When Shinso hit the ground, the Sword of Judgement flew to the other end of the room. His vision blurred around the edges as he attempted to regain equilibrium. At that moment, his vision blurred even more, and illusory spots of bluish-orange energy condensed out of thin air, taking the form of a scroll of energy.

  Order 8: Altruist - Order 9: Scale-Shifter

  Both Order names were splayed out near the top of the scroll. At the mid-section, Shinso saw more symbols contort and collide, giving way to form words he could read. After a moment, Shinso could fully register what the words were spelling—ability names and what they did!

  But why hadn’t they activated until now? Shinso thought about this for a moment, but his trail of thought was cut short when Losalzo approached him, grabbing him by the throat and tossing him to the other end of the room. The back of his head hit the post of Losalzo’s bed, making him cry out and grit his teeth.

  Before Losalzo could make any more advancements, Mr. Ryujin leapt from his seat, kicking Losalzo in his jaw. His ankles grew harder, pale-white scales emerging from cracks in his skin. The tips of his dragon-like horns emerged with pale-blue flames that burnt violently.

  In Shinso’s blurry vision, he continued to read the information given to him.

  Lie Detection - Shifting the scales of truth and falsehood, decrypting all information concealed behind fabrication. This ability is susceptible to Seekers of other pathways that can alter truth and falsehood, and can alter perception and how one views the world.

  Rubric - Evaluation and Succession. One can and shall view all actions on a criteria of logistics and causality. To an extent, they can also manipulate one's decisions. This ability is to be used with caution, as fate and destiny is as fragile as the user of it.

  Enhanced Logical Thinking - Situational perception is keen with this advancement, allowing for decisions and evaluation to increase by a marginal amount.

  Another torrent of information appeared in the corner of the illusory scroll—Relics in Possession: Sword of Judgement/Intuition Watch.

  Suddenly, Shinso felt a searing wave of energy surge within his being, surging him to his feet. The scroll of energy diffused into his body, making his eyes flicker with blue and orange hues. The Sword of Judgement in the corner of the room flew into his hands, the blade igniting with blue and orange flames. He gripped the sword tightly in his palm, hands trembling.

  He recalled what he had learnt from Humphrey, how all potions needed accommodation to even begin to consume and digest them. If Shinso were to advance again and grow stronger, he had to be a true Altrusit—to throw himself into the line of danger regardless of situation, to accommodate others needs before his own. Right now, Shinso was on a playing field with an unfamiliar opponent, but one with an ability he knew to a pinpoint degree.

  Losalzo could use the Edict pathway to manipulate minds and exact commands and orders through vocal commands, much like he could. The only difference between them was that Shinso had this ability since he was born, while Losalzo most likely had to advance up the Orders to get it.

  Mr. Ryujin dove over chairs and under tables, landing blow after blow on Losalzo’s body. The taller man with ears and a tail swung his paw-like fists, to little avail against the attacks. Mr. Ryujin’s tail coiled around a bedpost, swinging him on an axis and sending him flying once more, directly into Losalzo’s face. The Vulpur was sent back again, rolling over on his back and regaining composure in a matter of seconds.

  Being a Vulpur, Losalzo also possessed cat-like agility and precision, but Mr. Ryujin’s attacks seemed overwhelming to a degree. Suddenly, Losalzo’s pupils slimmed into two thin stripes in his clear, white eyes. His neatly-trimmed fingernails extended even longer, sharpening like talons. His bushy tail wagged back and forth violently, and his ears twitched.

  “Halt your fighting and—” Before Losalzo could finish speaking, Shinso swung his sword directly at his throat. The blade only stopped a few mere inches from directly hitting its target, trembling at the edges. The blue and orange flames of the blade rapidly trembled and receded.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  Losalzo smirked as he grabbed the blade of the sword, gently lowering it to the ground. “You attack me like that?”

  Shinso—with one eye orange and one eye blue—nodded his head. Suddenly, a sigil appeared in the center of Shinso’s forehead, pulsing and ebbing with purple energy. Shinso cried out in pain as he fell back to the ground, clenching his head with his hands. The ground, ceiling, and walls all shrank back, giving way for a new environment.

  Beneath him, Shinso felt blades of glass slither from the ground. Trees and a blue sky quickly followed, with birds calling overhead. Around him, he heard murmurs and ravings emanating from all directions, gradually growing louder and louder.

  Shinso watched as a dense, black mist engulfed this space, encircling the trees and sky. His body shot up, grip on the Sword of Judgement tightening a notch. He called out into the shadows, but he received no reply. He watched as the blade was violently engulfed with crimson flames that burnt away at the entire weapon, turning it to ashes before him.

  Shinso stumbled back, eyes widening as the weapon he was once holding now sat as a pile of ash on the ground beneath him. He turned around in a flurry, habitually tensing. He watched as a figure walked out of the dark-colored fog, a blurry figure with no real definitive outline. Atop their head was a pair of twin horns, and on their back was a pair of illusory wings. Within the wings were pairs of eyes and mouths that cackled and laughed.

  The illusory figure opened their mouth, voice layered and dual-tone. “Who are you?”

  Shinso felt his heart leap out of his chest upon recognizing the voice—it belonged to Isaac.

  “You don’t… recognize me?” Shinso asked in a blur, taking a few steps forward.

  The figure composed of shadows fell silent for a moment before saying in an ethereal voice. “You’re not the Shinso I once knew. You’re not even Shinso at all… you’re just a pitiful form, worried about how the world views him.”

  Shinso blinked. One moment, he was tall and well-built, the next, he was compressed into a shorter form, voice coming out higher pitched. Shinso had turned into a child! Before him was a puddle of water on the sidewalk, where he could see his rippled reflection. He found himself clad in elementary clothing, and he held a stuffed cat to his chest.

  “You’re just the kid with the brainwashing quirk, the one nobody wants to sit with during lunch, the one who’s excluded from recess dodgeball…”

  They took a step forward, cupping Shinso’s cheek with his hand. “You strive to be complete so badly. Let me help you, let everyone here help you.”

  “Who… are you?” Shinso’s voice, now childish, asked with shakiness laced within it.

  The illusory figure knelt before Shinso. “I’m your new friend. The old friend, the one who murdered and spilled blood, is no longer a part of you. Your old friend was a vessel of disharmony and chaos; he couldn’t resist his urge to do violence and commit acts of defiance. You saw a mirror in him, but that mirror was cracked.”

  Shinso felt his heart sink as he continued listening. “It’s a burden, isn’t it? You hold so many attempts to connect, but they all seep outwards as acts of… desperation. They don’t see a friend, they see a quirk-laced boy trying to make himself look less pathetic."

  “Quiet!” Shinso swung his tiny fist directly into the figure's lower torso, but the attack had no effect. He suddenly felt an overwhelming suction force from within the figure's body, pulling him forward. Shinso was abruptly pulled into the figure's body, an endless void now standing before him.

  “If you don’t want to look pathetic, I’d recommend sticking with us.” An unfamiliar voice sounded within the darkness.

  “Who the hell are you?” Shinso turned around rapidly, looking around the darkness for any trace of light.

  “Your savior. I understand your pain, your suffering. We know what it’s like to be demonized, expelled for abilities you never wanted. We can help you become a higher being, someone who can make the entire world acknowledge your wishes…”

  Shinso opened his eyes, the room gradually taking shape once more. Losalzo stood over Shinso, smiling down at the boy.

  “You have potential, you have secrets, you have things we desire. If you join us, everything you strive for shall be awakened. You can and will be reunited with your friend.”

  Losalzo extended a hand, prompting Shinso to take it. Shinso’s vision unblurred, and he saw the paw before him. His head still spun, and he found himself looking to the other end of the room. Mr. Ryujin was unconscious in the other corner of the room, slumped against the wall.

  “Why should I… help you? What do you want with this place?”

  Losalzo helped Shinso to his feet, stepping back and falling into the chair. Instead of following Losalzo, Shinso darted to the other corner of the room, reaching out for Mr. Ryujin. Before he could touch him, black tendrils extended from Losalzo’s fingertips, coiling around Shinso.

  The Vulpur’s eyes flashed with crimson, a strange sigil forming between his brows. It was the Apocalypse sigil. “Leave him; it’s a necessary sacrifice.”

  “Let me go, damn it!” Shinso struggled against the binds, but a searing rush of pain neutralized him.

  Losalzo’s voice came out dual-tone, one was his voice, the other was the unknown voice he had heard in the void. “If you wish to see Isaac again, help us accomplish our goals.”

  Shinso felt immensely hesitant, squirming and resisting the illusory tendrils around his body. “Tell me! What the hell do you want with this kingdom?”

  In the corner of his eyes, Shinso saw the door lock.