Emblems.
What are they?
The answer to this question may vary from person to person, but anyone with a worthwhile opinion would say more or less the same.
The pinnacle of natural mortal spellform and a lost art form, whose origin can be traced back all the way to ancient civilizations.
Long ago, in the Age of Architects, or perhaps even earlier, the great master of old possessed the ability to inscribe such complicated magics upon the human body.
Their makers may have long since disappeared into the dust of the past days, yet the emblems themselves did not—and their powers remained as potent as ever.
Appearing as carved marks upon a blade or haft, these emblems transformed weapons into objects of tremendous might, coveted across every sea.
Whether it be while hunting terrors or in the wars fought by humanity, these tools imbued with such spellforms filled the pages of history books, their fate stained with blood.
While emblems could be added to tools without difficulty through the inputting of spirits, applying them to the human body was deemed impossible without turning the subject into a ghoul.
For centuries, there was no possible way to be a true hunter without an emblem weapon, which provided an effective way to face the monstrous, logic-defying beasts known as sea terrors.
On January 1st, 2924, however, one man returned from the Abyss with fifteen of these emblems imbued into his flesh.
Written in one of the few salvaged diary pages he left before vanishing into that hellish sea once more, it is said that to attach an emblem to oneself, one must earn such a privilege.
The sharpest minds had spent decades arguing and brooding over the meaning of those enigmatic words, but despite that, the First King's advice remained a mystery.
That was until another legendary figure appeared as abruptly as a strike from the heavens, a being that went simply by the title ' Magician.'
His understanding of magic was not something other people would dare to judge.
The power he wielded was incomprehensible for most, and his staff alone had been covered with hundreds of seals and dozens of emblems, serving as the best proof of his mastery.
This mysterious man had spent his last recorded days in the city of Sea Fallen, and just before he vanished for good, he left behind a message, one that would forever change the understanding of emblems in the world.
That very same hooded man, who did not wait around to speak with Javier Flock, took the time to answer a young child, without much care, as he walked casually through the streets.
"Emblems? All you must do is hunt down what you wish to acquire. Then, you shalt know the true power of magic for the first time."
With those words, he dissolved into nothingness, never to be seen by humanity again, a myth, an icon, a nameless titan of a bygone age.
From his words, an explosive revolution swept the world, as everyone felt a thrill at the notion that they only needed to hunt the beast whose emblem they desired, a temptation far too sweet to ignore.
The young researcher Cauron Thorn, at the time, attempted to ward people from embarking on their rushed campaigns—if it were so simple to do, then why hadn't it been done for ages?
His words were proven wise mere weeks later when a successful hunt of the last remaining Oni ended.
The Oni emblem was not granted to the hunters, nor to anyone else, and the last mark of its kind was lost forever, without anyone gaining anything.
Yet, only a month after that, Augustus Twynam and Claud Twynam, twin brothers of the Twynam family, were born bearing the emblems of the Aether and the Nyx.
The truth behind emblems had been finally revealed half a century later, the reality of their attainability shocking the world.
To obtain an emblem, one must accumulate the dying essence of the designated beast into their flesh while mana strong enough to kill most people is poured into the forming mark at the same time.
As it had been found out, Holly Twynam, the mother of the emblem twins, had unknowingly helped Aether and Nyx when they had taken the form of mere house mice.
As their lives were nearing completion, they wished for a peaceful place to die, and Holly provided it as such.
And so, as they passed on to a dimension even more distant than the Great Beyond, they slipped their essences into her unborn children, blessing them with powers exceeding the family's wildest imaginations.
In the case of Alaric von Steinfeste and the various others in the modern day, the human-bonded emblems were formed through the forceful hunting of these beasts.
With the knowledge of how to absorb their essences, all that was left was to overdose the recipient with mana—extremely so.
Many died during this stage, the amount of power entering their bloodstream frying their nervous system and killing them instantly.
However, for the lucky few, they became those blessed with emblems, their flesh forever bonded with the special abilities these peculiar marks provided.
Each kind was unique, and no two emblems of the same type could exist at the same time, but the specific one showcased by Alaric von Steinfeste in the Lispentine Tournament was rather exceptional even among the stronger types.
The Phoenix Emblem allows its wielder to completely and fully revive themself once per month with zero negative consequences.
And, as Akari stared straight at the reanimated corpse that slowly shook its head at her, she could only grit her teeth.
This isn't going to end well…
Deepening her stance, she watched the boy laugh lightly, his hand moving in front of his face as he spoke.
"Too slow."
Before she could even react, he had already slammed the butt of his staff into her chest, sending her flying backwards.
Her hair tie snapped from the impact, long strands of pink whipping in front of her face like the tail of a falling star.
Akari collided with the arena's barrier hard, a mess of sparks showering her body as she lay on the ground, spasming.
The whole audience froze as everyone took a moment to process the unexpected turn in the battle, before someone finally spoke up, a countdown beginning at once.
"THREE!"
It didn't get to two, the pink-haired girl standing up and holstering her pistol without a word.
He's too fast to be hit by a bullet. I doubt I can get close to him with my dagger either… Dammit, no wonder they allowed me to bring all of this gear… They knew it would be needed if I wanted to match an emblem of that level!
Breathing out hard, she noticed a familiar figure sticking out from the crowd, a rather tall boy standing still, his eyes glued to her without respite.
Aaron…
He, as an audience member, could only watch and marvel at the insanity of the emblem's power, listening to the soundless explanation transferred to him by a certain, highly knowledgeable blade.
As she gazed up at him, she realized calmly that this wasn't the end for her, and, if she won this match, there would be nothing stopping her from fighting Aaron or Raphael in the finale.
Noble bastard trying to weed me out of the finals? I don't think so.
Smiling lightly, she swatted her hair backwards, an action more suited for a maiden than a warrior.
There was something strange behind her expression as Alaric regarded her, his own mind still slightly muddled from the recent rebirth.
While there were no long-term negatives, the feeling of dying and reviving wasn't as pleasant and peaceful as he had hoped.
Tensing his muscles, he prepared to launch himself at Akari once again, ending this fight then and there; however, as he moved to rush forward, she was gone.
W-Where did that commoner go—
His body screamed at him in warning, a devastating punch to his groin sending him reeling backwards.
"AGH! DAMMIT WOMAN!"
Resisting the urge to scream profanities, the boy slammed his staff into the ground, quickly casting a spell.
「Unveil」
The entire arena flashed a golden hue, which soon faded back into darkness, the previously hidden Akari now glowing like a giant firefly.
Immediately taking advantage of the situation, Alaric summoned nearly thirty Holy Bullets above his head, firing them in every direction the girl could run.
THIS IS IT! MY VICTORY AT LAST!
Laughing crazily as he launched the bulletstorm at the fifteen-year-old girl, he could certainly not foresee a bullet of a completely different origin to pierce straight through his upper left chest.
His entire body froze, the magic dispersing within a few seconds, leaving him to look down at his bleeding chest in confusion.
Turning his gaze upward, he glared at where Akari should've been standing; however, all that stood in that spot was her armor, the true challenger standing behind him with only a white tunic and heavy pants on.
With one last, disbelieving glance over his shoulder, the boy collapsed onto the sandy ground, his blood pooling around him.
For a moment, the pink-haired girl didn't move or even react, her eyes glazed over and her body utterly still.
However, as the medics rushed over, she realized what she had just done—she had sent a bullet straight through the boy's heart.
"I-I-I-I d-d-d-didn't…"
The months of repeated life and death battles she had partaken in during her training had taught her to kill, not to spar.
Therefore, when bloodlust was aimed at her, she reacted instinctively, using lethal force without any consideration for the opponent or situation.
In the highest reaches of the stadium, far in the back behind the crowds, Raphael von Steinfeste watched with a disgruntled frown.
Placing his hand over his left chest in the very same spot where Alaric had been shot, he felt nothing but silence.
Shifting his palm to the other side, a place where such organs shouldn't be located, he felt the thumping of life.