Returner's Revenge

Magic Stone Imbedding

After hearing Johannes’ said, the two then fell in despair and just like Kris and poured everything in training themselves. [Freaking cheats, I will train myself so hard that I will blow the world with a single punch!] Ophir screams inside his head, James also said the same thing to himself  and left Johannes standing in awe at how enthusiastic the two in their training are.

               [I will definitely not allow that time to happen again. That hideous experiment, the nobles that planned everything. I will destroy their plans, wait for me you bastards.] Kris says to himself.

               Feeling out of place when everyone inside the training area are training hard, Johannes also trained in the end. Flora arrived in the training room and found that four of them are sleeping on the floor in exhaustion. “What the heck did these guys do to lose consciousness like this?” she mutters to herself and saw that the ground where they are standing in are wet and looks at them with disgust.

               “Did they actually piss themselves in exhaustion? Ew- talk about disgusting.” She then softly kick James shoulder to wake him up but the latter just shove her foot away. Without any success in waking James up, she turns to Ophir and did the same. This time Ophir wakes up and greets her. “Good morning Flora, how’s the investigation?” Flora did not respond and just stare at him blankly.

               “What morning are you talking about? It’s already night. Do you know how long I was looking for the both of you? I literally skipped class just to find you idiots.” She sneers as Ophir who is shocked to her that it’s already night. “You can’t be serious right?  There is no way that we trained until night!” Ophir’s loud voice wakes the three up and were surprised to see that Flora came.

               “What are you doing here Flora? I thought you are still investigating that guy.” James ask right after waking up.

               PAK!

               “What investigation are you talking about? It ended ages ago. And besides, it’s already night so why would I go and enter that creepy room alone.” Flora did not spare James just like what she did to Ophir. “Let’s go, I still have not eaten yet. Hey, Kris, Johannes, I bet you both  are starving as well so why don’t we eat together?” Kris and Johannes did not find a reason to refuse since they are also starving.

               “But let me remind you. We don’t have much money on us.” Kris reminded Flora who immediately shrug his words and said that she’ll be the one paying. “Are you sure about that?” Flora felt like he is doubter her words and somehow pissed her off even more. “Think what you like. I don’t care. Now let’s go.” Flora walks out of the training area and then returned briefly after no one followed behind her.

               “What the hell are you all doing?!-! huh?” Flora looks at them in confusion, as she sees them struggling to stand much less walk. “Don’t tell me its that fatigue thing?” the four of them could not say anything in their pathetic states when they are aching all over their body. “Freaking- why did I have forgotten about this side effect.” Kris curses to himself for not remembering what comes after a day of training.

               Notice: Slowly recovering from fatigue. Time before recovery, 1 hour and 6 minutes and 1 second.

               “You are all hopeless.” Flora touch the floor and cast a spell at them. “Blessing.” The four immediately felt that the pain all over their body lessen and somehow made them stand properly and walk. “Now, is that enough to make you all walk? Now let’s go.” Flora walks out of the training area once again but this time, the four of them are walking behind her.

               The five of them ate in the nearest restaurant since the cafeteria only serves breakfast and lunch for the students and is closed in the evening. So the students have to eat out or cook for themselves. “What the hell were you all planning in training until you all lost consciousness? Are you all crazy?” Flora ask the four of them but they are all hesitant to answer her.

               Johannes felt that his reason is quite light so he answers first. “I felt obliged to train when I saw them training really hard so I just somehow ended up giving everything I can just like them.” Flora can’t understand the reason behind his words and just shrug it off like it’s normal. “I felt really pissed because of something that we talked about in class. Imbedding magic stones experiment.” Kris’ answer made everyone besides Johannes almost jolt out of their seats.

               “What in the world? magic stone imbedding? I thought that thing is just a rumor?” Flora exclaims and the other two had the same reactions on their faces. “What? What is magic stone imbedding?” Johannes being in the dark of the thing that they are starting to talk about. “Imbedding magic stones in a person’s body to make them as strong as people like you.” Ophir tells Johannes who immediately realize the flaw in their way of thinking.

               “What in the world are they thinking? That’s just unreasonable. The headmaster told me that people like me and him are quite different and we are built differently from normal people. So if some people try to go against the law of nature then they would welcome imbalance.” Johannes says but Kris rebuke him. “Its not a matter of simply welcoming imbalance. Magic stone imbedding is just impossible. Having two sources of mana will create a faulty system that will result to death.”

               Their talk somehow made the atmosphere really dark and chilly as they realize the weigh of the conversation. “Wait, what do you mean Johannes. You talked with the headmaster?” Johannes then nods his head. “Yeah, I ask the headmaster if he can confirm if I am an awakener and he said that I was. He then told me of the things that I should look out for and tells me to be thankful that I am one of those few people that have this blessing.”   

               Flora drops her spoon upon hearing that Johannes is one of the awakeners, a person that is destined to be one of the heroes of the current era. “So, you are saying that you are going to be one of those heroes?” Flora then looks at Ophir and James and found out that she is the only one surprised after hearing his remark. “Wait, don’t tell me you both trained till you drop because of this?”

               The two just keep their mouths shut and turn the other way. Flora then burst in laughter when their action confirms it. “Hahahah! I did not know that the both of you are that competitive. I thought you have done that for no reason but I guess your reasons are grand on their own.” Kris and Johannes don’t understand a thing that he is trying to say but if there is one thing that they are certain, they can’t pay the amount of food that they ate with their current money.

               After eating, the five got more acquainted with each other when they went to the nearby park to burn the food that they consumed and talk about things like what they talked while eating. “Why is it that magic stone imbedding will fail Kris. Do you have an insight, can you share it with us?” Flora seems to have taken great interest in the subject and Kris doesn’t want them to be ignorant about it as well.

               [If I want to make some reliable subordinates, I should give them some idea about it.] Kris thinks to himself and pauses before saying anything. “That’s simple. Magic stones are not meant to be imbedded in humans. You already know the use of magic stones right? We can barrow mana if we run out with the use of magic stones that are imbedded on different relics. The reason that we are able to barrow mana from relics is that they have become like us, a vessel. But what if a vessel takes in another source of mana?” Kris gives a pop quiz about the danger of magic stones imbedding on humans and they give out some interesting answers.

               “To give you an example.” Kris takes a bottle from his bag and filled it with water. “Now imagine that you are the bottle and the water is your mana inside your mana pool. In short, you are a vessel but what if you add another foreign mana pool, and in this case would be the magic stones.” All of them can now imagine what will be the result of imbedding the magic stones but Kris continues to give the example.

               “Think of this rock as the part of the new mana pool.” Kris drops a small rock inside the bottle and water slowly flows out. “The problem is not only mana overload but the real trouble has yet to come. Just as I said, the small rock is only a part of the magic stone and we all know how large the mana inside the magic stones are. They are condensed type of mana with some specific attributes stored inside and now think about this.” Kris takes a much bigger rock than the bottle and drops it. Smashing the bottle into pieces. “Just think about it. I don’t think I need to tell you what that signifies right?” the horror on everyone’s face as they stare at the bottle in pieces made Kris confident that they now understand the consequences of defying nature.

               “What is the result- of that?” James ask with a terrified tone. Kris finds his voice weird but just ignores it and gives him an answer.  “The human with magic stone imbedded on his body will pretty much last a week or so. Their body will deform depending on where they put the magic stone. Deforming body aside, there is also mana overload , completely destroying the mana pool and will make a human cripple for the rest of their life, if he is lucky enough to survive that is.”

               Their talk about magic stones ended with James’ question as they decided to call it a day and go back to the academy to rest after tiring themselves out. “Thanks for the food. We’ll treat you next time.” Kris says as they enter their room. “You better, future heroes tend to have tons of money after all.” Flora said with a cheerful tone.

               James entered his room before everyone and did not say a word to his comrades, the two felt like there is something wrong with him since the talk over the magic stones but ignores it knowing that James sometimes acts weird. “So death comes to those who defy the natural order huh?” James says to himself as he slowly slide down to the floor with tears flowing on his face.

               [No wonder you died a few days after that experiment older brother. You are the reason why I have to carry the family’s will behind my back. You just drop it and leave it to me just like that. I hate you.] James wipe the tears from his face and walk towards his bed.

               [System, is it true what you told me earlier?] Kris pretends to sleep so that he can converse with the system peacefully without making Johannes worry of him losing his mind for talking to himself.

               Answer: Affirmative, the subject James is greatly bothered about the talk over magic stones imbedding in humans. Such idea is an act against the creator itself, the creator alone has only the authority to bless lower beings.

               [Yes- that is why I also despise the idea. But humans are humans. It is in our nature to be greedy so I can understand what they want, somehow.]

               Answer: Humans are given the free will to act on their own accord or what is convenient for them. The creator respects their decision but does not abide them for the bitter results of their actions.

               “What do you think that made him disturbed just as you reported?” Kris somehow felt a little concerned of the topic since James is one of Flora’s followers but have not seen him in his past life so he must have died earlier.

               Answer: James Dean’s older brother, Javier Dean is the first victim of the experiment.

               Kris’ heart stop beating for a moment when he finally remembers the head of the experiment that is continuing to experiment on humans back in his past life. “So that’s why Flora is really displeased by that time. So James will become the harbinger of death with those experiments huh?” Kris says to himself as he sees a stepping stone in his plans to remake and reshape the world differently.