Trash: Chapter 184 Psyche Up (Patreon)

Chapter 184

Psyche Up

(Luna Paraisthisi)

“Are they going to do anything?” Lucia asked, a note of impatience filling her voice as she looked up at the rooftop. Not that they could see anyone at this time.

“Give them time,” Luna replied, trying to calm herself down as she suddenly realized just how vulnerable she now felt without their fearless leader nearby. It was an odd feeling, for up until this point, Luna had found that the night, while miserable from training, had been fine. But once their leader left, it suddenly felt colder, as if you were warm all night, then woke up shivering, only to find out that you had kicked off your comforter in the middle of the night somehow. You didn’t know when or how long ago you kicked off your comforter, just that you knew you were now cold. Not just cold, but somehow vulnerable, and had been for some time. That’s when she realized that being cold wasn’t the issue, it was realizing that you were now vulnerable and susceptible to the cold that caused the issues.

“I say we just go, and pray for the best,” Junior replied, pushing himself next to and then past Lucia as he made his way forward.

“They need more time,” Lucia hissed.

“I’ll fall flat on my face before she needs more time,” Junior said, as he spoke a wave of dark energy flowed out and over him. Showing that he had purposefully cursed himself.

“What are you doing?” Luna hissed.

“Proving a point,” Junior declared then tentatively he stood up, and began walking forward. As he walked Luna could see the nervous tension in his gate, as he held his body ready to fall at any time. Yet, by the time he got to the end of the alleyway, he relaxed and let out a long sigh of relief.

Seeing that Junior was okay and that he had not in fact fallen on his face, Luna and Lucia both made their way towards him.

“Are you sure she is ready?” Lucia asked, though her voice was loud enough so that if any guards were listening out for an active threat, they would have easily been spotted.

For a second Luna wanted to doubt, to give their commander more time. That was until she heard and saw it, a moment that felt like morning. That is if morning was brighter greener and came with a music so pure that it felt enchanting to behold. Just hearing the notes, Luna knew that this was all her commander, that Cat was at it again. But before she could get lost in the moment, the spell was broken by Junior.

“Come on, this is our chance,” Junior began pushing Luna awake.

For a moment Luna wanted to argue, to protest, but finally managed to nod.

“We can listen to the boss, once we are done,” Junior replied, and then Junior’s curse came to life, cutting off the brilliant sounds that were filling the air.

“I hate you,” Luna muttered under her breath, wanting to hurry up and end this farce of a task, so she could hear that melody once more. Unfortunately, she could also feel Junior’s other curse kicking in, the one that forced her to be calm and stroll right in, proving this to be an exercise in patience all around.

***

Have you ever had one of those moments where you know a tragic ending is coming? Yet, despite knowing it’s coming you are still disappointed when it comes and smacks you in the face? I’m thinking this, as I am reading Lelia’s body language that is already telling me the fact that what I am about to hear is not going to go well at all.

“Plan? What plan? I was following you,” Lelia replies. Her words confirming the fact that I was both correct in my assessment of her body language and the message she was about to tell me, yet I was still disappointed when I heard her tell me I was correct. That’s when I try not to let this disappointment get to me, as I realize at this moment everyone is waiting for me to give the master plan.

A master plan that from every step I had up until this point has been accomplished. We needed to make a distraction so that Lucia, Luna, and Junior could walk, no stroll, right into the enemy base take down their flag and raise our own to win the competition. All Lelia and I needed to do was create a distraction that would be big enough to keep everyone’s attention away from the other three. That’s when Lelia realized we could go up the side of the buildings, to the rooftop, and are now here. Still, I can’t let her know that this was where my plan ended, as I need her to believe in me.

“Good, I’ve got it from here,” I reply as I walk to the edge of the rooftop and look down at the fortified encampment below us. Just looking down I can see no less than twenty highly trained ROW officers and vindictive teachers that have come out here to help Lelia get through her Hell Week. Honestly, the level of turn out is impressive and something that seems to bond everyone of this world together. Looking down, I remember how Madame Bloom, the general herself, called in favors to get the best and brightest to help train me. At the time, I thought it was a one off, that it was just what friends of General Bloom did, but looking down I see that this might be a thing. That this world realizes that these moments are important. I know I managed to have my most exponential growth during my own hell week, which seems to be a time when the new class holder is most susceptible to change. Having gone through it once, I can see how much Lelia has changed in just the few hours that have occurred since we started this training.

Coming next to me, I feel Lelia all but sneak in next to me, allowing my body to block the wind from the corner and protect her as she too looks down at the fortified encampment of soldiers below us. That is of course when the wind chooses that moment to pick up and nearly knocks me over before I shift my weight and lean into the wind. The wind is cold and biting, but the good kind, the kind that helps cool you off, letting you take a moment to calm yourself just before you need to act.

Seeing the officers below, I suddenly have a thought that I probably should have asked earlier but felt it was too imposing at the time.

“What exactly is your class, anyways?” At my question, Lelia pauses then I can see the moment her eyes glow a dim golden color, before she answers me.

“I’m a Relic Finder and Binder,” Lelia replies casually, as if it is the most normal class there is, as if its name alone defines both its name and purpose easily, which maybe it does?

Hearing the name, I do what could best be described as a spit take, “a what now?”

“A Relic Finder and Binder,” Lelia repeats, though this time she seems more self-conscious about her answer.

“There’s an and in there, Finder and Binder?” I ask trying to confirm what I am hearing.

“Yes,” Lelia replies.

“Huh, interesting” is my heavy-handed response to the title of a class that seems both self-explanatory and that it would likely need a novel to define adequately.  I had intended to use the moment to take a second longer so that I could formulate a better plan than all of the terrible ones that were running around in my mind. Most of which ultimately boiled down to different way of me yelling, down at the group below, “hey you, look over here.”

Seeing that I was still contemplating, Lelia broke the silence by asking the one question I wish she hadn’t, “so what’s the plan?”

Realizing that I had been found out, I rotate my head, allowing my neck to pop and stretch. At the same time, I feel my violin case shift on my back, letting me know it is still there. With nothing better coming to mind, I reach for the violin and quickly grab it, and its bow, before I finally respond.

“We are going to do the equivalent of yelling, ‘hey you, look over here,’ as loudly as possible,” I reply.

“Are you going to make the cool green flames when you do?” Lelia asks. And for a moment I think she is crazy, then I realize the plan is ingenious, as she has seen my green flames at work. I normally don’t go to it as a combat starter, mainly because it is so exhausting to keep the two competing forms of mana converging and igniting together, but in this case, she’s right. The sky is dark, which would mean the bright green light would be extra visible for miles, added to that would be my music, and it might just be enough to grab everyone’s attention.

That’s when I decided to respond honestly.

“Obviously,” well maybe not completely honestly, as this implies it was my plan all along, versus something that was added after the fact, but Lelia doesn’t need to know that.

“Ohhh,” Lelia replies excitedly. I can even see her tapping her feet in nervous anticipation as she prepares to witness my Healing Flames firsthand. At her excitement, I realize I almost have to do the taxing flames, which after a long day, filled with a few random hours of extra training thrown in for good measure, means I will be extra tired once this is over. However, I know that all we have to do is complete this last task and we are done for the night. Which makes this next part much easier, as all I have to do is complete this with everything I’ve got and we are done.

Centering myself, I take one breath, then place my violin under my chin, center my bow, and proceed to feel the deep inner warmth of my body, as I attempt to once again set my body on fire.

It starts with a crackle, a hissing pop that lets me know I am mixing the two types of attributed mana together evenly. Then I close my eyes, before the burning light of the glowing green flame erupts over me, all while I begin playing a haunting tune from my past life.

A tune that I barely remember the words to, as I listened to the instrumental version so many times that the chords to hit are prevalent in my mind, even while the words might be off a bit.

“They’ve come to get me again

My <mumble tune> friend,”

I begin humming to myself as I let my notes open up and expand outwards. Each note dancing and filling the void of night around us. A void that fills up with light, magic, and hope.

My body shivers uncontrollably for a second, a quick glance through my glowing green flames that now surround me, shows that Lelia is there just staring at me with what could only be called fangirl appreciation. Seeing her, I give her a playful wink, before looking down below me at the mass of ROW officers and professors who suddenly look worried. It takes me a second to realize that part of their fear is for me, that I might fall.

Feeling emboldened by the moment, I take the step up, stepping onto the lip of the rooftop and all but demanding that the world watch me.

“Get back!” Instructor Ionnidas, the same one who proctored my fight with Mr. Zabal, calls out to me. Hearing his cry, I realize that he is both a good person, and that I can easily exploit that compassion right now, so that me and my team can take a much-needed nap. That is why, rather than listening to him, I doubled down, I went bigger, cast my flames wider, and most importantly I begin hitting every note as crisply as possible.

The cool night air catches my notes and begins carrying them far and wide. I close my eyes, focusing on making this performance as memorable as possible, focusing on both keeping an internal rhythm of flames, while trying to match that same rhythm to the music I am playing. At first there is a disconnect, but finally there is a connection, a moment when I can get the two to blend seamlessly together.

Perhaps it is the fact that I still have remnants of multiple SySTEM crystals coursing through my body. Maybe there is something about being next to someone going through their own class change process, that creates a sympathetic transference that anyone nearby can pick up on, making it easier for others to want to help those undergoing a class change. Regardless of the reason, in that moment, when I felt my mind go to a new plane of consciousness, where I was able to blend music and magic together seamlessly, that was the exact moment that my body let me know that this had all been worth it, the lack of sleep. The pushing your body to and through its point of no return, only to force it on.

Everything suddenly seemed worth it, as my body let me know that I had fundamentally understood a deeper change that seemed to allow making the improbable, somehow more likely.

Skill Evolution Possible: (Rare) Stringed Instrument (Violin) Specialization can now evolve to (Epic) String Instrument Magical Harmonization.

I saw the system message and smiled, knowing that I could take this first change at any time. But then I wondered if I could push my level of comprehension even further. Knowing that we still had time, that this mission was still ongoing, I felt a surge of adrenaline as I began pushing myself twice as hard as I let my flames erupt around me, in a rhythm that matched and accentuated the speed and tempo of my music. A tempo that I began trying to push to its limit.