Spirits within - Wild Nature
Meh, still don't like it all :/ but it will have to do -.-' already let my watchers wait for so long
Spirits within chapter 7-9
Chapter 7
I suddenly awoke, sitting up holding back a scream, as if I had been having a bad nightmare. My surroundings were brightly lit by several magical lights, making me shut my eyes as I was blinded by it, "I see you finally are awake.. You have been sleeping for quite a while, not that it weren't expected as you have been running a fewer for the last two days.. But thanks to the skilled field medic who increased your condition at the cost of all her mana you avoided being in that bed for weeks." A calm voice said from the other end of the room, when I looked over there I saw a man I never had seen before, he were tall, about 192 centimeters, and he had a beard going down at least 25 centimeters of his upper body, he were wearing a teacher type robe, with a golden eye sewn on its shoulder.
"Who might you be?" I calmly asked, feeling slightly tired, my mana depots almost empty for some reason or another, "and where am I?" I added and leaned back against the wall behind my bed, watching the man as he walked closer, sitting on a chair over by a small window, a few feet from my bed.
"I am the teacher of your new class, my name is Corleneus Harkins, I bear the eye of silence on my robes as I am a "Silencer", which is great considering which class I am the teacher of" he paused for a moment before resuming "you are in your new quarters, all you own have been moved for you, and are placed on a table just outside of this bedroom." He finished with a small chuckle and stood up, continuing to look at me, "now, you better hurry and get ready, I came all this way when I got word that you were about to wake up just to make you attend your new class, when you are ready just head down the hall until you reach the classroom with the black door with this eye on it" he said and put his hand on his shoulder.
I kept quiet and just nodded, waiting till he had left before I got out of bed, my body were filled with a sense of numbness that turned into a uncomfortable tingle as blood and mana started flowing rapidly in my veins, as I walked towards the door with slow steps I thought about what he just had said to me -so.. I have been put into another class.. And my teacher is a Silencer, a mage whose whole purpose is to nullify others spells or deflect them back at the caster, aren't they usually used for witch and wizard hunts to catch the criminal mages? So why would they use one for a teacher? .. Wait.. I think I get it now- I sighed and got out through the door, seeing the table that my new teacher mentioned.
All my belongings were stacked on top of it, well all but a clean set of clothes, which I quickly got into, taking a look at myself in the mirror, noticing that my eyes slightly had changed color, around my pupil there were a thin golden ring which seemed to react to the amount of light, just like my pupil.
"I think I'm gonna ask Claire about this later" I mumbled before hurrying out of the room and down the hallway, trying not to get lost as I were wandering halls I never had seen before. I barely managed to find my class, only managing to find it thanks to my new teacher standing outside the door, waiting for me so he could introduce me to the rest of the class, "you had me worried there, I though you had gotten yourself lost on your first day back to school" he said with a chuckle putting his hand on the doors handle.
"Now lets introduce you to the rest of the class shall we? .. Oh! And keep in mind that everyone in here is a bit.. Unique, if you have to put it into words" he said and opened the door slowly, or at least it seemed slow, but I guess this just is one of those moments in your life where everything seems to pass so slowly.
"Quick! The teacher is here!" I heard a muffled voice shout followed by the sound of chairs getting moved around on the floor with haste, and I could literally feel the mana getting sucked out of the air as several students emptied the air of every trace of whatever magic they had been performing before we arrived.
"Attention class, we have a new student joining us, as you all know he should have joined some time ago, but due to falling ill his arrival to our class had been delayed a bit" Harkins said as he headed for his desk, sitting down and pointing a hand in the direction of the door, where I still was standing.
"Let me introduce your new classmate, the former Ghost, John Ikr'Niea." he finished, all the students eyes turning towards the door where I entered.
As in every other class this one had a leader type surrounded by thugs and alike, this class weren't an exception, in the very back I saw a girl who looked like she had been eating nothing but sour fruits all day, either that or someone must have pissed her off quite a bit just a second ago.
But as mentioned her type was surrounded by all kinds of bad ilk, and the way they sit is always by rank, the innermost is always the leader, then the seats just around the leader is the strongest of their fighters, and around them is the people responsible for whatever bullying the stronger ones order.
And it seems the moment I walked in through that door I was made a target, because I felt a spell that often were used for harassing others appear just above me, a water sphere, a floating ball of cold water which due to its own weight quickly will break and fall down like a ice cold rain. But, what happened the moment that sphere broke no one expected -even me-, was the same moment the water got close to me it vaporized, turning into a fog around me, which I ignored, though shocked, and kept walking towards the teachers desk.
I held back a smile as I turned towards the other students, glancing over at the "bad kids," kind of enjoying their un-amused faces, "My name is John Ikr'Niea, I haven't yet been told my reason for transferring to this class" I said while looking at the teacher in a asking manner before returning to look at the rest of the class "as you may know I was until recently nothing but a Ghost, a 0 rank Ghost with no ability of spell casting whatsoever.. But! As many of you might have seen back at the magic tournament I, against all odds, gained the ability to use magic.. So I hope you won't take notice of my.. Previous ranking within the school, and take good care of me the coming years" I finished with a polite bow and then turned my gaze to the teacher, who since I entered just had been observing me, and the students.
But with a smile he stood and laughed loudly, "that is the best -and- longest introduction anyone in this class ever have given" he said and wiped a tear away from one eye "you could all learn something from this kid" he shouted out and looked at the entire class, "and I just want to tell you guys not to underestimate this guy and pick a fight with him.. After all, he went from a ghost among the Ghost's to a student worthy of being called a mage.. Let me hear, do anyone in here have a guess at his current rank?" he said and looked around at each student, "anyone?"
A single student raised her hand "Uhm, this is just a guess.. But as most of us in this class is around 10th to 15th rank I would guess he is the same?" she said, some students nodding in agreement. The teacher keeping the silence for a minute, "well~ .. It was a good guess, but I'm afraid it was wrong, you see, this kid is special, why else would he be -here- in the special magic class..?" he said and chuckled, one of the students around the "leader" standing up and shouting down at the teacher "Then tell us, what is his rank if he is so special!?"
Several other students nodding again, some gossiping a bit between each other, the growing noise getting broken off as the teacher raises his hand into the air, slamming it down into the table, creating a loud noise, "Silence! I asked a simple question, and since no one here is able to guess it I will have to give you the answer myself" he said and pointed at me "this kid is measured to be just as powerful as a 15th rank mage! But since he used something which don't go under the spell category in his duel the sages was unable to measure his rank!" he said out loudly, all the students quiet, staring directly at me, making it rather easy to guess what they are thinking -that kid, a strong mage? Give me a break, he looks like he would break if I sat on him- were what I guessed most of them were thinking, while I got weird vibes from some of the girls.
"Now, without further delays lets start today's lessons!" the teacher said and used magic to conjure a piece of chalk, telling me to go sit wherever I could find a seat.
"Now as we discussed last week the ancient temple of the ocean spirit Aquarius..." the teacher started, but I didn't pay attention, I was busy focusing on ignoring the many negative mana signals in the air, all of them coming from the small gang in the back of the class.
-I know what's gonna happen after class- I thought to myself.
When class ended I was the first to leave my seat, hurrying out into the hall and starting to wander, wanting to get away as quick as possible before the delinquents came after me, but in all my hurry I forgot that they all were ranked highly enough to be able to use the teleportation spell, so before I knew it one of them had teleported to behind me and then while holding onto me, forcefully teleported me with him.
When I regained myself after the sudden teleportation I quickly saw that I had been teleported into an unused classroom, well not entirely unused, the delinquents seemed to use it as their hangout, which explained that most of them, along with their leader, was in the room, the leader placed by the teachers desk.
"So, you are our new classmate" their leader said, most of her rather cute face covered by her dark red hair which ended in purple tips, "I had expected you to be more of a.. dark person, to be honest.. The rumors said that you looked like a demon with hair like flames" she said and stood, walking over to me and forcing me to stand by grabbing my arm and lifting me onto my feet, she then grabbed my chin and turned my head from side to side, like she was inspecting me.
"Nothing like the rumors" she said and let go of me turning to face her followers "who were it that told the rumors to me!?" she shouted, silence following.
"If its gonna be like that I'm just gonna punish all of you!" she shouted at them, making most of them jump a little on the spot. A weak looking guy raising his hand "i-it was me" he said, a flash appearing in the air, the guy collapsing onto the ground, wiggling around holding his hand to his chest "m-my finger!" he yelled, some of the others dragging him outside of the class.
"Now, that he have been taken care of lets get back to business" she said and turned to face me, "the reason you were brought here was because everyone is going on about how strong you are, defeating one of the most dangerous people in our generation, Jack" she stopped for a moment, before she laughed a bit "which if you ask me is some bull shit, Jack aren't so weak that he can be defeated by the likes of you, even the weakest guys of my group can defeat you with ease!" she said and pointed over at a guy sitting in the other end of the room with some other guys, "I usually use those guys to harass others since its all they are good for, because they are weak.. And just because the teacher says you are strong I won't fall for it, you properly bribed them all, didn't you?" she shouted the last part at me, grabbing my chin tightly.
"Why don't you see what I am capable of yourself then?" I said and shook my head free from her grip, "and if you think the weakest link of your group can defeat me, then maybe I should prove you wrong?" I said and allowed myself to grin a bit, the mana flowing in my body speeding up my thoughts.
-If I have to prove myself to this girl I must do it in a way that will impress her enough to leave me alone afterwards, I could try and use the power of Igneel again.. No, the toll from that spell is too hard on my body.. Maybe if I use some of the highly advanced spells I have learned from the spell books? .. No wait, I can't use those without a catalyst.. I got it! I can just use my mana! Why didn't I think of that in the first place- I thought and looked at her "Well? Don't you agree?" I said to her.
"You are bluffing, but if you are so eager to get beaten be my guest" she said and turned towards the small group "HEY! You guys, come over here!" she yelled and the small group, startled by her yelling hurried over, standing in front of her, bowing "what is it, boss Juliette?" one of them said, awaiting her order "This guy believes he can take on all of you five at once, prove him wrong and I might reward you guys" she said, the five guys looking at me, "you want us.. To beat up that weak looking guy?" he said and smirked "sure, anything for you boss" they all said, their boss, Juliette, sitting back at the teachers desk, waving her hand at the empty classroom, making all the tables move out of the way, forming a small arena of sorts.
"You can fight in there, I put a silencing barrier around that place so that people won't notice the fight, not unless they are Spotters that is.." She said.
"After you" one of the guys said to me, I ignored him but entered the arena first, followed by the five guys, "we hope you are ready, cause we haven't had any fun in a week so we hope you can satisfy us" one said as all of them took some basic stances used for magic combat.
I grinned a bit, feeling my mana build up "I'm ready.. Lets dance!" I said and took a stance too, leaving my whole upper body open, "I'm sorry if I end up harming you guys.. Its just, I can't hold back yet" I said, chuckling softly as they all fired some basic fireballs at my chest, which I on purpose had kept unguarded, at least to the naked eye, just in front of my chest I had created a thin reflection barrier, which reflected their fireballs in all directions.
"you got to do better than that if you want to hit me" I said and collected mana inside my palm as I studied each of the males carefully, two of them pulling out magic clubs, which basically just is a nightstick able to deal more serious damage when full of mana.
"you talk big when all you did was reflect our spells!" one of them said and charged at me with his magic club, aiming a harmful swing at my neck, which I, unable to follow his movement completely ended up taking to the shoulder when I tried to dodge, groaning a bit as the burning feeling of pain spread through my shoulder.
"see, that's better" I said and grinned a bit, knowing that he had given me a small fracture on the surface of the bone, "but you have to do it like this!" I said, filling the air around me with a large, dense amount of mana.
The sound of bones creaking under the pressure filling the room as the male collapsed at my feet, "this is how you defeat someone" I said and used some basic levitation magic to push the male out of the arena, "one down, four to go" I mumbled, the others not looking very disheartened at all, even though one of their friends just got knocked out by the pressure of highly dense mana.
"Don't mind him, that spell must use a lot of his mana.. He won't be able to beat us all if he keeps using that" one of them said, and it was true, using that move just once takes a whole fourth of my mana supplies, though I regenerate it faster than normal people it won't matter much if its in a battle.
Chapter 8
"Impressive move, is that what you used to take down Jack?" Juliette said from her seat, her eyes fixed on me.
"No, I used something far stronger on him" I said and looked at the remaining opponents, of which two had started chanting while the remaining three pulled out magic reinforced weapons, one a chain and the others nightsticks.
-this isn't going like I planned it- I thought to myself and concentrated, "now we got you in a pinch!" one them shouted and used a spell to wrap the chain around my legs, making me loose my balance and fall, while the two others charged at me, starting to hit my back with the nightsticks, I groaned in pain as they beat me over and over again with the nightsticks, not stopping even when they heard my shoulder blade and shoulders break.
"enough already" I muttered under my pain filled groans, knowing full well they couldn't hear me, their two friends casting strength enchanting spells on them which lasts as long as they chant, but also as a downside makes them loose most other senses beside their vision for as long as the spell is active.
I felt a growl grow in my throat, a familiar burning feeling growing in my chest, spreading out through my limbs, at first I thought it was the pain numbing spell I had used on myself to lessen the pain which was fading away, but no, this was different, it was a warm, soft feeling, like that when you hold a dog close to your chest.
That was when I realized what this feeling was, -are you there?- I said into my mind, expecting an immediate answer, but first getting one after a small moment -Yeah, I'm here, watching you getting beaten up because you were boasting, real mature of you, ha ha- the wolf's voice ringed in my mind -I guess you weren't a dream then?- I replied and this time got one back instantly -I though you would think that.. But I can't expect you to believe everything.. After all you are but a human- he said, following up with a -for now- and a soft chuckle.
-What do you mean?- I replied, ignoring the pain of getting beaten for a moment -What I mean is that you aren't human for much longer, soon you will have to undergo a change, willingly or not- the wolf said, the image of him appearing on the other side of the barrier around the arena, -and that change is coming soon, I bet you can already feel it? The burning sensation in your body? That is the change happening, it is changing you from the inside out, soon, very soon, you will be a being which once was a human- it said and glanced over at Juliette -and girl, I bet you that she will be very shocked when she sees your true form- he said.
I remained silent, not because I had nothing to say, but because the pain had gotten to me, mixed with the burning sensation of the change I was unable to hold back a mix of a scream and a howl, the sound I made making the guys beating me up, as well as those chanting stop to cover their ears, "what the hell!?" one of them shouted and kicked me in the stomach, which was a wrong move from his side, I grabbed his leg, my nails growing longer and digging through his skin, making him pull his leg back, my "claws" leaving long cuts along the leg "w-what the hell!" the male shouted as he stumbled backwards, having trouble standing on his wounded leg.
All of them were shocked, because they were the few who would witness my change, though I really wouldn't call it much of a change, as the burning spread to my whole body I screamed out in pain, my organs were all dissolving and reforming inside me, my blood left my body through my eyes and the pores in my skin, dying me blood red.
And my eyes, though they were getting a bit red from the blood that weren't anything compared to the big change about them, the pupils turned into those of a reptile, and their color turned to a light purple color, and my skin, underneath all the blood my skin got more pale than was before, almost white, and my teeth changed slightly, they got sharper, and my canines grew slightly longer, my ears grew longer too, and turned pointy, my tongue grew different too, its tip got slightly smaller, and more pointy, and I felt that it somehow grew longer despite not visibly grew.
The last change that happened was that a two small dark slits grew on my cheekbones, one on each side, just below the eyes, and I could feel something change down below the skin where they were too, and when the change stopped a storm of mana burst out of every inch of my body, drying the blood and shooting it off me, turning it into a fine red mist.
"f-fuck this, I'm out of here" one of the guys in the arena said, and as he fled the other three followed him leaving only Juliette behind as I was halfway through the "change"
"w-what is up with this guy!? H-he is gonna die if he keeps bleeding like that" she said to herself as she watched me, mesmerized by the even happening just before her, she walked closer, standing just outside the barrier, unable to look away, despite the pained sounds he made.
She even fell backwards when the mana storm came, shattering the barrier like it were a soap bubble getting filled with too much air, the floor of the whole room getting filled with the red mist, Juliette lying half awake on the floor, her consciousness fading slowly, the mana had been too much for her, the last she heard saw was my changed face, looking down at her, saying "I lost" to her before I disappeared into thin air, using the teleport spell to leave the class.
I appeared back in my own room, getting there unseen thanks to the teleportation spell, my body arching all over from the change, "t-that was painful" I mumbled and glanced around, making sure I was alone, well mostly alone, beside me were the spirit wolf from inside me.
"Don't be such a wuss, its only your entire anatomy changing from the inside out.. You will experience worse through you life.. I think" the wolf said as it walked over towards the door, taking a look out of it before it looked back at me, "to your luck you don't have any unexpected guests, which is great as you might need some time to put on an optical disguise so the humans won't notice that you aren't entirely like them anymore" it said and walked back at me.
"Care to tell me how to put on an optical disguise then? I don't think its something I have learned here in school.. And to be honest I never heard of something like that before, I have heard about optical illusions to trick people into thinking that you are someone else, but an optical disguise?" I said and looked at the wolf, feeling a little light headed as my body weren't fully adjusted to its new "parts"
"an optical disguise aren't a normal spell, its used to change how everything looks upon you, its very hard to track, and is usually used by ancient mages to look more.. Well young, and even monsters use it to look like humans.. but it got its limits of course, when a full moon is due all illusions created by the spell shall be lifted, revealing whatever is hidden beneath.. That and uses mana constantly, but with your increased mana regeneration it will go up smoothly, you will just regenerate mana slower, that's all" the wolf said.
"So.. Its like a shell around your body which looks different than what is beneath?" I asked, the wolf nodding and chuckling softly, "something like that, and the best thing is that it can't be removed easily without permission.. But if someone knows your true form they can, if they discover how, remove the disguise quite easily, so be careful around that delinquent girl.. Ok?" the wolf said before it started to fade, "now.. Let me explain how to put on your disguise before I disappear, all you have to do is focus on the shape, and add some mana, that should do the trick.. Now, I have been out here for long enough, if you want me anything just send a thought down to me" it said before it disappeared completely back into my mind, leaving me alone in my room once more.
I stood there for a moment, trying to comprehend what was going on once more, so I turned time back a tad, to around the tournament.
"Lets see.. It started out with the tournament, gaining the mark of Igneel.. Then afterwards I fainted and was out cold for some time, when I finally wake up I soon fall asleep and first wake up today.. Then THIS happens..." I said to myself and sighed softly, "what the hell happened while I was out cold.. And what am I now..? A spirit? A human? A thing in between?" I mumbled as I walked over to the mirror, taking a closer look at the changes.
My hair was still its usual silver color, but I'm not sure if it was because of the blood or the change, but the roots of my hair was a silvery red. My eyes had turned to a crystal clear purple which seemed to be glowing very weakly, the thin lines under my eyes just looking like some sort of tattoos, my ears had gotten pointy, like those of an elf, just slightly shorter, and the same went for my teeth, sharp, but short enough not to be a bother, and it seemed that my canines were producing some kind of thin, very light blue liquid when I bit down, hopefully not dangerous.
I took off my clothes to examine eventual changes anywhere else, "I need a bath anyways" I said to myself as I did a few turn in front of the mirror, my body thinner than before, but not an unhealthy kind of thin, more like a muscular thin, and slightly curved, like I had become a bit more feminine than before, not that I needed it, were girly enough as it already was, and if I got any more feminine I bet that I would resemble Claire.. Which reminded me, where was Claire? I hadn't seen her around doing some odd job like usual, in fact, I hadn't even felt her presence anywhere near me recently.
"Hey! Wolf.. Have you noticed where Claire have been?" I said deep inside my mind, awaiting a reply while I headed into the bathroom, taking a final glance at the mirror, noticing something smooth looking at my lower back just before I entered the bathroom.
"Hmm, now that you say it she disappeared a few days ago after leaving a message.. Something about.. Asking someone she knows about something, I dunno" the wolf said, not saying anything further.
And I didn't ask again, knowing that the wolf told the truth, that's the kind of relationship I had with it now, I can feel what it feels and that goes the other way too, its like I'm the host for a parasite which gives nothing in return for living inside me, well nothing except all of my current state.
While the bath filled with water I spent some time feeling over my skin, it were smooth, like silk, yet it had a certain roughness to it which I found rather strange for some reason, and when I got to my lower back I felt something as smooth as the rest of my body, without any hidden roughness, but instead it felt like many tiny scales, which seemed to slowly spread across my back, so far it were still only a small spot on my back, but if I knew my "luck" right I only have to wait for a few days before it have spread a lot all over my back, and maybe the rest of my body.
"This is tiring.." I mumbled to myself, slipping down into the bathtub, closing my eyes slowly, trying not to think about anything but relaxing, and before I knew of it I had slipped into a deep sleep, waking up with a loud sneeze quite a bit later, the water had turned cold quite a bit ago.
"Just my luck" I mumbled and got out of the bath, starting to dry myself off, standing in front of the mirror, concentrating deeply, trying to figure out exactly how I had been looking before the transformation, "Hmmmm, this is.. hard" I mumbled to myself, concentrating for quite a bit before I got an image I was content with, having to use a simple spell to look into my memories in order to get said image.
"Okay.. Here we go!" I said and opened my eyes, starting to fuel the image with my mana, feeling how it went through the image and started to spread over my body, it felt like growing a new layer of skin, a tingling numbness lingering all over my body for a few moments while I adjusted to the new "skin" covering my body.
"Looks like a success" I said to myself and took a quick look at the watch, my eyes going wide for a moment, seeing that I had been sleeping in the bath for longer than expected, it were almost time for class to start.
I got dressed as fast as I could before I ran out of my room, and down the hall, for a moment forgetting that I just can teleport to the classroom, so I focused a bit and cast the spell, quickly finding myself outside the class door, taking a deep breath before opening it -let me be here before the teacher!- I wished inside my mind, getting a amused chuckle from the wolf before I entered, my gaze aimed at the teachers desk, which to my luck was empty.
I sighed in relief and hurried to my seat, ignoring the stares from the delinquents in the back of the class, as well as the whispering which I didn't have any trouble to hear thanks to my new ears.
"I can hear you" I mumbled to myself and looked at the door, hearing someone talking outside, one of the voices was the teachers and the others belonged to a familiar female, but I weren't able to pinpoint who it were at the moment, all I heard was the teacher saying "I will deliver it for you then" followed by the female saying "okay, thank you very much" then there was silence, followed by footsteps.
Then the door to the class shot open, the teacher walking in with a slightly annoyed look on his face, seems whatever the female asked him to do for her, he didn't like it.
"Listen up class, I have had complaints about someone using the locked off classroom down the hall for unauthorized activities, and since the people behind it have been warned several times without stopping those activities, the headmaster have agreed that the classroom will be sealed off properly until a time where it will be needed. So just so none of you try and teleport into the room and end up getting hurt by the barrier or something I am warning you" He said, a deep sigh coming from Juliette, which he simply ignored, as the message was to her and her followers.
"Now that that is out of the way, there will be a small test in a few days, its nothing big so most of you won't fear a thing, but for those weak and chanting a spell you might consider practicing a bit, because half of the test depends on your abilities to chant complicated spells in the shortest amount of time possible.. And before any of you ask this test is NOT optional, if any of you skip I will deliver harsh punishment, no matter rank or social standings" he said and slammed a fist into the desk, as if he expected some of the students to skip.
"I will give all of you the time after this lesson to start preparing for the test. It will happen in no less than three days at noon, remember it" he quickly added, then he started the lesson, starting to talk about dark beings and how some wizards use them as a source of power.
I could feel the eyes of Juliette on my back through the whole lesson, trying my best to ignore it until the end, really wanting to say -take a picture, it lasts longer- but I held back and instead thought for a bit, thinking about what to name the wolf living inside me, -hey.. Are you a male wolf, or a female wolf?- I asked in my mind, getting a chuckle from it -Male of course, two souls of different gender can't exist in one body without some consequences- he replied -Then you name will be Noa, I can't go around and call you "you" all the time right?- and with that I returned my focus to the lesson. Chapter 9
When lessons ended I pulled out a book and started reading, not noticing that someone were standing just behind me, looking over my shoulder a female voice whispering into my ear "well look who dared showing himself after what happened yesterday" I jumped a bit in my seat and turned around, expecting Juliette and her whole gang, but to my surprise we were the only left in the class.
"Can I help you?" I mumbled, letting a bit of annoyance into my voice, looking at her for a bit before I folded the corner of the page I was on, putting the book down. "Well?" I said and looked at her again, not expecting her to smile, "you are still as brave as yesterday, despite.. Whatever.. Happened to you.." she said, a tint of fear in her eyes.
"I don't hope you want answers from me, cause they will be short and incorrect" I said and looked away, this only seemed to pique her interest, so she leaned closer, her long hair touching my chest, "come on~ you can tell me, I won't tell a soul"
"Do you think I am dumb!?" I said loudly and stood, looking down at her, no, more like glaring down at her, "I should forcefully erase your memories, but I am not cruel, and I know of the horrible side effects it leaves, so I will just ask you.. Forget everything you saw yesterday" I felt a faint growl grow in my throat, she were starting to shake a bit, looking up at me, the fear in her eyes growing a bit, that was when I realized that she weren't as much a hardcore delinquent as I had first thought her to be, she were a fragile young lady who were like any other girl.
"sorry.. I didn't mean to snap like that.. Its just.. Its none of your business" I said and grabbed my book before I walked away, exiting the classroom and closing the door after me, hearing a bit of sniffling from inside, "I must have scared her quite a bit.." I said to myself and started walking down the hallway, reading in my book.
When I reached the exit which led outside I turned around, and headed back, having a small, case of fear of the sun, which I have had since my childhood as a result of being locked out of the house for a whole day on the hottest day of the year, which since then resulted in me avoiding the sun at any chance I had.
When I passed by the classroom I quietly put my ear against the door, trying to hear if anyone was inside, but I weren't able to hear anything that could reveal anyone inside, so I opened the door and walked inside, taking a quick look around, noticing that there WAS someone inside, at her seat in the back were Juliette, apparently sleeping, a rather cute look on her usually angry face, almost making my heart skip a beat, but only almost.
"well seems that I'm not the only who likes peace and quiet" I mumbled and cast a quick spell, making a blanket appear, slipping over her back and keeping her warm in the slightly cold room, "an apology from my outburst from earlier" I said to myself and smiled a bit before I sat at my seat and continued reading, hearing a soft muttering from Juliette, who kept sleeping after stirring a bit in her sleep. -got to be quiet, got to be quiet- I repeated inside my head to myself, hearing a chuckle from Noa which I simply ignored while I kept reading in my book about basic to advanced spell casting.
After a while I heard people approaching from the hallway, taking a look out of the window, softly mumbling "looks like its time for afternoon classes" to myself, snapping my fingers loudly, the blanket on Juliette disappearing in a loud popping sound, making her jolt awake, nearly screaming out in shock as she jumped up from her seat, yelling "What the hell!" while looking around for a bit, spotting me down at my seat, reading, with a soft smile on my lips.
"Did you wake me!?" she said to me with a slightly annoyed voice that also seemed slightly embarrassed, not that I was able to see if she was blushing or anything, my back is turned against her after all, "I did, so what? The class is about to start and I though you didn't want everyone to see you drool in your sleep" I said with an amused chuckle before talking again "didn't get enough sleep or something? You have been sleeping for a very long time, three hours at least, the entire break I think"
From the sound of her voice it was clear that she was embarrassed "r-really? Did I drool?" she said, the sound of fabric rubbing against skin sounding for a moment followed by a quiet sigh "you liar! Saying that I was drooling in my sleep" after she said this I looked at her and grinned a bit, chuckling softly "got you there, I didn't think you would fall for it"
She softly taps her foot against her table leg, sitting down "hey.. I want to talk to you when classes are over, if you are okay with that?" she said, I simply nodded "the classroom from last time should be fine for that talk" I said and winked at her before I turned, people opening the door and entering, filling the whole room with noise so I didn't get to hear her reply as my ears quickly shut out all noise around me, only allowing the teachers words through, "as I said before the unused classroom will be sealed soon, so if anyone in here have left anything there on their small "trips" there I urge them to hurry and collect them before the sealing happens, or you wont get a chance to retrieve them for a long time"
After the announcement he started the lesson.
"In the last few years studies have shown that the use of illegal spells, many under the category "necromancy", have been increasing in a worrying rate, since last year the amount of cases involving just necromancy since the year before that have increased with a whole five percent, and since then it have risen with another ten percent, which is disturbing as necromancy uses the users life as fuel instead of mana, only to increase the power of the users spells slightly. More recent studies also show that the amount of a certain type of monsters have increased strongly around this town, most likely caused by the increase of dark magic being used by the illegal mages.. Can anyone tell me what kind of monsters I am talking about?" he asked and looked around for a bit, only a few raising their hands, but he chose to ask Juliette, who seemed nothing but happy to answer "Its lycans right?" she said and sat down, silence following.
"That's right, there have been a large increase in the amount of lycans being spotted in the dark forests around the town, and to be true its not only around this town, its around every large town with a dark forest near it, but the increase have been worst here. Many merchants have to hire more expensive bodyguard mages in order to protect them under their long travels as most of the travel routes pass near the forests, this results in less merchants and travelers visiting the town, can anyone explain why this is bad for the town?" he asked, this time picking me.
"That's because if less and less travelers and merchants visit our town we will loose one of our biggest incomes in the town, thus we will have to halt many projects, many poor people will die of starvation as no one have enough money to hire them for manual labor. Of course this problem isn't easy to fix as it would require several mages of the ranks 10 and up to enter the forest and exterminate the lycans once and for all, and even after that we will encounter even greater problems such as the eco system going out of balance due to a whole species inhabiting the area disappearing. Another more sparing solution would be to place large barriers around the forests, but due to the resources and manpower needed to put up such a contraption around such a large area it would only result in an even larger loss for us in the long run"
The class went quiet for a bit, but after a small while the teacher clapped his hands "great! Finally a student with a working brain, and what you said is true enough, we can't hunt down the species nor set up a barrier because both are either too dangerous or too expensive, how much diaoxinem dust do any of you think it would require to create a barrier large and powerful enough to cover the whole dark forest?"
Once again class goes quiet, until the teacher speaks once more, "it will take around three tons of the purest dust you can get your hands on, and that will cost more than it have building this whole town plus its income in five whole years, and that is because of the rarity of the stuff!" he said out loud.
Then the class went on for quite a while where he told about the history of diaoxinem, I found it boring so I chose to read secretly in my book, about half way through it when the lesson ended, most of the students yawning loudly, a few even shouting "FINALLY!" out loud, without even waiting for the teacher to leave the class, he just grunted at their shouting and left the class faster than you could clap your hands.
Most of the other students disappearing just as fast, but before everyone else, just after the teacher, I left the class, walking towards the about to be sealed classroom to have a talk with Juliette, knowing that it most likely will be about what she saw the day before.
When I entered the class it was empty, and I liked it like that, so I pulled out a spell book and found a basic barrier that could change the perspective of those walking through it for a certain amount of time, so I used it to make a barrier that makes people forget that the classroom exists for ten minutes, putting an exception for Juliette in the barrier so she won't be affected.
I then started to wait, but before I noticed I had fallen asleep in the corner of the class, the day had been tiring even if the sun still had to set.
I woke because of Noa howling inside my head -what the hell!?- I shouted in my head at him, shaking my head for a bit before noticing Juliette sitting in the other end of the room, looking at me, "how long have you been there?" I said, sending a quick mental -thanks- to Noa before I stood.
"Not for long.. I had some business to take care of before coming here.. So I've only been here for around ten minutes or so, and I must confess, I was about to wake you, but you have such a cute sleeping face" she said and giggled, a teasing smile on her lips.
"Thanks.. I guess.. Now. What did you want to talk to be about? Making me wait and all" I said and walked closer, using a spell to lighten the room up enough to chase away the shadows filling the room, "oh, well its nothing big.. I was just wondering.." she said quietly and looked at me with investigating eyes, using a deeply serious voice as she says "are you human?"
Her question takes me off guard for a moment, the disguise wavering for a bit, but not revealing anything to her "what do you mean by that? Don't I look human to you?" I said, trying to sound as insulted as I could, failing hard at it.
"Your not tricking me, yesterday you clearly didn't look human, but after that blast I can't remember much" she said and closed her eyes, silence falling over us for some time before she opens her eyes "that's it!" she shouted, pointing a finger at me, "you turned into something, you are clearly not a human! I saw you, I remember now!" her words tore at the edges of my disguise, "shit!" I mumbled and turned around, the disguise at my face slowly crumbling off, the shards hitting the floor soundlessly and disappearing into nothingness.
"Just because one doesn't look human it doesn't mean he isn't one" I said, the disguise holding on for now, "that might be true, but I'm positive that your body isn't anything near a humans anymore!" she walked closer to me, her presence working as a dispelling charm on my disguise, turning it into nothing as she got closer, my body got more slim before her eyes, my ears longer and pointy, and the roots of my hair turned red, and my front, which she was unable to see had changed too.
My eyes had turned reptilian once more, my teeth sharp, and now that I felt after I could feel that my tongue was more slim now than before, my skin became paler, more soft, the lines under my eyes appearing.
I growled softly as my vocal cord changed back to its real tone, a soft, caring tone. The color of my eyes changing as the last thing, I fell to my knees as my balance changed as I transformed.
"I knew it!" I heard Julianne almost yell, growling a bit "hey! Be careful, your yelling sounds ten times louder with these ears!" I replied and stood, a soft sound of surprise coming from her as she looked at my ears, my back still turned against her. "If that much surprises you I would love to see how you react to this" I said as I turned around, looking straight into her eyes "this is who I am, John Ikr'Niea in all his being, flesh and blood, and before you ask.. No, I'm not a monster, nor a Lycan, nor a strange demon of any kind.. I am.. Was, human until not so long ago" I said as I observed her face, which to be mild was horrified.
"M-Monster.. Demon nor Lycan! What the hell are you if you are none of those, you are clearly not human" she yelled at me, I kept quiet, glaring at her for a bit, until she was unable to take it anymore and looked away, "are you done now?" I asked, only getting a short nod in response.
"Good, not listen, and listen well, I will only explain this once, first of all, I was a.. abnormal human who was completely unable to use magic just until recently, but that only have little to do with my current state, which is the fault of my lover.. A young woman.. No wait, I meant spirit.. And before you say that you don't believe it.. Look at me!" I yelled the last part "I made love with a being of another world, and now I am turning into some kind of HYBRID of the species of the two worlds, I am currently a fifty, fifty mix of both species, and the spirit part is growing" I said as I raised my shirt a bit while turning around, a smooth spot of scales, even finer than the ones currently covering my skin, their texture the same as skin, and they are so small they look like skin when light isn't shining on them.
"This "smooth" spot is the sign that I am turning more into a spirit, that spot is just the warning signals, I can feel it growing inside me, but I don't care, because even if I have to die for it I will stay with the woman I love!" I growled a bit, my head hurting from all my talking without taking breaks to breathe, "and now.. Now you must swear" I said as I looked at her, "to never reveal my secret to anyone.. I beg of you"
I watched her for a while, her face frozen in a mix of fear and confusion, "a-and if I do not swear to keep your secret?" she asked after a short while, her eyes full of fear.
"Then.. I'm afraid I will have to forcefully erase your memories.. And it would pain me to do that, you do know what side effects these forbidden spells have, don't you?" I said in a calm voice, for a moment feeling insecurity from Noa inside me.
-Be quick, we are gonna have company soon- I heard Noa say, quickly hearing the sound of footsteps approaching the class, "Hurry!" I growled quietly "we don't have much time" I added in a calm voice, unable to put my disguise on for reasons I didn't yet know of.
"Okay, Okay!" she said, "I swear upon my life that I will keep your secret, is that fine? Can we leave before we get caught in here!? I can't get caught doing anything again, or I will get detention for a week!" She quickly said, I nodded, a small magic circle appearing in the air between us, "with this the oath is sealed, if you break your promise.. May the spirits have mercy on your soul" I said, as if I had known the incarnation for this spell my whole life.
A golden bracelet woven of mana appeared around each of our wrists, a single silver bead woven into it, "this is the proof of the oath, when you look upon it you will forever remember this oath" I said, the magic circle disappearing, the bracelets too "when you look upon your wrist you will be able to see the "sign of the oath" look at it if you ever feel tempted to reveal my secret" I quickly said, taking a breath before adding "now lets scam!"
We barely managed to use teleportation spells to escape the room as the door was opened, properly by the ones who had to seal the room off, but close none the less.
As I appeared in my room I saw Claire sitting on my bed, my disguise still not on, so she looked a bit surprised "John.. Is that you?" She said, looking closely at me for a moment before she smiled widely, "it is you!" she almost yelled as she jumped at me, embracing me tightly, quietly whispering "I have missed you my love" into my ear as I softly put my arms around her, holding her tightly "I have missed you too, my love" I whispered back, kissing her forehead softly.
"I.. I didn't wish for this to happen to you, but it seems.. That your body is very adaptable to that of a spirits.. So now" she looks away, a sad look on her face "you will soon turn into something.. Neither spirit, nor human.. At first when I heard about these.. Changes, I thought you were becoming my kin, but now that I have seen you, I can see that the mana of your spirit side is strong.. Its slowly eating away both your human.. And spirit flesh" she said softly, looking into my eyes.
My face must have been looking horrible at the time, I guess it was a mix of fear, sadness and confusion, "are.. Are you saying I will die? Is that it?" I asked her, taking a step back, my legs getting weak, so I reached out for a chair and sat down, "no, that isn't it my love, you are not going to die, you are just.. Not a part of any of the worlds anymore.. Soon your magic will make a large jump in power.. Properly way stronger than the one I felt recently when.. This.. Most likely happened to you" she said and walked over to me, putting a hand on my shoulder.
"Do not fear my love, I will try and at least let you keep your human shape permanently.. Or at least as much of it as I can manage to alter" she said softly, and I liked the idea of at least looking human again, "if you can do so.. It would please me a lot my love" I said and stood up, giving her a quick kiss, "tell me when you are ready to try and give me my human shape back.. I.. need to go think for a bit" I said softly and smiled at her, my love for her remaining unchanged, but I still had a lot to think about.
And with that I left the room, not waiting for her reply as I rapidly used my teleportation spell to get as far away from the school as I could, soon finding myself on a small ledge on a mountain, the mana in the air fresh, and untouched by humans, it gave me a strange sense of security being out here, in the wilderness, surrounded by wild beasts and Lycans as well as demons and sprites alike, and as I stood there, the tallest point around here beside the mountains peak, dimly lit by the early night moon, I felt something growing in my throat, it slowly made its way up my throat, rumbling like a storm on the way up, I aimed my face towards the sky, and let out a loud animalistic roar, which made the ground around me shake slightly, lights turning on in several buildings in the nearby towns and villages, people with torches running around in the streets which looked so small from all the way up here.
After the rumbling from the roar calmed down I felt relieved, as if all my frustration had been flushed out of my body with that single roar, but at the same time I felt sick, the mana in the air reacting strangely to my roar, the corrosion of the mana in my body slowing down, not a lot, but I felt it calm down, as if the mana in the nature had a calming effect on it, and it seemed that the transformation didn't like it, thus making me nauseous.
It was around then my ears started ringing, the sounds and smells of the forest confusing my other senses, "what am I doing.." I said to myself, sighing softly, my senses so confused I didn't even spot the incoming threats.
When I noticed it was too late, something had tackled me, knocking me down of the ledge, leaving me to roll down the rough and dangerous mountain side, over sharp rocks and long falls, leaving me covered in cuts and bruises as my fall is stopped by another, larger ledge.
And when I looked up I saw around me, several Lycans of many common, and uncommon kinds, two wolfs, a cat, three dogs, six birds and a snake, which is very rare. All of them pointing their attention at me, "what is this.. More prey?" one of the wolf lycans said while looking at the others, a bird lycan landing with the others "I just hope he tastes better than the last few" said the snake lycan, flicking its tongue through the air, "this smell is unknown to me.. You think this is the one that roared earlier?" it added, looking at the others, before a laugher breaks out, "stop being silly, this one is too small to be able to roar that loudly" two of the bird lycans said at the exact same time.
While they talked I managed to get on my feet, the sudden shock from getting pushed off the mountain had made my blood boil, the corrosion of the mana speeding up as a result, making me grit my teeth, "shut up guys! Look, now while we have talked the prey have had time to regain its strength..!" one of the wolf lycans said, looking over at me, its face showing some repulsion, "errr, what the hell is it even.." the wolf said and looked at the bird that had landed after me, "it looked human from the sky when I attacked it, thought, maybe elf? Since humans are rare in our part of the forest" the bird said, all of them looking at me.
I took the time they wasted on talking to crack several sore joints, the cuts and bruises on the most of my body already healed by the spreading corrosion, my nails starting to grow slightly longer, and sharper, "damn it, not now" I mumbled to myself, feeling Noa getting restless inside me, his restlessness affecting me, making me carve action, a fight, the taste of blood, the corpses of my foes at my feet.
"Uhh, guys, I think something is wrong here.. I am getting a bad feeling" the cat lycan said, and just like the cat, I too got a bad feeling, a feeling that I was about to loose myself, and just as the feeling reached me I notices that Noa was gone, I could no longer feel him inside my mind, he had simply disappeared, and as he disappeared I felt like several chains that had been holding me down for a long time disappeared.
The corrosion stopped, before it had been busy spreading to my legs, but now it had just stopped, but even if it had stopped I felt like it weren't done, I could feel that it was just waiting.. For the perfect moment to corrode all of my body in one go, a time where my mind would be weak, broken, unable to fight back.
"Lets kill the prey!" one of the lycans yelled, starting a chain reaction between all of them, making all the bird lycans seek to higher ground, where they started to search for rocks they could throw at me, the other lycans all jumped at me at the same time, almost leaving me no chance to react, but their error was warning me about the attack, that in itself was enough to give me time to react.
"Igneel I seek upon your power!" I shouted, feeling the fires of Igneel run through my body, allowing me to manipulate it for just a moment, and a moment was all that I needed, in that moment I sent out all of the divine flames from my feet, launching me out from the incoming attack, high enough that I just barely escaped them.
"GET HIM!" several of the bird yelled, starting to throw small, and moderate sized stones at me, their aim good, and their throw strong, if I had been a human I would have been unable to see them at all, but now I was able to see where they would come from, and thus I dodged those I could, getting hit by a few, but that was better than getting severely injured by the large amount of rocks they threw at me.
"For fucks sake, kill him already!" the snake yelled at the others as they readied themselves for another attack, trying another approach this time.
The largest of the wolf lycans charged at me alone, -they most likely think that going at me one at a time will tire me down, and that would be true if it weren't for one thing,- I thought to myself, mana collecting in my palm, "frost spear" I shouted as I swung my palm towards the lycans stomach, the mana taking shape as a spear of ice, which launched from my palm, and straight into the beasts stomach, but it didn't go deep, it was stopped by the though muscle fibers that the lycans was feared for, beside their unique senses and animalistic instincts.
"Magic won't save your sorry hide!" The wolf growled as it swung its big paws down at me, giving me some deep cuts down my chest, if I had been just two inches closer my life could have ended right there.
I fell to my knees, blood gushing out of my wounds, "see, magic did you no good" the lycan said and licked my blood of its claws, watching it do so made the pain of the wounds get dulled by a growing rage, I slowly stood, the same feeling as when I roared earlier showing up inside me, accompanied by the rage it ignited a whole new feeling inside me, "still able to stand? That's impressive considering...!" I cut the wolf off by leaping at it, grabbing its throat tightly with one hand, punching it in the side of its head with the other, a choked whine filling the air as the wolf lost consciousness.
"Holy shit!" one of them shouted as his comrade was taken down in front of it before they had time to react.
I growled loudly, baring my sharp teeth at the other lycans, "slaughter.. You all" I said and glared down at the wolf under me, swiftly biting down on its neck, breaking its windpipe with ease, ending its life in cold blood.
"H-He killed him!" one of them said, another one trying to pull me away from the corpse, I turned and bit the one touching me in the arm, the liquid my teeth expels being pumped into its bloodstream, as I let go I watched as the lycan fell into cramps, soon unable to move at all as its whole body would stiffen until it died.
"R-Run!" the birds all yelled at each other and started to fly away, leaving me with the last wolf, the cat, the two last dogs and the snake, whom all were unable to flee without jumping off the ledge.
"I'm.. gonna.. Kill you all!" I growled, my mind being controlled by the instincts inserted by the corrosion, right now I was in a mental state of recovery, in reality I fainted back when the wolf wounded me, but I allowed the mana in my body to take over temporarily, my strong will keeping it from changing the last of my body into whatever it had in store for me.
Dream sequence
found myself sitting by the foot of a great ancient tree in the middle of the dark forest, around me were several beasts, most of them not looking like anything I ever had seen before, others looking a lot like common animals you would see by walking around the city edge.
By my side were a big wolf, whom I recognized in an instant, -Noa- my voice echoed in the surroundings, Noa merely looking at me for a bit, giving me a soft nod, a quiet wind blowing through the trees, the peace getting broken by the sound of someone approaching.
I stood and looked in the direction of the sound, not expecting to see a young looking girl, wearing a black dress which stopped but mere inches below her hips, she had short dark purplish hair which seemed to shimmer in the glow of the evening sun, her eyes were a clear crystal purple, just like mine, and she had a strange air of confidence and maturity over her, even though she looked like she at least were five years younger than me.
I stared at her as she approached, her confidence shrinking with each step she got closer, a shy blush growing on her cheeks, making her look adorable.
"Who are you?" I asked the girl, who were shyly looking away, a small moment passed while she seemingly tried to say something but ended up biting her own tongue in the attempt, whimpering a bit as she covered her mouth "owww~" she said through her hands, looking at me with teary eyes.
I had a hard time holding back a chuckle and softly put a hand on the small girls head, "are you lost?" I asked and smiled at her, she just shook her head shyly and looked down at her feet.
"What is your name little girl?" I asked softly, not expecting a glare and a small pout as she said in an slightly offended tone "I'm not a little girl! I'm almost 20!" Taken aback by her sudden triumph over her shyness I chuckled softly, "sorry, sorry, my bad, you just look so cute that I thought you were younger" I said softly, the girls shyness quickly returning, "I-its okay.. I guess" she mumbled softly, "I-I am Sakura" she said softly, her cuteness making my heart skip a beat.
"Nice to meet you, I am-" I said, getting cut of by her saying "John, right?" in what seemed like a whisper, "I must be popular if a girl like you know of me.. Though I'm pretty sure this is just a dream and I will wake up feeling disappointed" I said and chuckled softly, once more putting my hand on her head.
She smiled faintly and took a step back, looking at me with a pair of silver eyes that reminded me of the moon, "John, you are a unique, gentle person.. Even compared to many spirits.. But! Inside you there is a slumbering evil, it will haunt you, make you do evil things, even ignite the fires of rage in your soul when you least expect it.. But you have a special someone who helps you overcome this evil, she is the one who made you who you are, and the one who loves you despite it.. And I came here to you, to warn you John.. Someone is out to hurt her, hurry, go back and guard her, or the evil will get you, consume you, and truly turn you into a monster!" the said, suddenly looking more mature, despite her childish body.
"I warn you, if she dies, you will fall into the hands of the evil, and there is little chance that you will ever escape it again.. I Sakura, descendant of the god who favors you, Igneel, will be your advisor, do you ever wish to know anything, ask me and I will share my knowledge with you.. You will always find me in your dreams" She said, the dream world starting to get fuzzy.
"Wait! Did you say Igneel!?" I said, slowly turning to look at Noa "and why can't I no longer feel your presence inside my mind, where have you gone my friend?" I asked the wolf, who looked away, "I am you now, John, the corrosion.. It linked us in a way that makes us one.. I am now a part of your soul.. And will forever be there" he said as he walked away, "this.. Might be the last time you see me.. Take care, don't get killed" Noa said before he vanished behind a tree, the dream world starting to fall apart, as well was my will, Noa was no longer there, will I ever see him again?
"Focus you moron!" Sakura yelled, making my attention turn towards her, snapping out of whatever I was thinking, as she had stripped completely naked, her body pale, like mine had been, and her curves bigger than what I thought to begin with, kind of attractive, "GAH! You know you can get my attention else wise! You don't have to be nude to make a man focus" I said and looked a bit away, Sakura sitting in front of me, "sorry, but you were about to loose your will for a second there.. And we can't have that happening, you have to stay.. Whatever you are.. For now, or the future will change once again" she said softly, covering her upper body by wrapping a piece of cloth around it.
"Now John.. You will have to wake up"