Bastard Homunculus: Reborn in the Corpse Pit

"Home sweet home. Looks like the others aren't back yet, hope things are going better for them than it did for us," Sighed Celia, stretching her arms up as the trio appeared in the area where their hideout was located.

"I'm beat...time for a long overdue nap, don't bother me unless it's an emergency," Muttered Tacitus wearily.

"Yeah, yeah, wasn't planning on it," Replied Celia dryly, as Tacitus began heading for the building, before she turned to Raven, "Hey, you okay? You've been really quiet since we left...I know tonight didn't go according to plan, but cheer up, we'll get more chances. Regretting tonight won't change what happened, so it'd be more practical to look forward and think of ways to avoid a repeat situation, right?"

"Well, yeah, I guess I can't argue with that...thanks, I appreciate it," Responded Raven with a slight smile.

"Sure, anytime," She smiled back, as she lightly bumped her shoulder against his, before they both turned around as a rustling echoed out from the bushes behind them.

"...-fucking useless, both of you! I mean, come on, how could you let your opponents get away like that!?" Came Lexia's voice.

"You don't have to rub it in, you know, that isn't going to change anything," Aster's voice echoed out defensively.

"Heh...yeah, inshtead of rubbing it in, we should rub one out, am I right? Hahaha! Wait...what were we talking about?" Came Colt's voice, still slurring, right as the three of them stepped out from behind the bushes and came into sight.

"Oh, you guys are back too?" Lexia greeted them, with Colt leaning against her.

"Welcome back, we-...uh, what's going on with him?" Inquired Celia in bemusement, staring at her brother.

"Oh, heyyy, little shish! Whatshup?" He grinned with a loopy wave.

"His opponent must have exposed him to some kind of drug, he's high out of his mind. Most people probably would've OD'ed, but his Blood Magic makes his blood more resistance against toxins and poisons. So, at the very least, he'll survive," Sighed Lexia, her eyebrow twitching as Colt playfully poked her cheek a couple of times.

"So, did you guys accomplish what you set out to do, or...?" Raven asked them.

"Tch, not even close. We were attacked by the Knights before we could get to the Viscountess...still, we had the opportunity to deal a significant blow to the Knight Order, since we were attacked by the Third Squad Captain and two First-Class Knights. But I was the only one who actually managed to eliminate my opponent," Huffed Lexia, before glaring at Aster.

"Hey, it's not like I failed to accomplish anything...the Captain may have survived, but he's seriously injured, I managed to cut off his arm before he got away," Pointed out Aster.

"Which'll be meaningless if they manage to get him to a high level Recovery Mage in time," Countered Lexia with a glare, before taking in a deep breath and slowly exhaling to compose herself, before she turned to Celia and Raven, "What about you guys? How'd it go in Ruby Village? And where's Tacitus?"

"He went inside to sleep pretty much the instant we got back," Admitted Celia sheepishly.

"Before we discuss what happened, we, uh...we should probably get him to bed," Remarked Raven, as Colt flicked Lexia's earlobe over and over while chuckling in amusement, his eyes glazed over.

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Come on, let's get him inside," Nodded Aster in agreement, as he glanced at Lexia's tensed expression.

They then headed into the building, taking Colt to his room and putting him in bed. He dozed off almost as soon as his head hit the pillow, his eyelids fluttering shut before he began snoring.

The remaining four then headed into the living room, sitting down before Celia and Raven got to explaining what had happened in Ruby Village.

As they finished covering the events that had transpired, a brief silence ensued, before Lexia spoke up...

"Unbelievable...how was I the only one out of six of us that actually managed to accomplish something tonight? Colt and Aster failed to finish off their opponents, and things in Ruby Village completely went to shit," She surmised dryly.

"Quick side note, Aster...how come that First-Class Knight, Ferd Beryl, isn't a target? He seemed pretty prejudiced against Commoners to me," Frowned Celia.

"Hm? Oh, that guy...yeah, he does look down on Commoners, but he doesn't go out of his way to torment or oppress them. He just avoids them and keeps to himself...not ideal, but a hell of lot better than the vast majority of the other Knights who are prejudiced against Commoners," Explained Aster, before turning to Raven, "While things didn't go too well tonight, it wasn't a total waste...we now know that you have a deeper aspect to your power than what we've seen so far."

"I'm sorry, I should've done better to keep my emotions in check...things might have gone better if I didn't lose control," Responded Raven with a grimace.

"You didn't lose control though. It's not like you attacked us, plus you were able to speak normally, you asked that last Inquisitor about your sister, so it's not like you went berserk or something. Well, I guess you weren't speaking totally normally, your voice was all growly and deep. I thought it sounded pretty cool," Recalled Celia thoughtfully.

"Oh, uh...thanks. I do remember everything I did while in that state, but it's like I was in a haze, sort of like when you zone out and just sort of go through the motions, only a lot more intense. It's really hard to put into words, it's like I was both in control and not in control at the same time," Frowned Raven with a shake of his head.

"Hm...we should try to figure out exactly how that works before we make our next move. You might have avoided going berserk this time, but we might not be so lucky the next time," Surmised Aster objectively.

"Oh, I know! We should call that state Dark Raven! I think that sounds really cool!" Suggested Celia with a grin, before turning to Raven, "What do you think?"

"Huh? Uh, I mean...sure, I guess? It's not really important..."

"It's getting late, and I'm sure we're all exhausted...let's sleep on it and pick this back up tomorrow, along with Colt and Tacitus too. "

...

...

"Hm...I don't feel anything, your Aura isn't getting more intense," Called out Aster.

"I know...I'm trying, I'm definitely riled up, but it's not working!" Responded Raven with a grimace.

It was the following day, early in the afternoon, and Raven was currently trying to trigger the power boost he'd gotten in Ruby Village, which Celia had dubbed "Dark Raven".

He'd initially been apprehensive, afraid of losing control and accidentally injuring one of the others, or worse, but Aster assured him that wouldn't be a problem, before demonstrating by showing Raven his Telekinetic Zone Spell.

Raven then began replaying his worst memories over and over in his head to stir his emotions and unleash the power, but despite his best efforts, it wasn't working.

"Hm...maybe it only triggers when you're genuinely enraged, and it's something you can't force?" Suggested Aster, as Raven collapsed onto the grass, mentally worn out from reliving his most harrowing memories.

"Oh, great...then I riled myself up and relived my trauma for nothing?" Sighed Raven wearily.

"Well, I wouldn't say nothing...at least now you know that you can't trigger this power at will," Pointed out Aster.

"I mean, I guess so..."

"On the bright side, your Aura pressure has intensified a bit compared to before you went to Ruby Village, that's likely a side effect of some kind of your Dark Raven form. What about the high level Spells you cast while in that state? You said you remember everything that you did, so do you remember how you cast those Spells?" Aster asked him, as he walked over and sat down beside him on the grass.

"Well, yes and no. The sensation of my Mana flow when I regrew my arm, I vaguely remember what it felt like...but I can't recreate it, it was so complex that it's hard to properly recall when the memory of the feeling is so vague," Raven replied with a shake of his head, closing his eyes as a gentle breeze blew across the area, helping him cool down.

"Hm...considering that your Aura pressure spiked so drastically in your Dark Raven form, that must have temporarily given you access to Level 3 Spells. At your current level of Aura pressure, Level 3 Spells are still beyond you. The Spell you used to regrow your arm was probably Regeneration, or maybe Constant Regeneration. Those are the only Recovery Magic Spells strong enough to regrow limbs. At any rate, those Spells are beyond your current capabilities, you need to keep sharpening your control over your Mana, which will then increase the intensity of your Aura pressure and enable you to cast higher level Spells, as well as cast your existing Spells more efficiently," Explained Aster, patting Raven's head.

"I remember the feeling of my arm growing back more clearly than I remember the sensation of my Mana flow...and it felt really weird. Like, kinda unsettling and disconcerting...even though my arm grew back pretty quickly, I felt it in great detail," Recalled Raven with a slight shudder.

"Yes, I've heard that the Regeneration Spell doesn't feel particularly pleasant...but I think that's a small price to pay for the cost of regrowing a missing limb," Pointed out Aster with a wry smile.

"Yeah...can't argue with that."

"Alright, why don't you take the rest of the day off? I'm sure you must be mentally and emotionally drained by now, so take it easy today," Suggested Aster, giving him a pat on the shoulder.

"Actually, that sounds really good right about now."

...

About an hour later, Raven was deep into lazing in his room, staring up at the ceiling while laying in bed.

He'd made a deliberate effort to empty his mind and just laze about listlessly, he knew he'd end up spiraling if he let his mind race.

As he stretched his arms up with a lazy yawn, he glanced at the door as a knock echoed out, before sharpening his sense of smell to figure out who it was.

"Celia? What's up?" He called out, before the door opened.

"Hey, how's it going? Mind if I come in?" She greeted him with a smile.

"Yeah, sure. Is something wrong?" He asked her, as he sat up.

"Oh, no, nothing like that. I was just feeling kinda bored and figured I come hang out with you, if that's okay. By the way, how did you know it was me-...oh, right, your sense of smell, I'm guessing?" She surmised, as she walked in and shut the door behind her.

"Yeah, that's right. And sure, I don't mind hanging out," Nodded Raven, as she approached him and took a seat on the edge of the bed.

"Cool...by the way, about your sense of smell, you can distinguish between the five of us by our scents, right? What's mine like? I hope it isn't unpleasant or anything," She replied nervously.

"Huh? I haven't really thought about it...I don't know, it's hard to describe each of your scents, I can differentiate and identify between the scents, but I don't know how to explain what the scents are like. I definitely wouldn't say it's unpleasant though...hm, I guess I could describe your scent as being kinda comforting? Yeah, that sounds right, I like your scent-...u-uh, sorry, that probably sounds kinda creepy, doesn't it?"

"Hahaha...well, under normal circumstances, if a guy said that to me, yeah, it'd be pretty creepy. But given the context of your abilities, you're fine, I don't think it's creepy," She responded with a giggle.

"Okay, that's a relief," Replied Raven with a quiet sigh.

"You know, I'm glad you joined us...you're a lot of fun to be around, plus you're a lot closer to my age than the others are," She remarked, before reaching over and playfully ruffling his hair.

"Oh, uh...thanks. I'm glad I joined too...I probably would've ended up charging right into my death if I hadn't met you guys. And I feel the same way, I think you're a lot of fun to be around too. By the way, I've been wondering, how did you come to join The Irregulars? I-...wait, sorry, never mind. I doubt it was pleasant, and I'm sure you don't want to dredge up any bad memories, so forget I asked," Raven shook his head, feeling bad about bringing it up.

"No, I don't mind talking about it. It was quite a while ago, after all. I suppose I'll have to start with Colt's appraisal...we grew up in Amber Village, our parents and I accompanied him to the church when he turned ten, and when he was appraised, he was discovered to have awakened an Irregular Magic Class. They tried to capture him, he panicked and ended up bursting out a bunch of blood spikes from his body and escaped.

My parents managed to find him, and we snuck him back into our house...we had a basement with a trapdoor hidden under the floorboards, we came across it by accident while cleaning a couple of years before that. We hid him down there for the next three years or so, around the time I turned ten...and it turned out that I had Irregular Magic too, my Explosion Magic. My parents weren't fighters, they were just ordinary civilians. But Colt had been training hard with his Blood Magic while he was cooped up in our basement.

He was worried that I might have Irregular Magic too since I'm his sister, so he secretly followed my parents and I to the church for my appraisal...the funny thing is, it doesn't actually work like that, Irregular Magic isn't a genetic thing, so I guess our family just got really unlucky. Anyway, he saved me before I could get taken away, the two of us ran away and hid. We figured that we could just wait for a while, head back home and then hide in the basement. But, as you can imagine, things weren't that simple.

We managed to get back home, alright...only to find our parents' corpses. They were probably killed because the church must have realized that they'd been hiding Colt for the last three years. My memories of that time are a blur, I ended up in a state of shock. Colt managed to drag me out, before the two of us left the village and headed into Petalite Woods, right outside the village. We hid there for about a week before Aster and the others showed up, they'd heard about the Irregular siblings being hunted in Amber Village and came to save us. We joined them and they began training us, that was about five years ago now, more or less. So, yeah, that's how I ended up in The Irregulars," She concluded her story with a sorrowful smile.

"I...I don't know what to say. I can't imagine how awful that must have been, I'm so sorry you had to go through that," Responded Raven, a lump in his throat.

"It may not have been exactly the same, but you've suffered just as much as we did, you know, maybe even more. There's something I want us to accomplish...I want to make sure than no other Commoner kids have to go through even a fraction of the suffering that we experienced at the hand on the church. I'll never forgive them for what they put us all through," Stated Celia, a dark look of hatred and determination in her eyes...