Chapter 32 - Foursome? Uto?

~3245 words

(A/n) We hit 5k votes on wattpad despite the tumultuous drop in views which is kinda disappointing but eh, lol. Thanks everyone!

(Arthur Leywin)

Waking up, I saw Feyrith in his DC uniform, combing his hair and meticulously doing his braids as he got ready for classes. The sheets rustled and Sylvie slipped from over me as she plopped on the bed.

"You're just on time." Feyrith said, looking back.

"In time?"

"The school is about to start. You should dress up too. We need to go for breakfast too. I was waiting for you." He explained as I looked outside.

He was right. Maybe because of over-exerting myself in understanding the "acidic" properties of the weird, sickly green mana, I had slept more than I intended to. But then again, an average of eight hours sleep was necessary for better functionality and testosterones level.

'Nggg, why are you thinking about testosterones so early in the morning?' Sylvie's voice cooed in my mind, yawning.

Looking away I got up from the bed and walked towards the bath, scooping Sylvie up by her fur as I dragged her to the bathroom. "Thanks, Feyrith, I will be back in a while." Saying that I dragged Sylvie with me into the shower, ignoring her pleads to not make me force her into a bath.

*** A while later ***

'That was really mean of you!' Sylvie complained through our bond while sitting on my shoulder.

'You stank. Also, you're past the age of being coerced into baths. Take them yourself next time.'

'Hmph!'

"Hey, Arthur?" Feyrith spoke from beside me.

"Yeah?"

"Where were you last night?" He asked as I felt Sylvie's ear perk for a fraction of a second before relaxing.

"I was outside." I replied. The answer was vague enough to be taken as anything yet at the same time, it wasn't enough. Prying any further would just make him look out of his place.

"I see. Well, you seem to be the type who does everything with a purpose, so I will not ask where you went. Just don't put yourself into a life-threatening danger." Feyrith said with a smile.

"Hey Feyrith." I called him, halting in my path.

"Yeah. What's up?"

"Why do you care I don't put myself in some life-threatening danger?"

"Hmmmmmm," He let out an extended hum before smacking his fist into his palm, "Well, I don't want my roommate to be expelled so early in the year or even worse... die doing something stupid. So, I have to worry here and there. For my own sake, of course." He said with an expression I couldn't quite make of.

"Just that?"

"Of course!"

He lied. Yet, there doesn't seem to be an ulterior motive behind his words. If anything, every word he said seemed to be as sincere and pure as it could be.

But why?

Why did human-

'Ughh, not this again. Can you take a moment and admit you finally made or find a good friend in this world?'

'I have friends.' I retorted back.

'Sure.' Sylvie mused with a snicker as I continued to follow Feyrith.

As I ponder upon the nature of human relationships, I am struck by the question of why we go out of our way to form friendships and protect them with such fervor. Is it merely to stave off the perpetual feeling of loneliness that often accompanies solitude? Or is it an inherent trait of our species, ingrained within us since time immemorial?

There is no denying that companionship is an essential aspect of the human experience. We are social beings, wired to seek out connection and intimacy with others. Yet, the lengths to which we will go to establish and maintain these bonds are truly remarkable.

I am not against forming or seeking friendships. But from my perspective, everything should carry meaning. What use is a friendship if it can't be used? Twisted. Used to one's own advantage.

Or is the conception of friendship exactly the opposite of what I think it is?

Perhaps it is the knowledge that, in the face of life's challenges, we are not alone. Or the comfort of knowing that someone else cares for us and has our back. Whatever the reason may be, the value of friendship cannot be overstated... in some cases at least.

"Alright we're here, let's eat and then go take our classes."

"Sure." I replied as I followed Feyrith.

Thinking about the perilous disaster that are human emotions, I cannot help but feel a sense of inadequacy in my understanding of them. Despite my vast knowledge and cognitive abilities, I cannot seem to grasp the essence of why humans act the way they do. The erratic and unpredictable nature of their behavior perplexes me, and I often find myself at a loss for words when attempting to navigate their emotional landscapes.

However, despite my shortcomings, I remain optimistic that one day, I will unravel the mysteries of human emotions. I am confident that through my interactions with individuals who genuinely care for me, I will gain a deeper understanding of their inner workings.

It is supposed to be different this time.

*** In class ***

Professor's Glory class was nothing special other than the announcement for a dungeon dive.

All of the students in her class were supposed to attend the dungeon dive into "Widow Crypt."

Before leaving I spotted Tessia who was coming towards me. Taking advantage of the moment, I walked towards her and grabbed her by the hand, pulling her with me.

"What is it, Arthur?" She asked while her face burned in a shade of crimson.

"Here take this." I said, taking the beast core of the Elderwood Guardian from my dimensional ring. The acidic impurities inside it had already been purified so it was safe to give it to her. Although I had two cores inside my body, it could only host one beast will. As beast will is spreading the will's mana throughout the body and literally integrating your body with it, the powerful draconic will, will obliterate the other beast will.

"I can't acc-, I will take it." She said with a smile and took it away from my hands. She was maturing, leaving her childish self behind. But it wasn't enough. She had a lot of potential. All that it needed was a little polish. Like a diamond in the rough.

All she needed was a little push...

"Do not integrate before the Dungeon Dive. I will do it myself."

"Ok." She said excitedly looking at the beast core.

"Listen here, Tessia." I said, jerking her by the arm as her eyes met mine---wide open, "You understood what I said?"

"Y-Yes...," she whimpered, my grip on her still iron clad.

"Good." I said, letting go of her.

"Hey Arthur."

"Yeah?"

"Do you have plans tomorrow?" She asked.

"Aren't we going to attend the dungeon dive?"

"We are... I meant, after that." She said, fidgeting with her fingers.

It takes a lot of courage to ask someone a question like this. Especially when there is a seed of a conflicted, infatuated feelings sprouting up amongst the hormonal storm of teenage. Deciding not to let her efforts go to waste, I replied, "Yes, I am."

Her face brightened up like a kid that had just received its favorite toy as she held my hand, "Can we hang out together then?"

"Sure." I replied.

"I will be waiting." She mumbled and darted off.

"Fufufu~ Looks like you've already swooped another princess right off her feet." A familiar voice spoke.

"Another?" I asked.

Arisu walked over to me as she stood on her toes and got closer to Sylvie, "The little dragon always seems so sleepy. Are you sure it's not sick?" Arisu asked as Sylvie jumped off from my shoulder and landed beside me. "Don't tell me you don't know about how the human princess is watching over you."

"I know." I replied. Ever since that day, Kathyln has been sitting right beside me in class, without a failure. Although, our conversations were strictly exclusive to morning pleasantries, the number of words uttered every time kept increasing. It was obvious she wanted to know me better. And in all honesty, I wanted it too. Learning about myself from someone else's perspective who was somewhat similar to me yet so different was going to be a refreshing change.

"So do you want to do anything about it?" Arisu asked.

"Why would I do anything about it?" I asked back, tilting my head.

"So you really want both princesses, Ayanokouji-kun. You sure have a big appetite." She said and crossed her arms, subtle frustration in her voice.

Getting close to ear I whispered, "Are you jealous?"

"H-Huhh!??? Of-course not. I was just here to tease you. Anyways, good luck with your dungeon dive." She stammered upon her words before turning around and left.

I sighed, "That wasn't what I was expecting."

*** At night ***

As the night fell once again, I found myself soaring the skies once again. Ever since I reached White Core, manipulating mana in a way that it carries me with next to no effort has been quite a refreshing change. Avier----Director Godsky's bond often patrols the school from the skies but because of my agreement with her, I was never interrupted, nor did I ever fell in trouble.

Today I was out because of something rather crucial. The Widow Crypt.

It was a dungeon that we were supposed to be diving in tomorrow. Or rather today now that it is past midnight.

From what Arisu said, this dungeon had the presence of a Lance and many other battle-ready mages. There was something going on with this dungeon. Although, it was declared safe there was still something bothering me.

"Should I tag along?" Sylvie asked out loud.

"Yeah, you can hunt a while here. But don't kill everyone. We need some for class tomorrow."

"Noted." Sylvie said and flew inside followed by the howls of pain from the beasts. Walking inside I saw the beasts' bodies scorched from the burning balls of pure mana while the surrounding remained completely unscathed. Sylvie too was evolving, taking in every derivative before acting. Although, she still carried a childish personality time to time, I chose to not influence it. There were a lot of things I needed to learn. And she was one of the many ways for me to learn them.

As Sylvie pounced on another beast, I noticed something different.

"Realmheart." I murmured as Sylvia's will's second phase flickered to life.

The world turned achromatic save for the myriad of color---blue, red, green, orange, purple and... sickly green. The sickly green motes stuck to the beasts like a parasite, feeding on them. It was granting them power but in return hollowing them on the inside. Like a time bomb, slowly rotting away the core.

"Kill the snarler's queen. That will stop the other's from attacking." I said and Sylvie switched targets, instantly chopping the Snarler Queen's head off with her mouth and then instantly spit it out. "Ew, that wasn't good at all."

Walking to the dead end, I placed my hand over the wall and sent a pulse of mana. I felt the path beyond the wall. Like a tunnel connecting this dungeon to another. But that shouldn't be possible. Unless... The Alacryans have pushed their plans.

Opening my eyes, I removed the seal that limited my elemental affinities to just fire and water as I was now able to access every element.

"Let's go." I said, as I blasted the wall off and jumped inside the tunnel.

Sylvie shifted back to her fox form and jumped in right with me. The tunnel was carved perfectly, allowing the influx and outflux of resources as well as even people if necessary.

As I pummeled deeper and deeper into the tunnel, I could hear the distant sobs, pleads and cries mixed in a sinister alchemy of mephistophilistic laughter followed by crunch and ground rumbling.

Reaching the end of the tunnel I was sent tumbling down before I started flying and landed down deftly.

Finally, when I saw up, it was a... disturbing scene.

Obsidian spikes emerged from beneath the ground, multiple people impaled on it. In the farthest corner I saw a tall lanky figure, looking back, his red eyes fixated on me while a diabolic grin never left his face. His nails dug inside a woman's... no, Lance Alea's eyes as he plucked one of them out followed by a choked gasp. The Lance was dying. She was so brutally tortured that even plucking an eye with bare nails didn't elicit much of a reaction from her.

"Ohh, another pup. Lemme just remove her limbs real quick, then daddy will play with you." The man... no, the vritra said. He was just as other ordinary Alacryans said. Horns, red eyes. He was a hybrid human born of the race Vritra and humans.

"Do you really think I will let you do as you please? Right in front of me?" I asked, my voice as calm as it could be.

My senses screamed as I twisted my leg and a spike shot from my own shadow. It was the same obsidian spike as everyone else has been impaled with.

"Ohh? You dodged it? This pathetic lance couldn't dodge one."

"A Retainer?" I spoke out loud as his eyes widened for a fraction of a second.

"So, you're the one killing those lessers we sent here. Buahahaha, forget this bitch, I am going to have one hell of a time with you, pup." He said and flicked his wrist as I saw the shadows around me flicker.

So this is what it is, huh?

Flying away I bolted up and avoided a barrage of obsidian spikes as I managed to dodge one spike after another.

'Papa, should I join in?'

'No. Someone is watching us. Stay hidden.'

"You really didn't think that I will just attack you from afar, right?" The demon spoke, as he appeared behind me, "You're wide open." he said with a grin.

"I think there has been a mistake. You're the one who's wide open here. Dawn." I said as Dawn flew from behind and a clamorous clang resounded in the dungeon. Landing on our feet a yards away from each other, I caught Dawn in my hand, her blade glistening in an azure hue.

"So, you got some tricks up your sleeve too, huh?" The demon said as he swatted the slight trickle of blood from his palm.

He was strong. Absurdly strong.

"What do you mean by 'too'? Do you think the obvious things that you do are tricks? Let me get this straight. The term Trick means a clever way of doing something, often with the aim of saving time or effort. Overall, the word "tricks" usually implies an element of deception, manipulation, or ingenuity in achieving a particular outcome. What you're doing... is utterly a shame." I said as I pointed my hand upwards and a flaming ball of fire mana shot upwards.

Rather than exploding, the ball of fire suspended in the air, illuminating the whole place.

"Your unique magic works based on the darkness---in extension to shadows. You can conjure spikes in a near instant from even my own shadows. That would explain why you wear those many robes. To form a flicker of shadow within you where can conjure those spikes. Although, I can't completely vanquish them, I can minimize them."

"HAHAHA, pup, you really think figuring it out was enough? Any advantage you had of knowing this info is wasted as you revealed it to me. I can just change my strategy now. You think you're smart?"

"There have been a lot of misunderstandings. I told you factoring in the possibility of what it would entail. You will die here. That fact won't change. Knowing your ability got figured out in an instant was just my attempt to rub salt into your wound. But looks like a pride-less hybrid works differently." I said as I contemplated about my comprehension about him.

A vein popped at his temple as he roared, "BUAHAHA, I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU, RAT." He said and bolted towards me. Before I could blink, he was in front of me. A cobweb of spikes followed him in tandem as all of them hurtled towards me with a ferociousness of a hungry beast.

"Rat? Wasn't I a pup?" I said, deftly dodging the spikes conjured from ground and harpoons that rained down on me like a hailstorm.

"Stop running around and come fight me. Prideless? Me? I am Uto of Vechor, the mightiest of all Retainers." He said as he swung his long arm at me. Blocking it I got closer to him.

"What's there to take pride in? You're not even a scythe." I tried to do what in usual terms is called "trash talk." Although, I'd admit he was better at this than me.

"YOU BASTARD. Once I am done with you, watch me defile every person you know and love. You will watch them scream under me as I-"

It was the first time I had felt something throb inside my chest. When he mentioned someone I cared... all I could see was the image of my little sister---Ellie.

My fist dug into his sternum as his body caved in and an aftershock spread from his back, demolishing the wall behind him.

"I'd like you to repeat what you just said." I said as I held him by the collar and jabbed at his face, my hand crunching the bones in the left side of his face as he was sent tumbling into the wall beside Lance Alea who had lost consciousness by now.

"Defile?" I asked, walking closer as the memories of my little sister growing up with, playing together and all of our moments together flashed before my eyes. The little moments we had along with the "parents" I had in this world. Maybe it was my own detachment to my old parents that I never really cared about the parents in this world. But Ellie wasn't the same. It was the first time I had a sibling.

Uto walked out of the rubble as he touched his horn frantically. His left horn was half gone, replaced by a minute stub as he frantically touched it.

"YOU BASTARD. HOW DARE YOU. I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU."

sigh. All bark and no bite.

His strength and speed increased, evident by the elbow that landed square in my solar plexus. This was the first time I had taken a hit in this world. Although, it did hurt a bit it was within my limits. The spikes sprouted from beneath me as it impaled my calf making me stagger. Kicking it with my other leg, I broke it, letting a small portion of it remain in my calf. Ducking lower, I dodged another hate-full club and swiftly removed the metal spike from my calf.

"NOT SO CONFIDENT NOW ARE YOU?" Uto continued his barrage of attacks while talking down at me, with a maniacal sneer.

"You talk a lot for a monkey." I said as he pushed even further.

Suddenly a burning pain invaded my core as I saw a huge harpoon impale me in sternum... where my core was supposed to be.

I looked up as the victorious smirk turned into a look of confusion to morbid fear, "You really shouldn't have broken the limiter in my core."

(A/N) I have exam tomorrow and I just finished re-reading this chapter. Wish me luck.