The Heart Five

10: Essential Core Battle School

The Knightingale, the Phobius Orchid, the Mekan Complete, and the Labyrinth Library, Four eternal swords bound to be wielded by four chosen essential beings. In fifteen years, they will lead the war against Lord Voix along with the Head Captain and the rest of the captains. Father created this school to train all of us from the second generation to defeat Lord Voix with all of us surviving. Father made Captain Robax Zensi (Counsel) the dean of this school because father told us that he would go away for a while and will be back in fifteen years to give each of the four top students the eternal weapon of their designation.

“There will be four houses named after the eternal weapons,” father announces to the Essential Core. “You will be equally divided and when the time comes fifteen years later… I will present the top student of their respective house the chance to take their Acceptance Test. If you passed, the sword will regard you as its master and wielder, but if you fail the next top student will have to take the test and so on. Time is dire and your effort is a must because after the war is over… there will be peace and harmony.”

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As for me, I will head down with all of the essence beings with me to train the rejects and create a wall to protect us from the undead. Basically, Essential Core will be void of essence beings. For my children, I left them a huge task that I know in my heart… in my core that they will be able to successfully capture.

“I promise father,” said Zorg in glasses. “I will make sure to capture the goal that you set for us.”

“You seemed to be repeating father’s words,” Axent sighs. “You already told Captain Robax to separate us, right?”

“This might be the last time we’ll see each other, huh?” Dizane prepares her things. “I-I’m not gonna cry, but I can’t help it.”

“Azalan is already crying,” I told them as I grab father’s scarf. “We’ll promise dad that we will be stronger when he comes back.”

“Kids, don’t cry,” as father tries to calm us, we can’t really help it and cry our hearts out. “Goddamnit children, y-you’re making me cry too!”

All of us hug together. The memories we made and the bonds we shared will be treasured. This temporary separation will not make us crumble down it will make us stronger and more independent. We will achieve what father wants us to achieve for he wanted us to become our own true selves. By tomorrow, our separate lives will begin.

“My children,” father grins. “What are your goals?”

“Labyrinth Library,” Axent speaks with his own mouth and grins, “is my main goal. Of course, as its top student and its master~”

“Not even the ones they call the essential being of nightmare, the essential being of terror, or the essential being of anxiety will be able to beat father’s icy princess of fear,” Dizane winks and grins as she wipes off the tears from her eyes. “I will make sure to take the Phobius Orchid, father… no… I am sure that the sword is mine~”

“Azalan will take the sword Mekan Complete,” I bragged. “Azalan is the ONLY ONE capable of TAMING such weapon after all~”

“W-with or without glasses,” Zorg mans it up, “I will not be a coward no matter what and that… Knightingale will be mine~”

“Don’t fight anyone unless you are threatened or attacked first,” father reminded us of his rules. “Always remember to widen your senses, feel your surroundings regardless of the crowd, alertness and observance are the keys to victory, and always remember that you must value life and have friends you can TRUST. Also remember to protect the oppressed and OF COURSE you’ll need to teach the bullies the lesson they deserve.”

“KICK THEIR ASSES!”

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The next day~

“He looks so cool!”

“He looks better than Charisma!”

“Is that the sloth? OMG, he looks so handsome!”

“Hey you,” the essential being of pride mouths at him, “can’t you even hear me or are you lazy enough to ignore me?!”

Axent speaks with his thoughts, “Opening my eyes, speaking with my voice, moving my body, and even by mere listening to you… is absurd. Leave me alone before I let you know your place…”

“He speaks telepathically!”

“His voice is awesome!”

“Shut up!” Pride yells at the other essential beings. “I challenge you to a battle and I don’t care if your guardian is the head captain!”

“It looks like the students are starting a fight,” Semcaxa peers at the students from the window, “shall I halt them?”

“Let them fight,” Robax watches over as well as the ground shakes. “That was the memo that I explained to all of the teachers before you arrive assistant dean. That attack just now is impressive…”

Lying on the ground wounded and gasping for air, Pride is down face first and unable to look up.

“That’s right,” still using telepathy, Axent recalls the monstrous bone that came out of his pillow, “keep looking down that dirt so that you’ll learn to tone down that big ego you have. You might be Pride but it does not mean that you have to act like Pride. Whoever your guardian is, tell them that Axent Zealot, vice-captain of the Black Rare Squad, sends his regards.” Before he floats away he proudly says, “He is my father… not my guardian, remember that!”

“My heart throbs!”

“He stole my heart first!”

“I think I’m going to root for him to be the wielder!”

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“Hello Fear,” Terror approaches Dizane. “I was wondering if we could both be friends~”

“Sure I don’t mind~ because my only goal is to become the wielder of the Phobius Orchid. This is after all… for father’s sake~” she gracefully speaks with Terror. “I already have friends waiting for me inside the battle hall anyway~”

The icy princess’ smile sends mixed feelings for the essentials around them. Some are love struck, some felt an eerie feeling that not even Terror could produce, the others felt her strong presence and icy beauty, and Terror… she felt the need to move back.

“Failing to recruit Fear, is it Terror?” Heroism butts in. “No offense but as the hero of this universe, fear and terror does not affect me in the very least! I’m going to be better than the useless head captain!”

The room’s temperature changes and Heroism is encased in ice. Terror shivers in fear as she feels the difference in their power.

“I will not let anyone disrespect my father,” Dizane turns around and proceeds to the battle hall of the Phobius Orchid House with a calm, friendly, yet icy aura. “From this moment onwards, I declare that Phobius Orchid is mine and anyone who goes against me, even if all of you go together against me, I will make sure to give you frostbites.”

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“So what if my father isn’t here to protect me? So what if my siblings aren’t here to also protect me?” Azalan plays with her baton scythe while walking along happily, “I don’t care what anyone says wrong about me and I don’t care whatever you call me because to father… I am the venomous princess~”

Behind her, piles of incapacitated essential beings who tried to ambush her and call her different names about her previous incarnate lie down on the floor of the battle hall, helpless and perhaps traumatized.

“You really are a monster!” Corruption yells at her and prepares to attack together with his fellowmen. “Kill her again!”

“Whoa, you can’t do that~ killing is wrong, remember?” Azalan spins her baton scythe around. “You refuse to learn or are you really that low on IQ? Personalities and memories disappear with the essential being when they die so that when they reincarnate, they’re no longer the same as their previous life~ I can’t believe that there are still essential beings like you guys existing out there~”

“She’s decimated over a third of the population in her own house,” Suxil sighs. “It’s good that some essence beings were left behind to aide us here in case these kinds of result happen. At least she’s already immune to those kinds of foul talk.”

“Her dad, of course,” Yxede grins. “He really does a good job at parenting them. I wonder if fifteen years of training is sufficient enough to make them stronger. There’s some more bodies (living) coming. She’s been trained alright…”

“Finally, peace and quiet~” Azalan takes a seat with her friends. “Once Mekan Complete is mine, I can finally go back to my siblings and my father… how I miss them so much already~”

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“You look lonely,” Teamwork approaches Zorg. “Come and join our gang.”

“Are you all good people?” he asks.

“Well of course we are a good company,” he boasts. “We have Wrath as the captain, Laughter as our joker, Vigilance as our scout, yours truly as the team-builder and Confidence as our vice-captain.”

“What does that make me then?”

“For starters since you are Cowardice, you can be our errand boy,” he grins and they laugh out loud.

“Looks like I have to turn you down,” Zorg proceeds to leave.

“We’re not asking you to join,” he gets in front of him while the others surround him. “We are saying that you don’t have a choice but to join.”

“I don’t associate myself with bad company,” Zorg sighs, “because it’s disappointing…”

“What did you say?” Wrath pushes him. “You are Cowardice! What can you even do?!”

“Where else can you go?” Laughter jokes as he pushes him back at the center. “You have nowhere else to hide little coward~”

As they laugh at him, Zorg sends out a pulse around him causing the floor to crack. At that moment, the surrounding gang is hit by a shockwave that weaken their knees causing them to tremble.

“Looks like your knees are trembling,” Zorg’s bag unzips on its own and some monstrous tentacles hand him his shades. As he wears them on, he licks his own lips like he was hungry or something. “I am Zorg Axcor, the essential being of Cowardice and the vice-captain of Black Rare Squad. My specialty: making my enemies cower in fear. You better bring out your own weapons, bad company, because I,” the unzipping of his bag widens as more tentacles come out followed by a pair of red eyes glaring at the gang, “am going to let you eat your words… and maybe you’ll all become my errand boy from now on. But, I won’t do that because… I wanna let your guardians know that you deserve a slap in the face and tell them that I am the one who will claim Knightingale for father~”

In the end, the corridor was filled with screams of fear.

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“Gazbleir my child,” Xpir sits down on his throne. Right now, they are at the Roots of the Verse where all Supreme Beings sit down when they have meetings. “I want you to get behind me as we wait for him to appear.”

“Is he really coming?” the essential being of courage cracks his fists.

“Ease your storm, he will come.” He sighs. “For now, stay silent. I will allow you to speak when the time comes.”

True enough, from nothingness, Voix appears. He stares at them cautiously. He must be wondering why another being besides Xpir is present to a Supreme Being exclusive place. In the end, he sits down on his throne.

“You called,” he grins at Xpir. “You look like you have a terminal illness, have you seen yourself in a mirror? Looks like your companion is aware of that too, isn’t he concerned of your well-being?”

“That does not concern you, Voix.” Xpir glares at him, “What are you doing in my universe?”

“I’m playing around, taking opportunity for your weakness,” Voix taunts him. “It looks like the trick that Xaos used against Reax works the same with your essence beings, turning angels into devils~”

“You don’t look so good yourself, Voix,” Xpir stares at Voix’s bandaged right arm. “You’ve broken a rule, I see. What kind of reaper would deserve a personal punishment from you?”

“It is SOMETHING that does not CONCERN YOU,” he growls at him.

“The same thing goes for my universe,” Xpir yells at him, “IT DOES NOT CONCERN YOU! Gazbleir, I allow you to speak however you wish to the one in front.”

“You pack your suitcase soon, Voix,” Gazbleir drops the formalities. “You know, I was wondering why there are no reapers out there with you. Could it be that you are facing a problem of your own? Yeah, I have the essential beings of wisdom and knowledge to piece things out. If only I have a reaper friend, you know, a death being hanging around with an essential being. We will erase everything about you in this world, every presence you have and every traces you’ve left. Nobody is going to back you up anyway. I suggest that you prepare those undead essence beings for one because some time soon, eternal weapons will come piercing through that weak arm of yours to make surrender.”

Voix laughs, “You remind me of that kid that I punished… so vigilant and not afraid to cross lines with their superior. I don’t need reapers to invade this world. You will be destroyed from within just like what I am doing now. Just in case you are able to reach me when that time comes, I will gladly survey how strong Xpir’s creation are. You best be prepared, boy, for when the time comes that Xpir surrenders, I get to kill you myself.”

“I will never surrender to you,” Xpir stands up. “The meeting is over. You think I don’t know about your situation, how about I tell my child here what your current circumstances are?”

With a final glance, he laughs and disappears with Gazbleir who was glaring at him.

“Good eyes,” Voix clenches his fists and laughs maniacally. “Once my son is done with the reapers, they will come here next! When Essence Verse is mine, I will let my son eat your son, GAZBLEIR!!!”