[A Few Days Later]
"Oh my God…." Michiko said with a look of pure astonishment plastered all over her face.
"This is insane." Nick followed up with a slight chuckle at the sheer absurdity of what he was looking at.
"So…this is Tree Boy's overdrive, huh?" Reyna questioned. Even if it was a bit hard for them to breathe right now, it didn't cause her to avert her gaze.
After weeks of trial and error, their group had finally achieved its primary goal. And to say that the results were far beyond their wildest imagination would be an understatement.
As the group of Iznana executives gazed upon Cyrus's overdrive skill, they couldn't help but feel a slight sense of awe about the sheer and utter nonsense that stood before them. And despite all of their experiences with their own overdrives, nothing could've prepared them for this.
Their collective curiosity as to what kind of new ability the young man would gain as a result of their harsh training had been officially satisfied. However, even people like them had a hard time wrapping their minds around just how spectacular the young 'tree magic' user's new power was.
"Wow…." The leader of the group almost whispered.
Even at this moment, it was hard for Elaine to properly put her thoughts into words. Despite the fact that she already knew what to expect, actually seeing it in person was a different matter entirely.
The 'wind magic' user then felt her heart begin to rapidly beat within her chest. And a feeling of elation began to well up inside of her. This was it. The breakthrough that she had been looking forward to for so long. The critical piece of her grand plan that she had been waiting for years to finally see. All of her efforts were finally beginning to bear fruit. And now that Cyrus had finally gained his overdrive, it truly meant that her dream was within her grasp.
"What a magnificent power." She then said with a calm smile on her face.
Elaine then took a moment to look down at the object that she was currently holding in her hand. A byproduct of the splendor that was Cyrus's overdrive skill. This was something that even she wasn't expecting. And the ramifications that the object's existence would surely bring were not to be taken lightly.
To think that something like this was even possible went far beyond even her understanding of sorcerers and magic. And the fact that they had already tested and proven its usefulness made that even more apparent. If the woman wasn't so hell bent on keeping it a secret, she would've already tried to find a way to profit off of it as much as she possibly could. Hell, she would bet that something like this was far more valuable than even her family's flying enchantment.
"I don't even think magnificent is a good enough word for it." A very impressed Quintin remarked. "I thought Nick's overdrive was something special. But this, this is just insanity!"
From about thirty yards away from the rest of the group, Cyrus looked down at the others from atop his newest creation.
This particular creation, though, went far beyond any of the others. And it was leagues above what he thought he would've ever been capable of creating on his own. Not only were the implications of his new overdrive skill absolutely outrageous to think about, its mere existence threatened to shatter their current understanding of magic entirely. And the fact that it made him possibly one of the most dangerous and valuable 'plant magic' users on the planet was not lost on him at all.
"So, how do you feel?!" Michiko shouted to Cyrus while making sure to keep her distance to avoid any unfortunate accidents.
Cyrus took a moment to let out a quick breath before rubbing his hand over the dark green horns that were now protruding out of either side of his head. He was still getting used to the feeling that his new transformation gave him. But even now, he felt as if he were on top of the world. And it wasn't just because of the special ability that he gained with his new creation.
"I feel…amazing!" The young man smiled at the woman. "Actually, I feel even better than amazing. I feel alive!"
It was safe to say that Cyrus now had the power to make his wish come true. With this, he would definitely be more than a match for Hannah and the others. If anything, he was now a threat that would give any A-rank sorcerer on the planet a run for their money. Probably S-ranks too, now that he thought about it.
With his overdrive skill now firmly in hand, he finally had the power to avenge the death of his friend. And nothing was going to stop him from making that happen.
Elaine simply smiled at the declaration. She herself knew exactly what he was feeling right now. Achieving the next level of power that one of their kind could obtain was like taking a hit of the best drugs on the planet. And the feeling didn't diminish, no matter how many times you used it. That being said, there was still much to be done. Even if Cyrus now had his overdrive, it would need some fine-tuning before it was time for him to leave. But that wasn't too big of an issue for her at the moment.
The 'wind magic' user then stepped forward.
"So, now that you finally have your new power-up, there's only one more thing we need to do before we wrap it up for the day!"
"Oh?" Cyrus raised an eyebrow in the woman's direction. "And what is that?"
Elaine gave the young man a wide smile before speaking. "You have to give it a name!"
-(o)-
The sun dipped low over the horizon while casting long, golden streaks through the trees that lined the forested area surrounding the MacNamara mansion. It had been quiet that evening as the birds tucked themselves into the branches, and the wind rustled with a gentleness that hinted at a change in the air.
Cyrus Moore sat on the edge of his large bed with his phone pressed to his ear as his fingers absentmindedly traced the scars that decorated his face. The young man had just stepped out of the shower and was taking a moment for himself to relax and unwind from yet another rough, but glorious, day of training.
To anyone who might've been able to gaze upon this moment, they would've surely taken note of the physical condition that the young 'tree magic' user was now in.
Compared to how he looked when he first came out here, Cyrus appeared to be an entirely new person.
Not only had he returned to the state that he was in prior to being kidnapped, he was actually much better than even before that. The muscles around his arms and chest had grown considerably. And although he still had a relatively slim physique compared to someone like Quintin or Evan, it would be easy to confuse him for a seasoned athlete. Especially with the way that the still present drops of water around his now chiseled abdomen glistened in a way that showed off his muscles.
Thanks to Nick and Reyna's constant healing treatments during the course of his training, he was now as close to prime physical conditioning as he had ever been. So much so that he was willing to bet that his friends would have a hard time recognizing him whenever they got the chance to see him again.
'I might need to order some new suits.' Cyrus mused. 'I can already tell that none of my shirts are going to fit me anymore.'
The young man then held his phone up to his ear as he waited for the line to connect on the other side. He had been looking forward to this phone call for the entire day. And he was excited to actually be able to talk to one of his friends for what felt like the first time in forever.
"You're serious?" Ayako's voice lit up through the receiver, cutting through the quiet. "You're actually coming back?"
Cyrus let out a breath that turned into a chuckle. "Yeah. Two more days. I should be back in Charlotte by Thursday night."
On the other end of the line, Ayako gasped. "Finally! I was starting to think you'd vanished off the face of the Earth or something."
Cyrus smiled, a rare, unforced thing these days. "Close, but not exactly."
"Sounds about right." The 'water magic' user's tone was teasing, but he could hear the undercurrent of relief beneath it. "So? Are you going to tell me what kind of monster the Commissioner's daughter turned you into, or do I have to wait for the dramatic unveiling?"
Cyrus leaned back against the wall, his gaze flicking toward the half-packed duffel bag by the door. His body still ached a bit, but it was a good ache. The kind that came from movement with purpose, not pain from restraint or desperation.
"You'll see soon enough." He then said. "But yeah...I'm stronger now. A lot stronger. Faster, too. I feel like myself again."
There was a pause on the line, and then her voice returned, a bit quieter this time. "I'm really glad to hear that, Cyrus. Seriously."
Cyrus hesitated, his throat tightening with something he couldn't quite name. "I'm just glad that all of this extra training was worth it. But I'm also glad that it didn't change me too much."
Ayako was quiet for a moment. When she spoke, her words were firm, yet grounding. "Hey, change is never really a bad thing, right?"
The freckle-faced teen closed his eyes. Just being able to talk to one of his friends made the weight in his chest feel a little lighter. He then remembered that he should probably send a message to the others in the group chat to let them know that he was doing alright.
"You've been holding it down while I've been gone?" Cyrus then asked, shifting the focus away from himself.
"Barely…" Ayako said with a grin that he could almost hear. "Things have still been pretty crazy around here. I think I've been on four overnight missions since you've been gone. And don't even get me started on the whole vending machine incident that happened in the breakroom last week."
Cyrus laughed before responding. "Let me guess, someone almost bugged out because the machine ate their money again?"
"Among a few other things." Ayako added, her voice soft again. "It'll be good to have you home, Cyrus. Like, seriously."
He opened his eyes and stared out the window at the dark stretch of trees just beyond the outer fence of the mansion.
"I'm ready." Cyrus said, more to himself than to her. "I'm ready to make those assholes pay for what they did to Freddy."
"Good!" Ayako said. "And I can't wait to see how strong you've gotten."
"Yeah." He replied, smiling again. "And I guarantee that you'll be impressed by what you see."
Outside, the wind picked up, and the trees began to rustle with what was left of their autumn leaves. Cyrus then stood up from his seat on the bed and walked toward the window, already imagining the familiar skyline of Charlotte. And the comfortable chaos of the city.
Just a couple more days.
And this time, he wasn't coming back as a victim.
He was coming back as a man on a mission.