SYSTEM ASCENSION

The town of Mispi was quiet that evening. Shutters were sealed shut. A child’s ball rolled across cobble, nudged by wind, but one chased it.

A town, always full of life, even in the nighttime, had become a ghost town.

Rowen moved without a sound from his feet, eyes clouded behind a cloak. The report given to the palace had clearly pointed out the location where the Nulls had been rampant, thus, the reason Mispi was deserted.

He took his final turn to his destination, and stopped on track. His eye narrowed at the street.

Beasts.

They lined the road like a butcher’s display.

Someone was wiping them out.

Slashed, broken, shot. Different outcome of death for each other.

”Two people...no..three...”

He glanced around again.

”Five people?”

He stopped at a corpse. Its throat was tore open with brutal force, rather than logic.

”A body builder?”

’From the look of this injury, the person’s strong hand is the left hand.’

He approached around and crouched. A gloved finger traced the edge of the wound.

”A sword...”

The angle was strange. Deep on the right side, shallow on the left, as if the blade had come from the wrong direction entirely.

Or the right direction, for the odd hand.

His head tilted.

”Left handed?”

The word fell into the street and died there.

”Are they all left-handed or one person is leaving different killing method?”

He walk over the Null and moved further ahead.

’A dagger slash. A sword. Brutal force. Arrow piercing. A spear. They all slow sign of a left-handed person. Is it someone capable of using numerous weapo—’

He looked up. A heavy stench settled in a direction. The town hall room. The door was opened. He frowned, his hand moving to the hilt of his sword.

’Blood. Human blood.’

Rowen covered the gap in a blink, and peeped in.

His breath hitched.

There were human bodies, mixed with dead Nulls, laying in unnatural angles. Their was no sign of a beast attack on them. They seem to be killed with brutal force rather than a weapon.

At the end of the hall, stood someone. His left hand dug into the eye of the last screeching Null, unfazed by the beast thrashing in pure agony.

Rowen pulled back, and gulp.

’Calm down. That is a human.’

He glanced again. Took a good look at the person.

Male. Too tall for the age he looked. Dark untamed hair spilled across his face, down to his waist line. He was shirtless, wearing a wore out trouser.

Rowen subconsciously leaned closer.

’He’s clearly a child. Did he do all this?’

Just then, those dark eyes snapped to Rowen, making the headmaster flinch back like he had been slapped. His hood fell off his face.

’He noticed me right away.’

Rowen regained his footing and cleared his throat.

”Are you a resident of Mispi?” He called out.

No reply. Just the death stare from eyes he couldn’t see.

Rowen stepped into the hall, the stench of blood growing stronger.

”Hey!” He waved, and chuckled awkwardly. ”I was just passing by. Are you alright?”

He didn’t didn’t get a reply. Instead, he got to watch the boy dropped the half dead Null, summoned a sword out of tiny air and delivered a clean slash.

Rowen’s eye narrowed.

’Left-handed. He was the one who killed all those Nulls I saw earlier.’

The weapon vanished as soon as it came, and the boy turned around to leave. Before a breath could be taken, Rowen was before him.

”Hold on lad.”

The boy’s eye narrowed. ”Teleportation.”

Rowen was taken aback.

’He saw through my skill? This child is dangerous.’

”How did you know?”

”Cause you did it.”

Rowen eye twitched.

’He’s quite blunt.’

He watch the boy walk around him, and continue leaving.

”Wait! Are you hungry?!”

Deadpan silent.

The question hung in the air, weird and out of place. Still, the question made the boy halt. His stomach growled in response.

’He really is hungry. Good thing I asked.’

Rowen stepped closer.

”I have homemade buns in my bag just outside the street. Come with me, yes?”

No reply.

Rowen went ahead first, and to his suprise, the boy followed.

’Good!’

He glanced back and sighed.

’He’s still a child, but he’s as tall as I am. There goes my self esteem.’

As they exit the hall, Rowen decided to pressed further.

’It’s a shame I have to abandon those people bodies, but I have to know what I’m dealing with first...since he killed them.’

”What is your name?”

The boy tilted his head, almost like he was trying to remember.

”Elias?”

Rowen raised a brow.

”Was that a question?”

”No.”

”So your name is Elias.”

”Yes.”

”Then Elias, those humans...” He tilted his head. ”Where they fighting the Nulls and died?”

”No.” Elias glanced around.

Rowen blinked.

”No?” He was expecting some from of explanation or denial. ”What happened?”

”I killed them.”

His hand twitched.

’This child is a psycho. I must lure him to the palace.’

”Why did you kill them?”

”Self defence.”

Rowen stopped, his expression shifting into confusion.

”Self defence? Were you attacked?”

”Yeah.”

”Why would they attack you?”

”They called me a freak.” Elias stopped. He glanced around, and back at the mid aged man. ”What is a freak?”

”Huh?” Rowen frowned. ”They called...you a freak? Did you do anything...weird?”

”Weird?”

Rowen palmed his face.

’This child is dumb.’

”What did they say before they attacked you?”

Elias continue to walk.

”They said...I was talking to myself.”

Rowen followed him.

’Who attacks a child because he’s talking to himself?’

”Where you talking to yourself?”

”Yes.” Elias flatly replied.

”Why were you talking to yourself?”

”Why should I tell you?”

Rowen feast clenched.

’He’s daring.’

As they walk past a particular shop, Elias stopped. He retraced his steps back to the mirror hanging loose.

Rowen stopped, watching as the boy stared at his bare body.

’He seem inexperienced.’

He moved closer and leaned against the wall beside Elias.

’He’s either stupid not to know that killing is a crime, or he’s someone even I can’t take action against.’

He narrowed his eyes.

’Someone I can’t take action against? In Salvador empire, there is no one...’

He watched the boy a little longer.

”Boy, what is your name?”

”Elias.” Elias replied straight, even as his eye were still fixed on the mirror.

”Not your name. Your surname.”

”Sur...” He tilted his head watching as his reflection tilted with him. ”What is surname?”

Rowan took a deep breath.

’He’s messing with my mentality.’

”Do you have any other name except Elias?”

His question drew Elias’s attention from the mirror.

”Name... Mona... Morail...”

It came simply and hesitant, but Rowen heard it clearly, and desperately hoped his ears were kidding him.

”What did you say?”

”I’m Morail. Elias Morail.”

Rowen swivelled on the spot and walk five feet away.

’Morail. Morail. Morail! He’s a Morail!’

He shut his eye, many emotions he dare not entertain flooding him.

’It’s a coincidence right?’

He turned back and walk to Elias.

”Excuse me lad.”

He raised his hand to the child, and swept his hair behind his ear, revealing his facial features already growing into a charm.

His goal wasn’t to see Elias’s face, but to confirm something. His eye fell on the pendant around the child’s neck, dark and shinning faintly.

He gulped. Then, his eye went up, and they locked eyes.

Green eye met eyes as dark as the night. Eyes that doesn’t reflect light, but swallows it.

Rowen released him and took a step back.

”You are a Black-eyed?”