23: Heaven and Earth

Nate opened his eyes, realizing he was lying on the grass he immediately stood up. Sweat beads dripping from his forehead, "fuck, that scared the shit out of me."

"Yeah, I didn't know it hurt that much," Heath replied.

"It stimulates real damage, you can even die, but you'll turn back normal afterwards," Shino told.

"I want a rematch," Heath said, pissed off.

"I don't," Nate immediately withdrew and walked away uninterested.

"Alright, pick a partner."

"I'm going next," said Dan as he stepped forth.

"You?" Heath murmured.

Dan glares at him, "got a problem?" 

"No," Heath shook his head, annoyed.

"Alright then, back to it," Shino said.

Dan, Jon called.

What?

I won't be able to help you in there, got it?

That's okay. I can handle this.

Dan didn't understand why, but he could compromise easily, he can't always rely on Jon anyway. So, he liked that at least he got a little bit of a heads up.

Okay, be careful. He plays with time.

Shino clapped his hands and the whole world was reduced down to the box again. Dan stood four feet away from Heath, cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders, warming up.

"Dark core, right?"

"Yup."

"Daniel, was it?"

"Dan, is fine."

Shino just stood across from them, staring them down with a devilish grin. Unserious, hands in pocket and completely relaxed.

"Freeze," Shino said hastily.

Heath drew a Heart Ace from his deck of cards and shielded from the wave of incredibly freezing air that Shino just unleashed. Dan had Black Veil, a protective and repelling dome, shielding him from the wave of freezing air.

"That was quick of you, Dan," Shino was impressed.

"I believe he was faster," Dan gestured to Heath.

"No, he cheats. I don't like cheaters."

"Cheat? How?" Dan didn't understand.

"I didn't cheat for shit! Don't act like you know anything!" Heath snapped.

"Hart Family, the Keepers of the Blue Book, died 2027. Joseph Hart, Carlene Hart..." 

"Shut up!" Heath said as painful memories of his late family resurfaced.

"Andrew Hart, Jane Hart, all died by a mysterious fire that caused their house to burn down."

Dan's eyes widen as his mouth slowly gaped, he glances over to Heath's face, boiling with rage and anger. He's an orphan...? So, now it makes sense. I didn't know you were suffering like that.

"He-"

"Shut the fuck up..." Heath said in low voice. "Don't act like you know anything... You won the genetic lottery, got it!? So don't give me shit about playing fair! I don't give a shit about playing fair!"

Shino grins as Heath unleashed all fifty-two cards in his deck, all burning purple and black. 

"Heath, you're losing your cool," Dan said unimpressed.

"What?" Heath feels even more irritated that Dan's trying to talk to him at all.

"I thought you were a cool guy, because you looked like you had everything under control. But... You're breaking."

"Well, are you surprised!?" He yelled angrily.

"For the reasons he said? No, I'm not," Dan scoffed.

"Then, what's it to you? My secret's out. Who gives a shit?"

"I do."

"Why the hell would you?"

"We're friends aren't we?"

"Friends?" Heath chuckles. "We're barely even that."

"Really?" Dan raised an eyebrow. "I feel like I know a lot about you. Ever since our first fight, then you started awkwardly stalking Laura, which by the way, stop that."

"I'm not doing that anymore," he murmured in annoyance.

"Okay, good," Dan nods with a smile. Heath found Dan's face funny and couldn't help exhale a little laughter. "Give me a card," said Dan.

"You... Want my spell?"

"Yeah, I wanna use it."

"Alright then," from the hovering fifty-two cards, Heath took a random one and threw it at Dan. Dan clasps his hands together and caught the card. In his hand, the card started burning blue and black. Dan felt the mana coursing through his veins, feeling a little jumpy as his heart began racing.

Shino lets out a little sigh of relief, he believed Heath and Dan bonded over that small, incredibly insensitive reveal he did. I'll apologize later, he just needed to open up.

Dan dashes forward, following how Heath moves with this spell. Dan moved so fast he went by Shino and crashed into the back wall. Dan crashed on his back as he tried to turn around and stop himself. He got back up, stretching his spine. He feels every bruise that was dealt.

"You're shit at this," Shino laughs.

"You look like shit, shut up!" Dan slurred.

"Haha! Kamaero!"

"Yaru!"

Kamaero = Get ready

Yaru = Let's go!

Dan ran normally with the card in his hand, extended lightly. Shino disappears in half a blink, tugging the back of Dan's jacket and pulled him back to the wall he crashed into earlier.

Heath took the opportunity to strike Shino's tendons, though may not be lethal, it would change the course of the fight immediately. Heath didn't even blink and Shino was already gone.

How is he so fast? Heath thought in frustration. He felt a press on his back he was suddenly crushed to the ground. 

Dan was recovering slowly, getting back up to his feet. Dan knew he needed to learn how to properly move with Heath's spell. Dan discarded the card and ran towards Shino. Making Shino the lighter object and himself the heavier, Shino gravitated towards Dan at high speed.

While being pulled backwards, Shino was able to turn around, like a cat falling and rotating to land on its feet. Dan saw a wide grin as he drives his fist to Shino's face. In an instant Shino just disappeared again. In a whiff, Dan smelled heavy smoke. 

"For a sorcerer with two cores you sure are a mystery," Dan yells out.

"I prefer to keep it that way."

Dan tilts his head as he observed Shino, he's smoking...? Dan saw as smoke was emitting slowly from his body.

Jon said he plays with time, did he mean timing? He teleports I assume. Even channeling an amplification spell to my eyes, I can't see him move.

Shino clasped his hands together and a green spark appeared, he released his hands and spread open his hands, green flames emitting from his hands.

Cosmic Resonance: Abyss Flames. Shino casted silently.

"I can do that too," Dan said as he casted Dark Gauntlets. Dan casts Dark Footgear and began running at top speed, close to a hundred miles an hour. He clenched his fist and grabbed Shino's gravity discretely, then he slammed downward when he got close enough.

Shino was unaffected by Dan's gravity manipulation, Dan felt his mana on fire and dissipating. He dispelled it? I see, that's not fire that just burns physical objects.

Entering in hand-to-hand combat, Dan throws a left jab at Shino's chin. Shino bobs his head backward and the punch misses by a hair, Dan goes for a body shot with his right, aiming at the sides. Shino triangulates his arm and let Dan hit his elbow. Dan uses the same hand, bringing it up to a right hook, using his entire body weight into the punch, throwing himself off balance. Shino took a step back and let the punch breeze past him. As Dan fell down, he lifted both his legs to land a cartwheel kick. Shino raised his hand and blocked both of Dan's leg, then he sent his foot to Dan's abdomen, knocking him forward. Dan rolled backward and quickly stood back up.

The amp on my leg is faulty after he blocked my kick. It's similar with Sam. He's burning my mana, I can't put out the fire.

"Heath, you alive?" Dan looked back at him, didn't sense his wavelength at all.

Shino points at Heath's corpse, "no, he's very dead."

"How did you know about his family?" Dan wondered.

"I looked into every student, personally."

"Even me?"

"Yeah."

"For what reason?"

"You've fought Shujin, you should know."

"Yeah, it's not just him. Nate fought a Supreme-rank too. Then there's that revived beast."

"Yeah, Shujin's making a band of mana criminals."

"Why do you think that is?"

"If three Supreme-rank sorcerers gang up on me, I'd have a little trouble."

"Wouldn't you win? Laura called you the strongest."

"Strongest? That's nice of her," he laughs. "But I would win, yes."

"An easy win?"

"Power in numbers is one helluva advantage."

"I suppose it is."

The two then just stared at each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. While waiting, Shino dispelled his Abyss Flame.

"Are we gonna fight?"

"I like you, Dan. So, let's just end it here."

"I usually wouldn't like that answer, but I'm not tryna die."

"Otsukare, kaisan," Shino clapped his hands together and they returned with Heath, on the floor. His face was broody and visibly exhausted. He got up and started walking away.

Otsukare = Good work

Kaisan = Return

Shino catches up to him and apologized for saying the stuff he did, "I just wanted you to know, you can't rely on that spell."

Heath lets out an annoyed sigh and waved Shino away, "yeah, yeah, I get it."

"By the way, that's from the Flame Pantheon, right?" He asked with a spark of light in his eyes. "Who is it?" Like a child that's a fan of a toy series.

"It's... Vehemence the Flame."

"Woah… The one that's also in the Highest Pantheon!? Cool!" He gasps. "Mine's Felis."

"Yeah, cool."

Heath then walked away with a little smile. Shino went back to the remaining nine people. He was feeling ready for his next opponent. Kris came up from behind and grabbed Vic, Volta, and Laura, "how about we go together?"

"All four?" Vic asked.

"Yeah, why not?"

"I'm fine with it," Vic shrugged.

"Y- Yeah, I'm fine," Laura blushed slightly.

Volta didn't respond.

"Okay then!" Kris acted all hyped for no reason.

I'm gonna brutally kill all of you. Sorry, Shino grinned unapologetically. He clapped his hands and placed them all in the training simulation.

Volta was the first to react, moving at Mach 3. As she ran towards him, she gauged the distance knowing that she'll reach him in exactly 0.5 seconds. Tucking her hand to her hip and immediately sending it out. Shino then catches her fist prematurely. Her eyes widen as she found herself surprised.

He doesn't move like Kai. His hands were really cold.

Volta opened her palm and spun her wrist, releasing herself from his grip. She took a leap back and Kris made a hollow fist with her right then put it up to her mouth. She blew out a deathly freezing mist that enveloped Shino.

"That was close, wouldn't you say?" Kris giggled.

Laura steps forward and draws her sword, she swings her blade horizontally whilst sending an electrifying wave of mana, Crescent Slash. Vic thought she should join in as well, she conjured a grenade launcher and started blasting away. Blowing up large explosions within the mist.

Volta turns around whilst sending her left heel into Shino's temple. "Your reflexes are great, huh?" Shino said as she caught her leg by the ankle.

His hand is cold again.

Laura comes in to stab Shino right through his back, Shino disappeared reappeared behind Laura. Triangulating his arms around her neck and choking her out. Laura quickly lost grip of her blade. Gunshots fired in Shino's direction but she used Laura as a meat shield. At that instant, Laura died. Either from being choked or she bled out.

Shino coldly dropped Laura's body and walked over it. Vic held a full on sniper rifle and shot right at his head. Volta observes as Shino catches Vic's bullet and flicked it back at her. The bullet just went straight through Vic's scope and through her head.

"Well, shit," Kris said regretfully. She dropped to her knee and erected a half meter thick ice wall between him and them.

"Volta, I got an idea," said Kris.

"What?" Volta thought she might entertain the idea.

"Can you conceal your mana?"

"Temporarily."

"Okay, can you teleport?"

"Short distance."

"Okay, I need you to do this."

After they discussed their knowledge and ideas, Shino broke through the ice wall easily. He was actually just waiting for a few seconds. He could've stopped it from being erect at all.

Kris dispelled the mist and Volta dashes forward to Shino's right. What Shino sensed was an overwhelming wavelength that was adjacent to Volta's physical body, creating a facade that she was actually ahead of where she actually was. When Shino raised his hand to counter Volta, he didn't account for Kris who was behind him, she was completely undetectable to him. She grabbed his arm, tugging him backward.

Cosmic Resonance: Abyss Flames, he incantated. He turns to what he thought was the bigger hindrance, blasting a stream of flames directly into Kris' body, burning her to bones in an instant.

Shino raised his right heel backward and thrusts his leg back, wanting to drive his foot to Volta's face but he brushed through the air. Unknowing that Volta had teleported around him and directly in front of his face. Her fist driving directly to his face. 

Time Freeze, Shino casted. As the whole world froze into a world of ice, he feels his body slowly be consumed by the burning cold. He took a few steps back, a safe distance away from Volta. He uses Abyss Flames to warm himself up, then dispelled the Time Freeze spell. After he was away from Volta, he didn't expect her to react so quickly. She already was right in front of him again, her leg raised high up, her shin about to make contact to his temple.

Time Freeze! Shino casted again with increasing haste and worry. He took several steps back and warmed himself up with Abyss Flames again. After he dispelled the Time Freeze spell, Volta lifted her right foot to land a snap front kick. Shino repeats the process of freezing time, moving her leg out of the way, and heating his body up.

This time he backed away pretty far away to prevent her predicting where he'd be next. He glares at Volta with a big grin across his face, "mitta darou naa?" He said excitedly.

mitta darou naa = you saw it, didn't you?

A whole minute earlier

"Okay, can you teleport?" Kris asked.

"Short distance."

"Okay, I need you to do this," Kris said as the gears in her head started turning, "he moves really fast almost like it's teleporting, right?" 

"I'd say he's just teleporting, but I'm not sure," she refuted.

"Really? Why?"

"There's no after image after moving."

"No after image...?" she murmured. "But why aren't you sure?" She continued asking.

"Every time he makes contact with me after he moves like that, his hands are always freezing."

Kris couldn't really find the correlation, "what does that mean?"

"There's no mana convergence wherever he shows up next either, so he can't be teleporting."

"Maybe he's really good at hiding his mana?"

Volta shook her head, "it's just different. I have an idea of how he'd be able to move."

"Tell me."

"It's freezing time."

Kris tilts her head and thinks really hard, grabbing her chin tightly. "Taking concepts literally, huh?"

"Maybe," Volta shrugged.

"But would my strategy work anyway?"

"What strategy?"

"You hide your wavelength whilst exerting a lot of your mana outside of your body, then you teleport to where you think he shows up next."

"Interesting," she says as she holds up her chin.

"I'll sacrifice myself since I won't actually die, giving you an opening to do this trick, got it?"

"Okay."

"Good luck!"

Current Time

"Mitta darou naa?" He said excitedly.

"Miru ga nanda?"

"Ore no ugoki."

"Jikan ga tomatta, deshou?"

Mitta darou naa? = You saw, right?

Miru ga nanda? = See what?

Ore no ugoki = My movement

Jikan ga tomatta, deshou? = Stopping time, right?

Shino slowly applauds Volta for her answer.

"So you can see it, tell me how you did it," he said inquisitively, almost excited.

Without letting her guard down, she stayed in combat stance and simply answered. "Every time you move it gets cold, especially your skin when it makes contact with mine. Then how you move with no after image nor mana convergence."

"Was that enough for you to deduce time stopping?"

"The way you react to point blank hits, that was almost the confirmation."

Shino giggles to himself, "how so?" He asked, his excitement was overwhelming him.

"When you moved, you didn't turn into anything, and it was almost instantaneous. You couldn't have move fast because you didn't cause any winds."

"Omae ga saikyou, darou?"

"Are wa shiranai," she shook her head.

"Souka, souka," he laughs. "Well, you've thoroughly impressed me, let's stop for now."

"Okay."

Omae ga saikyou, darou? = You're the strongest, right?

Are wa shiranai = That I don't know

Souka = okay

Shino clapped his hand and turned the spell off, returning them back to the field. Vic, Kris, and Laura converged around Volta to check on her.

"How'd you do, Volta?" Vic asked.

"Okay, I suppose," she shrugged nonchalantly.

"Did you die?"

"No," Volta shook her head.

"Did our strategy work?" Kris asks, excitedly.

"Yes," she nods.

After a minute of talking, Shino thought whether he should continue or not, since no one else was stepping up to fight. Nate, Heath, Dan, Jay, and Hiro already left long before. Sam was waiting alone. He felt a little shy to ask to fight Shino, having it described by Nate, he felt a little discouraged. Shino notices that Sam was feeling uneasy so he thought to approach him.

"Namae?"

Sam looks up and was a slightly caught off guard, "S- Sam." 

"You want to have go?"

"Can I beat you at all?"

"Nope, not at all."

"Then, no."

Shino sighs and claps his hand, bringing Sam not to the training ground but to his Imaginary Dimension. Half-hell, was what he named it. A place where half the world was a burning wasteland, the other a white snow abyss with a raging blizzard. Sam looks around, shocked and slightly scared. "What... The...?"

"This is a projection of my mind."

"That's a thing!?"

"Yeah," Shino shrugs.

"Why?"

Shino tilts his head, "you can't tell your friends about your problems, how about a stranger?" He said in an endearing tone.

"I want to get stronger, that's all there is to it," Sam grit his teeth.

"But you're holding yourself back," Shino proclaimed, he levels to Sam, "your goals aren't noble, right?"

Sam looks to Shino's mismatched eyes, "so?"

"Even if it's something not noble, you need a better resolve."

"A better resolve for... Killing?"

"Exactly," Shino nods. "You're not taking your goal seriously because you have doubts due to morals. You either kill out of morality, or you throw that away completely. Because if you stick in the middle, you'll end up dead. Either being killed, or you just kill yourself."

"So, I should go all out?"

"Whatever you think is best, you just can't live in the middle."

"How can I get stronger? As a Core-User."

"Dunno," Shino shrugs.

"Huh?"

"I'm not gonna pretend. I'm not a Core-User, it's a mystery I'm not interested in solving. There's someone you can meet, though. He's probably the strongest Core-User alive, comparable to a High-Rank."

"Who is he?" Sam asked with a determined look on his face.

"His name's Derrick."

"Where can I find him?"

"He's on a mission right now, he'll be back in a bit."

Shino clapped his hands again and brought them back to the field. All that was left was Volta who was sitting on the grass, picking the grass and releasing it in the wind. 

"See you around," Shino said as he disappeared.

Sam goes to level with Volta on one knee, "still here?"

Volta looks into his eyes. "I was waiting for you," she said.

Sam was taken aback from her words, he lets a little blush burn across his face. He sits in front of Volta. "That's really sweet of you, V," he smiled.

"You got upset last time I left you, so I waited," she shrugged.

"Thanks," Sam replied as his heart start to race. His ears were deafened by the sound of his heart beating loudly. His mind went blank as he gazes into her lifeless and confused eyes. 

"Heh..." He lets out a little laugh.

"What?"

"Nandemonai," he laughs. He stands up and lend a hand to Volta. She grabs his hand and stands. Leveling to his eyes. "Daisuki dayo," Sam grinned.

Nandemonai = Nothing

Daisuki dayo = I love you