Interruption
[Corven Umbrovante]:
Corven found Celeste in one of the many gyms on campus; this one was very empty. She was practicing her saber form, albeit sluggish were her movements. And there was something else.
She was crying.upon entering the gym and seeing the scene before him, Corven closed the door behind himself, locking it. He wasn't sure if he was being followed, but, considering Celeste obvious didn't want others to see her like this, he couldn't take any chances.
"Hey, what's up?" As he slowly walked up to her, Corven coughed into his fist. Celeste, startled, couldn't help but jump in her sneakers at Corven's sudden presence.
"Hey…," Celeste wiped her years, but they were slow to stop completely. "I… w-what are you doing here?"
Corven hummed in answer, choosing instead what words to say. Emotionally, Corven wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. He understood that himself, but something in him wanted to comfort Celeste, despite having no experience comforting anyone really. Since awakening his Umbrovante bloodline, he's also much more emotionally suppressed than he was before, so he had to think carefully of what to say before he said it, especially in this particular situation.
"Marxes sent me a message… told me what happened…," Corven said, slowly, acquiring a cautious and inquisitive look from Celeste. "He's a technopath," Corven shrugged in answer to Celeste's raised brow and unspoken question.
"Oh, of course that would be one of that Ginger Genius's abilities," sighed Celeste, before tensing, eyes going wide as she thought of something. "I suppose you're here for revenge, then?"
She sounded bitter, but on edge at the same time. It would seem, in her eyes, that that was the only reason Corven was there for. She had one job: To get close to Corven and build a relationship with hi,. And she ruined it by knocking his friend through a building quite literally. She'd laugh at the irony if she wasn't feeling so defeated. Her father would have been ashamed of her actions, she knew.
"No, I'm not here for revenge. And I don't blame you for what happened… Neither does Marxes," Corven said, startling an open-mouthed Celeste. "I'm checking in on you. How are you feeling?"
This seemed to startle Celeste, who hadn't imagined Corven wasn't there for revenge. In the cultivation world, getting vengeance for friends weren't uncommon, especially when some ties are built in a world where even families would turn against you. If one considers you a friend, then they have forged their relationship with you through work and blood… that is, if they are one's true friends, anyway.
Either way, Celeste had assumed the worst when Corven had arrived. How could she not have? It was a cruel world, the cultivation world. It was a ruthless one where husbands could turn on wives for actions against someone they have closer to their hearts and vice versa.
Celeste had to mentally remind herself that Corven didn't grow up in the cultivation world that she had. He wasn't like other cultivators that had been raised to be cold and brutal and ruthless and vindictive. Sure, Corven had his flaws, but he was mostly raised a decent person. That's what made him different.
"I-I'm… not good," Celeste said, clearly not happy. "I lost control. I lost control and nearly killed someone, Corven."
"But you didn't," Corven countered.
"But I could have!" Celeste argued back.
"But you didn't," Corven countered. "And Marxes is a tough guy. You should see the guy during his fogging; guy's ripped. Besides, even if you had, it wouldn't have been your fault. We're Primordial Spawns, Celeste; madness is our curse that comes with the territory. Testing our sanity, like Jake Moore did — That was on him, not you. Don't blame yourself for his idiocy."
It was Celeste's turn to hum in response, as she crossed her arms defensively. Then she responded.
"He wanted me to act that way, and I did, Corven," Celeste fixed Corven with wide, slightly foggy eyes, her voice broken and sad, much to Corven's surprising discontent. "I wanted to kill the bastard so badly — The anger, the rage, the madness… I wasn't all the way there, and Marxes tried to stop me and paid the price. Even if Jake had managed to influence my emotions with his empathic powers… This madness… the insanity… It's getting worse. I can feel it. If I'm triggered this easily by mere words now, how much worse will it be when the true madness overtake me? What would it take for me to lose my mind? Just how easy will it be for my own madness, my worst qualities, to take over in the future, Corven?"
Corven sighed heavily. "I'm not sure. That is why we both need to get stronger. We need strength to get through this… C'mon, let us spar. It'll be good to channel these emotions… Or so I've heard."
[Celeste Luminaris]:
Corven brought out his Tier D katana and Celeste picked up her Tier D rapier. The two of them spared for a few hours, trading blows, blocks and chinks.
Eventually, though, Corven decided to leave to check up on Marxes, who had made it to the Medical Ward to get treated for his injuries. Apparently, they had to give him a knockout enchanted potion, so that they could operate on him. He was stable now, just unconscious. It looked worse than how it actually was.
When Celeste learned this, she decided she was not yet ready to see Marxes quite yet.
"I'll head to the medical Ward later, after a few more swings of my blade," Celeste said to Corven, before he left. She watched him leave, closing the gym door behind him. Then she continued her practice by herself.
She stabbed the air for 15 more minutes before she was interrupted once again, this time by Jake Moore and 3 other later year threes.
"Well, well, well, look what we have here, fellas," came Jake Moore's serpentine-like voice. "Prince Can't Control Herself in all her majesty."
"What are you doing here?" Celeste asked, glaring. "What do you want?"
She was having a hard time controlling her inner rage at just the sight of him, as shown in her eyes, as they glowed bright white, before blinking back to their iridescent pink-white-gold natural color. She refused to lose herself once more to her own madness.
She had already discovered the incident with Marxes was getting quite the amount of views online. Her name was being squandered through the muck. She didn't need it to be done more than it already has been. She feared that that was their plan, somehow — Or, rather, their leader's, anyway.
"The boss wants you to meet him in the Portal Room Dungeons," Jake all but confirmed Sean's involvement, grinning maliciously. "He's willing to apologize on my behalf and help clear things up. He just wants to meet you there in 10 minutes."
'Wow, what an obvious trap,' Celeste thought. 'If you're trying to lure people in, at least come up with a better lie, dumbass. I'm not stupid. my cousin would never apologize, especially 'for' someone else, let alone himself. He's too prideful and vain. He's definitely up to something, but what?'
Celeste looked at Jake's entourage. Three third years — All at Peak Demigod rank. She wasn't new to handling others above her rank on a one-on-one confrontation, but three? That would be tricky.
Shr then looked at Jake, blinking, 'Doesn't look like I have much of a choice. Based on that aura I'm feeling outside, there are two more students guarding the gym door, also likely 3rd Years as they are at Peak Demigod rank. I can't escape this uninjured if I fight my way out. However, if I go with the flow for now, I might get answers as to what my cousin's plan is in all of this.'
"Alright, I'll come with you," Celeste nodded, planning possible schemes she could use to get out of this at a critical moment. "Lead the way."
"After you, princess. I know you know the way to the Portal Room Dungeon," Jake chidded Celeste, urging her to move. "It is just past the Infirmary, down the stairs at the end of the corridor and across a hallway, ya'know."
'The Infirmary! Of course!' Celeste led the way out the gym, already plotting her escape even as the 2 students guarding the doorway followed them from behind.
[Corven Umbrovante]:
Corven was sitting in the Infirmary, between Cimon's bed and marxes'. They had already removed the pipe from his body, cleaned and sealed the wound, but they put him to sleep to help speed the healing. As a cultivator, recovering from such injuries did not take as long as it did for regular humans. And Marxes was naturally a talented and powerful cultivator, so Corven decided to give or take a few more hours of unconsciousness on his part before he woke up.
As Corven eyed his two friends, a parade of footsteps caught his attention.
Turning, he saw the most peculiar sight: Celeste, being ushered by Jake Moore and a group of 3rd years. She dropped her C-rank Rapier in front of the Infirmary as she walked past, and did not turn to pick it up.
'Interesting…,' Corven thought, tilting his head.
He looked at his friends' unconscious forms briefly, before getting up and sneakily picking up Celeste rapier and quietly sinking into the shadow of one of the 3rd year students.
Meeting With Sean Luminaris
[Celeste Luminaris]:
"You're two minutes late," Sean's voice sounded like false honey in Celeste's presence.
He was flanked by four more Year threes, all four at various higher levels of the Demigod rank. His hands were behind him like a mob boss, even as he looked down on Jake, Celeste and everyone present. Arrogant bastard.
"My apologies, Boss. this one was much more difficult to procure than we initially anticipated," Jake Moore shoved Celeste forward as he gave a white lie.
"No matter, all that matters is that she is here," Sean said with cold eyes, examining Celeste over with a sneer. "Sister… You look as lovely as evver."
"What is the meaning of this, brother?" Celeste glared Sean up and down, not at all impressed with his demeanor or the situation. "I am the heir of our family, Sean. If father found out, he won't like—."
"Father won't find out about this," Sean interriped, sneering, his eyes dangerously beady. "All he'll learn about is that his daughter went missing snooping through the Portal Dungeons at Mythorus Academy. And that is is he makes it out of what's coming for him.
"I will inherit the throne of our family's legacy after he grieves your loss, as I should have been named heir before. Then again, once again, considering he won't survive long enough to grieve you, or maybe even possibly learn of your death after my plans go into motion, so you'll see the old pops pretty soon, anyways."
"What have you done, cousin?" Celeste was wide eyed and horrified. She couldn't believe her ears. Why did it sound like Sean had betrayed the head of the family? Why was he casually talking about their father's demise like one would the daily weather? And what were his plans for her?
She felt overwhelmed and angry. She knew whatever plan her bastard of a brother had cooked up, she absolutely could not allow him to succeed. It was a must!
"Nothing…yet," Sean chuckled darkly. "But you and I both know our father won't survive his illness. Let me just speed his death along, then. It's only right. After all, he is holding our family back — His illness has reverted his cultivation level to Chaotic Rank. If we didn't have as much influence as we did in the world, then we would've been considered only a mid to high level noble family, not a Great noble family. This means that by allowing him to keep the Luminaris throne hostage, he's weakening the family. It's about time to do away with him."
'What does he mean?' Celeste thought to herself. 'Speed things along? Do away with father? Weakening the family? Does he truly intend to kill father? How would he go about doing this?'
"Does our deal still stand, Boss Sean?" Jake Moore asked.
"Yes, of course, Moore," Sean said, waving his hand dismissively. "When you graduate, you'll be inducted into the great house of Luminaris. You did well. Be proud."
Jake nodded, grateful.
"Now, open the door to the Red Dungeon doorway for me, yeah?" Sean clapped his hands, and it was then that Celeste took in her environment fully.
This chamber was a vast chamber with mechanic doorways that acted as controlled portals. It was two stories worth of these mechanical gateways, most of which were inactive, and the one that they had decided to open was a red gateway. This was bad, Celeste knew.
Dungeons were separated into 5 color types. Blue, Red, Black, Silver, and Gold. Blue were the equivalent of Awakened Stages, so Poor to Special grade cultivators could hunt safely inside these as monsters in them were only Tier D to Tier C grade monsters. Red was equal to the Ascendant Stages with Tier B to Tier S grade monsters inside. Black was Transcendent Stages, so Tier SS to Tier Z grade beasts were inside these. The rest were for literal gods or celestials to enter, so they aren't necessary to go over at the moment.
Dungeons come with different traits. Some Dungeons can have multiple bosses, while others may be an entire planet inside. Somee are digitized while others are definitely very real. Some can be as small as a college campus while others only one boss one has to kill so that they can exit the Dungeon. One thing they all had in common, however, was a risk of dying.
Celeste, realizing she was screwed if she remained respondent without taking initiative action, had to do something, but, before she could, the Dungeon gateway opened up and she was holstered by Sean.
It was at that moment that something strange occurred, the shadows of Jake and the five third years who had brought Celeste extended tendrils outward and upward, wrapping around them like snakes and hands as Corven jumped up from the shadow of one of the goons.
"Sean!" Corven yelled.
But Sean just snapped his finger and his four goons charged at Corven. Sean then threw a paralyzed Celeste into the portal, quickly attempting to flee.
Corven attempted to chase but was stopped by Sean's words.
"It's me or her…Corven!" Sean yelled, cackling as Corven seemed to contemplate, hesitating. He had already dealt with the four Demigod ranked third years, having knocked them out, using Shadow Bind to keep them down and bound.
As he contemplated his options, Corven realized he was at a disadvantage. He realized that he couldn't go after Sean and protect Celeste. It was one or the other. But he made a promise, and he had every intention of keeping it. He can always return to give Sean a much needed murder.
"Fuck it," shaking his head, Corven turned back to the red gateway, diving head first into the close portal.
As Sean cackled at the turn of events he failed to notice a four-eyed crow flying out the chamber. Crow had seen everything.