The Heart Of A Hero Is Vast

Seicho yelps at the surprise of falling from the sky as he quickly closes his eyes to spare himself the sight of it. 

Slightly opening his eyes he finds himself falling on top of a forest.

Seeing this the boy screamed even louder than had previously.

[Landing point is unclear]

[Now that the landing point is obscured, safety precautions will be put in place.]

Seicho, still falling into the trees, stops just before being staked by one and instead rolled down the side of the huge tree. Falling towards a big branch he stopped  again, instead of taking damage from the branches they only managed to change his trajectory.

[Landing safe]

[Vitals fine]

[Unknown terrain]

[Scanning terrain]

[Suitcase located]

[Safezones located]

[Map created]

[900 meters away from objective]

Seicho, now starting to stand up from his fall, looked at all the trees above him in awe. He shook his head to remind himself that he still had an objective to complete.

I have to keep moving forward.

During the fall he had not even realized that the watch had been vibrating like crazy. Once rechecking all the messages it had sent, another had been created.

[Would you like to name your soul companion?]

[If you do not state a name one will be auto-assigned.]

"Oh, um-" Seicho stuttered, unable to think of a name, not only that but his trying to speak only reminded his body more of how much it disliked the trips through gates. .

[Name for soul companion will be auto-assigned]

"A-Aiden!" He tried to say hurriedly through his panting breaths, but the system had already chosen and a different name showed up.

[Jin]

Seicho visibly sighed as he shook off the exhaustion from the portal.

[Your soul companion is awakening, Jin will be born in approximately ten seconds]

"Jin, can you trace other students that are participating in the selection." He asked after waiting a small moment.

[No]

"What why!?"

[I'm an experimental soul support system]

[Only official soul support systems have this feature]

[Based on compatibility with the user]

[50% compatibility will make official soul readers evolve into a persona]

[Persona's can speak directly to the users mind and holds more functions than experimentals]

[At 100% compatibility persona's will evolve into an ego]

[Ego's are reborn in the image of their user so they will garner some of the personality they have been shown from them]

[This newfound intelligence and personality will make an ego have even more functions than a persona]

Seicho digested the information quickly and continued walking in one direction to make sure he didn't end up losing himself in a never ending circle.

After going on for a little while longer the boy discovered an insect creature. In appearance it looked like a firefly, but the creature was pretty idiotic, it kept flying against a tree and had injured itself.

[This creature's appearance is akin to that of a wasp from earth but has the butt of a firefly, appropriate name will be given and added to humanity's bestiary database.]

[Name: Blaze Beetle]

[User has discovered a new species, a reward will be received when you have finished the selection event, pass or fail.]

Seicho watched it for a bit and realized that it had stopped moving, the creature had succumbed to its wounds and died. Upon death the creature's rump started to emit a bright light.

[Run!]

Seicho listened with no hesitation, as he sped his way through the tall trees. As he ran the fire from the explosion was nearly touching his back, but he sped up eventually escaping the huge fire.

Seicho had always been a pretty bright kid so he had figured that the noise from that explosion would attract some pretty dangerous creatures. He hurried back and searched the area finding more blaze beetles, put them in one of his pouches and quickly got out of there.

"Hey Jin." Seicho said after walking a little while.

[Yes?]

"Can you show me the closest human life form, particularly age 16?"

[Finding such specific information is outside of my current features, but the closest human is 15 meters away] 

After this message appeared a small map appeared on the watch.

Every life form in the area was highlighted as a red dot. There was a creature called a dragon bear that was 70 meters away that seemed to be running as it was rapidly moving quickly on the small minimap.

The boy quickly ran through the forest arriving at where the red dot that was marked as human was.

There was a man lying on the ground, his eyes were practically bloodshot and the veins all around his body were black and pulsating like crazy.

Seicho ran over to him, trying to help the man in any possible way.

"Are you ok mister?!"

"It hurts, please help me, spare some soul essence, please, I beg you." The man said gasping and coughing on the blood that had fallen from his eyes.

"What? Soul essence? Jin what is-"

As Seicho tried asking his soul companion about what could help the young man, something grabbed him from behind and dragged him away behind a tree.

After the figure stopped Seicho had taken the hand that was covering his mouth down and reeled it in as an extra momentum boost for the hook he had thrown.

"Ouch, kid do you have a freaking canon in your arm?" 

"Ms.Hageshi?"

"Haha you were terrified!"

Ouch? The strongest punch I could muster didn't even faze her, Ms. Hageshi is incredibly strong.

"This isn't funny, we have to help that man!"

"No, you heard what your brother said, if anything dangerous were to occur you either run or hide." Kori said while taking a serious tone.

"But nothing dangerous has happened."

"Well, it's going to, that boy you're trying so desperately to save is over 18."

"So?"

"So, portals can be recalibrated to the point where only humans can enter, they can also do the same for age, but instead of incinerating them upon entrance it just puts their bodies in a paralyzed state."

"What in the Evelyn, that is so cruel, why would the Celestial army do that!?"

"Because, it is instructed that only those 18 and under should enter the selection. Those over that age limit and still go are insusceptible to gaining Gaia's gift. Instead of just accepting their fates and becoming architects they rather lie their way into one more redo hoping to pass this time. As the saying goes, a bad soldier is one that doesn't follow orders and as a consequence this happens, not only are they paralyzed but the black stuff running in their veins draws creatures toward them." Kori informed the young kid but was obviously disheartened as she had known it was her very own father who had come up with the concept.

"But we can still save him, he said something about soul essence, he said it could help-" Seicho tried to say but Kori quickly cut him off.

"Look in the short time that I've known you, you're a good kid, your heart is bigger than the largest mountain, but that man is done. If he isn't ravaged by large beasts he'll be slowly feasted upon by small insects. There is nothing we can do, now come on, we have to find Saikyo."

Seicho looked saddened and on que a dragon bear came running towards the young paralyzed man.

"I'm sorry Ms. Hageshi, but not helping people who are in need and don't have a way to defend themselves, isn't something I can watch happen a second time." Seicho said as he ran towards the beast headed for the boy.

"Seicho!" Kori yelled as she chased the boy.

Just as the beast was about to chomp on the paralyzed boy's head Seicho had kicked it right on the top of its skull.

The creature now turned its attention to Seicho, it came raging at him but suddenly Kori appeared in front of the child and kicked the beast into the sky.

She jumped up after it and continued to repeatedly kick it. Her legs were so fast it looked like she was riding a bicycle. She had finally ended the insane combo by giving the dragon bear one strong axe kick sending it back down to the ground.

Although Kori had put some small dents in  the creature's defenses, dark shine metal was still darkshine metal, harming the creature would be impossible for the duo if the metal had stayed on its body.

Still falling, Kori screamed, "Get out of there kid!". 

Seicho realized that the beast was woozy but still unphased by Kori's attacks and still went after him, the closest target.

Seicho ran and ran, but even at speeds as fast as his the beast was catching up to him two times faster. The Dragon Bear was just about to bite the neck of the boy when Seicho had instinctively looked over his shoulder in fear. 

His eyes devolved into a deep blackness resembling a void of pure nothingness as he raised his hand and caught the maw of the beast. Kori who was trying to catch up had stopped in her tracks and so did the creature.

Seicho let go of the terrified thing and turned around to face it, the dragon bear had never looked so petrified in its life. Seicho slowly pointed at the creature then pointed down. The dragon had started kowtowing to Seicho as if it were begging for its life.

"Open your mouth, impotent pest." He muttered.

The beast's eyes had widened and it started shaking even more, it whined and begged harder than ever.

"I said open. your. mouth." Seicho said as he made eye contact with the beast striking fear in it's soul. The mark on the boy's neck let a shadowy aura flow under the moonlight.

The beast reluctantly opened its mouth in fear, confusion, and despair. Seicho reached his hand into his pouch and pulled out a blaze beetle. He placed it on the beast's tongue, and only uttered one word.

"Swallow."

As he commanded the creature, instead of listening, lashed out, too scared of losing it's life. The dragon bear had swung it's claws at the kid's chest. Seicho effortlessly blocked it.

"Is this your feeble attempt at an attack, my my, this won't do. Enough games." He says as he snaps one of the fingers of the animal.

The beast cried out in pain and kowtowed and begged even harder. Tears were flowing down the poor creature's face. Seicho then slapped the thing.

"Enough incompetence, swallow it or I'll stuff it down your throat myself." He calmly said devoid of emotion.

The creature hurried and opened its mouth once more. Seicho, reaching his hand out towards the animal's mouth, dropped it early.

"You think you deserve my hand? Eat from the floor, you better hurry. If you let it get away I'll rip your tongue out myself and strangle you with it."

The Dragon bear hurried and ate the blaze beetle right away. As his belly started to emit a bright light Seicho walked over to Kori.

"Holy sh*t kid, you're hardcore." Was the only words Kori could say, the whole event had left her mouth agape for the whole duration.

An explosion appeared behind Seicho as his eyes had returned to the purple shade they once were.

"What do you mean?" Seicho asked, visibly confused.

"Eh."

"Eh?"

"Nevermind, the orb is coming, you got the kill so let your soul support system absorb it and let's heal that guy you wanna save so much."

"The orb?" 

"Soul essence little dude." She said as she pointed to the small blue orb flying their way.

The orb made its way towards Seicho and tried to enter his body.

[Acquiring soul energy essence]

[User you are unable to acquire soul energy due to the lack of Gaia's gift]

[Gaining essence in the user's stead]

[Soul essence acquired]

[(100/100) soul essence]

After this Seicho had read previous unread messages on the watch.

[User you have killed the Creature (Darkshine Dragon Bear).]

[A battle state was acquired during battle, would you like to name it, if not one will be auto-assigned]

[User is not responding, I will name this battle state]

[Battle state named: Draconic Ambience]

Having now been caught up on missing messages another appeared.

[User I have no other way of addressing you other than user, would you like a different way of being addressed, if so choose one.]

"Saint Seicho!" the boy said with no hesitation, gleefully wiping his nose as he did it.

[Saint Seicho has a good heart, but his kindness does not make him any less fierce when it comes to facing enemies, when an official soul support is given to Saint Seicho, compatibility between us will immediately increase to 16 out of 100.]

"Cool!" Seicho looked as if he had stars in his eyes.

Kori and Seicho walked over to the paralyzed young man when Seicho asked Jin to heal him.

[(30/100) soul essence remaining]

The progress was slow but effective. The young man could move again, the group was now in a tree to avoid all the creatures that had come looking for the once paralyzed young man, he had thanked them for giving him this second chance, Kori saw Seicho being so content and happy that she smiled to herself.

A loud thumping sound had disrupted the moment though as a giant ape had been making its way to their location. The beast had been equipped with a building wielding the thing as a club, it had wings, and its eyes resembled that of a cat's.

The trio quickly ran as the beast had already spotted their location.

"Damn the thing must have thermal vision!" Kori said.

"There!" Seicho yelled as he pointed to a hole.

The massive ape was gaining on them though. When the crew was just a few yards shy of the hole the gigantic ape swung it's weapon down on instantly crushing the young man Seicho had just saved.

"No!" Seicho yelled as the force of the blast had sent debris towards them, knocked unconscious from getting hit by some, Kori grabbed Seicho protecting him from further rubbish as they fell in the hole. The young woman then positioned herself in a way that Seicho would not take damage from the fall.

Hitting the ground Kori got up and shrugged off the fall that couldn't have been any less than 100 yards. She looked around and there was nothing but darkness.

"Seicho! Wake up, man!" Kori said, holding and shaking Seicho.

Not responding, Kori decided to feel for a nearby wall and made a cubby hole big enough for her and Seicho to fit inside. She crawled into it and started punching even more, she had carved the walls in such a way that now what used to be a wall resembled a small cave with a tiny entrance. 

"Ayumi, light this place up and give me a map of where we are, highlight hostile creatures too."

[Yes master.]

As requested the system had given her a map of the area and illuminated the room.

The map showed tunnels resembling an ant hill and Kori's face distorted after seeing how many highlighted entities had appeared; there were hundreds, no, thousands of Dragon Bear's roaming down here.

"Oh no, damn it, curse that ape who forced us to jump in this damned nest." Kori says this angrily as Seicho starts to wake up.

"Are you finally awake?" Kori said.

"Ms. Hageshi?" He says as he wakes up slowly. 

"Where are we?" He says.

"We are…. Inside a Dragon Bear nest."

***

(Author: The rest of this book will be uploaded to https://m.goodnovel.com/book_info/31000089521/SciFi/ReIncarnationTheDemonofEvelynPeakAscends)