“Live by the sword, die by the sword.”

You had died by the sword. Death however was not what you expected. Thrust alone into a new world. You have to navigate the dangers of the unknown and manifest your destiny.

An interactive quest. 

The readers of the quest are essentially a pantheon of Gods that steer the life of the protagonist, well them and the dice gods.

You are Hayden Waltess. You have no skills, no money, one family member, and a few good friends. 

If you don’t find a way to make six hundred golden claws within the next forty eight hours, your little sister Shale is going to die.

Steal the money? You can’t break wards, and you don’t know anyone who can. 

Beg for it? You live in Lecliss, the corrupt capital city of Raun. Beggars pave the roads. No one will notice an extra pebble.

Earn it? Not through any normal job. You’d be lucky to make even a single golden claw in a day. No. There’s only one way to make that kind of money in time.

In a corner of the adventurer’s guild lit by a dim lantern, three long, dusty, ragged pieces of parchment are pinned to a huge board on the wall. Each piece of parchment has an enormous sum of money written in bold at the top, an illustration in the center, and then countless names of adventurers below, each name written in a different hand, each invariably crossed out with a thin red line.  

The sign above the board reads:

DEATH QUESTS

---------------------------------
Updates with reader interactive polls over at royalroad.com

"Chengling, I have something to ask you."
Ren Suo was eating a plate of Hainanese chicken rice in the dining hall of the Heavenly Institution of Lian, but his mind was focused on something else as he stared intently at his mobile phone. Suddenly, he asked Dong Chengling, who was sitting opposite and eating an upsized plate of teriyaki chicken rice, "What would you do if it was already late at night and you still have not completed your homework, and your father would hit you if you do not finish it?"
Dong Chengling said as she chewed her food, "I have never not completed my homework."
"What if Godzilla attacked your school and you do not have enough time to complete your homework?" Ren Suo asked.
"My dad would not hit me either," replied Dong Chengling.
Ren Suo probed further, "What if your father happened to be particularly angry that night as he had missed his breakfast and lunch?"
"It is indeed very easy to be in a fury when you are hungry," said Dong Chengling. She thought hard for a moment and said, "In that case, I will stay up late to complete my homework."
"What if you are already very tired and do not feel like completing it anymore?" asked Ren Suo.
Dong Chengling replied, "It is a joy to do homework, how can you be tired from doing it?"
Ren Suo was stunned for a moment, then he nodded and said, "That makes sense!"
Ren Suo looked at the game screen of "Passing Hats" on his mobile phone. It was showing the scene of the Seeker staying up late to complete her homework. An incandescent lamp illuminated the workbook on the table.
[I was scolded by my teacher as I did not submit my homework today. My father said that he would beat me to death if I do not complete it by today, but I really cannot finish it.]
Three options appeared on the screen: [Continue to complete the homework, even if the result is death (this option is available as a result of the Unlimited Energy of the Seeker)], [Don't complete the homework and go to sleep], and [Explain the situation to Father (5 Courage required)].
Ren Suo had been deliberating whether he should use Courage for that, but after his discussion with Dong Chengling, he decisively selected [Continue to complete the homework, even if the result is death]!
The time in the game appeared to fast-forward, and a 45-minute hourglass appeared and began to count down. Ren Suo finally relaxed and turned off his mobile phone. Then Dong Chengling asked, "What are you looking at on your mobile phone that has you so focused?"
"Oh, it was just someone asking me for emotional support," replied Ren Suo with a shrug.
In a sense, he was right to say that.
The game "Passing Hats" seemed to be a horror game at first, but after Ren Suo started playing it, he realized that... it was actually an extremely challenging semi-automatic interactive fiction game!
Yes, it was a semi-automatic, interactive fiction game!
After the Seeker randomly picked a hat, she would enter the trial of that particular hat, and the game would depict the sea of memories.
[The Seeker has donned Cheng Xiao's hat.]
[The Seeker is currently experiencing Cheng Xiao's childhood.]
[The Seeker is currently experiencing Cheng Xiao's childhood, and received 1 Warmth.]
[The Seeker is scorning the playful behaviour of Cheng Xiao, and lost 1 Warmth.]
[The Seeker relates to the experience of Cheng Xiao secretly helping his first crush in his teenage years, and received 3 Warmth.]
...
Subsequently, the events which happened in the game did not concern Ren Suo. He turned on the Bluetooth function on his mobile phone and intended to search for the Small World game console application. But little had he imagined that after turning Bluetooth on, the application "Passing Hats" automatically appeared on the home screen of his mobile phone.
Ren Suo opened the app and indeed, it displayed the messages recording down the details of the hat owner's past that the Seeker was experiencing.
After 30 to 60 minutes, the Seeker experienced a relatively peaceful stage in the hat owner's life, but then she encountered more challenging situations in which the hat owner experienced in another stage of his past, such as not confessing to his first love, being bullied but not retaliating at that time, and hurting his parents' feelings when he threw a tantrum.
It was at that time when the player had to make a choice.
It did not matter if Ren Suo failed to make a decision in time, as the Seeker would automatically experience the past again and accumulate more Courage and Warmth resources.
Most of the important options required Courage or Warmth resources, and there were even some options which required both, but those options were not necessarily the right choice either. Some options which consumed more resources than others could turn out to be the incorrect choice as well, while the options which did not consume any resources could instead be the right choice which allowed the owner of the hat to let go of his past regrets.
Among the choices that had to be made, the player would not leave the trial immediately if the wrong option was selected. Instead, the Seeker would continue to experience the life of the hat owner which went downhill. When that happened, available resources would be lost, but new choices would emerge. It was still possible for the right choices to be made subsequently to overcome the crisis and eventually pass the trial of the hat.
There were two challenges in the game: the availability of resources, and time.
Resources were only obtainable from the automated progression of the past events of the owner of the hat. But after 30 minutes of the automated sequence, the acquired resources still might not satisfy the requirements needed to make certain choices.
At that juncture, Ren Suo could either choose to continue the automated progression sequence, or to take a risk and select an option which required fewer resources or did not require any at all. Some of such options would turn out to be the right choices, but others could also make the Seeker fall into a more difficult position in the trial of the hat.
However, what was interesting about the trials of the hat was that as long as the player dared to survive, it might not be a dead end.
For example, in one of the trials of the hat, there was a scene which described: [I was bullied by a fat guy, and after standing up for myself by fighting him, the teacher punished us both. When I tried to explain, she simply said that "it takes two to clap".].
At that time, Ren Suo had used up too many Courage in the previous choices and lacked resources. One of the options was [Slap the teacher and ask "does it really take two to clap"] which required 15 Courage, while another option, [I am calling for Father!] did not require any Courage. Thinking that the second option seemed to be a reliable choice, Ren Suo chose the latter.
However, when "Father" arrived, he reprimanded the Seeker further. After the Seeker went home with "Father", he even wanted to punish and hit her in the name of education.
At that juncture, if the Seeker did not resist, 5 Courage and 5 Warmth would be lost, so Ren Suo equipped the Seeker with "Fighter Novice" and beat "Father" up badly.
After beating "Father" up, the Seeker was naturally kicked out of the house. She lingered outside on the streets for several days, not going to school or home. Instead, she became a worker at a restaurant. When she suddenly saw a recruitment notice for the military, she made a decision to join the army and stole the household register and her identity card from her house.
Surprisingly, following which, the trial of that hat was passed successfully, and it became the first hat which the Seeker turned into success.
After transforming a hat into success, the hat would glow in a green light, regardless of the type of hat it was.
As long as the trial was passed, the Courage and Warmth resources, as well as the skills acquired by the Seeker in that trial would be fully inherited and allowed to be used in the next trial.
Furthermore, if the Seeker donned a hat which had already transformed into success, the resources earned from the automated progression would be doubled.
However, regardless of how many resources the Seeker had, it would all be in vain if she did not manage to pass any trial of the hat on the first attempt.
After the Seeker entered a trial of the hat, the result was only one of two possibilities: passing the trial, or being forced to remove the hat.
If the Seeker was forced to remove the hat, it would mean that, either the Seeker encountered trouble during the trial and continuously consumed resources in a struggle to survive, or that Ren Suo chose the wrong options consecutively and all the resources were depleted, resulting in the Seeker being unable to continue the trial.
When Ren Suo entered a failed trial again after donning the hat previously, the Seeker would be given the option to skip the experiences she had went through before and go directly to the scene where the choice had to be made.
But even if Ren Suo could remember the choices he made in a particular trial, the problem was that, to make a choice, resources were required, and that meant that he had to go through the automated sequence.
Ren Suo also realized that, just like how "Unlimited Energy" led to additional available options, equipping the Seeker with different skills and props would also temporarily add a variety of interesting options to the game, which often reduced the depletion of resources, or even accelerated the completion of the trial.


The extraordinaire has disrupted the silence of the world and ever since then, technology has taken a different path. 
When humans find a path for evolution in the dark, I’ll remove my ribs, burn my heart and burn the midnight oil to become their pioneer. 
This is the process of a gamer manipulating the world.
Mini world of endless fun awaits.

Title: The Anthology In Which We Met

Description: About a student reviewer and Light Novelist classmate forming a rivalry about stories. This is about their day to day interactions as they learn more about writing stories from each other.

This is basically me writing in my pass time some concepts I don't have the time to actually write in full length. That's why I'm just listing it based on what genre story it is rather than anything concrete.

Prologue: Meeting My Dreaded Nemesis!

As a child, I always believed myself to be the hero of my own story. That I was hiding some special talent even I myself didn't know about was waiting for my time to shine. The media that affected me most was watching 'Superheroes' and other kind of generally nice protagonists easily getting ahead in life. It was like the world itself was protecting them from harm.

However, as I grew up, I realised that I severely underestimated the 'story' of life. It was when I realised that I was slowly becoming an 'outcast' with no friends in Primary School did I realise that just waiting for life to shower you with luck is just an unrealistic fantasy only protagonists in fiction could do. An actual human being needed to work hard!

To think that I was narrow-minded enough to believe that the fiction of reality was as simple as a power fantasy... It wasn't a self-indulgent tale created to cater to whims of reader's desires!

Instead, it was an extremely adaptive and interactive story where choices and the will of the almighty author of my life mattered most. The story of James Speedwagon could even become a tragedy or psychological drama if I didn't pay enough attention to the people around me. This realisation led me to aim for the perfect slice-of-life my story should be...!

This made me exercise my body, honing my fashion sense by asking my sister for advice, and generally paying attention to the 'story' happening around me so I could avoid the worst outcomes imaginable.

Once my backstory was finished and I moved on to Secondary School, I knew at that moment that this time it was truly my time to shine! The training to become a typical good-looking classmate who could enjoy is school life with his high popularity was a success. Ahhh, the wonders of using everything one has in their disposal to control their story's route~

The feeling of being control of my life is so wonderful~! Who wouldn't love this kind of life?

A mob never undergoes intense hardships!

I had a nice group of friends with the same interest as me, no bullies, high grades, and the respect of the people around me. Although their were the odd few who viewed me as stuck-up and arrogant due to their jealousy, everything was mostly perfect.

Not only did I have a great mask that allowed others to have better feelings about, but my true identity also shined in the vast ocean of the internet as Webnovelist that posted an anthology of short stories online for my own amusement. Seeing people comment in order to praise me for my hard work really made me feel that all the time I spent toiling and planning fiction was worth every moment of it.

Everything was so peaceful... until SHE came along...

"Good morning, today we're going to introduce a new transfer student. Please be sure to treat her nicely, okay?" The bald-headed teacher spoke with a tone that left no room to refute. However, before the person in question was sent to sit at her seat, the transfer gestured by putting her hand up.

"...You don't have to put up your hand."

"Sir, can I do a self introduction? Pleeeassee~" The girl transfer student stretched out her last words in an extremely cute tone. This, combined with her natural Asian beauty, made it hard deny her.

"You can..."

"Thank you, Sir~" Even her words of gratitude seemed to be affected by her bubbly personality and came out sounding pleasant to hear. If she became a voice actor then I'm sure she'd make a lot of money.

"Nice to meet everyone, my name is Tina Sakura. I may look and sound like your typical Japanese foreigner but if you ask if I actually know how to speak Japanese, then you'll be disappointed~!

Some claim I'm eccentric while others claim I'm fun to be with, but what's my most notable quality is that I'm the Light Novel author of 'Is my Big Brother really a Magic Assassin?'. My pen-name is 'Girigiri-girl' and I'm a Genius Writer that's quite popular online~!" The girl named Tina spoke with so much confidence that my short-circuited in confusion.

Was this girl out of her mind? Did she not feel any shame? How could she reveal her identity as a writer so easily? This is quite strange... Normally, most would try to avoid being labelled as some kind of 'Bookworm', but this girl seems perfectly content with the outcome...! Somehow, her bubbly personality seemed to melt everyone's hearts quite quickly... Eventually, the entire class befriended her.

However, when it finally came to my turn of having my heavily guarded heart melted by her extroverted attitude, I buckled and decided to avoid her altogether instead. Why? Well, it was because she took the 'spotlight' without even trying to.

I felt quite jealous towards her... Not only did she honestly talk about her hobbies, but she didn't even have to pay attention to anyone else's feelings to befriend them. It was almost like she was a naturally born main character who didn't need to put effort into her appearance yet still got along with everyone around her. Strangely, I've even come to hate that part about her... I feel like my effort was wasted...!

"Hey, you okay...?"

"It's nothing. Just leave me alone. Be quite in the library." I asked while spending my break 'reading'.

No, it wasn't quite that. This Girigiri-girl before me might be an 'Author', but I myself was actually a 'Troper' that recognised the ins and outs of a story in order to give it an appropriate review. My username of 'Prince Pauper, the Troper' online was treated like a grim reaper which many tried to stay away from due to my constructive but negative review methods.

"You like reading as well?" She asked with curiosity.

I closed the Fantasy Novel I Has in my hand and nodded my head since there's no use hiding it. I've already realised the errors of my ways and decided to stop hiding what parts of me are truly 'real'...

"That's great! Do you wanna become pen-pals?" The girl asked with great enthusiasm. It was this mundane conversation that started the endless battles between me and my nemesis, Tina Sakura!

(Cover by Darkstar Dust)

This is a story I worked on ages ago that has been refined and edited by adding foreshadowing to events while also simplifying the power system better than before. This story can be considered a prequel to An Adventure Beyond Greatness as it takes place years prior to the events of that story.

Short Synopsis:
After retiring from the battlefield, my life became empty and lifeless. The regrets of my past haunt me in my sleep. Then a change occurred, a King from another world summoned me to fight for his kingdom, but I died even before I could give him my answer. Now, after a fake God allowed me to reincarnate (albeit imperfectly) with my memories intact, into a world filled with magic and swords.

Long Synopsis:
This is about a flawed protagonist who only knew to rely on others and not socialise who gets a second chance to change himself in order to live the life he aimed for in his past life. The narrator isn’t exactly trustworthy since it is purely in his bias perspective while other perspectives given by others fill in the blanks that he either leaves out or twists to suit the situation.

The story itself can be considered a parody of Isekai’s classic tropes which are given a sense of reality as time goes by. As there exists no ‘Demon Lord’, there is also no black and white, only characters opinions and counter-opinions throughout the story.

Sweat trickled down my forehead as my eyes opened. I peered down towards my arm to notice the black snake like tattoo forming scales on it's body. The red eye still shone with power, the philosophers stones power. I had yet to figure out exactly what it is, or what it does, so to finally put my curiosity to rest I made a trip to Gringotts.

Recalling my memories of Diagon Alley, I headed over to the wall in which was hidden to be the entrance. A tap of my wand and releasing some of my magical flow throughout it allowed the bricks to deform. I walked into the now holey wall and arrived to see a bustle of people and shops. Of course people were here, it's basically the shopping district for magical people.

I also found out you can live here if you so chose, though living in the muggle world brings more benefits personally.

I had installed in my mind a sort of sorting processed AI. It's not interactive, but it simply runs without me needing to command it to run.

For example, memories will be sorted away much more efficiently and in a neater sorting system freeing up my mind and allowing me to think more clearly.

It also uses passive legilimency on anyone whom makes eye contact with me for more than a few seconds. I did, however know to implement a function where it cancels immediately if coming into contact with any sort of block. 

Suffice to say as I was walking down towards the bank some people caught my eyes as expected of their unnatural, yet beautiful color and I ended up seeing some flashes of images before they immediately dispersed. That was my own functional Legilimency. It can't take their whole lives, quite the contrary actually. It could only recount up to 24 hours if a simple few seconds of eye contact was provided. If more then it increases by days. If I were to go into someone without shields then it would increase by weeks.

If I forced myself into someones mind or were allowed in willingly I could copy their whole lives for me to replay and gain their knowledge.

This does come at a price as my mind would've overloaded with the information needed to be sorted. That's why I created the system.

Glimpses of their daily work flashed before being stored instantly. This was for me to recount on when I get home.

I made it to the bank and mused whether I should test it on the goblins or not. I went with the 'or not' bit for now. I shivered at the thought of the whole goblin race being against me, maybe I could find a willing goblin to use it on?

I walked up to the teller and this is where it began.

"Hello Mr Goblin, I was wondering whether I could take a blood, inheritance test?"

The Goblin just looked up with a sneer and my expression darkened slightly. I released a bit of magic outwards which didn't phase him at all. This was because the magic was low, but his sneer turned into a toothy grin.

"Hello, young warrior I'll see what I can do" He responds with a maniacal grin.

Goblins respect strength, though they dislike wizards they have a sixth sense for power and not just magically. This in turn earns at least some appreciation. 

They'd probably be more respectful if they found out I was the anonymous one dealing with the exchanges for gold and muggle money.

He became more receptive once I showed a fighting aura, along with flashing some galleons. The goblin, Ragnok as I now know him sent on Griphook to get the necessary parchment papers and ingredients. It took just a few minutes before he came back.

"Alright young one." The goblin grumbled, "Cut your finger and let some drops of blood drip into this bottle." I did so without a second thought and I cut my finger with no hesitation allowing some blood to flow through the bottle.

The two goblins looked on with smirks, probably impressed that I cut my finger with no hesitation and showed no pain though it did sting a little. 

The Goblin poured the contents of the bottle onto the special bit of parchment and it lit up brightly before dimming down revealing words.

Name: Jake Dovah Embers

D.O.B: 17th April 1979

Father: ?!@!%(*(@#&!@$# (Unknown, never been recorded)

Mother: #$@!&#@(*(%!@!? (Unknown, never been recorded)

[Heritage]

Dovah [True Heir] (Thought to be extinct, older than Merlin himself. You can guess the nature of this family...)
Black 

[Abilities]

Natural Occlumency 
Natural Legilimency
Semi-Metamorphmagus (Basically he can't change every feature at once IE height, width, freckles etc.)
Natural Animagus (More intuned with nature, which explains how he knew he was a dragon animagus)

(AU NOTE: I won't mention vaults because I, along with the rest of you are absolutely not going to keep track of the moneys which they contain. Obviously Blacks are one of the richest, well not anymore due to no one being the head in a while, but still a massively influential family. The Dovah family (Made up for this fanfic) has been around before Merlin so will be the richest in existence containing jewels, ancient books and moneys. The MC will like it and use it, but at the same time want to earn his own money due to him not wanting to rely on others. He'll still take advantage of this situation though.)

I looked back up to meet the gobsmacked expression of the two goblins.

"Well then... Can I go see my vaults?" I said in a chipper tone snapping the goblins from their dazes.

Personally I'd never heard of this Dovah family, so hopefully I'll find out more about them in the vault. The blacks I'd heard A LOT about... Thank god I don't have their apparent madness.

A man from Earth dies. He's given the chance to reincarnate as one person in a world of his choosing. He chooses Superman, now the MCU doesn't have Kryptonite right?

Watch as this newly birthed Kryptonian takes the MCU by storm and upholds the legacy of Superman!

A young boy, housed in his local orphanage receives a strange letter which may help explain the weird occurrences surrounding his life.

Will he be an average sheep and follow everyone else, or carve his own path deep within the magical world?

Watch as the Orphan Ascends!

At his first night back at Hogwarts, in the Room of Requirement, David was tinkering away with various instruments that were soon going to be used to decipher the secrets of the Marauders Map. An act, he hoped, should prove to be quite simple, as he knew the passwords to both lock and unlock the Map. 

One such instrument was a large dragon leather mat, a mat which David had learnt about in his light studies into Artificing. What the Artificers-Decipherer could do was create a list of every spell a magical item held, if all security measures were turned off once it was placed upon it. This was used to copy other Artificer's work in recent days, but it was first created to find the lost spells that ancient Witches and Wizards had used in creating powerful magical objects. 

By not having the passwords, the Map's recreation would have set David back quite a lot in regard to time, as he would have had to brute force his way through the maps defences, to determine just how it was tied into the wards. Not to mention it would have resulted in the potential destruction of the map, ruining an important item for Harry. Luckily, he knew the passwords, just like anyone who had ever read the books. 

David wasn't a hundred percent certain that the Map was tied to the wards if it wasn't and could decipher a person's true identity and location in real-time, the Marauders Map, would have had to be one of the most powerful magical items in existence. But he very much doubted that the Marauders were master-level Artificer's, strengthening his hypotheses that the Map was in fact powered and tied to very wards of Hogwarts. Whether the Marauders achieved this themselves or simply used an opening the Founder's had left was to be seen. 

Bubbling away in the corner of the room David had created, was a cauldron with rolls of extra-thick parchment sticking out of. 

The potion was something he had found thanks to Mel, who had requested the book containing it from the Room of Requirement while he was on holiday. It was a two-part potion, with the first being a mix of strengthening the parchment beyond what would be normal, while also laying the foundation for the 'locking' in of all spells that were to be placed upon the parchment, all the while preserving them and stopping tampering.

Following the hour the parchment needed to brew in the potion, a quick dip and imbuing in an invisible ink concoction and it would be ready to hold the spells needed.
 
David currently had Mel searching for the Map in the Weasley's twins dorm, something he needed to coax her to do, for she found breaking the trust of the Hogwarts Elves something abhorrent. With lots of promises that he would only borrow it for a few short minutes, and never get her to do something like this again, Mel had agreed. 
It had been about ten minutes since she had gone off in search, and he was getting worried. Maybe he should have just knocked the twins out from behind and taken the map from their bags while disillusioned. 

Thankfully, Mel appeared holding the Map, quite annoyed, just a few minutes after the ten-minute mark. Handing the Map to David with a glare, she didn't say a word and watched intently from the side.

David immediately opened the Map entirely and laid it out on the floor, before turning to his own clean sheets of parchment. 

Following a quick dip in the invisible ink concoction, David laid his parchment alongside the originals and copied every single fold it had, creating a perfect, blank copy of the Map. 

Folding both back up, David went over to his workbench, placed his empty parchment to the side and unlocked the Marauders Map with, 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good'. Following which he placed the Map upon the dragon leather mat, brought forth his wand and initiated the powerful Artificers-Decipherer with the, 'Initium' spell. 

Immediately the mat's etched runes glowed a brilliant blue and a list of spells appeared out thin air above the Map. Grabbing his notebook quickly, David wrote down each and every spell that was before him and after triple-checking his work ended the spell that was deciphering the Marauders Map. 

"Here you go Mel," David said, after turning the Map off and handing it to her. 

It seemed Mel was impressed with the magic she had just seen and was quickly off to return to the Map to its owners. 

Following Mel's departure, David sat on a comfy leather chair and began going over each of the spells he had written down in detail. 

There were several of them and he knew each and everyone would tire him out considerably. Letting out a tired sigh, for he was going to be crafting his map until the early morning, David got up and started the very first spell for its creation, "Stellae Ianuam," which he assumed was tying the new Map to the Hogwarts Founders wards. He would decipher each spell another day, to quench his curiosity. 

Letting out a groan, as he could feel his magic drain considerably, David sat back down and turned to Mel who had just returned and said, "We're going to need some coffee."


---

David was left considerably tired after working on his Map and walked towards the Infirmary, ragged.

He was soon looked scrutinisingly at by Poppy, with her eyes lingering on his pale face and eye-bags.

With a raise of her left brow, she asked, "Late night? Mr Cross," a little miffed he hadn't gotten much sleep. 

"Sorry Poppy… had a lot on my mind," he lied. 

Shaking her head and sighing, she placed the usual potions in front of him while keeping an extra in her palm. 

"Well? What are you doing? Drink them!" she ordered with a shout. 

"Sorry," he mumbled and downed the potions that were keeping him alive.

Nodding in satisfaction, she informed David about the new potion she wanted him to try, "This here is a new potion a colleague and I created. It is an altered version of the blood-replenishing potion, which, I believe you will learn to brew in your third-year." 

"I see," was all David said as he looked at thick, red potion that Poppy was dangling in her fingertips. 

Knowing that David would probably want an explanation, she added, "I got the idea from our conversations, the Malediction is spread through your body via blood, and while a normal blood-replenishing potion would be poison to you, as it merely speeds up the bodies natural ability to create new blood, this little marvel will create its own, neutral, blood for your body, slowly, over a month."

Catching on to her line of thought, David added, "Which will result in my own body producing less blood and slowing down the spread of the Malediction and lowering its strength!" he finished with a shout, "Its brilliant Poppy! I think this is going to help, a lot. Thank you."

Nodding as she heard David explain the genius of this potion, she quickly said as he finished, "Well? Down the hatch boy!"

Smiling, he downed the thick, red potion, which tasted like metal, without a complaint. 

Seeing as he had finished the potion, Poppy added, "You'd better thank Professor Snape for that potion. He brews it far better than I could manage." 

Nodding in agreement, David replied, "I will, and pass on my thanks to your colleague, Poppy. Thanks again, I better be off." 

Finally showing a smile, Poppy said, "Very well David, take care and make sure you get some sleep tonight, stressing your body like that will only aid the Malediction." 


---

David's first lesson of the day was with Professor Dumbledore. He might not have looked it, but David was truly looking forward to learning from the esteemed headmaster. 

"Welcome, welcome," the Professor said, with a twinkle in his eye, "I'm sure it is of no surprise to you all that I am your Defence Professor, for a few short weeks."

Following the headmaster taking roll-call, he stood up and spoke to the class, "Now, textbooks away, please. Feel free to take notes, but we won't be using the text's today, this will be more of an interactive lesson."

"I believe it is my job, as an educator, and the job all your Professors here at Hogwarts, to leave you with the tools to survive and thrive, once you leave these hallowed halls. The Education we give is what shall remain when you have long forgotten the intricacies of transfiguring a porcupine, or the particular hand movements for the tongue-tying curse, the ability to act, and defend yourself, is what I wish to instil in you," he explained with a soft smile. 
"Now! Before we continue with second-year material, I wish to see just how much you all remember of your first-year education. Who here remembers just how to deal with an unruly imp?" he asked the class at large. 

It was Padma Patil who answered, "By throwing the Wizard Crackers they use as weapons right back at it, sir! Or a simple Knockback Jinx!" 

Chuckling, Dumbledore replied, "Yes, the Wizard Crackers. Now, do you remember the incantation for the Knockback Jinx? It may be a first-year spell, but it will prove to be quite useful for many situations." 

"Flipendo?" she asked, unsure. 

Ignoring how she framed it as a question, he replied, "Quite right, Flipendo. Can you give me a demonstration, Miss Patil?"

Going red, she replied, "N-no, sorry, Professor Dumbledore. Professor Quirrell focused more on theory…"

"Quite alright Miss Patil," he responded kindly, turning towards David and asking him the same question, "What about you Mr Cross? Can you demonstrate the Knockback Jinx?"

Struggling to stay awake, David responded groggily, "Uhh, the Knockback Jinx? Sure, in front of the class?"

Nodding to his question, the headmaster replied, "Yes, in front of the class would be best. Perhaps aimed at the training dummy to your right?" he suggested. 

Nodding, David got up from his seat and made his way over to the front of the class, smoothly drew his wand from his wand holster and easily muttered, "Flipendo," with the correct wand-movements, sending the dummy barrelling into the wall. 

Following the headmasters clapping, David returned to his seat and continued to struggle to pay attention to what was going on, feeling lousy and tired. 

The lesson eventually ended, with David wishing it had taken place the next day, rather than today, he had found the content simple, but the headmaster made it interesting. 

As the students slowly made their way out of the class, Albus Dumbledore watched them leave with a smile on his face. This smile soon turned to a frown as the last student left, the cause of said frown was David, who seemed even less interested than last year. 

"Most worrying indeed," thought the headmaster while stroking his abnormally long beard. 


---

David was ever so grateful when lunch began. 

Noticing Luna sitting alone at the Ravenclaw table, David made his way over and sat next to her. 

Rather than greeting her, however, David reached for a pot of coffee, poured it into a cup and following four cups, turned to Luna and introduced himself, "Hello, I'm David Cross. I saw you being sorted, Luna Lovegood, right?" 

"Oh, hello," she replied, turning to David with a slightly dazed look. 

After an awkward pause, Luna eventually replied properly, "Yes, I'm Luna Lovegood. Nice to meet you, David. Apologies, I had a lot on my mind." 

Laughing inside, David said, "Quite alright, how's your first day been?" 

"Oh, it's very interesting, especially History of Magic," she answered, to the shock of David, and everyone who was in the vicinity and could overhear them. 

"Did I hear you right? History of Magic?" David asked in disbelief. 

"Mmm," she hummed, "Daddy's written an article on Professor Binn's, according to multiple sources, he's a bit of racist. So, it was very interesting to see firsthand," she explained. 

Agreeing to himself, that it would, in fact, be a little bit interesting to find out if Professor Binn's was a racist or not, decided to chat with Luna about her other classes, thoroughly enjoying speaking to the eccentric first-year. 


---


AN: So, in the wiki, it states that the Marauders Map was made with the use of the Homonculous Charm. I felt that was a bit of a cop-out, as it seems to work right through Hogwarts wards. 

I've read a theory that the Marauders simply used an already made system the Founders inlaid into Hogwarts during its building and wanted to use that somewhat as my explanation for its creation. 
In my story, however, it wasn't the Founders who built the 'flaw' into the wards, it was Phineas Black, the most unpopular headmaster in Hogwarts history. 

Seems like a pure-blood thing to do right? Invade peoples privacy for your own gain and give your family a possible leg up in the years to come. Anyway, it was Sirius who found the 'lost' notes, detailing the flaw he secretly built into the wards and the required spell to tap into it, 'Stellae Ianuam'. 

I got the name for the spell after entering 'Stars Door' into an English to Latin translator, I felt 'star' fell in line with the whole Black thing about naming their children after constellations. 

Thanks for reading!

Magic is dying. 
Death's creation of the Hallows in arrogance resulted in Magic herself intervening to reduce their power, avoiding disaster for all.
And now, thousands of years later, with Magic on the decline, Death, with the assistance of Fate must break the rules and intervene. They must send their chosen to intervene in pre-ordained events and save as many magically inclined individuals.

Name: Rowan
Mana: 100

(A normal man's attribute point is 1.)

Strength - 3
Agility - 4
Constitution-1
Charm- 9

"I have a system! How many times do I have to say it before it will sync in! Maybe I got dumber after having it but he'll I care!"

"All I know is I actually got a system!" There he said it again which means he was really dumb to the extent of it.

"My attribute points are so shallow especially the Constitution. But it's somehow a good thing, it's telling me that I have to work hard, besides, the Charm make up for it." There he laughed out loud like crazy. He was caressing his face like it was the only good thing about the world and finally, he had it.

But when he heard a loud roar of a beast, monstrously louder than his laugh, he became silent. It seemed like he realized that there were a lot of them stronger and more gifted than him. 

There he had a bitter expression and then became serious again.

He had put into mind that leaving the dangerous forest first was the top priority after accomplishing it, he could appreciate his good looks then. 

Well, there was actually another good thing, with the help of this system, he could surely leave this damned forest. He was kind of sure to it.

"System?" He tried calling the system to know if it was an interactive one or not.

["Yes host."] The system said in a monotone voice.

'Great an interactive one though a bit dull. Anyways at least I have something I could talk to, rather than thinking of how to be killed all day.' He thought and smiled wryly.

"How can I level up my attributes?"

["To improve all of your attributes, host must train your body. Another way to improve the Constitution, host could take herbs and potions.

Reminders: Host could think of other ways, other than those above said. Think outside of the box host."]

He began to look into details and immediately inquired the system of what he was curious of. "How about Mana system?" 

["Host should discover it yourself."]

Chen Feng smiled wryly. 'It's also quite stingy.'

All in all Chen Feng was already satisfied with its answers. It was also good that everything wouldn't become easy for him or it would definitely become boring.

He needed to challenge himself, that was he was thinking on his mind though he was not really truthful to it. He just thought that it was likely what a protagonist should be thinking. At the moment, he felt like one, a protagonist, so he thought of it. Though he was not too confident of himself but it would be okay, he had a system to back him up. It wouldn't be easy but it wouldn't be hard too. He was kind of positive about that.

"I don't like reading those novels with MCs having cheat-like abilities which were so overpowered and all things goes easy for them. I find it boring. I like those MCs  who worked hard and gradually getting powerful, even the most powerful. Well it's good being limited, at least for the moment."  

Then he scrolled down hoping to see something good and the system did not disappoint him.


[ABILITIES] (Limited to 3 only)

•Beast Tamer- (Ultimate Ability)
Able to tame beasts with the help of soul contact. The basis of how many beast the host could tame is determined by host's Mana, with the ratio of 100:1 (100 Mana: 1 beast).

[Active: Soul Contract]
•Friendship
•Ownership
[Passive: Locked]

Tamed beast: 1

His pair of eyes got big that moment because he was shocked. He just couldn't believe that he already had his 'badly wanted ability'.

"****!" He just cursed because of it.

One of his favorite novels had a beast tamer MC which then had an army of beast. Like hell, all of these were real, and that MC was in a fiction. He was way more better than that MC. He could make an army in reality.

"I could have tens, no! Hundreds! Even THOUSANDS OF BEASTS UNDER MY CONTROL!"

He just felt so great at the moment. He could already see his super bright future. 

Then he checked for details at the screen and after finding out the ratio of 100 mana is to 1 beast he scrolled up and checked his mana numbers.

His never ending smiles, in a blink of an eyes just ended. His smile was frozen after seeing the shortage of digits.

Mana: 100

Honestly, he just wanted to curse at the moment as his supposed to be bright future instantly got crushed. Earlier he felt like flying high but he got smashed back to the ground instantly without having at least a little good landing. He felt like his bones crumbled to pieces, it was that painful.

He then realized how limited he was. He was DEFINITELY LIMITED.

Additionally, he didn't even know how to improve his mana as the stingy system wouldn't tell him. He was just hoping that he could discover it fast or that ability would just be useless. He would only have 1 beast forever and it felt too unaccomplished.

"Oh? I already tamed one?" 
Since he couldn't see it around, he decided to ask the system, hoping that it could answer him. 

Though not feeling too great just like earlier, he was a bit curious of what it was.
On a corner of his mind he was hoping that it could be something strong and powerful. 

There his smile was seen on his lips again.

"System, where is the beast I tamed now?"

[It was 2 kilometers away from you host.]

Since he couldn't go around and find it better ask the system then.

"What beast is it system?"

He was a bit expecting, waiting, hoping but sadly it didn't answered him. He was a little expecting for nothing.

"I just hope it might not be a useless or ugly one. Tsk, I only have limited mana and it cost it all, it better not disappoint me." 

He was not in the mood but he encouraged himself that there could be more good things ahead and he just realized that he discovered something good.

"The system have a scanning feature!" 
It could detect beasts which means that I could travel safely when I'll be heading out of this forest.

"System since you could detect beasts, could remind me if there is a beast 50 meters near me?"

["Copy host."]

"Now I feel safer." He formed a smile out of relief.

Then he asked some necessary questions at the moment. 

"Do you have items that I could use at the moment? Like something that could make me invisible so the beast won't see me?"

He was answered by silence which made his to brows to meet.

"None, system?"

[What is it host?"]

"Oh? Looks like I have to address it every time I talk to it, okay."

"System do you have items with you?"

["None host."]

"Oh, what a pity. Maybe I'll start digging now so I could have something to hide in when evening came." He twitched his lips. About digging, he didn't have enough strength yet to do that. Maybe he should just hide on a big tree for later.

Then he thought of some other necessary questions to ask.

"Could you tell me where I am at the moment system?"

["Host is in the middle of Krassu Forest."]

"Ah, its answer is just limited to what I ask, not even adding some informations related to it. I could ask about them one by one or just ask a bunch of questions at one time. The latter is  quite good choice."

"System how many kilometers do I need to walk to get out of the forest and what is the nearest town from here?"

 ["To get out of the forest host need to walk 100 kilometers. Outside of it, the nearest town would be 200 kilometers.]

Since the system was so great to scan that far maybe it would also help Chen Feng to gain a little knowledge from this world but he had a guess that this world was still of an old era; where technology was still not highly develop. 

Then with this thought his mind went on a spree, thinking of ways to be successful. Chen Feng thought of building that, making those and etc. He only stopped when he heard a frightening roar again. The thought of leaving this place came back, he could think of those after he already left this place. The most important thing at the moment, to get out of this damned forest and secure his safety.

"System can you also tell what place was near that exit and a brief description please if you can."

While talking with the system, he took a glance at the screen again as he knew there was some that he didn't see yet, his brows met when he saw something not so right.

"By the way I just realized that my name is different in your screen system? Why so?"

Chen Feng a web novel reader mocked a novel as crap but unfortunately it was actually written by a god. That made the god so furious and broke the laws of the universe and sent Chen Feng to experience and see for himself how good his novel really is.

"How could mere human criticize the way I write! The composure of my characters! The world I based my novel with!"

"Hmp! He should surely eat his words after witnessing that world!"

"I should sent him there." 


"Let's see what he would be! Haha!"


Let us join Chen Feng turn to be Rowan 
and explore that world while gradually facing the certain god's wrath.

It was early morning, when Chen Fan finally reached Zhongyuan City with a joyful heart.
The "fight" on the bed just now, had not been any easier than finishing a triathlon. He now felt extremely hungry. After he drove to the city center, both of his eyes eagerly scanned the restaurants nearby.
Although none of the upscale restaurants were open yet, there were many barbeque stalls that were still open for business. So, he pulled up to place his order.
"Boss, give me two kilograms of lamb shashlik, three sizzling squid, and…"
"Ah…" the barbeque stall owner was immediately dumbstruck, as witnessing a sports car that could only be seen in an auto show, parked right in front of his stall, was not an everyday sight! In fact, he kind of looked as if he had been struck dead by lightning!
Even the noisy young customers were completely stunned at the scene. Aside from the sizzling sound that was coming from the grill, the place had fallen into a complete silence.
"Pretentious!" The youngsters, who were dressed like hooligans, snickered in unison!
While he waited for his food, Chen Fan received many rude stares from countless eyeballs. After receiving his food from the hawker, he did not even bother to collect the extra change. Instead, he quickly got in his car and drove away.
It was now four in the morning, and Chen Fan was tossing and turning in his bed. He could not fall asleep. The event that happened a few hours ago was still playing in his mind, just like a movie. He simply couldn't get rid of it.
Chen Fan sighed, then got out of the stone-like bed. He switched on his laptop, figuring that he would try to kill some time by reading web fiction.
...
The surface of the sea glimmered as the sun shone upon it. It appeared as if a layer of shattered silver was blanketed on it. It also looked like a crumpled piece of blue brocade.
The soothing mist and the slightly fishy-smelling sea breeze felt somehow healing, like the fragrance from a maiden's lips. The mixture of it made it irresistible, so much so, that everyone could not help but take an extra breath. 
The workmanship of the sloop yacht was extremely exquisite. The front of the hull and the shipboard were evenly covered in resin, and a layer of thorny flowers, which looked as it they were entwining the silver shell, were sculpted on it. It dazzled fascinatingly under the reflection of the sun. The white sail, which had been made from some sort of beast hide, fluttered along with the sea breeze, hanging on a column, which had a rhombus-shaped carving on it.
If any scientists were to have witnessed the scene, they would definitely have rolled up their sleeves and dashed toward the sloop yacht. This was not because the workmanship of the sloop yacht had exceeded the limits of human technology, but rather that one of the two people now standing on the deck deserved to be dragged into the lab and sliced open for experimental purposes!
The one standing at the left was an old man. He wore a purple brocade robe with a gorgeous crescent-shaped heraldry embedded on the chest. His jawline looked as if it had been chiseled with a knife, as it was extremely sharp and well-defined. His white hair and slightly wrinkled face made it rather difficult for others to guess his actual age.
The guy standing beside him was the one who deserved to be dragged to a lab and sliced open for experimental purposes. He was extremely tall and had a black beast hide, which was wrapped around his waist. He had grayish-green skin, and his head looked hideous. His muscles looked just like reinforced iron, to the point that even Shaquille O'Neal would look inferior by comparison!
"Argyll, what kind of rubbish nautical chart did you provide me with? It has been 12 days, and I still have not even seen a single drop of bird dung!" The green monster waved his hands desperately, roaring with an almost distorted expression.
"We were lucky enough not be caught in the terrifying storm. What are you still hoping for?"
The old man named Argyll took out a parchment scroll from his bosom, then squatted down and opened it up. "Look! According to the nautical chart and my calculations, we're now close to Roanoke Island. As long as we wait patiently for a few more days, we will definitely be able to reach our destination."
"Wait patiently for a few more days? Argyll, you sneaky old man! Why did you abduct me?" Barru's eyes turned red. He held his casserole-sized fist in front the old man. "I'm fed up with the endless drifting. We have already eaten up our last breakfast. Do you intend to make soup out of your deer hide bed for the next following days?"
Argyll touched his beard awkwardly. "Let me investigate on it a bit more!"As he finished his sentence, he drew from his pocket a little rounded silver box that looked like a pocket watch. After opening the box, he placed it on the parchment scroll, then fiddled with it with nonstop.
"Tell me when your investigation results are out. I need to chug a few big bowls of cold water. Otherwise, my stomach is going to start trying to digest itself," said Barru, with a hint of sarcasm. He then dashed into the cabin.
After half a day, Barru, whose stomach was now filled with cold water, ran to the deck, shouting, "Argyll, I have bad news! We have completely consumed all of the freshwater in our storage."
"You glutton! You consume more than a bear!" Argyll, who had been investigating the nautical chart, lifted his head to reply. "Since we ran out of freshwater, we have no choice but to wait for our deaths. When that time comes, we shall compete. Let's see who can last till the end."
"You're the dumb one! Can't you just distill more freshwater, once it runs out? We are in the middle of the sea, after all! We will never run out of water."
"Barru, your saliva is all over my face!"
"Ah!"
Barru, the monster, roared crazily. "I don't care! I can't stand being on this crappy wooden boat anymore! I want to kiss the land and touch the greeneries!"
"Shut up! You have distracted my train of thought!"
Sigh!
Barru looked at the nautical chart with dull eyes. He then turned his head to stare at the bluish sea sluggishly. From afar, he looked like an old baboon.
After a while, Argyll, who was dressed in a purple robe, stood up and stretched his cramped waist. "I have finished brainstorming. I think that we are very near Roanoke Island, as long as we have stayed on course!"
"What if we are on the wrong track?" questioned Barru.
"Hmm…" Argyll thought to himself quietly for a while. "According to the nautical chart, Roanoke Island is the the only huge island in the east sea. If we are heading in the wrong direction, then we could only depend on our luck. If we are lucky enough to stumble upon an unknown island, we would still be able to replenish our food then. Otherwise, you might have to catch some fish from the sea!"
"Argyll, tell me why I believed your nonsense in the first place, enough to follow you to Roanoke Island, just for the sake of finding the Hurricane Bird?"
"That's easy! You did so because the Hurricane Bird is so special, and also because we dreamed of a ride, which could allow us to travel for thousands of miles. And, most importantly, because you are an idiot!"
"Enough! Now you're insulting my intelligence, too?!" Barru took a step forward, intending to grab the collar of the old man in the purple robe. Unexpectedly, due to a slight misstep, he accidentally sent the silver compass, which was laying on the parchment scroll, flying into the air.
Under the brute force of his accidental kick, the tiny silver compass was launched at full speed, then plopped into the sea.
"Ah!"
Without thinking too much, Barru immediately hopped over and jumped into the sea, going after the silver compass. The splatter drenched the purple-robed old man, making him look like a drowned rat.
Barru dove in the sea for about half of a minute, before emerging from the waters with a dispirited look on his face. "Argyll, wait for me. I'm going to catch some fish for our lunch."


Because of an accident, Chen Fan obtained the power to possess an electric eel!
Of course, being an ambitious guy, Chen Fan just HAD to explore his Electric Eel Avatar thoroughly!
Captains, are the Somali pirates still giving you a headache? Come and hire me online, and I will guarantee that your ship will be even safer than protected by an American aircraft carrier!

"Are you sure that this is the place?" Jacob asked. He roamed his sight to the land they are in but only a bunch of trees can only be found. "It seems like we are still in the forest of Terrain"

"No. I already went here in the past and I am sure, it is the place." Carter stated but his self is also wondering why the place changed that much. The taverns, houses and the market in the land got vanished and replaced by trees and streams that looks similar to the forest of Terrain. 

"I wonder where the academy i-----AHHHHHH!!!!" Levi's scream caught the attention of the two and looked at their backs only to find out that Levi fell on the hole that appeared out of nowhere. 

"LEV---AHHHHHHHH!!" followed by the scream of Jacob and Carter who experienced the same thing. 

Their hearts sunk because of falling and slightly hurt themselves when they land on the stone bricks road of the city. 

"Hell! I almost pee because of fear!" Levi muttered and examined his body, checking if there are bruises.

"What was that?" Jacob uttered and wiped his clothes when he got up. "My elbow got hu---"

"We're here" Carter uttered. He stood up and roamed his gaze to the place. "We are definitely here"

The two lad followed Carter's action and got stunned to what they saw. The place appears to be similar to their village and in castle district. There's a lot of merchant on each sides who sells a lot of goods to the passersby and the market became lively because of the musicians that kept on playing their instruments to entertain the children.

"M-magnificent" Levi said with amusement on his voice. The three started to walk and examined the place. Carter's still couldn't believe what he had just experience. The thoughts about where they are earlier kept on lingering on his mind. 

"Where are we earlier?" he asked to his self. He slightly glanced to the place and lifted his head to see the sky where they fell. "There's no hole--"

"I'm sorry" someone uttered that made the three stopped on their tracks. Carter didn't felt that he bumped into someone because he was occupied by his thoughts. He stared to the man who have a height a way smaller of him and who's bowing his head. 

"I should be the one who--" Carter couldn't continue his sentence when the lad in front of him lifted his head and they are both shocked to see each other. 

"Travis?" Carter subconsciously uttered.

"You knew him?" Levi curiously asked and inspect Travis closely. He hold Carter's shoulder and do his thing. "Hello there, little fella"

"What did you call me?" Travis asked with anger visible on its tone but Levi appeared that he didn't got what the lad meant to say.

"little fel---argh!" he groaned and knelt on the ground. He hold his abdomen where Travis' fist landed. Jacob slightly chuckled to what happened and gave his cousin a sympathetic look. 

"You deserved it, bear it" he teased.

"What are you doing here?" Carter asked and didn't mind his two companion. Travis heaved a sigh and crossed his arms. 

"My friend asked me to buy her some ingredients for her experiment that's why I'm here"

"Where is this friend of yours?" Carter asked again. 

"She's in the acade---oh ow" he didn't continue his words and covered his mouth with his hands. Levi immediately stood up, bearing the pain in his stomach and grasp the shoulder of Travis and wobble him. 

"You knew where the academy right?! Tell us! Where is it?!"

"What are you doing?!" Jacob grabs Levi's clothes to free Travis from his cousin and slightly bowed his head to asked for his forgiveness.

"You're looking for the academy?" Travis asked back with excitement. The three of them nodded their heads hoping that the lad will believe them. 

"Yes. We've been traveling since last week just to find the academy. The parchment we had received told us to go there" Carter answered to his long lost friend. Travis slightly hold his chin and gave Carter a stare. If Carter is not here, he will definitely couldn't trust the two of his companion but since the three of them are together and Carter is his friend, he acknowledged the two even tho the one who called him a little fella isn't trustworthy enough.

"Alright." he stated and put his hands on his pocket. The three gave a smile to each other 'cause at last, they found someone who can help them. "But first, you need to help me buy the things I need"

"Sure!" Levi gladly said with a smile didn't fade on his lips.

Carter took a glance at Travis, he didn't expect that he will saw the lad on this city knowing that he's nowhere to be found for almost a decade and unexpectedly, they bumped into each other on unexpected place and time.

"We're walking for almost an hour now." Levi lazily said and stop on his walk. "My legs are starting to got numb"

"We're almost there." Travis stated. Carter observes the place where they are in. It's a kilometer away from the district. There's a large field on their right side and stone houses on their left. On their front, miles away from them, there's a huge wall, probably one hundred meter high and also, the end of the place. 

"You said that for thirteenth time, shorty!" Levi grumblingly said and sat on the road.

"Let's leave him here if he kept on complaining." Jacob uttered and continue his walk. The two followed him without saying any word and left the stubborn Levi on the road. 

"Hey! Wait!" he shouted and immediately stood up. "It's not right to leave your cousin!"

"Don't talk to me! You're being a nuisance!" Jacob angrily said that made Levi shut his mouth and quietly followed the three.

"The academy--" Travis glanced at Carter when he said something. "What?" he asked

"Behind that huge wall is the academy, right?" he continued that made the four of them stop. Jacob looked at their front and made a confused face. 

"There's no wall in there" Levi and Jacob said in unison. Travis chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.

"It's fascinating knowing that you could see the thing I couldn't when I first came here." Travis commented and fished something on his pocket. 

"Here, wear this" he said and handed a ring to the three. Levi con the ring he's holding. It has an engraved word that he couldn't understand but still wore it.

"H-how come?" Jacob stuttered and stepped from his back. His eyes became swollen and mouth is ajar. "I didn't saw that earlier"

"I know." Travis chuckled "it will become visible when you wore something that came from the academy behind that wall."

"Is the parchment we had received didn't come from the academy?" Levi curiously asked. Travis shook his head and gave them a smile. 

"It came from the higher ups who knew the academy. It's either, from the professors in there or from the founder himself."

"Then, how come I could see that without wearing anything?" Carter asked and stared on the ring he's wearing. 

"I don't have any idea. It's the first time I encountered something like this--someone like you who could see the thing we couldn't" Travis replied and continue his track and the three did the same things. 

"Are you sure that you didn't saw the academy before?" Jacob catechized. Carter immediately shook his head.

"I'm sure, I didn't."

The four of them become silent. No one utter a single word up until they arrived to the border of the academy.

"You're late" a lad who's wearing an armor said. Travis smiled to the lad and grasp the shoulder of Carter.

"I saw them earlier on the district.  They're looking for the academy and I brought them here." the lad inspect them thoroughly and lifted his hand. 

"Parchment" he commanded.  The three hastened and took their parchment and handed it to the lad. He scanned it and minutes later, he gave it back to them and smiled. 

"I'm Troy, you can find me on the dorm 3A. If you need something,  you can ask me and I'll help you." he said. Carter and the two nodded their head and reciprocated the smile. 

"Thank you" they uttered in unison. 

Troy opened the double door of the border and let them enter first and followed them afterwards and lock it. 

Upon entering,  a huge palace on the center surprised them, there are also a separated building on its right side that almost a size of the palace.  Their mouths went ajar and their eyes roamed the entire place. Carter didn't know the exact breadth of the their location but he knows that it surpassed the castle district of Perov city.

There are also wheels that passed them by, streets that are lighted by lanterns and a busy sidewalks that have a lot of shops. 

"Why did you go to the market if there are shops in here?" Jacob asked to the lad whom they have met earlier. Travis laughed to the question he had heard and patted the shoulder of Jacob. 

"I bought a critter earlier. Animals here are for familiars only and they prohibited it if you'll just going to used it for experimentation"

"Familiars?" Carter commented.  "Are they spirits who will become your companion?"

"How did you know that they are spirits?" Troy asked and curiosity is visible on his visage. 

"There's a book I once read. It consist of mythical creatures, familiars,  powers and such.  I thought it's just a fiction book"

Travis and Troy stared at each other that made the three confused. Travis removed his hand on Jacob's shoulder and stand beside of Troy. 

"Did you bring the book?" seriousness is written on his face. Carter's heart throbbed but he still composed himself.

"No. I was still young when I first read that and I already forgot where I hid it" 

"Do you remember the person who gave that to you?"

Carter shook his head and his expressions became firm. 

"No." he replied "My father told me that it's already on our house and it is a coincidence that I found it"

The two become silent but Carter knew that they are talking on their minds because of the way they stared at each other.

Travis is the first one who broke the silence and gave Carter a smile.

"I see" he said and put his hand on his pocket. 

"Anyway, I'll accompany you three to one of the dorms here. I knew that it's been a tough travel for all of you."

----

"Tomorrow morning, there will be a ceremony probably around eight in the morning. I will fetch you here so that we'll go on the auditorium together." Travis stated

"What should we wear?" Carter asked. He thought that if it's a ceremony, their dresses should be formal or something like that.

"Oh! I forgot. You should wear these thing" Travis said and wrote something in the midair and dark clothes with a gold linen on its edges dropped on his hand. 

"w-wow" the amusement on their voices made the lad chuckled and handed the clothes to them.

"How do you did that?"

"You'll know once you start studying here. Anyways, I need to go. My roommate is waiting for her ingredients."

"We'll see you tomorrow then" the three said in unison. Travis nods his head and turn his back from them and started walking.

"I'll go to the bed first" Jacob said and yawned and walked towards to the bed and Levi followed him.

Carter sighed and silently closed the door of the room they occupied for a while. It's a big room with four bed inside. The furniture and things on the room are complete and there's also a bathroom on the corner that they can use.

"I've been wondering what building is that" Levi uttered who's currently on the french window. Jacob took the book on his left side and jump unto the bed.

"Don't mind those thing for now. You'll know tomorrow" He answered to his cousin and flipped the page of the thing he's reading.

"I think, it's one of the facility of the academy" Carter said who's already on Levi's side. "But the exterior of it is unusual"

"Indeed."

The building they are looking at is strange. The walls are distorted and it also a same height of the border and somehow, it gave him a chill feeling that once you enter that place, there's a possibility that you can't leave it alive.

"You two are hallucinating. You guys should sleep now, it's been a tiring day for all of us." Jacob interrupted and closed the book he's reading and covered his self with a comforter.

The two shrugged their shoulders and walked towards the bed besides of the young lad.

----

A/N

There's a lot of grammar that are incorrect and I'm sorry for that. I don't have time to re-read every chapter because of my busy sched. Being an architectural drafting student is stressful and it makes me suffocated sometimes. Besides of that, I'm so fucked up this month that's why, I couldn't update--I'm sorry again.

There's a box that once existed,
If you find out,  it will grant any of your wishes
But consequences lies within,
'Cause the box will spread its lurking sins.

parchment interactive fiction

The Interactive Adventure

DEATH QUEST

Mini World Of Endless Fun Awaits

Battlefield Restart- An Identity Beyond Self!

Kryptonian In Marvel

Harry Potter: Orphans Ascension

Fate's Request: A Harry Potter FanFiction

I Found Myself In A Novel

Super Electric Eel Avatar

Wrath of Seven Sins

People search parchment interactive fiction also like: