The Other Side Of The Third Step - Phoenix Flight

Everyone had magic. Most were born with peasant Cores and would have to become servants of their rulers in order to evolve, such as with the Knights. Despite the world being filled with beings who could alter the very lands around them, most never became great or did anything with that power.

In fact, less than one percent of the kingdom would ever go on to become Arcane Knights of those beings; even fewer would ever reach a position like Title Knight or Captain.

However, every now and again you'd have a being who was born that simply broke all known standards.

History was full of unique people. Beings who defied the norm and did things that went beyond even the realm of the extraordinary. Han Yuan, Father, the Holy Saint, and many more… These beings all went on to do extraordinary acts that left their mark upon the world. And beyond them you had an even higher tier.

King Sylas, the Ebony Knight, the King of Hell, Oberon, and of course, Haru Sini. These beings went beyond unique. They were known as Greater Beings. People who reached a level of strength equal to the Angels and, in even rarer cases, beyond.

And yet, despite being so overwhelmingly strong, most weren't known about the way in which they reached this power; Rome also wasn't known about. Not by the public and not by most higher-ups.

Only one man in the kingdom of Knights even truly understood what Rome was.

King Nier Sini sat upon his stone throne. The room he resided in was dark, and the table lacked all his captains. He was alone, residing in the silence. One of his fingers tapped away at the arm of his throne, and his left eye glowed softly.

He was the creator of the Circuit Core. All beings born in his region were born with Peasant Cores, and by joining the Knights, he would imbue some of his Circuit magic into their bodies and create the Circuit Core.

This act allowed the Knights to view the system and see their stats and ranking, along with serving as proof of their growth since they could see how much they improved or leveled up. The Core also served to weaken those from other lands by tainting their Cores and making them impure. It would lower their rating while also not giving them the ability to use high-level enchanted gear like other Circuit Core users could.

Or at least, it was supposed to…

The glow in the king's eye got brighter, and the image of a young man with an ugly burn scar appeared before him. The hologram of Davi Hawker was frozen, the image being taken during some point in his battle with the Greater Being known as Neptune. With a flick of his finger, the image began to move.

He silently watched Davi use a mix of Light and Dark magic, forming a blade of flames. "Bring up his Status before this point." King Nier ordered.

His Core began to shimmer within his metallic body as it heard his order and began to obey. The hologram shifted away and became a stat screen.

'Davi Hawker, son of Orion Hawker, son of Titania Midsummer, child of the Abyss. Shadow Core model Mask Core: Synchronicity—Fifty Percent. Shadow Core model Qi Lines: Synchronicity Twenty-Five Percent. Shadow Core model Circuit Core: Synchronicity Twenty-Five Percent.'

'Shadow Core: Grade S+, Mana: Grade B+, Endurance: Grade S, Strength: Grade S+, Efficiency: Grade C+, Resistance: Grade D1.'

'Alteration: Grade S. Destruction: Grade E. Enchantment: Grade A1. Conjuration: Grade S. Illusion: Grade C. Restoration: Grade E.'

The king's eyes roamed over the screen, taking in the stats. These had been Davi Hawker's stats before he entered the Enforcer Dungeon. For the most part, they were close to what a Knight should have. This was impressive since Davi was a mere Squire, but it wasn't anything too noteworthy. All it meant was the man had a bit of potential.

"Now, bring his stats up. His current ones." Once more, his Core agreed, and it began to display a new screen.

'Davi Hawker, son of Orion Hawker, son of Titania Midsummer, The Hero Without A Name. Shadow/Light Core model Mask Core: Synchronicity—One Hundred Percent. Shadow Core model Qi Lines: Synchronicity One Hundred Percent. Shadow Core model Circuit Core: Synchronicity One Hundred Percent.'

'Shadow Core: Grade E1, Mana: Grade A+, Endurance: Grade E1, Strength: Grade E1, Efficiency: Grade B+, Resistance: Grade C1.'

'Alteration: Grade S+. Destruction: Grade E. Enchantment: Grade S1. Conjuration: Grade S+. Illusion: Grade C. Restoration: Grade E.'

Nearly everything had jumped up. Before, Davi had been slightly weaker than your average Knight, and now he was at their level and in some areas, even slightly above. The only thing stopping him was that he lacked a lot of resistances and skills that actual Knights would have.

Typically, a Knight had all S tier skills and several E1 or above stats. A title Knight would have all stats be at the level of E1 and would have an A1 stat. Vice captains all had A1 stats and an E2 stat, and then captains had multiple E2 stats, with some even having E4 or above. Of course for every person, they would have some stats that lagged behind since they weren't used as much or were throwaway skills, so this qualification only applied to those who had these stats in combat-related skill areas.

When it came to Davi, he basically fit the mold, as his stats were on the same tier as your average Arcane Knight. And he had reached all this without even a full year.

And while he did have some areas that were lagging behind, that hardly mattered, as his skill with Vows and Enchantments was so great he was basically breaking the rules of mana. He was even able to fire off powerful attacks despite lacking destruction mana, all because he'd shape and weave his own mana or use chaotic mana to do the attack for him.

Then there was another matter.

The king sneered. "The Hero Without a Name? His title changed? Could he have undergone an evolution? Of course his stats all went up, but to think the world would bestow a new position upon him."

Fate… Fate was a very real thing. Most people didn't know or barely considered it, but the truth was everyone was fated for something. The Greater Beings were all fated to become one, and everyone else couldn't reach that position because they simply weren't fated for that position.

A person's fate was decided by their title. A title was given not by him but by the world. Planet Awed-Rivkah wasn't alive in the traditional sense, but it did have some sort of will. The planet is what decided who was fated for what, and it created their fate and then bestowed it upon a person.

This would result in a title that summed up who the person was. However, under very rare circumstances, a person could change their title. This meant that person had evolved in some sort of way, similar to how a monster would evolve into a boss.

An evolution didn't mean that a person suddenly became stronger or that they suddenly were destined for something grand like becoming a Greater Being, but it did mean that their fate had changed. They had done enough to gain the notice of the planet, and it responded by changing their fate, even if it was just a little. The destiny they had before was shattered, and they became someone else.

'Child of the Abyss' was Davi Hawker's former title. Such a position fit him due to the unique circumstances of his birth. 'The Hero Without A Name' had been a new title he gained, and the King had a good idea where he got it from.

Practically no one knew this, but Davi Hawker saved the world. A Demon had nearly summoned the gates of hell, and the planet would have surely been doomed, but Davi Hawker, not the Holy Saint, not a Captain, not even a Title Knight, just plain old Davi Hawker, stopped that incident from happening.

The world in which he saved now called him a hero.

And yet almost no one knew it.

Practically nobody knew who Davi Hawker was, and those who did all assumed he was dead. Even those who held out hope had no idea if or when he would return. Only the King knew the truth, for he knew all.

Thanks to the Circuit Cores, which had been installed in all his Knights, he was able to see everything that involved them.

The only thing he was unaware of was what went on within the mind.

Speaking of which…

The king closed his glowing eye, and the hologram faded away. "How is the other one doing?"

His Core considered the question, then spoke. [Sir, the one known as Mary Lot has yet to move.]

The king's eye opened again, a red light shining out as he brought up a new screen. This one was live, showing him what was happening in real time.

Somewhere within his mighty palace, Olivia Lot resided. A girl with snow-white hair and ruby red eyes. A girl who he was certain hadn't existed until this point.

She sat in a dirty cell, dressed only in rags. Her legs were crossed, and her eyes were squeezed shut. She seemed to be meditating. A trick she likely developed from that noblewoman she was hooking up with. The Yuan lady. To the guards outside her cell it might look as if she is trying to collect her thoughts or absorb the mana in the air, but he knew the truth.

King Sini couldn't see it, nor could he hear it, but he knew for a fact that Mary Olivia Lot was talking. She was having a conversation within her mind. Speaking to a being who was sealed away.

"Who is that girl?" He growled softly.

He had felt uneasy ever since he saw her. His Core had sorted her into the Phoenix Flight guild because he didn't know what else to do. She was an anomaly, and like all anomalies, he put her somewhere where he could worry about it come next time.

Then there was the matter that Evelyn seemed to have some sick, twisted obsession with her. That fact alone troubled him, especially since he knew who was truly inside the husk of Evelyn's corpse. Still, for the time being, he'd keep up his 'deal' with her. At least until he finished his plan.

"I'll save them all." The king declared, and he raised his hand, balling it into a fist. "I will bring about salvation. Whether they like it or not. This will be a story with a happy ending."

Meanwhile…

Olivia slumped down as chains dug into her flesh. She found herself in a void of red and shadowy hands clawed at her flesh, ripping her arms back and twisting her body.

How long had she been like this? How long had she been trapped in her own mind? This was just like what happened with Davi. The burden of facing the Ebony Knight was now upon her.

The hands tore into her chest, nearly ripping her in half, and she might have screamed, but with how often this happened, the pain hardly affected her. She simply sat there as her body was torn to bits.

Claws tore open her rib cage, her heart was shredded, and her bones were snapped. Finally, death came when a pair of hands squeezed on her head until it popped.

Then, as soon as she died, she appeared once more in the void, floating and watching as more hands began to flow and grab at her, and the process started up once more.

"Why are you not screaming anymore!" A loud voice blared through the red. "Why do you not sob or beg? Have you given up? Earlier you kept crying. You pleaded for your precious savior."

Her own voice echoed through her ears as the red void spat what she said earlier back at her. "DAVI!" A hellish scream hit her along with the sounds of flesh tearing. She had sobbed and broken down the first time the hands ripped her in two. "KEN!" The second time wasn't much better. They had slowly crushed her.

Her earlier sobs and begging echoed out, but Olivia just sighed. Time didn't seem to matter here. Loop after loop, she just kept dying and waiting. Just as Davi had done. She wondered how long Davi had been stuck. He had been knocked out for a full month in the real world. For her, she guessed it had only been about a week or two now.

She understood why Davi didn't react to pain that often.

It stopped mattering eventually.

"You're so boring."

The hands grabbed her by the throat and ripped her neck apart. Several more grabbed her legs, and they pulled until her lower body was torn clean off. More clawed at her eyes and split her skull open, tearing into her brain.

She appeared back in the void, fully healed. "Seriously. All you've done is kill me over and over again. Is that really the best that you can do? You know, after a while, my brain kind of just stops caring. You can't actually kill me, and these fake deaths are so absurd and over the top that blocking them out and ignoring them have become child's play."

A loud growl echoed around her. "Don't act so cocky! We'll take that body over before too long!" The Ebony Knight declared.

"Whatever. You're boring." Olivia coldly snapped her fingers. "Go away."

The void around her began to shimmer and change. "What! How are you doing this?!" The Ebony Knight demanded.

"We're not in Davi's vault, you stupid fool." Olivia watched with boredom as everything faded. "You and Maya are used to shadow magic and controlling a realm of darkness. Davi's soul is based on your Shadow Vault, so it makes sense you had such a strong effect over it and him, but we're not there anymore. After watching you manipulate the realm so many times, I'd be a fool not to figure out how to do this."

The red fully faded away, and soon she stood in a very familiar village. She was back in Fri. Someone also stood before her.

"Your husband is so boring," Olivia complained. "Then again, you were never very entertaining either, were you, Maya?"

Maya giggled. She was no longer a simple blue box. Now she stood in the flesh. She was cloaked in a shadowy aura, but bits of red hair spilled down her back, and she casually sat in a chair, overlooking the village.

"Maya is what I went by when I was pretending to hide my identity. You can call me by my real name." She placed a hand to her face, which was still concealed by darkness. "I am Mana, the great Dragon of Love."

"I figured as much." Olivia nodded.

"Oh?" Mana clapped her hands. "You figured it out?"

"Well, more than it makes sense." Olivia folded her arms. "Evelyn once said I was a red witch, yet that doesn't make any sense. Davi told me the truth. My father is the Great Dragon of Roads. That would make me a white witch, and yet I was born with the title of red? I'm guessing that has to do with you. After all, Mana is the red dragon. Before I met Davi, I honestly can't remember what my title had been, but I know for a fact that after I met him, it changed to red. I'm guessing you did something even before you fully joined with me?"

"Close. It took a while to transfer fully into you. I had to set up a bridge. That did give some of my mana to you and thus resulted in your title being changed to the Witch of Red. Before Davi came along, you were the Witch of White, all because your father left his dragon aspect behind in you before you left, so he could mask your true nature."

"And that is?"

"Something I won't be telling you." Mana laughed. "You've changed a bit. I guess so many death loops made you grow colder? Well, just so you know, we're still in control. I know how to control the World of Paths better than everyone. You only learned the first aspect of this skill from watching me do it so many times."

Indeed, Olivia was only able to recreate her village because Maya had done so several times before when she thought the skill was her friend. She figured out how to shape her soul realm and control the World of Paths to an extent, but she was still far from being a master of it.

"You're right. I could escape your husband, but dealing with you is another matter." Olivia sighed again. "But don't think that means you'll simply gain control over my body."

"Oh, but we will." Mana grinned. "It's only a matter of time until your dragon aspect surfaces, and when that happens, we'll gain full control over your body and return you to your proper state. The power of a dragon will be ours, and together, Du'Lac and I will consume Davi and perform the act of Marriage with what is left of him, reaching our full power once more. Blood and shadow magic will entwine. We'll be whole again."

"You can certainly try." Olivia held her hand up, and the air shimmered. Storymaker suddenly appeared, and she gripped the blade tightly. "But I have a feeling that fate is on my side."

Mana let out a laugh and swept her arms out. The village burned away in a flash of fire, and they soon stood in the ruins. "That's the spirit! Give it your all, kid! Make it interesting for us! We're pretty bored as well! Let's both do our best and see who the story favors!"

After all, there could only be one.

"I'm going to kill you," Olivia swore. "You and the Ebony Knight. I'll kill everyone who threatens the life I want to live."

She had never had an easy story. Hers was one of suffering. Well, if that was the case, then she'd simply suffer so much that she'd burn down the heavens themselves. She was tired of being weak and feeling worthless.

She had trusted Maya, and the skill repaid her by slaughtering her thousands of times now. She had trusted Evelyn, and the girl betrayed her and planned to devour her. She had trusted Tori, and her idol had turned out to be a bad person. She had trusted the Knights, and they turned out to be useless. She had trusted the kingdom and the system, and it had failed her.

Her village was gone, her father figure was still dead, her friends were suffering, and she still couldn't do anything. She always wanted to be a hero. Someone who would become famous, but now her goal had changed. She wanted to fix the system, and she was starting to think the only way such a thing could happen was if she tore it all down and built it back up from scratch.

No more suffering.

Olivia impaled Storymaker into the ground. "I'm going to save Davi, Ken, and everyone else! And most importantly, I'll destroy everyone who gets in my way."

Chapter 255 - The Other Side Of The Third Step