"Do make yourself at home." I smile brightly at Xenovia and Irina while stepping out of the way, letting them walk through the doorway and into my small comfy home.
It was small, with a large living room connected to the kitchen, a table with a few chairs in the middle, a couch facing the window, which faced towards the spot where the sun rises and pours it's light through the trees.
The couch has a bed in it, the one I sleep in.
"The bathroom is the door before the kitchen, and the door before that is the guest bedroom." I'm so glad I always clean it, especially now since I'll have some guests over for a while.
"A small home in the woods…" Xenovia hums softly with a warm smile on her face. "I'll definitely sleep like a baby here." I giggle softly as I shut the door while she settles down her covered weapon against the wall.
"This is so relaxing!" Irina sighs with a large smile on her face, sticking to the window to show the rising sun, making for a beautiful sight as it's light shone through the trees.
"If you are hungry I'll make us some breakfast." They both perked up at that as I walk into the kitchen to wash my hands.
Actually, it's best I change my habit first. I have some goblin blood on me.
"We'll certainly won't say no to that." Xenovia chuckles as she takes a seat at the table alongside Irina. The both of them look slightly tired, probably due to the travel. The Vatican is quite the distance away from here after all.
"Sistet Xenovia, are you perhaps related to Sister Griselda?" I ask my fellow nun as I grab a spare change of clothing and enter the bathroom, leaving the door open a crack once I step in.
"Just Xenovia is fine. But yes, she is my guardian. You know her?" I couldn't help but smile softly at that. Sister Griselda was a very stern but loving woman.
She was very strict in her training, and in making sure that I always memorized everything, every prayer.
It was… sad, very sad, to see her leave due to my growth having pretty much come to a halt. I know that it hurt her too as she hugged me with tears in her eyes.
"She used to be my trainer years ago." I reply with a soft hum, putting on my change of clothes before stepping outside and into the kitchen.
"Huh?" Xenovia blinks in confusion while I grab some ingredients from the cabinets. "But then, why are you here? Shouldn't you be-" She blinks as realization fills her bright eyes. "Oh, now I remember! She used to talk a lot about you while training me!" She claps her forehead, making me perk up with a smile on my face.
Hearing that makes me very happy.
"She used to scold me using you as an example when used to complain or be lazy. Telling me how hardworking you were." My smile grew brighter as I used my Law of Fire to heat up the pan, cracking some eggs on it after covering the base with oil, then adding a bit of pork chop. "Is it true that…?" She asks warily, and I smile softly at her.
"It's true. But I resolved the issue." I hum softly, thanking and sending inner prayers towards Blacky for gifting me the System and allowing me to learn about the true nature of my Sacred Gear. "It appears it was because of my Sacred Gear."
Both of their eyes widen at that. "You have a Sacred Gear?" Irina asks, her eyes all but sparkling like stars. Xenovia's awe was more suppressed, but her eyes were still shining curiously.
"Yes, one of the Seraphic Gears, it's called Ars." Their eyes now shined like bright suns. Oh dear… "The reason my growth stopped is because Ars changed my whole way of using magic. Now I need to rely on Imagination." The human system of magic relied on numerical calculation and similar stuff, and albeit it was easy for the most part, it was highly… ineffective.
To conjure a fireball one needs to calculate the heat, the consumption of the air and Mana to keep it alive, the size and the travel time. All of that had to be constantly done, else the spell would collapse on itself and fade away.
"And that's why your growth stalled then. The stronger and more abundant our Mana is, the stronger our body. But since you couldn't practice with your Mana due to the sudden change, your growth stopped." Xenovia easily deduced the rest while stroking her chin with a thoughtful look. Yep, truly trained by Griselda. Anyone trained by her has a sharp mind and good deduction abilities.
I moved the pan and poured a bit of salt on the eggs, rolling the pork chop over while using a bit of wind magic to let the delicious scent air out and fill the living room, smiling when the stomachs of Griselda and Irina released rumbling growls.
I grabbed the plates and quickly put three eggs in each alongside a fair bit of pork chop and warmed bread, then set the plates down in front of my guests alongside some orange juice. And fruits, in case they want them.
"May God bless you…" Xenovia sighs out as she breathes in the scent of her breakfast, with Irina already drooling a bit at the sight.
A quick prayer later, I smile as my guests all but inhale their breakfast, going both fast and slow so to enjoy it.
"I'm so glad the goblin camp has already been cleared…" Irina sighs as she leans against the table, taking bits off of her bread and throwing them in her mouth every now and then. "I see this as God granting us a vacation after our hard work." She hums with a pleased smile on her face.
"Actually, I'd like your assistance in dealing with something once you are well rested." I spoke up as I set my now empty glass aside, using a napkin to dry my lips and clear the table of any crumbs I may have dropped.
"Of course." Xenovia nods as she straightens herself. "It would be improper not help our host." I smile warmly at that. Truly trained by Griselda.
"Not too long ago, a Mad Beast attacked the hunters in the forest, then came to the village." They gasped at that, with Xenovia's eyes soon hardening. "I killed it, but later I discovered that it… had signs of being collared." They reeled back in both shock and horror, and I can't fault them for that. It's impossible to control Mad Beasts, they only care for the scent of blood and human meat, and even with those, they'll still remain violent and attack anything in sight.
"It came from the woods, and there is no civilization for kilometers, so… I fear someone may have released it in there." Xenovia's hands clench against the wood of the table, her lips nearly pulling back in a vicious snarl before she caught herself and took a deep breath.
"What kind of monster would ever do such a thing…" Irina whispers to herself in horror as I contain my own frown.
"So you'd like to explore the woods to find the culprit?" Xenovia asks as she leans forward against the table. "But that could take… days." I scrunch up my nose at that, then narrow my eyes in thought.
"There is a section of the woods that is off-limits to the hunters." I perk up as I suddenly remember about it. "The Mana there is quite dense, so normal people feel dizzy and tend to pass out, plus there's quite a few predators mutated by the Mana in the air lurking around." I should also use that spot to train my Mana Core now that I think about it. I've been so focused on training my physical abilities and magical skills that I completely forgot about my Mana Core.
The stronger my Mana Core, the more Mana I will have, and the stronger my body too. Though I'll have to think of a spell that might be able to strengthen my body, one way or the other.
"Then we could start there. See if we can find any tracks left behind by the Mad Beast." Irina hums as she rests her chin on her hands, making me nod with a small smile on my face.
"Of course we can do that later. You two should really take a long rest. I'll wake you up before dinner." I go to stand and gather the plates, then shoo off Xenovia when she tries to help me wash them, so she only sighs and removes her coat, making me blink at the rather skin tight leather suit she is wearing.
That's… rather provocative, isn't it? Might just be me, I've been living here for so long now that I probably lack knowledge of the standards out there.
I dry my hands after washing the dishes, then walk outside to train some more. Leveling Up leaves me full of energy, like I had the best night sleep, getting rid of even my mental fatigue, though I'm already used to doing things over and over, this time at least I actually improve.
I create a spear in my right hand and twirl it a few times, already feeling a difference in it's weight and durability after my large strength increase. The higher my Level, the stronger the creations I make with my Sacred Gear are.
Seraphic Gears are different from the other Sacred Gears. Not only are they made in the image of a specific Archangel, but they have various forms, like how other Sacred Gears have their Balance Breakers.
Seraphic Gears first appear as simple abilities related to their specific Archangel, with mine, Ars, having abilities clearly related to the Almighty, with Weapon Creation hinting towards Sacred Gears, and the Laws being the four fundamental elements of creation.
The second stage of the Seraphic Gears is when they actually appear as a physical object, granting a large boost it's basic abilities, and maybe even granting new ones. It depends.
Then of course there is the Balance Breaker stage. I just don't know when I'll actually manage to reach the second stage and manifest Ars in it's physical form.
Either way, it's best I work on my spells now. I have a few hours, and if I focus I should be able to bring some spells to their Level Cap, mostly the Veil and Enchant spells since they are the ones I will use the most.
I wonder… can I make healing spells? I wonder what the limit of Ars is when it comes to creating spells through my imagination.
I create a small dagger in my right hand, then use it to make a small cut on the palm of my left hand.
I called on my Mana and Ars, then willed them to heal my wound. I-
[Regeneration] (1/100)
Uses Mana to heal wounds at a slow pace.
That's… good. Very good, but not what I wanted to create. Just let me finish my visualization of the spell!
I sigh softly with a small smile on my face, then blink when I notice that my wound had already stopped bleeding. So it stops the bleeding fast, but removing the whole wound should take a while. That's very good.
I hum, then breathe in slowly and concentrate again. A spell… similar to my Veil spells, but focused on Healing. A soothing light wrapped around the body, bringing comfort and relief.
My Mana stirred, then poured out through my whole body, releasing a sense of warmth and comfort that made me shudder and release a pleasant sigh.
[Soothing Aura] (1/10)
Covers the target with a gentle healing aura that slowly heals wounds.
Yes! This is amazing!
I look at the wound and smile brightly as I watch it fade away at a rapid pace thanks to both Regeneration and Soothing Aura.
I also notice the faint white glow around my skin, probably from my newly created spell.
I could do so much good with this! The Lord will surely be proud!
But now, back to training!
XxX
"This place feels so eerie…" Irina shivers as we make our way through the thick foliage, a short blade in my hand, one I use to cut through any thick branches in our way.
"Probably due to the Magical Beasts lurking around." Xenovia hums with narrowed eyes. "They have killed anything non-hostile in this area and marked it as theirs. The Mana in the air is simply strengthening the oppressive aura they release." I nod to confirm her words as I look around the area with narrowed eyes. I'll need to clear this place if I want to come here and meditate to strengthen my Mana Core, and maybe my Law of Earth too.
"Ataraxia, this doesn't look good…" I nod with a grim look on my face at Xenovia's words. We walked all around the edge of the forest with a high Mana density and found no signs of destruction or tracks from the Mad Beast.
The trees are too tightly packed together, and I know very well just how big and wide the Mad Beast is. There's just no way it would have made it's way through the high Mana density area without barreling through trees and leaving deep tracks in the ground.
"That can only mean that someone bought it here." I release a heavy sigh through my nostrils as I clench my hand around the small blade I created, a glare making it's way on my face before I collect myself.
"I have so many questions…" I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose, then turn around to walk back home. This is so frustrating. I hate being unable to not know why something happened and what made it happen. It's just… Vexing.
"Uhm… I think I see something?" I perk up and flip around with Xenovia as Irina mumbles those words aloud, her face scrunched up slightly as she leans to the side to gaze past a tree far ahead. "I see… something white. It's kinda bright, in contrast with the whole forest." That… I share a look with Xenovia, then we walk forward and around the large tree ahead of us so to stare at what caught Irina's attention.
"Is that… Mist?" Xenovia whispers aloud, and I feel a pit of dread well up in my stomach as I stare at the large cloud of white Mist hovering in place, in between two large trees.
A Wall of Mist.
"That's… not good." Irina whispers with no small amount of horror in her eyes. "That's very bad." I stop the slight shaking of my hand as I narrow my eyes at the Wall of Mist.
They are said to have a separate miniature dimension on the other side, with a strong creature being it's anchor. Once slayed the dimension collapses and those inside it are returned to the real world.
These things appeared not long after the Land Beyond the Mist became a thing.
"Ataraxia…" Xenovia wets her lips, eyes narrowed into a glare towards the Wall of Mist. "Those that have caught the Maddening in the village… are they all people that visit the forest frequently?" The pit of dread in my stomach grows tenfold, and my face pales considerably.
Little Mario used to play in the forest with the other kids before he caught the Maddening when one of them cut himself on a branch…
"We need to destroy it." I state heavily, the blade in my hand fading away as Xenovia turns her wide eyes towards me. "I do not know if that thing truly is the source of the Maddening, but we can't leave it here like this." Her eyes harden, and she turns to share a look with Irina before nodding.
"Well, you most definitely aren't going in there alone." I give them both a grateful and warm smile before turning back towards the Wall of Mist with a serious look.
We walk in front it, take deep breaths, then step through the thick Mist with hardened looks.
My feet land on something wet and soft, releasing a faint squelchy sound as the stench of blood hits me in the face like a charging horse, and my eyes soon widen in horror at the sight in front of me.
Bodies. Bodies everywhere. And a lot of blood too.
The area we are in is around thirty meters large, with anything beyond that being a swirling mass of Mist, clearly cutting us off from the real world.
Irina looks green in the face at the sight, and Xenovia's eyes are hard and filled with horror, but she keeps them on the person… or thing, in front of us.
I create a spear and cast Flame and Wind Enchant on it, then Flame and Wind Veil around myself as I harden my eyes.
In the middle of the large mass of mangled and bloodied corpses and blood is a tall man clad in dark clothing and a large hat, a long crude two handed ax in his right hand, which he constantly lifted and swung down to cut up one of the corpses in front of him into minced meat.
All with a single hand. He uses that heavy ax like it's nothing.
I swiftly notice how his right arm and hand were… bulging. It's nearly two times bigger than the left one.
The man is hunched over, but even with that he still towers me and the other girls by nearly a whole meter.
A long katana swiftly appears in Irina's shaky hands while Xenovia unravels and grabs the large sword on her back.
The man soon comes to a stop, then slowly turns towards us, making us shiver when we notice that his face is just covered in fur, with long fangs sticking out of his face… and piece of human flesh still clutched between his teeth, dripping blood down his chin as his glowing golden eyes spun in their sockets.
I don't waste a second in throwing my spear with my own strength, the skill and telekinesis, but the man instantly swings his large ax, shattering the spear on contact and sending a gust of wind our way.
His physical strength is just off the charts…
"I'll meat him head on!" Xenovia shouts as the man snarls and charges at us with slow but heavy stomps, and Xenovia charges forward to meet him head on, swinging her large blade with a loud cry.
The ax and blade meet in a loud metallic clash that makes my ears ring, and I watch as Xenovia grits her teeth, her knees bending slightly as the man-beast presses down.
I force him back with another spear launched at his face, and I narrow my eyes as I notice how his left arm never moved this whole time, simply laying there limply.
I stomp on the ground, creating a large surge of blades and spears all around the man-beast so to help Xenovia jump back as the thing roars and snarls in anger towards me, eyes all but shining with pure malice.
"If he's anything like a Mad Beast, then his bones, fur and skin will be incredibly durable!" I call out towards Xenovia and Irina as the humanoid monster smashes through my conjured blades, then proceeds to charge towards me.
I breathe in and conjure a large ball of fire, then breathe out, engulfing the monster in a large stream of scorching flames for a few seconds before jumping back when his massive ax came into view, his clothes now being nearly completely scorched off, showing that they were somewhat armored.
Yet his fur didn't completely burn off like the last Mad Beast I faced. This thing is a lot more durable.
Xenovia charges in with a burst of speed, then smashes her blade into the monster's open left side, the sound released being akin to metal striking metal, shockingly enough.
The force behind it still sends the thing flying across the bloody corpse filled field, but it gets back up with a loud furious snarl.
A light bullet suddenly impacts against it's face, causing the thing to recoil back, then snarl towards Irina.
I blink in confusion when I notice that her katana suddenly turned into a Light Gun from the Church, but brush it aside and focus on the beast as Xenovia charges forward once more.
I launch a spear before they meet in a clash, forcing the beast to swing it's ax to destroy the projectile and leave itself open for Xenovia to slash a light cut across it's chest. Yet the wound doesn't bleed for some reason.
Yet that made me notice that even though the thing is very thought and my spear most definitely won't be able to pierce through it's tough skin, it still goes and protects itself. Almost by instict.
Ax and large sword clash again, and this time Xenovia is forced back a few steps, but Irina hits the beast in the chest with a few Light Bullets, forcing it back before it could charge at her blue haired friend again.
"How do we wound this thing?!" Irina shouts as I charge forward, making use of the opening of the recent clash between Xenovia and the beast to stab my flaming spear at it's stomach.
The blade barely sinks just a centimeter in, but that's more than enough for me.
Before the beast can move and push me off with it's ax, I create dozens of large thumb sized barbs all around the tip of the spear that is inside the things stomach, then pull.
A large chunk of flesh is torn out, and blood finally spurts out wildly from the large hole as I let the spear fade away so to create a new one while the beast actually roars in pain.
"Hit the same spot if you can! I'll try to do the same thing multiple times! Just give me openings!" I call out and jump back, the beast staggering back itself from another Light Bullet to the chest, causing it to snarl in fury and pain as blood poured out the hole I left in it's stomach.
"Move!" I jump to the side as Xenovia calls out, my eyes widening when she lifts her sword high above her head as a blinding and warm light coats in.
Then she swings it down, releasing a crescent moon wave of bright holy light that smashes into the beast, exploding on impact and rattling the corpse littered ground around us.
I breathe out and hold my spear tightly with narrowed eyes at the cloud of dust in front of me.
Only for a lance of blood to shoot out of it and fly past Irina's shoulder, leaving behind a large gaping wound, making her scream in pain.
"Irina!" Xenovia screams in worry as the beast roars and stomps out of the cloud of dust, the blood on the ground flowing up from it's legs and coating its large ax, making it appear even more menacing.
The blood flows around it's whole body, but it doesn't seem to be healing it, just… empowering it.
I rush to Irina and use Soothing Aura on her, tears streaming down her cheeks as she holds her injured shoulder. "Try not to move too much." I reassure her with a warm smile before turning back towards the snarling beast as it pushes Xenovia back.
I stomp on the bloodied ground, creating dozens of spears all around it, then cast Flame Enchant on all of them before having them sprout hundreds of large needles with barbs on them.
The beast roars and destroys the spears with it's ax, but many barbed needles still stick into it's body, so I rip them out with Telekinesis, leaving behind more gaping wounds on it's body.
I charge forward with another spear in hand, ducking beneath the wide swing so to sink my spear in the first gaping wound I left behind.
The blade sinks deep, enough to pierce out of the other side.
I bend the staff of the spear and snap it off as I duck to the left, dodging another swing of the large ax, the grip on it now being closer to the blade so it could be swung at a closer target.
I release another massive Fire Stream on the beast, burning off the blood in doing so, and the blood on the ground too.
Xenovia charges forward as the beast roars in fury, my eyes widening when the blood now floats off the ground and to it's ax, coating and hardening around it to make it a lot bigger.
Large ax meets glowing greatsword in an explosive clash, and Xenovia cries out as she's sent flying past me, her sword escaping her grip and flying through the air before stabbing on the ground.
The beast is launched back too, this time looking a bit injured as it stumbles slightly.
I harden my eyes and look at the blade a few meters ahead of me, then at the beast.
I need a lot of strength to make the hit count.
Mana usually flows through the body in small and slow trickles, but I grit my teeth and force it to surge through my body and limbs like a raging river.
[Mana Burst] (1/?)
Explosively enhances physical parameters for a short amount of time.
I launch myself forward with a loud whoosh of air, my right hand grabbing the hilt of Xenovia's large sword and ripping it out of the ground as I reach forward with my left hand.
Large barbs sprout from the spear left in the beasts guts, making it snarl in pain, then roar in pain when I rip the spear out, leaving a gaping hole where it used to be.
The beast stumbles on it's right knee, and I lift the large blade above my head and grab it with both hands, then pour my Mana in it.
It shines brightly like a star, serene and warm Holy Light pouring out of it before I swing it down.
It smashes down onto it's collarbone, then easily sinks down and through it's chest, cleaving it's upper body in half all the way down to it's stomach.
I rip it out, then use the last bites of my explosive burst in strength to spin around and swing it again, cleaving the beasts head right off it's shoulders.
The dimension cracks, then shatters and fades away as I stumble on the now grassy ground of the forest, the glow from the blade fading away as I take big mouthful of air.
Mana Burst and that sword ate away at my Mana and nearly left me empty. Wow.
I wince as pain flares through my body, probably a side effect of Mana Burst, so I use Soothing Aura on myself, allowing me to sigh in relief and stand up, then look back at the wide eyes Xenovia and Irina.
I grab the large blade and lift it off the ground, then walk close to the girls with a warm but tired smile on my face. Looks like having my Mana nearly run out so fast leaves me tired even after those Level Ups I just got.
"My apologies for using your sword without permission." I apologize with a bow as I rest it in front of her, her wide eyes blinking a few times before she gulps.
"I- No, that's alright. You saw a chance and took it." I help her up, then she releases a soft sight as I cast Soothing Aura on her too, then recast it on Irina, her wound having already stopped bleeding.
Luckily it's not deep, so it should heal after a few more casts of Soothing Aura. I'll recover Mana to cast them as they wear out.
"I didn't know you could cast Healing Magic…" Xenovia hums as she rolls her stiff shoulder, then helps Irina stand up while checking on her slowly shrinking wound.
"I discovered it too just this morning. A pleasant and very welcome surprise." My Sacred Gear is truly fantastic the more I use it. "I also didn't know I could wield Holy Swords…" I muse to myself as I poke the handle of Xenovia's weapon with curious eyes. This is my first time using one.
"Not just a Holy Sword. This is one of the Excaliburs." She puffs up her chest in pride, making me blink in surprise and give the blade another look. I guess that's why it was so strong then.
"Let's go back before any of the beasts in the area decide to pay us a visit." I hum and look around, then walk beside Irina so to keep an eye on her injury.
"I'll have to train harder once I get back." Xenovia hums out with hard eyes, making me smile softly at her. I can't help but think the same.
Ataraxia
Level – 34
Fighting Class – Mortal
Sacred Gear – "The Mind Of God" Ars
Law Mastery (Initial):
Law of Fire – Rank E
Law of Water – Rank E
Law of Earth – Rank E
Law of Wind – Rank E
Personal Abilities:
Mana Core – Rank F
Weapon Mastery – Rank G
Another twelve Levels. I've been gaining a lot of Levels, but that's because I am still a Mortal in terms of fighting class. I'm sure my growth will slow down by quite a bit once I reach Low Class.
I better raise the ranks of my Mana Core and Laws too, the higher the better. Though the Fire one will be the hardest to raise.
We soon make it back to the village and our findings and actions to Father Henry, who both lightly scolded and praised us, then thanked us from the bottom of his heart.
Then we retired back to my home, took turns in taking a long warm shower, then just settled down and enjoyed the quiet and relaxing atmosphere of the woods until night fell and sleep took us.
XxX
A whole week went by after me, Xenovia and Irina cleared the Wall of Mist, with my two new friends having departed the next day since they couldn't stay too long.
I started training even harder after they left, focusing on practicing with Mana Burst and bringing up Soothing Aura's Level at the same time, together with Telekinesis and my Enchant Spells.
It wasn't until three days after Xenovia and Irina departed that I received a letter from Sister Griselda of all people, telling me how proud and happy she is that I've managed to get past my problem of growth, then the rest of it was her scolding me profusely for taking a goblin camp on alone, and also challenging a Wall of Mist.
Needless to say that she managed to somehow scream at me through her letter. Truly a terrifying woman.
But it still warmed my heart to receive a letter from her after such a long time.
Finally, at the end of her three page long scolding, she informed me that since I was growing now and I was as strong, if not stronger than Xenovia and Irina, she'd send a Nun to me so to form a team, like Xenovia's, then she'd start sending missions to us so I can make my way up to the Vatican in due time.
The end of the letter left me wondering about my future teammate, and left me full of hopes of finally being able to rise in ranks and become a better and stronger servant of the Lord.
I hum to myself as I grab a pan and set it on the stove, then grab a few eggs to prepare my usual breakfast. I've woken up a few hours later than usual, but oh well. Sleeping in isn't bad as long as I don't do it often.
I pause when a series of soft knocks come from my door, making me blink, then settle down my eggs and walk to it before opening it.
I blink as an incredibly beautiful woman with pale blonde hair and very light blue eyes stands in front of me. She's a bit taller than me, and sports a figure more curvaceous than mine.
And her state of clothing is… rather provocative too? I think?
She has a white veil over her head, and a bright white turtle neck that ends in short cloths with golden ornaments that rest and cover the front of her breasts, clad in a see-through black cloth that goes down to her hips, then is attached to two belts on her thick thighs through strings.
She has a black belt wrapped around the front of her chest that goes around her back. It was thin, and her large chest ballooned out from above and below.
From her torso all the way down to her heeled boots she dons a long and thin black cloth with golden accessories and a cross right above her crotch, which I can see the sides of. She's nearly fully exposed!
Her large round hips and long legs are all naked, and I can see the sides of her crotch! What is this state of dress!?
"Sister Ataraxia?" The woman speaks up in a pleasant husky voice, her lips glistening under the faint light of the sun, eyes twinkling with warmth.
I could only dumbly nod, still confused and surprised at her state of dress.
"I am Aponia. I have been assigned as your teammate for the foreseeable future." She gives me a slight bow, the movement making her large chest jiggle wildly within it's confines.
"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
A.N. I'll be focus on this fic for a while now, cuz I like the concept but forgot to update it again. Am big doofus.
Thank you to all of my s! Y'all the best! Pat /SamuraiCheem