Volume 0 Epilogue: The Verge

When Arson woke up, he was being carried by Almarine. The woman walked him through a strange place that Arson’s slightly disoriented mind failed to capture.

They walked through the grounds of the orphanage, passed many trials that Arson had yet to complete, and wanted to even then, but welcomed the comfort that Almarine gave. A soothing melody being hummed by the orphan mother enough to make him want to drift off back to sleep.

They eventually made it to Arson’s room, and she set him onto his bed. A place Arson scorned more than cherished, as he found himself there only after being hurt so far throughout his short life.

“May I stay with you, Momma Almarine,” asked Arson, his eyes still closed when the woman made it to his door.

“Of course, my child, this is your home, remember that,” said Almarine without a single look back. Her tears wiped away before they could fall free from her face. Arson didn’t know why but even with his eyes closed, he could feel the woman’s distance from himself, sense her stance instinctually, and feel the coolness of her tears against her face completely as if they rolled down his own face until she crested the doorway and exited.

He couldn’t help but smile at the words he’d heard. He didn’t want to leave the orphanage ever again, unless he chose to of his own free will.

An option that Arson was now extended and took. He never left the orphanage. For the next season cycle, he shut himself in familiar corners, around familiar people.

With the exclusion of the beautiful brown haired girl that Arson only saw from a distance, but never dared approach, Arson only spoke to Xani, Khalif, Rob, and Jasmine. All of which felt he was a complete and utter menace.

He consistently bothered them all for various reasons. Yet none pushed him away no matter how many times his young, mischievous mind wandered.

He hadn’t left the care of Mr. and Mrs. Vellum without mental baggage that often left Arson with the urge to press the limits. Pranks with a level of unnecessary depth became regular throughout the orphanage to the point that the young man’s reputation had over a handful of seasons been solidified as demonic levels of trickery.

The small group of people he associated with were never the targets of his unhealthy coping mechanisms, but what came to be known as Arson’s Plans, often left many fearful that they’d be next.

“Don’t you dare light those fireworks, child,” Almarine watched as Arson jumped. Lighter in hand he turned around slowly to face the orphan mother.

“Hey, Miss Mari, I umm….” Arson lit the fireworks and bolted out of the kitchen. A stunned Almarine shaken by what the young man had just done.

“Embers, that boy can keep a grudge,” Arson heard Almarine say as he rushed out of the kitchen. Even while cake exploded all over the room, she dodged aerial batter and icing; cake chunks moved like tossed grenades in slow motion in front of her before she vanished from thin air. Arson was only able to catch her disappearing act when he glanced over his shoulder, back at the woman.

"Sparking woman wasn’t always able to teleport, was she…?” Arson dove out an open doorway that led outside, and felt a hand brush just above his neck. He hit the ground and rolled.

His momentum brought him back to his feet, and he took off, the sounds of exploding cakes and the cooking team now led by Rob’s competitors exploding in the background was heard even above the screams of the teens that rushed back to check on their products.

“Get back here, child, you are going to help clean the mess you’ve made, young man!” Arson continued to run, knowing that his although increasing speed, would fail him, and soon.

“While that may be true momma Almarine, I’d rather not!”

Before Arson could make it a single step further, Almarine caught sight of him and teleported once more. She positioned herself in front of him, bent at the waist, grabbed him by the ankle, and laughed as he flailed about.

“How is that fair? You cultivators have an obvious edge, and I can’t compete against that,” said Arson with a huge smile. Licking discriminate pieces of cake from the side of his face with the assistance of his fingers.

“You have completed many trials meant for cultivators, boy. What does that say about you, how fair is it that you haven’t even gained a core and can achieve the same minor feats as those with them,” said Almarine with a poke on Arson’s nose after she lifted him to meet her eye to eye, regardless of holding him upside down.

“Yeah yeah yeah, but those idiots should have protected themselves against sabotage, what if someone worse than me got to the cakes, and tried to poison them, they are for a bunch of royals and scions, aren’t they?” declared Arson. Almarine nodded, but wore a frown that told Arson he was about to be lectured.

“Just say whatever it is you need to say, Momma Almarine, I can take it. If you are going to ground me and not let me go to the crowning ceremony for the new Emperor with you and everyone else, I understand,” said Arson in a feigned depression.

“No, boy, you are going. I’m not leaving you to try at the minor dungeon you found on the grounds, I believe forcing you to do anything you don’t want too is punishment enough for a strong-willed brat like yourself. Arson shrugged.

“What can I say, you’ve got me cornered here, I don’t want to go, and I do want to dive the dungeon,” said Arson. Almarine let go of his leg and he curled mid air, landing on his feet. Almarine couldn’t help but smile at the smile Arson wore, the mental image of his broken and bloody form, one that she still worked to push from her mind.

“You sure I can’t go with the new team being sent to the dump to work instead, that seems like torture for all the teens that work there,” tried Arson once more to escape. Almarine shook her head. And tousled his hair.

“No, boy, you will be going to see the new king be crowned, and have to be evaluated for public school this evening before classes start next season.” Arson nodded continually until the words registered in Arson’s mind.

“Wait, did you say public school?”

Now aware of his sponsorship, in addition to how it was the work of the orphanage that supported his schooling. Arson returned to his cake massacre and cleaned his mess. And though the teens there weren’t accommodating to his involvement with fixing what he’d caused at first, they came around after Arson made quick work of the mess.

Rob was happy that the young man didn’t allow his reputation with his competition to be tainted. Shocked by how quickly Arson learned the tasks given to him by his opposition, and was stunned alongside his competitors at the final results.

The cakes Arson assisted on were far better than the originals were; the only downfall missed by most in the room were incapable of reading.

The fanciful words written were beautiful and Rob did everything to keep in the laughter, but lost the little restraint he had once Almarine began to laugh.

Her own snort and snicker before she bent at the waist at the words written on the largest of the cakes made Rob close his eyes and cover his mouth still doing his best not to laugh.

“It's not funny, Rob, I turned around for what felt like—“

“I’m sorry Brianna, that may be even funnier than the cakes exploding everywhere,” said Rob in between chuckling and defending himself from the young woman’s punches.

“That wasn’t funny either!”

Arson had long left the situation, and moved on to attempt to face a dungeon.

He found himself pacing at the entrance. The words of Almarine running through his mind.

“No, I don’t know how to fight yet, but…” Arson searched his mind desperately, but couldn’t think of anything that would help him fight off dungeonborn. Creatures made from the condensing of environments crafted by the system were even more dangerous than regular wild animals to an unmeasurable degree.

Arson was aware of this, remembering the wolves made of sand that he admitted to himself had almost taken his life; only after his first experience in the mosh event held in the underground nightclub.

He often pushed away even his understanding of what death was to the back of his mind, the fear of his journey’s end being held above all else to such a profound degree, that his strength of the harbored and unprocessed fear grew in power alongside his mana with each completed trial.

Though this containment would lead to many positive aspects in Arson’s future, the weight of the power that grew beside his own would be forever changed with each step he took on the journey of power.

Though he knew he didn’t want to rule a kingdom, he knew he needed the power of many to complete what he wanted for Almarine, the orphanage and the realm of Maelstrom abroad.

“I am risking too much by entering without a core?” Arson unaware of a restriction that made him incapable of accessing any core of any type, until he was of a certain age and completely understood certain complexities of cultivation, thought that perhaps finishing a minor dungeon would give him a core.

A core that he not only already had, but that had begun to build minor cores the size of grains of sand within itself, while the unseen celestial body that he’d been given on his seventh day of life by a tribulation, now encased his entire soul and soul realm.

A hidden mass of energy was held in his chest to the opposing side of his heart. Pure Manna formed the body of a sun, composed of the equivalent to cells structured like black holes. Ambient mana eviscerated before it could even be seen entering Arson’s body, his entire being fed by any energy source it came in contact with.

Arson’s body didn’t need a core, it already had one. What Arson needed was knowledge to access his already blooming foundation of power, and that would happen with time. At least Arson hoped it would.

“I have school next season cycle. If I’m in class for more than a season and don’t figure out this core thing, I’ll come back,” Arson told himself, exiting a cave before a beautiful brown haired girl could make it there for her morning meditation deep within the dark.

…

Almarine couldn’t help but feel as if she was forgetting something. She stood in front of thousands of her charges. The parade around them was filled to the brim with excitement, and Almarine wanted to remain present in the moment, but her mind flickered through recent days like the turned pages of a picture book.

“No, I talked to Kim for Jade... and paid my property damage taxes and fines... what am I forgetting though…?” She felt a tug on her sleeve and looked down to see Arson smile up at her.

“The king here with his family yet?”

“No, and rumor is that he isn’t coming, we may only be seeing his family today,” said Almarine with a shrug. Arson sighed and looked away.

A long line of floats able to be seen in either direction made Almarine look away just long enough that she missed the stands for the cake competition being dropped in from the sky above magically. Runes etched into the table the size of a large auditorium, allowed for the large circular table to spin.

“Is it okay for a king to not show up for important events like this?” Almarine tore her gaze from the spectacle and looked Arson over from head to toe before she responded, noting his clenched fists and widened stance.

“You have that look, child. I’ll kick you into the second stratosphere before I let you act a fool in the gold sector. Now, what are you asking about now, a king's duties are numerous,” said Almarine, watching as the child unclenched his hands and took a deep breath. A choice that made the woman smile to watch him make.

“Sorry, was going dark there Miss Mari. Forgive me, I just wanted to know what kind of person could have this many people expect them to be there and not show up?”

Almarine almost laughed, but then considered who she was talking to. She’d received a systemic reward when she’d returned Arson home. A gift to a quest that implied she would either have to hide within the limits of the law, or find glory in doing something morally grey. A quest she’d received and only suspected was connected to Arson, after she’d talked to Jade during their encounter.

They’d fought for days, and Almarine hated the system for what it was doing, but knew there was nothing she could do to prevent it from happening.

It had guided her and her father toward Ikarus, and would now do the same to her granddaughter and her granddaughter’s son. A boy she knew she wasn’t ready to see leave her care.

“A king may have to work when his family wants him to share a meal, and when he himself wants to rest. Even now the man that is stepping up to manage our realm, fights to protect it alongside men and women he just battled against for supremacy, it is not easy to be a king in lands where friends and foes are often indistinguishable,” offered Almarine, neither wanting to make the position of leadership appealing nor regarded with distaste.

Your hate for any form of hierarchy should be yours alone, Almarine. I refuse to be the inspiration of any kind of malice within you, child.

“Hmm, I see, thank you Almarine, maybe I shouldn’t judge a man I’ve never met,” said Arson, smiling up at Almarine in the same moment that a cake floated by on a rotating stage unlike any of the others around it. The words, to the royal family, eat sparks and embers, from Arson, eloquently scrolled in an interconnecting pattern across four fronts of the cake.

“What’s all this sudden interest, you wouldn’t want to become a King would you, there is nothing wrong with having such grand aspirations,” asked Almarine seriously wanting to know Arson’s answer. The young man looked away and toward the roar of applause that came toward them as the royal family came into view, the parade's first lap of three through Maelstrom almost over. Arson shook his head as he looked at the happy family, in the distance, then back up at Almarine.

“And have to wear one of those silly crowns, no thank you, only crown I’d ever wear would have to be forced onto my head by the maiden herself…—”

Almarine was distracted by a sudden burst of murmurs before she swore mentally when she saw the queens happy face shift slightly, and she followed the woman’s gaze toward a cake staged near their starting position.

“Bloody damnation! I forgot to have Rob and Brianna pull that cake… I’m sorry, darling, what did you say?”

“I said, I love you Momma Almarine, and thank you for bringing me!”

“You little rat, you remembered the cake the entire time, didn’t you?” said Almarine, with a threatening point that would have scared many after seeing the woman’s fight with Jade, but not Arson.

“Made sure the extra one they made was sold and eaten before we even left, boxed my work of art myself,” said Arson with a familiar shrug.

“You, you…, you little!” Arson hugged the woman at the waist, before he smiled up at her and took off running into the street,. Some of the floats were pulled along by tamed elemental horses, that were forced to avoid the young boy’s mad dash through both them and the rarely used ground vehicles, the young man yelling back as the orphan mother sent others to chase him down.

“Just keep running!”

“Get back here, child!”

“Sorry momma Almarine, I learned from the best, waiting too long to make my escape, bad move!”

“I said get back here right now!” The extra boom and base in her voice made her wince slightly when the whispers began. Others nearby beginning to recognize her after she’d brought attention to herself.

“Just keep running!”

“Arson!”