Davi knew something was going to go wrong before he touched the app. Something always had to go wrong after all…
Still, the last thing he expected when he opened the box on Olivia's phone was to be transported to a dungeon, yet that's exactly what happened.
Or at least, he assumed it was a dungeon.
As soon as his finger touched the app, there was a blinding flash, one that hurt his eyes, and then, in an instant, Davi felt a wave of heat slam into him. A few moments ago, he had been standing out in the icy forest with Olivia, but now he was somewhere else.
It reminded him of his vault, but everything was bright and white instead of an inky void of darkness. Rather than floating through empty space, Davi felt white-hot fire swirl around him, the flames holding him up. The white void stretched on for seemingly forever, going on and on in a never-ending stretch, and within the white, brightly colored lights swirled around. They were all different colors and shades. Some were dull, and others were so bright they caused Davi to squint and let out a gasp.
The colors all circled one another, twisting together and forming into what looked almost like a strand of DNA. There were eight more of those strands, made up of every color of the rainbow, and they all stretched out, white fire gushing out of them, which in turn was wrapped around Davi.
He was trapped. Completely held in place by the grasp of the colors. Past the flames and to the other end of the DNA strands was the thing they were all connected to. It was hard to see since it was white and blended in with the white void it floated in, but it had this aura of power that caused Davi to take note of it, and the thing pulsed with various colors as the strands all connected to it.
It looked almost like a ball, being round and fat, and it was made out of pure energy. All the white fire in the void came from this thing; in fact, the entire infinite void existed just to hold this object. The millions of colors were being controlled and turned into strange tentacle-like arms for this thing, allowing it to grasp anyone that appeared before it.
Davi didn't know how he knew, but he was sure that this thing was a Core. The Magic Core that powered the app and connected everyone together. It was different from his own Core, which he had seen once while floating through his vault.
Davi struggled and winced as he tried to fight against the strands that were wrapped tightly around them, but even after forcing mana through his muscles and bones to strengthen them, he couldn't get the hold on him to break. He was being pulled in, dragged through the empty space, and toward the massive Core.
Davi reached the Core, and instantly he felt a wave of pain as the mana of the Core forced its way past his flesh. He gasped, and his body burned. It felt like every cell was on fire, and his head was going to split open. Then he heard a voice, one that was loud and booming, and shook the void itself.
"Davi Hawker, son of Orion Hawker, son of Titania Midsummer, child of the Abyss, I accept you. I embrace you."
Then, instantly, Davi found himself sucking in air, and his butt felt wet as he collapsed into a pile of snow.
"Davi?"
He looked up and found Olivia staring down at him, with a worried expression on her face. The void was gone. He was back in the real world. His body no longer hurt, and he felt fine. The memories wouldn't leave him anytime soon. Whatever that was, it had totally sucked…
"Are you okay?" Olivia asked, holding her hand out to him.
Davi took the offered hand and stood up on shaking legs, still clutching her phone. "I heard a voice." He breathed out. "It said my mom and dad's name?"
Olivia nodded and folded her arms as she leaned against the carriage Davi had summoned earlier. "I guess I should have warned you of that fact. The same thing happened to me the first time I opened the app, back when I was eight. 'Mary Lot, daughter of Arthur Roads, daughter of Olivia Lot, child of the Red Star, I accept you. I embrace you."
"Child of the Red Star?" Davi raised an eyebrow.
"It says the name of your core. I guess that's what mine is called." Olivia shrugged. "Never really thought about it too much. But yeah, that thing you saw was the magic Core of the king! Thanks to his Circuit magic, he embraces other people's Core, which is how he connects the grimoire app to each person. The first time you open the app up, that happens since it needs to set the Circuit spell up. That won't happen anymore, though, so you should be good. I forgot it was your first time; sorry for not warning you."
Davi glanced down at the phone screen and saw that the app was now open. Just like with Olivia's, it had gone to a black page that had four boxes for him to click on, as well as the market in the top right. He even saw his name and age up top, Davi Orion Hawker, age twenty, along with his balance, which was listed at zero since he didn't have a bank account for the app to connect to.
Having gone this far, he supposed there was nothing left to lose. Casually, Davi clicked on the list labeled as Stats, opening up the box, which caused the screen to change. "I thought you said the lowest something could be was D?" Davi questioned as he looked down at his list of Stats.
His Mana was grade C, Endurance was grade B+, Strength was A+, Efficiency was grade D-, and lastly, Resistance was graded as E1.
Olivia rubbed her neck, seemingly just as baffled as Davi was. She had expected his stats to be higher. At least one or two in the S grade ranking. His highest was Strength, which was good, but his Stats were shockingly low for an Arcane Knight. Not to mention his Resistance, which just confused her more.
"Well, technically, grade D is the lowest something can be and still work." She explained slowly, trying to figure out how best to word it. "Like, someone with really, really, really bad Endurance would be graded as a D-. Grade E is usually reserved for schools of magic, and it means that the grade is so low it can't be improved at all. Like if you had an E in Destruction, it means no matter what you do, you'll never be able to use Destruction magic. I've never seen a stat have an E grade in it before. Also, yours has a number? E1? Not minus or plus? That's kind of weird."
The more she thought about it, the more it didn't seem to add up. Having a stat that was graded as E would mean that it was so bad it went beyond the category of being the worst. Resistance determined how long a person could survive in a dungeon before they began to get mutated. Having a D in Resistance basically made it impossible to be an Arcane Knight. How had Davi been running around, not showing any signs of Mutation with an E? His Resistance just wouldn't be bad; it would be nonexistent.
As usual, Davi was weird.
Davi shrugged and moved on. He casually closed the box and opened the one listed as Core. His Shadow Core popped up, along with all the schools of magic and his grade in each of them.
Shadow Core was grade A, Alteration was grade A, Destruction was grade E, Enchantment was grade E1, Conjuration was grade A, Illusion was grade C, and Restoration was grade E.
"You have so many Es!"
"Is that good?" Davi asked, tilting his head to the side.
"No! It's actually really bad." Olivia sighed and shook her head. How was Davi so strong with grades like this? Having two As was good, but again, no S? "Remember what I said. E means that's a school you can't use. Having D in a school means you'll be garbage at it, but you can at least cast a spell from that school. These grades mean you can't use Destruction or Restoration magic, no matter what you do! Also, why is Enchantment E1? Does that mean it's double useless?" Olivia shook her head and sighed. "There is some good news, though. Your Core grade is really high, which means growing stronger should be a lot easier for you than it is for me. Also, your Alteration and Conjuration are both high as well, likely because you are always using your armor spell."
Davi hummed and clicked out of Core and eagerly went to the section listed as spells. He was hoping he'd secretly have a lot of spells, but sadly, it was just the two that he always used.
Row Shadow Vault fell into three school categories. It was Conjuration, Alteration, and Enchantment. Next to it was a meter that read ninety percent, which meant the spell was close to evolving and becoming something stronger.
After Shadow Vault was Row Shadow Armor, it was just Conjuration and Alteration. Its meter read that it was eighty percent on the evolution scale.
If he wanted any more spells, he'd either need to go through serious life-and-death situations to create one or spend years trying to form a new one in reality. Either that, or he'd have to open a bank account and place all his wealth into it and buy a ton of spells, but that would mean doing taxes and other lame math, so that option was out.
The last box to click on was Skills. Just like with Olivia's, the box opened up and spat out a jumble of words and their grades that Davi really wasn't sure what any of them meant. Some also seemed like borderline insults…
Master Hoarder grade B, Sprint grade B, Stamina grade A, Sword-Wielding grade B, Way Of The Sky Cutting Sword Style grade C, Hand-to-hand grade D, Way of Self Iron Martial Arts grade D, Loved by Mana grade A, and last and most importantly to Davi, Fishing grade S.
"I got an S!" He announced, being uncharacteristically excited.
"Just for fishing, though." Olivia snorted. "Skills are a little different from the other stuff. I explained that they were sort of like passives. Basically, the grimoire scans you and can read your memories and mind, and it selects things that you've done and are good at. So when you become at least a novice in something, it'll appear here. You can also click on a skill to get a better idea of what it does. Like, look at the one listed as Way Of The Sky Cutting Sword. Most people will just get 'Sword-Wielding' as a grade, but you having that means you are decent with a type of fighting style, and the app is using that instead of just how good you are with a sword. Same for the Way of Self Iron Martial Arts."
Davi nodded. "My dad taught me some basics back when I was a kid. He also taught me how to fish and other stuff. Come to think of it, he kept blabbing about some ancient sword or something based on cutting the sky, but I was more focused on the fishing part and didn't listen. I guess that's the sword form I've been using, but to be honest, I just swing my blade as hard as I can and don't really try to do anything special. I guess that's why it and my Martial Arts are so low."
Davi excitedly clicked on the skill that was listed as Fishing, and a new box opened up with some text within it. 'You've learned the ancient ways of the Sky Cutting Sword Style and have chosen to ignore most of them in favor of being a better fisherman. You are a master of fishing.'
"Sweet."
"Check the Mana one." Olivia offered.
"Nah."
"Huh?"
Davi casually tossed the phone back over to her and shrugged. "I don't really care about the other stuff; it isn't as important."
Olivia made a face as she caught the phone. Instantly, the app shut off and switched to her grimoire now that Davi wasn't the one holding it.
Sometimes, Davi could be hard to work with.
Olivia sighed and stuffed her phone away. "Alright, but next time we're in a city, we're getting you a proper phone, and you're checking it." Davi just shrugged, not helping her mood. "So what now?" She asked.
Davi casually tapped the carriage that was still sitting in the middle of the road. "I told you earlier, you have to drag this."
"And I told you, it's not possible—"
Davi dragged the carriage across the stone, closer to him, with one arm. "See. It can be done."
"Hey, I just saw your grimoire. Don't act like you're a normal person!"
"You want to be an Arcane Knight, right?" Davi asked bluntly. He connected a long chain to the front of the carriage and handed it to Olivia. "You said it's possible for those grades to go up if you work hard. Well, that's what you're going to do. Get to dragging."
"Do I really have to do this?"
"You asked me to help you get stronger. This is what I did when I was younger."
"Really?"
"No. But you're gonna do it anyway."
Olivia sighed and nodded her head. "I don't think it's possible for me to do something like that, though." She wrapped the chain around her hand and turned. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and tugged with all her might, but the chain grew taut and snapped back, causing her to slip and fall. "Ow."
"You're doing it wrong." Davi lightly kicked her in the butt. "You use mana that's in your blood, right? When I create my shadow armor, I coat my entire body in a thin layer of mana and pump my muscles, flesh, and bones full of it, which gives me my strength. Try to feel the mana going through your blood and direct that through your body. That's how mages can mimic superhuman strength and speed."
Olivia nodded her head and weakly stood back up. She closed her eyes and tried to focus inward. She had an idea of what he was talking about. Mana was a physical substance that was dense and heavy like water. Mages used this substance that their body held to cast their spells and enhance themselves, though she had never really tried. She knew it was in her, though, since it flowed inside her blood. Her heart began to beat faster, and just like when she would shift her blood for a spell or remove tainted blood, she tried to remove the mana from it. Her skin almost seemed to glow, and she felt a weak surge through her. Unknown to her, her eyes lit up with a bright red glow as her mana surged, just like how Davi's would.
When she tugged on the carriage this time, she felt her arms shake and her bones rattle as she forced the wheels forward an inch. She then collapsed on her knees, breathing heavily.
"Way to go." Davi clapped her on the back. "Now, just keep that up until we reach the next settlement."
"You're insane."
"Yes." Davi said casually. "The more physical strength you build up, the more mana you'll get, and the more mana you have, the greater physical strength you will be able to build up. That's why Arcane Knights are called what they are. Masters of not just magic but physical might as well. Garon was wrong when he said you have to be born special. Anyone can train and get themselves fit and in perfect shape, but few people will since they can't be bothered to put all the effort in. That's what's going to make you special and set you apart, Olivia. I'm going to train you until your body breaks. By the time we reach the test, you will, without a doubt, have what it takes to be an Arcane Knight."
Olivia forced a smile on her face, and she struggled to move the carriage another inch or two. "I—I like the praise, but… This still feels too much." She gasped. "Shouldn't we take baby steps?"
"Nah." Davi turned, walking off.
"Where are you going?" She grunted and tried to tug on the carriage once more.
"I'm going to have a quick chat with someone. You keep doing what you're doing; I'll catch up." Davi stepped into the shadows and vanished.
Olivia growled quietly and got back to work. "I can do this. I have to." The image of Garon came to her mind once more. If she had been stronger, could she have saved him? She doubted it. Still, it hurt. She was trying not to think about it, but watching someone blow up was kind of crazy.
She was going to have to seek therapy eventually.
Meanwhile, back in Daisy Town, there was one person who wasn't celebrating. Susie stared up at the roof of her bedroom weakly, even though she couldn't see due to the fire that always covered her flesh. She could hear cheering past the walls, and she wondered for a moment where her father was. Suddenly, Susie felt her eyes narrow a bit. She wasn't alone.
She could feel it. A mana as cold as hers was hot had just appeared.
Weakly, she shuffled up in her bed, her fiery form twisted and swirling around. She still couldn't see, but she could tell where the person was and felt them approach closer to her. "Who are you—"
Without warning, a hand suddenly grabbed her by her face. Susie gasped, and her fire surged off her, getting more intense. Something was forced past her lips, and she tasted glass and blood as the object melted and sliced into her mouth. Then suddenly her body felt warm. Not blazing or intense as it always was, but instead warm and gentle like her father's healing magic.
Susie blinked, and suddenly she could see again. The fire that clung to her was gone, peeling away and vanishing, revealing her human form beneath. Steam poured off of her, and her flesh was red, but it was also healing and mending, her burned flesh turning white once more.
That was when her eyes settled on the person who was in the room with her. It was a man. One with raven-black hair and cold blue eyes. He wore a black hoodie, but the sleeve of it had burned and melted away on the right side, and the hand that had grabbed her wasn't in good condition. The flesh was badly red and burned in a way that would leave scars. In his other hand he held an empty vial, which was now melted and ruined, and anything that had been in it was now in her.
The man removed his burned hand and muttered a spell, casually pulling out some bandages from his shadow, which he began to wrap around the damaged limb. "I thought my mana would be able to shield me from the fire, but it couldn't. That stuff was intense. A little while longer, and I think it would have melted through your own fire-resistant flesh."
"Who the hell are you!" Susie yelled out, and she jumped back. She barely processed the fact she was naked or that she smelled of ash and smoke. "W-what did you do?" She asked, covering herself up.
The stranger pulled out a cloak and threw it over her and shrugged. "Your Core was damaged. It wasn't hit with radiation, so you aren't a mutant, but your magical Core is sort of faulty and broken. My mom knew a lot about Cores since she was a— Anyway, your Core became so unstable that your fire magic went out of control and started to burn you up. I fed you one of the strongest healing potions I've ever seen, which is why you're not on fire anymore."
Susie pulled the cloak around herself, and she poked her head out, taking in the man's information. "I see. So I'm cured?" She asked hopefully.
"No." The man's words caused the smile that had been forming on her lips to vanish. "You won't ever be cured because this is an issue that was present when you were born. The damage was reversed, but it'll restart. Also, since your Core is so damaged, try to avoid casting spells if you can or entering dungeons. It won't be able to handle intense strain. Still, as long as you're careful and don't go overboard, it shouldn't shatter again."
Susie gave a weak nod, and she felt her heart break a little. Hannah and she always talked about becoming Arcane Knights, but from the sound of it, that wouldn't be possible anymore.
"Who are you?" She asked again.
The person walked to the door, about to leave, but stopped at her question. "The Knight your father hired."
"You're lying." The figure stared at her from across the room, and Susie stared back. "My father would never work with an Arcane Knight."
"You knew?"
Susie managed a smile. "Only a small bit. He didn't tell me, but… Well, I can tell when someone's lying. A skill I inherited from my mom. I have Lie Detection grade S. Just now, you lied. Like my dad did. Where is my dad?" Susie demanded.
Silence stretched through the room for several seconds before the voice spoke up once more. "He's dead."
Susie's smirk faded, and her look completely shifted. It wasn't a lie. She could tell. The person was speaking the truth. "Row Fire Light!" The room suddenly lit up as a spark of fire lit up at the tip of her finger, and she glared at the raven-haired figure. A moment later, though her spell faded, and she gasped, grabbing at her chest. It burned. Her blood felt like it was on fire.
"Take it easy." The man said. "Remember what I said. Your Core—"
"Was it you?" Susie demanded, and she fought through the pain, creating another ball of fire. Her voice cracked a bit, and her eyes stung as tears started to flow. "Did you do it?"
The man stared at her, searching her face and taking in her rage. "I'm the reason he's dead, yes." It wasn't a lie, technically. He was the one to order Olivia to do it after all.
Susie almost howled and let out an anguished cry. First her mother and now her dad. She was all alone now. Everyone she cared for had been taken. "I'll kill you!" She lashed out, and the fire on her finger launched, but the man casually blocked it with his palm, his shadows devouring it. "I'll make you pay for killing my dad!"
The stranger stared at the angry girl, and a smile managed to twist on his face. He looked relieved, and some tension in his shoulders vanished. "Good."
"Good?" Susie demanded in rage. "What do you mean, good?" She broke out into a cough and collapsed back into her bed but didn't stop glaring at the man who had taken her father's life.
The raven-haired man turned away and let out a soft sigh. "You'll definitely survive now. I was worried you wouldn't." Susie suddenly found herself transfixed on the man's shadow. It seemed to twist and move on its own as if it were alive. It began to take shape, jagged wings casting their darkness over the walls, and the head of a bird stretched out, its beak wide open, ready to swallow everything. In that moment, Susie found herself staring at a predator. A bird of prey. "Take it from me," he spoke once more. "The desire for revenge is one hell of a thing. Come hunt me down. If you can. My name is Davi Hawker. Got that?"
Susie let out another scream, but Davi left and slammed the door shut, his shadow returning to normal. It wouldn't be a good life, but he was confident that she'd survive now, just to kill him. Garon would help his daughter after all.
His father always taught him to leave a place better than it was. To make sure people could help themselves.
There was just one last thing he needed to do.
***
The next day, Daisy was quiet, most of the people enjoying their first truly peaceful morning in ages. Even the baron had a slight smile on his face as he stepped out of his office, enjoying the absence of fists pounding on his door or yelling about missing children. He breathed in deeply, savoring the subtle rise in the village's temperature. The streets were fairly quiet, most families still enjoying their reunions, and the peace was returning to the town.
"A terrible shame about Garon," he thought aloud to himself. "But at least the girls are back. Although if this cold weather does go, I'll have to stop my deal with the coal merchant."
The baron's train of thought continued as he walked into the open square, walking up onto the raised platform he usually gave announcements from, getting ready to ring a small bell that hung nearby to call the villagers for a gathering, but as he turned to ring the bell and call for the people, his hand dropped from the bell's rope and his eyes bulged. Gathered in the town square, with some curious children picking at it, was a heaping pile of treasure, gleaming in the morning sun.
Golden, silver, and copper coins, as well as piles of bills, golden bricks, silvered weapons, and historical guns, were scattered around. In the very center of the pile, a large wooden board had been impaled into the ground with letters carved into it.
'For the girls who suffered.'
"Did that Knight do this?" The baron wondered to himself as he approached the pile, running a hand over various gems, coins, and gleaming chalices. He eyed the nearby children, playing with silver bangles and rolling gems like marbles. "With this, we can not only expand the town but also give all those Mutants medical help and medication for their radiation." Without a doubt, this was the treasure from the dungeon. The Knight must have dropped it off. "What a guy."
The baron couldn't help but let out a sigh. Things were finally looking up for Daisy. It was a little odd, though. Knights usually earned pay by doing missions and didn't just hand out money like this. Not to mention, he had tried searching up a Knight that met the Ebony Warrior's description, but his app kept kicking him out anytime he looked it up.
"What a guy." The baron shrugged the strangeness away. He was willing to look the other way after getting this much money.
The baron ran his staff over a plum-sized diamond, practically salivating. He let out a soft hum and looked up when he heard someone approach him. His eyes instantly widened, and he stumbled back, stuttering at who he saw.
It was a woman. One who was riding on an armored horse. She wore heavy-looking armor that was so detailed and advanced it had to be from the future, and a cape flowed behind her. She wasn't wearing a helmet, her blonde hair going down her back, and her eyes were like two suns that bore down into the stuttering man. An Arcane Knight had arrived a day after Davi and Olivia left.
"The mana here is…" The woman's eyes scanned around the town square before landing on him. "I have a question for you." The woman's voice was relatively soft yet stern, and the nearby children had gone uncharacteristically silent.
"Y-yes?" The mayor asked, fighting back a shiver. "H-how can I help?" The mana coming off of her was the total opposite of Davi's. It was hot and intense, like a blazing inferno that would swallow him up.
Just as there were different levels of mages and monsters, so too were there different levels of Arcane Knights. Some Knights were weaker than others, and others were so powerful they were thought to be living legends. The woman radiated an aura of power, and even without using a spell, she seemed to be almost blanketed in mana at all times. Without a doubt, she was someone who stood near the top in the food chain that was life. The woman also had a lance that was bigger than a fully grown man, which only freaked the baron out more.
Slowly, the woman lifted a hand and held a phone screen out toward the baron. On the front of the screen was an image of an armored figure, wearing dark-looking armor, and clutching a claymore.
"I've been monitoring searches and descriptions of this individual, and the last result was this video. Have you happened to look up the name Davi Hawker?" The woman asked, tilting her head to the side.
The mayor quietly nodded his head, feeling his face pale. He wondered what Davi could have done to get such a mighty Arcane Knight after them. Arcane Knights usually didn't hunt each other, and they were often too busy dealing with monsters. "Th-that Knight? He was here yesterday. You just m-m-missed him and his c-companion."
The woman let out a quiet sigh, seemingly not shocked. "I see. I suppose once again I'm a step behind." She tugged on the reins of her horse, and it turned, about to leave.
"W-wait, miss," The baron called out. "What did that person do? He's an Arcane Knight, right? He helped us out, yet you're saying you are hunting him down?"
The woman stopped and turned back, her eyes narrowing slightly, and everyone in the town square shivered. "Well, he's wanted for a lot." The woman muttered. "Above all else, though, he broke the greatest sin a man can commit."
"M-murder?"
"Worse. Tax evasion."