Chapter 19: The Weaver's Thread and the Chimera's Roar (Part 1)
Location: Umbra House, The Crypts.
Time: Two Days Later. 3:00 AM.
The silence of the crypts was broken by a scream.
It came from the infirmary.
Ren was out of his bed and through the door before the echo faded. He burst into the infirmary, his Shiv drawn.
Vex was already there, holding Tom down. The boy was thrashing on the stone slab, his back arching in an unnatural curve. The green veins on his skin were glowing brightly, pulsing in sync with a distant rhythm.
"He's acting like a receiver!" Vex shouted, struggling to hold his arm. "Something is broadcasting a signal, and his nerves are picking it up!"
Ren holstered his weapon and grabbed Tom's shoulders. [Iron Grip] (Borrowed).
"Tom! Look at me!" Ren commanded. [Void Presence].
The intimidation wave hit Tom's mind, shocking him out of the seizure. Tom gasped, collapsing back onto the slab. His eyes snapped open. The whites were gone; his eyes were solid, glowing green.
"I can hear it," Tom whispered, his voice sounding like two people speaking at once. "The Tower... it's singing."
"What is it saying?" Ren asked softly.
"It says... 'Want.' It says... 'Take.' It says... 'Kill him.'"
Tom looked at Ren. Tears of green fluid leaked from his eyes.
"It hates you, Ren. The Eye... it knows you touched the Pillar. It's looking for you. It's screaming your name."
Ren wiped the fluid from Tom's cheek.
"Let it scream," Ren said. "Can you block it?"
"No," Tom shook his head. "I am part of the network now. I can feel the other students. The Solaris students... they are burning with it. They are feeding the Eye just by sleeping."
Ren stood up.
"Tom is a living radar," Ren realized. "He can sense the Envy levels in the Academy."
"Vex," Ren ordered. "Keep him sedated. If he's connected to the Eye, Malthus might be able to see through his eyes."
Vex nodded, injecting a sleeping draught into Tom's neck. The boy went limp, the green glow fading.
Ren walked out of the infirmary. His hands were shaking slightly.
The enemy wasn't just Malthus. It was the Sin of Envy itself, waking up beneath the school. And it had put a bounty on his head.
Location: The Mental Workshop (The Archive).
Time: 4:00 AM.
Ren stood over the drafting table. He needed a weapon that could kill something the Church had prepared specifically for him.
"Grim," Ren said. "Let's test the new Class Ability."
[ Skill: Rewrite (Rank F) ]
[ Description: Temporarily overwrite a single property of a non-magical object or low-tier spell. Duration: 5 Seconds. Cooldown: 1 Minute. ]
Ren picked up a stone from the floor of his mind.
"Property: Hardness," Ren analyzed. "Rewrite to: Elasticity."
He poured mana into the concept. The quill on the table scribbled furiously.
Flash.
Ren squeezed the stone. It squished like a rubber ball.
Five seconds later, it hardened instantly.
"Interesting," Ren muttered. "I can change physics. But the duration is short."
He looked at the [Inferno Nova] scroll he had looted from Vargo (which he had scanned into the Archive before returning the physical copy, keeping the data).
"What if I rewrite a spell?"
He summoned a simulation of a [Fireball].
"Property: Heat. Rewrite to: Cold."
The fireball turned blue. It didn't burn; it froze the target dummy.
"This is broken," Ren grinned. "I can change the rules of the game."
But then, a headache spiked behind his eyes. A nosebleed dripped onto the table.
[ Warning: Mental Strain High. ]
[ Reality Manipulation consumes 'Sanity' or 'Mental HP'. Overuse will cause psychosis. ]
"Great," Ren wiped his nose. "I can be a god, as long as I don't mind going crazy."
He needed reagents to stabilize the cost.
"Grim. Get Vargo on the line."
Location: The Delivery Entrance (Umbra House Moat).
Time: Midnight.
A small boat rowed silently through the fog of the moat.
Vargo sat in the back, wearing a hooded cloak. He looked nervous. He hated coming to the Academy; the wards made his skin crawl.
Ren waited on the rotting wooden dock.
"You're late," Ren said.
"The patrols are doubled," Vargo hissed, tossing a heavy crate onto the dock. "Malthus has Paladins sweeping the perimeter. I had to bribe a sewer jack to get in here."
Ren opened the crate.
Inside were alchemical ingredients: Mercury, Void Dust, and Crystal Vials.
And one special item Ren had requested.
A massive, serrated Bear Trap.
"Cold Iron," Vargo noted. "Enchanted with a binding rune. Why do you need a bear trap for a tournament?"
"Because I'm not fighting a student," Ren said. "The Headmaster said 'Academy Beasts'. Knowing Malthus, he's going to release something that eats magic."
Ren handed Vargo a stack of papers.
"What is this?" Vargo squinted.
"The patent for Vitality Gum," Ren said. "And the formula for a new product: Focus Drops. It clears the mind and suppresses emotion."
Vargo's merchant instincts flared. "Suppresses emotion? In a school full of teenage mages fueled by hormones and Envy? We'll make millions."
"Exactly. Sell it cheap to the Solaris students. Dilute the Envy."
Ren looked at the Tower.
"If the Eye feeds on emotion, we put the cattle on a diet."
Vargo grinned, showing his gold teeth. "You are wicked, Master Raven. I like it."
Vargo pushed off. "Try not to die in the arena. I hate losing business partners."
Location: The Grand Arena.
Time: Two Weeks Later. The Day of the Tournament.
The Arena was packed. 10,000 spectators. Nobles, merchants, and even the King's proxy were in attendance.
Banners of the four Houses waved in the wind.
Ren stood in the prep tunnel. He wore standard leather armor provided by the Academy, but he had his own boots (with the Shiv hidden) and his Gauntlets concealed under heavy bandages.
Kaelith and Caelum stood with him.
"The bracket is up," Caelum said, his face pale. "Ren... it's bad."
"Read it."
"Match 1: Draven Thorne vs. Terran Beast."
"Match 2: Lyra Arken vs. Lunaris Golem."
...
"Match 10: Ren Arken vs. Subject X."
"Subject X?" Ren raised an eyebrow.
"No species listed," Kaelith said, checking her scope. "And they're reinforcing the barriers around the arena. They're putting up Class A shielding. That's usually reserved for Dragons."
Ren tightened his bandages.
"Malthus wants a spectacle," Ren said. "He wants to show everyone what happens when a Null tries to play hero."
The announcer's voice boomed.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! WELCOME TO THE GRAND TOURNAMENT!"
The crowd roared.
The first few matches were boring. Draven roasted a Dire Wolf in ten seconds, regaining some of his lost reputation. Lyra dismantled a Golem with precision water blades.
Finally.
"AND NOW! THE FINAL MATCH OF THE PRELIMINARIES!"
"REPRESENTING UMBRA HOUSE... THE MANA-LESS WONDER... REN ARKEN!"
Ren walked out into the sunlight.
Boos rained down from the Solaris section. Applause came from Umbra and some Terrans who had heard about his gum.
Ren stopped in the center of the sand.
"AND HIS OPPONENT... FROM THE DEEPEST VAULTS OF THE ACADEMY..."
The massive iron gate at the far end groaned open.
Darkness spilled out.
Heavy footsteps shook the ground. THUD. THUD.
A creature stepped into the light.
The crowd gasped. Then screamed.
It was a Chimera. But not a natural one.
It had the body of a Lion, the tail of a Scorpion, and three heads: A Lion, a Goat, and... a Human Face stitched onto the shoulder.
The human face was weeping.
The creature was glowing with purple veins—Void Corruption.
[ Boss Encounter Initiated ]
[ Monster: Void-Touched Chimera (Subject X) ]
[ Level: 25 ]
[ Status: Berserk / Pain ]
[ Ability: Magic Immunity (Scale Skin). ]
[ Ability: Void Breath. ]
Up in the VIP box, Malthus smiled.
"Let us see you drain this, Null," Malthus whispered. "That creature is filled with Anti-Mana. If you touch it, your core will implode."
Ren looked at the beast.
[ Analytical Eye ]
[ Threat Assessment: Fatal. ]
[ Weakness: The Human Head controls the coordination. ]
The Chimera roared. The Lion head screamed. The Goat head bleated. The Human head sobbed.
"Kill... me..." the Human head whispered.
Ren drew his Shiv.
"With pleasure," Ren said.
The Chimera charged.
It moved faster than a horse. The Scorpion tail lashed out, dripping with black venom.
Ren activated [Flash Step].
He vanished, reappearing to the left.
The tail struck the sand where he had been, melting the silica into glass.
"Fast," Ren noted.
The Lion head opened its mouth. Purple fire gathered in its throat. [Void Breath].
Ren couldn't block Void fire. It consumed everything.
He ran.
The beam of purple fire chased him across the arena, tearing a trench in the ground.
Ren needed to get close. But the beast had Magic Immunity scales. His spells wouldn't work. His Shiv would bounce off.
"Time to rewrite the script," Ren grinned.
He reached into his pouch. He pulled out the Bear Trap Vargo had delivered.
He threw it onto the sand in front of him.
The Chimera lunged, closing the distance.
Ren stood still behind the trap.
The Chimera swiped with its massive paw.
Ren activated [The Index]. [ Skill: Rewrite ].
He focused on the Sand beneath the trap.
"Property: Friction. Rewrite to: Zero."
The sand turned into ice-slick glass for exactly five seconds.
The Chimera's front paw hit the slick patch. It lost traction. The massive beast skidded forward, its balance shattered.
Its paw slid directly into the open jaws of the Bear Trap.
SNAP.
The Cold Iron jaws slammed shut on the Lion's leg.
ROAAAAR!
The beast fell, tumbling face-first into the sand.
Ren moved.
He didn't attack the Lion head. He jumped onto the beast's back.
He grabbed the Human Head on the shoulder.
The Human Head looked at him with milky eyes. "Please..."
"I'm sorry," Ren whispered.
He placed his Gauntlet on the head.
He didn't use Mana Drain. He used [Void Presence].
He projected his will directly into the Chimera's chaotic mind.
"SLEEP."
The Human Head—the coordinator—shut down.
Without the coordinator, the Lion head and the Goat head fell into chaos. The Lion wanted to bite Ren; the Goat wanted to run. The body spasmed, paralyzed by indecision.
Ren raised his Shiv.
He activated [Rewrite] again.
He touched the Shiv.
"Property: Length. Rewrite to: Spear."
The five-inch dagger suddenly elongated into a four-foot spike of black iron.
Ren drove the spike down into the Chimera's spine, right between the shoulder blades.
CRUNCH.
He severed the spinal cord.
The beast went rigid. Then limp.
The purple glow faded.
[ Defeated Subject X (Level 25). ]
[ XP Gained: 2,500. ]
[ Level Up! ]
[ Level Up! ]
[ You are now Level 22. ]
Ren stood on top of the corpse. The Shiv shrank back to a dagger.
The arena was silent.
Ren looked up at the VIP box. He looked directly at Cardinal Malthus.
Ren raised his bloodied hand. He didn't wave. He pointed.
You missed.
The crowd erupted.
"HE KILLED IT!"
"THE NULL KILLED THE CHIMERA!"
Malthus gripped the railing of his box until the stone cracked.
"Insolent..." Malthus hissed.
Next to him, Headmaster Solon adjusted his glasses.
"He didn't use magic," Solon noted. "He used a trap. And... something else. He altered the weapon."
Solon looked at Ren with a newfound hunger.
"The boy is evolving."
Location: The Locker Room.
Time: 4:00 PM.
Ren sat on the bench, unwrapping his bandages. His hands were shaking. [Rewrite] had taken a toll. His nose was bleeding again.
The door opened.
It wasn't Caelum or Kaelith.
It was Headmaster Solon.
Ren stood up instantly.
"Sit," Solon commanded. The Time Mage closed the door.
Solon walked over to the dead Chimera's head, which Ren had dragged in as proof (tournament rule).
"You altered reality," Solon said. "Just for a second. But I felt it. Time rippled."
Ren said nothing.
Solon turned to Ren.
"Malthus wants you dead. He thinks you are a variable he cannot control. But I am a scholar, Ren Arken. I like variables."
Solon placed a key on the bench.
It was a small, golden key.
"This is the key to the Chronology Section of the Library. It is restricted to Archmages."
Ren stared at the key.
"Why?" Ren asked.
"Because," Solon smiled, and for the first time, he looked human. "If you are going to fight the Church... you will need to know history. The real history. Not the lies they teach."
Solon walked to the door.
"Win the tournament, Ren. Make Malthus scream. It's been a boring century."
Solon left.
Ren picked up the key.
[ Item: Key of Chronos ]
[ Access: The Forbidden History. ]
Ren clenched the key.
He had survived the beast. He had gained a powerful ally (maybe).
But the tournament wasn't over.
"Next round," Ren whispered. "I fight people."
End of Chapter 19 (Part1)
Summary:
The Intel: Tom wakes up, revealing he is connected to the "Eye of Envy" network. He warns Ren that the Eye is actively hunting him.
The Weapon: Ren tests [Rewrite] in the Mental Workshop, learning he can alter physical properties temporarily.
The Supply: Vargo delivers a Cold Iron Bear Trap and alchemy supplies.
The Trap: Malthus pits Ren against Subject X (A Void-Touched Chimera) in the tournament, designed to kill him.
The Fight: Ren uses Rewrite to turn sand into glass (slipping the beast) and extends his Shiv into a spear to deliver the killing blow.
The Aftermath: Ren wins. Headmaster Solon approaches him, giving him access to the Chronology Section of the Library to fight Malthus.