Lie 34 – Variations

This is a story that goes back to a time when the fruits of chaos are still being formed, the cruel fates yet to be revealed.

In another volume of his journey through the Underworld, the "Adam's Heir" will fight memorable battles and meet people who might have the answers he is looking for.

Origins, convictions, and duties. Everything will be put to the test once more.

Underworld Level -3, Restricted Block

Lied and Mare managed to escape from Ajax and the guardians of Mictlan thanks not only to Zaccharias, who put himself in front of the aztec knight and stayed behind, but also to Pantera, the enemy that surprisingly appeared at a critical moment to help the human.

Finding themselves in the lair of the fearsome Animus, the boy and the girl took advantage of the fact that the creatures seemed to be distracted by the signals of emerging crises throughout the Underworld and left the floor. The young man felt like he was about to explode…

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Underworld Level -2, Restricted Block

Lied went back to a place where he had been happy – depending on the perspective. It was here that, not long ago, the Lost Prince awakened the Spirit Mode and defeated the type C Animus. Mare finally let herself fall onto the dark pavement as she was tired from all that running. Lied just stood there, almost out of breath. He punched the ground in frustration as he was ashamed of his impotence, overwhelmed by feelings of helplessness.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" the teenager continued to vent his anger on the pavement by punching it multiple times.

"L-Lied…" Mare muttered, worried.

"Why did I awaken the Spirit Mode? Wasn't it to get stronger? To be able to fight when necessary? In the end, nothing has changed. The Adam's Apple or myself… I CAN'T PROTECT ANYTHING ON MY OWN!" the prince exclaimed, his voice echoed through the four walls of the floor.

The straight-faced Mare promptly stood up and approached Lied, who didn't look away from the ground.

"That's not true, you protected me now" the aztec said.

"I ran away from the fight!" the Lost Prince looked at her and retorted.

"That was Zaccharias' decision!" the child said.

The girl's statement silenced him. Lied felt even more dejected as he stared, again, at the pavement.

"Yes, it was thanks to Zaccharias that I got this far. If I hadn't met him, my journey would have ended much sooner. He was the one who guided me. Without Zaccharias, I don't know where to go or what I should do. I feel… lost once again" he said, feeling depressed.

Mare's face dimpled into a sad smile and then she sat down next to him.

"Oh right, I still haven't told you how I died, have I?" she asked a rhetorical question.

"Eh?" he turned his head to look at her.

"I grew up in a village in Videmolla, near Aztecorum. Both my father and mother worked a lot, so my two older sisters had to take care of me. I passed away eight years ago, a few months before the war broke out. Some emissaries from the Royal Palace showed up at our house and abducted me. My parents and one of my sisters died trying to help me. Fortunately, my other sister wasn't home" Mare said.

"They abducted you…? Why?" Lied asked.

Mare curled up on the ground as she unearthed her traumatic memories.

"Experiments. I never understood their purpose, but they also kidnapped other children my age. It was through these experiments that I awakened my Spirit Mode" she said.

"I see" he said.

The lass remained strong, holding back the tears every time she opened her mouth to speak. Mare stood up, little by little remembering and accepting the past became easier.

"Going to school; shopping with my sisters; playing with my friends, so many things I wish I had done more of. Ah, but at least I got to see my sister Eione before dying. She's amazing… she became a knight just to find me!" the girl said, pronouncing the last sentence with pride.

"Mare…" Lied murmured, feeling sorry for her and at the same time recognizing Mare's effort to get it off her chest.

"When I arrived in Mictlan, I was so scared that I ran away without thinking twice. The guards chased me, because of the experiments I was afraid of what they were going to do to my body…" a smile appeared on the child's countenance "It was then that I met Zaccharias! He saved me" Mare said.

"You too, huh…" he said, smiling shyly. 

"At first, I didn't know how to react. I mean, it's not every day that a talking crow starts talking to you!" she said, remembering the episode as if it were yesterday.

"Yeah" the prince nodded.

Lied and Mare chuckled together as the conversation turned to a light-hearted one, dampening down the tension in the air and making them both forget for an instant where they were.

"That's when I understood that, more important than a person's presence, is what they leave us after they're gone. What did Zaccharias leave you, Lied?" she gently asked.

"What he left was…" Lied said and then started having flashbacks of his recent past.

Lied's encounter with the talking crow; the fight against the guards of Mictlan; the first trial; the second trial; the battle to awaken the Spirit Mode against the Animus; the short bout between teacher and student; the Unda training; the victory against Jirou Isaak; and lastly the confrontation with Pantera and Ajax that led to them being separated from each other.

On all these occasions, Zaccharias was Lied's direct and indirect support. But why? The answer was simple: because he had complete faith in him.

"Determination" the Adam's Heir replied confidently.

"Yes, feelings – the legacy of the heart" the child nodded and said.

The lad smiled and stood up from the cold pavement, much to Mare's surprise. Lied had a kind expression on his face as he looked at the lass.

"Thank you for opening my eyes" he said.

"Hehehe, it may not seem like it because of my appearance, but if I were alive, I would be almost the same age as you!" Mare stood up and said cheerfully.

"Seriously? That's why you're so mature" the Adam's Heir, impressed.

"Hehe, you're making me embarrassed…" the lass blushed and said.

Lied started exercising at once as a new training was about to begin.

"What are you going to do?" the girl asked him.

"There's something I'd like to try" the Lost Prince said after stretching and took two steps forward, then stared at his right hand "When you asked about what Zaccharias left me, the Unda naturally came to mind. I was thinking: the normal Unda breaks once before it blows up. The 2-Kai Unda, the enhanced version, breaks twice. What if… it could break three or more times?" he said.

"Increasing the number of times the Unda breaks would make it stronger, right? Yes, it might work!" Mare said, the enthusiasm was visible on her face.

"It's a promising idea, but there is a problem that I need to solve. The basic concept of the Unda was drilled into my head by Zaccharias and that's why I was able to instinctively create the 2-Kai Unda. To level it up further, I have to understand how my own technique truly works, and then apply the same logic. I believe that the answer lies in the second step of the process, the imagination" the prince said and lowered his arms.

"Let's relive the memory of that day with greater clarity" Lied closed his eyes and thought, his mind traveling through time…

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Shirahama Beach, Shimoda, Japan, six years ago

The warmest time of the year was here, the summer reached peak heat across Japan. The searing sun shone down at the hundreds of people immersing themselves in the inviting water of the famous Shirahama Beach during the afternoon. Among them were three tourists from Ganeden, the Fujita family, visiting their relatives during holidays.

The father Seiji insisted on returning to the beach in the evening, when the sun starts going down, as this was the best time to surf, one of his favorite pastimes. The mother Makoto didn't mind enjoying the cool sea breeze without the crowds, while Lied simply followed his parents' wishes. For him nothing could replace the comfort of being in the park near his house.

Whilst the mother lazed on her beach towel, father and son sat by the water's edge watching the sea. Seiji saw that as an opportunity to strengthen the ties with Lied, who wasn't so interested in the waves.

"I already explained to you that there are different types of waves, right? I love catching the breaking waves, they're fascinating because they break into different shapes. The one that broke earlier is called 'collapsing breaker'. Oh, did you see that wave now? It's known as 'spilling breaker'. Its kindness reminds me of your mother. Sorry, am I boring you? Well, maybe one day you will get your teeth into this" the man said, a little embarrassed, and kept rambling on about his hobby.

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Lied suddenly opened his eyes wider, feeling as if he had received enlightenment. It was ironic; at the time the boy didn't give any importance to his father's babbling but now his auditory memory actually came in handy.

"Hey, Mare, do you like the ocean?" the Lost Prince asked.

"I do, but where I lived there were no beaches. Why?" she said, curious.

"I used to have no interest in it at all, but so much has changed since I came to Mictlan that I feel like I don't know myself anymore" Lied moved away from Mare and walked to the center of the floor "Then pay attention because I'm going to show you a sea of possibilities" he glanced at the lass with a confident expression and said.

The teenager activated his Spirit Mode as a mystical aura enveloped him and Adam's sparkling cross popped up on the right wrist. Then, Lied began his tests by channeling prana into his right hand and using the left to stabilize it, shaping the energy into a plain wave. Finally, he fired the 1-Kai Unda at the nearest wall.

"This is the original Unda that breaks once before blowing up. The bottom face of the wave gets steeper and collapses, therefore it's a collapsing breaker" the prince analyzed.

Lied immediately proceeded to the next test. Once again, he focused the prana into his right hand and shaped it, making a normal Unda. In an unconscious final touch, the young man applied the Density property and shot his signature move as it left a huge crack on the wall.

"Lastly, the 2-Kai Unda. It's clear that the wave tends to steepen until the crest becomes unstable, so it can only be a spilling breaker. In both cases the types of waves were identified, but a big question remains…" he said.

Zaccharias explained that Lied's technique worked by using the Density property to break the Unda twice. However, that execution was prompted by instinct as the male did not know how he was doing it; after all, the 2-Kai Unda itself was a training accident, his efforts paid off in a way that no one expected.

"Density, the theory behind the 2-Kai. I need to study it before anything else" Lied said.

For the next few minutes, the boy simply threw the 2-Kai Unda over and over until he realized how his move worked. Mare watched patiently.

The explosive noise went on and on, nevertheless, Lied was unable to see the light. Unless he got a grasp of the 2-Kai, it would be impossible to devise the 3-Kai variant. The spiritual properties were easy to learn but difficult to master, especially for a beginner like the human. If the talking crow were there, he would certainly give him one piece of advice…

"In this situation, what would Zaccharias say?" Lied thought.

The lad sat in lotus pose and closed his eyes. He decided to meditate for five minutes to calm himself down. The human stood up with a clear head and performed the 2-Kai Unda once more. That was when the Adam's Heir finally figured it out.

"Wait, could it be… my body posture?" he inferred by observing his body from the waist down.

Lied got down to work for another hour, totaling around two and a half hours of intensive training, and afterwards he allowed himself to rest for 15 minutes. Lied was planning to return to Level-3, where Zaccharias was still fighting against Ajax, but Mare's safety came first and, on that account, he decided to leave her on Level -1, the entrance to the Restricted Block, and come back later with the crow.

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Underworld Level -1, Restricted Block

Lied and Mare reached their destination, but it wasn't long before two type B and three type C Animus coming from Level -2 got in their way. The human gave the signal and Mare backed away.

"I am your opponent. Come at me!" Lied activated his Spirit Mode and said, wielding the Anima Sancta.

The teenager knew that he could not let his guard down, even for a moment, aware that those savage but intelligent creatures would take advantage of the slightest distraction to target the weakest prey, Mare. The three type C Animus attacked him in perfect synchronization, the human first blocked the attack from the left-sided opponent with his sword, then grabbed the right-sided beast by the head and hurled it away as the two Animus crashed into each other. Lied dodged the last Animus' onslaught and kicked it away to cap off the first round. 

The more cautious type B Animus motioned the type C Animus to change formation. Meanwhile, Mare was very apprehensive about the fight as there were too many enemies and she feared the worst.

"Mare, I know it's a lot to ask, but please believe in me one more time" the Lost Prince noticed that she was getting uneasy and said.

"Sis…" the little aztec said in a low voice.

Mare remembered hearing the same comforting words from her dear sister Eione, the one who joined the aztec army just to find her. The girl nodded and a smile bloomed across Lied's face in response.

The pair of type B Animus lashed out at the Adam's Heir, followed by rapid strikes and movements that Mare couldn't keep up with.

"These two are on a completely different level from the others" Lied thought.

The superb teamwork demonstrated by the argus-eyed watchdogs of the Restricted Block forced Lied to take a defensive approach. Besides the type B Animus, he also couldn't lose sight of the three other beasts lurking in the shadows as Mare was still a target.

"Dragging the fight on any longer will only make things worse for me. Unlike them, I don't have infinite stamina…" he thought after about five minutes of fighting.

Not once did the lad take his eyes off the Animus as he positioned himself to make the Unda like usual, but with a slight change: his right foot was sliding two centimeters away. Lied's plan was to take out multiple opponents at once with the leveled-up version of his technique. Mare swallowed her saliva as she knew what he was about to do. It was a make-or-break situation.

Lied focused the prana into his right hand while using the left to stabilize it. With the increase in the Spiritual Synchronization Level his proficiency in the Expandability property had also improved, which allowed him to perform the Unda faster.

While the young man was busy preparing his move, two Animus – one type B and one type C – advanced towards Lied. Their wild roars reverberated throughout the floor.

"It's thanks to the foundations he left that I will be able to take this next step" the prince thought, referring to Zaccharias.

The spiritual energy transformed as Lied was flooded with memories of past events and people, ranging from the talking crow to Luna and his parents.

"For myself and for all those who helped me get this far, I will not lose again" he thought before firing the Unda at the Animus.

When it seemed that at least one of the creatures was going to dodge the attack, the wave curled over and broke three times, releasing most of its energy in a relatively violent impact as it swept up the Animus simultaneously.

"3-Kai Unda: Plunging Breaker" the teenager said.

The remaining Animus – one type B and two type C – were startled by their prey's counterattack. The beasts roared before charging at Lied.

"Watch out!" Mare shouted as she saw the three enemies trying to catch the Adam's Heir off-guard.

However, Lied smiled as he predicted their movements. The teenager slid his right foot three centimeters away and started making a new Unda on the spot, not stopping even with his opponents in front of him and dodging with Visibility. At last he aimed a low-slopping wave whose crest gradually disappeared until it broke four times at the Animus, causing a deadly impact. Bursts of spiritual energy erupted and made Mare's dress move as she closed her eyes.

"4-Kai Unda: Surging Breaker" Lied said.

 Lied's current SSL: 50%

 [END OF CHAPTER]