Salvos

Falling unconscious sucked.

It wasn’t as bad as falling asleep— that was the worst thing in the world. But having to involuntarily black out while your body went numb was always an odd feeling to experience. When I woke up, I wouldn’t be exhausted or refreshed like when I would sleep. My body would ache as reality resumed around me.

This time, however, everything hurt even more.

“Ugh… why is my everything in pain?”

I groused, opening my eyes. I wasn’t in my Lair or in my room in Mavos Academy. Instead, I was floating above the clouds, in a transparent box. A room. One that was atop a tall tower. A familiar tower.

This tower belonged to Clayton Skyshredder. It was where I spoke with him when I first arrived at Mavos Academy. It took me a moment to muster up the strength to sit up, and when I did, I groaned.

“Ouch— yep, this is definitely a side effect of my Grand Skill.”

There was no reason for my body to be in this much agony. It was like all the damage I’d taken was finally registering and catching up to me. I took a look at myself— there were no injuries there. I’d already recovered through healing potions and [Rest]. It was a phantom pain. One that permeated my body.

Well, at least I was still in my Human form. I was a bit worried that I’d transformed back to my normal self. But apparently I could now shapeshift between forms with no problem. I could even become a Centinel with Cyclops hands and Elf feet. It was an interesting passive ability to my Grand Skill, if I had to say the least.

“Salvos?”

An ethereal voice echoed, and a flame flickered to life above me. I looked up at the [Will O’ Wisp].

“Oh, there you are. I was wondering where everybody went.”

“Sleep. You.”

“I didn’t sleep. I passed out. That’s a big difference.”

I scoffed.

“You. Sleep.”

He giggled, and I rolled my eyes.

“How long was I out?”

“Day.”

“A whole day? Huh. That's pretty long.”

Was that going to happen every single time I used [Divine Essence of the Daeva Cambion? No— that didn’t feel right. I was pretty sure it only happened because I let the Grand Skill run its course. If I ended it earlier, I probably wouldn’t have needed to pass out. Or, at least, I wouldn’t have passed out for as long as I did.

“Where are Centina and Kron?”

I glanced around the room for the two monsters, but they weren’t here. Willy landed right before my bed.

“Test.”

“Test?”

I frowned, not sure what that meant. It took me a bit of prodding to realize he was talking about the ritual of truth. The very same one I took before I enrolled— and every student applying to Mavos Academy’s School of Aspiring Elites would have to undergo it.

According to Willy, Clayton was carrying out the test on his own, so no one else knew about either Centina or Kron’s presence in the school. Not yet. He’d brought us all into Mavos Academy in secret. That was why we were in his needle-like tower far above the clouds.

The entire building was his private quarters. No one else was allowed inside at the moment.

“Well, I hope the test is going well. I hate tests.”

Centina sighed in relief as the questions ceased after an hour. Kron’s questioning had only taken twenty minutes, while hers lasted three times longer. She knew exactly the reason why it went this way.

Clayton Skyshredder disliked her. No— that wasn’t the right descriptor. He didn’t trust her. And if she did anything even slightly brow-raising he’d probably kill her. She wouldn’t be able to put up much of a fight.

There had to be at least thirty levels separating Centina from the Headmaster of Mavos Academy. And an evolution— or, in Human terms, an advancement— too. Furthermore, Centina’s primary Subspecies was lower-leveled than her secondary Subspecies of an [Evolved Centinel].

There was a gulf between her and Clayton. There’d be no use trying to fight back. Not like she wanted it to come to that. He was— despite the animosity that was ever-present between Centinels and… well, everything— helping her.

Even if he didn’t meet Centina’s gaze as she stepped out of the ritual circle, she was grateful. The [Evolved Centinel] shuffled her very many feet and spoke softly.

“So… did I pass?”

“You did. Every word you said was truthful.”

Clayton harrumphed, even though he didn’t quite look pleased about it. Centina knew he didn’t want to continue the conversation— that he just wanted her to leave and follow Kron back to where Salvos and Willy were waiting. But instead of doing that, she spoke.

“Erhard… was a good person.”

His eyes flickered, and she quickly continued.

“I know I already gave you the… details about our relationship—”

Centina was pretty sure Clayton shuddered, even if he didn’t visibly react.

“But he was more than just a man I loved. He taught me many things. He gave me this ring as a sign of trust. And this ritual…”

She trailed off, smiling as she stared at the ritual circle on the ground.

“I may not know magic, but he taught me how to use a basic version of it even still.”

That drew Clayton’s attention. He narrowed his eyes.

“Erhard was the one who introduced the idea of a [Truth Zone]. But he himself never finished creating the spell. Only my great… it was only completed when Celeste Skyshredder enrolled in the School of Aspiring Elites. How…?”

“I’m not sure.”

Centina just shrugged.

“Maybe he finished it during his time in the Bloodied Gulf. He was always so engrossed in his books. In taking notes. Practicing his magic. Researching and learning.”

She chuckled as she fondly remembered the time she’d just watch Erhard waste so much time flipping through pages and pages of books.

“A researcher, then. Just like…”

Clayton pursed his lips. Centina tilted her head, and he sighed.

“That is very interesting to know. I thank you for your time and patience, Centina the [Evolved Centinel]. You have passed the test, so you may return to Salvos now.”

With that, he walked off. Centina watched him go. She wasn’t really an optimist in any sense of the word, but she was hoping that that was a good… sign?

“Yay! Congratulations!”

I exclaimed, forcing myself out of the bed. I threw my arms around Centina and Kron, flinching as I touched them.

“That is— ouch— very good! You passed! Clayton will let you stay here now, right?”

I glanced between the pair. Centina nodded.

“For the time being, he’ll give us a place to reside in. Maybe introduce me to a few trusted individuals to gauge how people would react to a friendly Centinel. And if it goes well, they could take advantage of my Skills and abilities as I am slowly introduced to more of the world.”

“I’m glad.”

I smiled, pulling back.

“So you’ll be able to handle yourself, right?”

“Yes. I appreciate all the help you’ve given us, Salvos. Truly, I am in your debt.”

“Don’t worry about it!”

I waved a hand off dismissively. Kron didn’t say much. She was looking around the room, rubbing at her stomach.

“Me hungry. Where food?”

“Here—”

I flicked my wrist, summoning a few Centinel corpses I had kepted with [Dimensional Pocket]. She salivated and instantly began to dig in. Willy sputtered in surprise.

“Give some!”

He ravenously competed with Kron, scaring down the dead Centinel in mere moments. I laughed, watching this sight.

“Now I don’t need to worry about you guys anymore.”

I could finally move on to my next problem. Centina faced me curiously.

“That reminds me, Salvos. What will you do now?”

“Oh, kill Belzu.”

I spoke simply.

“Although, I do need to check up on Saffron. She was in a bit of trouble the last time my clone saw her.”

I tapped a finger on my chin, considering my options. Ceninta chuckled.

“I do not know who those people are, but I am sure that your enemies would dread to have to battle you, and your allies would be grateful that you are on their side. Especially with that powerful artifact you have, combined with your Grand Skills?”

She placed a hand on my shoulder.

“I am sure you will run into very few issues.”

My eyes widened as she finished. I brought a hand up, snapping my fingers.

“That’s right! The Breastplate of Alexander!”

I stumbled back to the bed, pulling it out of my spatial storage and placing its remains on top of the blanket. Centina, Kron, and Willy stared at the broken hunk of metal. It barely even resembled a breastplate anymore, let alone the magnificent artifact it once was.

It wasn’t rippling with power or energy. It didn’t have motes of iridescent light wisping off it like a thin mist. It was just the husk of what it had once been.

“Yep. I think I may need this to defeat Belzu. But, um, it’s broken.”

“Stupid.”

Willy snorted. I crossed my arms.

“It’s fine. I’ll just let Clayton have a look at it. He’s high-leveled, so he can probably fix it, right?”

—--

“I am sorry, Salvos, but I cannot fix this.”

Clayton Skyshredder gave me an apologetic look as he turned away from the broken pieces of the Breastplate of Alexander. My shoulders sagged.

“Aw, seriously? You can’t?”

“Not at my current level. Perhaps if it was still functional, I could’ve made repairs. But this would requisite a reconstruction of the remains. It is not something I am capable of doing.”

It visibly pained him to admit that. He faced me, shaking his head.

“But I have to ask— what did you do to damage the Breastplate of Alexander to this extent? It is a Mythical Grade artifact… how?”

“Um, I don’t know. I used it a lot, I guess? And it broke against the [Ancient Centinel].”

I scratched the back of my head. His eyes narrowed.

“Even against dozens of [Ancient Centinels], the Breastplate of Alexander, in its full power, should hold for at least a day. The fact that it only lasted a few months with you…”

He sighed.

“Either you are the most reckless individual I have ever met, or it was already depleted before you got your hands on it.”

Well, I didn’t know which could be the case. I just knew that it meant it was going to be a lot harder for me to defeat Belzu when he had the Sword of Alexander and I had nothing. Well, that wasn’t the problem for me. The real problem was… well, I probably should return it to Saffron, right?

“Aww… can’t you at least try?”

I urged Clayton, thinking about how my companion would react when she found out I broke the Breastplate of Alexander.

“I could attempt to reconstruct it, but it would take… a lot of time. A lot of research. Consultation with the greatest [Enchanters] and [Blacksmiths] of the world.”

He looked taken to the idea. But then he lowered his head.

“However, if the Breastplate of Alexander is broken, it means that the Primeval Demon won’t be able to complete his set of the Treasures of Alexander. Perhaps it will be better this way…”

He trailed off, and I pursed my lips.

“Please, Clayton? You don’t have to worry about the Primeval Demon. I’ll deal with him, seriously!”

I just had to placate Saffron’s rage somehow. He hesitated.

“This is an opportunity…”

Clayton glanced at the Breastplate of Alexander with a sidelong glance.

“I shall look into it. But I will make no promises. Leave it here, Salvos. I truly hope that you’ll be able to deal with the Primeval Demon as you promised, but I would rather a student of mine not lose her life trying to keep a foolish promise.”

“Don’t worry!”

I waved a hand off.

“I’ll probably… maybe… hopefully be fine! I’ll just have to find my companions and we’ll beat that stupid wild Demon together!”

Clayton furrowed his brows. He turned away from the Breastplate of Alexander and ran a hand through his beard.

“Your friends— are you referring to the party that accompanied you to the Plaguelands?”

“Daniel and Edithe, yep! Why’s that?”

I cocked my head.

“I have heard… rumors. About their whereabouts. While this Edithe is currently together with a coalition of adventurers working to bring down the Primeval Demon, the… man, Daniel, hasn’t been seen in a month.”

“Well, I wasn’t seen in over a month too, and I’m fine.”

I opened my hands and shrugged.

“I’m sure he’s fine!”

“No, Salvos. You don’t understand his circumstances.”

Clayton Skyshredder held my gaze, speaking with a low voice.

“He was last seen last month in Ertos, the Capital of Elutra. During the fall of Elutra.”

“...what?”