Chapter 7: Evolution, part 2
Subaru had cooked eggs for breakfast this morning. He wasn't sure why, but it just felt right.
He sat down and watched Aqua do her thing; he knew he had things to do today but right now, he felt like that didn't matter.
With the new addition to the house, he had to make sure she wasn't breaking anything important, or getting into trouble. He knew she was childish and all, but still. Did she have to be so rowdy and almost break everything?!
He was fairly sure she was doing it on purpose.
Speaking of, Aqua was currently running around the apartment trying out her new body.
As if she hadn't tried it out enough.
Still, Subaru was smiling at the sight. She looked like a little kid that just got a new toy and was trying everything they could with it.
Although if he thought about it that wasn't too far from the truth.
"Did you guys know she was planning on choosing that form?" Although Aqua was too occupied to pay attention to his words right now, his other companions were not. They were hovering right next to him as usual, with the addition of watching Aqua along with him.
"Not really! But at the same time, yes."
"That's not helpful!"
Hearing Kazu's answer, Subaru couldn't help but comment. It was just like her to be so clear but confusing at the same time. Luckily for him, she wasn't the only one he was asking.
"She means we had an idea but weren't exactly sure." Luna helpfully added after seeing Subaru's confusion.
"Of course you wouldn't be able to understand. You would be lost without us."
"Thank you for the explanation Luna was very helpful and your right Lucy, I would be lost without you guys." He meant that. Not just powerwise either (although he would be lost in that without them as well) he also saw them as companions, friends in a way, and people he could count on. You could even say he saw them as family.
Of course, said family members were flying colorful orbs that can shoot magic and other crazy stuff. Eh, details.
Although, judging by how things were going the 'flying colorful orbs' part would soon change.
Lucy, not expecting such a heartfelt answer, did what she always did when she was caught off guard like that. She turned away, or at least that's what Subaru thought she was doing, it was difficult to tell when she had no physical body.
[What a tsundere.]
"Well anyways we have things to do today so I should probably finish eating. It's getting late." He was already late anyway. He just didn't want to make Halibel wait anymore.
Still, to think that only a few months ago he would be sleeping at this hour. It was a bit surreal to him.
Finishing his breakfast, he stood up from his chair and walked over to Aqua, who stopped messing around when he saw him approaching. "Halibel is back from his mission, so we have to go train like usual."
"Already?" Aqua whined although Subaru would be more surprised if she didn't. She was by nature, curious and hyperactive so evolving and having her own body would make her want to try it out.
He wanted to pinch her cheek but he refrained himself. Not the time.
With a serious face, he responded "Yes already, as incredible as your evolution is, we can't go missing a day just for that. If we do, I will probably become lazy again and we don't want that." He'd heard that people who began missing days in their workout lost motivation to continue them. And although Subaru himself did his fair share of workouts, he didn't want to risk it.
Although he was pretty sure something like that did not apply to him. Not dying in another world is a good motivation as any. (he hated that memory)
Even so, making it a habit to not skip any days was a good thing. So he would continue to do so.
As an afterthought, he added, "Who knows, maybe with your new strength we can hit him when he's serious."
His words seemed to convince her as he could feel her determination through their link. In fact, it wasn't just Aqua who felt that way, but all his other spirits as well.
It was only natural. As much improvement as Subaru gained from Halibel's training it was frustrating being unable to hit him even once.
Every time Subaru and the spirits thought they were close to succeeding, he just seemed to get faster. It wasn't just his speed either, he used the environment, spells, tricks, etc.
Thing was, that even if they did get him to fight seriously it would not be a fair battle.
Halibel 's specialty is silent killing. Cursing his enemy, setting traps, surprise attacks, attacking weak points. He was a shinobi, not a warrior.
So unless the fight started with a sneak attack or something, then it wouldn't be fair on his part.
Well, that wasn't of much concern for Subaru anyways. His current mission was just to get a clean hit in. He could worry about fighting unfairly when he could challenge him at his full skill.
back to Aqua who was seemingly convinced by his words began flying, and then just disappeared.
[A flying child just disappeared in front of my eyes. That makes for quite a sight.] It makes sense that she still retains her ability to fly but it was just a bit weird for Subaru to just accept such a sight.
[What would Halibel think?]
"He's sure in for a surprise." He wondered how Halibel would react to seeing Aqua's great spirit form.
Well in any case it will surely be fun to see.
"I'm surprised Su-san, I'm gone for two days and you kidnapped a child." Halibel shook his head in deep disappointment.
"I already told you that's not it!" Subaru was getting irritated more and more by the second, and hearing him repeat the same thing for the fourth time was not helping.
"Then how do you explain the child you're holding with your arm? That is the only logical explanation." Halibel eyed him for another moment but then his eyes took a surprised but understanding look. "I understand. Yes, I see, I see. It all makes sense now."
"Finally, I was getting tired of repeatin-"
"She's your secret child." His words were said with such a great deal of pity that Subaru's mind had to take a second to process that statement.
If Subaru had a drink, he would have spit it out at that moment. What type of ridiculous conclusion was that?!
"Don't worry Su-san, I promise not to tell anyon- Woah!" Halibel was forced to dodge a punch from Subaru, who had just about enough of his jokes.
"Calm down Su-san, I'm just joking you know, no need to get aggressive." Smiling, he held his hands up as a sign of peace. To that, Subaru took a deep breath and calmed himself down.
"I know, (sigh) but seriously, you know how to get on my nerves huh."
"Being able to identify your opponents' weak points is part of being a shinobi after all."
Was this Halibels' way of getting vengeance for surprising him today? It wasn't his fault Aqua had evolved so quickly! Besides, it was a good thing that it happened.
Subaru did not believe he deserved this bullying. He is innocent!
"Hmm, sure, whatever you say you dog." Subaru ignored Halibel's protests in favor of going back to his training. No point in arguing any further. His time was better spent on some magic training or something.
Which is exactly what he is doing right now.
Well… Accuracy practice to be more exact.
"Alright then let's do this Aqua! El huma!" over two dozen ice projectiles were launched directly to the target dummy. The unfortunate dummy was turned into mincemeat at impact, standing no chance against the rain of ice.
"Alright, we got most of them!" Subaru cheered while Aqua followed. Although not perfect it was good enough.
"You missed some Su-san," Halibel states the obvious. Their celebration being cut by his blunt words.
"Yes, I can see that clearly."
"Then why are you celebrating? Yes, improvement is good and all but reserve the celebrations until you hit them all.
"You're fun at parties," Aqua grumbled under his breath.
Subaru was proud. She was speaking more like him every day!
"Actually I am! Now both of you get going."
[Strict as always]
Halibel was an easy-going person with a laid-back personality,
Of course, he was also a dangerous shinobi that could kill you before you realize it. But that's just details.
When it came to training, he was different, he was much more serious than usual. Always pushing him to perfect what he was doing instead of being satisfied with his work.
That didn't mean he pushed him to exhaustion either (well not most of the time at least). He always knew when Subaru needed a break and made him take it.
Was it because he wanted to make him as strong as possible? Or was it because he'd trained people before and they had died because he did a poor job? Or could it just be that that's the type of person he was?
Well regardless of what it was, Subaru wasn't complaining. Sure it might be more work now, but in the long run, it would be worth it.
Besides, he was a hard worker! This was no trouble for him.
"Alright, I'm going." They began again, although this time instead of practicing with Aqua, he switched to Ruby. Aqua going her way and doing her own thing.
Where did Halibel get these many training dummies anyways?
A few hours later Subaru was finishing his last rounds.
Luckily for him, he did not need to stop and recharge his mana, so he was able to put extra effort into his training without any interruptions.
Well, since he was contracted to six spirits and had a massive amount of mana himself, it would be difficult to run out in the first place.
Still, in just one day he was able to see the difference in mana and power between a great spirit and a normal one.
All in all, it had been a good training session for Subaru. Sure, he made sure to make the most of each one but this one just felt more effective somehow.
Of course, that didn't mean he did the same thing over and over. That would be extremely ineffective.
Although each element had long-range spells that didn't mean they were all the same.
An example of that would be wind and yin magic. Wind can produce wind blades and although fewer in number that meant they were easier to control. Yin magic could create yin crystalized mana that was greater in number and had the capability of hitting more targets. In exchange, it was harder to control their direction with no proper training.
Of course, it wasn't as simple as accuracy either. Each spell had its different effects and uses an example of that was Minya. Minya crystals that were left in the air after the spell was cast would explode into smaller stakes that fly in all directions. That could be dangerous for both the enemy and the user if used incorrectly.
Then he had to remember all the effects that can happen from the higher level spells.
'Ul goa' could easily hit unwanted targets if aimed incorrectly and cause great fires if too much mana was used. 'Al dona' could cause a lot of destruction if you weren't paying attention to where you were aiming and cause a chain destruction.
The list goes on.
In other words, Subaru had to keep in mind dozens of spells and their effects when fighting.
That wasn't even counting the amount he would need to hold back in case he was fighting with multiple other people that could not take care of themself properly. Whether they were allies or not.
That's why he became so familiar with them. He did not want to kill anyone whether it was an enemy or not. He knew the possibility of that happening was low and that there was a good chance he would one day need to kill. Even so, he would prefer to be as careful as possible and reduce the chance of that happening.
The past few months were spent on actually learning the spells, his own weapon practice, learning to observe the enemy, and use the environment as a weapon. Now he had to focus on spell control to know how much power to put in each one of his spells instead of the maximum or minimum.
The same went for his spirits, they also had to learn spell and control and potency as to not kill someone by accident. Although -excluding Aqua- they didn't care much about the death of someone who wasn't close to them, they didn't want to make Subaru sad. In order to do that, they trained hard to be their best.
Subaru also wanted to eventually create some original spells. This was the first step towards that.
Of course, he had to start from somewhere. So actually hitting the target was a good start.
"Hey Su-san, what do you think about their new forms?" Halibel appearing by his side asked.
Subaru, who was deeply focused on not missing the target, was caught off guard by the question. He took a few seconds to compose himself.
"What do you mean by new forms? Only Aqua has evolved and chosen so far."
He could have sworn Halibel mumbled the words "are you that clueless?" but he was probably wrong.
And in case he heard correctly then he was being a hypocrite! Halibel too did not notice a lot of things even if there were small mistakes. Things like that made Subaru question Halibel's deduction skill as a shinobi. But who was he to judge? Halibel was still really OP so he could probably kill most things that get in his way anyways.
"Alright then just assume they all choose the same form. Humor me."
Subaru took only one second to think of his answer before he responded.
"I don't think there is anything wrong with it. I mean sure, It would be a bit weird having children living in your home from one day to another but I think I can get used to it."
Those were Subaru's true feelings. Although he wondered why Aqua chose that form, It wasn't up to him to decide what their physical bodies should be, that was their decision to take.
Still, even if he could force them, he wouldn't do it. If Aqua chose that form, it was because she wanted it. That was all he needed to know.
Halibel seemed to consider his words for a few seconds. He then went into deep thought, as if he wasn't sure if he should say his thoughts out loud.
Subaru easily noticed that. He had spent enough time around the shinobi to notice something as simple as that. Besides, it wasn't as if he was trying to make an effort to hide it.
"You can speak your mind, we're between friends, aren't we? Unless you don't consider me one? Ah- my heart!"
"You wound me Su-san, for you to even question that… have I done something wrong?!" Halibel cried at the misfortune of the situation. Subaru paid no heed to his cries knowing they were fake.
He didn't think it was possible to make him genuinely cry.
"Stop with the dramatics already. No need for you to stall. I have other things to do."
"Am I that obvious? And you have other things to do than to spend it on a friend? How cold of you!" His original smiling expression was back before Subaru could even realize it.
Subaru was used to him doing that so it was fine. He decided a long ago that ignoring this type of thing was better for his mental state.
"Yes, whatever you say, now tell me what's on your mind! You've made me curious now."
After a few more seconds of deliberation and Halibel finally conceded.
"Alright but before that I want you to know that I don't mean to tell you what's right or wrong or what to do. It's just a thought I had. Or more like something you should think of in the future."
Subaru quickly took notice of Halibel's tone. It was a worried tone.
Whenever he used that tone it was either because there were some major troubles. Something like a suspected criminal organization they had no proof to condemn or attack. The only other time Subaru ever heard him use that tone was when he had a concern about a close friend.
It was usually a problem he might have seen or a suggestion he might have. Subaru usually took his advice because they were things that actually helped him be better. So far all the things Halibel had pointed out were something Subaru had been doing wrong and when he fixed it became better.
He trusted him with this type of thing
"You do realize those forms your spirits took are disadvantageous."
"Doesn't matter." His response was instant and with no wavering in his voice. Halibel was surprised at the quickness of that statement, did he not understand correctly? When he was about to re-ask his question he was stopped by the boy's hand.
"When you say 'form' you mean Aqua's from right?"
"Yes, yes I do. There could have been better forms she could have taken."
"Then my answer doesn't change."
Subaru had understood exactly what Halibel meant, there was no need to repeat it. Sure there were some other efficient forms they could have taken. Something like a ferret.
A ferret could be very hard to detect and hit because of its size. They would have better efficiency when it came to battle.
That's just one of many examples he had.
Even so, his thoughts on the matter hadn't changed. If they wanted to choose that form then who was he to say no to them? Besides, who was the one that decided that the forms they picked were truly disadvantaged? As far as he knew there were no other spirits that took such a form.
Well, it wasn't like there were many great spirits in the first place.
"As I told you before, I don't have any problems with their choices and I'm no one to force them like that...besides can't you see how cute she is!!!
Aqua who just happened to be nearby let out a 'whah!' when she felt herself being picked up by Subaru who just continued by saying "see!"
Halibel just laughed at Subaru's antics before responding "I see then, you never changed do you? Not that that's a bad thing." That last part was said in a whisper, words that were not for Subaru to hear.
"Of course I don't, It's part of my charm!" Giving one of his trademark smiles he turned around, back facing Halibel. "Well time to go." Carrying Aqua like a sack of potatoes, he called his other spirits back and began to head out.
"Have you even considered what people will say to you carrying Aqua like that? You're fairly popular right?"
Abruptly stopping in place Subaru began to give that some thought. Usually, when he was walking through the streets at this hour he was either talking with spirits or working on some bounty quest. If his newfound fame was correct, that meant there was a good chance that he would be recognized.
It was funny. When he was a kid he always looked for attention, always wanting to be the center of attention, wanting people to follow him. Now that he has that recognition, it turns out it's a problem for him.
Oh, the irony.
Well back to the topic at hand, when he and his spirits had those conversations, they were usually in their materialized state. There wasn't any particular reason for that. They just liked those forms better. Especially Aqua and Kazu.
Although spirit art users always had their spirits de-materialized as to not waste unnecessary mana, this had never been a problem for Subaru. He'd never had any problems with being in need of mana.
Even that one time when his spirits stayed materialized for 24 hours he hadn't even felt the drain.
Now that he thought about it every time he used a spell or enhanced his body with mana, he didn't even feel it being spent. He could feel the mana flow through his gate and be released but never actually notice the missing mana. Almost as if he never used a spell.
If you asked him to describe the feeling, then it would be like a vast lake that was constantly being kept full thanks to a continuously flowing water coming from the ocean, and when he used a spell it would be like using a cup to grab from that lake.
He had heard about a phenomenon called Hatsumaki. It was when individuals who had powerful gates absorbed and stored more magic than they were letting out. The excess mana could have dire consequences such as mana poisoning and would eventually burst out and could damage their gates.
Subaru was pretty sure he could qualify in that group. Taking into account that Yin magic wastes more mana than the other elements and Subaru was almost unable to feel the mana 'Shamak' used up, he was pretty sure saying he qualified for the phenomenon named Hatsumaki was a good guess.
He was sure that the reason he hadn't had one was that his spirits constantly consumed his mana. Since they used his mana to stay alive and materialize he hadn't absorbed mana than his gate could handle. But even then, his mana absorption could keep up with their draining for now.
That reminded him of the fact that he contracted all of them on the same day. He had also equally trained with them, which meant that in terms of growth, they were all on similar levels. Not to mention that Aqua had already evolved.
He couldn't help but wonder about multiple questions like, what forms would they take? How much more mana would they need? And if he would be able to supply it all.
It seems only time would tell.
Going back to Halibel's question, which Subaru considered for only a few more seconds, he finally came with the response of "Honestly, I'm not sure, but only one way to find out right?"
Without giving any time for Halibel to respond, Subaru left the area. Wondering what the near future awaited him.
One thing was clear. Things would just continue to get more interesting from now on.
Subaru arrived at his apartment and the first thing he did was go straight to his room and throw himself on the bed, not even bothering to lock the door, no one did anyway.
Today had been an exhausting day for the black-haired boy.
After he left the forest, everything had been like any other day. Running around the town, bull- I mean catching criminals, sending them in, wasting time with some hobbies, taking a nap. The usual.
At least that's what he would like to say. But no. Today had managed to be one of the most exhausting days he's had.
(10 hours ago)
Subaru was walking around the streets while carrying Aqua like a sack of potatoes.
Aqua didn't seem to mind, in fact, it almost looked like she was having fun.
In his mind, he looked just like every other parent carrying a child. Nothing strange here. Unfortunately, it seemed like everyone else didn't agree with that line of thinking.
Turns out walking around the streets with a blue-haired child is not as normal as it should be. Well, at least not for him.
He heard people talking about how they "connected the dots" and figured out why he worked so hard at such a young age plus why he did such a dangerous job.
[I'm fifteen years old! So I'm technically an adult in this world… Right?]
Almost as if they heard his thoughts, the pity stares began.
Then there were other whispers that he kidnapped a child, adopted one, is taking care of one, and more. They were all stupid things so he just tried to ignore them.
That was until he heard someone call him "Lolimacer"
That was the last straw for Subaru who quickly began to deny everything in hopes of killing all the rumors. Especially that wretched name.
He had a feeling that wasn't the last he would hear of it.
After enduring such hellish treatment, Subaru decided he should take on a request that will take all day to complete, for no other reason than to hopefully let the talk die down.
And that's how the remainder of the day was spent, a Malbeast extermination request
It was perfect, something he wouldn't need to hold back against
Unfortunately, it seemed like Od Laguna woke up in a bad mood today. The only Malbeast extermination quest available was in the same forest he'd been summoned in.
Going back to that same forest he was summoned in originally had been a challenge. It brought back memories he wished he could forget, wished never happened.
But things were different now, He was strong, he could feel the connections he shared with his spirits, the months of training he's had. All the hard work and effort he put in to become better. The Natsuki Subaru of now was stronger and more confident than before.
Ultimately he obliterated his enemys easily, It felt as if a weight in his body had disappeared. They never stood a chance and it helped him forget the day's embarrassment.
That was until he came back to cash the reward in. People were so annoying sometimes, weren't they?
(back to the present)
"Remember me to get a goddamn liger!! Running all the way to the forest was not fun and I have no intention of repeating that any time soon!!!." As much speed and endurance the Yang buffs gave him, they had a limit.
That limit was not meant to help him run back and forth from the forest. Who would do that anyway?
Oh yeah, him. Of course, he would.
"We're getting one of those as soon as possible." He grumbled under his breath, that was the final verdict.
Although there was another thing Subaru had to do today, well more like wait for.
"So are you going to tell me or make me wait?" Subaru knew the answer to his question, he'd already asked it like twenty times after all, but still wanted to bother her.
What could he say? It was fun.
He opened the fridge and took some vegetables out. He then took them out and put them in a pot, he had to wash them first.
"No, just wait." From his left, Ruby's tired and annoyed voice sounded across the room.
What were they talking about you may be wondering? Well, that was easy, Subaru was bothering her about what form would Ruby take.
Considering that all of his spirits had been contracted at around the same time and growing in power at around the same rate, he expected them to evolve at about the same time.
Although that wasn't the only reason why he was expecting that.
His spirits themselves could roughly tell when they would evolve. While they were all close, Ruby seems to be the closest one, and although she wasn't exactly sure when she could tell it was going to be soon.
Aqua seemed to want to surprise him, so she said nothing. Well, it sure worked.
To Ruby, it seemed like Subaru did not understand the meaning of "soon", because 'soon' did not mean now!
"Well, anyways how abo-" Turning around to continue his taunts he found an unexpected, but somehow expected sight.
Is this what Halibel meant? Well then he was right, he was dumb for not realizing it earlier.
Same height as Aqua, ruby-colored eyes, and snow-white hair mixed with fiery red hair reaching fully to her back.
A Red kimono that covered her form entirely, the sleeves of it covering her entire arm, and a white pair of socks with red sandals.
There had been no warning, no shining light that dramatically revealed her new form. Nothing. It was almost as if she just popped into existence.
Subaru wondered if it had been the same with Aqua. He wouldn't know since he had been asleep and only saw her when he woke up.
He would need to ask her later. To know what to expect.
"Huh, for some reason I'm not surprised. It's almost as if I knew it was coming." Subaru wasn't sure what to say. The initial surprise had quickly left him and now he was left with a blank mind.
"You can compliment my appearance?" Ruby added that almost like a question. It seems she wasn't sure what to say either.
"Sure." He didn't
Instead, Subaru picked up Ruby like a sack of potatoes -this was becoming his favorite way of carrying them- and took her to the living room where he then promptly threw her on the couch.
"That was nice." Deadpan the fire spirit.
"It was." Not missing a beat, he responded.
He needed to cook something so it was necessary to do that. He can't cook with a child in his hand. After all, now can he?
He absolutely did not do that because he knew she would let out a cute "kyaaaa!" when he threw her. Not at all.
"Anyways, I'm guessing I can expect all of you to have a similar form, right?" There was no actual need for an answer to his question. It was so obvious even himself from four months ago could have realized it.
After that was done he walked back to the kitchen with his spirits following him.
Except for Aqua, who probably went to play with Ruby since she too now had a physical form. Subaru couldn't help but pity her. Dealing with a hyperactive Aqua would be a pain to handle.
Oh well, better her than him.
"Alright, then I guess I should prepare to deal with four other children huh." Accepting his fate Subaru turned around to set up the dining table -although calling it a low dining table would be more appropriate- and saw not two children, but three.
Bright gold eyes, back-length yellow hair with two fringes that curl towards her face, two that point outwards, and two long locks that hang loose on each side of her face.
She wore a yellow long-sleeve sweater and cotton pants that covered the entirety of her legs, touched the floor and she also wore sandals, yes sandals.
"...So that's a yes."
"yep," Lucy answers.
It seems like things are going to get lively around here.
I'm sorry this took so long, a combination of writer's block and my laziness and school made ethis chapter take so long. Still, I think after my exams are done I should be fine, I will try to get the next chapter within two weeks.
Also I feel like this chapter didn't support the story much. If it does feel like that then I apologize, I did my best to make it enjoyable but I'm not sure I did a good job. I will do my best to make sure the next one actually advances the story.
If you did enjoy this then leave a review and any criticisms you might have. Seriously I appreciate any criticism that will help me improve as long as it's not given in a rude way.
I will do my best to post sooner, until then, see you next time!