Rise of A Hero [Isaac's Awakening]

Class Zero was reaching the end of its day as the sun began to set. Night life was bustling outside the perimeter of the Seven Star Academy. But the Class Zero building was far from calling it a night. Julius gave a cursory glance at Maria in the empty classroom. She sat in her seat with the coffin nestling near her against the wall. Her eyes were closed. Praying--no, she was meditating after the significantly sizable conversation they had leading into this night. Both Cadets had their agreements, but they also had their disagreements on policy and on their rules of engagement. As much as Julius encouraged discussion, he wasn't so easily swayed and it took much to get him to agree. A trait Maria had grown to become grudgingly accustomed with.

The Prince gave a glance at the manila folder on the desk near the golden goblet. On its paper surface was the name Isaac. It made him wonder what exactly was the connection he had with one of his foremost Cadets? Especially when she willingly took up Alex's role for this night? Perhaps this evening would tell him.

Isaac had been summoned for the test. This was it. Would it be a combat test? some kind of written test? he'd studied what he could, talked with Cadets and students alike. He liked to believe he was as ready for this as he could be. What happened would happen. Now, it was all up to his wits, his resolve, and his insurmountable well of aggressive optimism. They'd served him well so far, at least. When he reached the room he'd been instructed to arrive at, His pace slowed, and he stood outside. He was at the crossroads of fate. There was no turning back once he entered the door.

No, he'd past the benchmark ages ago, when he watched his father fall fighting. This was always going to be his path, one way or another. So, with the great sword strapped to his back, he opened up the door and entered the room.

Isaac Fairweather entered the room with probably the most serious face anyone had seen on him in quite some time. He saw Julius, head of the Cadets here at the school. He had expected to see him. The one he hadn't expected to see, was Maria, sitting at a desk with a goblet and folder. As soon as he saw her, a look of genuine surprise passed over his face. "Maria...?" His practiced stoicism cracked, betrayed the smile underneath. The grin of recognition could not be denied.

But this was no time for that. He cleared his throat, pieced the mask back together, and addressed Julius, his body rigid. "Sir." He said, hoping that Julius couldn't see the way his hands were shaking. "Isaac Fairweather, reporting." He saluted with an inclining of his head. "I'm ready."

The door opened and both Cadets directed their attention to the silver-headed arrival. Even as he smiled, Maria only gave a calm and blank nod at his direction, keeping it purely professional. Julius gave a slight raise of his eyebrow at them both, but said nothing of it. This was going to be a quick evening. The Prince moved from his position and grabbed the chalice as he began to approach him. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Mister Fairweather. Before we begin, would you tell us your reason for joining the Cadets?"

Julius approached with the goblet. It looked like something from a fairy tale. But Isaac didn't remark about it. He kept his expression calm as he looked straight at Julius and offeres his response. "Things are getting worse, not better, for everyone. I want to help restore peace, and maintain it." he thought of the Orphans. Of Tamsin. He thought of Cecil, who had a family to go back to.

Isaac's grin was determined. "There's not a single person in Endymion that I don't want to protect."

The Black Lion silently stepped into the room, covered head to toe in his ebony armor and with his Holy Relic sheathed. The noise of his armor announced his arrival in that silent night. He greeted the people in the room with a silent and reverent nod. Two of the people present where very familiar to Albrecht. His superior Prince Julius and Maria, Battle Sister and esteemed friend. His gaze eventually settled on the newcomer and his "sword", to Albrecht that was more akin to a slab than a sword but the Demon Weapons had strange capabilities.

In silence he'd find a place in the room to stay while the preparations where on going.

Both Cadets noticed the Knight arriving and acknowledged his presence silently. So it was another one who came to take part, aside from Maria. Neither had any complaints as nothing would stop this process. Maria seemed sad, but Julius cracked a pleased smile at his answer. "Good answer. To protect and to serve is the role of the Cadets. We are the shields in service for the citizens and for the Queen. Let's not tarry any further. We shall begin then."

The faint smile from his face began to turn solemn and composed. The Prince gingerly held up the goblet towards Isaac.

There was another rival. A man in armor, by the looks of it. With a sword sheathed at his side. Isaac gave the unknown knight a glance before turning back to look at the cup. *drink*? Drink what? Isaac's eyes narrowed, and he looked to Maria. There was a single finger of apprehension snaking down his spine. It wasn't a combat test or a written test. This seemed... kinda cult-y. But as his eyes rested on Maria, he swallowed his resolve. If the other cadets could drink it, there was no reason he couldn't.

Kneeling, the tip of his sword clanking against the tiles as he did so, Isaac nodded. "I will serve the queen in every capacity as a Cadet, and as a citizen of Endymion. I swear it on the last breath of my body." He said, just as solemnly.

And without hesitation he took the goblet in his hands and drank it, whatever it was, in one swig, down to the last drop. No matter what it was, it couldn't taste worse than the feeling of uselessness he'd felt back then.

The blood would be sweet as it went down his throat. However, the very moment it went down their throat, the consequence was more bitter and that was an understatement. Something was beginning to irritate their throat, making it hard to even breathe. Even a single breath was a significant struggle. Even worse, their skin was beginning to crack like porcelain and chip off to the ground. Piece by piece, eventually, it would open up to a hole on their face right where their eye was. It was as if they were shedding their previous lives, and a new one was being born in its place. Whatever this blood was doing, it was interacting with something that had been stored in their minds long ago. The seed that had been planted within their heads the day of the eternal divide was being hatched, but also isolated. They would begin to see the world how it truly was, but in a controlled view. Some could handle this, while others loss themselves to the truth. Those were first possessed by their Shadows and then turned into the very demons they feared.

Isaac finally awakened. The air would get heavy, as if something finally clicked into place. All Cadets would give Isaac a moment as nothing wrong occurred to the new recruit. He would begin to finally hear the whispers from his sword...

System Update:

It was such a small Seed. But we wanted to see it grow. Wanted to see if it would sprout a tree of knowledge, or one of deceit.

Isaac choked. His vision blurred. Eyes pinched shut even as his skin cracked. There was a suffocating feeling. A burning spreading throughout his entire body. The metal of the sword on his back felt very hot all of a sudden. Then, a surge of power coursed through him. The eye that had been revealed by the flaking skin was wreathed in white flame.

For those onlooking, that same white flame could be seen catching on the blade itself, before the embers flitted away like cast-off feathers. When vision returned, Isaac realized that at some point while the surge of strength had pulsed through him, he'd bend the stem of the cup in his hand. Gently, he set the cup on the floor near the discarded pieces of his old self. He was panting, mind trying desperately to figure out what had just happened. He felt refreshed and defiled at the same time. The world seemed...new, somehow. The darkness outside the classroom looked more menacing.

Hmph. Took his sweat time. Some seed this was.

The voice in his head startled him. Isaac stood, only slightly disconcerted by the sound of crunching as he stepped on the shards of skin from his own face., and looked around the room. It could have been the armored guy, He supposed.

This is going to seem strange, Isaac, dear boy, but this is your weapon speaking.

Isaac's body ached. He sucked in a breath, and pulled the sword from his back. To his surprise, it felt almost light. A new excitement replaced the aching. The boy stepped away from Julius and spun his large sword around deftly in his hands. He laughed, beside himself with astonishment and wonder. blade pointed toward the ceiling, Isaac pressed his forehead to the flat of the blade. "You do talk." He chuckled.

"Yes, but perhaps it would be best not to speak to your weapon among your new colleagues."

Isaac looked at Maria, then Julius, then finally Albrecht. They were likely looking strangely at him. He had just shattered the solemn atmosphere with his outburst. Lowering his weapon, he spoke awkwardly. "Sorry, about that. We were having a moment....I guess." He looked at Julius, expression still light, but intent. "What was that stuff? I feel...Well, I feel like a whole new person. Stronger, at the very least." Another question formulated in his mind as he spoke. "Did I...Pass the test?"

Skills:

Combat Strengths/weaknesses:

The Prince took out what appeared to be a scroll. He noticed this one was a little different from the rest before giving a nod towards Albrecht and Maria. The latter knew what that meant as she finally drew out her own Demon Weapon and flung away her nun habit to reveal her uniform. Julius unfurled the contents of the item and light exploded in the subsequent split second... a demon appeared in their midst. It was foreign, strange, and most of all, dangerous.

"Catch. You'll need these. Work together with Maria and Albrecht to defeat the demon. Show us your power, Cadet." Isaac would find a gun and magazines would be thrown at his direction. It would be easy to obtain them flying from the air. There was no time to wait or prepare, because battle has begun.

Oshichi, Level 9:

Maria Tension Support:

Maria

0% Tension skill: Dexterity Gun/Pierce Damage:

Critical Hit?:

Hi Chance?:

The prince tossed a scroll, which burst into life in the form of a Demon. How was he able to do that? Did that mean that the royal family had some kind of control of Demons? Was that okay? It wasn't something he could think about now. The Demon was there, and it was strange and frightening. Isaac wasn't so much afraid as he was unsettled by the sight of it. But This was the test. Time to prove your mettle, Isaac.

Hold up there, little sapling. It's easy enough to swing the sword, but we have much more to offer you beyond that. If you take a moment, you can give yourself an advantage in the battle to come. Let me show you.

Isaac did as the voice in his head suggested, holding his sword out in front of him. The Blade once again wreathed itself in white flame, and that white energy transferred to Isaac. He could feel the surge of energy, even more than before. Yes. This, would be even more useful. Empowered by the white aura, Isaac brandished his sword and prepared for his next strike. "Aaalright, bring it on, creepy bird-lady!"

Action:

Skills:

Combat Strengths/weaknesses:

Maria Gun/pierce damage: 80

Maria

25% Tension Skill: Sukunda | Lowers Enemy Agility by 30% for 3 turns

Isaac winced as the fire engulfed him momentarily. It hurt, but his skin wasn't charred the way he expected it to be. It did make him feel drained though, in a way he wasn't used to. He'd have to get rid of this thing fast.

Maria's weapon seemed to have hit a weakness that was present in the enemy. It made Isaac Grimace. He pulled out the gun that he'd shoved in his belt after being tossed by the prince. It's not like he didn't know how to use it. It was his mother's weapon of choice and...in fact, this looked suspiciously similar to her gun of choice.

Wise Choice, Bean sprout

"You just started talking and I already wish you'd shut up." Isaac remarked as he pointed the weapon at the enemy. Thankfully, Maria's skill seemed to have slowed the target down a little.

Action:

Skills:

Combat Strengths/weaknesses: