AThousandCurses

Iris Ascendis

No words left the reticent boy's mouth. From one perspective, people may infer that he was formulating a proper response to his peer's outburst. Another would be that his peer's outburst didn't warrant a response, as Chunji must have concluded it to be incredibly childish. The answer was simple.

Chunji froze at the unexpected outburst that Rio leveled onto him. How did such animosity build up over the course of two days? Any actions that may have involved Rio were purely inconsequential. If Rio wasn't going to attend the first important ceremony, what was the point of attending the academy in the first place? Furthermore, what was with this random accusation of being a teacher's pet? Knowing more about your surroundings and ethos was crucial for future reference, but even then, Chunji stood with an adamant demeanor when dealing with things that didn't interest him.

Now for the fight on the bridge? It was simple. Rio and Chloe were in the way, so Chunji remove them from his path. If anything stood to obstruct his goal, Chunji would find the proper procedure to excise that obstacle.

These reasonings would sound like excuses to Rio, so Chunji didn't bother to explain himself to his classmate. His well-meaning concern only stoked the indiscernible fumes that had rested within Rio. It would be best to address Rio's statement before explaining why he had followed in the first place.

"I was not aware that I had aggrieved you so, Rio. Though I won't apologize as it comes off as insincere." Chunji emphasized. A frown broke out on his face as he continued his dialogue. "Honestly, I wouldn't have cared that much about your activities. What you do does not pertain to me, but on this occasion, I found it warranted my intervention." Dayin popped up beside them, and with a snap of Chunji's fingers, the pages started to turn.

A list of messages from Chunji's contacts appeared.

"Otis had sent me a message regarding Ms.Steeler and Ms. Nachtenbel's whereabouts. I only told him I remembered Nachtenbel following Steeler out of the classrooms after class. Now..." Hildegrunde's latest message glowed to signify the importance of its contents. "Surely, you can connect the dots yourself, can you not?"

Whatever bridge that Chunji had been hoping to build was put into jeopardy. How Rio would respond to this could vary in two extreme ways. Either he attacks, or he runs towards the forest. Any result was fine.

Chunji had given up the idea of forging a rapport with Rio. Having friends was not a long-term goal Chunji envisioned for himself.

Iris Ascendis

Okay Rio, go off.

Time for haphazard bomb defusal.

Iris Ascendis

The take-off made Chunji's bangs flutter. Chunji looked up to see the disappearance of two classmates and a third who had decided to follow. All attention to their idle chatter disappeared. "I received a distress message from one of my classmates. I now know I wasn't the only one who received it." Principal Raja most likely wouldn't be pleased by the turn of events. She was watching everything unfold, which was fairly odd, though she must have some sort of invisible automaton following the situation. Her inaction spoke volumes to Chunji.

"Ms. Nachtnebel's message was sparse but conveyed a clear message. She was in the forest, and she needed help. I assumed she only sent it to my classmates as all except me were recently absent from the ceremony." Rio and Chloe weren't unaccounted for, however. Davil was still in the infirmary; Hildegrunde followed Chloe, but Rio...

At that moment, Chunji spotted Rio moving further away from the crowd. Chunji's eyes held perplexity as Rio was going in the opposite direction of the discord. Where was he going? "It seems today will be more troublesome. Please inform Principal Raja about what's happening and tell her I will be late in attendance. My classmate seems to be directionally impotent." With that, he got up and sprinted after Rio.

Why was Rio heading in the opposite direction of the commotion? Given the sparse contents of her message, Hildegrunde must've sent the message to everyone she was associated with. Rio must've gotten the message, but he didn't care enough. That or he wasn't aware that Chloe was currently in danger.

If he were to catch up in time, Chunji would've called out to his peer. "Rio, the attunement ceremony is going to start. It would be impractical to miss an important event." Chunji was on guard at the time. Hildegrunde had been attacked on school grounds. Now that the academy's security was questioned, he needed to be on full alert.

Expedition to Isekai

Nothing seen except for the feces of creatures five times her size and claw marks reminsicient of a cat scratching a pole. Shun couldn't bare the smell as well as the boredom the accompanied with it. Either way, she had accomplished her goal. They needed to on alert and find a way to evacuate the camp if it became necessary.

Without much of a word, Shun decided to continue her treck back to the camp. Every so often, she would turn her head and tried to see if anyone was following her. The last thing she needed was to get ganked against by a pack of animals. There wasn't enough energy or craze in her to fight another brawl by herself after all.

It took her approximiately an hour later to return back to camp. She had been a little lost, but managed to navigate her way back to the camp after finding a few familiar trees. "Everyone, I have potentially bad news." Shun announced in a cheerful way in an attempt to deliver this information as fluidly as possible. "I came across some monster feces and scratch marks that were this big!" Shun stretched her hands out to emphasize the size.

"I couldn't find them, but the group of monsters was bigger than the last one that ran into us. So, I'd like us to come up a run away plan in case that happens~" Of which she wasn't going to participate in. Shun knew that she'd be one of the few having to fight back the monsters while Masato ran away with the others. It'd probably be fun though.

Iris Ascendis

A llittle late but we're now 300+ posts!

Iris Ascendis

Dayin dinged and Chunji split his attention off of Emelie for a second to address the notification.

Forest. Help.

Chunji turned back his attention to Emelie. The librarian had a high sensitivity when it came to emotions. None of his classmates, Chunji included, detected anything wrong when they first entered the domain. A theory would be that the demon that was apart of her allowed her a higher sensitivity. It could also be her personality or Ethos.

"If natural leylines are a river of life, what does that make of the artificial leyline?" A question that was seemingly posed to no one. While he hadn't read much on alchemy, he knew the Law of Equvalient Exchange. For the output to be balanced, the input must share the same amount of importance as the former.

The inland occultist kept letting words escape her mouth. Chunji listened closely and heavily considered her words. After pondering an appropriate tale, Chunji relayed his own family's superstition. "While I may not have grown with the main family, I heard it was common practice to find a poisonous snake have it bite children when they come of age." He still had the small scars on his forearm that were like black dots on a blank paper.

"When I was five, my parents went out to find the most poisonous snake that could find in these lands and had it bite me." Those were unpleasant times. Back when his body was not use external pains, did the tears flows. His throat hoarse from the screams and the insincere courage that was curried to put a strong front. "The Mirage Python, known for its vibrant colors, was the poisonous snake that my parents could find. I ran a fever for several weeks after it had bit me." It was said that the more vibrant the colors, the more deadly the animal was. Chunji didn't know if that was true, but it did feel like his flesh was boiling under his skin.

"The reason why it was done was because it was believed that it would bring us closer to our ancestors. That and the belief it helped build poison resistance." It didn't of course. Poison came it different shape and forms and needed a specific antidote to alleviate the worst of it. The poison did grant him a greater resistance to pain, that other than that nothing.

Knowing Emelie well enough that she'd be even more perturbed, Chunji decided to move the question along. "What do you think of my classmates? The two of them right now are expressing their values, but I'm sure what happened at the auditorium gave you a first impression." If Emelie would ask who which one was, Chunji would supply her the information to identify the correct person.

Iris Ascendis

Might have to press F to respects for Chloe.

Expedition to Isekai

The trees were whistling, whatever birds were chirping, and the novelty of the silence soon became an annoyance to Shun. After spending some time, Shun was now tired of resting and wanted to do something for a change.

Patrolling around the woods, while relaxing, was also starting to become boring. Same trees, same leaves, same claw marks. Wait, claw marks? The new discrepency wasn't there before, which meant something new was going to happen. "Maybe it'll be fun," Shun murmured to herself as she observed the claw marks.

She'd have to investigate to find the perpetrator of these claw marks. She could handle a group of monsters, putting aside the fact the near death experience, so Shun was confident she could handle a few more monsters. If not, she'd retreat and inform the others of the impending invasion that she'd inevitably lead back to the camp.

Whatever the case, it was the better to rip off the band aid now rather than later. Shun attempted to make a covert effort to follow the markings. A new experience was awaiting for her.

Iris Ascendis

Chunji regarded Emelie with the same dispassionate look he often wore. The metaphor the librarian said could be to both the figurative sense and the literal sense. A war was starting soon between Ciara and Valen. Moreso with Ciara as she bore a look that could kill people. "I don't intrude matters that are unrelated to me," Chunji said in a flat tone.

Aside Emelie's odd choice of words, Chunji seriously considered Emelie's rhetorical question. Did he have any particular enemies? There were none that he could think of, but maybe he did unknowningly create a few enemies. "None that I am aware of. If there are, they're completely one-sided." His dislike for Ciara was present, but not enough to turn into animosity.

"Today... One of my classmates had to be sent to the clinic after he failed to manifest his personal barrier. My Professor has soured the class's perspective on him. Now, two of my classmates are involved in another engagement." Chunji didn't seem particularly unhappy nor elated at the details of his day.

"To state the conclusions of today's events requires for the day to end. A large sample data is also preferred as having experiencing only one day is not conclusive enough. Today's event will serve as a baseline of expectations for future reference." A complicated answer to Emelie's rhetorical question. If there was anything that could be read, it was the content of Chunji's words that expose some depth of his feelings regarding today's events.

Dayin popped up in front of him.

Otis had sent a message regarding matters of Chloe and Hildegrunde. Chunji was the second to last to leave class, but he had seen a glimpse of Chloe as he exited down the hall. Soon after Hildegrunde left as Chunji waited outside the classroom that Otis and Iraeleth had entered. Thinking back at it right now, she looked like she was trying to catch up to Chloe.

If you are referring to Ms. Steeler and Nachtnebel may be together. I do not know where they headed, but I remembered Nachtnebel following Chloe.

With that message penned, he looked back at the leylines. "Ms. Emelie, what are you thoughts on these leylines?" Chunji inquired. It seemed random, but this was the only topic they had in common at the moment. "I have felt them out and I can understand the importance of their power. Other than the Primal Leyline, the others were responsive. Did you have a leyline that was incompatiable with you?"

Would using his Ethos expose terribles truths once more? Emelie, the leylines, and the mysteries the Academy kept all held some sort of terrible knowledge. If the Golden Pillar was the culimination of these four leylines, then what ultimate sin did it carry?

Iris Ascendis

Ciara.

That was the intruding thought that came into Chunji's mind as he heard her voice behind him. Ciara was en route to approaching Valen and his group of followers. Chunji knew that Ciara despised Valen based on what he said at the auditorium. Still, he honestly didn't expect her to act this rashly, especially in the presence of the principal.

Should he stop her? It seemed too late, as Ciara had already started provoking Valen. Even if he did try, Ciara would not appreciate his efforts. They did not have any sort of bond that would provide a strong persuasion, nor could he have constructed a proper sentence that avoided criticizing her for her rash decision.

It was better for him to not interfere at all. Ciara was confident she could handle the aftermath, and Chunji didn't see any point in dragging himself into someone else's problem.

Chunji headed inside the leyline attunement zone. After experiencing an overcharged Leyline, leylines became a topic of interest to Chunji, from its immense amount of essence to the potentially horrifying ramifications that dwelled within the artificial leylines. It would have had a lot of potential if Otis had been both knowledgeable and interested in it.

There were four leylines, from what Chunji could feel. Four of them had distinct feelings, and one actively rejected him. It was out of compatibility, but the Primal Leyline felt stiff as he observed. Leylines were like rivers, a comparison many people must have agreed with as they stretched across the academy.

The Arcane Leyline felt 'solid.' In the way of a tower that breached the skies, the Arcane Leyline felt endless and disappeared beyond the horizon. It stood above everything below and held command over the essence stored within. A foundation that was built and continued to be built as time progressed.

An inverse to it was the Divine Leyline. While the Arcane Leyline was solid, the Divine Leyline felt as if it was fluctuating. The Divine was more encompassing in how the Arcane Leyline was encapsulating. An idol upon the hill that stood over the town. It shined radiantly in the day, yet it cloaks itself in the darkness of the night.

The Occult Leyline, in contrast, was unstable. Not in the way that it could be used, but it was considerably unpredictable. In the way that man can never predict the weather, the tide of the Occult nearly lashed out at random when Chunji tried to sense it. A feeling that Chunji was familiar with and didn't seem to be particularly bothered by it.

The Primal Leyline was left relatively untouched. Once Chunji received no response, he didn't bother to try to tap into it again. A matter of incompatibility for all, he was considered.

What was most curious was how each connected to the Golden Pillar, where Principal Raja was standing. Was this the precipice of leyline knowledge? How did the leylines not combust once connected with every one of them? It was a question that Chunji both mused and discarded. He felt that connecting them like that came at a great cost.

The announcement would come soon. Dayin had gave him the result and he would provide it at the ceremony.

The Sword of Wund. It was fitting admittedly. If blood was drawn by a sword, then so too will a healer be nearby.