Ch 2: Learning about the Family
Just then, he heard knocking coming from the door leading to his room.
|
James only had time to sit on his bed before an old lady came bursting through it. She looked around the room and saw the broken windows and messy room.
|
She was shocked at first. But once she looked at James, her shocked expression turned into an angry one.
|
And before he could even explain himself, the old lady slaps him. James was only able to writhe in pain on the floor as the lady started yelling:
"You did it again! You monster! Why couldn't you be normal? If you were normal, our lives would have been much better!!"
|
James Morningstar was confused as first, but then his head started to hurt. More of the unknown memories from the previous owner started to resurface.
|
All it needed was a trigger. Which turned out being his foster mother, Mrs Newman. Yes, he was adopted by a foster family.
|
The fragments played like a film reel, seeing his own body in third-person. His previous self in one memory was seen screaming, all the walls around him start cracked and fell apart.
|
Another fragment showing scenes with Mrs Neman and another man, Mr Newman, shouting at the original owner. Telling him it was his fault the other families kept a distance from them and called them freaks.
|
Sadly, this all began two years ago, when his own family gave him up to an orphanage. He was then selected by the Newmans who wanted to adopt him in. The Newmans lived in a small town outside of New York. The original owner also quite anti-social because of this incident. So James had no familial attachments to hold onto.
|
The Newmans also had an 13-year-old son when James arrived, but the boy mysteriously died 3 months afterwards. That kid was a full-on bully, he picked on James all the time.
|
Then one day, when the kid was bullying James again, ..... poof. He stopped existing, just like that. He turned to ash before James' very eyes. But the weird thing is, the more James tried to focus on that memory. The more of a splitting headache he would receive.
|
His own mind was shutting out info from that particular fragment. So for now James would leave it alone until he was more powerful to unlock it.
|
This memory surprised James, he did not know the reason why the kid combusted. But he new that this was significant somehow. James could also remember the distinct smell of burnt meat.
|
Anyway, because of the 13-year-old's mysterious death. The Newmans, and the whole town, believed that James Morningstar had cursed the Newmans family. Since then, both Mr. Newman and Mrs. Newman have hated James.
|
James stared up at the old lady, and thought to himself:
"This world never wanted me to be a hero. I never was in the first place. If that's so... then I may as well become a villian."
|
Now look here, James really wanted to vent all his anger from the previous self onto Mrs Newman. But he wasn't able to.
|
Using up his previous stamina, had cost him greatly. He could only sit on his bed, and watch the bitch walk out while rambling on about him.
|
James though just ignored her, and instead turned his attention right back to the book. With a glimmer in his eyes, he once again. Opened it revealing the pages.
|
|
==================================
~~~~~~~~~~[Book of RUNES]~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
[Status]!!___[Elements]!!___[Neutral]___[Unique]
|
[Congratulations Host]
|
[Achievement Unlocked: First time using runes]
[You gain 5 Rune Points]
|
[Achievement Unlocked: Successfully used Wind Magic]
[You gain 5 Rune Points]
==================================
|
|
James was surprised by the achievements. Then he noticed that both [Status] and [Elements] had a notification.
|
He didn't want to know what was behind there, but his inquisitiveness got the better of him. So he pressed the [Status] tab.
|
The book then started to flip through the pages again, until it landed on a different sheet of paper.
|
|
==================================
~~~~~~~~~~[Book of RUNES]~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Coins: 10 RP]
|
____________[Status]
[Name: James Morningstar]
[Rune-Caster: Beginner]
|
[Analysing Body Composition..... 100%]
[Strength: 4]
[Agility: 6]
[Stamina: 5]
[Health: 2]
|
[Analysing Soul Composition..... 100%]
[Purity: 100]
[Strength: 20]
[Defence: 20]
[Energy: 20]
==================================
|
|
James noticed that his soul was very pure an energetic, seemingly very healthy. But his body was just a little lacking. This is also based off of not knowing what the standard unit of an average male is.
|
This would have explained why James had struggled to use his own runes. His soul could take it, but his body could not. So to make it so James can use his runes freely, he needs to train his body.
|
But first, he wanted to see what Runes he had carved onto him. So he pressed the [Elements] tab next. The book once again, started to flip through pages landing onto a specific page. It reminded him of a magical table from a blocky world.
|
|
==================================
~~~~~~~~~~[Book of RUNES]~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Coins: 10 RP]
|
____________[Elements]
|
[Runes Owned:-]
[Right Hand:]
■ [Wind - 1/5]
■ □ [Blade]
|
[Heart:]
■ [Fire - 0/6]
|
[Left Shoulder:]
■ [Earth - 0/5]
|
|
[Runes Unowned:-]
[Poison]
[Ice]
[Darkness]
[Lightning]
[.... ]
==================================
|
|
Now that James understood what each Rune was, he first had to make this body stronger. After that, he would take revenge on the people who killed his 'parents.'
|
And then, just maybe... he will make everyone that made the James before him suffer a fate worse than death.
|
To do that, best solution James could find at the moment was to carve a Rune on his body. One that would strengthen it in the short term, even if it was temporary.
|
It was sort of James' way of saying "sorry I took control over your body" to his previous self.
|
James Foster then opened the book of runes and decided to open the [Neutral] category to see what runes he could buy.
|
|
==================================
~~~~~~~~~~[Book of RUNES]~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Coins: 10RP]
|
____________[Neutral]
|
[Runes Owned:-]
[Blade]
|
[Runes Unowned:-]
[Wall]
[Spin]
[Big]
[Small]
[.... ]
==================================
|
|
James kept looking at the list of Runes he could buy. Nothing came of interest to him until he found one called [Strengthen].
|
He tapped on the Rune to look at the description. The book shone light on the page then quickly died down, revealing different text.
|
|
==================================
~~~~~~~~~~[Book of RUNES]~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Coins: 10RP]
|
_____________[Neutral]
|
[Strengthen:]
[A Rune that can make the user with be temporary stronger and wistand larger forces of pressure. Same thing if applied to an object.]
|
[Cost to buy: 10 RP]
==================================
|
|
"So depending on where he placed it, can effect how it functions," James described. He then thought for a moment before deciding this was the Rune he was getting.
|
As soon as his finger pressed the accept purchase, a splitting headache waved over him. Though it quickly died down, revealing knowledge of the [Strengthen] Rune instead his head.
|
James Morningstar then started looking around for a sharp enough object. He found some scissors in the corner. Now all James had to do was figure out where to carve it.
|
It took James just a moment to conclude that the best placement would be the [Fire] rune. James then held the bedframe tightly with one hand. And steeled himself for the pain to come.
|
He clenched his teeth and stabbed the tip of the scissors into the epidermis layer of his heart. He started doing one stroke, then the next, and so on and so forth.
|
The whole time he withstood the pain and made no noise whatsoever. Seeing the past owners pain steeled James' resolve to go through with it.
|
Once James had almost finished carving the Rune, the last step was to draw energy from his body while completing the engraving. He mentally send his stamina towards the rune by passing through the [Fire] rune. Therefore the [Strengthen] would merge with [Fire].
|
And as the last stroke was made, James suddenly felt a wave of fatigue wash over him. It almost made him fall to the floor. With his last ounce of stamina left, decended onto the bed. The next thing James Morningstar knew was a pitch black screen.
|
James was knocked out cold.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~