"Ms. Kaen! Any longer and I think my back's going to break!!"
"Shut it lazy lid! You're never going to get anywhere if ya keep crying! And never call a woman heavy!"
"Ms. Kaen! Why is the nickname Lazy-lid sticking around!?"
"Because you always look two blinks away from falling asleep! Now c'mon, twenty-four pushups left!"
"Ms. Kaen! Why can't you sit on Samuel's back?! Well, I guess that'd be too much for—"
"Never mind!! He's doing 90-degree clap pushups!! Sit on him!! Matter of fact, I'll sit on him too!"
"You keep your ass down! You're wasting more energy talking!"
I groan.
Hello everyone, my name's Kaito. I'm seventeen years old, and my hobbies consist of gaming, working out, and whatever else people my age do. I hate responsibilities and being useless. My favorite food is pizza. Uh, I'm not sure how to make my introduction any less boring.
Two months ago, I was sent to this world after dying in some kind of accident. I can't exactly recall what it was clearly, but I know I was murdered. Since then, I've retained the ability to set 'checkpoints' and return to them whenever I'm killed. It's known as Death's Detour, or DD for short.
There's a bunch of supernatural stuff going on with me too, but I'm sure we'll get to it naturally.
Since then, I've been enslaved by a mercenary group known as Sable Veil, and forced to work for them. Evident by a collar on my neck.
It's been about two months since the entire Varos/goblin debacle. We turned Gorthro Volara, a wanted kingpin, over at some random prison and left before we could be seen. As a result, we completed the contract with Varos's people—which was to apprehend Gorthro—and were given a large payout sum. The payout was pooled together from everyone involved.
I know I keep saying 'we'.
Speaking of Varos or Norovia in general, a lot of things happened last I heard.
I release the tension in my arms slightly, allowing myself to go down. Sweat trails down my shirtless body, dripping on the dirt below. I stink.
So, first off, the Volarian Empire managed to take over the entire town of Varos after the whole scuffle, and has plans to convert it into a city. Maybe because of the 'V' in both names.
This however, did not go well with Soraya's government, who demanded they leave their land. Volaria refused and decided to essentially block off Varos from the rest of the country of Soraya. So they've essentially cut off a chunk from Soraya. From what I understand, Volaria is like the Galactic Empire from Star Wars. They've got this weird Nazi-like feeling to them, but it isn't enough to make you go, 'Okay, these guys are Nazis.' They've still got this iron grip feel to them though and are rapidly expanding. No one knows their goals, though.
As for the Sorayan Government, it's actually seriously weak, which I didn't expect. But now that Volaria basically stole a third of Norovia—their province— the government is trying to mobilize its forces against it. The issue however, is that Volaria's got a bunch of fellow countries that are allied with it. So if Soraya decides to attack, they're seriously going to get rammed through.
It's kind of funny honestly, there's an apocalyptic fog that's swarming around the world, but humans will still find a way to mess with each other. Well, I'm not sure why I'm even worrying about Soraya right now.
We're currently in some country called Lagomia.
From what I understand, it's sort of like how South Africa is within the continent of Africa. Said 'continent' is Vultia, which is also the name of one of the largest kingdoms to date. Lagomia and Vultia have a giant border between each other. Guessing they don't really like each other.
Man, I still get confused between the distinction between Kingdoms and Empires in this world. I recall Kors, one of the members of Sable Veil stating it, but I was falling asleep on the boat ride.
What boat ride do you ask? Well, it was the one from Soraya to Lagomia. It was about fourteen hours if I recall. I'm not too sure, it was like a month ago.
You may also ask; 'If you left Soraya, why are you still in the same mansion right now?' Obviously, someone would ask that. Obviously, the answer has something to do with a magic spell. So, apparently, if you're well versed with Gaidros-type spells—or rock spells—you can compress objects into smaller versions of themselves.
That's actually how Sable Veil travels around, they literally take their home with them. Which is—
"You're slowing down! And keep that ass up, fix your form!"
The woman sitting on my back with a coat hanging on her neck is none other than Kaelira Kaen, the de-facto Captain of Sable Veil. Or at least this specific branch—I'll explain later, too much information.
Samuel looks at me, a content look on his face. He's got a towel wrapped around his neck, holding it with his hands. He's done with his workout. Samuel Volara, son of Gorthro. He had lived under Gorthro as his son for most of his life, but at some point grew tired of the constant hedonism and wanted to join Sable Veil. He hasn't revealed his motivations to me, so I'm not really sure why he wanted to join.
Maybe one day he'll stand tall and yell 'I want to be Hokage!'
Workout. That's what we've been doing for the past twenty days. Any other pea brain would call it 'training', but from a fantasy context, such a thing would be something like trying to get your power to grow stronger.
We're just working on our muscles. According to Miss Kaen, I lacked 'lean muscle' and was too 'bulky' for my own good. So we've been working on body weight exercises more and cardio. This is to be more flexible in situations that will arise soon.
Why are we training? I'll explain.
"Hnggghh!!!!!!"
I grit my teeth, attempting to push myself against the ground with my hands. My chest and triceps are on fire.
"Last one, Lazy Lid!"
My arms are shaking like crazy, but with a final exertion, I manage to lift myself up. Then, with a large exhale, I drop to my stomach. The grass cushions my fall, allowing me to have some respite.
"TSK TSK. I understand it's only been twenty days, but you've got to show some signs of improvement. I thought you wanted this." Miss Kaen sighs as she stands up from my back.
I roll on my back, looking up.
It's sunny today. The puffy white clouds are all framed upon the bright blue sky, their forms slowly drifting across. They enjoy their time floating while we struggle in vain down here. Damned clouds! Curse you!
Miss Kaen steps into view, her face bobbing into my field of vision.
"Ms. Kaen, I want this, but your definition of improving is me going Super Saiyan or something." I gasp.
"Stop making references to things I don't know about." She sighs.
Long violet hair tied into an even longer ponytail. Sharp, yet tired amber eyes that seemingly communicate her irritation. A large black duster of sorts trailing behind her body, not even bothering to be worn. All she needs is a long katana, and she's Yuzuriha.
A cigarette in her mouth that puffs out clouds. Lung cancer that seems to—
"—Gofu!?!"
A thick notebook is dropped onto my chest, forcing all the air I've managed to gather in my stomach to expel out.
"You're notebook. You're going to need it. For repayment, follow me." Miss Kaen says, turning and walking away. A proud look then crosses her expression as she walks towards Sam. She pats him on his shoulder, to his surprise.
"Good job, Sam. The potential you've got is seriously through the roof. Let's go."
Samuel turns to me, his red eyes boring onto my form.
"What about Kaito?"
Oh, what about Kaito? I'm just rolling on the ground like a jealous baby. Jealous of the absolute prodigy that calls himself my friend. This guy's just like Sasuke dammit!! Also, this is my third reference to something within a few minutes!!
Sam's just got this weird discipline thing to him. He's always practicing, even when no ones looking. Once, I walked in on him in his room, and this monster was holding an entire table while doing hanging sit-ups. He's locked in his decision, and I don't think any amount of prying is going to pull him out of it.
What decision you may ask?
Well, let's go back, to the legendary story of how Kaeleira Kaen took two nobodies under her wing.
____________________________________________________________________________
"Uwaaaah!!!!!! Please Ms. Kaen!!"
I cry out as I latch onto the woman's leg, which is dragging me along the dirt. Well, I don't really care. As long as I get what I want.
"Train me too! You accepted Samuel first try! But you've known me longer!"
I can't see her face, but I'd imagine her eyebrows twitching. She is silent though. Heh, jokes on you, just because you're silent doesn't mean I'll somehow disappear. I'll latch on to you forever, no matter how long it takes.
"I know I'm a slave and have no rights, but if I learn how to become a Gazer, I can also help you guys out in missions!"
Miss Kaen stops in her tracks.
Was that what it took to convince her? I thought Sable Veil was an entire organization full of operatives, are they seriously in need of more this bad?
"You see! I'll really help out—"
The woman turns around, and stares down at me. Her eyes hold a judgmental aura to them, as if assessing every muscle on my face. She's examining every pore on my skin like she's moments from tearing it off and looking inside.
"I don't care about that."
She points at me.
"Tell me Kaito. Why do you want to become a Gazer?"
My expression stiffens. I place my hands on the ground, lifting myself up and standing on my own two legs. I don't even dust off the dirt on my clothes. I return the gaze towards the woman.
"Because I want to be strong."
"..."
"You understand how foolishly simple that reasoning is, right?"
"I'm more than well aware."
"I want to be strong because…"
I want to help people?
I want to help…
I want people…
I like helping.
That's a good reason for wanting to be strong, right?
"Because… I want to help people…"
Miss Kaen gives me this look. It's a look that sees right through me. It's like you know that this toyshop is fake, but still pretend it's real for the sake of your daughter. It's like you know that this door isn't real, but still walk into it just to make someone laugh. It's like you know this patient is lying about his sickness, but still help out of goodness in your heart.
Know. Look.
A knowing look.
"...."
"What you do after I'm done doesn't matter to me. I train people, what they do afterward isn't part of my responsibility."
"And I hate talking without action. Who knows if you'll keep that face when you break a hand for the first time."
I'm surprised.
Miss Kaen turns around, her coat dragging behind her.
In two hours, come to the courtyard.
I'm left standing there, dumbfounded.
She was surprisingly indifferent towards my motivation. I thought she had initially been rejecting me because there was something wrong in my motivations or something. Like I had to purify my intentions before dipping into the water.
But, she doesn't care.
She doesn't care.
____________________________________________________________________________
So, fast-forward, I've been training with Samuel to become a gazer.
Right now, we're sitting on tree stumps that are conveniently next to each other. Ms Kaen stands across, a chalk board next to her. It's a deep green, and the chalk pieces are red. Woah, so different.
I ready my notepad.
My notepad.
I've had this for a month now. Though, I haven't exactly written a lot. I've only written down locations of garden tools, room locations, and a general map of the mansion. Oh yeah, and the likes and dislikes of food items from the residents.
Wow, thinking about it now, I haven't left these premises in a while. I've only been in here either working my ass off or training. I haven't been doing anything else because of my schedule.
Samuel isn't a slave, but he helps out occasionally with the homunculi. Who are the homunculi? They're a bunch of clay undead buff dudes that help out with our training sessions. They serve as security, but apparently can't resist when it comes to working out.
Most of them are actually behind Miss Kaen right now actually. They're jogging in place, yelling to hype themselves up. Their 'leader', is none other than the man, the myth, the legend. Dorieus , brother of Leonidas. Yes, the same Leonidas who was once king of Sparta.
It's been long-established that even in this twisted world, myths and legends from my own world exist, albeit, well—twisted. When one thought of Dorieus, brother of Leonidas, they thought of some strong spartan that loved battle.
Dorieus did envelop some of these qualities, but hated fighting. Instead, he believed in improving oneself to their limit, and partnering with others. Together, everyone would achieve their max and work together.
Dorieus had been killed by Ms Kaen at some point as well, which led to him being resurrected in a clay body, which had to do with Ms Kaen's abilities.
Speaking of abilities…
"The Pattern." Ms. Kaen began, drawing a large circle around a stickman.
"Does anyone know anything about it?" She asks, dropping her cigarette from her mouth, and letting it fall to the ground below. She steps on it, and twists out the remaining embers with her foot.
I flip through my notebook, trying to find the definition. I have a vague idea of what it is, but I want to get it as right as possible.
"It is what surrounds and makes up everything." Samuel interjects.
I groan.
"Vague answer, but yes. The 'Pattern' as we call it, is what we understand to be the 'blocks' of the universe. The reasoning for the vague name is due to it being perceived differently by every individual."
Miss Kaen pokes a multitude of dots within the large circle, not caring about their entropy. She then leans against the board.
"Within the pattern are 'Hollow points.' When attacked by certain individuals, the thing that is being comprised of them is instantly destroyed or killed."
I raise my hands.
"So, by that logic, can't you just kill anything if these weak points make up everything?"
"No, stupid question."
I sigh.
Miss Kaen continues, spinning the chalk. "Hollow points have 'agitated' states and 'calm' states. When agitated, they grow in size, and can be interacted with. When 'calm', they are incredibly small and hard to hit. In the case of most objects and inanimate things, the hollow points will remain calm. If someone wanted to bring down a wall for example, it would be better to just brute force it down."
Samuel raises a hand.
"I heard that hollow points are more prevalent in living things, and are more prone to switching between states."
Miss Kaen nods.
"Yep. Let's say you're fighting a Wyvern. Because of it's lower intelligence and status as an Aberration, it's got agitated Hollow points that remain agitated. It's dumber, so it'll remain angry. It's easier to kill. It isn't easy to take out, but it's easier. Easier than fighting a well-trained Sapient. Sapients are more difficult, since they have the ability to stay calm during intense fights. When you fight another guy, the ratio between Agitated and Calm hollow points is 1:40, approximately."
She spins the chalk.
"When they start freaking out or start getting angry, that ratio or balance starts getting thrown off. The Agitated Hollow points start becoming more and more, leading to their end."
She erases the circle and lets the stick man remain in the middle.
"Now, let's talk about the requirements to become a gazer. This is where we've been doing till now comes into play."
She draws two lines that point towards the stickman. The first, she labels…. she labels…
I've got no idea what she's writing. I can speak Latese, the language that Sable Veil speaks due to whatever happened when I got sent here, but cannot read or write. I'm essentially illiterate, and out of embarrassment, I haven't really asked anyone to teach me. Maybe I'll learn with Aza, the eldritch being whose domain I'm sent to sometimes when I'm unconscious.
She labels the first line something and says: "Physicals."
She then labels the second line, and says: "Koho."
"Now, we'll go over physicals. Most other trainers don't really take this as a point, but I do."
She raises her shirt, revealing a row of sculpted abs. They're seriously so sharp you'd be able to grind stone on them. No, I think you could sharpen a knife on them.
"Physicals, or the training of your body. This manifests in endurance, flexibility, and stamina. Most of the time, you will be close to your opponent, so this is important. While you two's training isn't over, I've more or less got you both to the point where you won't squeal when stabbed, or get easily provoked by taunts."
"Ms. Kaen, why are you glaring at me?'" I say.
"I don't think physical fitness needs to be explained any further. Now we get into Koho." Miss Kaen points at the label with the chalk.
"What do you mean 'any further'?! Why shut down the topic so quick!?" I yell.
"The second requirement: Koho. Koho is understood as the basic manipulation of the pattern. 'Arcana' is the 'oil' that Koho runs on. It's almost exclusively within our body, albeit scattered around. If I were to make it more digestible to understand, it's like paddling your feet in water when you want to learn how to swim. Your foot is Koho, and your leg muscle is Arcana. Koho spells are categorized by their respective element and assigned number. For example:"
Miss Kaen sets down the chalk and stands straight.
She then pinches her wrist, and utters; "Pyraethon-2, Expand."
Flames spill out her wrist and fall to the ground, expanding as she had commanded. They enclose the surrounding area, smoke erupting from the blaze. Then with a flick of her wrist, the flames extinguish around her.
"Woah." I mutter.
I glance at Samuel.
He's focused.
I look back at Miss Kaen.
"Alright, first: Against Aberrations, Koho spells can be used offensively. This is because of their Hollow points being agitated constantly, leading to being dispatched quicker. But only by a Gazer who can actually see the Hollow points. Koho spells against other Sapients however, aren't exactly effective. The only reasons people use Koho in actual fights is only if they're total beginners or for utility reasons."
"Second: Koho spells can't be recklessly spammed, even as a beginner. If your arcana burns up, you will be seriously injured, or worse. Not to mention the fact that you also need a physical sacrifice. Scratch that, if you want to do anything with the pattern, you need to be prepared to give up something."
I raise a hand.
"So when I see one of you guys biting your hands or cracking a knuckle, that's casting a spell?"
Miss Kaen nods.
"Casts are when you combine the physical 'offering' and the Arcana 'offering'. Such as biting a finger and focusing the Arcana there. The further down numerically the spell, the bigger the tax. This is known as the Equivalence Law. Power isn't free. At the start, you will be learning to get accustomed to utilizing Koho."
Sick. I get to finally use the fireballs and stuff.
"Now we get to the main part of things."
Miss Kaen erases the lines and labels, and draws four other stick men. She then labels all of them. She gives the first a sword, draws an aura around the second, makes the third one's neck warped, draws teeth on the fourth, and draws a question mark on the fifth.
"Gazers."
I fix my posture.
"Gazers are those who've managed to 'open' their eyes and 'Gaze' at the Pattern in exchange for a great sacrifice. Each one of them perceives it differently along with hollow points, but it all functions the same for them. A Gazer is capable of agitating the hollow points within their eyes and perceiving the pattern. Said pattern is invisible to the naked eye."
She circles all the stick men.
"Within the classification of Gazers, there are categories, or 'Paths'. The path of Severance, the path of Sorcery, the path of Embodiment, The path of Vocation, and the path of Votary."
She points at the first.
"This is a Severant Gazer, or a Severer. A Severant is a weapon or object that is capable of possessing powers and attacking Hollow Points. Said powers are known as 'Functions' and have requirements for activating them. Severers tend to be those that give up an object that holds incredible personal value. Maybe a family heirloom, or the ashes of a relative. Severants have numerical 'Releases', that release a requirement of activating their powers. For example, If I had a spear that could freeze someone, but only if they remained in place for two seconds and released, then my spear could freeze them without that requirement, at the cost of time and Arcana, however. Once my release window wears off, I'm vulnerable and spent out. These guys can use Koho."
She points at the second.
"This is a Thaumite. Thaumites give up a portion of their physical strength in exchange for stronger Arcana reserves and being able to perform Koho with less of a tax as well as unlocking more powerful spells. Thaumites also have a special organ that collects the scattered Arcana around their body and compresses it. Thaumites also possess Functions, but within their own bodies. The function of a Thaumite requires a larger requirement than a Severant Function due to having stronger spells already. Thaumites can evolve as well, and reach the status of Sorcerer. Sorcerers are just stronger Thaumites with their Functions getting major boosts. These guys can use Koho."
Miss Kaen points at the third.
"This is an Aspector. These guys are seriously rare, and you won't be running into them a lot. They are essentially people who've gotten so infatuated with a 'concept' that they literally turn into it and use it as their function. They've got to keep that facet of their personality that aligns with the said concept active though, as a trade. If it runs out, they die. For example, if you have the Function of unraveling, and become a rigid person who is upfront, you're dead. Aspectors can't really use Koho or anything for that matter, so it's more or less useless unless you're crazy."
"Maybe Samuel'l get a function that's ice or something. Since he's so cool."
"The moments that occurred before you made that joke are the ones that I will cherish for the rest of my life."
"Uwah…."
"C'mon, we're almost done, two left. It's boring, but I'll expect you two to remember it."
Miss Kaen points at the fourth.
"This is a Shaper. These people give up a body part, which in turn, turns into a living thing of their choosing, known as a Homunculus I myself am a Shaper. The homunculi that I've got are proof of this."
"What body part did you give up?" Samuel asks.
The woman rips off the glove on her left hand.
It's mechanical. A prosthetic. The sound of metal clinks rings out as she flexes her fingers inward and outward.
"Woah, I never noticed." I chirp.
"Moving on, the Homunculi are the ones that hold the Functions. These functions are wholly support based, and serve to support the Shaper, but the Homunculus can still fight on its own. Homunculi can store and give Arcana, and take hits in place of the Shaper. Also, the Shaper can still use Koho and can be physically strong, so I'd recommend going for this if you don't want to rely on yourself."
I'm definitely not going for that.
Miss Kaen points at the fifth, and final stickman.
"This is a Votary. These guys are the rarest of them all. Only the top warriors from each respective kingdom are Votaries. A Votary bargains with a Celestial, and it's up to the Celestial to take whatever they want. As a result, the Celestial can grant a portion of their power, which tends to be insanely overpowered, to the Votary. The dangerous part however, is that despite being a path of its own, A Votary can be a Severer, or even a Sorcerer. There are no limitations to what they can be."
Miss Kaen places the chalk down.
"You won't remember all of this, but the most important thing to takeaway from all of this is that there are paths for what you're willing to sacrifice. Power isn't given, it's traded. Now…"
A chalk is flung at my head.
I was falling asleep.
"Kaito. Summarize everything we learned. "
I scratch my head, grumbling. I'll write all this down later, that's why it isn't jotted in my notebook. First, let me test my brains' mettle.
"There's something called the pattern that surrounds us. Everyone sees it differently. Inside the pattern are these things called hollow points that are also weak points. If we want to hit these hollow points and do cool stuff, we need to learn how to sacrifice things and manage the arcana inside us. Arcana is like the fuel that helps. Arcana is also located all over our bodies, but only within our bodies. Once we learn how to do basic manipulation, or Koho, we can start Gazing. Gazing is when you activate your eyes to perceive the Pattern and see Hollow points. From there on, you've got to make a big sacrifice. This is to follow a video game class, or a 'Path'."
"Alright, Samuel, take it from there." Miss Kaen commands.
"The first is Severance. You give up a personal object in exchange for a weapon that utilizes an ability known as a function, or a Severant. Functions require set requirements to be used. Severants have 'Releases' that allow you to release one requirement for the function."
I lift two fingers.
"The second is Magic!"
A dagger is hurled at me.
"What happened to the chalk!?" I yell.
"---The second is Sorcery." Samuel begins. "You give up a portion of your physical strength in return for a special organ called a 'Thaumite Organ', that collects all the Arcana that is scattered in your body, as well as access to new spells and an inbuilt Function within your body. The Koho equivalence law cost is lowered on you as well. Thaumites can evolve into 'Sorcerers', that are essentially stronger Thaumites that receive stronger boosts to their respective functions."
I raise my hand.
"The third is Embodiment!" I wince, expecting another barrage of who-knows-what, but find that nothing comes my way. "...Aspectors give up a piece of their sense of self in return for contracting with a concept. They need to constantly embody that concept or else they die! They are also really rare!"
Miss Kaen nods, shockingly.
Samuel raises a hand.
"The fourth is Vocation. You give up a piece of your body in turn for receiving a creature known as a Homunculus. They can take any form and are mostly support-types. Vocation can be seen as the easiest path, as Shapers can still utilize Koho and are physically strong."
Miss Kaen crosses her hands.
"You guys want to join Sable Veil, right?"
I don't want to join. I just want to get sufficiently strong enough to escape and sustain myself.
Samuel and I nod.
"Then you better become some damned good Gazers! Let's get to it! We've got one month until applications close and our next job starts, so you better be at least capable of Koho!"
"YES MA'AM!"