Saturday 21 June 2014

Deku Up! 6- PSYCHED. Here's some lore while Deku busies with Yvolki next chapter.

T : "Where's Deku?"

Totta looked up at the 'nice body' and rather smelly lady with blond hair tied into four braids.

B : "Who knows? He went out for a bit and took the whole library with him."

T : "What did he need the whole library for?"

B : "I don't know. I'm not Deku, so I can't say."

T : "... Oh."

The little girl looked at her brother, who was trying to nibble and suck on a piece of the small golem stirring the porridge.

T : "... That reminds me... Hey, lady?"

B : "What is it, brat?"

T : "Are you a mama?"

B : "What?"

Bael looked at the child in surprise. Of all the things she could have asked of, be it Bael's hair, or her stench, or her 'relationship with Deku', there the young kid was, asking something she didn't anticipate at all.

T : "I asked, are you a mama?"

B : "Wh- Why do you as that?"

T : "Because you look like my mama, and you smell funny like my mama. It's a different kind of smell, but maybe all mamas have different hair and different smells."

B : (Me, a mother? Of all the things-... Wait a minute. Mister Jiel's wife is a magechanic, isn't she? I remember her being a professor here at one point before I enrolled, where she taught how magic can be incorporated into simple objects and she often built things to demonstrate how magic can benefit everyday life... That's right, she built the Radalus Fitelle in the courtyard, didn't she?)

Totta's claim suddenly made a lot more sense. It's entirely possible that Bael herself resembles Totta's mother in some way, but what was that professor's name again?... It likely isn't coming up anytime soon without any prompts to help.

B : "... I'm not a mama..."

T : "I see."

Her honest and almost instantaneous reply sent a pleasant chill down Bael's spine.

B : (This girl... She's so, so... Pure! So cute...! She's like a doll I want to hug and never let go!)

Bael couldn't restrain herself over the young lady's delectable appearance, and embraced her tight.

T : "! Uhm, lady?"

B : "Yes, you precious thing, you?"

T : "... Well... Mama used to hold us in her arms and we'd suck her teat. But she won't let us do that anymore. Can I suck on your teat?"

B : "!! ♥ !!"

*** ***

And so, on that day, Bael experienced the joy of giving life and sustenance to a young lady.

>_<_>_<_>_<_>_<_>_<_>_<_>_<_>_<_>_<_>_<

Okay. Hahahahahahah. Well, that Deku Up! is a joke. It really is - Bael's not supposed to develop this way with Totta, but well, I can if I want them to >:D

Okay. In all seriousness, well, because Deku is absent, allow me to share the lore of this story - Image Power.

In Words of Power Quest, magic is a corporeal manifestation of image power, the sin of Man. Image power is the ability for the brain and eyes to visualize and picture physical images and visions.

There are two parts of Image Power - The visualization, where a person observes an act or coincidence, e.g. guy outstretching his hand with a bonfire in the background; And actualization, where the human fools his brain to the extent that the flame is actually coming from his hand.

If an ordinary human can spout 'fire' from his hand, then so too will the sinner be capable of such an act. Magic, in itself, is a great, big lie... A lie that actualizes and manifests itself as reality, and the person can actually spout flames from his hand simply by lying to himself so much that it becomes a truth, a reality. A good analogy would be a quote from Nisemonogatari.

"There's no reason a fake can't do what the real thing would. And it's possible for a fake to be more real than the real thing." - Oshino Shinobu

Because the precursor of that illusion is a human, you start thinking "Yeah, if he can do it, why can't I? He's not special or anything." And yes, you can actually become stronger based on your image of it. That's why image power is so hard to map, so hard to use, but oh so very satisfying if done right. That's also what I struggle with every week when I want to feature scenes with magic or the like.

It's not so simple, either, and there's a lot of complex things here and there. Magic is not so basic as having a single individual become so powerful that they can all become stand-alone mercenaries. Image power is influenced by every human, so think of it as a sort of collective conscious - The more people know and believe a story, the more powerful the effects.

For example, associating the color red with fire means that people will naturally assume that you are going to use fire magic if you wear red, thus your fire magic is strengthened by the very fact that you wear red clothes. That's the most common form of Image Power's applications, but of course there are other applications too.

For example, Image Power can also be used negatively, to reinforce your opponent's strength. The most obvious application is in actualizing magic, but image power can also be applied to skirmishing and dueling, picturing out the perfect victory and the most ideal way to end the fight, etc. Just like how a basketball player envisions himself getting the slam dunk, warriors and rogues can also envision the perfect outcome.

Image power is a sin, because it is the act of being dishonest and lying to oneself in terms of magic, and it is something that humans as a whole possess. The gods, without a physical form, have no 'brains' or 'eyes' for image power to become possible - Thus they are free of sin. The humans learn and hone magic in order to understand the nature of image power, and to cut themselves off from it completely (with death not as an option)

It follows Hempel's Raven paradox : All gods are incapable of using image power. Humans (who are not gods) are able to use magic (and are therefore not incapable of using image power) Therefore, humans are not Gods. (Not until they free themselves from image power)

Also, well, this is the limitation of image power. Though, the story won't focus too much on this - After all, image power isn't the scarier power to face; The Arts, now, those are horrifying. Arts are a way to absolve oneself from the sin known as image power, and it manifests in various forms. Most Gods, Dardicel, Soltak, Ilpoh, they too were once human and have mastered their specific Arts enough to become a God. But the humans who have yet become God, and yet train themselves to become Gods, are the Warlocks and Witches.

These are all confirmed, by the way : Warlock of Wind Byrh (pronounced Beer), Warlock of Sand Tholneus, Witch of Moon Lacuedia (yes, the -ia fetish is prevalent XD Roberia Slingeneyer, Melodia Fienharr, Cecilia Torste, Antonina, Silvia Gataretz, gotta love the -ia names. Mwa-hah-hah-hah-hah-ha!!), Warlock of Time (Nameless, better known in my reference works as The Withered King), Witch of Ideals R- SPOILERS

As if you can't tell by this point - There's only one character whose name starts with R.

OR... IS THERE?!...

Yeah, pretty much only one character who starts with the name R. Yep. Totally. Uh huh.

Well, till the next time.

Signing out,
Cozy

Thursday 19 June 2014

Advertissement : The True Depth of Words of Power Quest - Yvolki and Hraxiif

For many stories, there is a definite good, and a definite bad.
The protagonist is a good guy. The friends are good guys. Everything that opposes them are bad guys. Sometimes the good guys become bad guys, and sometimes the bad guys become good guys.
Sad to say, this simplicity is not present within Words of Power Quest.
It is, by no means, a simple story. It is so complex, that a Western style of writing will never portray it in the light that will bring forth its true potential - Thus the need to write it in a light novel format.
For this post, I shall touch on Yvolki and Hraxiif's interactions with each other - From just this alone, witness with your eyes how deep the story actually is.

__________

There are two recurring themes in most stories.
1) There is a dream.
The main protagonist has this dream (s)he wants to achieve, and he or she will go to great lengths to achieve it - Even if they don't want to. I don't read Western works often, but just from the back of my hand alone, One Piece, Hunter X Hunter, Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Ao no Exorcist, there are many shows that feature this particular theme of wanting something.
2) There is the fear of whether this dream becomes a reality or not.
This is pretty self-explanatory. For every success that exists, there is a chance at failure. For every 'yes' there is, there is also a 'no'. (hint hint) For every dream, there is a fear of that dream not becoming a reality.
So, let's recap :
1) There is a dream.
2) There is the fear of whether this dream can become a reality or not.

__________

These two themes are interlinked - Where one exists, the other must, too. What is a story without a conflict? And what better conflict is there, than the very opposite of the element you are inputting?
Such is the reason why elemental stories are extremely popular. There is light, there is dark. There is fire, there is water. There is an A, there will be a B. Stories like that are actually quite easy to write - Their difficulty is super low, and all you need to do is know one element well enough because the opposing element is everything the one element isn't.
This too is true in Words of Power Quest, albeit a bit different.
Yvolki, the Bird of Dream, is a manifestation of all the dreams and ideals in the world. If there is a tyrant that rules over people, there will be the hopes of a hero to defeat said tyrant. If there is a girl a certain guy likes, there is the dream that the guy will be able to win the girl's heart.
But, there is also the fear that said hero will fail in his quest. There is also the fear that said guy will fail to win that certain girl's heart. And that fear derived from the possibility of these failures, is what allows Hraxiif, the Wolf of Fear to manifest itself. This world is equal and balanced in an extremely interesting manner, in that all that holds a success also holds failure.
Thus, Yvolki and Hraxiif will always be equals.
That is, should there be no intervention at all.
There is actually a way for Hraxiif to overpower Yvolki. And, there is also a (similar but completely unrelated) way for Yvolki to overpower Hraxiif.

Let us begin on how Hraxiif will overpower Yvolki.
In order to tilt the balance between the two, they must first locate the common ground between both dream, and fear. It is only in finding common ground, and then manipulating the common ground to turn in their favor, do they overpower the opposing element.
In Hraxiif's case, that would be to find a fear manifested from dreams - A nightmare. If Hraxiif can create a nightmare, a type of dream that leans towards fear, then Hraxiif will be able to tilt the balance in its own favor, even if by just a little.
Thus, Hraxiif needs to create a nightmare.
What better nightmare is there, than an undefeatable warrior who proclaims himself an avatar of Hraxiif itself? That is the story of the Herald route - Where Hraxiif trains Katachi into a truly fearsome, undefeatable warrior, such that he can tilt that great strength into its favor. To have Katachi understand and control all fears, to live his own life in fear, and to prepare him for the biggest fear of his own life without giving him the dream nor the hope that Katachi will survive the ordeal.
To become a fear that devours the dreams of all who stand before him.

Now, let us talk about how Yvolki will overpower Hraxiif.
In the exact same order, Yvolki must find the common ground between dream and fear. However, Yvolki needs to look for a dream born of fear, not a fear born of dream (nightmare). It naturally falls upon people who have been twisted by their childhood, and have a great sense of self.
Before you look at it and think the bullied kid who goes on a journey in search of strength, much like Katachi himself? Yes, that is a model example, but not the only one. There are far... Darker, examples.
Yvolki can also target people who are bullied when young, who grow up to become criminals themselves to bully others too. As long as it serves as a source of power for Yvolki to defeat Hraxiif, it does not care about the repercussions of its actions - Simply moving forward is its priority, after all.
So, small-time pickpockets can become robbers, harmless children who prank a lot can be transformed into murderers and slaughterers who hack and slash at everything in their paths. To trap these people in a delusion, and make them live their fears out as a dream.

Remember - There is no right or wrong with this story. There is nothing in the story that dictates Yvolki being the 'force of good', and Hraxiif the 'force of evil'.
Truthfully, from a human's point of view, Hraxiif is the 'force of good'. It is more humane in the sense that it simply needs people to not move, cower in fear and fuel its vessel Katachi with that fear, but Yvolki needs people who will take action and live their fears out in a life-disregarding, delusional dream-like state, even if the actions turn out to be harmful.
Knowing this, there is one question I must ask -
Would you follow the manifest of dreams, Yvolki? Or will you follow the manifest of fears, Hraxiif?
There is a definite good, and a definite bad in most stories - Not this one, though.
And that, is the true depth of Words of Power Quest.
Whichever side do you like better? Whichever side do you want to root for, now that you learn of this truth?

And now, a word from the author of Words of Power Quest.
Food for thought - Something this deep and engaging, being written with no income in mind. With no plans to be published as a book that will be sold for money.
A story of this depth, being completely free, spare the fees for using up that little broadband to access it. And the only thing I beg of you, is that you don't copy this story or any of its content without referencing it or claiming it as your own.
Why are you not reading Words of Power Quest yet? What are you doing with YOUR LIFE?!
GO READ IT NOW, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. YOU'RE MISSING OUT ON AN UNREFINED GEM.

Wednesday 18 June 2014

Messiah 22 : Back_Down_We_Go

R : "Does it hurt, Katachi?"

Roberia pulled up Katachi's ragged shirt, to find a dark-blue bruise on his right side.

R : "!" (What a horrible bruise... I really need to learn how to hold back on my strength.)
K : "What... Is this place?"

"This is my house." The stall owner from before was dragging the wooden stand into the house. Katachi tried to get up to help the man hoist the stand through the small door, but the sudden jolt of pain from his waist made his goosebumps stand. He felt the nerves throughout his body flare and numb at the pain.

K : "!" (Ow... It hurts really bad...)
R : "!" (It's quite severe for a bruise, but Katachi isn't that strong or fit to begin with. I should find something to help suppress the pain.)

Roberia left Katachi's side to search for something to soothe the pain on the shelves around the house.

"Your friend there's pretty strong, isn't she?" Katachi glanced over at the stall owner, who was grinning at him cheerfully. "She carried your body on her shoulder all the way here, you know. Strength like that's a rarity, with how skinny she looks."

K : "I... I guess..."

"She reminds me of a traveler I met a couple of years ago. That man, now... He was a real warmonger." The stall owner slowly pushed the stand to a plain, empty corner, being careful with the construction of wood. The nails creaked as he shoved it across the floor, and it seemed as though it would fall apart anytime soon with rough handling.

"He wore a rather classy armor, with a gigantic sword on his side and was real strong. Someone tried to pickpocket him, and he simply flung his sword at the thief so hard it cut the gold pouch the thief was trying to steal." The stall owner stopped pushing it and went to the other side of the stand, to lift the stand over a small 'step' in the middle of the house. The uneven flooring was enough to suggest that the house wasn't even properly made to begin with, a simple mesh of walls and ceiling placed above an empty plot of barren land.

R : ( Classy royal armor, huge sword, really strong... Ian? Ian's been here?)
K : "Uh huh..." (The house looks really... Unstable, for some reason.)

"Of course, some of the beggars on the streets tried to run for the coins scattered on the floor, but he just walked forward, and the beggars dropped the coins quickly and begged for forgiveness. How do I say this... It's as if he had some sort of intimidating, or overwhelming presence about- ?"

As the stall owner bent down to pick up the bucket of rotting flesh, he stared at Katachi in a most curious light.

"... 封印?..."

He uttered something Katachi didn't understand.

K : "? What does that mean?"

"Those, those... Things, in your eyes..." The stall owner took out, from underneath the bucket, a feather.

A strange feather black as the night sky, with small stars like little dots glimmering on it.

K : "..." (That looks familiar... Somehow?...)
R : "!" (Yvolki's feather? He has one too?)

"You... Where did you get that... Thing, in your eyes?"

The merchant was looking at him with a most curious light. Strange, indeed - What business has he with Katachi's eyes?

*** ***

R : "..." (That's Yvolki's feather, isn't it? He had something like that with him, huh. His was placed underneath the bucket of... Rotting meat?)

Roberia turned her gaze toward the source of the horrid smell coming from the bucket.

Within the bucket, small, multiple pieces of viscera and a strange reddish-yellow like liquid was contained within.

R : "! Ngh!-" (It stinks! It smells like muddied lizard skin baked under the sun for too long! How did I not notice that before?!)

K : "... Do you... Really want to know that badly?"

Roberia didn't want to approach the bucket of rotting flesh at all. For the most part, something this horribly decayed should be thrown away already, so why is the merchant still keeping it with him?

K : "... In exchange, I would like a copy of your Word of Power."

Roberia felt the urge to pick the bucket squirming with maggots and flies and liquefied flesh up and toss it as far away as she possibly could. Who could bear to live with something this foul in their home?

"Why are you that interested in my Word of Power?"

Roberia wanted to reach for the handle, but she hesitated. There is the possibility that there are worms on the handle itself, too - She didn't like the idea of approaching the bucket and checking it carefully at close proximity.

K : "I... I can't say. Not... Not with her around."

She slowly extended her hand, when she saw that some parts of the bucket handle have already rusted to a great degree. The fear of the bucket handle giving way while she was carrying it flooded her mind, and it paralyzed her.

"So it's fine if she can't hear us, right?"

K : "... Yeah."
R : "... ?" (Are they talking about me?)

Roberia turned to look at the two, who were now staring at her. An awkward silence draped about the room, to which the merchant simply pointed his finger at Roberia, and she felt... Weird.

There's a faint, ringing sound at the back of her ears.

R : "⬜⬜⬜⬜- !?"

She could not speak. She could not hear at all. All sound had completely vanished, and it was as if the world had gone completely silent.

R : "⬜⬜⬜⬜?! ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜!!!"

Alas, she uttered only blanks. She could no longer hear herself. Did the world go mute? Did she go deaf? She couldn't tell.

*** ***

K : "Is... Is she alright?"

Katachi looked at Roberia with a confused expression.

"Don't fret the small details - I simply maintained the silence around her. She can neither produce nor perceive any forms of sound." With the handle of a skewer, the stall owner hooked Roberia's shirt up, revealing the Word of Power on her stomach.

.

K : (He really does have one, then...)

Roberia reached her arms around her stomach to cover it from view quickly, but then pulled her shirt up herself to affirm the Word of Power on her stomach. Her anxiety quickly vanished upon looking at the golden Word of Power as she quickly made sense of the situation, somewhat.

The stall owner drew a rune on the bucket of rotting flesh, and with it the odor seemed to disappear. It seems as though he too, was revolted by the stench it was producing.

"Right then - Back on topic. Why are you so interested in this Word of Power?"

K : "Because I am on a journey to collect all the Words of Power."

Katachi clutched at his ragged shirt unconsciously.

"... I will have you know that I can kill you in an instant, so be honest with me - Are you sure you're not coveting over it to show off to other people?"

K : "I'm sure. I've come a long way from Findel to complete this dream of mine." (He needs proof that I'm not lying... ! If I can just reach the book with all of them I've collected thus far...)

Katachi reached for the thousand-paged book lying next to his bag in a corner but the throbbing pain in his torso inhibited his movement. The stall owner, seeing his outstretched hand, turned around and picked up the book he was reaching toward, and skimmed the contents of the thick book.

"... ! 解, 安, 信, 凝, 合... I see. You've already collected a number of them already, haven't you?"

The stall owner proceeded to pronounce each individual word with a most brilliant clarity - One that Katachi couldn't hope to pronounce or replicate with his own voice.

K : (... Is it safe to assume that those are the right pronunciations for the Words of Power?...) "Y- Yes. I've been collecting as I go along."

"Answer me this, and I'll consider it - Why are you collecting the Words of Power? For what reason do you yearn for something like this?"

Katachi cringed a little.

To be honest, that was one of the questions he had wanted to avoid if it came down to it - But it is inevitable. His child-like dreams, laid barren to yet another person, will probably not be as well-received as the time he shared it with the Demanti family.

But if it is for the sake of obtaining the Word of Power, so be it, then.

K : "... I want to end it."

"And what is it that you wish to end?"

K : "The madness these Words of Power plague among the people."

"... Hmm." The merchant was intrigued by the answer. "You look like you've faced that madness first-hand."

K : "... To acquire these Words of Power, I have seen people who would resort to murder and manslaughter, to poisoning, cankering, sinning, slavery... To name a few of their heinous efforts. These Words of Power... They serve only to corrupt the greedy and fuel the depraved."

"Of course - These Words of Power, to begin with, are created purely from Image Power, the sin of Man. Knowing that, you still collect them?"

K : "... Yes."

"And what makes you so confident that you would not be corrupted by these Words of Power, like the many others before you?"

There was a reason to fear the prompt of the reasoning behind collecting these Words of Power - Katachi himself did not know the answer to this very question. In fact, it's been the opposite - Katachi is collecting the Words of Power precisely because he has long succumbed to this madness-inducing power. But that would be contradictory, and it will surely not work.

He glanced around the room furtively for an answer, and saw something distinct - Red.

Roberia.

K : (... That's right...) Roberia's presence has made the pain tolerable.

Had Katachi been all alone, he would have fallen to the darkness a long time ago.

If not for Roberia's presence, where he has to constantly worry and think about her... If not for her presence that distracted him from the spiraling path toward insanity, he may have been dead a long time ago.

K : "... That girl over there... Roberia."

"She's a counterweight to the insanity, is she now?"

K : "... Yes."

... The stall owner glanced at her, and at her bag, then her twin scythes lying neatly against the wall. His gaze wandered off, and he looked around at his own house, the jerry-built house without proper flooring. With a long sigh, the stall owner glared at Katachi menacingly.

"... I'm sorry, boy. I can't give my life up for your dream, as much as you'd like my Word of Power." The stall owner picked up the skewer and pointed the sharp end at Katachi.

K : "... You don't need to take your life. I just want a copy of your Word of Power."

"You are a greater fool than I had first imagined, boy. Even if you trace my Word of Power, the power will not be traced! A barren land will never grow trees that bear fruit, even if it's the same shape as an apple orchard!"

Katachi outstretched his left hand, and on it was a beautiful, golden  that stopped the stall owner in his tracks.

"!!! 定?!"

Seeing the Word of Power on his palm must have surprised him, for his grip on the skewer loosened and his hand gradually slumped to a rest.

K : "I have means to take your Word of Power without endangering your life. Fear not."

*** ***

Roberia couldn't quite make out what was going on, but one thing was certain.

It looked unfavorable for Katachi with the stall owner pointing a skewer at him.

She backed herself to the wall, and squatted down, trying to reach for the twin scythes unnoticed, when the skewer was released from his hand.

R : (Did Katachi subdue him?)

She paused to see the man's eyes fixated on Katachi's palm.

She couldn't make out what they were saying at all. Unlike her brother Michael, she was not gifted with the technique of lip-reading, so she could only guess what had happened from their body postures and their faces.

R : (The old guy looks... Shocked.)

A few moments later, Katachi lifted her shirt partially and pointed his finger over the strange golden character on her stomach. A  overlapped the character on her stomach, and only the  portion of the Word of Power remained. Katachi searched his pockets for something, and seemed to say something she couldn't quite understand, and expressed a troubled face.

R : (? What is he talking about?)

*** ***

K : "There's no charcoal... Guess I'll have to use something else."

Dabbing his own finger in a bit of his saliva, he drew onto the character embedded onto Roberia's belly. The traces of saliva remnant on her belly slowly glowed yellow, and the original  reformed - With Roberia grossing out, of course, but who could hear a poor girl who could neither produce nor perceive sound?

He opened the book, and etched within one of the pages was another incomplete symbol, .

K : (Just like before, I simply need to trace it out properly.)

With his saliva, he filled the blank up with stains, to which they formed into its complete form.

K : (... Come to think of it, I've never actually tried drawing this in a different way, or drawing my own symbol onto the Word of Power... Oh well. It probably won't work. The power in that Word can only be brought out with that specific symbol and nothing else. Even if I drew something like 言 over this symbol, the saliva stains probably won't glow at all. Soil used to grow vegetables may not be as good for growing trees.)

*** ***

*Cozy's Notes : How would YOU know- I'm just kidding. Image Power is a scary thing in this world. It keeps me on edge, it constantly makes me think about whether this can be used, whether this will cause a fallacy in the story, etc etc. It really is hard writing this story. The longer I write it, the harder I find it to piece them in the right places other than neglect the previous content altogether. (which is bad practice.) A way does exist, though. What author reads every chapter he's written before to see how the new piece fits together? [raises hand]

Like, for example, in chapter 24 Katachi's already encountered a parrot, but in Messiah 9 he's surprised that Yvolki became a parrot. Well, it's confusing if you think about it now, but think back - Katachi was under the influence of in Chapter 24 so he could accept it readily - He's content with the adventure he expected when he stepped into the Sealed Room. The narration context calls it a parrot, but Katachi didn't know what the bird's species was. Under its influence, he was able to accept the parrot's existence as something ordinary, but this is not the case for Yvolki.

Of course, here comes the big problem - Without me pointing that out, there is a number close to zero that would notice that kind of change. Really, get 2 billion people to read this story, and less than 100 would spot it. Such is the problems of having a story this long - Content have tendencies to be contradictory (at first glance) without someone guiding your hand through the thought process of the author. Please forgive me for the inactivity as I try my best to provide quality content that can't be exploited (; _ ; )*

*** ***

With the Word of Power properly formed in place, Katachi closed the book with a content smile on his face.

K : "Thank you. Thank you very much, mister."

"Don't mention it - You've got quite the dream right there, young man. A bit too ambitious, if I may - A scrawny kid like you wouldn't last through the journey all the way."

Roberia picked up Katachi's book silently, and opened it to view the new addition of the Words of Power.

K : "... I know. I've known that from the start, that I will likely die halfway through this journey. I will certainly run into someone who is also collecting the Words of Power at one point, and we will most likely duel for possession of them, for whatever reasons we hold."

"..." The stall owner picked up a whetstone by the side and sharpened the skewer he held.

K : "But, even so, I don't mind. Even if it's just a little longer, if I can shut off and contain this malice resident within these Words of Power... Even for a little longer, I want to try."

"Despite these sigils containing the wills and memories of the Great Sorcerors themselves?"

K : "... It's selfish of me, I know. That's why I'm doing it, however - The faster I complete this book, the less time I would need to spend with it. The sooner I collect and destroy all the Words of Power, the better."

"Well. At least you have a plan well thought out." With a wet cloth, he rubbed the metal spoke carefully, being sure to smooth out the sides around the tip.

K : "Thank you for letting me copy your Word of Power."

"Getting your hopes up over this is foolish. You won't survive anyway - Not with your over-dependence of those Words alone. A dagger made of wood and a warrior that uses twin scythes... Even with all the luck in the world, you can't stand up against the people who can equal Legends in strength."

K : "... I know that."

"You do, now? It's good you realize how weak you really are... Still, who's to say? You look like you're one to strike from the shadows instead, avoiding direct confrontation and using your power only when forced into one. Let's hope you hold enough surprise in you to overturn your foes."

The stall owner pointed his skewer at Roberia, and the golden  on her stomach disappeared.

R : "...? What did he do- Oh! I can talk again!"

"So, Where are you two going to go from here?"

The stall owner stashed his skewer back onto a rack, and picked up the now-odorless bucket of rotting flesh.

K : "... Well, I was thinking we head North, deeper into Anik."
R : "Wherever he goes is fine, most probably North."

"And search blindly for a Word of Power among the many people?"

R : "Pretty much."
K : "... There's a first for everything, I guess."

"Why not head down to Rugnud? My brother who lives there also inherited a Word of Power for safekeeping."

K : (An actual goal! That... That is really good!)
R : (Rug-... Rugnud!? That... That is really bad!)

The expressions showed on their faces were literally worlds apart. One was an unfocused gaze of Katachi, who was already making plans on how to reach Rugnud and find said brother of the stall owner. The other was a troubled smile on Roberia, with a lot of worry on her mind.

(These two show their emotions so easily... Well, there's good in that - Being similar like that keeps them connected.) "If you find my brother, repeat this name before him : Zhao An Lur. He should recognize the name of our cousin immediately."

R : "Katachi, maybe we should-"
K : "Thank you very, very much. This is really helpful."

Katachi's eyes, fueled with motivation and hope, scared Roberia into hesitation.

R : (He looks really determined for it. This is bad - Dissuading him will be a real feat. I need to do something, at least!)

"Well, now that that's out of the way, boy, tell me - How did you get those Dream Seals in your eyes?"

K : "? Dream Seals?"
R : (Dream seals? The things in his eyes?) "The purple thing in his eyes?"

"Yeah. That's one of the most advanced magic I've ever seen. How did you get your hands on this beauty? Which magus was it?"

R : (Magus?) "He got the seals from Yvolki directly, though."

"?... !?" With eyes as wide as fish eyes, the stall owner stared at Katachi in surprise.

"Are... Are you serious?..." (这小子竟然能让亚托鲁奇安神?! 果然不简单... 他不是被诅咒的话, 难道说这小子拥有使唤亚托鲁奇的潜力?!...)

*Cozy's Notes : I chose not to give the stall owner a name because of various rewasons - Not that important right now. What the stall owner is saying is that Katachi is either pitied upon for being cursed, or he has the potential to (summon and) control Yvolki('s power as its avatar). His role in this is better explained in both Herald and Endus Reignum. Yeah, good luck waiting for that XD Well, if you do, I'll give you a mind-blowing story that will make you super grateful that this isn't a licensed work. I would appreciate it if people didn't make profit out of this story, though. I would be very angry and I can file a lawsuit against it by presenting the time-stamp of the chapters and presenting this as an All Rights Reserved work.*

*** ***

In the end, they left with the newfound Word of Power without giving much in return. (Which is extremely rude.)

And so, the two whom have spent all their efforts traveling North for in this foreign land, headed Southeast towards Rugnud.

*** ***

A gigantic golem looms over the various trees in the forest.

With every step, it crushed the trees beneath it thoroughly, and then absorbed the remains of the tree into its original body, steadily growing bigger.

The further distance it travels, the greater its size grows and the more dangerous it becomes - Such is the feared strength of a Golem, which can indefinitely become stronger as the battle drags on.

But...

An aberration occurred.

The colossal golem, who was walking a straight path towards Anik, slowly changed its direction and course to track its target - A certain black-haired boy and his red-haired companion.

Normally, a golem that is capable of intelligence like this is very rare. It requires an intense amount of concentration to even keep the golem in a piece, let alone walk about with it.

That is where a Gatherer's Golem outshines a normal Golem - Magic.

Magic is what a person makes of it - The manifestation of flame can disintegrate, but it can also inspire. That which is born of image power is of no set form, and because it is formless, it can be anything it wishes to be - Even if it turns out harmful, or even self-destructive. The Gatherer's Golem holds a core of magic the Golem does not possess, and as such it is a weakness as much as it is a strength.

Where controlling a Golem via Reincarnate Art alone is a challenging ordeal, the magic circuits can be embedded with the emotions and will of the magus to move independently according to the will, even if the magus himself becomes unconscious.

Or, trapped, in Deku's case.

Within the scraps and refuse lay a motionless adolescent who had power befitting a teacher at the Sage Raufid Magus Academy. He lays unconscious, encircled by the countless junk.

Or, was he simply made to believe he was unconscious, nested deep within the mesh of junk that have blocked out all light and sound from him?... Who knows.

Who knows, indeed. After all, the magus named Deku has no need to use his eyes or ears to detect his target's location. A tracking magic that senses his presence and predicts his general direction has already been used even before he began walking towards his destination.

But, sometimes, the smallest change in trajectory can create the most amazing coincidences.

For example, should a variation in the golem's end-point destination occur, it will automatically correct its trajectory and path in order to intercept its target at a disjoint. After all, being imprinted with the magus' will and memories can only do so much.

For example, having a certain boy travel towards the North-East of Findel, and further up North of Anik, only to go South-East towards Rugnud will change the golem's general direction of heading North-East to East alone.

And so, the golem turned its body enough to intercept the black-haired boy at the right angle.

Instead of taking the North route towards Rulid, the golem is now marching its way towards the south route Yhorfe. The change in trajectory as well as the optimization of interception means that the golem now has to travel in a straight line from just South of Dermesten to the small space between the mountain foot and the North of Yhorfe to circle the mountains that obstruct its path before the target can even reach the interception point.

And so, the golem trudged onward, destroying all in its path.

There is a blessing with this that should be considered miraculous - Mielfeud is now completely safe from the golem's path of destruction.

But there is another miracle that is so miraculous that it would be considered almost impossible, and yet it happened.

Along the golem's path of destruction...

... Lays a shrine so sacred that the thought of defiling it, let alone destroying it, would be enough to invoke the wrath of a true monster.

The shrine of Yvolki.

And yet, the golem cannot be stopped, for it is not controlled by the magus who resides within.

The fight is inevitable.

*Cozy's Notes : Gotta put it out there right now. Next chapter is a battle scene involving Deku's Golem and Yvolki. You'd get to see Yvolki's true wrath. I should be excited about writing this, but I really am not. Odd - I often enjoy engaging, extremely nice battle scenes, so it's rare for me to not be hyped for a battle scene.

Except it's not a battle scene, but a one-sided execution by Yvolki, I guess. (because it's really that powerful)*