NOVEL WEB Ch.16: True History
“So did you see that horror movie about a crew of humans and goblins trapped in a spaceship truck with a dark wight?” Steph asked, with a big smile.
“It sounds familiar, did it do some implanting?” I asked thinking about what she said. It kinda sounded like a sci-fi movie I saw with my mom as a kid. She laughed at how high I jumped when a cat popped up. Though mention of a wight made my back pinch like needles.
“Yeah! It started as mist before infusing itself into one of the crew members! It then tore its way out of his body, making him explode!” she cheered, she was definitely a horror movie buff. I honestly found myself laughing at her excitement.
“It’s been awhile since I’ve seen that one, I do remember the sequel though, they upped the ante with there being more than one.” I said with a faked smile.
“Of course you’d remember the sequel.” She said with a big smile. “I liked it but I feel it took away from the mystery. The Lord wight making several of those mercs lose their minds, just seems to make them so OP. still it was fun to watch the suits!” she said nodding to herself.
“Yeah but a creature that’s powerful is fun to see be brought down.” I argued now more focused on movie monster feats. She tilted her head before nodding.
“You have a point, yeah. The final fight was all the better.” She said to herself.
We talked for awhile longer before class began, so as Steph got back to her seat I looked around before I noticed Belle. He had been sneaky and got into his seat without me noticing. He greeted me by looking up at me and giving a big toothy smile as he giggled to himself. I gave him a friendly nod as Mr. Minnow walked up to the front of class.
“Today we’ll discuss the history of convergence but mainly focus more on the historical event now called, “The Hero and the Demon!” he said. This sounded rather familiar, a hero vs a demon king or something similar. Guess popular plot lines do transcend dimensions.
“Once in our history, Convergence was once called lycanthropy, retro-evolution, The Decay and many more names. The transformations people witnessed thought this to be a horrid curse or some deal struck with the surrounding monster communities. whispers of selling your first born, your soul and eating your loved ones added to the paranoia. Humans not fully aware of what was happening also coined the tale of the changeling! A monster would arrive in the middle of wighting hour, invade a human household that was acting overly sexual and replace their children with that of the monster's.” He said, looking sad at this.
“This was a time of confusion as ancient humans had never faced such a change in their way of life! It’s believed that before this human life was different and some historians believe humans were changed or that monsters evolved somehow! Possibly an event led to everyone forgetting their history!” He said while shrugging. “We don’t really know what happened to do this or create a new livelihood for everyone!”
“All we can tell is this sparked anger and frustration within humans and monsters! which caused retaliation and then war between certain countries!” he said clenching a fist. “Several years later is when our focus takes place! A powerful demon, called Frouid, was having strife with the humans living within his domain. This lord’s wife had disappeared almost Eighteen years ago! She was kidnapped by a human group seeking to harm and ruin Frouid! When he found them he couldn’t find his wife, this group chose to taunt him, saying that other members hid within his land. Sharping their butchers' knives for his wife!” Mr. Minnow looked hurt at this but closed his eyes to focus on the class.
“Finding reports from their bodies, he discovered several human settlements with listed safe houses and hideouts! This seeded paranoia into the lord, seeing all humans as possible enemies in waiting! Which one held his wife and which settlements held plans for sabotage? Thus had his subordinates search and either retrain or remove any that proved difficult! Believing this would also remind them who their master was! This continued for almost eighteen years before a young warrior rose up to do battle with the lord! This young man was referred to as the hero, he saw the pain his few humans suffered! He knew they were good people, helping him as a child and protecting him! Blessed with large stores of mana, the hero took on the lord on the day after his eighteenth birthday! After a long battle they both lay in wounds and exhaustion but right as the hero stood back up he was struck by a pain so great he could barely move, let alone fight!” he said before scanning the classroom.
“It turned out that the hero was actually Frouid’s child! His wife was a human and was pregnant when she disappeared! The hero converged into a demon himself, into the lord’s very daughter! The convergence surprised the lord, finding a similar face to that of his wife facing him, he could not kill the sleeping hero. Once the hero awoke she found her new form and believed the lord turned him into this as mockery! They did not believe the lord until he showed a painting of his wife and the hero's mother! The hero learning of who his father and mother were, begged his newly discovered father to change his ways. The hero explained, humans had discover his mother, after she got away from the human group seeking to kidnap her! Frouid remembering his wife’s words to be compassionate and seeking redemption from his people and his daughter, pushed for reform within his land and eventually within other lands and countries!” he finished
So this world’s history didn’t follow the same as mine, it seems more fantastical than historical. I could definitely see certain people from my world becoming historians on this alone. If they didn’t get lost in all the magic and monster girls first. Though I wonder if the hero had any problems with his gender changing too?
“That was the saddest, sweetest, most tragic story!” Belle said as tears flowed like a river down his face. “And actually happened!” He said rubbing his eyes. Mr. Minnow came over, handed him some tissues to clean up with before going back to the front.
“The point of me telling this bit of history is to make you consider your own families as you work on your reports! Regardless of how you start off in life or what your family does, you always have a choice. It can lead you to doing something like the hero, changing how the world runs or lead someone close to a better path!” he said before turning to the board to quickly draw a huge heart with arrows pointing to kids and to adults.
After school was over, I was making my way back to the front getting the usual stares and gawking people. They were clogging the walls like last time bowing their heads or looking away. That’s when I hear a familiar voice shouting up a storm.
“Hey get outta the way! I got a work to finish and you dolts are hogging the path! How am I supposed to solve the mana problems of today If you can’t solve your weight problem!” said a little green girl with a stack of boxes next to her. Being annoyed with everyone’s actions I walk up to the girl right behind her.
“You need any help? With those?” I asked. The people around her turned white at my presence.
“Yeah! That’ll help a lot! These pixie stones are blocking the way!” she said as she eyed the students around her and waving at me. In the mean time I picked up all of her boxes, this stuff was a little heavier than last time. The students backed up at her dismissive behavior towards me.
“same place like last time or…?” I asked looking down at her.
“huh? What do you mea-“ she turned around at my question, not recognizing my voice. Only to freeze mid-sentence, her oval eyes widening to the point I thought her eyes would pop out of her head. “Uh….. I–I, er… p-p-please…” all she could do was stutter as her eyes went to me then to where her boxes originally sat to then finding them in my arms. By now the students around us ran off, afraid of being in the splash zone of a dragon’s rage.
A part of me really liked seeing her flounder in confusion and fear. I kinda liked it too so I gave her my sweetest smile I could. “This great one has heard your pleas and was touched by one’s concern for the mana issues of the modern day. Please, allow me to aid you in simple transport.” I said trying to sound like a noble and trying my best to make my voice sound sweet like honey. Then stretching my smile into showing some teeth. Her pale green cheeks turned a darker green as she looked at me with surprise.
“Well, uh… yes. I’d-I would like your help, mighty dragoness.” She said finally resigning herself to the situation.
She began to turn and march like a little toy robot for awhile, at the same time decided to tease her a little more. “this one wonders what reward you will offer?” I said trying to sound curious.
“Reward? Right for your aid! Um…” she said lost in thought, seemingly trying to get out of this situation.
“Hehehe. How about a name?” I asked. Making her freeze.
“Um! M-m-my n-name?” she looked up at me blushing. She looked like her personal hero was giving her something important. “Ivy...” she said looking cutely up at me.
I smiled at her before breaking character. “Hehehe, I’m Oliver.” I said as I giggled. She just looked at like a confused baby. “Before I converged I was the guy who helped you… after I bumped into you.” I said admittedly. Her eyes narrowed before widening again.
“You were that thoughtless guy that grabbed my M-S7 amplifiers!” she shouted, snapping her fingers.
“M-S7 amplifiers? You mean those beads I picked up?” I asked, somewhat lost in where this conversation was going.
“Well technically it’s called Mana series Seventy Amplifiers. Buut beads sounds good too, especially as a common name!” she said in an approving manner, giving me a thumbs up in response. Then she froze again, her body shaking. “Um… please forgive my r-r-rudeness.” She said bowing her head.
“Please just talk to me normally.” I asked with sad eyes. “I’m not used to all this treatment I’m getting.” I added, in annoyance I looked at the ceiling.
“It’s hard… you’re a d-dragon and your release of mana is making my instincts to give up.” She said with a nervous face. This made me worried, I was doing something harmful to her!
“My mana is pouring out? I’m hurting you!?” I said taking a few steps backwards trying get her out of my range. Anything that would make her feel better.
“You don’t know you’re doing this do you?” she asked. Realizing after my retreat.
Looking at the floor, I shook my head. “No.” I said feeling awful. Was that why people pulled the sides of the halls or hid from me? It wasn’t because of being a dragon? Or was this on top of being one? Were dragons deadly enough to crush people with mana, maybe a whole town or city?!
THUMP-THUMP
My hands began to shake and my wings trembled as my body began to heat up. Meanwhile Ivy fell on her rear, her pale skin becoming ghostly white as if she was an undead. Seeing her like this, I swallowed hard before straining my muscles as I put down her boxes as I focused on myself. As I quickly made my way to where I’ve trained with Jaque, I saw my crystal scales starting to glow on my arm. I bit my lip and pinched my arm with my claws, trying to keep focus as my body kept shaking and my tail started twisting building energy within its muscles. I had to make it to the training room!
Grabbing the doorway, my claws dug into it, pulling my body into the training room. My other arm burned as blood poured out from several gashes and holes, my bottom lip was split in three places and my tail was stabbed by the claws on my wings. Finally inside the room, I tried to sit only to fall under my own weight. Happy at my success I released my breath, only for a heat wave to push out of my lungs, burning my lips. That hurt a lot… Ooow. Ok! I just have to relax now a-and cat….tch my breath. Nothing to it. I winced as my body released several heat waves, almost looking like arms of fire that shot off my body in random directions. Just toasty.
“I didn’t think you were this determined to train, wise Oliver” came a serious voice.
“Hey Ja-ack!” I tried to greet Jaque but my lips really hurt. “Just trying to keep focus.” I say trying not to move my lips, every movement pinched or stung.
“There are better ways to mediate but I have yet to get to that, so we shall begin now.” Jaque said walking in front of me and sitting on the floor. His eyes were calm as he sat with his legs crossed. “Hold your breath with in your belly.” He said, sucking in air with his mouth. “Then focus on the feeling, sense the movement and how your body holds it within.” He said, closing his eyes the air around him seemed to vibrate as he did so.
Following his lead I took a deep breath, feeling its movement into my stomach, how it swirled in me and how my body tightened with more air. I held it for a while before it felt as if my very skin was opening up, pulling in air into my body. I was absorbing the air around me. The heat waves my body was throwing out was starting to diminish. Over time of this focus made my body calm down and my temperature lowered.
“Good! Now I can do what I came here to do.” He said as he got up and walked over to me. He slammed his palms together while humming to himself, making a white light pulse between his hands. The pulses seemed to create gusts of air that blew our hair around wildly. He slowly slid one palm up and the other down until his fingertips were touching just the bottom of his other palm. He then quickly parted his hands and made fists. Eyeing me he took a small hop forward as his fist pelted me until I felt like an elephant kicked me, sending me onto my back.
“Ow….” I said as my body felt like it was pulling itself together. “Ooooh…” I moaned in pain as every wound felt like a thousand bites from fire ants.
“Soon your body will be mended and repaired! HAHA, then we can learn why you were in such a state!” Jaque said as he punched the air shooting off the white glow from his fists.
“I figured out that my mana was… stronger and caused a student to f-faint.” I said looking down. “I didn’t want to lose control, so… I used pain to hold myself together.” I said, feeling very uncomfortable. I didn’t like saying how I felt but I needed his help and I owe Jaque that much.
“So you have heard of the monks upon the Golden Clouds? Because that is how they train their bodies and souls.” He said thinking to himself, his face was red with smoke coming from his head again. “You can do this type of training if you want but I suggest practicing mine before go down this road. Mine is much less….” He stared at the blood stains on the floor. “Messy.” He finished with a smirk.
“I’m willing to learn anything if it means a better life.” I remarked. This caught Jaque’s attention as he turned to me with a huge smile on his face.
“Truly!” he asked. I nodded. “Then I have finally found my disciple!” he shouted while pointing to the sky, this made a crackle of thunder ring out from nowhere.
“But first I we must go and as the youth say, ‘Face thee Music’.” He said with stern face.
