[Corven Umbrovante]:
Corven was surprised to hear from Jabari. He never met the boy before, but, when he used his Soul Whisper ability that all cultivators possess to tell Corven that he had "something important" to give him, Corven could hear the urgency in his thoughts as well as the sincerity, so Corven played off his curiosity with a smile, waving Jabari over his way.
'I'll give it to you whenever we go somewhere more private," Jabari's soul whispered after they verbally introduced/greeted one another. 'I don't want whatever it is to be at risk of being stolen from you or alerted to any perceptive enemies nearby.'
The first thing Corven noticed about Jabari as he ate was that he fidgets constantly, and was almost always twitching, as if he were restraining himself from moving around a lot. ADHD, perhaps? He talked a lot, too, often asking Corven questions that Corven would barely have enough time to answer before asking another. He would ask Corven about himself and be awed about the most mundane of things, like his age, his life with foster parents and school life in the mortal world. He was kind of adorable, honestly. Corven had a feeling they would get on just fine… He kind of reminds Corven of little Korey, albeit he's more a hyperactive spaz, with more or less the same amount of child-like innocence., while his little brother, Korey, had was even more innocent, in the most mischievous of ways[or however innocent one can be when mischievous, that is.] — they felt like the same person to Corven.
"So you had no cultivation for the first 15 years of your life?" Jabari curiously asked and Corven nodded in response, causing Jabari to make a face. "Doesn't that mean you broke through to Legacy rank upon your first time cultivating? That's incredible! Skipping 4 whole ranks? I've never heard of anything like this before. You must be a Demigod born from a powerful god as a parent!"
Corven was about to reply when with something cocky but someone beat him to it.
"He's just that guy, ya'know," Marxes Ilmari standing at Corven's table, flanked by two relatives acting as guards. "Mind if I take a seat?"
"We're chill, go ahead," Corven affirmed.
The crowd was abuzz with murmurs. It was already unfounded that someone was on first name basis with three Houses who aren't typically seen interacting[Morpheus, Luminaris and Ausar], but now a fourth noble house, one as wealthy as House Luminaris[aka, House Ilmari, in this case] was interacting with the same boy as if they were all close friends. This was unfounded and unheard of.
'Just who was this boy?'was a question everyone in the dining bar was internally asking.
[Alexander Caelus]:
Alexander Caelus, who had been watching the entire thing from his own table, eventually left. He had to report these strange events to his father.
He was supposed to find a way to isolate Corven from his friend, Cimon, and interrogate him on where he found his treasures. He just hadn't counted on Corven having connections with multiple noble houses, two Great Houses and two powerful mid-sized houses who could hold their own against Great Houses[House Ilmari and House Morpheus] — He had his suspicions that House Luminaris was connected to the boy, and he definitely knew from that old man's report that House Morpheus was, no one told him House Ilmari and House Ausar were involve! This changes every plan and contingency Alexander had.
'There must be some secret alliance between those four houses," Alexander realized as he quietly and quickly exited the dining bar. 'I must tell father everything. He must know what is happening before we make a mistake to which we can't return from.'
[Marxes Ilmari]:
As Marxes took his seat, he could not help but take in the site that was Corven's table.
At least 105 inches long, made of dark brown wood, with a luxurious table cloth cover in plats of food. The table itself was one of 15 tables that made up the dining bar, each lined up nearly in rows. At this table, Corven sat with Cimon and Celeste by his side, and Jabari seated across from him; Marxes took his seat next to Jabari.
On the other side of the long table, Celeste's cousin, Sean, and his clique of cousin bodyguards sat, scowling at Corven as he ate, along with where Alexander Caelus had sat, and was eating prior to Marxes' arrival, before he had abruptly left.
"So what is your special ability?" Jabari's question was jarring, so much so in fact that it brought everyone's attention to him. "What? Did I say something wrong?"
Marxes could only sigh. He knew Jabari like the back of his hand — they grew up together, often going on missions when Marxes decided he didn't want to study or work in the forges for the day. As skilled and talented Jabari Ausar was in combat, whether it be hand-to-hand combat or swordplay, he was severely impulsive and scatter-brained, especially when it came to serious things like minding one's own business, and when it came to combat, he's a battle maniac, often saying the most outlandish of things in hopes of fighting someone, just to test his own metal. He wasn't quite an asshole, considering it was a blissful ignorance from what Marxes has picked up on over the years, but asking anyone about special abilities was taboo in the cultivating world Mythos and even beyond. Unless willingly given, you just don't ask a question so straight faced.
"I'll go first, some of my special abilities include Decay and Spirit Cummunning/summoning. It's something I've inherited from my dad, Anubis. I have other abilities, too, but I'd rather not share them right now. What about you?"
'He's always been like this, even despite numerous social training sessions his mother put him in,' Marxes thought silently to himself, resisting the urge to slap his forehead. Still Marxes could not help his curiosity; he, too, wondered what abilities Corven could possess to have been able to take down a Tier A Great Snake. 'How will he respond?'
"Decay?" questioned Corven, raising a brow.
Jabari decided to respond by picking up an apple, his irises glowing a sandy gold with a black sclera. Progressively, the apple started decaying before their very eyes, drying up and shriveling, turning black and brittle until it was entirely brittle, turning to black dust and falling into a heap onto the table.
The table clapped as Jabari bowed, as if he were doing a show, "It works on basically anything with lifeforce and many things without, even on mana if I were to focus hard enough. Due to my affinity with the Death and Darkness element, I hope I'm sorted into the Shadow Faction at Mythorus Academy."
"Shadow Faction?" questioned Corven, making a furious face.
"There are 7 factions at Mythorus Academy," explained CImon, stepping in. "These factions are where students are sorted into their first year and stay in until graduation. As the son of Hypnos, I also have an affinity to the darkness element. As a second year, I am part of the Shadow Faction, as is Achlys. The other factions include the Psychic Faction, the Mystic Faction, the Heavenly Faction, the Nature Faction, the R&D Faction and the Infernis Faction. Each function is separated and identified by their elemental affinities. Heavenly Faction members have Sky-based affinities, typically able to perform sky-based abilities such as wind manipulation or weather manipulation skills, sometimes even fly. Nature Faction members have Nature-based affinities, so plant manipulation or even animal whisperers. Psychic Factions are typically psychics or those with strong intuition or psionic abilities, often highly intellectual.Mystic Factions have Magic-affinities, 1 or 2 elemental affinities, or even healing based powers. R&D Faction are researchers, scholars, geniuses and engineers, sometimes forgers and blacksmiths. Many powerful technopaths and builders come from here. The Infernis Faction are those with an affinity for Chaos, typically trickster and mischievous individuals — They are not typically liked by many, and they are often seen as plotters, manipulators and schemers. They have pretty decent fighters, but they'll sow the seeds of chaos for a good laugh in a heartbeat. They're typically the children of mischief gods like Hermes or Loki.
"The final faction — Shadow Faction —- is the most mysterious, I guess you could say. They are the only ones whose Faction Head doesn't have a protege. We're pretty much alternative culture kids too neurodivergent to be considered normal and too neurotypical to be considered evil. You'll fit right in, cuz."
"Each of the 7 Factions are relative to key demigod and legacy types," Marxes stated, picking up the conversation. "I really hope I get into the R&D Faction. I am technopathic like all Ilmari House nobles, but I am also Metallurgic, so I am not entirely certain how that will alter my chances."
"Metallurgic?" Corven looked at the forger technopath. "What's that?"
"I can control metal," Marxes said, smiling slightly, scratching the back of his head. "It's harder to do whenever the metal is naturally more dense or enchanted, like titanium or enchanted Uru metal known as the metal of the Norse gods."
"Ahh," Corven nodded, curiosity satiated.
Next to speak was Celeste. "I, like many Luminaris born nobles, have a healing affinity, but I also have positive energy manipulation and light/darkness, though I think my skill set leans more towards my light affinity. I could go into the Heavenly Faction, Mystic Faction or Shadow Faction, honestly. It doesn't really matter. Any skills I can learn in the first two I can learn from my father's collection. Still, I won't be stingy and narrow minded enough to completely ignore any factions. If, by chance, I am selected into either, I will be happy."
"What about you, Corven? What is your affinity? What skills do you possess? What Faction preference do you have?" Jabari asked, curious once more.
"Hmm," nodded Corven thoughtfully. "I have a Shadow affinity. I don't really have much preference with what Faction I'll pick – so long as they stay out of my way when it comes to my goal to get stronger, any of them will do. As for abilities… I'm not telling any kind of them aloud."
Corven received many boos from the crowd because of his answer, but he didn't care. He just finished his meal and had gotten up, heading back to his compartment, with Cimon, Celeste, Marxes and Jabari following him like lost hen, leaving a very disgruntled Sean fuming, gritting his teeth in irritation.
[Corven Otpheus]:
Corven wasn't sure why they were following him, but he honestly didn't care.
Upon entering his compartment, he instructed Cimon to close the door behind them and put on the "Do Not Disturb" sign on with the lock before heading to his own bunk com[artment room where he turned to Jabari, who, now that Marxes had entered Cimon's room, talking about noble politics, looked at Corven curiously before bringing out a rough-looking stone from his pocket. —- It was an otherwise ordinary piece of stone that had a strange symbol on it — 'A Runestone,' Corven realized when Jabari gave it to him.
But it was no ordinary runestone. When Corven touched, he felt a power to it, something that reminded him of Nyx's presence — it was primordial, he could feel it. The rune was ancient and powerful, with a powerful aura only felt by those who have touched it. Corven wasn't entirely certain how exactly Jabari went anywhere with such a powerful artifact in his pocket.
'Perhaps his pants were a powerful concealing type artifact?' Corven thought, before shaking his head. He honestly did not care. He was just happy he know had it with him now. It officially meant that he had 2 of the five keys needed to unseal the Shadow Realm. He only needed to find the third and fourth keys and he would officially be allowed to unseal the Shadow Realm, and really begin its cleansing of the invaders inside it. But, first, he would have to find it.
"Thanks," Corven said, as his shadow extended and he dropped the stone onto the floor, but, instead of clanging, it slowly sank into Corven's extended shadow, where it would enter his Shadow Space. The action startled Jabari, as he had never seen anything like that.
'Is this what he meant when he said that he had a shadow affinity?" Jabari wondered to himself.
"What kind of ability is that?" Jabari asked, curious.
But Corven just smiled, saying nothing.
Jabari, realizing he'd get no answer, just sighed. He understood the secrecy in a way. Cultivators often withheld their affinities and special abilities, especially those from non-powerful noble families, as an attempt to keep their enemies from knowing too much about them. And, in the cultivating world, everyone had enemies, especially those who are weak. For the strong would never knowingly allow those they deem lesser than themselves to rise in power or influence.
Instead of trying to convince Corven to tell him what that ability just was, Jabari decided he'd leave. He could tell that Corven was the type of person who valued his peace and quiet; he also knew he was anything but. Jabari may have been a hyperactive spaz, but he could read the room and had an uncanny ability to recognize the type of person he was dealing with — It was a talent he'd developed since he was young. It has helped him avoid messing with the wrong kinds of people.
Plus, his primary mission was technically a success — He'd delivered what he was assigned to deliver; he'd succeeded. He still had the secondary mission to befriend Corven, but he had an entire semester to do that, so he wasn't worried about it too much at the moment.
"If you need me, just holler and I'm there. I'm a few rooms over to the right," Jabari stated in his heavy Arabic accent, before leaving from Corven's sights.
Corven watched as Jabari left out of sight and waited a few moments before closing his door to 'Do Not Disturb' and stepping into a swirling vortex of black and purple glowing darkness.
Corven entered his Shadow Space.