He felt intense pain in his arm, and entered a daze thanks to the pain he now felt. Even the bone was visible. I smiled seeing this.
"Thanks, Sherryl. Ennea. Having fresh blood always produces the best result for Blood Sphere.", I said. I didn't have to bite down on my thumb this time. I let my Mana run loose. An invisible air swept around the cell. All of the blood around us began to congeal into a bloody red sphere. Both of our respective blood went into making it.
"W-What is that!?", The second guard exclaimed in shock, seeing this large Blood Sphere finish forming.
"Oh this little thing? Just something Master taught me. I refuse to drink blood when it's rotten to the core. Forming this Blood Sphere will have to do.", I said, smirking at the guard. I took one step. Then another. The guard felt a cold chill run down his spine seeing this.
"Y-You aren't a brat, you're a freak!", The guard stuttered. Sherryl giggled hearing that.
"Don't all of you stupid priests call us freaks? We've participated in your experiments. With the tables turned, you try to turn tail just from having us show a little bit of power? You have no spine.", Sherryl retorted. Her voice was cold too when she said this.
"No matter where you run, you are stuck here like we are.", Tio said with those deadpan eyes of hers.
The first guard attempted to regain his vision, only to see Tio's gaze at him. Due to his broken arm, blood was still spewing out. I didn't take it all. He was quickly turning woozy with all the blood loss. He collapsed onto the ground right then and there. Seeing the first guard collapse, it was then fear struck the second guard. True to Sherryl's words, he actually tried to turn around and run away.
But I struck out with Blood Sphere. It struck the guard, and latched onto him. I sealed his lips away.
"Unfortunately for you mister guard, I still have some use for you.", I said, still smiling.
"Mmmph!?", The second guard tried to reply, still feeling fear. But his body was now immobilized. Next, his eyes turned dull, and he no longer became responsive. Not from death, no. My Blood Sphere seeped into his body. Through the eyes.
"Well, that fun lasted for five minutes. I'm surprised no help came.", Sherryl said as she returned to the bedside. I did too now that my head was free.
"Cries for help are common. I do not think the priests care about what happens down here. They just care about success.", Tio stated.
"What should we do now, Naoto?", Ennea asked, who was now sitting upright again. Hearing that, I shifted toward Tio. Her smile was now gone.
"Well, Tio, you accepted us and remained by our side. Is it still not scary for you?", I asked. Tio had just recently joined our group after all.
"...It is still scary, but Sherryl, Ennea, and Naoto have comforted me in this rotten place. It makes passing time more enjoyable.", Tio said, causing us to smile. "I am glad we became friends."
"Aww, I am glad we became friends too, Tio! To be honest, this place is far more boring than the Sun Fort. You have another place in mind already, don't you, Naoto?", Sherryl asked.
Tio looked our way, and confusion appeared in her eyes.
"You guys are going somewhere, even though we can't leave?", Tio asked, confused.
I laughed after hearing that.
"Hahaha! You see Tio, that is where you are wrong. How do you think we even got into this lodge to begin with?", I said, smiling at her.
"???", Tio tried to ask. She just stayed confused.
"It's simple really. We triggered the transfer. Through the means you just saw. We can leave this place any time we so wish to.", I answered.
"...!", Tio responded, unable to still find any words. "Then...we can go back?"
"Hmm. It is possible to return home. But we've got different items on our agenda. You see Tio, there are far more unfortunate kids out there than just you, Sherryl, me, and Ennea. While I could drop you home, don't you want to see what is happening to others like you?", I decided to ask.
"That...", Tio said, not replying right away. She went to her thoughts, wondering what I had just said to her. Sure, she was part of the DG Cult incident, but she is just one kid of many who got taken here. Many have it worse than we do. The place I plan to go to next might be the worst of all of the lodges.
Paradise.
I saw a decisive look appear in her eyes, and she nodded her head.
"I will go with you.", Tio decided. Hearing that, I laughed.
"Glad to have you then.", I said, smiling.
"Yay! We have one more now. Now there's just one question remaining.", Sherryl said, only to look up at the beaten boy before us. "What do we do with him?"
"Now that is the question of the day. Honestly, I'm not sure. I do not know who he is.", I said, shaking my head. I mean, he does look familiar now that I see that shade of blue on his hair. There's no way it could be him...Could it?
"Doesn't ring a bell for me either. The guard mentioned something about a Quincy Company. What's a Quincy Company?", Sherryl asked, looking at me.
"Oh it's just one of the most renowned enterprises in all of Calvard, and other countries, selling high-class goods and luxury items. They're quite known for their brand of chocolate, or so I've heard.", I said, answering her. "Sounds like this guy tried poking his nose where it shouldn't belong."
"Tch. As if you'd know.", The boy said, suddenly speaking up for himself. "Ugh, they really did a number on me...", The boy continued, feeling his body in pain. It did not take him long to realize he wasn't alone. He saw me looking right at him, as he did three other girls.
"So you decided to stop pretending to be asleep after all. You heard everything, didn't you?", I said, grinning. Hearing that, the boy paused. But seeing the boy do this was the only answer I needed.
It was then he noticed the guard off to the side, and saw him dead from blood loss. His arm was snapped in two. His gaze turned serious.
"Oi, did you seriously do this?", The boy asked.
"It's a nice welcome gift, ain't it? One dead, and the other incapacitated.", I answered.
"You really did cause all of this?", The boy asked, only to look around again. He saw the second guard just standing there motionlessly, waiting for whatever next order I will give him. He then saw the large Blood Sphere hovering at my side. "And what the hell is that thing supposed to be?", The boy said, pointing at it.
"Hey! It's rude asking questions right off the bat without introducing yourself first. Big Brother went out of his way to protect you from those damned priests.", Sherryl said, retorting him. Hearing that, it dawned on him, realizing what had happened. He felt a tad guilty, and rubbed his hair with his hand.
"Yeah, yeah. Sorry about that. Still, holy shit. With strength like that, what's causing you guys not to run away right now?", The boy asked, feeling embarrassed.
"Well, you actually. You just ruined our escape plan by being tossed in here. Well I wouldn't call it ruined. Just an extra variable. We kind of have a thing going on right now.", I answered.
"It is impolite to ask questions first before introducing yourself.", Tio also said, saying the same thing as Sherryl. Ennea also nodded her head with the same sentiment.
"Tch. I know where to pay respect when it's due. Thanks for the save. If I really can get out of this place, even if I'm just an orphan, I'll show that bastard a thing or two. How dare he sell me. I couldn't even explain the situation to Elaine!", The boy exclaimed, feeling disturbed by how things turned out. Elaine...? Why does that name sound familiar?
"It is rather unfortunate. Most of us were kidnapped too.", I replied, hearing his side of the story. Sounds like he has some beef with someone.
"So you're in the same boat as me then, eh? Guess we're all stuck here together. But it sounds like you have a solid plan to actually make it out of this place, yeah?", The boy asked.
"You could say that. And so, what do they call you?", I asked the big question. Sure enough, it really was him!
"The name's Van. Van Arkride. Ten years old.", Van said, formally introducing himself to us.