45 Initiate The Plan

Right now, Michael stood before a large broken tree trunk. Only held with the company of an impressive quantity of wood splinters covering the area around his feet, and a large chopped down pine tree laying right next to him.

He had reverted back to his human form, and was now blankly starring into the sky with an indifferent expression. Both his pupils seemed to have dilated a little, and they now gave of a vibe similar to a computer program being loaded in.

As for the rest, the changes that would usually occur whenever he released all his power were currently not present. His physical body was no different from anyother human's. Well, other than the very domineering towers of muscle covering every available spot benath the skin, his black hair and gold eyes would be able to convince anyone.

While he looked into the endless sea of white and blue, a weak laugh escaped his mouth.

"Hehehe"

The blurry pupils formed themselvs back. Sinking two new void dots into the gold pond they now called their home.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

He stetched his muscular arms into the air. Letting the weak air current sizle thorugh the space between his fingers. Allowing all the available senses to grasp each and every element present.

"Yes, it all makes sense now..."

"It all makes sense...."

Feeling the wind brush over his upper body, and the moist dirt slide against the bottom of his feet seemed to generate a sort of euphoria. Pushing his rationale further away.

....

"This human body is such a frail thing, really.."

Feeling the sun rain down on my skin, the wind push my against body, and the earth firmly hold onto me. This....THIS!

"What have WE done until now?! WE have been playing around with prey this entire time!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!"

It feels like all makes perfect sense now that we have woken up. A sort of unimaginable sense of power is swelling within our mind. To pulverize and devour...Yes! That is what we..

"Quack"

"What was that..?"

Some sort of strange noise is coming from behind us.

Shall we turn around?

Yes!

We must!

It must be prey!!!!

Wait, no. What is that thint? laying in a small patch of red dirt before us... Is that a duck. It seemed to have been injured on it's left side, but the wound has been sealed by a bunch of boney feathers.

Our sudden turn seems to have caused it to jerk back in fright. However, even then, the black dots inside its eyes gave of a weak glint. What is this? Does it know us?

The bird started to waddle in our direction. It's injury has already healed, but the bird seems to struggle a little while trying to walk. Could be the talons not getting a proper grip onto the mud. Or that is what we think.

After a short battle, the duck ended up beside us. Gently leaning on the cloth covered shin as it sits next to our limb.

'Can...We....Eat it?'

A desire to push it aside emerges in our mind, However, something is not right...?

"Ah..."

We...No, I try to remeber, but its as if my mind get chained down by an army of wild animals. Surrounding my brain like a solid, yet frail barrier.

"G...GET...OUT OF M..MY YOU HEAD...F...FUCKERS...!?!?!"

As I slowly try and force my consciousness through the barrier, a small crack eventually forms. Creating a chain reaction which turns it into dust. Allowing me to touch upon what had been forgotten.

"H...Holy....Holy shit, that was....something."

It felt like....there were more Michael's inside my head. No, not Michaels...something else...

Softly bending over, I scoop the small duck into my embrace. Preparing on going back to the academy.

"What happened here again?"

While rustling away from the my previous spot, I gently touch the storage ring on my finger. Making some small jelly beans and a large robe fly out.

"Anywas, I felt my mind slip a second. Need to look into that. This never happened in my previoues life..."

"Yes, back then."

Back in my previous life, there was nothing for me. I stopped considering people other than my family as individuals, and changed my view of them to objects. No matter how many I cracked, nothing close to empathy ever resurfaced.

But then, as I was waiting for judgement.....Someone like me, who does not deserve a chance, gets one. Mabye it's because of how close I am to my parents and siblings that I so strongly wished to go back. Even if only for a moment, I wish to thank them atleast once. Thanking them for not throwing me away, despite being a devil in human form.

My view of others did not change even after getting here, and I still saw every living creature as an object. The mutations I had were a surprise, but I didn't care as long as I managed to fulfill the task given.

However, then this useless child comes along. So incoherently stupid, not capable of analyzing his situation even a little bit, always following his impulses. Even showing care and understanding towards people who spat on his very existence.

Marss? Yes, I remember when I gave him control. Thinking of ways to use him further down the road if needed. Like having him support all the increasing primal instincts coursing through my brain.

However, no matter how incompetent and weak he was, he reminded me too much of my younger self before changing into the one I am now. And as he was killed off I promised to bring his mom back before going off. I do not know why I said yes. No, I felt something. That we were the same. Did I perhaps feel sorry for him?

Never. It was the moment he passed. The one where I regained some type of connection to something I barely remembered existing.

Yes, these are emotions. Useless emotions which will not do me any good.

However, other than being able to feel, there is something else that has been happening. As I keep getting stronger, the emotions I have seem to pull off in different directions. Like giving me all these weird cravings? I don't know what it is, but it can't be something good.

Thankfully, the walking seems to rearrange my focus. Helping me ignore the weird urges I find myself having. It feels so similar to that time I got temporarily influenced by the [Predatory instinct of the Night Dove]. Wanting to consume. To tear flesh apart with my own teeth.

But now, instead of only a pigeon inside me, I feel what can only be described as an endlessly growing army of relentless beasts, resting deep within my mind. Always ready to jump at me if I ever were to show a sign of weakness that stems from my new emotions. I was able to control it before, but now...has my mental state become unstable?

Whenever I slip up, the beasts always charge towards something similar to ball of light resting inside my body. Trying to feast on it. No, corrupt it before I regain control.

It has reached a stage where the once radiant orb has turned into a dying lamp. Continuing to crumble away whenever those things are unleashed.

I feel like I never really cared much for this bulb while still on earth. However, now that it's disappearing before my I feel that something bad will happen. That I will not regress back to my old self, but become something else.

.....

"So glad I dropped that goblin hag off. Tsk, telling me that's not how you gamble. Hell, what do you know?"

A finely covered Jenkins was currently resting inside his dorm room within the academy. Wearing his gambling tuxedo while lying down on the mattress covering a fairly sized wood bed. His surroundings were only barely lit up by a ball sized lamp hanging in the middle of the room. Shining down like dawning sun.

'Wonder when Michael is coming back. It's getting late...'

And as he wished, the entrance door opened itself. Michael's figure slowly entered the room with a sleeping Jingwei tucked in between his arms.

"Speaking of the devil!"

Seeing the elf lying on his bed made Michael smile. Finishing his greeting, he proceeded to place Jingewei next to his incubator, letting him rest on the old desk.

"Didn't you place a two hundred year old corpse on that bed not too long ago...?"

Looking back at Jenkins, he noticed that his feminine amber eyes froze up. They eventually started turning again, he jumped off immediately.

"Y...Yeah. Haha, what a time that was..."

Michael just slightly smiled back at him. Pulling out the chair pressed against his desk and sitting dow..

The atmosphere seemed to have gotten colder as the two men silently eyed each other down.

"You have something between your teeth, Michael."

'what?'

Michael opened his mouth and brushed his finger over the row of teeth in front. Stopping when he felt a sharp object jammed between the frontal part of his maxillary teeth. (row of teeth in the front of your mouth)

After pulling it out, he saw what the shiny glow it gave off.

"Is that a piece of metal? What the hell did you eat?"

Michael seemed just as confused as Jenkins, and began to stutter.

"I...uh, I don't remember..."

"Who cares really. Bet you chewed down on a fork. For now, we need to talk."

A sense of urgency was visible in his tone. Making Michael fully concentrate on it. initiating the conversation to begin.

"Go ahead and begin first. I'll start where you finish."

Jenkins scratched fingers gently through his long blond hair while closing his eyes. Preparing for a good lecture.

"Well, devil kid. We are going to begin the robbery during your banquet. You may think this is a little stupid, but the main problem we would usually face is the army of general and king layer wizards guarding this old castle."

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Wishing to know more, Michael encouraged him to continue with a soft nod. Letting him continue to speak.

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"Through those cult membes you have enslaved, I have surprisingly gained some good intel."

"The little party will be held after the school is closed, and all residentials consisting of normal teachers and students will be temporarily sendt back to their clans. Limiting the amount of people who would usually oppose us greatly. I say we are quite lucky, or what do you think, Michael?"

"No answer? Fine. Just listen then. There is also a guest list. It consists of some highly ranked wizards and students who may or may not attend. However, they were going to be trouble anyways, so it doesn't matter."

"Also, the vice principal and the principal will be there at your initiation ceremony. I have currently opened the dungeon not too far away, but it's camouflaged. So no one should have noticed anything."

"My small army of undead will work as a distraction. While this goes on, I will sneak into the treasury room of this place and snatch what we need."

"The Principal will notice this. So you will have to personally occupy him while I break in. Any questions?"

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Michael nodded back once more, but approval was evident in his actions. Only left with a single unanswered question.

"What are we stealing then, Jenkins?"

Hearing what Michael said made a troubled look surface on his feminine face. The sharp ears on his head twitched a little. Maybe do to some mild worry.

.

"Let me tell you a little bit about myself, Michael. You should know I am not originally from here...."

"Long story short. Back in my old home I was sentenced to death by my clan due to a little something I did. However, through a faint amount of luck, I managed to escape. Ending up as more of a fugitive."

"Sadly for me, I could not just walk out of there. And as a consequence of my defiance, my powers have been mostly crippled and sealed, making it so that I can only really reach the lower layer... I was only able to survive thanks to a technique I created, which allows me to temporarily store my soul in other items."

"This technique is however, very flawed. And I can only survive by infusing my soul into objects who hold great magical power. Like this dungeon core. My soul is also very powerful. Allowing me to still keep my original appearance whenever I take control over a body with the core."

"And yes, I am what you can consider an Elf. Or more precisely, a High Elf. That is all for now. Anything else?"

.

Michael wanted to scratch pull his eyes out after hearing all this, but insisted him in finishing the explanation.

'Wow, that was a lot..'

"You didn't tell me what we are stealing, Jenkins?"

Hearing what Michael say make him blush with embarrassment. However, he quickly fastened himself.

.

"You see, Michael. The territory we are currently in, or Torvel, as its called. Wasn't always covered by all these trees and forests."

"Long ago, a nature god called Cernunnos was slain here. He was a divine beast who often took the shape of a stag or a 'horned man'."

"Anywas. After he fell, the entirety of this territory began to sprout endless amounts of greenery which originated from his blood."

"His flesh, although destroyed, created some weird animal subspecies which eventually occupied a lot of the landscape. However, over the course of history, their divine bloodline deteriorated. Your ability [Strider's step] originates from the [Cernunnos strider] you managed to assimilate. The combination of all those animals seemed to have given you a fraction of one of the ancient creatures power."

"However, after his remains were completely gone, something even stranger seemed to happen."

"It would be easier to explain like this. Every 10 000th year, his shattered divinity will sprout in the form of what we call a [Horned Rose]. It has amazing healing properties, and even helps people advance their energy easily. This thing can help me restore some of my power. Mabye even break a part of the seal."

"I was once close to getting one that sprouted a long time ago, but that Halrel guy teamed up with the principal of the academy. Not only making me lose my second dungeon core, but also the chance at gaining the flower. Luckily, I have managed to retrieve most of the things Halrel took from me thanks to you. Thank you by the way."

"Back to the tale! Later on, Halrel was dunked on by the guy running this place. He took the flower with him and...and used it as a...as a cleaning device which keeps this stone museum from ageing. F***ING HELL, how can someone be this dum? But yeah, it's here."

.

All of this was engraved into Michael's mind. Helping him better understand the elf's backstory.

'So thats why this place looks so clean even after such a long time.'

.

"Anyways, your turn."

Michael snapped out of his thoughts, remebering what he wanted to talk about.

"There are two things I wish to ask."

"First, can you still access some of your leftover power? Or are you just stuck at the [General Layer] for now?"

Jenkins's smile deepend. However, there was no joy in it, only a strong regret.

"I cannot access any of it. However, my understanding of [Dark Magic] is far beyond what anyone in this world could possibly fathom."

"Thanks to this, I am able to infuse the [Laws of death] into my attacks. However, this is not something I really can count on."

.

"Why is that?"

.

"You see, my body can only handle so much before corroding away. And the higher tier spell I use, the more I risk destroying my current body and core. Let's take an example. Do you remember when we fought each other in the dungeon?"

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"Yes, what about it?"

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"Well, I didn't plan on trying to fight you even with my superior skills, as I would never risk my life for something temporary. And mabye I was a little influenced by your old skill called [Killer Instinct]."

"Even though my mind is very strong, the current body must have been affected by it. Clouding my judgement for a second..."

"Anywas, when you destroyed the body, I took over red beard with my core. His body was too incompatible with my [Dark Affinity], and was slowly destroyed whenever I tried to use a spell."

"The same goes for this body. However, I usally create seperate ones who can mostly handle anything bellow 90% dark essence."

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The words he said slowly made more and more sence, but several loop holes kept appearing. Urging Michael to keep asking for more details.

"Mind explaining it on a deeper level?"

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"After your understanding of an element reaches 100% you can advance in it. While if you are at bellow 100%, your attacks will only be considered cheap constructs. Unable to create any lingering effect. A fire spell with under 100% understanding may burn your skin now. However, after going past that, not only will your skin burn, but your entire body and even spirit may be affected. Ripping away at your very existence."

"When you go over 100% your attacks become 'Real' in a sense. They will be infused with more power the higher your understanding is. It's like begining at 1% of a law after you finish it's 100% of the essence."

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All of this would definitely become more useful later on. So Michael kept storing all away within his mind.

"You still haven't told me why you can't use laws."

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"My bad. After you go beyond 100% your body should have been able to gain a [Essence Shell]. It makes your body capable of using and accessing laws."

"Sadly, as this clone body is far from my original one, I am unable to properly utilize it."

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Michael felt a little confused by this, so he once again asked for more information.

"Can you go more detailed into it?"

.

"Well, you can view your original body as an ever expanding plate. It is perfectly compatible with your current soul, and does not restrict your growth. You probably ended up in that kid's body after being sendt to this world due to it perfectly fitting you."

"And as you have a soul and a storage for it that fit togheter, you are then capable of growing infinitely. As for me, this is not completly compatible with my soul. Making me unable to fully grow in power, making me unable to properly tap into [Laws]. This soul and defect clone is like a plate which has a set size."

"Not only does it not grow, I am also only capable of putting so much pressure on it before things start to crack and spill over. All my strongest spells at the moment affect a wider area the more power I try to use. For I am unable to focus massive amounts of energy into a single point. Less I wish to risk my core cracking."

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"That's why you didn't instantly kill me back then, huh?"

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"Thats right. Now, for your next question."

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"Yeah, well, it's my status screen. Something's changed with my bloodline display."

Slightly intrigued by this, Jenkins demanded him to show what he was talking about.

"Interesting. Let's have a look!"