[The Daniels Estate, Havok, Piasu, Ryomania, 10:53 AM, May 7th, Tuesday, 2025]
Erika grabbed the baseball bat off her backpack and immediately swung forward.
"I haven't told you guys yet, but I've got powers of my own!"
Surprisingly, the bat grew in size and knocked the three of us backwards. Jack and I got caught in Cathy's aura.
"The Divinity Of Wood. Sounds simple... But it ain't that simple." Erika barked out a laugh and slammed the baseball bat into the ground. It stretched out and grew around her like roots. She had clung to the bat as it stretched upward, lifting her, making an overall sort of pillar of wood.
"Well, come on then, hit me!"
"This is not what I expected from training!"
Cathy pushed us off of her with a huff.
"Stop being so damn clingy! Look, we'll do it in bursts. James first, then Jack, and then me. Got it?!"
Before she could say something else, Jack rushed ahead at Erika as some of the wooden tendrils bent downwards to hit him; he dodged perfectly.
"No, ma'am! I do not have it!" He smirked as he continued dodging the root attacks.
Erika barked out another laugh as she now sat on a wooden chair above the wooden monstrosity of tendrils.
"Atta boy, Jackie! Treat this like a boss-fight. Now it's getting fun."
Jack's eyes began glowing again, like in the battle with Normand. His skin hardened and shimmered.
"Second Step: Titan!" He grabbed one of the tendrils and yanked it out from the ground, ripping it off the others, surprising even Erika.
He then lifted it and swung downwards. Erika lifted her right arm and caught it like it was no big deal.
"Idiot! Have you learnt nothing from me? This wouldn't register on my worst day. Try harder!" She jumped up, yanking the tendril out of his grip and absorbing it into herself.
My feet moved before I could even process, and I ran up behind her, getting into the heat of battle. Cathy followed quickly.
"Okay, I'm going to boost you. Just... run around and shoot her with your freaky vines or something... dumbass!"
I nodded and stretched out my hands as I ran around the pillar of wood.
"Serene Garden: Growth Sprouts!" Rainbow roses started growing over my arms as bubbles flew out of my hands, and I felt Cathy's aura covering my body, holding me gently.
Erika looked at us, only to be hit by Jack with a spin-kick as he stood on her wooden platform.
"Oh, was that too hard?"
She chuckled.
"You've already learned teamwork, eh? Not bad..." She grabbed Jack by the leg, locking eyes with him and grinning. "W-wait, sis, I don't think—"
"Shut your trap, ass-hat! You're not even worthy to use Flow!" She cackled and swung him around, thrice, before throwing him into a nearby tree. She flicked her wrist and the tree toppled onto him.
"One down! Two more to go... Come at me! Weaklings! Ahahaha!" She continued cackling as she sat back in her root-chair.
I furrowed my brow in concentration, and I then shot Cathy a glance.
"Cathy! I have an idea, give me a lift!"
Without hesitation, she threw me onto the pillar, and as Erika turned around, I clasped my arms together.
"Serene Garden: Pinpoint Burst!"
All the bubbles in the area suddenly flew towards her face at an alarming speed. Erika held up her arms as her skin turned into wood, a strange red glow coming from her eyes.
"Not bad, dumbass, haha!" She giggled even as each bubble exploded directly against her, her legs now fused with the pillar itself, twisted. She turned her body to wood.
Cathy desperately stood her ground as the pillar writhed and so did its roots, smacking the ground and me. Even though I was protected by Cathy's aura, I did almost fall off the pillar.
I then raised my right hand directly at Erika, and she kicked it away. I kicked back, and even through all the bursting bubbles we exchanged blow for blow.
"Holy shit, Jamie. You know how to fight!"
"Shut up! Treat this seriously!"
She laughed deliriously before landing a kick directly in my groin, sending me reeling backwards.
"You bitch!" Cathy gasped and flew upwards, ripping chunks from the ground alongside her.
She flew up onto the platform as the last bubble popped against Erika. Erika turned around with a grin and elbowed Cathy in the stomach, going through her aura and knocking her off the platform.
"Stay out of the dance, kitty. You'll get your turn~"
I couldn't stand up as the pillar shifted beneath my hands, trying to trap me. I grabbed Erika's leg on pure instinct.
"Serene Garden: Fester!"
Immediately, tiny bubble spikes spurt forth from inside her leg, exploding and breaking cartilage and bones. Sharp bubbles also burst forth, causing the skin to tear.
She howled in pain and let out a noise that sounded suspiciously like a gasp. Erika quickly kicked me in the head, sending me off the platform.
"You fucker!~ Can't even kill me... Mhm haha..." She giggled to herself as the pillar toppled over, unrooting it with her ability.
Roots came up out of the earth, trapping Cathy onto the ground and me. The pillar fell onto her and me as it split into two. Erika fell perfectly down the middle, arms crossed as her leg crackled in pain.
"Alright, shitheads, that's enough! Are you all okay? No? Good. This is how you learn!" She glanced around, waiting for the dust to settle.
Jack pushed the tree off himself, barely, and stood up.
"I... I think my arms are crying..." he said, grinning weakly.
I stood up slowly, clutching my side.
"I'm good, despite the groin shot... You fight dirty, Erika."
"So do you, asshole! Look at my leg! This was supposed to be training. Not a battle. Although... it makes me happy knowing you could handle me~" She winked and went over to where the pillar fell onto Cathy, limping.
Erika stretched out her hand and absorbed all the roots into her body again, chuckling.
Cathy flew up and immediately grabbed Erika, going high into the sky and punching her.
"I'm gonna kill you, you — how dare you do this to us?!"
Erika put a hand to her throat, staring into her eyes with a serious expression despite being pummeled in the head. Erika's eyes glowed a bright red, mist coming from them, similar to Jack's technique.
"Sixth Step: Shalom..."
Cathy's eyes fluttered shut, and they both fell back down to the ground. Erika held up her leg and caught Cathy with roots that flew out of it, arms still crossed.
"What? You thought that'd fluster me? Moron. Just calm down, this was just a bit of a friendly spar... To get a taste of your strengths and weaknesses. No need for violence, well, more violence~" She turned her head and spat a tooth from her mouth alongside blood and a few strands of Cathy's hair.
Jack ran up to her.
"Sis, are you sure you can fix all this stuff? It took Amelia a week to re-plant the hedges and trees here last time!"
"Yeah, yeah, don't worry about it. I'll help her if things get out of control. I like gardening too, remember?" She wrapped her arms around his neck, a strange glow covering her body like Cathy's aura, except it being red. "Fifth Step: Selah."
Jack's skin turned back to normal, and his lower lip stopped bleeding. His body began healing rapidly.
I stepped closer to them, glancing over at Cathy on the ground and then at Erika. She looked over her shoulder at me as she released Jack.
"Woah... fifth step? That felt better than the third... Never mind! Thanks, sis, you're awesome!" Jack hugged her and stepped back, smirking.
"No problem, ass-hat." Erika rolled her eyes, looking between them affectionately.
She limped towards me, pointing at her left leg.
"You did a number on me, not bad, kid." She grabbed my shoulder and looked into my eyes with the same serious expression. "Selah..."
I looked down at myself and felt her aura encircling me. I felt as though my injuries were dissipating into thin air; I genuinely got healed.
"Thanks...? Wow... That feels pretty good. And sorry for the leg, I got carried away."
She chuckled and ruffled my hair, pushing me back.
"Of course you'd get carried away, Karawei~ Hah!"
Erika then went over to Cathy, still limping. The thorn spikes were causing her bones to crack sickeningly inside of her flesh. She put her hand on Cathy's forehead as she squatted down, saying the same strange phrase.
"Selah..."
Cathy quickly stood up, arms raised like a boxer.
"Wuh...?! I'll gut you! I'll gut you!"
"Calm down! It's over. Look, I'm sorry, but this is the only way to train you guys. It's supposed to make you think as if you were in a real battle. You get it, don't you, Jack?" She held her arms out, trapping Cathy within a box of roots.
"Yeah, I understood it since I fought that Raijin guy! It's the power of teamwork! Or something to do with energy? I dunno... Feels cool though."
Cathy slowly let her arms fall back into her usual crossed-arm stance; she snickered.
"Fuck. You're corny. Alright, I'm sorry... I got carried away, it's all just pretend. Sorry. Let me out." She glanced over at me and then at Erika.
Erika chuckled and absorbed the roots back into her arms.
"Well, what now? I forgive you and whatnot... Even though you kicked James in the groin."
Erika held up her hand and she clutched her left leg, once again saying —
"Fifth Step: Selah..."
Her leg healed instantly as her aura flared and then disappeared into herself; my soapy thorns all vanished too without me deactivating my ability.
"Whoa... Erika, what exactly is that?"
She smiled and beckoned us closer with her hand. Erika leaned over and whispered.
"It's Flow... And you'll all learn it by the time I'm done with you, or you're eating grass. Or ass. Whichever hurts more."
Cathy rolled her eyes so hard she almost fell over.
"Ugh, I almost gagged. Gross much?"
"I'm joking, Queenie, calm it." Cathy shot her a death stare, and she just laughed it off.
"Wow... You and Jack are so much alike — I mean... That was amazing! You're super strong and... I think I broke a rib. But you healed it. So we're good, right?" I muttered, turning to look up at Erika, who was now pacing around us, swinging her bat rhythmically, which grew from her right hand.
"I told you my sister is strong! Maybe too strong..." Jack said, sitting down on the ground, no cares at all, and propping himself on his elbows to look at Erika.
"No, seriously, that was quite the workout, even though we didn't do much to her." Cathy hovered closer, looking over at me.
"Pfft, you're super weak though! All you did was kick up some dust... I expected more, especially from you, James."
"Okay... What the heck is that thing?! It's not a real bat, is it? Is that a part of your Divinity?"
Erika put the bat on her left shoulder and looked at me, confused for a moment.
"It is a real bat, dumbass. It's just one of those relic thingies."
"Relic thingies, seriously...? What does that mean?"
Erika sighed and sheathed her bat into her backpack.
"You want the short version or the long version?"
"Don't bore us."
"Mhm... Basically... It's like this thing invented by a guy a long time ago, Ivan... Something something. And it's a tool or weapon or an accessory or object imbued with either a Holiness, multiple Holies, or a Divinity... And very very very rarely multiple Divinities. Only one has been recorded to have multiple Divinities. My bat here is called The Solar Branch. Can't tell ya much else though. The Boss'll punish me. We all have an info limit basically that we can give out, like NPCs. It's annoying but I get it. Otherwise we'd go public." She punctuated her words by swinging her bat, sending splinters flying straight into the ground.
"Wow, that's the short version? So, they're basically doohickeys with powers in them!"
"Kind of. There are a lot of them, dunno the exact number. Some are made with essences from a bunch of different Holies. Sometimes having natural Holies too. Vice versa, blah blah. Again, can't tell you much more. Syndicate business, very secretive, yatta yatta. Why do you ask so many questions? Geez, it's like you want me fired."
"I see... Well, thanks for the info, and the attitude, I guess. Everyone seems to be withholding information from us—"
Erika chuckled and stepped closer, poking me in the chest with her bat.
"I told you, I have the Wood Divinity. This ol' thing just helps me use it better. Got it? That's as short as I can make it. Bat equals help. Yeah, you hit it a couple of times, but air bursts won't break it. Nothing will. Now stop looking disappointed."
Jack's belly suddenly rumbled, and he patted his stomach and sighed.
"Damn, all this talking and fighting's got me a little hungry..."
"Jack's right. We should probably take a break. I'm not even sure how good this training is for us!"
Erika wrapped her arms around the three of us, pulling us close.
"Oh, it's good, alright... good enough to fight against The Magi, at least. I'm sure you learned something, maybe."
"The Magi? Is that a new ramen brand? You know I'm more of a soup guy."
"They're the next ones coming after you, ass-hat. Haven't you heard the old story? The Three Wise Men? That's them."
"The Three Wise Men? The Magi... You mean like the actual Magi from over 2000 years ago?! That's bollocks."
Erika barked a laugh and pushed us. We stumbled backward onto Cathy's aura, and she caught us gently.
"Yep! The same old geezers from back then are still alive today! Well, at least two of them — I can't tell you how, though. I can't tell you a lot of things. Either way, The Boss told them to come get ya — all three of ya! So you're getting hunted."
I furrowed my brow, letting out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding.
"Again, very reassuring, but Jack's right, we should take a break... It's strange, though. We've only been here for what? A day? And the police haven't looked for us here yet."
We began walking back toward the main entrance of the mansion. I waved at Amelia, who was watching us excitedly through a window. She picked up a duster and pretended to be cleaning as Erika looked at her.
"Why are you so worried? They don't even know what we look like! Plus, there were zero witnesses. How do you even know they're looking for us? Oh wait, the news... Right, I forgot. My bad."
Cathy threw a small pebble at Jack, who just stuck his tongue out at her.
"Because they came to James's house, you moron. They figured it out somehow — and the news! Who wouldn't notice an entire school blowing up? Especially with no apparent cause..."
We walked alongside the hedge bushes trimmed by Amelia.
"Erika, do you think it's safe for us to walk around the city? I want to get out of these stinking clothes already! I haven't even eaten since yesterday... I'm bored. And angry."
"See? That's why you need training. Your Divinity is... interesting, to say the least. It repels anything that can be considered physical, including food, drink, objects, and even people. It's a simple downside, but it's annoying. I'm surprised you're still sane! I couldn't go without a good shower every day. That's why my hair is impeccable and silky~"
"Yeah, I noticed, 'Queenie'. Honestly, I'd like not to have an aura at all. But I guess in fights, it would be useful."
The four of us went inside and headed for the kitchen. Jack immediately plopped down onto a barstool, Cathy stretched languidly above one of the clear countertops, and Erika began grabbing ingredients for a steak.
"I'm making steak! I don't want to hear complaints, especially from you, Jack!"
Jack yawned and waved dismissively.
"Okay, mom, whatever!"
Erika looked back at him, genuinely hurt by his comment, before turning back to the fridge.
I sat down next to Jack.
"So, Jack, how are you taking all this 'supernatural' stuff in? You seem relaxed, like always..."
Jack turned to me, propping himself up on his elbows, his head tilted as he played with a Coco-Cola can, which was somehow already on the counter.
"Dude, honestly...? It's pretty damn cool. I sort of always knew about them. I mean... Erika — she never really tried to hide it, so I caught her using her wood powers a couple of times when we were younger. Then there's the phone calls, my dead parents, the money, the loneliness... Oh, don't worry about it, I don't find it gloomy. It makes me pumped up! I'd like to find out who killed them one day, and now I can probably do that faster! Do you think I have a Divinity? Like her?" He gestured toward Cathy, who was struggling to drink her can of Coco-Cola, grumbling and putting it down again on the counter. "I envy her. She has control over gravity. She's super awesome! She's also super kind, just doesn't like showing it. Despite what she says, honestly? I wish I could be like her. She's strong."
"Wait... Your parents are dead? I thought they were overseas somewhere..."
Jack looked back at me, smiling wistfully.
"Nah, man, that's something I say when I'm not comfy with the truth. But after everything... I can trust you, bro! Just don't tell Cathy, or bring it up to Erika, it makes her fume."
"I'm sorry to hear that... I'll... If you need help—"
"I know. You don't have to."
Erika turned around and looked at us. She pointed the wooden spoon she was holding at me.
"Hey! Shut up! Stop mumbling over there! Go sit on the couch or something. This is just the beginning of training."