Stronger

"Ray?" Came his worried mother's voice as his fists clenched, it was clear that the government wouldn't of told his father anything more about project 12. But something with the fact he was now the son of a man, no demon who wanted him dead in his past life made his stomach churn.

Ray couldn't contain his magi as the stigma on his neck burned with his emotions. Why was it that everyone Ray knew wanted to stab him in the back? Ray's twin brothers sensing the crackle of the stigma moved to Ray's sides in advance. Unlike most in the room Sythorn and Sythen knew about most if not all forms of seals, the demonic dragon stigma was no exception as it was also a form of seal.

"Ray" spoke Sythen first, as his hand rest on his left shoulder, "you need to calm your mind to soothe your emotions" he finished as Ray felt Sythorn's hand on his right shoulder. "If you don't, someone could get hurt" Sythorn said after as Ray's thoughts blurred to the past once more.

-

"I'll have no part in your greed for power, project 12 is nothing more than a fucking war that you want the hero's and hunters to participate in!" Ray growled almost as his voice vibrated in the room causing the official in black to stand up and put his hands up in fear as if Ray might actually get up and do something to him.

"Ray Z-Zone, you are our-" He started off as Ray's magi extended in the room, the air now barely breathable for the man on the receiving end.

"Who's our? I don't recall pledging my entire being to anyone. I do what I do for the people because I know I can. I protect my teammates and those of the future, the government should know their place when there's lives at stake. As the leader of the number one team in the world I'll reject this project and I want to hear nothing more about it. Tell your bosses their days are numbered if they continue like this" Ray eventually hissed as the man grabbed the pictures off the table and stumbled on his way out.

-

"Project 12 isn't what you think it is" eventually mumbled Ray as his mind had come too the present once more. The twins had activated a spell that encased his magi just in case however their combined strength didn't seem to be enough as they could very much see the cracks already forming.

'No I can't get carried away' Ray reminded himself as he thought of his sword jammed into his stomach. The gods had given Ray the chance he needed, the power he deserved and the spirit to provide it. He finally had his chance for revenge, he couldn't let his emotions get the best of him.

He needed to keep a calm facade and quiet his emotions till his revenge as well as justice for his underserved death was in play.

He wasn't strong enough yet, he had only combined 6 cores into one so far, his core was only Rank C- at best. Not to mention he hadn't even done bone hardening yet either. Sure his demonic dragon abilities made him more powerful but he could barely hold the full capacity of that magi.

He needed to get stronger and in order to do that he needed to play make pretend a little longer.

Slowing down his hearts pace using magi his circuitry veins welcomed the calming rush as his tattoo stigma on his neck began to cool down ceasing it's angry red glow.

"Sorry everyone, I can't control my stigma sometimes' 'I'm not lying either, when I over exert myself I lose the ability to conduct this demonic dragon magi at will' Ray hadn't fully mastered it yet.

His twin brothers patted their youngest brother on the back as they released the spell and all three of them sat down once more.

Sythorn and Sythen calmly looked at their father as they were the only two who had managed to hear what their younger brother had said. 'Project 12, isn't what you think it is' that's what he said right?' Mind-linked Sythen as Sythorn 'mm' a response.

'Does our baby brother know something like Xion?' Sythen once again mind-linked as Sythorn who looked at Ray and his stigma, 'You felt it too didn't you?' Sythorn changed the subject as Sythen hummed in response through their bond. 'Our youngest brother hasn't told anyone else it seems'

'Why would he?' Sythen responded 'If I had taken power from a god I wouldn't say anything either' Sythorn's eyes met with Xion's across the table as silence once again settled between everyone.

*later that evening*

Ray's mother refused to listen as Opal, Ray's nanny came to collect him and escorted him to the bathhouse. The bathhouse was huge, sporting two massive inbuilt hot springs that had a nice river flow to it.

Ray simply over it all, stripped and stepped into the stream sighing in content as his tensed up muscles began to relax.

'Project 12, what a fucking mess' he again thought as he went under the surface of the water and closed his eyes listening to the sound of the water moving along above.

He would need to get much stronger, regardless of what happened in his past life, this was his life now and before getting his revenge he needed to live it while training.

Focusing on his cores he hummed as he let his magi flow to each core connecting them together one by one in a slow pace. One mistake and he could break all his cores at once. Ray thought about the time he conjured his first magi sword in his past life.

It was one of the greatest feelings, true happiness- his foster parents were out and he had been left alone in the house. He'd never been fond of these people so the main things he did was run away from them and practice trying to open his circuitry veins.

No, ordinarily a kid wouldn't know this process or rather they wouldn't comprehend it enough to open them. But Ray had met a stranger in his past life as a kid and learnt it everyday from them until he pulled it off that day and destroyed his room.

Concentrating, Ray brought his mind back as his flow of magi was now continuous. The cores slowly but surely vibrated closer together as if being lassoed in. Slowly but surely they began to combine as the magi increased in speed and flowed between them crushing them together.

One core in demon terminology meant one weakness, the size and how many times they combined it would mean how powerful they were. But one mistake, no matter how powerful you are in a process like this could ruin it all. It was like a refining option in a game, it either refined, failed or went backwards breaking in the process.

'Come on' Ray thought as the cores had almost fully merged, 'Just a bit more' suddenly as the cores finally melted into one, the loudest bang anyone had heard caused all members in the castle to hear it.

The massive shock wave of magi caused the bathhouse to be obliterated where it stood, the water turned to steam and instead of the bathhouse, a crater was left as deep as an average meteorite.

Unknown to Ray of what had happened he opened his eyes in the middle of the massive ditch confused.