"I believe that's enough for now Lyze." said Finn.
Lyze dropped his weapon in dismay, gawping at Finn with disappointment.
"But why? You haven't tested me long enough, nor have you seen anything else I can do."
Finn nodded in understanding as he tried to explain to the boy.
"Yes, indeed. But from your mannerisms and your way of fighting, I can tell you are a powerful fighter. The skill you displayed with the blade today, I have not seen it in many others.
As far as I am concerned, you're good enough to join the Familia. I can't imagine any way I wouldn't accept you in after you managed to be the very first recruit to make me bleed."
"Wait, join? Am I not meant to stay back and wait for you to make your decision like the others?" Lyze gestured to the adventurers gathered in the courtyard.
Finn smiled and shook his head.
"I will have to ruminate on everybody else, but with a majority vote of approval already..." Finn gestured to his Familia members. They nodded at Lyze with smiles on their faces. "...It is safe to assume you have a place among us. Welcome to the Loki Familia, Lyzof Keele. We can explore the extent of your true talents at a later date."
Lyze sheathed his sword back into the cane and bowed slightly. He looked over to the assembled Loki executives gathered in the doorway of the mansion. He focused his attention on Loki in particular.
Loki gestured for him to come forward with a smile on her face. For a moment he was confused, as he was meant to appear blind to others. But as she continued beckoning while her children looked at her in a questioning way, most likely having the same question as he did in mind, he shrugged and began walking off.
He heard a lot of clicking tongues behind him as the contestants gave him a very prominent berth at being picked so fast and easily while they had to wait even longer.
Lyze climbed the steps to the manor and stood facing the executive group.
"Hello. My name is Lyzof Keele. I hope you treat me well." He said as he placed a hand on his chest and bowed slightly.
"Save the formalities boyaaa~. You're family now!" Loki said, waving off his attempts at respect.
"Thank you for having me then." He said.
"We are glad to have you." Gareth smiled. "That was a pretty impressive technique there kid. I would never have thought that a newbie like you would have something like that up his sleeve."
"Indeed. I never would have thought an ability like that was possible." Riveria followed up as she looked down at their new recruit. "Tell me Lyze, how did you learn it?"
"I learnt it from my master." Lyze replied.
"Oh yeah, and who might that master be?" Loki asked.
Lyze's smile became a little strained. The executives immediately noticed this and filed it away in their minds for future references. It was their job to make note of even these tiny things.
"With all due respect, that is a chapter of my life I would not like to revisit. Please, could I ask that you do not ask me about my past? If that's okay?"
"That bad, huh kid?" Gareth grumbled. Lyze pointed to his blindfold.
"It's the reason I am like this."
"Well that's just sad." Loki said a little forlornly, as if trying to sympathise with the young soul. "Well anyway, let us introduce ourselves. I am the one and only, Loki, you future patron and goddess."
"Well met Goddess Loki."
"What did I tell you about the formalities? Just call me Loki like everyone else here."
"Okay Loki."
"Much better! Now why don't the rest of you introduce yourselves?"
"I am Riveria Ljos Alf." Riveria said stepping forward a little. She marvelled a little at how Lyze's head turned in her direction before she even spoke. "I am the vice-captain of this Familia."
"Name's Gareth, Gareth Landrock. Pleased to make your acquaintance." Gareth said cheerfully.
Ais stepped forward a little shyly. Lyze turned his head to look at her. Up close, she was even more adorable to him than before. But despite that, he could sense the power in her. Judging by it, she must have become a level two recently.
"My name is Ais Wallenstein. It's good to have you mister Lyze."
"Pleasure is all mine miss Ais."
Ais fiddled with her fingers a little before looking at him again.
"Uhm, I really liked your sword style earlier. It was beautiful, like a dance."
"Thank you. I assume you're a swordswoman judging by that weapon by your side?"
"Yes, I am. If it isn't too much trouble, could you spar with me some time?"
"Sure. I'd enjoy that." Lyze smiled and nodded at her.
The executives also nodded their heads, happy to see that Lyze was already connecting. Being with Ais who had not been in the Familia for very long would help him acclimate to their premises well.
Loki suddenly perked up to attention as she zeroed in on something weird.
"Hold up. How did you see the sword by her side if you're blind?" she said a little loudly.
Riveria and Gareth also realized this and stared at him puzzled. Lyze turned to them and smiled while rubbing the back of his head.
"I never did say I was blind, Loki. I just can't see with my eyes due to the blindfold."
"Why are you wearing it then?" Gareth asked.
"Again, something I'd like to move past, Sir Gareth."
The dwarf grimaced in understanding before launching another question.
"So how do you see then kid?"
Lyze pointed to his skull and said mysteriously.
"With my mind..."
They raised their eyebrows at that answer before shrugging, thinking they'd get a proper answer sometime later.
"So how old are you Lyze?" Riveria asked.
"I'm eight years old miss Riveria. I'll be nine in a couple of months."
"I see. Quite young indeed. I assume then that you're-"
"I'm an orphan." Lyze said quickly.
They tutted sadly.
"My condolences kid." muttered Gareth.
"Thanks...I guess." As if. Those two people were among them ones Lyze hated most.
"Well then. Just wait here while Finn finishes up with that lot. Then we can head inside and slap a Falna on you. 'Kay?" Loki asked cheerily to lighten the slightly darkened mood.
Lyze nodded and stood side by side with Ais as he watched Finn hurry away the recruits as the guards began closing up the gates. He was the last to be tested after all, so it was not as if more tests were to be conducted.
---
Not half an hour later, Lyze found himself in Finn's office on a chair with Loki behind him holding a needle to her finger. Finn was sat at his own desk while Riveria stood off to the side. Nobody else was there as nobody else would be needed.
"Now take of your shirt Lyzie. I need to make contact with your skin if I'm going to do this."
"Please don't call me that Loki. I don't like the sound of it." Lyze said as he removed his cloak and shirt.
"I like it, so that's what I'll call you from now on." Exclaimed the flamboyant and dramatic goddess.
However, all of their eyes were drawn to his skin as he removed his upper clothing. Multiple scars and healed burn marks covered his entire body. The skin was drawn tight against lean yet underdeveloped muscles beneath.
The adventurers had adventured long enough to recognise scars by accidents and scars inflicted by a weapon. They sighed internally as they tried to imagine what this boy had been put through.
"Damn kid. Life has not been good to you has it?" Loki said as she drew her bloodied finger down his back, drawing a line of blood over his spine. His back then began glowing as the blood disappeared and hieroglyphs began forming.
"I was born in the Daedalus slums and lived there as a street rat before my master took me in and trained me."
Riveria shook her head in sadness.
"To think you had to live in that hellhole. I'm sorry." she said.
"Don't be miss Riveria. We cannot control what we're born into after all. Only the choices we make going forward are what matters." Lyze said turning his head to her.
"Yes, I suppose so." she smiled slightly.
Loki had her gaze fixated on the hieroglyphs trying to form words on his back. Lyze took this opportunity to use his 'Chaos Vision' to look at his own back and chuckled at what he saw.
"What do you know? It actually looks like a clown!" he said out loud.
The other occupants in the room stared at him in shock.
"How can you see that?!" Finn asked.
"I told you. With my mind." Lyze replied.
"Are you going to persist with that ridiculous answer?" Riveria said tiredly. Lyze merely nodded in reply.
By this point, the hieroglyphs had formed completely as she stared at his back.
"Whaaaaaaaaaaa?" she said as she gawked at it.
"Hmm. What is it Loki?" asked Lyze as he turned slightly.
"What's got you worked up this time?" Riveria said annoyedly as she walked over to see what was going on. Reading the symbols on his back, her jaw also fell open.
"Is everything okay Miss Riveria?" Lyze asked her. Riveria tore her eyes from his back to meet his face.
"Nothing. It's just that, you've certainly lived a hard life haven't you? And definitely an interesting one considering you already have a skill."
"I do?"
"It's not just that! Not only do you have a skill but you don't have any magic slots!" Loki exclaimed.
"I don't?" Lyze already knew this from Nekros but hearing it directly from Loki felt completely different.
"No! Instead you have something completely weird and unnatural. Instead of magic slots, you have subsidiary skill slots! Right under your main skill! I've never seen these things before!"
"Well that is just weird. I've never heard of something like this before." Finn commented.
"Of course not. That's not how the Falna was designed. But why is it like this though?" Loki exclaimed as she pulled down the skill slots.
"I've never even heard of skills like this! Full counter. Thunderbolt. Snatch. Tempest. Hellblaze. Explosion. And so many more, I can't even count them!"
"This is very weird. And intriguing." Riveria said as she glanced over to him. "All your stats are maxed at S rank as well. I don't suppose you have anything else to tell us so you?"
"I don't think so?" Lyze asked as Loki pressed a parchment to his back and then handed it to him around his body. He looked own at the stats sheet and even he was amazed by what he saw.
...
Lyzof Keele
LEVEL: 0
STR: 1500 SSS
END: 1500 SSS
DEX: 1500 SSS
AGI: 1500 SSS
MAG: 1500 SSS
SKILLS;
{Xenia Khaos}
...
"The name of that skill is also quite intriguing." Loki said as she put a finger to her chin.
"How so?" asked Finn as he had also come over to read the stats sheet.
Loki folded her arms behind her head and squinted more than she already did on a daily basis.
"Well, in a language back in heaven, Xenia had a multitude of different meanings. Friend, hospitality, guest etc. And Khaos... well." Loki locked eyes with Lyze. "It literally means Chaos."
"Well if that isn't an ominous title." Finn joked as he stared at Lyze.
Everybody was silent for a moment before Loki clapped her hands and smiled brightly.
"It probably just means you thrive best when in conflict, right? It explains why you are such a good fighter and why you're stats are maxed out. You've just been in a lot fights haven't you?" she asked.
"Yes, I have been in many." Lyze replied while his heartbeat quickened in nervousness at his secret potentially being exposed this early.
"Well Loki, hurry up and level him up to one so we can all go and eat already." Riveria said tiredly as she straightened her back again.
"Sure. Just give me a moment." Loki said as she brought the Falna up again and began tinkering with it.
Finn stared at Lyze again and smiled.
"For some reason, I think we're in for quite a ride with you." He said as Lyze smiled a little sheepishly. "Now then Lyze, once you become level one, all Excelia you may have collected as well as the stats you've racked up will be absorbed into the level up to become your base. Your stats will reset and everything else should remain the same. Understand?"
"Yes, Finn. I do."
"And done~" Loki sang as she locked up the Falna. She had a habit of doing that with any child of hers that caught her eye. Lyze slipped on his shirt again and moved to put his cloak back on before Riveria gently snatched it out of his hand.
Looking up at her confused, Lyze watched as she shook her head while waving a finger from side to side.
"Dinner time now." She said. "No cloaks at the dinner table."
"Yes, Riveria."
Loki suddenly lunged forward and hugged from behind while pressing her cheek to his.
"G-goddess!" He said a little startled. "What are you doing?!"
"Can I not hug my children when I'm happy?" Loki said brightly.
"I don't mind the hug but why though?"
"Because I've been getting really good luck with my Familia lately. And you look to be the most promising and special yet!"
"How would you know?"
Loki pulled back and tapped her tilted head.
"Call it a goddess's intuition. Now let's go eat!"
She launched out of her seat and grabbed Lyze by the hand. Dragging him outside the room, she slammed the door shut and the remaining two heard her loud footsteps head in the direction of the dining hall.
Finn held up his hand to Riveria as she gave him a questioning look.
"My thumb is throbbing again."
Her eyes widened before they narrowed in the direction of the closed door.
---
Lyze was sitting in the noisy mess hall, gulping down spoonfuls of hot soup as he looked around the dining room. Everywhere he saw loud adventurers noisily eating as they conversed with one another.
He sighed to himself as he basked in the weirdness of it all. In another lifetime, this scene was something of fiction to him which he saw only through his phone and computer screen. Now he was actually sitting in it!
Ais who was sitting on his left pulled at his sleeve and looked at him in slight worry.
"Do you not like the soup?" she asked innocently.
"I do like it. I guess I'm just happy to be here at last, to have a proper home for the first time in my life."
"Did you not live in a house before?" Gareth asked as he sat on the opposite side.
"No. I lived in a rotting shack back in Daedalus. Probably collapsed by now."
"Well now you have a proper place to call home now. We are family after all." Finn said as he chewed on his loaf.
"Hear, hear." Riveria sang a little. Her momma elf instincts were kicking in again in the presence of this child. Riveria had long seen to it that new members, especially young ones were welcomed warmly into the pack.
She'd dealt with traumatized kids before, and the sight of those blemishes on his body had triggered her inner protective feelings. Just like she had with several before, she resolved to help this child past his history and comfortably transition into the adventurer's way of life.
She'd done it with Ais not a year ago and she was prepared to do it with him now.
"EVERYBODY, LISTEN UP!" Loki shouted as all the Familia paused to look at her. She'd entered, holding something behind her back.
"We have a new member in our Familia today! The only one that passed the trials and managed to gain a place here with us. Please welcome, Lyzof Keele!" she gestured to the boy in question as everybody clapped their hands. Her smirk suddenly became devious. "And as is customary with new members, they have to have a proper induction at the first dinner."
"Hmm? Induction?" questioned Lyze as he saw adventurers, namely the executives facepalm. His hackles raised as his instincts started flaring.
"Yeah. Inductions. Like this!" Loki whipped her arm forwards, revealing what she'd been hiding behind her back. It was a large pie that she'd hurled right towards his face.
The people sitting around him leaned away, not wanting to be splattered but equally interested in seeing what he would do. Lyze just sighed and lifted his spoon in the air.
Everybody grew confused for a second before he gestured the spoon and flicked it lightly like a baton. A familiar bell chime sounded in the air, as those in the know realized what was about to happen, especially Finn.
" 'Full Counter' " Lyze said lazily.
The pie suddenly halted in the air before it was launched back in the direction it came from at twice the original velocity by some invisible force. Before Loki knew it, the pie smacked her square in the face, splattering dark fruit fillings all over the floor as she was sent tumbling heads over heels. She eventually hit the wall where she lay in a daze as birds flew around her head.
Everybody stared for a moment before Lyze cleared his throat to catch their attention. The blindfolded boy continued to tuck into his meal while he spoke.
"A word of advice. Long range attacks against me, is a very bad idea."
Everybody silently nodded in agreement as they chuckled at Loki's misfortune.
'So cool.' Thought Ais. She grasped his arm again as he looked to her.
"What's up Ais?"
"Please teach me that move!"
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Read ahead on my P@treon:
P@treon/ Vulkizaro_Zoromi