Evolution

* Elektronomia - Sky High [NCS Release] *

AN: song is so very highly recommend for studying. It's what kept me going through uni. I might add some other similar ones in the future.

***

[Integration accomplished. Evolution requirements met. Commencing evolution.]

Suddenly, Kayla's robotic voice rang in Raven's mind as her vision blurred.

[One of Seven Heavenly Stones has been obtained: Concealment (Stealth) Stone.

[Title obtained: Heavenly Collector.

[One of Seven Heavenly Stones: 'Concealment (Stealth) Stone' has been absorbed and integrated.

[Individual Raven, identified as master, gains new acquired/ integrated skills.

[Acquired Special Skill: Soul Illusion.

[Acquired Special Skill: Stealth.

[Acquired Special Skill: Soul weaving.

[Affection received from Stone's Will.

[Blessing obtained: Avavia's Affection.

[As per Stone's Will, commencing body modifications.]

At that, Raven's body started to float slowly and quietly as radiant light covered her entirely, like a cocoon.

In her mind, Raven could still hear Kayla's voice while a strange feeling washed over her mind. Energy surged in her body developing her core and changing her physical body.

[System upgraded.

[Individual Raven, identified as master, gains new system skills.

[System Unique Skill created: Absorption.

[System Unique Skill created: Integration.

[System Unique Skill created: Appraisal.

[System Unique Skill created: Thought Acceleration.

[System Unique Skill created: Parallel Processing.

[Updating Status Page... Finalizing evolution.]

As Kayla kept muttering, Raven finally felt the energy inside of her getting calmer and more stable.

Not too long after, she sighed in relief as the blinding light faded away, reverting the cave to its normal state.

Before she even took a look at her body, Raven knew something in her body had changed.

'It feels... heavier. Did I get my old body back?' Raven was so excited at the idea.

Gasps all around her made her rather curious and so she looked down, or she tried.

But something was obstructing her view.

"Eh...? EHHH???" Raven's shocked face turned beet red as she understood that her underdeveloped body was now rather... mature.

The girls giggled, some in embarrassment while others happily. Joey had a similar expression to hers.

"Oh look at you! Finally a grown up, I still remember when you were a kid, almost as if it was yesterday." Maria said as she wiped an Imaginary tear off of her right eye. "Children sure grow quite fa-"

"Maria! My body was that of a kid just a second ago!" Raven pouted in embarrassment. "it's not even that much of a difference!" she yelled as she covered her chest.

"Oh come on! No mommy or big sis Mary this time? You know it's too cute when it's coming out of your mouth."

"I've never called you big sis Mary!" Raven retorted as Maria laughed her a*s off at her expense.

"Oh, you look so cute though! Right, Joey?" Rain asked cheerfully as she looked at Joey.

Seeing that he was a deep shade of red, Raven's embarrassment shot up a little bit higher.

Ignoring them and looking at Maya, she was as happy as she was embarrassed to see her laughing with them.

'She had had it quite hard lately. I'm so glad she's at least happy for now.' Raven smiled slightly at the thought.

"Ok real talk," Maria said, "What in the world happened?"

Looking down at her 'new' body, Raven only muttered two words. "No clue..."

Only then did she saw that Maria's jacket, the one that she was wearing before the evolution process was on the ground besides her, did she realise that she was in her jet black armour.

'Kayla, was that your doing?'

[Affirmative.]

'Oh my God I'm so thankful!' thinking back to how she used the jacket before, she was sure it wasn't enough to cover her... assets.

Especially with her not wearing any proper underwear.

"Can I have a mirror please?"

"Here," Rain said as she passed her her pocket mirror.

Looking at her face, Raven saw that now her childish features were a little bit more mature, and so was her body. Instead of seven, she'd say her body's age was about eleven.

Her previously cherry sized breasts grew up to be orange sized. Although they still don't compare to Maya's melons, they had a good ratio, considering her body size. She was still short when compared to her peers, standing at 147 cm. A whole 4 cm taller than before!

Along with some other strong feminine aspects, it made her blood pressure rise up high.

The fact that her overall appearance, especially with her shadowy armour on, made her quite alluring didn't fair well with her at all.

"Weren't you supposed to gain back your old body?" Rain asked curiously.

"Yes and no," Raven admitted. "Rather than regaining my old body, I took a little risk that would enable me to turn it on and off, if that makes sense. I basically converted the runestone into a skill."

"A skill?" Joey asked surprised. "You have those?"

"Err, yea..." Raven said hesitantly, "How do you know about them?"

Only then did Joey realise what he'd just said.

Thinking for a second, he tried to be honest with the girls, he trusted all of them after all, especially Raven.

"Do you remember when you asked about my power?"

"Yea, if I'm not mistaken you said it was... complicated?"

"Yes," Joey admitted. " The reason being that I have an ability called 'The Warrior System'. It lets me upgrade and use various skills. In my case, most of them are meant for warriors."

"The sword you saw me use," he continued as the light sword materialised in his right hand. "Is a weapon that I bought from the system using points. I have a shop, and an inventory. as the name suggests, the inventory lets me store various items and I can access them with a thought."

"Huh?"

"Whaaat?"

Maria was confused, while Rain had a hard time believing it.

"You have the rarest ability? The System?" Rain was shocked. She's heard of that ability, as it was ranked as a legendary ability with so much potential. One can have so many skills that they'd stand on par with an S ranker easily.

"But I've never heard that it has a shop or an inventory, it's like you're playing a video game..." Rain, with a hand over her chin and focused eyes, started to think out loud.

"Raven, you do have it too, right?" Joey was more interested in Raven's ability.

Biting her lip and accepting that the duo is part of their group now, she started explaining her abilities.

...

"Hold up!" Joey said with a raised hand, "Your system talk to you?"

"Err, yea...? And her name is Kayla by the way"

"Why are you so surprised? You have two other abilities that I've never heard of and you're jealous of Raven over here?" Rain said with a forced smile.

"No, you don't get it," Joey said as he face-palmed. "Let me explain this from the beginning."

"My name is Joey Banck, and I'm not a human... but rather a Soul Weaver. Much like Raven and Maria here."

Ignoring the only shocked expression of Rain, he continued.

"My father's name is Darius, or Lord 6th. We used to live on a planet called Erembourc, the planet where Soul Weavers live.

"My clan, the 6th Clan. And the reason I was surprised was because The System is the ability our clan was unique for. Each one of the 13 Clans have a unique ability that makes them special.

"Yours, my princess," Joey said as he bowed slightly making the others raise their eyebrows in surprise, "is something rather special, I don't know what for sure but most rumours had it that it was something similar Mana Control."

Raven had so much to digest so she kept quiet. Noticing that, Joey continued.

"Anyhow, I know that my original system does not talk to its host. It only acts in an expected mechanical way that's better described as giving tips. The skills it provides is what makes it special. That's why I was surprised..."

Everyone was quiet, trying to understand what Joey has just said.

Noticing Maya and Maria's gazes, Raven confirmed that everything he said is true, with a simple nod.

"It's Mana Manipulation." Raven said in an expressionless face, not because she wasn't thinking, but quite the opposite, "have you met them?"

"Pardon?" Joey was confused by her question.

"Have you met my parents? I'm not dumb, judging from your little talk now, and that you've called me princess quite a few times now, I'd say you knew the young me. The question is, have you met my real parents?"

Everything adds up, the mayor was by no means the woman she'd expect to call her mom. Although she treated her nicely, previously, she's never felt like a mother to her.

'Maybe that's why even her deceased husband, what I once called dad, did what he did.' she thought to herself, referring to the mayor's husband trying to sell her to slave trader or whatever that lady was. However the plan, even though succeeded, ended up in his death.

What made the story more believable was that she could confirm that they both were Soul Weavers, or Erembourcians...

"Yes." Joey's reply was short but but on point.

"They were-" before he could start describing them, Raven stopped his mouth from moving using her index and thumb to pinch his lips.

"Not now, please." she said as silent tears filled her eyes.

She had countless questions.

Why did they leave her?

Why did they send her to Earth?

Where are they now?

Did they abandon her?

Did they love her...?

Many, almost too many, question swirled inside her head as she started to feel dizzy.

She had to sit down in order to avoid falling and hitting her head in the stone floor.

Of course, the girls didn't allow her to be alone. She was like a child who's just been told she's adopted. But the worst part was that her real parents had left her all alone for the past 13 years.

'I sure hop to God those b*stards are dead, or else I'll torture them to death for abandoning my poor Raven,' Maria thought to herself as she sat down to Raven's right and hugged her shoulder.

Maya did the same to her left, but her deadly gaze confirmed that her ideas of handling Raven's real parents were quite different, one might even say... innovative.

""We're here for you!"" Both said with voices full of warmth and kindness.

"I know." Raven replied with a soft pained smile, her eyes shut, as she hugged the girls with one hand each.

Their warmth made her cling to them as she tried to think of something else to distract herself with, other than her parents and the feeling of being lost.

'Kayla, you there?' Raven called out in her mind.

[Affirmative.]

Smiling softly, Raven thought of two words to Kayla.

'Status Page.'