(Discontinued) CORHEIM Year One Volume 1: The New Heart in Town

VOL.2: Chapter Pet

Chapter 37———FEELINGS OF FOLORN
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———In Babel's Apartment Complex———

It was a cold evening around Gartham, Houndspire.
It was the common weather there.
That night was no crime despite of how the smarter villains attack mostly at night, but it was nice tonight.
Ryoji and Joseph, his friend back when they were both Ravens, were discussing his training with Lino and everything else after his last meeting with him. They had a nice Ratatouille for dinner and Joseph always wanted to have a roommate, or at least have someone else sleep on his bed....
In all what Joseph Vigouroux had seen in his heydays, fought a chimera, seen an ancient god rising up from the grave, never triumphs by how Ryoji's friend is an Ultiman.
"So, Akina Willoby is an Ultiman? You're sure Lino Saon said those words?" His curiosity was never ending  and his fascination with discovering new things that the world has never seen.
Ryoji nodded as his friend got up suddenly and walked towards his bookshelf.
Ryoji asked his friend on what he knew about them. "What do you know about them?"
"Even I don't know much about them except ce seul livre." Joseph stated as he rushed through his bookshelf, quickly before he lost the name of it.
One section was labeled: Research Information, all due to Joseph's constant studying. Where is that journal at??? He thought before he lost
"So, they're like gods???" Igneus asked kindly before wolfing down a large slice of tomato.
"Better than gods, mon ami. They're better than you." Joseph stated
"What?" Ryoji and Igneus said in unison. After they looked at
Joseph shove it quickly into Ryoji's hand and gave an "order". He was unsure of what Joseph was asking of him. "Read it."
First page of the book was the objective: Read about the first journal entry he saw:

Homo Novus Ultima

Amazon River, Brazil 1838

A warm afternoon boded well for me as I could enjoy a nice bath without all the piranhas swarming and worrying about the creatures here.
I admire of how this verdant hell managed to surprise me, of how it kept me vigilant.
Just as I was washing myself in the river, I have encountered this woman. She was a member of the Awá.
The language she spoke was not familiar to me, yet I knew that she had no intention in killing me. Instead, she wanted to show me her people's secrets.
Then months have passed and then of a sudden,
the bumbling woman had the audacity to challenge me in a duel.
This was my first mistake.
Her hair rose up and changed to a wine color, her muscular structure became inhumanly defined and strange markings appeared on her face.
This woman was the strongest opponent I have encountered.
Our battle was a long one, it lasted about fourteen hours as our battle ravaged the entire Amazon.
Her attacks were animalistic and filled with rage, like a jaguar frustrated by how its prey kept evading its reach.
Another thing was that she could conjure energy from her gods to kill.
Despite her overwhelming strength, her skin was much more durable than ours, but it had a limit.
Their unique physiology cannot handle a small blade forged out of ............... Their regenerative powers cannot heal the injuries properly because of the toxicity from my blade.
Heart-Bond pale in comparison to this mighty specimen since an exploitable weakness is to remove the Heart from its Bonder, let it die out and then kill the Bonder by any means.
Even as I stabbed my opponent in the liver: She was still violently attacking before uttering her last breath.
It was a shame though; I would have loved to learn more about her people..
The ultimate lifeforms native to the world of men.
Magpie Stephart, 1868

After he read it all, Ryoji closed the journal with a smirk. Damn...I forgot Magpies can live that long.....I remember Magpie Stephart clear as day too....Ryoji reminisced about her. Despite her old age, she looked like a teenager in my eyes.....
Hundreds of years old and still kicking the last time I spoke with her.
The price of immortality I suppose....
I also loved, as well as hated her for the longest, too. She reminded Ryoji of how things were back in the Guild. Used to hit me hard on the head whenever I failed a task, but she, along with Babel and Uncle Zanko, made sure that I stayed out of trouble.....
The Heart were a bit confused by the journal entry. It was too vague for Igneus to understand.
"So....They're super strong? Super fast? Or what???"
"You seen it yourself, Iggy. We need to get stronger than her if we have to keep on impressing Lino." Ryoji told Igneus of what they needed to do. What mattered was to keep Lino happy with them, they needed to do better than Hanianna or anyone else in general.
"Stephart cross out their weaknesses and then burned that part. Why?" Ryoji was on the perceptive side tonight, it rattled his bones.
"It is her secret and hers only. I have a decent theory about why she did." Joseph started, putting his hair up in a manly ponytail. "There was once a rumor that Stephart was romantically involved with a woman so long ago before our ancestors lived. My guess: Probably that woman. There is weight to her writing usually and I can feel that emotion.."
Even when it's in cursive? Ryoji thought to himself.
Unfortunately, Ryoji had no care when it came to literature. Sure, he was smart enough to handle complex and had the IQ of 129, that should say much about him. He only read literature in order to gain more knowledge——The idea of entertaining was alien to him. It was hard for him to adjust to his new life and he hasn't read any books that Joseph gave him.
He was an assassin——Not an actual chameleon.
"Makes sense, considering how she used to look at some of the other female Ravens. Even some of the slippery Tidemasters she was flirting with!" Ryoji agreed with his friend quickly and carefully.
Shortly afterwards, they dropped the Ultiman conversation altogether and watched a show on USA network.
Special Victims Unit.
A fan favorite, Joseph said to him while watching
"Why do you like this show?"
"Because I have good taste."
Although it had seem that an Ultimans' weakness didn't both Ryoji much, to the contrary: It did bother him. He kept on ruminating about it.
Even if that part wasn't burned out: I still wouldn't exploit Akina's weakness. It wouldn't be right: She's my friend and the person I saved from the alley that day....I owe it to her to keep her weakness a secret. Sure, I don't know what it is nor will I ever learn about it——She's a good person.....
"I cannot believe it, Ryoji Dragomir Kazama, working for Lino Saon. What's next: The Beast to come and bring ruin to the world?"
"I'm not working for him, I'm studying with him....I want me to be a better hero." Ryoji corrected his friend politely as he corrected his own position on the couch.
Okay.......Joseph thought.
Joseph asked with a slight smile. "Did you read Deadly Class yet?"
".....I haven't." Ryoji sheepishly answered before Joseph shrugged, feeling a bit hurt from his answer. It really took some time for them to go to sleep.
Despite Ryoji having his eyes open, he would sleep with his eyes open.
He knew it was unpleasant at times, so he forcibly shut them until it did not work.
All because of one thought:
I want to check out my new blade.
Eventually and unfortunately, it was his curiosity that rendered him sleepless and made him walk sneakily to his newfound blade from the couch to the front door.
Ifrit's Heart was waiting for its master's grin.
The reach from it was long and steady was the hand of Ryoji as he reached
Such intensity from the touch, it drove Ryoji in pain as the fiery hot blade flumped to the ground as Ryoji clasped his wrist tightly and cursing under his breath.
Shit! That's hot!
He pulled away and push it into the cabin and went to the sink to cool down his burn, his palm was cooling off with the cruel encounter.
Worst weapon I have ever seen in my life. What's the whole purpose of it if I can't even touch it? He finished his mental rambling after turning off the water. Ryoji rushed off to the couch before hearing footsteps.
"DID you zay anything?!" Joseph asked while yelling, half-sleep. He usually slurred his speech as he was thinking of more......desirable things from his slumber.
"NO!" Ryoji yelled back in pain. "I'm fine! I just dropped my whip, that's all! Laku noć, Babel." He lied to his best friend, worrying that Joseph was going to come and check......Instead, he went back to sleep. "Laku noć, Ryo!"
Ryoji sighed under his breath while witnessing Igneus moving many times to gain the proper position.
———Surwick Rest Place West———