Bruises plastered against his chest, Roako sat still atop the hospital bed. His eyes shut. Every mistake replayed one after another, until his jaw tightened.
He was weak.
The orphanage molded children into becoming their ideal creations. His Contract allowed him to overpower other children, feeding him every night.
The weak children were taken, each coming back stronger, yet broken. The need to stay strong emerged as the weak disappeared by the day.
His hand curled up, grabbing a hold of his shirt, crushing it.
Roako had been clenching his teeth unconsciously, lost deep in thought.
Liora entered his vision, waking him from his daydream. She slithered around checking on all the patients. Eventually, she made her way to him, examining his physical condition. Her eyes widened as the bruise on his chest had lightened a significant amount. The gashes across his legs had disappeared. His burn marks cemented themselves into a scar.
"You're freeeee to go." She shooed him away, and without a second glance, she continued to check up on other patients.
Roako took a glance at his wounds, confused at how they healed so fast.
Yet after hearing her confirmation, Roako stood up and left, the city shining brightly as he headed in a random direction.
Roako contemplated entering the arena once more. His Contract needed creativity, a rune for each situation. He shook his head, staring at the palms of his hands as his finger lit up.
Swiping his finger, a mark appeared across his head, x3. Countless ideas flared up, his head aching like a beating heart.
Strong fighters existed all over, his strength was never enough. He needed more than strength to compete against the Marked. Their physical capabilities far surpassed his.
He needed something special to compete with them.
He licked his lips as a smirk crept across his face. His steps were steady as his feet carried him across the city.
The thought of elements that could be etched into his body excited him.
Familiar voices called out toward him, their words missing his ears. An annoyed figure walked forward, closing the gap between them and Roako. She grabbed his shirt, pulling him down to the ground, causing him to stumble and fall to the floor.
The world snapped back into focus.
Roako's eyes darted forward, spotting Kyri above him. Beside her, Peli loomed nearby, her mouth covered by Kyri's hand as she attempted to scream out.
"What's got ya mind in such a twist? Ya couldn't hear us screaming at ya?" Kyri spoke up playfully, reaching out her hand.
Roako pulled himself up with help from Kyri. "I was studying ways to get stronger. My Contract... It can be far stronger than I gave it credit." His voice shaky, realizing he had only scratched the bottom of his Contract's power. "I need to test the endless possibilities, my mind won't stop craving this knowledge."
Peli jumped up, her wings stretching outward, gesturing to Roako to come attack her. Talons split the bottom of her feet, her face excitedly awaiting Roako.
"Ignore her..." Her voice was annoyed, regretting she had brought her along. "Anyways, I got ya a sparring partner, trainer, or whatever ya would like to call him. He's our special Shark Guardian, Wellin!"
A thin yet fit man appeared behind Kyri, his gray complexion matched with a long three-foot tail that flowed behind him. Short, sharp fins across his arms.
Wellin, in an instant, flashed in front of Kyri, reaching out his hand to shake Roako's. A smile formed, showing a set of sharp, curved teeth.
His eyes couldn't keep up with his speed, shocking Roako.
Roako reached out to shake his hand. His tail whipped toward Roako, slapping his back. The smack had rippled through Roako's body, making its way up to his head.
The impact drove the air out of his lungs. His vision going white. As it cleared, he was already stumbling back before Wellin caught him.
Kyri let out a slight giggle. "Wellin will be ya trainer, he's the local scout and assassin. He doesn't like to mess around, ya should take that to heart." Kyri nodded at Wellin, giving him a trusting smile. Her eyes looked back at Peli, piercing straight through her. "I'll take this one back with me. Have fun."
Peli's eyes watered, reaching out her hand toward Roako. Muffled screams left her mouth, begging Roako to save her. Her hand pushed past Kyri, letting out a desperate scream. "Fight me! I'll give you a really good training!"
Kyri's fist slammed against Peli, knocking her out cold. Kyri turned around, swinging Peli over her shoulder as she walked away, waving.
Roako turned toward Wellin before asking. "What can you teach me?" His voice wavered, struggling to finish his sentence.
"The basics. Your fight with Siren displayed many flaws." His voice was stern and heavy as he continued. "While you have many flaws, you are also excellent at a few things. Your awareness and adaptability were exceptional." Wellin nodded in approval, praising his performance.
He walked past Roako, entering an empty field filled with target dummies. Wellin walked toward one of the dummies, tapping on it.
"Siren was taught by one of the other guardians. She's strong… But she isn't ready. Unlike you. You lack what Siren has..."
Roako's ears perked up, his head tilted before asking arrogantly, "What is it that I don't have? I beat her."
Wellin stared at Roako in disbelief, shaking his head. A frown appeared on his face before continuing.
"It's control over a fight. Let me show you."
Wellin raised his guard before dashing forward. In an instant, he had disappeared into the training ground. The wind blew undisturbed as nothing had shifted.
Roako glanced around, attempting to spot him, his guard raised. Seconds passing.
The wind turned, and Wellin appeared before Roako, slamming him down with his tail.
His eyes narrowed, looking down upon Roako, pausing briefly before stating. "You felt it... Hesitation."
Roako grunted before flaring his mark. He pushed himself up, his legs pulsing before he dashed at Wellin. "Take this as my answer!"
His arm struck forward, striking flowing water.
"If I need to beat it into you. I will." Wellin slipped behind Roako, slamming his fist into his abdomen.
The air rippled like water as he flowed through the air. His tail aligning with each surge. The ground fractured into smooth wave-shaped lines.
Another impact followed, slamming into Roako, staggering him. Roako let out a grunt, keeping his arms raised, his back against a training dummy.
"My Contract turned me into a thresher shark." Water spiraled behind him, every movement compressing the air like a closing vice.
"Now get up. Learn your flaws. Attack me." Wellin stared deep, waving Roako over to him.
Roako dashed forward, striking the afterimage of Wellin, creating waves within the stream. Roako hesitantly wiped the mark off his legs, replacing it with snowflakes across his arms.
Ice coursed through his veins, the cold emitting from his arms.
Roako slammed the ground, ice followed, freezing the area around. Traces of water freezing mid-air.
Pain seeped through Roako's abdomen as the cold numbed the pain.
Wellin vanished behind the frozen ridges, beyond the ice. Left without a trace or choice, Roako pressed his hand firmly into the ground, letting ice travel across the field.
The breeze turned chilly as ice consumed the training ground.
Wellin dashed forward, unable to slow his speed before sliding past, water freezing behind him as he passed.
Wellin slammed the ground with his tail, shattering the ice, before studying the field. "Not bad. Smart way to try and slow me down." Wellin slowed his approach, nodding in approval.
"Down here, you need to think about striking first. Taking too long to react or come up with a plan can be fatal. The Contract Beasts have taught us that."
Roako kept his guard raised, soaking in all the information. A delayed response came, a confused look matching, "I come from the Orphanage, so I don't know much about the world, but what's a Contract Beast?"
Wellin widened his eyes, shocked at his words.
"I'm not sure why an orphanage wouldn't tell you about those." His brow raised in suspicion, but not inquiring further. "Anyways... Contract Beasts are monsters that the Gods granted abilities to. We have a few down in the Underworld." His words vibrated throughout the field, the ground trembling like Jackson had been roaming near.
The tremors were different from Jackson's. The ground rumbled, a training dummy falling flat, the grass swaying side to side unnaturally.
The shaking grew with time, and an intense boom exploded off in the distance.
Their eyes darted toward the explosion, watching.
Dust clouded over the area, debris flying past and dropping atop nearby buildings. A roar screamed out, pushing away the dust that had gathered, revealing a gray monotone beast.
The beast bared its sharp teeth into the metal buildings scattered across, ripping them off the ground before crunching down.
"Speak of the devil." Wellin's eyes narrowed, his legs pressed down, preparing to sprint forward. His voice was sharp and firm. "Follow along." He lunged forward in an instant, leaving a cloud of dust behind. The ice shattered as water blitzed forward from behind.
Roako froze for a second before his body ran forward chasing after Wellin. His eyes flared, unable to see Wellin behind his speed. Roako dashed forward, erasing the snowflake, replacing it with an x3 on his legs. His head splintered, the strain affecting his ability to think.
He clutched his head, closing one eye in pain. Roako pressed on, running forward, yet unable to react to the rubble falling in front of him. The wreckage crushing against his body, Roako brushed off the debris that had left a scratch on his shoulder.
Roako looked ahead. The beast wailed in pain, wriggling its head around, biting at the air as water whooshed past it. It had dropped the previous building, crushed but not eaten, before lowering back into the ground.
A familiar shout screamed out, "Kill it, kill it, kill it!" A pair of avian wings soared through the sky into the ground, blue hair flowing behind, and a pair of talons plunged downward.
A loud ping sound rattled.
Silence struck the ground.
The rumbling stopped.
Then a loud screech rang through the air. Peli emerged through the hole, a chunk of metal flesh stuck onto her talons.
Roako entered the area, spotting Peli flying through the sky, and Wellin hovering beside the hole, waiting.
"You're a bit late. Shouldn't be a problem, seeing as it isn't dead." Wellin leaped back toward Roako, pointing forward. "That's a Steel-Devouring Worm, a Contract Beast. Kill it."