One day ago

I woke up from a good night sleep. Yesterday, we took these blankets so we can always move house to house without losing anything. We also gathered some food for rations and books to lessen our boredom. We can take slow steps into finding the Monitor.

I looked around and found out that Drix left alone. He must be searching for clues about the location of the Monitor. He is a good companion, and an obedient one at that.

"Good morning, Zack." Eoa greeted.

"Yo, Eoa." I replied.

It was time for some training. Since the Reaper is a sword, I might practice swinging something a few times, and practice magic as well. Before I start learning, I must ask Eoa for the basics first. I walked inside the house, got the brewer and made some coffee. I took a few sips and put it down on a table. The dust were slowly returning back, but we don't have to clean anyway.

"Eoa, how is magic casted?" I asked.

"Go to the open field," she requested. "It's better to learn from experience."

I chose a wide and secluded behind the abandoned house. Bits of rocks and rubbles were everywhere, but this can do.

"Magic can be casted in two ways: by chants and by essence." Eoa explained. "Function magic are usually casted without words by experiencing the mana flow within your body. The new breeds of magic-users use chants because it is easier to manage. Functioners add chants to their magic to increase its power."

"So, how should I start then?" I asked.

"Keep your hands open," she said. "Imagine a fire burning in your mind, and feel your mana flowing from your body to your hands."

I closed my eyes and did as Eoa told me to. I imagined a fire, burning aggressively. A weird feeling stroked my body, as if a hot water travels through my veins. I opened my eyes and a fire was burning on my hands.

"See? Experience is the best teacher," she said. "As a Functioner, you are able to control all essences: Fire, Water, Wind and Earth."

Damn, this is like an anime!

"What makes you special is your own Void essence. Your Function helps you identify what your Void magic is." Eoa said. "Drixill can use the essence of Wind and Earth. He is a special case, however, his power allows him to copy a Functioner's Void essence. The reason is still unknown."

I experimented and discovered new ways to attack using combinations of those four essences. But there was something I would like to try.

"Zack!" Eoa hurriedly called.

"What is it, Eoa?" I asked.

"Drix is in danger!" she said. "He's being chased by two powerful magic users!"

Where is he? Where could he have gone to? Oh right, the communication pieces!

I went and grabbed the pair of earphones and put it inside my ears. I placed the microphone and chipped it beside my mouth before speaking, "Drix? Drix!", but no one was replying.

"Boosting communication signals. There! Try again!" Eoa exclaimed.

"Drix? Drix! Can you hear me? Drix? Drix!" I shouted.

"Kind of busy here, Zack!" Drix replied on the earphones.

Eoa was still tracking his location. I asked her if she can show me the way. I ran as fast as I can, hopping to buildings until we went close to Drix. She predicted the course of their pursuit, and we were to save Drix as soon as they went right for our ambush.

The trees swayed violently as if someone was ravaging throughout the way. Drix wondered below us while his pursuers hid behind the bushes. His injured body was immobilized because of the roots that emerged and trapped his feet. A blinding flash of light came to erase the darkness, and I used this timing to imagine the Reaper, materializing right in my hands. Feeling my mana flow perfectly, the Reaper is now the sword that I was currently holding. It was unbelievable.

"Wow." Eoa was surprised. Even she did not expect this to happen.

"This is an emergency, right?" I asked.

"No," Eoa replied. "This is not an emergency because we are going to defeat them."

I smiled.

"But, let me take over this one time, okay?" she asked.

I was confused to what she said.

"Why?" I asked.

"You have no training, no mastery of magic, no experience of real battle, no-"

"Alright, alright. I get it," I said. "But how will you take over?"

"Easy." she proudly replied. "I'll take control of your body."

Drix's enemy shaped a sword and threw it at him. During this, I felt as if I was riding a mechanized robot, but instead of a machine, I was riding my own body, totally not in control of it.

A golden cape surrounded my body with a length that almost reached the bottom of my feet. My body fell down intentionally. It seems that I cut the spear in half. Eoa really was in full control.

She instructed Drix to retreat and keep his life safe. Eoa then managed to dash and kicked the two opponents forcefully into another area to give Drix time to move away. She chased their falling bodies quickly, but they were able to block her attacks.

"The Lost Hero." the spearman said. "The light in your eyes are fading. It looks like that power will not be able to last long."

My eyes are sparkling? But everything looked normal.

"That is true, Zack. This control will not last long enough as our connection is not that thoroughly strong." Eoa explained.

"Then, go ahead and destroy them before this expires." I replied.

Eoa jumped above and threw the Reaper at another man. It failed to hit the target and was stuck on the ground. The spearman hopped at the same height and punched, while the other one tried to throw something that looked like chains. Eoa evaded both attacks by flipping on the air. In a matter of seconds, everyone was standing above the ground. Eoa moved so fast and held the sword. She used the momentum and split the ground; both of them were hurt as they did not react on time.

She pointed the sword at the spearman's neck; the other she stepped on the chest making it both uncomfortable to them.

"Will you kill them?" I asked.

"Depends." she replied.

If Eoa decides to push the sword and slit that man's throat, and pierce through another man's chest, it would be a horrible scene that will mark the first time I killed people. I'm pretty sure Eoa understands this, and it is the only thing that is keeping these two magic-users alive.

"Get out of here. Tell your boss everything that happened." Eoa said using my voice.

"You will pay for this!" the spearman yelled as they quickly vanished from sight.

Eoa sighed, and the feeling returned to my own body.

"Good job, Eoa. And thank you." I said.

"Let's go check on Drixill." she said.

A few hours later

Drix is asleep. His injuries were not that bad but he still needs to rest anyway. He fought hard to know the whereabouts of the Monitor. Now, it's our turn to work.

We worked our way outside the forest, leaving Drix asleep. Eoa placed a detection field around the forest and an invisible barrier around his bed.

The moon shines upon the city, and only a few areas were lighted. A careless person would easily get ambushed here, so we took a few steps and treaded carefully. We went our way to even the tiniest corners of the area, but no clues about the location of the Monitor.

"Lost Hero." a mysterious voice spoke. It sounded like it came from everywhere.

"Who are you?" I asked, ready to take out my weapon.

"I'm an ally," the voice replied, "At least for now."

The darkness made it hard to see if anyone was hiding behind covers.

"No vital signs detected. It must be the work of magic." Eoa reported.

"What do you want?" I yelled, desperate for an answer.

"Go to the Lily Street. I'll be waiting for you there," the voice said. "I'm Lucis Gornia. Tell Drix I'm looking for him."

The crickets made their noises back again. We were stumbled by a lot of questions needed answered, and no one was there to suffice it.

"It sounds like a trap." I said.

"It does not sound like a trap, it is a trap!" Eoa replied.

"We should ask Drix then. We'll depend on his choice."

Present

"This is an emergency, Eoa." I whispered.

I heard Eoa chuckle very slightly.

"Right, this is an emergency."

I ran to the side and Null quickly chased me, catching up in just a split second. With the help of Eoa, I was able to adjust my body and dodged a fatal attack, Null's Existence Erasure.

Eoa have clearly explained this power of Null to me. Only a few people were able to witness this overpowered ability. With just a touch of her hand, intentionally, your existence will be erased as she focuses her magic coverage on her hands. Only long range attacks will work on her. I wanted to, but I can't take out the Reaper. I don't know what will happen if Null touches it.

The angry Functioner glided her hands on the air that made the ground split. I can't get over the fact that if that attack hit me, I would be split into two pieces. The only thing that I can do to fight is to use magic, long-range magic to be specific.

Focus. Imagine the four essences coming together. The fire that burns through everything, the wind that swifts through the space, the water shaping into anything, and the earth that serves as the foundation of all. Release it to the enemy in front of you, and by chance, you can defeat her.

I pointed my hand at my opponent, but she just stood there ready to take my attack. Is she mocking me?

The energy went out my body and the connection was made. A big deal of explosion successfully traveled through Null. As the smokes have gradually cleared, Null was just standing there menacingly. She wasn't bruised at all nor any signs of damage were noticed. This woman is strong. 

She jumped quickly attempting to use her magic on me. "Zack, dodge!" Eoa yelled, but it was all too late.

That moment slowly unraveled right in front of my eyes. At the same time, I subconsciously aimed at Null as if I was holding a gun, and pulled the trigger. To my surprise, the sound of a cannon together with a projectile came out, and it was the thing that saved my life. The chaotic moment gave time for Drix to run beside me.

A long gun appeared right in my hands. It was the same color as the Reaper, and the emblem crafted near the trigger. It has a long barrel, but it does not act like a sniper as there is no scope. It also does not have a magazine, meaning its bullets must come from somewhere, magic possibly. This came from nowhere, I have to use this opportunity and fight.

Stereo held his great sword ready for battle. Null took a stance as if she was charging for a jump. Lucis pulled on his bow and pointed at me. Drix conjured his sword, holding it an his healthy hand.

"Woman, let's end this." Stereo talked.

Who would have thought that it will all result to a three versus three?