Chapter 17: Abilities (Part I)

     Soru flinched upon hearing a familiar voice calling his name. The boulder, which was just a few feet away from hitting Aeden and Völun, instantly vanished.

     Aeden and Völun immediately shifted their attention when they heard a loud thud behind them, followed by a tremor.

     They looked behind them and saw the boulder slammed on the ground instead of crushing them. Seeing that they managed to escape death, both of them sighed in relief. They lost their strength and lay on the ground.

      Alguis looked up and saw that Aeden and Völun weren't dead. His fear vanished in an instant, and relief flooded his thoughts.

     "Aeden... Völun...!"

     Upon hearing the former king's voice, both of them stood up and immediately rushed towards Alguis with no hesitation. 

     "Your majesty!"

     When they were about to reach Alguis, the two of them clearly saw that Soru, who was standing just beside Alguis, had vanished right in front of their very eyes.

     The three of them looked around, searching for his whereabouts. 

     "Where did that kid go?" Völun murmured.

     "M-M-Master Shin... It was all just a misunderstanding! Erm, the thing is..."

     Upon hearing a distinct voice, they immediately shifted their attention towards that individual. 

     They saw a strange creature floating in the air. With its translucent body, it was talking to none other than Soru himself.

     "Reika and that dwarf got into an accident while testing out an ability and got stuck on the ground as a result. That dwarf over there was just helping her out getting unstuck, but you suddenly arrived and misunderstood the situation! I'm sorry I didn't help them because I did it just to get a little bit of revenge... on... her...?"

     Veylir halted when it noticed that Soru was staring into its eyes without uttering a single word. The dragon got scared and covered its mouth using its wings immediately.

     Did I... yapped too much..? 

     "Is she okay?" Soru asked in a calm tone.

     "Eh... I managed to save her just in time. If she got stuck on that ground for too long, she might..."

     The three dwarves silently watched Soru and the mysterious being in front of him converse with each other. Their silence was broken when Völun uttered it all of a sudden.

     "That kid, he was just there a second ago; how did he..!"

     "I was careless. If I hadn't shown any signs of hostility towards him and explained it clearly, this situation wouldn't have just happened..." Alguis said.

     "That... strange creature over there. It said that all of these were just misunderstanding. Is it true?" Aeden asked Alguis.

     Alguis tried to move and slowly sat on the ground while leaning his back on the cliff's wall.

     "Yes... All of this was just a misunderstanding..." Alguis said.

     "We apologize that we acted on our own, even without knowing the reason behind this mess..." Aeden said to Alguis and lowered her head.

     "I-It's alright... Urk!"

     "Your Majesty!" Völun exclaimed while assisting Alguis with his injury.

     "This is just a few broken ribs... It'll heal in days..."

     Aeden glanced at Soru, who was still having a conversation with Veylir.

     "There's something wrong with that kid," Aeden murmured.

     Völun overheard her murmur and asked Aeden.

     "What are you talking about?" Völun asked.

     "So you've noticed it too, Aeden?" Alguis said.

     Völun got confused and didn't understand what they meant.

     Wait... Do both of them know something that I don't?

     "While we were fighting him, I couldn't feel the flow of aeon as he unleashed those boulders towards us. As if... those boulders were popping out of nowhere...!" Aeden said.

     "You're half right and wrong, Aeden." 

     "What do you mean, your majesty?" Aeden asked him.

     Alguis pointed out a certain cliff beside them. Both Aeden and Völun followed the dwarve's hand and saw the cliff too.

     "What's with that cliff?" Völun asked.

     "On that cliff, there were several boulders that I used in order to create those bricks. Sure, I could just create a boulder using my ability, but those that we found in nature are much more durable than the ones that were made from an ability. But now..."

     "Those boulders were nowhere to be seen..." Völun murmured.

     "While I was fighting with him, the first thing I noticed was that all of his attacks didn't have any traces of aeon!"

     Alguis extended his palm, and a rock slowly materialized within it.

     "You see, when you are using your ability to create something out of thin air, you can feel the flow of aeon on it. That's why we could sense them quickly and avoid them with ease."

     "But when I was bombarded with those boulders, I couldn't sense any of it at all!"

      "I also realized that there's something odd about those boulders he used. Unlike those who were made from an ability, those boulders were smooth, like they were chiseled out manually."

     "I examined each one in order to confirm my suspicion, and I was right: he was using those boulders from that cliff as his attack!"

      "My confirmation solidified further when the time came that those boulders from that cliff were completely exhausted. I saw that some of the boulders that fell on the ground popped out into thin air, and another boulder fell down at the same time those boulders vanished!"

     Puzzled by such a revelation, Aeden fell silent for a moment.

     "I don't know, but maybe that kid over there was proficient in spatial-type abilities? Probably he teleported those boulders and used them over and over again, you know?" Völun said confidently.

     "Are you stupid? Our majesty pointed out that he doesn't feel a single bit of flow on aeon while he attacks him or us!"

     Völun got embarrassed and thought of a way to save his face.

     "Come on! I was just joking... I noticed it too before," Völun said shyly.

     "I also thought that he was just teleporting those boulders using a certain spatial-type ability. But... there were no traces of him using aeon at all! Nothing! That's why I struggled to avoid those incoming boulders and only used my quick reflexes to avoid them..."

     The three of them went silent as they were trying to understand what was happening. 

     "What about those attacks and these injuries that we received mysteriously? Did he use an ability on them too?" Völun asked.

     "Everytime... our weapons landed on something... or even directly towards him, the effects that were supposed to be inflicted on a specified target were instead directed towards us," Alguis said.

     "These injuries that we got were all blunt attacks. Only Völun and I possess a hammer as a weapon, and coincidentally, the weapons we used to attack him... and the boulder that I was supposed to shatter before..." Alguis added.

     "Not only could he teleport objects, but he could transfer attacks as well. And he didn't use aeon at all. What kind of absurd ability was that kid possessed!?" Aeden said in confusion.

     "N-Now that I think about it... After all this time, he didn't show any killing intent at all, nor did he show any signs of anger or resentment from his face... As if everything was natural to him." Völun said.

     Aeden recalled her fight with Soru, including her first encounter with him while they were fending off those bandits.

     "Now that you mentioned it, you're right... "

     Alguis stared at Soru intently. Shrouded by mystery, Alguis couldn't fathom the extent of Soru's powers.

     "Who the hell is he..."

     ...

      It was a lovely morning in the Mitsuha household. In their dining room on a certain day, Mitsuha Reika could be seen eating her breakfast while her mother was busy tending the dishes.

     "Reikaaaa! Help me wash these dishes!" Hearing her mother's voice, Reika gulped the food that she was chewing.

     "Gulp! Geez Mom, I was still eating my fill!" "Oh God, you aren't finished yet? What an eater you are!"

     "Moom! You knew I ate this many because your cooking was good!"

     Reika's mom smiled upon hearing her daughter's compliment.

     "Uh, huh... Well enough with your flattery and finish that fast."

      Reika heard her mom while her mouth was full.

     "Mhookayy!"

     Reika stared at her mother with a pleased look on her face.

     I'm glad that she's my mom...

     ...

     Morning arrived after the incident that happened yesterday evening. Inside a room in a house, Reika lies on a bed, sleeping soundly. Suddenly, she was dusturbed when a single streak of sunlight hit her skin, passing through the open window.

     "Mmghh..."

     Her skin immediately felt the warmth of the sunlight and woke up from her slumber. She opened her eyes slowly, only to find an unfamiliar ceiling in front of her.

     Where am I?

     Confused, Reika rose slowly from her bed. There, she realized that she's in an unfamiliar room.

     "What happened last night..?"

     Reika suddenly remembered the events that evening before she got unconscious.

     That night, I was testing that new ability I obtained from Mister Alguis, but we got into an accident and were stuck in the ground...

     Reika held her head as she felt a slight discomfort.

     During that incident, I felt a tightness in my chest and difficulty breathing. Mister Alguis tried to help me... But when I was about to pass out, Soru came and... My vision became blurry after that...

     While Reika was still figuring out the events that happened that evening, Sylva entered the room.

     "Reika?"

     Hearing the familiar voice, Reika looked towards it and saw Sylva standing at the door.

     "Sylva?"

     Sylva hurriedly approached Reika and sat next to her.

     "Are you okay? They told me you got into an accident."

     Reika looked into Sylva's eyes and smiled.

     "I'm fine. Maybe because I slept, my condition is somewhat better now."

     Sylva smiled back at her.

     "I'm glad you're okay."

     Suddenly, Sylva stood up.

     "Oh, that's right! My purpose here was to get some stuff and then head back right after. But now that you've woken up, we'll walk outside together and eat some breakfast. I know you hadn't eaten yet since evening. Wanna come?"

     Reika shook her head slowly.

     "No, I will go on by myself. It seems like that stuff you were referring to was important."

     Reika saw that Sylva was busy looking for something in a basket.

     "Nahh... It's just my sister's clothes. My mother was bathing her, and she needs new clothes."

     Finally, Sylva found her sister's clothes and carried them on her arms.

     "Well, if you're feeling hungry, feel free to come outside anytime. I'll go first, alright?"

     Without uttering a word as a response, Reika simply nods her head and watched Sylva walk outside the room.

     Reika let out a deep sigh and stared outside the window in silence.

     While staring at the luscious trees in the distance, Reika felt a presence coming towards her. Out of nowhere, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in the window, entering the room.

     "Veylir?" 

     Veylir noticed Reika and got surprised too.

     "Reika? Oh, you're finally awake. I thought you'd sleep longer..."

     The dragon flew closer to her.

     "Wait. Where did you wander off while I was asleep?" Reika asked Veylir.

     "Uh... I helped that old dwarf, former king, whoever he is, to tend his broken ribs using some simple life-type ability to heal him."

     Reika immediately knew that the dragon was referring to Alguis Fellad.

     "Huh? They knew about your existence? How did they—"

     "Master Soru blew my cover while I was trying my best to conceal my presence on those dwarves. I can't defy his order, so I tried to gain your save using an aerial-type ability to fill your lungs with air."

     Reika connected the pieces that she was trying to recall that night, but something was still missing.

     "Mister Alguis has broken ribs... Wait. What happened while I was unconscious?"

     Veylir paused for a moment.

     "Erm... While you're unconscious, Soru misunderstood your situation, mistaking it as an intentional act from that old dwarf. So he pulled you away from that dwarf and began to attack him, including its subordinates after that."

     Reika was shocked by Soru's reckless actions. Now, all she could think of was worriness over the former dwarven king's condition and that of his subordinates.

     "Now that I think about it, it was impressive for him that he effortlessly handled those three without breaking a sweat, even though he's just a human."

     Reika looked at Veylir with dissatisfaction.

     "Yeah, and that very human is the one who managed to kill your physical body with ease too!"

     Suddenly, Veylir felt shivers down its spine, even though the dragon doesn't have one.

     "Guhhhh..! I don't want to hear about it..."

     A moment of silence between them emerged after that. However, that silence was broken when Reika uttered something.

     "Now that you've mentioned it, I kept hearing these "aerial-type ability" and "life-type ability" from you. What was that anyway?" Reika asked the dragon.

     Veylir was surprised by Reika's odd question.

     "Wait. You don't know that!? Which mountains did you even come from—"

     The dragon remembered that Reika wasn't from this continent, but rather from a place called "Japan."

     "Ahem. Okay, I will enlighten you so that your ignorance on this continent will dwindle..."

     "Ignorance? Are you—"

    Reika couldn't finish her sentence when a small flame the size of half of her fist emerged out of thin air.

     "All existing abilities were divided into three major classifications: Natural Abilities, Deviated Abilities, and Inherent Abilities."

     Reika quietly listens as Veylir explains it thoroughly.

     "Natural Abilities are abilities that are able to command and manipulate the laws of nature. They were divided into twelve subclassifications, and this ability was one of those twelve..."

     "This ability,"Ember"of the thermal-type ability, belongs to the Normal-class. Including the "Breath of the Wind", which I used to save your life at that time... is an aerial-type ability that was also categorized as Normal-class," Veylir added.

     "Normal-class? Does it have any relation to those thermal and aerial-type abilities?" Reika asked.

     "While aerial-type and thermal-type were classifications based on the type of nature of that specific ability, Normal-Class is a categorization that was based on the ability's rarity, range, and level of destructiveness."

     "The more destructive or larger the area-of-effect the ability could achieve, its rarity correlates with it. Almost all abilities are accessible through acquisition, be it learning or other methods, crude or not."

     "Normal-Class... How many classes are there to categorize these abilities by their rarity and destructiveness?" Reika asked.

     "There are four categorizations on it, which are Normal-Class, Special-Class, Ultimate-Class, and finally: Extremity-Class. Each of them had a different degree, ranging from a size similar to an average individual up to large structures and even a kingdom-sized range and destructiveness."

     "That's kind of scary... There's such an ability that could destroy a kingdom!?" Reika exclaimed in shock.

    "Of course! All abilities are diversified, be they offensive, defensive, or just a support one!"

    "Then... how many types of Natural Abilities you possess, Veylir?" Reika asked.

     "About that, aside from the thermal-type which I was highly proficient at, I also possess some aerial-type and life-type. About the soul-type... only one is all I could acquire through learning."

    "I see..." Reika murmured.

    "The second major classification of the ability, the 'Deviated Abilities', had only two subclassifications: the Conjure-type, which behaves like an output-type, and Augment-type which is basically an input-type of ability."

     "What differs on it from the Natural Abilities was that Deviated Abilities don't command or manipulate the laws of nature, but rather interacts with it. All of the Deviated Abilities were not related to either each one of the laws of nature, but it could influence them in a different manner."

      "Just take"Translator", a Conjure-type for example. It has nothing to do with the laws of nature, yet it interacts with it. It exists like a medium to understand between languages, and doesn't have any relation on the laws of nature."

     "Do you have any Deviated Abilities beside"Translator"?" Reika asked Veylir.

     "Besides that, I have"Aeon Barrier"and— Woah, woah! Your ability allows you to have access to mine, right? You'll know all of it in the future anyway, so telling them one by one is useless."

     Reika's expression changed upon hearing Veylir. Seeing that the dragon was too lazy to elaborate further, she gave up.

     "Alright, Fine!"

     What a lazy dragon...

     "Hm... Now that I remember, was my ability "Contract" a... What? It's not one of the natural abilities since it doesn't have to do anything with this 'laws of nature' thing. It's more like a 'Deviated Ability' kind to me," Reika asked.

     Veylir fell silent for a moment.

     "Since the dawn of my existence, I've never heard of an ability named"Contract". I'm not truly certain, but perhaps that ability is an Indvidual-type..."