Isakawa smiled down at the boy trapped beneath the pile of burnt wood, his voice soft but laden with temptation. "I'll let you have your revenge if you agree to work for me."
The boy, surrounded by a suffocating smoke, glanced up at the radiant figure. Until now, no one had come to save him. His mother had abandoned him, and his father had cast him aside, leaving him to live in an empty mansion by himself and his mother would visit him once in a while. The sting of their betrayal fueled his hatred. They were among the most powerful people alive, capable of rescuing him, but they had chosen not to.
Hope flickered in his eyes as he stared at Isakawa. If this man truly offered strength, then he would take it. A bitter smile curled his lips as he gave his answer.
The man's grin deepened, warm yet laced with something unsettling. A sinister undercurrent hid beneath his cheerful facade, but the boy chose to ignore it. The pile of debris vanished in an instant, and with it, all his wounds. He stumbled to his feet, his gaze flickering nervously as Isakawa extended a hand. Hesitant but resolved, the boy—Tael—placed his small palm in the man's. In the blink of an eye, they were gone.
Under Isakawa's brutal training, Tael's body and Class endured alot. He grew stronger, but even now, he lacked the power to confront the parents who had discarded him. His journey to strength, however, came at a price. Isakawa demanded tasks to be done for him in order to continue training Tael and paying him good money for his work.
Tael wholeheartedly accepted it to increase his strength. He had been given so many assassination tasks which he always completed without ever failing one. During his years he has killed so many people that he couldn't even count how many, but he didn't care, they were nothing but stepping stones for him to get stronger. And all he thought about was growing stronger and making his parents pay for what they did.
However, he sometimes wonders if he made the right or the wrong choice to follow this man, Isakawa. Beneath his angelic appearance was a truly twisted person.
"Hah," Tael sighed as he still couldn't tell what Isakawa was thinking. So he just slowly opened his eyes and walked to his room. He's tired from all this drama during the 3 days in this crazy household.
______
Takase, who wanted to witness a great show of Isakawa and Jennifer crying their hearts out for the daughter who would be near death's door, was left extremely disappointed that it didn't happen.
So what if she's extremely powerful, not that she has a serious injury there's no guarantee that she would live.
However, things didn't go as he expected, the child was completely healed and was breathing well.
'How's that possible?' Takase thought as he looked at Shiro in Jennifer's arms. He bit his nails in frustration as he walked away.
"Just you wait Isakawa, it's not over yet!!" Takase swore to himself to be better than Isakawa. If he can't be better than Isakawa then he would make his children better than Isakawa's daughter.
_______
In the endless void, three figures sat around a tea table laden with sweets. One was small, another tall, and the third silent but observing. The air was heavy with tension as Iris glared at Alka, who calmly sipped her tea, unbothered by the younger girl's fury.
"How could she try to hurt Daddy and Mummy?!" Iris snapped, her voice sharp as she referred to Death's recent actions.
Alka gave a dismissive shrug. "Oh, calm down, Iris. I'm sure Death wasn't that serious," she said nonchalantly. "She was just getting revenge for you, after all. It's not her fault your father decided to step into the fight."
Iris's sharp gaze narrowed, her suspicion palpable as she studied Alka. There was something about her casual demeanor that didn't sit right with her.
"Well, she didn't hurt them in the end, did she?" Alka continued, her tone light as if the entire ordeal was a trivial matter.
Iris, still unconvinced, picked up a cupcake from the table and bit into it, her glare shifting between Alka and Kaguya, who sat quietly, his gaze fixed on her.
Even though Death had taken over her body during that time, Iris could clearly recall every detail of what had happened. Death had saved her and her friends and even summoned the Queen Knight, who protected them all. Without that intervention, she could have died from the gaping hole that had torn through her stomach.
But one question lingered in her mind, gnawing at her peace. Who had stabbed her with those blue chains? They weren't from a monster; their faint human aura was unmistakable. Yet she couldn't place them, even though something about the presence felt eerily familiar.
Kaguya smirked as he observed the troubled look on Iris's face. He sipped his cup of hot chocolate, licking his lips in satisfaction. "The food from this world truly is a delicacy," he thought, leaning back in his chair.
'It's better if she figures this out herself,' Kaguya mused silently. 'We can't always intervene.'
Breaking the tense silence, Iris changed the subject, frustration evident in her tone. "Hmm, Alka, since I killed all those monsters, did I level up?"
"You should check yourself," Alka said wryly as she made Iris's stats appear before her.
[ Name: Iris
Class: Soul Eater, Death Master, Eternal, Supreme Deity
Titles: Chaos, The Beginning and the End, Purgatory Lord.
Race: White and Purple Gemaris
Level: 30
Age: 5
Exp: 10,000/500000
HP: 10,200/10,200
MP: 90,000/ 90,000
STR: 45
VIT: 78
INT: 30
Agility: 200
Defense: 270
Charm:402
Luck: 54
Skill points: 231
Skills:
{ Soul Eater }
| Skills:
| Blood Sword, Bloody puppet, Dark Scythe, Devour, Soul Copy, Judgement, Summoning, Round table, Rift |
{ Death Master }
| Wisdom (Ability to remember anything) , Black Halo, Despair, Creation, Unholy. |
{Eternal}
| Immortal Body: (Resistance to all element attributes, and recovers fast from injuries.), Ultimate Magic, Seven Deadly Sins. |
Others:
| Light magic, Dark magic <200>, Celestial magic, Water magic, Wind Magic, Black hole, Clairvoyance, Space magic. | ]
{Supreme deity }
???
Storage: 50 Mp potions
Tap to view more. ]
______________
"Wow, I leveled up so much!" Iris exclaimed, her face glowing with excitement as she scrolled through her status screen.
Alka smiled faintly at her enthusiasm, but Kaguya's sharp gaze remained fixed on the display before him. "Alka," he called out, his voice unusually serious.
"Yes, Kaguya?" she replied, tilting her head curiously.
"Iris's progress is... abnormal," he said in a low voice, glancing at Iris to ensure she wasn't paying attention.
"What do you mean?" Alka asked, her brows furrowing as she leaned in closer.
Kaguya gestured toward the screen floating in front of him. "Her skills have no level," he pointed out, his tone tinged with both curiosity and concern.
"No level?" Alka echoed, her confusion deepening. "I've never seen that before."
"And that means?" she pressed.
Kaguya hesitated before answering, his eyes narrowing as if trying to piece together the implications. "It could mean one of two things. Either her skill is far stronger than her current level, or..." He trailed off, then sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Or it's limitless."
"Limitless?" Alka gasped, her voice rising slightly. "How's that even possible?"
"I don't know," Kaguya admitted, his usual calm demeanor replaced by a nervous expression. "But we should prepare for the unexpected. Iris isn't like any being I have encountered throughout my life. There has never been a Gemaris with two gems before. Anything could happen—and I doubt all of it will be good."
Alka leaned back in her chair, absorbing his words with a thoughtful frown. "Hmm. Alright," she said finally, her tone neutral. But her eyes betrayed a flicker of unease as they shifted to Iris who was still eating.
________
After the incident, all the children were promptly evacuated from the Rift. The adults had at least gained valuable information from what had happen— the greater knowledge about Rifts and Guardians. On top of that, now not only does their family finally have children with Abilities but also their very own Guardians.
Among them, Goshi Subaru was ecstatic. His family was rapidly gaining strength, and he couldn't wait to establish communication with the Guardian to explore what other benefits it might bring.
But while some rejoiced, others mournedas they lamented the lost opportunities to earn more points during the games. The most shaken, however, were those in Group 1—Ray's group, along with Cyan and Ibuki. The memory of those relentless dark knights that wanted to kill them, still haunted them. If not for the timely intervention of an Ability User who had stopped Iris, they would undoubtedly have surely died right there.
Ray, now back in his room, slammed the door behind him before collapsing onto his bed. His clenched teeth betrayed the storm of emotions raging within him. Staring up at the ceiling, he let his gaze settle on the image poster beside him.
The image depicted a beautiful brown skinned woman with blazing pink eyes and long pink hair tied into a sleek ponytail. She wore a cropped white top layered under a stylish pink jacket, paired with black mini shorts. Her left arm rested confidently against a massive red broadsword, its size nearly dwarfing her, and her vibrant smile was beautiful.
Beneath the picture were the words: "We all have the power to be Heroes, so I welcome all youths to Extraordinary Academy."
Ray's eyes lingered on the words, his fists tightening at his sides. Power. Heroes. It felt like a mockery after what had just happened. But as much as those words stung, they also ignited something deep within him.