《Agnes of Raegma》 The Prologue "Where am I?" No answer. I shivered and looked around. It was cold. So cold. "Where am I?!" I screamed this time. But it was just dark... exceedingly so ... eerily so. I let out a huff of air imagining the smoke that formed in the cold. ¡°Where am I?¡± I whispered this time and moved my face downwards then it struck me. ¡°Who am I?¡± I shuddered fearfully and I screamed. ¡°Help me! Help me!¡± I stood up and froze. ¡®I stood up?¡¯ I questioned myself. Then I looked down and saw¡­nothing. I couldn¡¯t see a thing. Then a thought struck me. Maybe I was blind? Blind¡­. ¡°Help me!¡± I screamed again. Then I started to run. Where was I going? I couldn¡¯t see. Nothing was chasing me. Yet¡­ I ran. With all my might. All I could think off was ¡®I need to get out of here; but where is ¡®here¡¯?¡¯ Slosh. ¡°Huh?¡± I said beyond baffled. Just now there was a sound. Then I felt the wetness of my feet. That was it. I fell to my knees and screamed. ¡°You motherfucking son of a bitch! Get me out of here!¡± Then came the eerie silence for a while. Suddenly I felt pulled back and thrown on something. I tried to get up but I couldn¡¯t. I was dumbfounded. ¡°God is deaf¡­.¡± I mumbled. ¡®God? What is that?¡¯ I thought almost immediately. ¡®How did I just say¡­I know this ¡®God? Before that motherf***ing??? What could that be?¡¯ I just said words I didn¡¯t know. But how could I say a word I don''t know? it was almost on reflex. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°God?¡± I said a bit louder can before. .......................... ¡°God, can you hear me?¡± even louder. Still silent and dark. I need answers, something. I sat up¡­I could now sit up? on the darkness and brought my knee to my face. Then I felt the floor with my fingers. It felt smooth and a bit soft. Soft? Soft?? Soft??!! ¡®Why is the ground soft?!¡¯ ¡°-th¡± I swiveled immediately to where that sound had come from. All I could see was darkness. But I definitely heard something. I waited but nothing again. Just as I would give up¡­ ¡°-beth¡± ¡®beth!¡¯ I repeated in my head. ¡®A name..?¡¯ ¡°Beth¡± I said out loud. No reply. Just silence. Then a loud yell. ¡°Elizabeth??!¡± I jumped in fright. It was still so dark. Why?! I gave up on finding the voice and lay on the soft ground. Then I opened my eyes¡­¡­huh? Could it be my eyes were closed the whole time?! I felt the sudden urge to kill myself¡­ then I realized even if my eyes were closed some light could still seep in. The light threatened to blind me as it came in all at once. I shut my eyes tightly then gently and slowly opened it up. My first view was white and blurry with a few figures at the sides. I turned slowly to the left then to the right. ¡°Huh?¡± I said dumbly. I could see¡­ people. These people were humans, right? I looked down at my blurry self and brought my hands to myself. I am human, too. It was more of a question than a statement. Chapter 1~Into the Light I looked around the familiar white walls as my mind drifted to 3 days ago. From darkness to light. That would have been it if not for the rare display that embraced my sight once it was no longer blurry. 3 blondes, 2 brown haired, a red head, and one with silky (it looked silky) ebony hair stared at me. The 2 female blondes and 1 male blonde (ah I mean 3 females¡­ still confused) were bawling. The name ¡°Elizabeth¡± was called from all corners of the room. I scanned the room as though looking for something then I met the eyes that stared at me. I tugged at my hair and glanced at it. It was blonde too. ¡®I don¡¯t know these faces¡¯ was all I could think off. I sat up then I said something. ¡°Hey¡­.¡± The voice that came out was not clear like in the darkness. It was hoarse as if never used and croaky but quiet. The reply was utter silence. Even the bawling stopped. ¡°Hey¡­.where are my memories?¡± I said to no one in particular. The tall blonde with glasses who was extremely gifted in the front and back seemed shocked at my statement. She lost her stand and almost fell but the older brown haired caught her in time, ¡°Valerie¡­ he half whispered. ¡°Mom¡­.¡± The smallest one said amidst sobs. I turned to the ¡®Valerie¡¯ and stared at her for a while then at the older man. ¡®The four are family¡¯, I thought in my head. The 20 year old looking brown haired resembled the older brown haired far too much to be someone else. The affection with which the older one held the lady was very obvious that they could not be anything less....Ok, they could be dating too but whatever, right?.....''dating?'' I could remember what dating was but this was definitely from the memories I could not find. Once again I glanced around the room. It looked fancy, honestly. Maybe I was rich? ¡°Memories..?¡± a voice jolted me out of my thoughts. I turned to the voice only to be met with piercing hazel eyes. They seemed to be reading me so I turned away almost immediately. Then slowly but surely I turned back and met his gaze. The owner of the hazel eyes. His ebony hair swayed in front of his eyes almost covering them. ¡®Dang, does he need a haircut¡¯, I thought. But then again, I used a word I didn¡¯t recognize, ''Dang'' ¡°My first memory is darkness¡±, I replied crisply. His eyes widened in disbelief and it was as though the piercing quality disappeared. I narrowed my eyes at this. ¡°Who are you?¡± It was as though the temperature dropped. The people in the room seemed jolted back to reality. Even I was surprised by my cold tone. Why did I feel hostility¡­? No, this wasn¡¯t hostility it was something else. It was what replaced those piercing eyes but I couldn¡¯t place my finger on it. Instead the hostility I felt came from a different direction. I was about to turn when¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t remember me, Elizabeth?¡± the voice came from the hazel eyes but this time they were filled with sadness. But this sadness didn¡¯t touch me. It was obviously directed to me but I couldn¡¯t feel it. My next words came out before I could stop them, ¡°Am I supposed to?¡± He was visibly shocked. I turned just in time to see a slight smile curl up on the red head¡¯s face then disappear replaced with a face full of pity. ¡®Pity? She pities me?¡¯ I locked eyes with the female and she stared at me. Then I realized one thing. The hostility I felt was from this girl. ¡®Hmm¡­I am hated huh¡¯ I thought without a care. ¡°Elizabeth¡­? You are conscious..?¡±, Valerie said softly. My eyes widened and I looked at her then repeated, ¡°Conscious?¡± I glanced around and said, ¡°How long?¡± ¡°A year¡±, the young brown haired finally spoke. ¡°Almost a year¡±, the older one corrected. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. I glanced from parent to child then nodded. ¡°It seems I lost my memories of almost everything. From what I can gather my name is Elizabeth, right?¡± Nods from all corners of the room followed (except the red head). ¡°I see¡­.am I human?¡± Their faces contorted displaying their confusion. ¡°What else would you be?¡± the small blonde said softly. ''Good question.... what else?'' Just then, a 3 ladies, one in white overcoat and the others in white gowns strolled in. They glanced from me to the people around then the woman spoke. ¡°She¡¯s alive¡± The woman in overcoat said it in a placid tone but I could feel the joy in her words. She seemed to be in her thirties with light brown eyes and dark brown hair. Behind her were¡­..what? I seem to know what they are called but the word won¡¯t click. ¡®Nurse¡¯ a tiny voice said. Oh! a nurse ¡­. huh? What was that just now? As if someone told me the answer. It was from none of these people around me, I could tell. It came as though from inside my head. ¡®Ugh whatever. Ignore for now¡¯ I thought to myself. A year huh. For me to be unconscious for a year, what on earth happened?! No matter how much I thought, I couldn''t find a thing. I looked up again at the unfamiliar faces. ¡°Please introduce yourselves to me¡±, I croaked. ¡°Margaret¡±, the tiny blonde spoke first. ¡°V-Valerie¡±, the endowed blonde said, ¡°Your mother¡± she added almost inaudibly. I looked at her for a while then sighed, ¡°I see¡­¡± then I turned to the rest and cocked my head to the right indicating ¡®I need answers¡¯ ¡°Jason¡± the hazel eyes said quietly. ¡°Lilian¡± the red head said almost boastfully. ¡°Maddie¡± came the very gentle voice. I looked at the blonde who never spoke the whole time. I turned the petite boy¡­¡­ he had breasts, so girl. If you ignored that, there was no other girlish traits so I stared at her for a while. ¡°You¡¯re a girl¡± I stated matter-of-factly. She nodded vigorously then smiled as though seeing a precious gem. ¡°John¡± the young brown head said making me turn. His voice sounded as though dejected; I say as though because his eyes gleamed as like they had bathed in the sun. "Dr. Harman" the woman in overcoat said curtly. ¡°Wilson, your father¡±, the older brown head said gently and with a warm smile continued, ¡°Welcome back, Elizabeth¡± ¡®Weird, this is utterly weird¡¯ was all I could think. I mean if you see people you¡¯ve known you have this sense of familiarity especially your family but nothing. Absolutely nothing. They feel like people I have only met for the first time. Maybe?! They expected my memory loss and are deceiving me because of my riches???? Now, that¡¯s what I call paranoid my friends---me. I scratched my head then said, ¡°Can I have a mirror, Valerie?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Valerie half-stuttered. She seemed shocked at my usage of her name. ¡°Then, mom?¡± I asked. ¡°Ah, no. You can call me Valerie, if you feel more comfortable that way.....¡± she said trailing off at the end. She looked around then her eyes spotted something and she almost tumbled over rushing to get it. The doctor watched with baffled and intrigued eyes. Valerie gave me the mirror with gusto and her eyes were as though she accomplished a huge feat. ¡®This is my mom, right?¡¯ Pushing aside that thought, I raised my oddly weak arms and brought the mirror to face level. Glancing back at me was a girl dressed in white. She looked pale and was neither smiling nor frowning but the beauty although not perffect was apparent. Her blue eyes looked back at me with curiosity and her slightly pointy ears seemed to twitch. Then her lips curved upwards and the words ¡°Not bad¡± came out of her mouth. Chapter 2~Feelings? Reminiscing on my earliest memories did not last long as the nurse also known as Ms. Reeve waltz into the room. Yes. She waltz. No exaggeration. ¡°Lizabeth¡± And she removes the ¡®e¡¯ from my name. This is an almost 50 year old woman mind you. Although for some reason I feel like 50 years is not a very long time. Even I don¡¯t know why. ¡°Yes, Heather?¡± She beamed. She seemed to fancy my way of calling by first name regardless of age. It didn¡¯t seem wrong to me although the reactions of many adults are not nice when I call them by first name. It''s a bit rude to them, but i see nothing wrong with it. ¡°How are you doing?¡± ¡°You asked the same question an hour ago, Heather¡± ¡°Just doing my job, Sweetie¡±, she flashed a smile revealing her golden teeth. I smirked then turned to face her squarely. ¡°My drugs, blood pressure or heart rate?¡± ¡°Blood pressure¡± ¡°Roger that¡± I said with a crooked smile and rolled up my sleeves revealing my pale arm. She sat on the stool nearly and brought the sphygmomanometer closer. Come to think of it, I remember some words but the others are foreign to me. Foreign as in they sound weird after they leave my mouth because I don¡¯t recognize them. Before I opened my eyes for the first time, I felt very cold but after I opened my eyes, the cold disappeared just like that. I didn¡¯t mention it to the doctor for reasons I am unable to state but I am sure there is something wrong with me. Although when I think about stuff like that I am reminded of what happen the same day I regained consciousness¡­ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` They had just finished telling me why I was unconscious in the first place and how the doctor said I wouldn¡¯t make it but I started breathing again however I was in a coma and it was unknown when I would wake up After listening to all of this, I asked the question that had been bothering me ever since the darkness. ¡°What does ¡®motherfucking¡¯ and ¡®bitch¡¯ mean?¡± I said absentmindedly stroking my chin ever so softly with my pale fingers that seemed to have claws residing on them. Utter silence. I looked up to find eyes that looked like they would pop out of their skulls. I blinked and ask surprised by the reaction, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is it extremely bad?¡± Deeming it a non-friendly word from the way I used it earlier I was just planning to find out the meaning but it seems worse than I ever thought. ¡°N-No¡±, Jason stuttered then glanced at me for a few seconds then looked away, ¡°it¡¯s just coming from you, the word¡­¡± he trailed off. ¡°Coming from me?¡± I repeated his words stupidly then I tapped my head a few times. ¡®Do these guys truly know me?¡¯ -----the paranoia kicked in again. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From what I can gather, I am supposedly a gentle and soft spoken, don¡¯t forget cheerful human being. I don¡¯t feel like that not one stinking (oh! a new concept) bit. I never used to curse and I am supposedly slow to anger. Is it just me or do I feel like an entirely different person from that angelic description? I already feel like an absolute coward screaming ¡®help me¡¯ in the darkness and they just make it worse. "Ah, f*** them" I even feel better when I say it; how could I have never used this word before?! I am getting a headache¡­ as to the topic of my unconsciousness, it seems I fell off the stairs. Must have hurt a whole lot. (I even surprise myself at how relaxed I am). The only thing that annoys me is my body. It is so weak and pale; but beautiful. It¡¯s a body I don¡¯t recognize but it is my body. However it feels weird. Like my body should be a lot stronger than this. ¡°Yo!¡± a cheerful and a bit deep voice made me turn. I was Maddie standing at the door. I looked around only to realize Heather was gone. I let out a guilty smile, ¡°Hey Maddie¡± ¡°Brought you some chicken?¡± ¡°Much appreciated¡±, I beamed recollecting my first taste of this heavenly wonder called chicken. May God bless the man who discovered it. (They explained who God was). Tearing at the chicken vigorously, I filled up my previously empty stomach and finalized it with a burp. ¡°Thank you!¡± Maddie giggled, ¡°You really are different¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Oh?¡± I said mockingly ¡°Uh-huh but you¡¯re still Beth¡± I need to get used to all these different variations of my name. ¡°I see¡± I stated flatly. Maddie stared at me for a while then shook her head. ¡°Why did you ask if you were human the other day?¡± She asked suddenly ¡°Hmm? ¡®Why?¡¯ you say, I honestly have no idea¡± I said truthfully, ¡°I just felt like I should ask¡± Maddie laughed, ¡°You¡¯re so weird¡± ¡°How did you come to that conclusion?¡±, I chuckled ¡°You all seem to be having fun¡±, came the gentle voice. It belonged to the hazel eyes. Jason¡¯s voice. I seem to like the color hazel. The reason, I have no clue. Actually instead of like, it was more of an instinct. ¡°Why, thank you for ruining that fun¡±, I said dryly. He beamed, ¡°How are you feeling? Good?¡± ¡°I can walk now¡±, I smiled. That itchy feeling was back. What is this feeling?! The red head followed with a smiled on her face, ¡°Hi Elizabeth¡± ¡°Is that supposed to be a smile? Your eyes look like they are hurting¡±, I said trying to be honest. She flinched for a second then retained that smile, ¡°You seem a bit hostile to me since you forgot your memory. Maybe this is your real feeling?¡± she chuckled sitting down a few inches away. ¡°Feeling? Nah, you just seem to hate me so I was returning the favor¡±, I said revealing a smile that was as gentle as the wind. At least I thought so. She seemed to cringe. Ah, her name is Lilian, I forgot. Clap Maddie clapped her hands together, ¡°Enough with the hostility and let¡¯s take a stroll, shall we?¡± I turned to her and nodded, ¡°Some fresh air would be much appreciated¡± ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fresh air. The one thing I know that calms my mind. Well, it would be if not for the daggers being thrown at me. Not literal daggers. Sigh~ I stopped walking, ¡°Lilian, do you need something?¡± ¡°No? Why?¡± I heaved out a sigh, ¡°Then what is it?¡± ¡°Jealousy¡­.¡± I would have missed it if I wasn¡¯t paying a bit of my attention to Maddie. Jealousy? JEALOUSY? I turned and looked at Jason for a good 1 minute. He stared back confused. Ah, that¡¯s what it was. The reason for my cold tone and my itchy feeling. This guy was staring at me with eyes full of¡­.love. There are no words that I know and the ones I don¡¯t know to describe my feelings right now. I stood straight up and glared at Lilian, ¡°If you like him, like him!. Why are you bothering me?!¡± I was very close to screaming my head off. ¡°Huh?¡± She stood there dumbfounded then her eyes widened in realization, ¡°D-Disturbing you? What might you be talking about?¡± I raised a brow and looked from Jason to Lilian. I see, this was the so called love triangle¡­ no it wasn¡¯t. But something is off. I don¡¯t like Jason. Jason likes me. Lilian likes Jason¡­. Why doesn¡¯t she just chase after him; not literally off course. Except¡­. My eyes lowered and with an ice cold tone, I said, ¡°Jason?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± came the carefree reply. ¡°Were we dating?¡± ¡°You remember?!¡± He said his voice filled with excitement. ¡°No, I just figured it out from this little interaction here¡± I shot down his excitement. I looked at the ground and massaged my temples, then I heard a giggle from the back. Must be Maddie, I figured. I shot my head up and staring into Jason¡¯s eyes, I said, ¡°If we never broke up, let¡¯s break up this instant¡± His whole face read shock. I felt not an ounce of love for this man¡­more like boy as we were all 17 year olds. He felt like an absolute stranger to me. The only ones whom I seem to like are my mother, father and Maddie. Apart from that, the way he stares at me makes me cringe. Those love-filled eyes¡­ I shuddered involuntarily. I tried again to search my memories for why I had this aversion to love. Of course there was nothing before the darkness. I sighed then cleared my mind. ¡°Right now, I have no ounce of love for you¡±, I said rather truthfully. His countenance seemed to fade then he smiled but the smile was unable to hide anything. His hurt feeling was obvious. "I see" he said rather quietly. I returned a smile of my own while saying the words, ¡®sorry¡¯ inwardly. Also ignoring the daggers on my back. ¡®I just rejected the man! What more could she want?!¡¯ Chapter 3~My little sister. ¡°Elizabeth, sit while you eat!¡± Mrs. Baker yelled. ¡°Yea, yea¡±, I said amidst my chewing and shuffled to the seat with slices of bread in my mouth and my shoes in my hand. I placed the shoes on the floor and with my feet in, I began to tie the laces. ¡°You¡±, John started, ¡°Are you really Elizabeth?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± I looked up from tying my shoe laces. I was a bit careless and crumbs fell off the bread and onto the floor. ¡°Ah!¡± He screamed, ¡°Crumbs! On the floor!¡± I silently gauged him for a while. ¡°Clean freak¡±, I grumbled and stuffed the rest in my mouth walking towards my backpack. Picking it up, I turned around, ¡°Bye Valerie, Will.¡± And with a mischievous smile, ¡°bye dear brother John¡±. Happily, I walked out the door to behold what this ¡®school¡¯ was going to be like. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ John Baker stared at the door still looking at the after image of his supposed little sister. She was so innocent, gentle¡­. But now it was like an entirely different person. Sure this personality was more outgoing, open and truthful----a bit too truthful sometimes, but she was the total opposite of herself a year ago making it difficult for him to adapt. Last summer she had tripped and fell off the stairs and hit the ground head first. He had heard the sound of her body hitting the ground. It was more of a ¡®crack¡¯ than a ¡®thud¡¯. He was baffled¡­no, he froze at the amount of blood seeping out of her head and fortunately recalled himself in time,calling an ambulance, dialing his parent thereafter. When they arrived, Elizabeth was already having an operation. His mother was bawling outside the room and his father was trying his best to console her. Margaret who was just 4 years old wouldn¡¯t stop asking ¡®when is Lizzy coming out to play?¡¯ He put on a painful smile and told her ¡®soon enough¡¯. But when the doctor came out of the operating room, her face held no emotion. His mother beckoned with her eyes and after a few seconds which seemed like a century, the woman spoke. ¡°She¡¯ll last a few hours¡±, she said a turned away slightly. It was as though John had lost his voice. His baby sister, the one who always told him to stop dotting on her so much¡­. Was about to die?! That made absolutely no sense. She was the one who would throw his favorite shoes in the garbage if they ¡®defiled the air¡¯. There was just no way¡­. Nurses led them towards the still breathing Elizabeth. The doctor stood at the entrance and pointed to the bed. The family walked ahead and peered into the face of their daughter, sister, family and friend. She had no expression on her face. Was just breathing, slowly breathing. There were no words. The only sound was the beeping of the heart monitor and rustling of clothes. John raised his face to look at the device and watched as the numbers went down. ¡°No¡­.¡± came a voice. He looked at his mother. Her face was pain stricken. ¡°No¡­¡± she said a bit louder this time. John bowed his head so as to see no more. Then he glanced at the doors where his baby sister stood; held by a nurse and promised to protect her and dote on her. That he would be a better brother. If he was more attentive this would never had happened. So many ifs ran through his mind and for the first time since he was 5 years old, a tear drop slid down his nose dampening his slightly cracked lips. Sniff. John held back the wails. He would have to comfort his mother when his father gave in. The beeping became louder. And louder. And louder. John waited for the final call. Beeeee------ Suddenly, the body began to shake exceedingly. It wobbled like a fish. ¡°W-What is going on?!¡± His father demanded turning swiftly to the doctor. But the look on the doctor¡¯s face shows disbelief and surprise as she walked closer. It was then John decided to look at the heart monitor. THE NUMBERS WERE GOING UP. ¡°Wha¡ª¡±, he started the looked from the body to the numbers. Still disbelieving, he looked from body to numbers again. ¡°She¡¯s alive¡­.?¡± He said, half shouting. ¡°Huh?¡± the dumbfounded doctor traced John¡¯s eyes and was shocked at what she saw. The patient was not dying. His mother soon followed suit, ¡°Wha--, Dr. Harman?! She¡¯s¡ªshe¡¯s alive?! She¡¯s going to live?¡± The doctor was silent. Then a brief nod of the head. And Mrs. Baker fainted. %%%%% Every day, John would make out time to see his sister. He had already turned 25 in May and it was towards the end of June. Elizabeth was injured in January so she had missed half the school year. The school was willing to compromise as far as she got a passing grade on her finals and woke up before the next school year. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. But that was the problem. Elizabeth was not getting up. ¡°How is she?¡± a sweet and deep voice said. John turned to see the busted masculine figure that was a friend of his sister. ¡°Oh, Maddie¡±. Having heard her voice so many times, John wondered why he couldn¡¯t recognize it when he heard it. ¡°As still as could be¡±, John then said softly. A moment of silence passed then Maddie sighed, ¡°Of all things to fall off the stairs. I knew she was clumsy but not to this extent¡± John smiled, ¡°Yea¡­¡± ¡°Her boyfriend is coming soon. He might sicken you with his talk so I suggest you leave¡±, Maddie said. ¡°Ok, will do so in a few more minutes¡± John chuckled. Maddie turned around to leave and whispered something to herself but John heard it. ¡°Please wake up¡± He let out a small smile and poked her cheeks, ¡°I agree¡± %%%%%% On July 2nd, the hospital called saying that Elizabeth moved. The news traveled so fast that before the rest of his family could get there, John, Maddie and his dad were there. Even Lilian. They all stood at the door for some reason know to neither of them. There was a bit of rustling and Elizabeth sat up. She made a few sounds. Then let out a high pitched scream. She was breathing heavily and shivering. ¡®Shivering?¡¯ John thought. The room was not cold in the slightest. Then she stood up with hardly any difficulty. ¡®For someone who¡¯s been on a bed that long, wow¡¯ was what James thought. He was about to speak when Elizabeth started running towards them. He would have thought she was running into his arms if not for the frightened look on her face. No¡­ it was a mix of anger and fear. Slosh He looked down to see water in front of him and Elizabeth¡¯s feet in it. Someone spilled water in a patient¡¯s room. He was about to face palm when Elizabeth dropped to her knees and muttered something incomprehensible then ¡°Get me out of here!¡± The voice that delivered the order was crisp, threatening and demanding. Before he could do a thing, his father grabbed Elizabeth and pinned her to the bed. She was struggling to get up and his father glanced at him. John quickly walked over to help and as though they finally regained their whereabouts the rest moved towards the bed. She suddenly stopped struggling. John and his father let go. Abruptly she sat up. They were about to pin her again but all she did was feel the bed. She felt it slowly then vigorously. John looked at her. ¡®Her eyes are closed? Why?¡¯, he thought curiously. ¡°Elizabeth¡± he called softly. She seemed shocked and turned towards him waiting for something. He thought that was weird so he called again. ¡°Elizabeth¡± This time her brows raised and she opened her mouth. ¡°Beth¡± ¡®Beth?¡¯ John thought, ¡®she shortened her name even when she always complains when we do it? No¡­ instead of that it seemed like she said ¡®Beth?¡¯ Not ¡®Beth¡¯.¡¯ He prepared himself to call her again. ¡°Elizabeth??!¡± his father roared jolting everyone including Elizabeth herself. She swirled her head furiously but her eyes were still closed. Then with a thump lay down. Then finally she opened her eyes. Just for a second though because she closed it immediately after. Only slowly opening them after a moment. ¡°Huh?¡± came the small voice. John smiled lovingly. She was back. His angel, was back. As he watched her ask questions he realized she has encountered memory loss. ¡®Probably from being so close to death¡¯ he deduced. All the time, he kept a straight face while thinking of ways to spoil her all over again. %%%%% It¡¯s a good thing life is unpredictable right? John was now torn between calling her a devil¡¯s incarnate or an absolute lump of joy. Some of her actions were downright annoying but the rest were indirectly or directly sweet. He clumsily let a gentle smile creep into his face. Valerie Baker smiled too and wondered what her son was thinking about as he made about 20 different faces. She just chuckled and flipped the eggs in the pan. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I stared at the huge building and the people walking around. They all wore what I wore with slight variations and modifications. I did have a concept of school but the school I thought off although vague was definitely not like this. ''This school is indeed very pretty'' Chapter 4 ~ Purple...? I continued staring at the humongous beauty called a school. It seemed to me like the buildings glittered. But as usual, I felt no recognition. ¡°Amazed by your own school?¡± came Lilian¡¯s voice. I turned to her and was surprised at the (for the first time ever) honest smile on her face. ¡°I guess I am¡± I replied returning the smile although a bit suspicious. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± she said then flinched and patted her stomach. ¡®Did she eat something bad?¡¯ I thought. ¡°You¡¯ll be late if you just stand there¡±, Maddie called out, walking towards us from inside the school. She let out her favorite smile but all I could see was a pretty boy smile¡­. Pretty boy with boobs of course. It has been a month since I got out of the hospital. The first thing I did was to make the feeling of weakness disappear. I would have rather jogged around my parent¡¯s huge compound but as over protective as Valerie was, she would not let me. I decided to do sit-ups and push-ups secretly and manage my skin to eradicate the paleness. I also wanted to circulate my Ki and energy force (EF). One might wonder what is ¡®Ki¡¯ and ¡®EF¡¯. Well, I have absolutely no clue too. One day when I slept I heard a voice say ¡°first, circulate your Ki and energy force¡­¡± Thinking it was some kind of clue seeing as the voice sounded like a well-aged man, I decided to try it out. Except I didn¡¯t know how to. ¡®Ki¡¯ and ¡®energy force¡¯ were foreign words to me. When I asked John about them, he asked if I had been reading fantasy novels. But for me to think of them and even hear them, these stuff had to be in my memories. Perhaps I was an avid fantasy novel reader? Then the old man was who? Of course I posed this question to my mother but she just smiled and said I probably heard an old man say it on television but for some reason I felt that was not the case. She also said the only books I read were books of intellect. Again, the difference between me and my past self was slammed right in my face. So I decided to put this ¡®Ki¡¯ and ¡®energy force¡¯ in the back of my mind and just do fitness work outs. My mother however wouldn¡¯t let me be because she wanted to spend every moment possible together. I was glad my father was not as clingy. He often asked to eat together but that was it. So I would workout in my room, evade my mother and eat with my father. Of course sometimes I was unable to evade. And other times John did the pestering. But regardless, I was hardly ever left alone the whole day. After a month of this weird schedule. I felt strong enough to run 3 miles and still be in good condition but I still felt unsatisfied. Maybe I did something wrong, I supposed. But it wasn¡¯t just the feeling of doing something wrong. It felt like there was some kind of workout I did before which I missed. It could be the jogging Valerie wouldn¡¯t let me do. But like every other unexplainable thing, I pushed it to the back of my mind. As for my school, I was able to pass the finals given to me for some reason. I knew the answers to the questions although having no recollection of them. I even knew how to solve the math questions perfectly. Maddie said that was to be expected since I was already at college level reading however I think I am very mysterious in situations such as this because I don¡¯t know myself at all. It is, however, an exciting experience as I feel my reflexes act upon years and years of constant repetition reminding me that I did exist even if I don¡¯t remember my own existence. To state it out rightly, I passed into the same class as Lilian and Maddie but not Jason. He¡¯s a year older than I am. And I thought we were all 17. One of those coincidences that you are not so sure is pure coincidence occurred as I walked into the school building. I was greeted by Jason''s piercing hazel eyes. Appearing the moment I step foot into the building. This¡­ this look is the one I like. When his eyes are sharp and as though they want to pierce though my soul. From the first time I saw those eyes I loved the look but when they disappeared, I felt annoyed. I wonder why he makes this look though; like a soldier preparing for battle. ¡°Hello ladies¡±, he greeted putting on a sweet smile. Oddly enough, this smile was not so bad considering it was forced. ¡°Hello!¡± I greeted back happily. He¡¯s not going to bother me any more so---- My thoughts were caught off as I felt something itchy. ''Itchy..?'' i repeated in my head. I looked at him wide eyed and full of disbelief ¡°No way¡­..¡± ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Maddie asked noticing my bewildered look. ¡°Ah¡± I caught myself and beamed, ¡°Nothing¡±. But I was sure a vein popped on my forehead. ¡°Hey Jason¡±, Lilian finally spoke. ¡°OH! Hello Lilian¡± he chortled, obviously just noticing her. ¡°Mhm¡± she said quietly. ¡®Hmm¡­. Did I misread her character? She seems very different from what I thought¡¯ I would stare at her but¡­ ¡°We need to get to class¡± Maddie said flashing her best smile and grabbing my by the arm while I put up no resistance. Lilian followed us quietly. I think I seriously misjudged her character. I took this moment to look at my nail which we had tried to cut with nail clippers but the clipper had broken. They were looking even more like claws now. I sighed inwardly. I had looked at some of my pictures but I now and the one before looked the same except something mildly noticeable. My ears have an edge about them. In simpler words, they were pointy almost like those elves in story books. The doctor couldn''t explain it, neither could any other doctor. They deemed it as protective mechanism for the brain against falls by my body. I don''t know, to cushion the fall maybe? I strolled into the noisy class with Maddie. They noisy class remained noisy without even noticing my presence. ''How intriguing'', I thought. A girl noticed us out of the corner of her eyes and she turned sharply. After staring for a few seconds she screamed, ¡°Elizabeth, you¡¯re back!¡± That was when the classroom went still. ¡°Oh my goodness! Are you ok?¡± broke the silence. A chubby girl with light brown hair seemed concerned as she looked at me. I smiled at her concerned face, ¡°Better than ever¡± With that sentence, I was raided with questions upon questions. Before the teacher came, they had figured out that I had loss of memory but were unable to understand why my ears had grown pointy. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Some people seemed a bit relieved by the fact that I remembered nothing. I do not know how to react to their happiness though. I was interrupted by marker screeches and looked on the board. The teacher was already there writing something with marker. August 17, 2020. ¡°Welcome to Class B. I am your English teacher, Hailee Bronson¡±, the teacher said turning around, ¡°For those who don¡¯t have their schedules, that is fine because English is taught first every Tuesday. You may collect your schedules from Mrs. Morrish at the front desk." She glanced around and her eyes met mine, ¡°Ah! That¡¯s right. Please welcome Ms. Elizabeth Baker who was away from school for a while because of medical reasons. She is back with us so give a warm welcome. Please stand, Ms. Baker¡± I stood up softly and nodded. A not so rowdy ¡®welcome back¡¯ was heard from different corners of the room. I looked around and my heart clenched. The feeling of unsettlement. Once again, I know nobody and recognize no one. I was feeling a bit faint. ¡®Ah¡¯ I thought, ¡®I need to work out more¡¯. "You may sit down. Now, lemme officially welcome you all to the Junior class," she beamed, "To start off....." I sat down at Ms. Bronson¡¯s instruction and half-listened. The day moved slowly and lectures passed with my paying half attention but gaining everything. Lunch time soon came and so did the rowdiness. My table would have been crowded if not for Maddie saying I still needed to get used to everybody. ¡°Hungry?¡± she asked sweetly ¡°If she¡¯s hungry, are you going to get her food or what? Are you her servant now?¡± came the crisp voice. It belonged to Lilian. She had a hand on her waist and viciously glared at me. It seems I wasn¡¯t wrong about her character at all, she''s edging for a cat fight¡­ but what was it this morning? Maddie turned to Lillian and gave her a strict glare. ¡°Humph¡± Lilian scoffed and walked out the door with the girl waiting at the door. ¡°Feisty~¡± I laughed. Maddie turned to me and smiled. I returned the smile and said ¡°No thanks. Not hungry¡± ¡°OK¡± She replied and followed the group exiting the classroom. She was almost like a mother to be honest. Chuckling at the analogy I soon found myself alone in the beautiful classroom. I stood up and walked around the class. Slightly tapping the desks as I walked. ¡®Why?¡¯ I asked myself, ¡®why does nothing click?¡¯ Suddenly I felt an urge to throw up. I held my stomach and dropped to the floor on my knees with my eyes wide like saucers. ¡°Wha---¡±, I stuttered. ¡®I was fine 3 seconds ago!¡¯ ¡°Un¡­¡± I grunted as I grabbed my stomach even more fiercely. It hurt badly. No¡­. this wasn¡¯t hurting. It was burning. My eyes then caught something white like a drug packet sticking out of Lilian¡¯s bag. Squinting to look at it while trying to ignore my burning stomach, I realized what it was. Then it clicked. The reason for Lilian¡¯s odd behavior earlier must have been this drug packet. She was probably in a lot of pain and didn¡¯t have much time to argue or glare. She went to the nurse earlier but I thought nothing much of it but oh¡­ In simpler words, she was having cramps. Only if that was what I was experiencing right now. Cramps don¡¯t burn. ¡°Ugh¡± I let out an agonized groan. ¡®Tch, what is going on?!¡¯ ¡°Ah, Lizzy! they have¡­. Huh?¡± Maddie walked in chattering but stopped when she didn¡¯t see me in my seat, ¡°Liz?¡± she called in that deep voice of hers. ¡°Down¡­¡± I said with the voice I could muster. She looked down and gasped, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?!¡± she glanced at my hand which grasped my stomach, ¡°Oh, is it¡­?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± I let out a pained laugh, ¡°Help me up please¡± ¡°Sure¡±, she said and grabbed my arm easily raising me to my feet, ¡°We need to get you home¡± ¡°Mm¡± I mumbled and leaned on him as he¡­I mean she helped me out of class. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¡°Ow!¡± I grumbled once again rolling from side to side on my bed. It would not stop burning. There were no burn scars or anything but it felt like I was burning on the inside. More specifically inside my stomach. What was this?! I shut my eyes tightly and once again purple gas shone in the darkness I was supposed to be in. I opened my eyes and rolled again to bury my face in the pillow. I could not close my eyes and sleep off the pain. Once i closed my eyes an image of purple gas would show instead of nothing as it was supposed to. I don¡¯t understand. I don¡¯t understand the purple gas. Was it once again something from my memory??? What should I do with the purple gas? Sniff it? But before that, where was it? Was I some indoor drug addict? Maybe this is the result of not taking that drug? If so what drug? (Author¡¯s note: I think she already believes she¡¯s a drug addict¡­. (*¡ä§¥£à)=§Ù ) Ugh! My memories were too vague. However I couldn''t just ignore this like the earlier ones. The doctor was coming soon but I doubt she¡¯d be able to explain this. ¡°Tch, dammit¡± Maybe it was something I ate? Although I doubt that. I recollected my feeling of throwing up earlier and decided to act on that theory. I managed a grin and sat up carefully so as not to agitate it even further. I was smiling but I didn¡¯t know why. Maybe because this would lead me to find my beloved drugs?! ''Could this be one of my honed reflexes too?'' I thought wildly Trying to ignore my raging thoughts, I pulled myself slowly towards the bathroom and knelt on the floor facing the toilet and beckoned the food to come out. Nothing did. I urged again but nothing. Instead it burned. Even more than before. It was taking me all I had not to scream. My trepidation in the darkness had already annoyed me so I was not going to give in to the pain so easily. I tried again. And this time something came out. Purple gas. Next Chapter ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rate please so I can know how my story stands in the reader¡¯s view Comment so I can know what to improve on and your opinions. Thanks for reading! Chapter 5~ Acceptance There was absolutely silence. That is if you ignore the frantic steps outside my bedroom. ¡®I just vomited purple gas¡¯ I thought. I couldn¡¯t think of anything else but just that. I reached out to touch the fading gas. It was cold to the touch. I withdrew my hand immediately because I feared it would freeze. I looked at it waver over the toilet seat and touch it but having no effect. The burning sensation in my stomach has noticeably reduced. ¡®All I had to do was vomit purple gas?!¡¯ I thought angrily. I bent to remove the remaining entity from my stomach but this time nothing. I tried 10 more times, reliving the feeling but nothing worked. I furrowed my eyebrows and sat on my butt then folded my arms. I closed my eyes and waited for an image to appear. Quietly. Silently. However nothing appeared. But I continued to wait. Slowly an image began to appear. It would blink into existence and then disappear. Oddly, I felt calm. The same darkness that frightened me out of my wits calmed me. How ironic. I saw a body. Although vague, I could recognize it anywhere. It was mine. I narrowed my eyes¡­or at least I wished I could so as to see better. Just for a moment I saw my image body glow purple. My eyes shot open. ¡®What was that?!¡¯ I could find no answer. I let out a soft sigh and proceeded to close my eyes again. The pain was beginning to increase. I could see my body again but this time it wasn¡¯t glowing. It just had purple dust all over it. It was right then that I finally face palmed. ¡°Ouch¡± I let out a small cry and massage my nose. That was stupid action. I placed all the memories side by side in my head but there were no instructions. I figured I was supposed to make the purple gas go around my body and glow? Then after glowing it turns to dust? Before that, what does all this mean? No one around me experiences all this¡­. Or maybe they don¡¯t let me know? I couldn¡¯t come to a conclusion. I bit my lips hard. Then crawled out from the bathroom towards the door of my room. And I locked myself in. Sitting up and crossing my legs so as to look like a monk in prayer. I closed my eyes again but this time no image appeared. I sighed audibly. Knock knock knock ¡®Ah, I forgot about Valerie¡¯ ¡°Sorry Valerie but can you leave me alone for a moment?¡± I called. ¡°You locked your door, are you okay?¡± She said softly. ¡°Yes, I am perfectly fine now¡± I lied. ¡°Okay...¡± she said with a hint of suspicion in her voice and I heard her feet move away. I felt guilty for lying to her but I need to confirm if this was the norm before showing it to a soul. I felt deep down that the purple gas was not something to be shown. Besides, she didn''t believe I was totally okay. I thought of the burning sensation and imagined something purple in there. ''Move or something'' However I couldn''t feel anything happen. I tried again. Ignoring my anguish at my constant failure. I still couldn''t feel anything at all. I opened my eyes and almost screamed. I quickly covered my mouth and converted it to a small gasp. My room was covered in floating purple air. It glistened when the disappearing rays of sunlight hit and then floated on its way. They stuck together looking like a purple galaxy. However the room was not cold in the slightest. And oddly enough, the gas wouldn''t touch me. I moved my arms and brushed it; but again I withdrew my hand just as fast. "Cold!" I gritted my teeth. It was almost as if the gas was rejecting my touch. I stared at it then slowly, I lifted my fingers and beckoned it to come back to me. For the first time since I came from the darkness to this place called earth, I felt a sense of familiarity. Like I¡¯d done this before. Even when my ''reflexes'' kicked in, I would acknowledge that that was probably my usual reaction. But I couldn''t connect with the action. This time though, I knew I had done this before. If I were to have seen my smile at this moment, I would probably look extremely happy. No...I was shaking with excitement. This thing was proof. Indisputable proof that I existed. And it was what I¡¯d been seeking. I greedy grasped at it bracing myself against the cold. To just bear it. "Warm..." I whispered subconsciously. It was warm. ''Ah, it accepted me'' I figured. "What a weird thing", I chuckled. "Are you speaking to yourself now?" I jumped and looked at the door. Like I guessed the gas went no further than my door. "Is that you John?¡± I asked with the most innocent voice I could muster. ¡°Doc¡¯s here. Open up" he said I turned to my left immediately and glanced at the red alarm clock. ''30 minutes?! How?'' From when I sat here till now 30 minutes already passed. And I felt like just 5 minutes. I scratched my head and turned to the right to face the door, "I don''t feel so bad anymore ~ if you would be so kind as to send her home?" "Not happening" came the booming voice. "Ah Dad. She locked the door", John said. "Elizabeth come out", Wilson called gently. "Uh...15 minutes please?" I asked. I do not know if they can see this thing but I¡¯ll take no chances. ''Come on hurry up'' I beckoned to it. ¡°15 minutes for what?¡± Wilson asked. As though it heard me, it moved faster towards me and enveloped me. I expected to feel the sensation of warmth but instead it just layered around my body like a membrane and felt like clothing except without he warm feeling. It was indeed weird. And it began to glow. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. I gasped. ¡°Did something happen?¡± John questioned hearing my gasp. ¡°Uh no. N-Nothing¡± I stuttered considerably. ¡®Tch fuck my non tranquil mind¡¯ ¡°Are you sure?¡± he asked even louder, his voice sounding very concerned. ¡°I am good¡±, I tried to placate him. ¡°Be out in 15 minutes!¡± I looked down at my body. ¡°Need to....dust¡­¡± I whispered to myself. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Wilson looked at his son who in turn looked at him. Their eyes said the same thing, ¡®She obviously is not okay¡¯ John shrugged and with a confused smile walked away. Wilson stared at the door and took a step closer. ¡°Tch, I only have 15 minutes, work with me here!¡± came the yell from inside the room. ¡®Who is she talking to?!¡¯ Wilson pondered and waited for the so called person to reply but no other voice sounded. ¡®Maybe she¡¯s trying to fix something?¡¯ he thought rationally and in turn shrugged. His daughter tended to confuse him more often than not. ¡®The perks of having a teenager¡¯ people called it. He let out an audible sigh and all of a sudden the body movement in Elizabeth¡¯s room ceased. ¡®What?¡¯ he said narrowing his eyes, ¡®Ah, she probably noticed me¡¯ he figured. He smiled mischievously and with purposely silent steps walked away. Climbing down from the stairs and into the sitting room, he glanced at the quietly seated woman on the couch at the far end of the room. Sipping on a can of soda. He inwardly apologized again for his daughter¡¯s taking her time. The usual Wilson would scold Elizabeth and get her to come out but he had missed his beloved daughter for almost a year and all he wanted to do now was to spoil her. He proceeded to seat across the doctor and wait. The lady also known as Mrs. Melanie Harman was the family doctor had been with them through the whole Elizabeth process and as he quoted from her: ¡®The girl has a mysterious illness and symptoms doctors have never seen. I am actually glad to be in charge of her regardless of her actions¡¯ He didn¡¯t understand. He was just the owner of W&C Oil Company and was not intrigued by mysterious stuff. His life dealt with finding evidence of new sources and materials and getting them before other companies. He was good at it and excelled in the industry. His wife also had no connection with the medical field. Speaking of his wife, she had thought Elizabeth was going to go back into coma. It had taken a considerable amount of persuasion to get her to go back to work and not break into his daughter¡¯s room which had just been locked. The only doctor he was around was his son, however, his son was mainly a smart goofball. ¡°Ms. Harman, if you would please wait a few more minutes¡±, Wilson finally spoke up. The lady looked up and a second¡¯s worth of surprise ran through her face showing that she had been in thoughts and had not noticed him. ¡°My daughter seems to be having some problems and will be with you shortly¡± The lady let out a smile that contrasted her stern face structure, ¡°It¡¯s alright. She can take her time¡± ¡®She controls her emotions fairly well¡¯ was the thought crossed Wilson¡¯s mind. Mrs. Harman¡¯s face had no other emotion except a benevolent look. ¡®Rare to see people with such control¡¯ Wilson thought and the sighed inwardly, ¡®she must have seen a bit too much of life huh¡¯ He stood up towered towards the table in the middle and with his huge frame reached for the remote. The only way to know John and Wilson¡¯s relation was the face. While John was lanky and tall, Wilson was fairly of the same height but huge with protruding muscles befitting of his area of work. He sometimes partook in the drilling of oil and the muscles were from his earlier days of looking for a job. He had expected the muscles to reduce after he established his own company and dealt with paper work more often than not but surely they had toned down but the bulk of the muscle remained. ¡°Any thing you¡¯d like to watch?¡± He asked Mrs. Harman. She looked at him, ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± ¡°Dad, I¡¯ll be heading out now if you don¡¯t need me for anything¡±, John interrupted walking into the seating room, positioning his tie with his right hand and holding his car key and house key in the other. He was smartly dressed in white collar shirt and brown slacks. ¡°Going home finally?¡± Wilson laughed. The boy had refused to retire to his own home and resided in their house the whole time since Elizabeth recovered. Luckily, John was unmarried because Wilson could imagine the earful John would get if he was married. ¡°Yea¡±, John chuckled, a bit embarrassed, ¡°I probably need to dust up. But I need to head to work first¡± ¡°Alright¡±, Wilson nodded. John gave a slight bow to Mrs. Harman and walked out the door. ¡°Anything not cartoons would be fine¡±, Mrs. Harman spoke out. ¡°Oh...¡± Wilson nodded slightly and turned to the television. ¡°Sorry for wasting so much time!¡± came the loud voice as a lively blonde girl jumped down the stairs and ran into the sitting room panting quite heavily. The two adults just stared at her blankly, ¡®Wasn¡¯t she in pain?¡¯ they both thought. Elizabeth straightened up and flashed them a grin, ¡°I told you all I was fine now, didn''t I?¡± she spoke as though she read their minds. Wilson was about to retort when he noticed something on her face, ¡®Is that purple dust on her face?¡¯ (Author¡¯s note: the smart and foolish girl forgot to clean her face~) Next Chapter ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rate please so I can know how my story stands in the your opinion. Comment so I can know what to improve on and your ideas. Thanks for reading! Chapter 6~ First revelation I ran out of my room as fast as I could and jumped down the stairs. ¡®I took 25 minutes!!!¡¯ I cried out inwardly. I had finally converted the glowing purple blob to dust however it took too long. I was satisfied though. I felt energy coursing through me. I didn¡¯t feel stronger, no, that wasn¡¯t it. I just felt energy coursing through my veins. It does sound like strength though. To change the glow to dust I had to absorb the glow into my skin and circulate it around my body manually. I was careful not to touch my blood with the purple blob as though by instinct except I was familiar with this particular instinct. The whole process was extremely weird. What confused me the most was the part when I felt a bit too cold after absorbing everything and was wishing to warm up. A small flame appeared on top of my left index finger at that thought. I believe the fire is a manifestation of the energy I felt. Yes, fire. I had fire on my finger tip. But my finger wasn¡¯t burning. I stared at it for a while and carefully, with my right hand, brushed against it with my thumb. The fire went out but surprisingly, my thumb didn¡¯t burn. I was beyond amazed and baffled. This wasn¡¯t a dream that I was sure off. I began to laugh hysterically. I was now seeing vision, huh. I tried to call the fire consciously and it heeded my call except it was bigger than I would have liked and enveloped my whole left arm. The fact that I didn''t imagine an appropriate size was probably the problem. I almost screamed and quickly tried to quench it with my right but this time, Mr. Right hand didn¡¯t come to the rescue. I tried to will the fire away just as I had called it but it wouldn¡¯t listen. I needed water fast but I was afraid that if I got up, I would set something else on fire. But wasn¡¯t this just a vision? However I didn¡¯t want to take any chances. ¡®Maybe¡­just maybe¡­¡¯ I thought suddenly and imagined water on my left hand. ¡®Please work!¡¯ My arm was abruptly covered in water and slowly the fire died away leaving me with a water covered arm except this water just kept rotating around my arm without even dripping. ¡®It worked¡¯ I smiled as I calmed down watching the cool water. ¡°How¡­interesting¡¯ I thought. I tapped the rotating water with my right hand and my fingers passed through. I tried to will away the water and this time it slowly disappeared. ¡®The water listened but the fire not so much¡¯ I sighed and stood up. My shirt had a hole on the side. ¡°Tch, thanks for proving it¡¯s not a vision, you useless shirt¡± I grumbled disapprovingly. ¡°Gee¡ªValerie must definitely not see this¡±, I said and took off my shirt. ¡®It was a good decision earlier to change out of my uniform¡¯ I pondered. Maddie must be a genius to anticipate something like this happening and asking me to change before I lay down. (Author¡¯s note: Maddie most definitely did not anticipate her best friend calling fire to fry her clothing) I changed into a green shirt and red shorts and quickly cleaned the purple dust off my visible skin. I looked at my hands and my legs. Satisfied, I finally looked at the clock. And that is how we are here. With me panting for using too much energy to jump down the stairs. ¡®I hope I didn¡¯t break any tiles¡¯ I wondered inwardly. The collision with the floor was oddly loud. The two adults in view had weird faces. My dad and the doctor were probably thinking the same thing. That I was supposed to be in pain I sported a grin and told them that like I informed them earlier, I was fine now. My dad was about to speak but then he stopped and stared at me. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ I was confused at his actions. ¡°Miss Baker? If you would please sit down¡± Ms. Harman said courteously. ¡°Yes, and if you can, call me Elizabeth please¡± I nodded taking a seat in the comfortable two seater couch. ¡°No problem. And if I recall correctly, you fancy the first name, so call me Melanie¡±, she replied. I smiled and nodded dutifully. ¡°Tell me if I got anything wrong as I recollect¡±, Melanie said and put her hand in her purse. She brought out a folder and a red box. Opening the box she brought out a pair of glasses and put it on; it hung on her nose. She flipped through the folder and with a click the mechanical pen was initiated, ¡°You experienced unfathomable pain in your stomach¡± ¡°Yes¡± She seemed to tick something. ¡°And this pain is gone right now?¡± She asked. ¡°Yes¡± ¡°If you could please elaborate on what you did to make the pain----¡°, she began ¡°Wait¡± Wilson interrupted abruptly. We both turned to him and I raised a brow confused. ¡°That¡ªon your face¡­.¡± He continued. ¡°Hmm?¡± I tapped my cheeks, ¡°What?¡± Melanie looked at me then furrowed her brows as though bewildered. ¡°Is that some kind of new make up for teenage girls¡­¡±Wilson began trialing off. ¡°Make up? I don¡¯t believe I put any just now, why?¡± I said and brought my hand from my cheeks. I looked at my palm and saw the ever familiar purple dust. ¡®No way¡¯ I looked up and saw the face of Wilson which wanted an answer and the face of Melanie that although she tried to have a straight face, the held-back laughter was apparent. She must have thought I poured eye shadow on my face. ¡°Holy Shit¡± I cursed and jolted out of the sitting room. If I had turned back at that moment, I would have seen Wilson wide eyed with a face full of disbelief and Melanie who looked as confused as could be. I ran into the visitor¡¯s bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. Sure enough my face was outlined in purple dust. ¡®Dammit, I didn¡¯t think of cleaning up my face¡¯ I turned on the water in the sink and washed it off. I looked back in the mirror to find my blue eyes staring back at me. "Water does the job perfectly" I muttered. I guess I expected some kind of unexplainable reason why water couldn''t wash it off. There goes my excitement. I sighed audibly. ¡®This¡­what else could you call this but stupidity'', I chastised myself. Luckily my dad thought it was make-up. I''ll tell him I was just experimenting. I probably disliked lying because whenever I thought about lying to someone, I felt weird. "I just hate lying to people, that''s all" a cheerful voice rang out in my head. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "Ow" I cringed as pain racked my skull. Luckily it only lasted a few seconds. Then I saw a blurry scene in my head. A girl that was obviously me with no claw and pointy ears was laughing with... is that Jason? Again I heard myself say: "I just hate lying to people that''s all, ha-ha" "Hmm" came the soft reply. "I don¡¯t know, I guess I feel guilty when I do it. But most of the time I can''t even lie when I want to" I had burst into laughter. Then the moving image faded away but not before me taking a lick at the ice cream in Jason''s hand. "We were really dating" I muttered. She---I mean I said that I can''t even lie when I want to but I had no problems lying to John/ Valerie. ''Hmm...But come to think of it. This is the first time I remembered something'' I exited the toilet and walked towards the sitting room. Giving Wilson and Melanie a smile, I sat down. Melanie resumed asking me questions and Wilson just walked away without a word. However something was bothering me. I just retained my memory however unlike when I felt a sense of recognition with the purple gas, there was nothing. No associated feelings. No recognition. No internal confirmation. Nothing. I felt sick and odd. Why?! There must be something wrong. I---- "Elizabeth?" Melanie cut off my thought process. "Yes?" I blinked rapidly. "No, you didn''t seem like you were listening, so I called out" She said taking off her glasses. "Oh¡±, I said guiltily. "Well, in case you didn''t hear what I said, I said I can''t prescribe anything to prevent this. According to you, your stomach was ''burning'' however it stopped after you rolled over on your bed a few times." She glanced at me for confirmation. I nodded. Then she continued. "Using that, I can''t really do anything now but I will research on the symptoms and get back to you" She said with a face that was neither smiling nor frowning. I nodded slightly and she stood up. Having packed up her bag, she smiled and ventured towards the door. "Wilson! Doc''s leaving!" I yelled with my hands over my mouth forming an ''O''. He scurried out from....where did he come from? And said, "Thank you so much for coming" "Glad to be of service" she said with a small bow. I walked quietly behind her, escorting her to the door. "We''re back!" Came Valerie''s cheery voice. For her to be happy, Wilson probably told her I was OK. "Lizzy!" Margaret rushed at me. I embraced the little girl and squatted to meet her eye, "Hey" I ruffled up her thick blonde hair and she giggled. "How was school?" She raised up her right hand and showed me her palm. "What?" She giggled again, "5 years" "Oh! Way to finally know your age" I laughed and stood up. She was very smart in some areas for her age. Just not on this particular field. "Hey Valerie" I smiled at her. She replied by pouting, "When will you call me Mom again" "Ah" I bit my lips a bit surprised at the sudden topic. "Just Kidding! You''re fine" She chuckled at my reaction. "Mm" I mumbled and let out a slightly audible laugh. "I''ll be leaving if you don''t mind", Melanie said butting in as she was waiting for Valerie. "Oh sorry for delaying you", Valerie apologized and moved away from the door allowing Melanie to go out. "Bye Miss Hairman!" Margaret called out. "It''s Harman" I said giving her a gentle head shake. "Welcome back...Mom" Valerie swiftly turned to me shocked, "I really was just kidding" I laughed it off saying, "It''s fine. I''d have to do it sooner or later. Can I go lay for an hour or so please?" Husband and wife looked at each other and answered me with a nod. I let go of Margaret''s head and began to walk away. "Huh? Where Lizzy goin?" Margaret asked a bit confused "To sleep" Valerie smiled at her. "Oh~ can I sleep too?" She promptly asked. "After you eat your dinner dear" Valerie said looking at the antique grandfather clock. It read 5:10. She held Margaret''s hand and walked away. %%%%% I glared at the ceiling board while racking my brain for answers. First of all there was no familiarity with nothing in this place. The people. The objects. Nothing. Then came the familiarity with purple gas Now that I actually remember something but I feel like I saw a foreign person''s memory. ''Why?'' I asked myself for the tenth time. I grunted angrily. It is as though I and the girl everyone knows are different people. I have thought this so many times that I have lost count but could it really be plausible? I highly doubt. However to not even recognize my own memory... what sort of thing is this??? There was no explanation on the internet for purple gas and neither was there any for not recognizing your memory. The only thing I found was someone who said ''you could be rejecting the memories, that''s why you think you don''t know them'' on the web but that doesn''t apply to me. I want to remember. I want to know what I am doing and why. I don''t want to remain a mystery to myself. Surely, it was interesting at first but now it makes me annoyed and confused. It was not just the memories. I had fire appear on my hand. Fire! Fire that did not burn my body but burned my clothes. There was water too. And I can easily guess that it wasn''t just these two I could make appear or control. Then the question I asked the day I gained consciousness floated into my mind. ''Am I human?'' Next Chapter ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rate please so I can know how my story stands in the your opinion. Comment so I can know what to improve on and your ideas. Thanks for reading!
I need names for the past chapters. If anyone can help pls just comment. And if you find problems with my grammar/sentences, do tell. Thx. Chapter 7~ Men in Black Tick tick tick My room was silent except for the sound of the second hand in the clock moving. ¡®Am I human?¡¯ the question floated into my mind again. But why at this moment in time?! I didn¡¯t even want to bother thinking about the question but it made me realize that I had subconsciously began to doubt my humanity. The humanity that I only know of because I was told of it. I already know that no other sentient race apart from humans lived in the world. So then if I doubted my humanity, what was I? I raised my hands and brought my fingers to my face. I wondered how much blood it would draw if I scratched someone with it. Rotating my hand back and front I admired it for a few seconds. Then I let my hand drop. My rational mind told me to brush all this off as superstition but I had definitely conjured fire. I willed a small ball of water to my finger tips and it appears. I willed it away and closed my eyes embracing the darkness. A minute passed. ¡±Come on. Something. Anything.¡± I mumbled. I stayed like that for another minute then sat up on my bed. The question was not just ¡®Am I human?¡¯ The questions were ¡®If I am not human, then what am I?¡¯ ¡®And how does my humanity have to do with my memories? To hypothesize: I am a spiritual being who took over Elizabeth¡¯s body when it died. But for some reason I erased hers and my memories in the process. Come to think of it, my love aversion was it because I was a male spiritual being? No, before that why was I a spiritual being? I could been a demon, too. But at this point, I am just humoring myself. It was just a hypothesis with no answer. But I had to admit something. I definitely was not normal. Not that I ever thought I was but it felt fresh to just say it outright¡­ well think it. %%%%% I yawned wildly as I slowly sat up from the bed. I glanced at my clock and yawned again. 6: 30 ¡°Hmm? AM or PM¡± I muttered. Standing up, I walked to my window and spread the curtains then stared at the night sky. ¡°I want to take a walk¡± I mumbled and shuffled over to my closet. Pulling on a sky blue jacket and black track pants, I walked out the room heading towards the stairs. ¡°Valerie!¡± I yelled. ¡®Oops¡¯. ¡°Mom!¡± I corrected myself. ¡°Yes?¡± her voice came from inside her room. ¡°I¡¯ll be back in an hour. Need some fresh air¡± There was some silence then, ¡°Put your food in the microwave when you get back¡± she replied. I nodded although she couldn¡¯t see me and walked out. She was managing pretty well with my attitude. I felt a bit sorry. I breathed in the fresh air that greet me. This was something air conditioner couldn¡¯t do. The outside air relaxes me. Almost like home does. I smiled and walked on. I decided to try something as I spotted gardening sears laying on the floor. ¡®Valerie must have been a bit careless¡¯ I chuckled to myself. I picked up the garden sears and proceeded to level my nails. To be honest, I was still freaking out a bit inwardly about the purple gas and stuff. But I figured with the ways things are going, I¡¯ll find out soon enough why I had ¡­ well, call them powers or magic. I squatted and looked at my newly cut nails. The claw was already getting to me so it felt awkward. I caressed my face and beamed. At least I didn¡¯t need to be careful anymore when I touch my face or skin. I do wonder why no one commented much on my nails. They were looking so beastly that you could not look at me without noticing them. And yet, only one person in my class commented on them. ¡®Maybe they just weren¡¯t interested¡¯ I reasoned and soon enough, I was a mile away from home. I was careful not to go to unfamiliar zones as I could get lost. I would pop up a flame on my tip when I was alone in an alley or juggle fire ball or water balls. Air is impossible to control, at least for me. I couldn''t move it or anything, definitely could not feel any air essence. It''s either just me or it doesn''t exist I smiled to myself, very happy with my findings. It''s always good to know what you''re good at. Whistling softly as I walked with the wind I spotted a familiar shade of blonde with the side of my right eyes. I stopped walking turned immediately and like I thought it was someone I knew. ¡°Maddie?¡± I muttered. She was laughing and chattering with a group of people outside ¡®Big Fingers¡¯ restaurant. ¡°Ho~ she has a life~¡±, I said letting out a smile. (Author¡¯s note: rude much?) I watched on curiously. I mean who wouldn¡¯t. The guy with the auburn hair suddenly bent and kissed Maddie softly then left waving back at the group. I blinked twice for the scene to actually register. ¡°Wow~ never seen it front row¡± I chuckled, ¡°She had a boyfriend¡± (Author¡¯s note: She¡¯s so innocent without her memories. I¡¯ll soon miss these tranquil days~) ¡°But they looked gay¡± I mumbled to myself. ¡®Hmm? ¡®Gay?¡¯¡¯ I thought. Another word I don¡¯t recognize. I will have to go look up the meaning later. Things such as not remembering some words occurred quite often, often as in every other day so they didn¡¯t surprise me anymore. I just googled it. Seeing the people in the group waving goodbyes and beginning to scatter, I wanted to walk off but Maddie was heading towards my direction. I changed my mind and called out. ¡°Yoo-hoo¡± She didn¡¯t recognize my voice nor did she realize that she was the one being called at so she kept on walking. ¡°Maddie¡± I said jumping in front of her from the shadows. ¡°Eh?!¡± she jumped startled then my smirking face registered in her mind, ¡°Oh¡­ Elizabeth you scared me¡± she burst out laughing. ¡°Oops?¡± I laughed and she joined me. ¡°Friends of yours?¡± I asked, motioning to the fading away backs that belonged to the group earlier. ¡°Yea¡­ they are also friends of yours although you don¡¯t remember¡± she said sweetly. I smiled, ¡°I see¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. They were Elizabeth¡¯s friends. I have decided to act on the notion that Elizabeth and I are different entities until I find proof telling otherwise. Besides it¡¯s not like there¡¯s anything wrong with my having two personas. There are people like that. Even though those are usually schizophrenics or crazy people. And I am not crazy. (Author¡¯s note: but that¡¯s what crazy people think¡­.) In simpler words, I¡¯ll call her Elizabeth in my mind and I¡¯ll call myself well, uh, ¡®Me¡¯. I decided to escort Maddie home. Just because I was going to walk around anyways. We engaged in useless chatter and we talked about miscellaneous stuff. Maddie was the only one I could talk to endlessly like this. It felt weird and nice at the same time. She talked about the gym she went to, the movies she watched. As the inexperienced one in the group, I mainly listened and putting some input when I recognized what she was talking about. It was fun nonetheless. We turned to the left into a barely lit alley and the smell of tobacco seeped into my nose. I looked up to see a cluster of five men, three smoking and all in tank tops. They all had black hair or at least it looked that way. Two had three piercings on each ear, one had two piercings on only the left ear, another had piercing on only his nose and the other had a snake tattoo on him arm with no piercing. I could see their piercings because of the reflected light but the''r faces were hidden in the shadows. The dimly lit street light was of very little help Our eyes met pretty much at the same time. Then silence. The guy with the tattoo huffed and smirked breaking the silence, ¡°It¡¯s a couple~¡± The remaining burst into laughter, ¡°Rendezvous at night eh?¡± The one with the nose piercing jeered blowing out smoke from his mouth as he fiddled with the cigarette. Maddie narrowed her eyes and her hand went into her pockets. ¡°Huh?¡± one of the guys that was not smoking began, ¡°The guy has boobs¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°No way¡± Came the replies. ¡°She¡¯s a girl¡± I spoke up softly, not daring to be pompous. I was scared out of my wits. You would think a girl with the ability to control fire would be fierce and everything but noooo. I was not visibly shaking or anything but these guys were obviously ruffians. I didn¡¯t make this assumption based on their piercings though. It was their scarred faces and their lecherous and fierce looks. ¡°Ho~¡± one of the guys with triple piercing replied, smiling hideously as he prepared to smoke again. The other one with triple piercing laughed and his face came into the light. ¡®Pretty¡¯ was what I thought. ¡®Dang, this is what they call a pretty boy¡¯ His purple-and-black haircut was done to cover one eye and his eyes were light brown. The smile he wore fitted him perfectly. He more or less was very different from the rest and he wasn¡¯t smoking. But however pretty he was, my heart didn¡¯t even flinch. I sighed inwardly. ¡®Maybe I am really a male spiritual being?¡¯ ¡°Shouldn¡¯t have taken a shortcut¡± Maddie mumbled. I turned to her and noticed her pissed off look. ¡°Hmm?¡± the tattooed guy spoke and stood straight up, ¡°Did you just say something?¡± ¡°Hey, Marco ¡­ ¡°the boob noticer began. ¡°I am not gonna do anything¡± Marco laughed as he flashed the men a toothy grin then turned back to us. ¡°She said nothing¡±, I spoke up again and grabbed Maddie¡¯s arm then proceeded to glide backwards trying to go back the way we came in. Triple-pierce sprinted and swiftly blocked our exit. A hideous smile flitted onto his face as he spoke, ¡°Let us escort you fair ¡®ladies¡¯ home. It is so dark, you might meet some danger¡± ¡®We already did¡¯ I wanted to retort but held back in. However, it seemed those words caused Maddie to snap. She withdrew her hand from her pocket revealing her now gloved hand and proceeded to punch the poor soul in the gut. Yes. Poor soul because she had put so much force into the punch, the man coughed blood and fell to the ground unconscious. ¡°Hmph¡± she made a lame stand of victory with her hands on her waist. I wanted to laugh but I could feel their anger raining on my back. I grabbed Maddie¡¯s hand and was about to make a break for it when someone grabbed Maddie and another grabbed me. ¡®Ouch¡¯ I grimaced as I was pinned to the floor. ¡°You bitch¡±, boob-noticer cursed, kicking Maddie. ¡®He changes character so fast¡¯ I thought stupefied. I glanced at Maddie and she was pinned to the ground just like I was but by nose-pierce. She grunted and with a Wham used her legs to knock boob noticer off his feet. The guys pinning her down were late in responding so she propelled her self upwards and with a back flip, she used the momentum in her feet and leveled nose-pierced to the floor and he rolled into the light revealing his obviously dyed red hair. ¡®So strong¡¯ I thought admiringly. I finally looked up to know who was pinning me down. ¡°Oh~ it¡¯s pretty boy¡±, I thought out loud. ¡°Eh?¡± came the disapproving reply. ¡®Shit¡¯ ¡°What did you just call me?¡± He bellowed. ¡®Gosh dang it. Me and my big mouth¡¯ I chided. ¡°I said, what did you just call me?¡± he repeated tightening his grip on my skin. ¡®That¡¯s going to leave a freaking mark¡¯ I cursed. ¡°Calm down, Victor¡± came the tranquil voice, ¡°Hold her down while I take care of this hot headed bitch¡± I turned my head towards with voice with considerable effort and I saw Maddie. But this Maddie was bleeding from her legs and head. My eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°No way¡± I muttered. ¡°You didn¡¯t really think before attacking us, did you?¡± Victor smirked viciously. There was a groan to my side signaling nose-pierce was getting up and Boob noticer was holding his newly broken leg. ¡°Red, Tim, let Marco handle the girl¡± Victor said. ¡°Was going to do that¡± boob noticer, also known as Tim replied. I figured he was Tim because nose-pierce had red hair. Nose-pierce aka Red grunted his aggrement. The way this was going¡­ Maddie could get killed. She was getting bloodier and bloodier by the second. However she hadn¡¯t screamed, not once. ¡®I need to do something¡¯ I thought. But what? ¡®Ah!¡¯ A brilliant idea popped into my head. And i set my arms on fire. Chapter 8~ Realize... ¡°Ouch!¡± Victor screamed and withdrew his hands. He flailed his hands trying to get the heat off. I jumped up and withdrew the fire from my body. ¡°What are you doing, you oaf?¡± Tim chided, snorting at Victor. ¡°N-No, her arms were hot all of a sudden like it was on fire and¡­¡± Victor stuttered. Tim narrowed his eyes, ¡°You¡­ are you okay? As in mentally?¡± ¡°W-What? How did you come to that conclusion?! I was just saying what happened---!¡± Victor began to yell. ¡°Pipe down, you¡¯ll attract someone. I bet you don¡¯t want that¡± I jeered smiling at my accomplishment. I did not set fire to my hand obviously. Maddie was here and I am working out this secret thing. I however set fire inside my arm. It was a gamble and I luckily still have my arms. (Author¡¯s note: I believe only crazy people would set fire to their arms¡­) I moved my fingers to see if I severed anything inside my body. That did not seem to be to case, my theory was my body couldn¡¯t be hurt with something I created myself. It proved true and I grinned, my former fear long forgotten. A surge of adrenaline went through me. ¡°You!¡± Victor yelled angrily and charged blindly at me. I evaded him with a side step and broke his fall with a punch to the stomach. ¡®Huh? Just now¡­ I felt like I have done that before¡­¡¯ CRACK ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhh!¡± came the blood curling scream. I turned swiftly to the noise just to see Marco breaking Maddie arm a smirk on his face. ¡°Huh?¡± I said dumbly as what just occurred refused to register. He just¡­. I mean¡­ Her arms¡­. I was going to¡­. Help¡­. Her pride¡­ He just ¡­.. Ragged panting from Maddie filled my ears as she stood her ground grasping her broken arm. Why? Why is no one coming? Someone should have heard her scream. Why? Badump. I gritted my teeth and any ounce of pain I could feel disappeared at that moment. %%%%%% Victor charged towards the girl who had her back turned towards him. She was pissing him off. First she calls him pretty boy, then she does some kind of magic trick and gets him to let go of her, then she evades him and even dared to deliver such a weak punch to his stomach. Yes, it didn¡¯t hurt him but the face that she was able to touch him was maddening. And now she stood with her back facing him as though she didn¡¯t care if he was there or not. The girl was riding on his last nerve and he was ready to break her neck. But because of Marco¡¯s order, he would just pin her to the ground but not before injuring her some. He reached out to grab her but found himself flying backwards and embedded into the wall. %%%%%% Badump I took a step forward. Slowly another step. Then I charged towards Marco. I had a vague idea of what I was doing but I knew I was not controlling my body. My instincts had taken over. My appearance before Marco visibly surprised him as he took as step backwards before positioning himself to block my kick. I changed my trajectory quickly and used my fist instead. He took my fist head on and his eyes widened as he flew backwards hitting the wall. Flop I heard a sound and glancing back, Maddie had fainted. ¡°To have lasted so long¡­¡± I muttered and turned to glare at him. ¡°Y¡¯know¡­. Your name is Marco, right?¡± I said grudgingly. A confused expression crossed his face and he furrowed his eye brows. Moving away from the wall he put his fists out, the left one slightly ahead of the other and left leg slightly ahead of the right with his knees bent a bit. He was ready to fight. ¡°You. You box huh¡±, I said dryly and glanced at his right hand. It was shaking terribly. Well of course it was. He took on my hit although where did that much power come from? I knew I couldn¡¯t answer that question so I just shrugged helplessly. ¡°Marco huh¡± I mumbled, loud enough for only him to hear. Then I moved. He expected me to hit and was ready to parry but I evaded his arms and just grabbed his neck with my right hand and slammed him into the wall. ¡°Hey Marco¡­ how are you?¡± If I were to describe the situation right now to anybody they would not believe me. I was not controlling my actions so I felt like a spectator in my own body. My body moved on my emotions, that was all. I could control what I say though. ¡°I ask myself if I am human but maybe neither are you?¡± I continued, ¡°To do that much to a person with no remorse¡± my voice grew cold. I felt a presence behind me (it seems like I can do that now) and once again my body moved and my left hand sent whoever was behind me flying. I took a quick glance and saw that it was Tim was now had a bloodied nose. ¡®What was he doing that I hit his face though?¡¯ I wondered. For some reason, I was oddly relaxed. I turned back to Marco and saw the bewildered look on his face. ¡°You¡­¡± he grunted struggling to speak, ¡°you hid your strength¡± ¡°What are you talking about? You broke my friend¡¯s arm and I got a power up, capeesh?¡± His face contorted in anguish and confusion as my hold on his neck got stronger. ¡°You should read some fantasy books, y¡¯know? Those where the hero gets powered up because the demon killed his friends. Quite laughable if you ask me. Except I seem to be--¡± I tightened my hold even more, ¡°---experiencing that laughable situation. Of course without the killing part¡± Cough Cough He was choking. ¡°You¡¯re seriously missing out. Those books are good stuff¡± I chided. ¡®I think I might kill this guy if I keep strangling him¡¯ I thought calmly staring Marco in the face. And as if on cue a sense of familiarity came over me. My eyes widened and I let go allowing him to drop to the floor. ¡®Just now¡­¡¯ My eyes darted around the place as I slowly regained hold of my body. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I looked down at Marco and he was trying to flee. Carefully looking around, the other men had fled. ¡®Tch, I thought I could sense presences¡¯ I thought then placed my foot in the direction Marco wanted to run. I bent down and peered into his face then squatted allowing us to be on the same level. ¡°Just now, I was strangling you¡± I stated. His face showed that he believed I was crazy. ¡°So this familiarity, is it from thinking I might kill you?¡± I said and poked his for head, ¡°Or is it from strangling you¡± I stared at him as though waiting for an answer. ¡°You¡­let me go¡±, he said his voice shaking. He wanted to push through and run but was scared for his life. ¡°Could it be, this is the first time you¡¯ve come so close to death?¡± I asked giving him a fond smile. He visibly stiffed. ¡°Oh? So you¡¯re just as inexperienced as I am¡± I said softly. Soon, eerie silence filled the air, accompanied by Marco¡¯s rugged breathing. ¡°I just asked you if you were human because you did so much to her but how am I different¡± I broke the silence. Again, only Marco¡¯s strained breathing. ¡°Could I be a killer of some sorts?¡± I said softly erasing the silence again. My reactions and my actions were all pointing towards that direction. When I strangled him I felt like that was not the first time. I was now scared of myself. Even the joke that I must have been a demon seemed real to me at this moment. "Hey, do I look human to you?¡± He shook his head immediately. He must have felt I wouldn¡¯t let go until he started answering my questions. Then his eyes widened in realization of what he just answered. He feared for his life and was about to start pleading then I stood up. ¡°Thank you for answering sincerely¡± I said making a small bow. I walked over to Maddie and after confirming my monstrous strength was still intact, I picked up Maddie and began to walk away ignoring the confused man behind me. I soon arrived at the beautiful black gates that bordered my parent¡¯s house. ¡°Ah miss-----¡°the security guard on duty called out but stopped mid speech. Granted, I had taken no blows but my hands were bloodied and the skin on it had peeled off. I however felt no pain from my hands. I lay the bloodied Maddie on the ground softly and met eye to eye with the guard. Just too many things had happened in one day. ¡°Hehe¡± I chuckled and I felt my adrenaline disappear along with my newly found strength. I felt dizzy and as my body fell to the ground my last thought: ¡®How many have I killed?¡¯ However, I didn¡¯t notice my sky blue jacket turning deep red as I touched the floor. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¡°Ngn¡± I groaned as I opened my eyes and tried to sit up. Pain racked through my body and sent me lying down again. ¡°I suggest not trying to get up¡± came the familiar voice. I turned to see Melanie on her phone. ¡°I am beginning to think you love the hospital¡± she said sternly. I gave a weak laugh, ¡°Maddie?¡± ¡°Ah, she was lucky. Her bone was broken cleanly at the joint. She will be fine in a few months. Must have met an expert¡±, Melanie said the last sentence in a whisper but I heard her, then she adjusted her glasses and looked at me, ¡°but you. How did you end up destroying the veins in your body?¡± I stared at her blankly. ¡°Granted, you should be dead¡± She said and looked me in the eye, ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Ask Maddie¡­ ¡°I said after a moment of silence and looked away. ¡®Must have been the fire but shouldn¡¯t only my arm veins be destroyed? She said my body¡­was it the mysterious power up?¡¯ ¡°She said you encountered thugs. I don¡¯t believe thugs would burst open your veins¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± I replied softly. ''It was most likely that strength... always price to pay, huh'' She narrowed her eyes softly and lifted her cell phone to her ears, ¡°She just regained consciousness, Mrs. Baker¡± At that I became alert, ¡®how long this time¡¯ I pondered and searched my recent memories. They were still intact. ¡°You can come take her tomorrow¡± Melanie concluded and turned to me, ¡°Four days, if you were wondering. Today included.¡± ¡°Oh, thanks¡± I mumbled. ¡®Thank God Valerie didn¡¯t get a heart attack¡¯ ¡°How did you do it?¡± Melanie spoke up again. ¡®She seems curious about my veins. Well, it¡¯s not like I¡¯ll say anything¡¯ However her next words shocked me. ¡°Your veins were obviously busted the day you came to the hospital but the next day, you are totally fine. Except from your hands. How did you do it?¡± I brought my hands to face level and sure enough, they had white bandages. ¡®Healing¡­?¡¯ I looked at her straight in the eye, ¡°Did Maddie regained consciousness?¡± She was a bit angry at my changing the subject but she conceded, ¡°Same day you brought her, kept asking if you were okay¡± ¡°Hmm¡±, I said and looked away then softly said, ¡°I don¡¯t know¡± Melanie looked fiercely at me, ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± I shook my head and then tried to sit up but the pain was exceeding. ¡®It¡¯s like I am getting the full pain that I couldn''t feel when I fought last time¡¯ I groaned. ¡°Why in such a hurry to get up?¡± Melanie asked. I made no comment and she just sighed then walked out of the room. I stared at the ceiling then closed my eyes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I was soon released after getting an earful from Valerie. It wasn¡¯t just her because Wilson exploded too. John was on a business trip so he couldn''t join. Margaret seemed confused but was surprised to see her furious mother. I did my best to placate them both and after stating that I was grounded for a week, she let me go. I thought she was quite lenient but she was furiously dialing the police to find the guys who attacked us. As I climbed the stairs I felt as though my body weighed a ton. I moved slowly towards my bed room. I opened the door and walked into my familiar room. Then I controlled the earth around to wedge the door in place. And I collapsed on the floor and let go of the weak barricade that was holding my feelings together and I wailed. Loudly. Who am I? What have I done? How am I here? I obviously don¡¯t belong here. I have strangled people. I have killed people. Maybe I have even eaten people. Maybe I killed Elizabeth too. Did I come here to kill this family? I thought wildly while crying the whole time. Chapter 9~ Strength Author''s note will be AN from now on. Wilson and Valerie stared at each other¡¯s dark eyes that were due to lack of sleep. Loud crying boomed through the house from upstairs. Two days. Elizabeth had been crying for two days without stop. It was an unbelievable feat. At first they had banged at her door for what seemed like eternity but she didn¡¯t open. They had even tried knocking down the door but it wouldn¡¯t budge. It was also plausible that she didn¡¯t even hear them. Valerie had to take Margaret to a friend¡¯s house so the girl could get some sleep. At first, Valerie had thought that her Elizabeth was crying because she got grounded. It was the first time Valerie had ever grounded her and she felt a bit guilty for making Elizabeth cry. Then she listened to the wails for a while and realized that these were wails of sorrow and anguish. The only thing Valerie could think of that would make Elizabeth like this was those thugs that attacked her. Valerie was determined to track those men down and bring them to justice. Of course she had the resources to do so as a renowned fashion designer. She had created ¡®Valacia¡¯ from scratch and the company had blossomed marvelously. She wanted one of her children to inherit it but she was not going to force any. Thoughts like this were running through her mind as she felt exhausted. She sighed tiredly as she watched the antique clock hit 1:00 am. She glanced over to her husband whose eye bags were fairly recent. He had opted to use earphones to sleep he first night and had crushed them in his sleep. He bought another set however Elizabeth¡¯s wailing seemed to have gotten louder as though saying ¡®you have to listen to my cries¡¯ so it was a useless deed. Valerie bit her lips in an act of worry for Elizabeth¡¯s health. ¡®I wonder if she¡¯ll loose her voice¡¯ Valerie pondered and sipped off the cup of orange juice in front of her. Wilson grunted as he took a sip of the cold orange juice too. The cries had just gone into the third day and he was extremely worried. ¡®What is making her cry like this?¡¯ he thought. Just like Valerie all he could think off was those boys. He was 100% in support for Valerie hunting them down and sending those trouble makers to jail or juvenile detention depending on their age. (AN:: So close yet so far) He let his head fall to the table with a Thud. ¡°Please stop¡­¡± he groaned. And immediately the wailing stopped. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I blinked furiously a few times and yawned. ¡°Ah that smells¡± I mumbled as my breath wafted into my nostrils. I got up and headed towards the bathroom. I looked at my bloody red eyes in the mirror and proceeded to wash my face. I must have been crying a while because I lost my concept of time while bombarding myself with questions. Come to think of it I haven¡¯t eaten yet. I am a bit hungry. Ssshaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa I turned on the tap and let the water run as I brushed my teeth. I rinsed my mouth and stared at myself in the mirror. The beauty I used to see was nowhere. Replacing her was a red eyed girl with disheveled hair and small claws¡­.. ¡®Ehhhh????¡¯ I raised my hands to eye level and realized that they were already growing back. ¡®It¡¯s been only five days!¡¯ I racked my brain to see if I was wrong. 1st day: I cut my nails and fought 2nd ¨C 4th: unconscious 5th ¨Cconscious 6th ¨Creleased and crying half the day. I walked towards the curtains and looked outside. ¡°It¡¯s night already¡± I glanced at my alarm clock, 1: 02. ¡°No morning?¡± So I cried the whole of yesterday. (AN: she¡¯s not so far off¡­.) Bang bang bang I turned to the door where the banging was coming from, ¡°Yes?¡± I turned the door knob and pulled. It wouldn¡¯t budge. Ah! I remembered wedging the door. I moved the earth back so the door would budge. At least I tried to. But it was as though the earth wasn¡¯t there. I could see the earth wedging the door but I couldn¡¯t feel the¡­. you know¡­. Ugh I don¡¯t know what to call it. ¡®Essence¡¯ came the commanding voice. ¡®Yes. The essence¡­.¡¯ ¡°Wha¡ª¡± I began shocked. Again I hear a voice in my head. But I know this voice. This particular voice warmed me. But all for a moment before my heart clenched and my blood pumped in anger. ¡®What is going on?¡¯ I said trying to calm my blood thirst. ''Bloodthirt?'' Then my eyes widened before softening again. ¡®The owner of that voice¡­I probably want to kill that person¡¯ I reasoned, ¡®That voice is a clue to me¡¯, I thought and placed the voice in the top part of my mind as priority. The banging on the door was relentless. ¡°Elizabeth!¡± I heard Wilson and Valerie¡¯s voice. ¡°Ah! Mom, Dad¡± I said loud enough for them to hear me. The banging seized and silence ensued. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Wilson asked with a voice as gentle as the morning breeze. I smiled. He was obviously worried. ¡°Sorry something is wedging my door¡±. I concentrated hard and felt for the purple gas in me. I moved it a little then I could feel the essences again. I quickly moved the earth and opened the door. Their faces were not pleasing to the eyes. ¡°What happened?!¡± I exclaimed and cupped Valerie¡¯s face in my hands. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t stop crying¡± She laughed. ¡°Ah... sorry I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d cry the whole night¡± ¡°The whole night?¡± Wilson chortled, ¡°You mean two nights!¡± I blinked rapidly as what he said registered then I whispered, ¡°No way¡­.¡± ¡®Then it¡¯s been six days since I fought. Wait before that, today should be Tuesday. Wow, I missed four days¡¯ worth of class. However, crying for two whole days. That should be in the Guinness book of records for the longest cry ever¡¯ A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°We are already on the third day. Your mother is on the verge of collapsing¡± Wilson continued jokingly. Wham Valerie¡¯s hand went into Wilson¡¯s stomach, ¡°Stop it¡± she grumbled. Wilson grabbed his stomach and burst into laughter. She probably didn¡¯t do much damage. She turned to me and gave me a weak smile, ¡°I am perfectly fine. What of you? Are you done crying? You look even worse than I do¡± She said and brought her right hand to my face. My heart cried for this lady and I pulled her into a hug, ¡®There¡¯s no way I came to murder this family. They couldn¡¯t have done anything wrong¡¯ Valerie was surprised but returned the hug and gently patted my back. I withdrew and proceeded to hug Wilson who wildly patted my back too but with very little restraint. It hurt, to be honest. I waved to them as they went to catch a few hours of sleep before they went to work. I sat on my bed and looked at the sky. ¡°I may have killed people¡± I began to speak softly, ¡°but that doesn¡¯t define me. I may not be a murderer or I may be. However, I refuse to kill myself over assumptions that has not been made clear to me yet¡± I narrowed my eyes and spoke even more deeply, ¡°From now own, my only proof is myself memories and actions. I refuse to concede to the words of others and destroy my sanity over mere words that people use to define me. I will accept my reaction and instincts, not deeming them right or wrong till I regain myself and either challenge my beliefs or accept them¡± Almost like a pledge I raised my hand and placed it on my chest, ¡°This is my resolve¡± I stared viciously at the moon as though waiting for it to accept my words. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was finally December. ¡®Time flies when all you do if workout and magical play¡¯ I thought and then focused my full attention on the book in front of me. It was lunch break on a typical school day and less than half the class was here. "What are you reading?" Lilian asked, bringing her face too close for comfort and disrupting my concentration. I shifted in my seat then looked at her for a while before giving a calm smile, ¡°As you can clearly see on the front of the book, it¡¯s titled ¡®Le Morte d¡¯Arthur¡¯. And I am reading it¡± ¡°Gosh, I know that ~, what the book is about?¡± she continued saucily. I do not grasp this girl at all. First she¡¯s jealous and now she goes almost every day to Jason¡¯s classroom to flirt (A chapter of my life which I am happy is closed- Jason; not to be rude or anything just not interested). Now she comments on everything I do and sometimes takes it as far as to be all up in my face. ¡°Are you interested?¡± I said to her. ¡°What?¡± she asked as she cocked her head to the right. ¡°Are you in the slightest bit interested in this book?¡± I repeated. ¡°Well¡­ if you tell me, I might be¡±, she said giving me a sly smile. I seriously don¡¯t understand. From what I have gotten with my interactions in the classroom and outside the classroom, I and she were best friends. WERE. We had a fall out, when for the third time, the guy she liked fell for me, well Elizabeth so Go Elizabeth! She had promised to make Elizabeth pay and tried to rival Elizabeth in everything because of that and now that I have lost my memories she¡¯s trying even harder to overthrow Elizabeth¡¯s good image in the class. I now understood the face of pity she gave me at first. It meant ¡®I don¡¯t care if you don¡¯t know me or not. I¡¯ll still do what I have promised to do¡¯ For the aspect of ruining my good image, I think I am doing a better job. Mistakenly cursing in front of my classmates; well I don¡¯t make any effort to NOT curse anyways, kicking people in the behind or kneeing them when they gossip¡ªfor some reason, I hate gossip with all my heart. When I asked Maddie she said that my reaction was new because Elizabeth usually didn¡¯t mind it even though she never did gossip. So I concluded that the real me must hate people gossiping. I have been reported once for kicking a girl¡¯s butt¡­ but I digress. I have simply destroyed or I am in the process of destroying my goody too shoes innocent girl image. Also I get more frequent images from Elizabeth¡¯s memory and as expected I haven¡¯t connected with any. I just accept them and use it if I need to. I finally stopped staring at Lilian because she was starting to feel uncomfortable then I said, ¡°Well, instead of telling you, how about you go read a summary or so of the book online, huh?¡± Then I beamed and clapped my hands, ¡°Or better yet, you could just buy the book for yourself instead of being so curious over here. Such a fascinating idea, don¡¯t you think?¡± Lilian looked at me dumbfounded for a second. ¡°You¡¯re being so rude, you know? I was just asking about it!¡± She recovered and snapped at me. Rolling her eyes she walked away satisfied. A few in the classroom spared her a glance but the others were already used to the ¡®cat fights¡¯ so they ignored us. ¡°Ha-ha¡± Maddie chuckled as she brought her right hand from her seat in front of me and made a fist placing it in my line of sight. Did I mention her hand is pretty much healed? I bumped fists with her, joining in the chuckle. Retracting my hand, I looked at my book was now closed. I opened up the book as it had closed by mistake. ¡®I was about the read about Arthur and Mordred¡¯s battle and she cut me off; tch¡¯ I scoffed inwardly. ¡°Your Majesty?!¡± rang out in my head. ¡°Wha¡ª¡± I gasped startled and the book was released from my hand onto the desk. Next Chapter ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rate so I can know how my story stands in your opinion. Comment so I can know what to improve on and your ideas. Thanks for reading! Chapter 10~ A familiar person SO! I will keep the author¡¯s notes till the poll is over and depending on the result I will keep doing them or not use them in future chapters. Thx everyone! Now onto the main event~ ¡°Your Majesty! Just now was Your Majesty¡¯s voice, right??¡± the voice rang out again. I was silent both inwardly and outwardly. My eyes darted around to see if anyone could hear the voice. They were all doing as they liked and none paying attention to me meaning: It was just me who heard. ¡°Ah! You said not to call you ¡®Your Majesty¡¯. No wonder you won¡¯t reply! My humblest of apologies, My Lady¡± the voice rang again. It sounded Male and quite young. Not as young as me. But it was a nostalgic voice. I tapped Maddie. ¡°Hmm?¡± She turned. ¡°Tell teach I am in the bathroom¡± I whispered and made for the toilet. I got there and locked myself in then leaned on the door. ¡°Who are you?¡± I said barely above a whisper. ¡°Your Majesty! You don¡¯t remember me?!¡± the voice shrieked. I pondered what to say, ¡°I don¡¯t remember a lot¡­¡± I said. The voice was quiet for a while. ¡°Are you really alive? Or are you a different person?¡± It said after a while. ¡°I don¡¯t know but I think I am thee person you are referring to¡± I replied honestly. The voice chuckled softly, ¡°And who might I be referring to?¡± ¡°Make yourself known¡± I said abruptly but with a commanding voice. ¡®Ah, my instincts took over again¡­ but this means that this situation has definitely happened before or something similar¡¯ ¡°It really is my lady!¡± the voice shrieked and I was blinded in white light. ¡°What the fuck?!¡± I yelled as I found myself in a sky blue dimension. It was just plain sky blue. Then a figure appeared. It was a beautiful male that looked 20 years of age. He had long golden hair that reached his waist and lips that looked like they belonged to a figurine. He donned brilliantly sewn white dress that seemed to be from heaven itself and sandals of the same shade of gold as his hair. On his arm, a silver tattoo coiled around his arm like a snake on a branch. It was a breathtaking sight. Yes. This man looked like an Angel. Except for two things. His eyes glowed a beautiful shade of purple that drew someone in and made him seem mysterious. And on his back a pair of beautiful outspread black wings. ¡®An angel that ascended from Hades¡¯ would be the caption of such a sight. Our eyes met and the silence that was initially there broke. ¡°Y-You have not changed one bit my lady¡± I smiled and replied teasingly, ¡°Not even one thing?¡± ¡°AH!¡± He shrieked suddenly, ¡°Forgive this one for not noticing that your breasts have grown even more provocative than they used to be¡± ¡°Of cours--- huh?¡± I began but stopped when what he said fully registered. My ears grew hot, ¡°Wha¡ª¡± ¡°Your body has grown even more alluring, I am sure that men will want you to step on them as you dominate them in battle, hohoho~ AND! Your hair has the luster of a thousand years¡± ¡®I don¡¯t think having the luster of a thousand years is a compliment though¡¯ I thought. ¡°You¡­ are a pervert or something?¡± ¡°Pervert? Just a pervert? My Lady you belittle me. I, Mordred, ----¡± ¡°Wait¡­ stop. What did you say your name was?¡± I said realizing something. ¡°Eh? Mordred? My Lady, don¡¯t tell me you forgot your only familiar¡¯s name?!¡± ¡®Mordred huh, that¡¯s the name of the guy in L¡¯Morte de Arthur. Could I be, I called out to Mordred?¡¯ ¡°Just so we are clear¡±, I began to speak, ¡°I don¡¯t remember anything. My name. Family. Friends. Lover. Gender. Although as you have said I am a lady. House. Familiar. Nothing. I don¡¯t even think I am from this world so needless to say, I don¡¯t remember the world I am from¡± Mordred just stared at me blank as a dumb ¡°eh?¡± escaped from his mouth. ¡°As you are the knowledgeable one you will fill me in on just who exactly am I, capeesh?¡± ¡°Capeesh? Is that some word you made up my lady? I never heard it in Vetranos¡± ¡°Vetranos?¡± I repeated after him. ¡°My lady, surely you are not toying with my head, are you?¡± ¡°I do not have the spare time to joke around in a situation such as this¡±, I snapped. It is quite infuriating when someone doesn¡¯t believe you after repeating it quite a few times. He cringed ¡°Yes, Your Majesty¡± ¡°Am I a queen or something? Why do you call me ¡®Your Majesty¡¯?¡± ¡°Of course, you are the queen to all of the ¡®ARMs¡¯¡± ¡°So I am not a queen¡± ¡°I just said you are¡± he retorted. ¡°The ¡®ARM¡¯s¡¯ as you said sound like some fan club of mine not citizens of a country¡± ¡°Tch¡± he clicked his tongue, ¡°Your perception didn¡¯t disappear along with your memory, huh¡± he mumbled. I chuckled briefly, ¡°Before we continue, if you would be so kind as to tell me my actual name? It¡¯s quite a bother not knowing how to address myself¡± He flew closer to me and peered into my eyes. Then he stood straight up and with an exaggerated hand gesture began. ¡°Your Majesty is Agnes Raena Marlston, daughter of Major Sierra Lodwoood and Kingston Marlston AND the one and only delf hybrid in the world of Venatros¡± ¡°I see. I sound amazing¡± I said dryly. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Mordred flailed. He had obviously put a lot of effort to make me sound super cool. Not that I cared. I just wanted to know my name. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Before that, scrap the ¡®Your Majesty¡¯ thing. I can understand why I probably asked you not to call me that in the past. Coming from you it sounds annoying instead of revering¡± Mordred gasped and grabbed his chest, ¡°You strike my heart, Your Majesty¡± ¡®This guy¡­ he doesn¡¯t listen, does he?¡¯ ¡°However great the pain may be in this one¡¯s heart¡± Mordred continued, ¡°I will adhere to your words, My Lady¡± ¡®Oh? He heard what I said¡¯ I mused. ¡°Ah, could it be that ARM is from my name¡± I said as it popped into my head. ¡°As expected of My Lady! Such perception¡± ¡°Well, thank you. But I need to go to class¡± I raised up the obvious situation. Yes. Roughly 8 minutes had passed since this interaction began and I needed to get to class. ¡°No problem for this one My Lady. I cast a spell of time to 5: 1 ration so we are ok¡± ¡°Five hours in here is an hour out there?! You can do that?!¡± ¡°No¡­¡± Mordred said, his voice having lost its initial excitement, ¡°It¡¯s 5 minutes in here to one minute out there...¡± ¡°Eh? Aren¡¯t you my familiar? Here I thought I was some amazing person, if I was amazing my familiar would cast a six hour to I minute spell¡± I teased. ¡°Indeed you are amazing! In Venatros, you are called ¡®the ice ----¡° ¡®He totally ignored the familiar part. This guy has an eccentric personality. But he believe me fast enough. Is he dumb or do I look so much like my old self?¡¯ ¡°Back on the earlier topic¡± I cut him off. (AN: once again, rude much?) ¡°This Venatros, is it a country or a continent¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s the world we came from¡± I was silent for a while as I let the little explosions in my head calm down, ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes¡± was the short reply. "You. You believed I was Agnes quite fast. Why?¡± ¡°My lady, even if you have forgotten, all my energy force was granted to me by you. This peculiar energy force cannot be found in any that is not you My Lady. If you were an imposter that dared to wish you were in my lady¡¯s position, I would have slain you were you stood¡± his voice turned cold at the last sentence. ¡®Interesting¡­that purple gas is energy force¡¯ I deduced as such. ¡°But you asked if I was a different person¡± I spoke up. ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe you survived¡± he said softly. I looked at him not saying a word. Then I spoke curtly, ¡°I do not wish to hear of my supposed death¡± He burst out laughing, ¡°I would rather if you remembered of your own will, Your Majesty¡± ¡®He slips up quite fast¡¯ I chuckled inwardly. I was very sure I knew this man. Nothing about him rang out ¡®Stranger¡¯ to me. Even if he wasn¡¯t in my memories. I definitely knew this man. I sighed, ¡°We should continue this discussion at home. I will be late for class if we dilly dally any longer¡± ''Hmm? Is it just me or is my speech pattern sort of... weird?'' I thought briefly but shoved away the thought. I already promised to just accept whatever came. But on a more serious note who says dilly dally in this day and age? (AN: You just did?) Almost as soon as I spoke a white light once again blinded me and I found myself staring at the toilet seat. ¡®I must have slumped to the floor¡¯ I reasoned and got up. On my way to the class, I was deep in thought. I opened the class door and looked up to see and angry History teacher. ¡°Miss Baker, are you aware that you are exactly 45 minutes late for my class?¡± My eyes widened. What did she just say? ¡°I was informed of your visitation to the toilet but I was not informed that you had some kind of stomach problem to have been in there so long¡± she bellowed. ¡°Sorry, Ms. Davis¡± I winced and headed over to my seat amidst the laughter. I sat and rubbed my forehead. ¡®Oi, Mordred¡¯ ¡®Yes¡­¡¯ ¡®How long were we in there?¡¯ Silence. ¡®Mordred!¡¯ ¡®9 minutes, My Lady¡­.¡¯ ¡®Then I should have been less than two minutes late for class. isn¡¯t that right?¡¯ ¡®¡­.I am not used to casting spells in this world so I casted it backwards¡­¡¯ ¡®Ya think I don¡¯t realize that??!¡¯ I roared inwardly. I felt like I would burst. ¡®Argh. My Lady, your feistiness is even more fierce than before¡¯ he sing-sang ''Ugh this guy pisses me off'' I growled, ''Why on earth or Vetranos is he my only familiar?! I should have chosen a better one!'' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After eating dinner with my family and playing with Margaret for an hour I went over the events of today. I was able to confirm that I was a genuine lady and that spells and magic truly do exist and it wasn¡¯t just me. As for the question of if I was human, Mordred said nothing but I remembered his introduction. I was a delf hybrid, the only one that existed, whatever a delf was. Author¡¯ note: This was a brief introduction to an important member of the story. I might do a double chapter today~ I liked this chapter :drinkT: Next Chapter ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rate so I can know how my story stand in your opinion. Comment so I can know what to improve on and your ideas. Thx for reading! Chapter 11~ Like every other day... First of all, I would like to state that Mordred is an interesting and unfathomable being. He has made my days action filled. Even till now I laugh when I remember how he fried Lilian¡¯s hair with the excuse of: ¡°Such impenitence!¡± He cracks me up. Mordred is a fallen angel. The name fits his appearance perfectly. He was sent out of the ¡®divine plane¡¯ (pretty much heaven). Of course I understood nothing of this concept but I just accepted it as it was. He said he was stripped of his powers and would have died if he didn¡¯t go to the Lucic realm (hell) for conversion. He was looking for a way out as he didn¡¯t want to become a demon but his energy force was already turning black and if he didn¡¯t undergo the conversion, it would spiral out of control and destroy his divine soul. He said I saved him. Normally you can¡¯t take an angel or a demon as your familiar. You could bind demons to you though. A familiar contract can be severed although with repercussions but a bind can only be removed by the master. However he was neither and couldn¡¯t be bound nor left alone. I had seen him and told him to become my familiar and I¡¯d prevent him from becoming a demon that he loathed. He chuckled and told me to try. I did and because of my special energy it worked. All the black energy vanished and my energy replaced it. He said that he was surprised, shocked and extremely happy. I was actually glad to have been of help. It made me feel calm knowing I wasn¡¯t so much of a bad person regardless of my early assumptions. As to the reason why he got sent out of heaven well¡­ he had a slight problem with women. I wouldn¡¯t call it slight but he said that¡¯s what it was. He would spent his free time watching ladies bathe and was caught. I judge that is not a respectable act for an Angel. He said he¡¯d always been like that though. When I asked him how he became an angel in the first place he just shrugged and said nothing. I was flabbergasted. They should do better background checks or something. (AN: A pervert angel¡­just wow) Mordred didn¡¯t fail to amuse me with expert display of magic. Albeit failing a few times because of being unused to casting spells on earth, he was very good. He also talked about how pointy my ears usually were which I took to mean they would grow even pointier. He said he could cast a spell on my nails to stop them from growing but he seemed reluctant because I was apparently very fond of them. He agreed after much persuading though. It has taken me quite a while to get it into his head that magic is not a regular thing around here. He keeps lighting the gas for Valerie¡­. In summary, life since his appearance has been a blast. I guess first impressions weren¡¯t everything. %%%%%% Mordred stared at the lady he revered. She smiled a lot now and he could guess how it must have been to have realized everything and yet still be sane. It just showed how much will power Her Majesty had. However he was having a bit of a problem. His Majesty thought he was around 20 years of age. Such thought was blasphemy to a highly ranked official of the Golden Jewel sect. One he no longer belonged to. But it was from Her Majesty so he let it slide. But how would he break it to her that he was 345 years old? Even worse, he had heard her comment on her ¡®young¡¯ beauty and feeling sad that old age destroyed everything but¡­. Her Majesty was 510 years old. (AN: Holy cow) The life span in this world was extremely short, that he had deduced but he didn¡¯t think that Her Majesty would abide by the same rule but of course she would, it was where she¡¯d woken up to. He sighed audibly. ¡°What?¡± Agnes¡¯ voice sounded absentmindedly. ¡°Thinking¡± he said quietly ¡°About what?¡± ¡°That monstrosity of a female¡± (AN: *pfft*¡­ I kinda pity Maddie) KA-POW! Mordred felt his body fly backwards from the impact of her feet on his body and hit the wall landing on the floor with a Thud. He was now able to materialize because Her Majesty¡¯s connection with him had been redone so he was physically hit. ¡°Is everything okay?¡± came the mother¡¯s voice from downstairs. He chuckled softly. Agnes gave him a strict glare finally looking up from her book, ¡°Yes Mom!¡± ¡°Be careful!¡± the mother shouted back a hint of worry in her voice. ¡°It¡¯s not funny. I told you that Maddie¡¯s family happen to all have chiseled faces, even the mother¡¯s so she turned out like that¡± Her Majesty pouted. Mordred thought the expression was quite cute. Though, he realized that he might not see this expression again once she found out about everything. About Harvy and Kayla. He shook his head and pushed that thought away. Those memories would be revealed when the time came. He looked at Agnes and smiled. She treasured this new friend of hers and Mordred was glad however, he would not trust the girl. The past was now hammered into him that he wouldn¡¯t make such a mistake again. (AN: If you figure out the storyline from this little interaction please do not spoil it for other. Thank you! *bow* I will also interchange Agnes and Elizabeth quite often so please tell me if it gets a bit confusing.) ¡°My Lady¡± aren¡¯t you supposed to be at school?¡± he asked. ¡°It finished some days ago for now. Be as perceptive as me¡± she chided. Mordred just smiled. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°My Lady¡±, he began speaking his mind, ¡°how old are you?¡± Agnes turned to him, ¡°how rude to ask a Lady of her age¡± ¡°If I recall you were born in the winter, right?¡± he continued without heeding what she said. ¡°So?¡± ¡°You just turned 18?¡± ¡°Ah truly, you weren¡¯t here in November right?¡± ¡°Ah yes¡­I think¡± ¡°November is the eleventh month¡± ¡°Oh ok¡± Mordred smiled at her understanding. They had the same number of months and days in Vetranos however the names were different. It would take him some getting used to. ¡°Yes. I just turned 18, why?¡± ¡°Your Maje----¡± ¡°Lady¡± she butt in. ¡®Ah¡¯ Mordred sighed inwardly, ¡®She hates ¡®Your Majesty¡¯ even more so than before¡¯ ¡°My Lady, if I were to tell you your real age what would do?¡± he continued smilingly. At that, Agnes sat up, ¡°I have been curious for a while. Pray tell?¡± she dropped her book. ¡°You are five hundred a----¡± With that Mordred found himself flying with a kick again. An everyday occurrence. %%%%%% ¡®Agh! I am so pissed!¡¯ I growled. He brings up my age and then proceeds to tell me I am 500?! He was even about to say extra years. What a joke. Although I thought this, I truly felt that what he said was true. I remember not thinking 50 years was a very long time but 500? I felt a bit guilt at kicking Mordred but I kick him ever so often. Almost like it was the norm between me and him he always accepts it with a laugh. Although he could also be one that liked pain however creepy that would be. However, which girl wants to be told she is 500? That would make me the oldest of oldest of grandmas. But if I am 500 years, I probably married somewhere along the line. So I presented my speculation to Mordred and he froze. Then stammered as he said I had no husband It was quite the sight so I bothered him for a while, inserting a few threats here and there but he refused to change his stand. I got bored of prodding and let it slide. If he didn¡¯t want to tell me, there must be a good reason; usually a reason for my benefit. ¡°Hey Mordred¡± I said getting off my bed and moving to the windows, ¡°Let¡¯s go out¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Have you asked the madam?¡± ¡°Oh Valerie¡­¡± I realized and sighed. Ever since the day I busted my body I could count the days she had let me go out on one hand. Maddie had to be with me so I was stuck with my schedule of sit ups and push-ups. To be more precise, I would be. Mordred finally made his spell work 6: 1 and he also made an imaginary track. I retract my earlier statement. Such a good familiar. ¡°We should give it a try¡± I shrugged looking at the soft falling snow. I went to the closet and picked out a gray parka and black jeans. I grabbed my gloves and walked out the room with Mordred disappearing into thin air. He could reside inside of me for some reason. Perks of being a familiar except he said because of our weird bond, I didn¡¯t have to waste energy summoning him. I say we but Valerie didn¡¯t know of Mordred¡¯s existence. Nobody did. Ok not nobody. I made him reveal himself to a bunch of kids to test if they could see him or not. They could. But I could imagine the discussion with Valerie to introduce her to Mordred. ¡°Okay just so we¡¯re clear, Elizabeth¡¯s dead and I am Agnes¡± I would begin. ¡°Huh?¡± Valerie would reply, ¡°What is it now¡± ¡°I am a powerful, at least I am told, being from another planet¡± ¡°Okay¡± She would play along. ¡°As proof¡± I summon fire on my left hand and water on my right, ¡°these¡± ¡°Elizabeth dear don¡¯t play with fire¡± Valerie would chide, ¡°But how are you making the water spin like that?¡± she would get interested. ¡°I know, cool right?¡± I would get side tracked for a second, ¡°No, Wrong! I am seriously a different being from another planet. Mordred¡± I would call and he would materialize. ¡°This is my familiar¡± I would state and she would just stare blankly before asking ¡°Who is this young man?¡± ¡°I just said it. My familiar¡± I would retort. ¡°No on a more serious note, who is he?¡± I would sigh, ¡°Believe me will ya, sheesh. M-Y F-A-M-I-L-I-A-R¡± I would make the water on my hand sprinkle on her face to rouse her. Then she would scream. That¡¯s how all my speculations end anyways. With her screaming. I doubt it would be very different from the actual thing. Besides I didn¡¯t want to lie about Mordred saying he was a homeless man who helped me or something. He said he could hide his wings and change his hair color and appearance to fit in but I wouldn¡¯t budge. Something in me didn¡¯t want Mordred to lose his radiance. ¡°Va¡ªMom~¡± I sing-sang as I jumped down the stairs. ¡°Yes?¡± She replied fondly from the kitchen. ¡°I want to go out¡± I stated bluntly appearing in the kitchen. ¡°Sure~ don¡¯t get yourself killed¡± came the reply. I was stunned. ¡°a-ah, um, t-thank you¡­?¡± my mind wasn¡¯t processing it well. Every other time was a straight forward, ¡°No¡± and I was expecting myself to be heading back upstairs. Maybe she realized she''s been to strict? YES! Mordred was busy laughing at my stunned face. ¡°Go on¡± she chuckled at my reaction. I smiled, ¡°Yea¡­¡± I walked briskly to the door and opened it wide, ready to explore the places I hadn¡¯t really seen in a while and those i''d been wanting to see. Chapter 12~ Me After I was a few feet away from the threatening black gates that dominated my parent¡¯s home, I commanded: ¡°Make yourself visible¡± "My Lady, are you sure it¡¯s fine at this distance¡± Mordred appeared with a white lacy shirt and white gauze pants. Everything else but the wings and clothing were the same. The wings were gone obviously. ¡°You make it sound like I have ever cared¡± I retorted ¡°Very true, My Lady¡± I smiled. ¡°This place, it is so different from Vetranos¡± Mordred commented. ¡°Is that so¡± I replied and brought out my IPhone 8S (AN: Sorry I just had to do it¡­) to check to time as I had forgotten to do so earlier. ¡°Tomorrow is the so called Christmas, right?¡± Mordred said softly. ¡°Uh-huh¡± I nodded. 4: 30pm, it read. ¡°Let¡¯s take a look around! I feel like I haven¡¯t been out in ages¡± I giggled and took a faster pace. ¡°You went shopping with Lady Madison---¡° ¡°Maddie¡± I corrected. ¡°Lady Maddie----¡± ¡°Remove the ¡®Lady¡¯¡± ¡°With Miss Maddie last week¡± This sort of interaction with corrections was quite the norm for us that he wasn¡¯t even fazed unlike the first time. ¡®But he just replaces it¡­¡¯ ¡°So I did. But I was quite restricted, don¡¯t you think?¡± I laughed loudly and dashed away while Mordred followed closely behind. We soon arrived at Markey¡¯s. It was a huge-and I mean HUGE- multipurpose store. (AN: Think the Galleria for those who know wt that is) My eyes shown with interest as I¡¯d been wanting to explore this place. ¡°Well damn, this place is as big on the inside¡± I said as we walked in. Just like I expected, heads turned and eyes were closed. Mordred was pretty much shining. He pouted because he knew this was the reaction I sought after. However no one bothered to approach us. I wonder why. We kept walking without stopping to buy something then I saw a lady in the clothing department trying on a red velvet clothing. The dress was nice and all but the lady didn¡¯t have the body to fulfill the requirements. In short, the dress was not looking pretty on her. I cocked my head confused at why the employees would not tell her the obvious fact. What bullshit. As I was in quite a good mood, I decided to offer my advice. I entered the shop the walked up to the lady and tapped her. ¡°Yes?¡± she turned around and gave me a small smile, ¡°What do you want, young lady?¡± ¡°Young lady?!, she¡¯s old enough to be----¡± I elbowed Mordred in the gut before he could continue. She stared at both of us her eyes saying, ¡®what a cute couple. The man is beautiful¡¯ ¡°We are not a couple¡± I said swiftly. She widened her eyes surprised at my tone and glanced at Mordred who was clutching his stomach. ¡°Sorry~ I didn¡¯t mean to jump to conclusion¡± She said softly. ¡®What a sweet woman¡¯ I thought. ¡°That¡± I pointed to the dress she had on. ¡°Hmm?¡± she looked down and then back at me, ¡°Oh! I know, it¡¯s very pretty right?¡± I nodded vigorously, ¡°Yes. Very. But not on you¡± Silence enveloped the whole clothing section at my words. They seemed suprised at the sudden spectacle. I could feel countless eyes on me. ¡°E-Excuse me?¡± the woman¡¯s tone went up a notch. Ah, again first impression has failed me. I thought she was the calm type. ''Wait... again? when has first impression ever failed me?'' As I was in a situation, I shoved that thought to the back of my mind like everything else i deemed non important. ¡°That... everything is too small¡± I stated, "Look for something else that would suit you. You''re pretty but your size doesn''t fit this type of clothing¡± She looked confused. "Your assets... breast and so on. Too small for the dress", I explained ¡°Wha---! What a rude bitch!¡± she shrieked as her face flushed full of embarrassment and she raised her hand. ''Ugh, she is probably the hotblooded type. I didn''t realize, I thought I had good perception'' Sighing inwardly, I didn''t even bother to avoid her hand as I knew what would happen. The hand never reached me. I opened up my eyes which I had closed on reflex. Mordred is very protective. Almost a bit too protective. I wanted to know why but something wouldn¡¯t let me ask that question. Something inside. ¡°Please do not raise your hand to My Lady¡± Mordred said, holding the fragile hand still in his grasp. But of course that statement was misinterpreted into many heads as ¡°Don¡¯t touch my woman¡±. But, isn¡¯t that something boyfriend¡¯s tell to a male when they are jealous? People¡¯s brains are the weirdest things. I¡¯d like to look inside one someday. I sighed, ¡°You¡¯ll leave a mark Mordred. Let go¡± ¡°Yes¡± he said and slowly let go. ¡°Sorry but if I didn¡¯t say it you¡¯d have bought those clothes¡± I said facing the lady. Her face was still red and with a ¡®hmph¡¯ she stomped off. ¡°That turned out well¡± I let out an accomplished smile. The lady was most definitely not buying that dress. Mordred burst out into laughter. He did this often usually randomly although I could get the reason for it this time somewhat. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go¡± This place was huge as fuck. Humongous would actually be a better word. We got on the escalator and scanned the sub shops. More like Mordred just followed me but beside me. He opted to walk behind me but I refused and told him to stand beside me. At that he smiled and said, ¡°Only in things such as this do you differ¡± I smiled at that. It wasn¡¯t like I was expecting to be exactly the same as I was before. ¡°Do not, and I repeat do not stand before me in battle! Shall we charge, I shall be before you and not behind nor beside. Your lives are in my hands and I shall do as I see fit. Heed my word! If you hear me say, let me hear you!¡± My head felt like it was going to split. Elizabeth¡¯s memories never hurt much, only a headache. So I realized. This is mine. I couldn¡¯t handle the impact and fell on the floor. I felt myself being raised from the floor and moving. ¡®Must be Mordred¡¯ I thought as I lapsed into unconsciousness. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¡®Hot!¡¯ was my first thought as I opened my eyes and sunlight streamed through. ¡®Huh? Where am I?¡¯ I patted myself to see my body intact but bare feet. Then I looked around. There were cluster of people everywhere. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ''Did I lose some parts of me memory? I don''t remember coming here'' I thought. ¡°Hey, I am lost, could you help me?¡± I asked the first person I saw that was closest to me. He made no move to do anything or say anything so I decided to tap him. But my hand went through. I barely stopped myself from screaming. ¡®This¡­what is happening?¡¯ I thought then I finally noticed. It was not just that man. There were a lot of people. They numbered 130. I didn¡¯t manually count them. The number just came to me. Like I already knew this a long time ago. I bit my lip unsure of the situation. The majority of these men had steel armor. No, they weren¡¯t just men. There were women too and hardly any of old age. They were chattering with excited faces. The women had long hair and weird features, so did the men. Some women had my type of ears but longer and pointier and slender bodies and a very tiny diamond on their forehead. The diamonds were of different colors but all dark shades of the color but they were pretty. The men of this feature were not as slender but were not bulky. Both men and women of this nature held a knife as pointy as compass needle that reflected off the sun and had a rune carved on its silver handle, on each hand. I will call these group of people ¡®Point-diamonds¡¯ for now. The other side had extremely huge men that reminded me of Wilson and their faces had scars more often than not. The women were mainly muscle however their beauty was outstanding as it contrasted with their frame. These muscle group had one thing in common. Bushy tails. ¡®They have tails but no ears, huh. Those usually go together¡¯ I thought. This particular group held axes of different variations and sizes and curved blades. I will call them Big-tails. The other group was stout and had claws. Well they had my type of hand except much more rugged. Who was female and male was quite debatable. They had daggers, short sword and axes. I will call them dwarves. Of course they were many other variations but these were the main population. However not all of them had a weapon. Some just stood around with no sort of weapon but these had silver armor unlike the iron one¡¯s the rest had. There was one thing they all had in common though. A gray streak of hair that was longer than the rest of their hair and a purple crest of a horned eagle on their shoulders. Once again, I wondered. Where the hell am I? ¡°Haha, what do you think the outcome of this will be Grandi?¡± a point-diamond man was speaking. ¡°Total decimation, do you have to ask?¡± the bulky man supposedly Grandi replied. ¡°Expect no less from her Majesty! She only lets us on the field to fuel our blood lust¡± A dark skinned point-diamond spoke with a gloating air. She wore silver armor. ¡°Ah Celeste, arm please¡± a big-tail spoke holding out his arm that was turning yellow. ¡°Hmph, to think you didn¡¯t notice that the sword was laced in decaying magic¡± She scoffed and her hands glowed a shade of blue-green and the yellow on the hand began to disappear revealing healthy skin, ¡°You¡¯re lucky that Edgar stopped it from going any further¡± ¡°I did what any one in that position would do¡± A dwarven man spoke softly, leaning on his short sword as he sat crosslegged on the grass. ¡®His soft voice doesn¡¯t suit his look¡¯ I thought as I stared at the rugged man. ¡°Eh~ ¡°Eddy is co calm when Her Majesty isn¡¯t here~¡± a busty big-tail laughed teasingly. The man known as Edgar made no comment. ¡°Celeste, Rock is just a rank 100 fighter~. It¡¯s even commendable that he survived¡± the busty big-tail continued. ¡°Truly he is just a Craven, right? Even I forget sometimes¡± the dark skinned known as Celeste said. ¡°Wha--- don¡¯t call me a craven¡± the big-tail being referred to as Rock scoffed, "I am stronger than those" ¡°Then hurry up and become an Ardent. You are at the last stage¡± Celeste retorted back. ¡°Says the rank 20 Warlock" the busty big-tail teased. Celeste pouted a bit sad, ¡°Yea, yea. I am trying¡± The busty big-tail just smiled. They were an interesting group of individuals. From this little interaction, I could see the ¡®Craven¡¯ was the weakest and the busty big-tail was the strongest seeing as no one stopped her from talking. However to think of my current situation, I had to know how I got here plus it was definitely better that they couldn¡¯t see me or else I¡¯d be killed on sight. ¡°Hey Mordred, do you know where we are?¡± I asked. No reply. ¡®Mordred¡¯ I directed my thoughts to him. But still no reply. ¡®Could it be I am here alone?¡¯ I wondered. A slight rustling could be heard and many placed their hands on their weapons while the some other¡¯s hands started to glowed blue. ¡°You retards!¡± a voice boomed through the area and even the trees around shook. Looking around now, we were in some sort of forest in the afternoon. How stupid of me to not even realize. All the men and women scurried to their feet and stood up smart and halted all activities. ¡°How dare you dilly dally on the battle field!!¡± the same voice roared. I was a bit confused as I kind of knew this voice. ¡®Dilly dally?¡¯ I thought. ¡°Do you guys really think acting like soldiers who have been alert is going to work?¡± came another voice from the sky. One that I recognized very well. And something descended into the midst of the people shattering them like leaves and a figure stood up majestically and when the dust cleared an angel stood there with a smirk. His black wings slowly dropped from their outspread position. ¡°Mordred¡± I gasped. He looked in my direction and I held my breath, surprised, ¡°Venice, you joined them, right?" he rebuked. Then I breathed out, though a bit surprised. The busty big-tail called Venice laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t be so strict¡± ¡°You as the captain should be strict!¡± the first voice first . And Venice¡¯s smile disappeared as swiftly as it had come. Slowly, the feet of the mysterious voice advanced. Each step vibrated in my ears. This voice, I knew it. But who did it belong to? I wondered curious to see but my body wouldn¡¯t move in the direction. First the feet appeared. Covered in sapphire boots. And then the body was revealed. I looked on to see a body covered in sapphire armor that shone like treasure in the sunlight and a bright gold crest of a horned eagle embed on the chest area. The armor had shoulder plates that stood like wings. By the left hand, was a black and gold scabbard and the sword embedded in the scabbard emanated a terrifying aura from within. The same arm held a golden chain that gave off a purple hue with a piercer hung. Both hands had extremely long fingernails. On the head lay a crown. It was a crown of sapphire and it had a V shaped front with two ends pointed to the sky and on this V was a clear diamond that gleamed with a golden hue while the base of the crown hugged the skull. Long flowing blonde hair wavered in the wind and fierce blue eyes scanned the populace. I stared at the ever familiar face. This was me, with pointier ears and longer nails. Chapter 13~ Visions and Hesitations I simply couldn¡¯t take my eyes off Agnes. I wasn¡¯t the only one in this state. I was simply awe struck. I looked threatening, bewitching and marveling. ¡°Venice¡± Agnes growled. I was jolted back to reality. Well, reality in this vision. ¡°In enemy ground what did you think you were doing?¡± ¡°Y-Your Majesty!¡± She roared and fell to the floor. ¡°Stand!¡± Agnes roared even louder. Venice stood up. And the rest stood at attention with their chest held high.I thought Venice would be scared but she was shaking with excitement. ¡°What are we here for?!¡± Agnes bellowed. ¡°¡°¡°To eliminate our enemies!!!¡±¡±¡± they all yelled in reply. ¡°Who are our enemies?!¡± ¡°¡°¡°The soldiers of Thorin!¡±¡±¡± ¡°Who are not our enemies?!¡±¡± ¡°¡°¡°The citizens of Thorin!¡±¡±¡± ¡°Whose ground is this?!¡± ¡°¡°¡°The ARM¡¯s!!!¡±¡±¡± ¡°WWRRROOOONGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡± She screamed so loud that the shockwave uprooted a tree and it flew a few meters backwards. Some people flew back too. I could have sworn my ears popped. Mordred put a pinky in his ear and shook it around grumbling. Many grimaced and groaned. Someone was even bleeding from the ear. Agnes was silent for a while. Then ¡°Venice, handle it¡± she said. Venice¡¯s hand glowed bluish green and she moved towards the big-tail man who was bleeding in his ear. ¡°This is Thorin¡¯s ground!¡± She continued, ¡°Until we have hunted every living soul of Thorin still on this ground, this land has not been captured by us!¡± The men looked sad. Agnes beamed, ¡°We have received words from the scout. Mordred elaborated¡± He smiled, ¡°North, after stocking up¡±. ¡®Huh? Just that one sentence?¡¯ I thought dumbfounded. Agnes smirked, ¡°We charge over to the north as soon as we stock up¡± I looked around, ¡®In this situation shouldn¡¯t there be horses? No even before that, what sort of strategy is this?¡¯ ¡°Now listen carefully!¡± she screamed all of a sudden, ¡°Do not, and I repeat do not stand before me in battle! Shall we charge, I shall be before you and not behind nor beside. Your lives are in my hands and I shall do as I see fit. Heed my word! If you hear me say, let me hear you!¡± ¡°¡°¡°Ye!!!!¡±¡±¡± Came the thunderous roars. Agnes flashed a grin obviously pleased, ¡°They call me the Sapphire Demon. And I have to live up to that name so do not slow me down! Do you hear my words?!¡± ¡°¡°¡°Ye!!!!¡±¡±¡± another thunderous roar. I saw Mordred chuckling a bit. ¡°Stock up!¡± he yelled and suddenly a warping green thing appeared above him and people began to throw things inside. ¡°Heed my call, oh ye chariots of beyond¡± came Agnes¡¯ cold voice. It was spoken softly but I could hear it as though it were loud. I shivered a little, her voice¡ªmy voice was frightening to say the least. Beings cloud in purple light and darkness began to appear. They numbered the exact number of the people and were shaped like horses but smokey versions ¡°¡°Ha-ha time for battle¡±¡± came the cheers from many directions. Suddenly the bushes shook and a small boy fell out. He was covered in mud and had very light green hair. He looked up and showed his small feature highlighted by his light brown eyes and yellow diamond on his forehead. Except this diamond was bigger than the ones I saw earlier and he had no gray hair. The diamond took up the whole middle of his forehead. His face contorted in fear as his eyes met with Agnes¡¯ eyes. However one thing was peculiar. None of them showed any reaction to this boy¡¯s appearance. As though they knew he was there the whole time. Agnes sighed audibly and tears began to form in the boys eyes. I was afraid he would pee on himself given how scared he was. He opened his mouth to speak but he immediately slumped unconscious. Agnes pointed her hand to the boy. I gasped, ¡®Is she going to kill him¡¯ A white light shone from her finger tips striking the boy. I waited for something but nothing happened. ¡°I have wiped his memory of this incident¡± she stated after a quiet bit. ¡°I didn¡¯t even realize we had wiped out all their intelligence gatherers but to turn a young child into an intelligence agent, Thorin must be getting desperate, tch¡± She clicked her tongue. ¡°Well, I hope they believe our wrong information¡± ¡®No, even if it was me I wouldn¡¯t fall for ¡®North after stocking up¡¯¡± I thought, ¡®but how would ¡®they¡¯ know about the false info if the memory was wiped??¡¯ ¡°Edgar, get the child to safety¡± She instructed, ¡°those fuckers are destroying what we aren¡¯t. How ironic¡± she cursed. ¡°Y-Yes¡± the dwarf nodded vigorously and ran to the child. He picked the boy up with no difficulty and jumped on the shadow horse riding away. ¡°Mordred, the real location we are heading too if you may¡± Agnes said with a small nod. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty¡± Mordred said and put on a fierce face. ¡®Oh! So that one sentence was not the message¡­these people should be professional actors!¡¯ I cried inwardly. ¡°I prefer My Lady if you must¡± Agnes then said. Mordred froze then his fierce fa?ade crumbled, ¡°Your Majesty!¡± he half-cried, ¡°Everyone calls you that why must I be different?¡± ¡°I am not a queen and you are my familiar¡± she stated matter-of-factly. ¡°You are my Qu---¡± ¡°That only applies to you though¡± she said smilingly. ¡°Y-Your Majesty~¡± he pleaded. She sighed, ¡°Just tell of our plans¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty¡± he beamed. ¡®Oh my, she gave up quite fast¡¯ I thought. The people were snickering at the interaction between Agnes and Mordred. I smiled, ¡®he is not that different, huh¡¯ Mordred began to reveal in detail that to the west was a trap Thorin had laid out for them. They were to head east and enter the borders through a secret passage one of their insiders had found out about. And they would set out at midnight. I was astounded. This was just like a movie except I was watching myself do things I would have never thought of doing. I thought they would rest or do something of the sort but they just sat alert and waited for midnight to come. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Let¡¯s go¡± was the only thing said once midnight came and they all mounted on horses and departed. I ran along with the horses expecting to be left behind but surprised myself at keeping up with them. They moved very fast and covered 5 miles in a mere minute. How I could keep up, I didn¡¯t know but I didn¡¯t feel tired in the least. They soon arrived at a gate and the moonlight was the only way I could see. They dismounted their horse and I saw a hand open up the gate quietly. They moved silently with not a single sound and filed through the gate. With such a large crowd you would expect some problems but you couldn¡¯t even hear their armors move. ¡°A-Awesome¡± I spoke out loud and immediately covered my mouth scared for breaking the silence. But then I remembered no one could hear me nor did I exist to them. They crept quietly behind bushes before we finally got to a paved road. They all walked onto the road with a majestic air as though they owned it. But they still made no sound. I came to see buildings around. Huge houses, small houses, medium sized houses. Anyways they were all houses. Except the thing with a tower that I didn¡¯t really know was and a ginormous however the small houses were painted brown and populated the downside. As they walked through, I could finally hear a shuffle of feet but one thing was odd. This particular place or city was dead silent. I looked around trying to see a soul not from my army but none. Then it struck me¡­ did we walk into a trap? ¡°Wait, something is wrong!¡± I screamed but of course no one could hear me. I clicked my tongue and began to search for something that I could hold. But all else failed. I bit my lips angrily and drew a bit of blood Then I saw a smirk drawn of Agnes¡¯ face. ¡®She knows it¡¯s a trap!¡¯ I looked around the rest and they just looked hungry for battle. It seemed that this time they didn¡¯t know. I turned to Mordred only to see a satisfied smile on his face. ¡®Ah, these two¡¯ I thought, ¡®but that¡¯s you¡¯ I retorted back at myself. I sighed loudly not caring anymore and stood beside Agnes. A position no one else dared to take. Even though she couldn¡¯t feel me I could feel her dominating pressure. It made my heart thump fast. I gulped and stood my ground, ¡°I am not afraid of myself¡± I roared, meh~ I wanted to roar but my voice was stuck in my throat so it was much of a squeak. I mean I was next to this goddess of war. (AN: I think she¡¯s forgotten that the ¡®goddess¡¯ is herself) I decided to watch how everything would unfold, I mean if I guessed correctly, this was just my memory even if I felt like I was there watching. Okay, yes I am in the memory and¡­. Ugh! I am confusing myself. ANYWAYS! Everything that has happened so far left me with a nostalgic feeling. Especially that blue armor Agnes wore, everything about it rang. Mine! But looking at it, I felt like to get my hands on it would cost a whole lot. Not as in money cost but¡­ I don¡¯t actually know but I really want that armor. ¡°Halt!¡± Agnes¡¯ voice came loud and clear and vibrated through the city. Followed by the sound of wind and then the sound of swords drawing. ¡°I must say, I am actually surprised you noticed us¡±, A bulky man came out of the shadows and he looked just like the ¡®big tails¡¯ except this man had the most famous furry ears that were to go together with tails. ¡®Another variation¡¯ I thought. ¡°Some of these men are the best at stealth in Vetranos¡± ¡°I see¡± Agnes replied curtly. The man smiled and licked his lips, ¡°It¡¯s not like I care though. Stealth all not. Ice queen or not--¡± ¡®Ice queen?! Who? I thought it was Sapphire demon¡¯ ¡°Oh? I got a new name¡± Agnes cut in with a grin. The man¡¯s face scrunched up in disgust, ¡°A mere band of Semi¡¯s dares to invade our Thorin-----¡° ¡°This band has eliminate more than half of your soldier¡¯s though~ on a side note, why ice queen? My Lady is not a very big fan of Ice¡± Mordred cut in. The man looked like he was going to burst because they kept cutting off his speech. But isn¡¯t it only in movies they let the villain do his cool speech before proceeded to bury him/her in the ground? ¡°You bastard, you really think you eliminated-----¡± the man began ¡°I don¡¯t really care but I¡¯d really like to know why I am called Ice queen? I fancy lightning to ice¡± Agnes smirked. She knew the man in front of her like a book. His tolerance was not very high. ¡°Eliminate them!!!¡± He shrieked as his last thread of sanity cut. The men and women on both sides charged fiercely roaring loudly Then it struck me that I was about to witness large scale murder. I saw Agnes draw her sword from its scabbard, smirking and swung it to the right charging towards them. She would initiate the blood shed as she was at the very front. The sword itself seemed happy to comply with her wishes and it seemed to glow red. Instead of rushing at the man who had bad temper she went for the man by his side. The man that was about to be appalled noticed the incoming strike too late. The smile on Agnes face disappeared and was replaced with a vicious one. Before the blade reached the man¡¯s waist¡­. I shut my eyes, not willing to see myself perform. I have already acknowledged that I kill but I am not ready to do it myself or see myself do it. Not yet¡­ Not yet¡­ Just a little more, I can¡¯t see just yet¡­ ¡°My Lady?¡± a voice broke through. My eyes flung wide open and I found myself staring into Mordred¡¯s face which was too close for comfort. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I said softly and tapped his nose. His eyes widened then his face collapsed into a helpless smile as he withdrew his face. ¡°You are okay¡± He exhaled. ¡°How long?¡± ¡°Eh? Ah 30 minutes¡­¡± he said a bit hesitant. ¡°I see¡± I brought my eyes down and saw that I was sitting on the floor, ¡°Hey Mordred¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I want it¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± he asked confused. ¡°Blue¡± He stared at me blankly having no inkling as to what I was saying. Then an obvious sign of realization crossed his face and ¡°oh¡± was all he said. Chapter 14~ The Visitors Previously on ''To Remember...'' ¡°Blue as in¡­¡± Mordred trailed off, raising a brow for confirmation. ¡°Yes¡± I replied with a firm nod ¡°That is a little bit¡­¡± Mordred seemed uncomfortable. ¡°I can¡¯t?¡± I asked quietly. ¡°Eh?! Definitely you can!¡± he beat his chest, ¡°Nothing is impossible for My Lady! However---¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You have to go back to Vetranos¡± he said almost inaudibly. At those words, we both became silent and stared at each other. ¡°Is there a way?¡± I broke the silence. Mordred¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Your majesty!¡± he screamed. I covered his mouth and glanced around, ¡°We are still in the mall, sshhh¡± I chided ¡°Sorry¡± he mumbled thorough my fingers, ¡°but¡­¡± ¡°Is it bad that I am interested?¡± ¡°No, not at all. In fact it is the best thing I¡¯ve heard ever since coming to this earth. But I don¡¯t have enough strength to protect Your Majesty if we go while you¡¯re in this state¡­.¡± He began trailing off again. ¡®State?¡¯ I thought. ¡°Memories?¡± I asked. He shook his head viciously and looked me in the eye, ¡°Strength¡± My gaze softened and I smiled, ¡°I know, I saw myself in action¡± He was visibly surprised then his expression changed to a shocked one, ¡°D-Did you¡­?¡± I shook my head. He guessed what ¡®in action¡¯ meant and he knew that the me now couldn¡¯t kill people easily like before. But I knew that me being like this was not good for me or Mordred as I tied him down to this boring pace of mine. I stood up and Mordred to and I began to walk away without a word. He soon caught up and stayed behind me. ¡°Stand by my side. We aren¡¯t in battle¡± I said softly. I couldn¡¯t see his expression but I could imagine it dumbfounded or surprised. ¡°We need to get home, Valerie must be waiting¡± I said as he moved to stand beside me. I brought out my iPhone 8z to check the time. 5:20pm. We were not late at all. We walked in silence all the way home. At the black gates, I stopped and waited for them to open up. Mordred had disappeared back into me. ¡®Hey Mordred¡¯ I began. ¡®Yes, My Lady¡¯ ¡®I¡­next time, I will look¡¯ ¡®Eh¡­?¡¯ ¡®I will definitely look, ok?¡¯ He was silent but I knew what he meant by strength and I knew he understood. It wasn¡¯t just my physical strength. My mental fortitude was lacking. And Vetranos was probably a place where the weak minded could not survive. %%%%%% ¡°Big!!!!¡± Margaret shrieked as she looked at the turkey platter. ¡°And here I thought turkeys were for thanksgiving¡± I said teasingly. ¡°That too¡±, Valerie smiled as she divided up the food for Christmas Eve dinner, ¡° but we forgot to buy one on Thanksgiving anyways¡± ¡°True¡± I chuckled and began to eat. ¡°You say that but you¡¯re going to devour everything¡± John said jokingly. ¡°What?¡± I retorted, ¡°You¡¯re the one whose stomach is like a black hole¡± This dinner was one of our rare family dinners. FULL family I mean. One of them was missing from the equation more often than not. ¡°I want to eat dish!¡± Margaret hollered pointing at the salad. She was fond of vegetables unlike most children. ¡°I want to eat this¡± I corrected her. ¡°Yes, dish!¡± she smiled at me revealing a space in between her teeth that looked like one had fallen out although none had yet. ¡®It looks delicious¡¯, Mordred commented from inside ¡®Ho~, you¡¯re interested in actual food¡¯ I nodded in confirmation. Come to think of it, I¡¯d never seen him eat ever since he came. ¡®Your Majesty¡¯ he sounded dejected, ¡®what do you see me as?¡¯ ¡®A creature¡¯ I stated matter-of-factly ¡®Your Majesty, if I may contend, you are a creature too¡¯ ¡®That is true¡¯ I nodded. ¡®Then, I don¡¯t understand what you mean¡¯ ¡®You are not supposed to¡¯ I thought flatly. ¡®Your Majesty!¡¯ ¡®My Lady¡¯ I corrected ¡®Eh~¡¯ ¡®Lady!¡¯ ¡®But¡­¡¯ ¡®Then call me Agnes¡¯ He let out an audible sigh of defeat. I smiled. ¡°Elizabeth, you¡¯ve been nodding the whole time and now you¡¯re smiling¡­?¡± Wilson¡¯s voice came through and I looked up from my food shocked. ¡®Well shit¡¯ I cursed. John was holding back his laughter. ¡®He laughs at everything I do!¡¯ Valerie just looked at me a tad curious. ¡®My Lady, fighting!¡¯ ¡®Shut up!¡¯ I pouted pissed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lilian Harrison sat on her bed and looked at the door. At least that¡¯s what she looked on the outside. But she was deep in thought. Today she had seen something strange. Yes, it truly was strange. The strange thing was standing beside her former friend, Elizabeth Baker. She called it a thing because she wasn¡¯t sure if it was even human. It was too marvelous to be human. She had followed Elizabeth and the ¡®thing¡¯ to Markey¡¯s and even followed them inside. Many times the thing would stop and look in her direction but she would hide. Everything was fueled by pure curiosity until she heard, ¡°Do not touch my woman¡± from the thing. (AN: One of ¡®those¡¯ human brains¡­.) Everything fitted now. ¡®The reason Elizabeth broke up with Jason was for this guy and not for me!¡¯ Lilian had shrieked inwardly at the time and ran home as fast as her untrained legs could carry her. She had been extremely pissed at Elizabeth for pitying her and giving up on Jason but it would seem now that she was very wrong. Lilian liked Jason but she wanted Jason the right way. What exactly the right way was she couldn¡¯t decide but having her friend¡­ former friend give up on the man for no other apparent reason at the time vexed her. When Lilian had thought about it the only conclusion she came to was ¡®It was because of me¡¯. And she grew mad. ''BUT Elizabeth gave up on Jason because she had another guy!'' Lilian was dumbfounded. (AN: she has recognized the ''thing'' as a guy, lolz) Lilian flushed red and collapsed on the bed embarrassed. She had sworn to make Elizabeth pay for not treating her as a rival. She sighed, ¡°This is the worst¡± and grabbed a pillow slapping her head with it. ¡°You do have her smell¡±, a sweet and seducing voice resounded throughout the room. Just the voice itself called one gave one a feeling of calm and pleasure. Lilian narrowed her eyes. She would have been captivated¡­ had the voice been male. ¡°Who is there?¡± She whispered grabbing her scissors from beside her bed lamp and getting up. ¡°Eh~ that doesn¡¯t matter¡± the voice chuckled, ¡°I just knew that monster was not dead, I just knew it hohohoho~¡± Lilian¡¯s eyes darted around the room looking for the source, ¡°s-sho-ow y-y-yourself¡± she stuttered. This was getting a bit creepy. Where was the voice coming from?! ¡°That¡¯s impossible darling. I would but I actually can¡¯t¡± the female voice replied sweetly, ¡°It¡¯s not that strong but you do have her smell. Granted it¡¯s not as strong as the smell on the other ones but one¡­ I refuse to believe is female, the other is too small and the other is too old¡± the voice sighed, ¡°Men are not my type either¡± The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°W-What are you talking about???¡± Lilian yelled, now getting scared. She didn¡¯t know why she was getting scared though. ¡°Calm down~ don¡¯t go hysterical on me. I prefer a sane mind¡± the voice continued playfully, ¡°I just need to make sure ok~ Now, s-le-e-p¡± it sung and Lilian slowly fell to the floor. ¡°Lilian dear, are you ok? You were screa---- what are you doing on the floor?¡± the door to the room flew open and a voice said. ¡°Ah I screamed because I fell of the bed. It¡¯s nothing¡± came the indifferent reply. ¡°Oh, be careful¡± ¡°Yes¡­dad¡± The man left closing the door behind him. ¡°Hmm, this girl is interesting¡± the voice was heard again but this time, it came from Lilian¡¯s mouth. ¡®Lilian¡¯ sat up. ¡°She even looks just like the ¡®Violet Gladiator¡¯ herself. I wonder what her reaction will be to see me here, hihihihi¡± Then the voice turned cold, ¡°¡­.seeing as she fled alone¡± and Lilian¡¯s eyeballs were suddenly gone leaving only the white of her eyes. They were just plain white. ¡°Hmm~¡± the voice returned playful and the turquoise eyes that usually resided there appeared again. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Maddie West finished taking out the trash and headed upstairs to her room. She let out a large belch signaling that she was full of food and sat on her bed. She had just finished eating with her family and wanted to watch Transformers: The Desert of Ages. It was pretty new and had just left cinema¡¯s. She opened up her laptop and went to her favorite website, www.watchanymoviefree.com. The pop-up ads were non existed and the movies were HD. People were always talking of illegal websites this and illegal websites that, yet they used the website anyways. Maddie didn¡¯t care if it was legal or not, as far as she could watch the movie in good quality. She¡¯d been meaning to watch it since it came out in June but the gym, and part time took up her time. Also Elizabeth, her best friend. She had quit the part time after she got enough money to buy her boyfriend a good birthday gift. At that thought, her cheeks flushed light pink. ¡®Boyfriend¡¯ was a word she never thought she¡¯d be able to use. Given her body structure, even if she tried to flirt she¡¯d be taken as gay. Only when people did a double take did they notice she had breasts. Her breasts weren¡¯t small not in the slightest, in fact they were huge. She had no idea why people would think she was a boy first even with all the evidence that she wasn¡¯t. He was just one of the vast guy that she¡¯d liked but never bothered to tell. That was until he told her first. Her reply was: ¡°Who dared you?¡± She simply couldn¡¯t believe he¡¯d confess or that anyone would ever in her lifetime. She considered her mother lucky that men of ¡®that time¡¯ didn¡¯t mind the face but her face looked like a boy¡¯s. It didn¡¯t resemble a female¡¯s at all. It wasn''t only her face though, she was also a toned body that resembled a male''s because of her obsession with boxing. But she was a girl. She wasn¡¯t even ugly by male standard. She was actually very handsome and earned some envy with boys which in its own way was weird. It was as though God made a mistake and put the boobs and the vagina there. But it would also seem that God was sorry for his mistakes and made a guy like her. That was how she viewed Scott, her boyfriend. God¡¯s gift out of apology. Of course she wouldn¡¯t know that if he knew she thought of him this way, he¡¯d bawl. She shook her head from almost fantasizing about the said man and proceeded to search for her movie. ¡°To think I¡¯d have to resort to a lady¡­. This is second time¡± came a smooth, calming male voice. She looked up to see no one, ¡°Henry?¡± she called as it could be her younger brother playing tricks on her with some voice amplifier or changer. ¡°That isn¡¯t my name though¡± ¡°Is that so, my apologies¡±, she decided to play along with her brother, tucking her blonde hair behind her ears, ¡°what is your name?¡± she asked and brought her knees to face level. ¡°My name?¡± the voice burst into resounding laughter. It was so loud it made Maddie flinch, ¡®Gee¡­Henry should turn the amplifier down a notch¡¯ She thought reminding herself to lecture him about it when their little interaction was over. ¡°Sorry, Sorry! it¡¯s been 200 years since I was asked that question. Funny enough, it was asked by the Ice Queen herself¡± the voice said amidst laughs. ¡°My name is Vodka¡± the voice said one its laughter had calmed down. ¡°Wha--- what have you been reading lately, Henry?! An eight year old shouldn¡¯t be casually calling Vodka! Come out of your hiding place this instant!¡± she yelled and stood up. There was no answer. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to play hide and seek! Come out now or I¡¯ll tell mother¡± Maddie threatened. The ¡®mother¡¯ threat always worked. ¡°Ha-ha and here I thought¡­.no never mind¡± the voice sounded a tad disappointed, ¡°I need your help for a while. In fact, I just need to take your body¡± ¡®He¡¯s not coming out¡¯ She thought. ¡°Henry!!!¡± Maddie screamed enraged, ¡°We will go to your room this instant and you will show me what on earth you¡¯ve been looking at!!¡± (AN: this woman¡­what is her mind exactly?) ¡°Well¡± the voice continued ignoring her cries, ¡°I would have chosen the other male but he is a bit too ugly and old for my tastes. The other one doesn''t have much of the Ice Queen''s power residue on him. You, however, have the perfect look¡­ only setback is you are a girl¡± ¡°Wait ¡­.what are you talk----¡±she stopped mid speech as her eyelids fell and she slowly made her way to floor¡­. And the door flew open with a wham. ¡°What is it, Maddie?¡± a petite black haired boy grumbled licking ice cream on a stick, ¡°Quit screaming my name¡± he continued and left as fast as he¡¯d come slamming the door behind him. ¡°How curt¡± ¡®Maddie¡¯ chuckled and combed her hand through her blonde hair, ¡°Red¡­would be a better color¡± she said softly. ¡°How exactly she lived through ¡®that¡¯. I really want to know¡± the voice said proudly and ¡®Maddie¡¯ got up and walked to the window. ¡®She¡¯ stood and stared at the full moon with the light reflecting of her yellowish-brown eyes, then whispered, ¡°Thank you¡± ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I was still trying to convince Wilson and Valerie that I did not have an imaginary friend nor was I crazy. ¡°Lizzy don¡¯t have friends?¡± Margaret asked with her mouth full. And this little twerp wasn¡¯t helping in the least. John was busy washing up in the kitchen. Suddenly I heard a gasp from Mordred. He was rarely ever surprised. What happened? Then he spoke and I could barely hear despite him being in my body. ¡°No way¡­¡± Next Chapter --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rate so I can know how my story stand in your opinion. Comment so I can know what to improve on and your ideas. Thx for reading! Chapter 15~ Prelude to disaster Previously on ''To Remember...'' ¡®The white enchantress and the butcher¡­¡¯ Mordred said softly. ¡®Huh? He is going off on a tangent¡¯ I looked up and stood, ¡°I am full now but can I go to the bathroom? I will be back to wash and tidy up¡± ¡°Sure¡± Wilson nodded. I smiled and darted upstairs before realizing that my excuse to run up was not very valid seeing as there is a toilet downstairs. I shrugged helplessly and got inside my room. ¡°Reveal yourself¡± I spoke and Mordred¡¯s form slowly appeared with him in a thinking position. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Hmm the question is not how? But why?¡± ¡®He¡¯s not hearing me¡¯ I sulked. ¡°How did they notice¡­ no before that is this a good thing..?¡± he pondered out loud. ¡°Mordred!¡± I bellowed making him jump. ''Ugh, Valerie¡¯s going to ask about that shout'' ¡°Y-Yes, my lady¡± he stuttered as his thoughts got shattered because of my yelling. I sighed, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Eh? Ah¡­ that is, hmm, comrades? No, call them acquaintances¡­ hmm but the white enchantress might be¡­¡± Mordred held his head and gave a long sigh. ¡°Two familiar auras from Vetranos are here¡± he said flatly after much consideration. ¡°Eh?¡± I said dumbly thinking I heard wrong. ¡°And I think they came because they noticed your peculiar energy in another dimension¡± he continued, ¡°No, since it¡¯s the white enchantress, she probably just smelt you¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I wrinkled my brows. ¡°I don¡¯t know how they noticed but one of them might be out to kill us¡±, he finished his report. ¡°You! How can you just dump that info on me, just like that?!¡± I pointed at him with my eyes wide. ¡°Granted¡± he was still talking, ¡°The usual Milady can take care of them both in a little over an hour but Her majesty now¡­¡± he glanced at me with a look of pity and sighed. I was dumbfounded at his brazen nature of stating that I won¡¯t survive if they wanted to kill me. ¡°But you¡¯ll be here so there¡¯s nothing to fear¡± I said smiling. ¡°No. I can handle him pretty well but the white enchantress is too much of a headache to carry¡± Mordred replied. ¡°Him?¡± ¡°The butcher¡± ¡°Sound like a meat selling kind of guy¡± ¡°He is. He is known for selling body parts of humans to their enemies. I heard he makes quite a lot of money¡± Mordred stated frankly. The image was fresh in my mind and I expected myself to feel nauseous but I burst into laughter. ¡°Hey, is his name Vodka?¡± Mordred turned to me swiftly, ¡°How..?¡± I tapped my head, ¡°Happen quite a lot, get used to it. I randomly get words or names¡± ¡°I thought that only happened to Miss Elizabeth¡¯s memories¡­¡± he asked, some-what disbelieving. ¡°Yes. But that was when I still needed to remember something¡± I said in a matter-of-fact tone. Mordred narrowed his eyes, ¡°Everything?¡± I nodded, ¡°Every part of her memory has come to me¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± he said and his face looked a bit dejected. I smiled, ¡°I would have told you but didn¡¯t find the right time" His face lit up like a light bulb making me laugh. ¡°These two people, where are they?¡± I asked promptly after much internal debate. Mordred¡¯s face immediately froze. ¡°Hmm?¡± I asked pressingly. ¡°That¡­ we¡¯ll find out soon enough, Your Majesty¡± he stuttered. I narrowed my eyes, ¡®this guy sucks at lying to me¡¯ ¡°I see¡± I straightened up and he let out a sigh of relief making me even more curious. But I decided to just let him off. I guessed it¡¯d be a bit fun to find out on my own. And, I think my mental fortitude just gained a +. I flopped down on the bed, ¡°Hey Mordred, according to you, I moved my soul to another body through the forbidden spell, ¡®takeover¡¯, the price is the death of the caster, right?¡± ¡°Yes! And the spell has to find a body at least 99% compatible with you or else your soul will be soaring till it finds one. Coincidentally, Miss Elizabeth died right after you did and was 99% compatible¡± ¡°I see. She did after me. So I killed myself, why?¡± Mordred paled and his face read, ¡®she brought it up!!¡¯ ¡°Just kidding. You¡¯re not yet ready to tell me anyways. But according to you, the spell has no reason to have erased mine and Elizabeth¡¯s memory¡± I smiled. ¡°I think that happened because you and Miss Elizabeth have the exact opposite personality and the spell¡¯s soul defense mechanism erased both memories to allow for a successful assimilation¡± Mordred said now at ease as I didn''t pursue my death story. ¡°What do you mean defense mechanism?¡± ¡°Spells of the highest order like that require incantations whether you are an immortal or not and they have defense mechanisms. Miss Elizabeth¡¯s personality and yours must have clashed because you arrived just as Miss Elizabeth was leaving. Instead of leaving you two to fight for domination, it just put both personalities there for you to remember later and left your soul inside the body¡± ¡°This is quite interesting. Can¡¯t believe I never asked about it. What is an Immortal?¡± ¡°You. Your Majesty¡± I blinked twice, ¡°I don¡¯t feel immortal at all¡± ¡°That¡¯s because your current body hasn¡¯t attained that level¡± ¡°Level?¡±, I asked ¡°Of course, since all your traits were transferred it should be easy to get your strength back but the you now at best is probably a rank 16 mage and a rank 7 fighter. Just a Craven. But if you perform a release, you could be at the Ardent level in one of the areas though.¡± ¡®That word! The woman called Celeste mentioned it!¡¯ ¡°What is a crav----?¡± I began. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Elizabeth! I thought you were going to wash up!¡± came Wilson¡¯s deep voice from downstairs. ¡°Oops~~¡± I jumped of the bed and ran down the stairs leaving Mordred behind. Mordred¡¯s face changed to one of surprise and worry, ¡°She knows about a Craven...¡± he muttered, ¡°She¡¯s remembering a lot more¡­ my fault?¡± %%%%%% ¡°No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡± I roared as I jumped up from bed after much contemplation. ¡°School¡­¡± I mumbled almost crying. ¡®I really want to be in Vetranos right now¡¯ I sighed. ¡°Whoever came up with the school idea should be struck by lightning¡±, I cursed under my breath. It was 6am and I needed to be ready for school. It was just a walking distance but that was extra work. ¡°I think the person who came up with the idea is long dead though¡± Mordred interjected. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you¡±, I mumbled and went into the shower. But first, I checked my beautiful self. And I sighed at my disheveled self. The perks of being a girl. (AN: Preach sister) I would be a narcissist if I didn¡¯t see myself like this from time to time. "Hey Mordred, is there a spell that will stop me from having this every morning?¡± I asked pointing to my head. ¡°That kind of spell is only compatible with an elven body¡± Mordred replied. ¡°Elven? Like elfs in storybooks?¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°Hmm¡± I moved a strand of hair from my eyes. ¡®Those point-diamond are probably elves?¡¯ I figured and straightened up, ''but they look a bit different from the stories'' I laughed a bit and proceeded to the tub to bathe and dress up. Getting down, I saw Valerie jingling her keys. She looked smartly dressed in an emerald green button up shirt and gray pencil skirt. She was ready for work already. I glanced around for Wilson, or John but none were there. ¡°Hey Mom, where¡¯s Wi¡ªDad?¡± I asked waking to the kitchen. ¡°Went out early. And John went home after you slept off. You woke earlier than usual, though. Your school¡¯s by 8, right?¡± Valerie replied. ¡°Yea¡± I said and bit into the slice of bread I grabbed, ¡°decided to be very early on the first day¡± ¡°Very early?¡± Valerie chuckled, ¡°It¡¯s 7: 30, you know¡± I smiled. ¡°Okay then. I got to go. Maggie come here!¡± She yelled. The little beauty appeared on the stairs and jogged down, ¡°Mummy¡± Valerie grabbed her hand, ¡°Bye sweetie¡± she waved at me and left. I nodded after her. I finished up making a cup of tea for myself and sat down to eat up. I spotted the eggs Valerie had fried while in a hurry and put it in between my bread and devoured them. Soon done I trotted out the door and onto school all the while having nonsensical bouts with Mordred. %%%%%% The class was as noisy as usual with no one giving much notice to who walked in. ¡°Oh, Elizabeth¡± a girl noticed me and waved me over. I turned and smiled at the chubby girl then waved back with shake of my head. I walked over to my seat at the window and sat down in my seat. It was the first day of school for the semester and as I looked at the desk as nostalgia overcame me and I smiled a bit. I tapped Maddie, "Yo" She turned around and stared at me. "Hmm? Is there something on my face?" I asked "No" came the crisp reply. To be honest, the reply felt a bit sinister. And it looked like I wasn''t the only one feeling that it was sinister as the discussions started to dim. "It''s been a while" Maddie then smiled erasing the earlier tension. I narrowed my eyes at this. Because I could have sworn that the smile just now looked different from the way Maddie usual smiled. I was probably being paranoid but I wanted to comment on it but, "Elizabeth...?" came the soft voice. ''It''s the first day of school, you woman, Ugh!'' I thought and raised my head up. "What do u want, Lilian?" I said helplessly. "No change.... no...something is...?" She started to say. ¡®Huh? No change? What?¡¯ "What are you taking about?" I tilted my head confused. ¡°What am I talking about? I am---¡±she began Just then the door slid open and a familiar ebony haired boy with hazel eyes stepped in. Lilian stopped talking and turned to look. ''Jason'' I thought immediately, ''it''s been months since I saw this face. Wow~'' "Lili---" he began and stopped as his eyes met mine. ''His hazel eyes still have the same effect on me. Weird'' I mused. Jason smiled at me then turned to the girl standing by my desk, "Lilian, you forg----" then he stopped abruptly. I would have, too because a concentrated thirst for blood spread through the room towards his direction. Jason¡¯s face contorted in surprise and fear. He also looked confused as though he didn¡¯t know what was going on. I was shocked. This blood lust was almost as immense as the one I feel from myself. My eyes darted around the room trying to find the source. I soon met Lilian¡¯s eyes then moved over to Maddie. They were both staring at me with faces full of confusion. ''What''s their problem?'' I thought. Then I found myself looking at my own body. "Mordred...?" I muttered shocked and in disbelief. At my word, Lilian and Maddie uttered an ''Ah¡¯ as though they just noticed something obvious. Next Chapter Chapter 16~ Acquaintances Previously on ''To Remember...'' The blood thirst was getting even stronger by the second and three people had fainted from the pressure. Jason was holding his ground quite fiercely. I was surprised at that but even more so at Mordred who was emanating this killing intent. ¡®Hey Mordred, stop it¡¯ No answer. ¡®What¡¯s wrong? Did Jason do something?¡¯ Still no answer. Instead I had this feeling that Mordred was going to materialize and kill this boy. My eyes widened, ¡®Mordred! Calm down!¡¯ ¡°Hold your horses, you stupid Angel¡± Lilian¡¯s snappy voice came through. ¡°True. True. The hair is even different. Has anger blinded you?¡± Maddie joined in. I narrowed my eyes confused. ¡®What were they talking about?'' Mordred¡¯s lust for blood began to dim slowly. Till it was fully gone. ''Stupid Angel... there''s no way she referring to Mordred, right?'' I pondered. Lilian sighed, ¡°And here I thought the only surprise would be seeing the Butcher¡± and sat down into her seat flinging her hair behind her. Maddie seemed to scan her with her eyes before laughing cheerily and facing her front. ¡®Is it just me or are these two---¡® ¡®I apologize deeply My Lady¡¯ Mordred voice disrupted my thoughts, ¡®I wasn¡¯t thinking so clearly. The moment I saw him¡­¡¯ ¡®James resembles someone I guess?¡¯ I asked. ¡®No, not at all. But he has the same rare eyes¡¯ ¡®Ah, those hazel¡­ could it be, I know the owner of those eyes¡¯ Mordred fell silent. ¡®Well, I¡¯ll find out sooner or later even if you don¡¯t tell me¡¯ I smiled and watched as the biology teacher finally walked into the classroom. ¡°Sorry¡± He chuckled, ¡°Traffic¡± Loud sighs came from all corners of the room as we¡¯d come in and waited for quite a while. Well, him being late was not that unusual though. Then something in my mind repeated, ¡®¡­the only surprise would be seeing the butcher¡¯ ¡®Huh? Butcher is..?'' my mind replayed Christmas Eve. ¡®The white enchantress and the butcher¡­¡¯ Mordred had said. I stood up immediately with my chair screeching as it scrapped the floor, ¡°Lilian, what did you say earlier??!¡±I shrieked trying to confirm if my mind was toying with me or not. ¡°Ms. Baker, is something wrong?¡± the teacher asked and I realized I¡¯d taken the attention of everyone in class. ¡°No¡­¡± I said softly sitting back down, ¡°nothing¡± Lilian looked back at Elizabeth for a second and then faced forward while muttering, ¡°Not as fast as I expected¡± ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¡°Let''s go somewhere to eat together?¡± Maddie asked immediately the bell rang. "Hmm? No, I¡¯ll eat here like usual", I replied absentmindedly. "Aren''t you curious?" came a voice. I haven''t heard this voice before....but I knew it somehow so I looked up. But I saw Lilian. Weird. "Aren''t you curious?" came the voice again. Only this time, I saw Lilian''s mouth move. "How are you doing that?" I asked dumbfounded. "Doing what?" She replied innocently. "Changing your voice so well..." I trailed off at the end, "Yes. I am curious" I stated. "Is that so? Then follow me" she said smilingly and walked away. ''My Lady, may I suggest something?'' Mordred spoke. He''d been silent for quite a while. "Uh-huh. You only talk to me when you need something" I said sulky as I stood up from the chair following her. Maddie got up to and joined us with a smirk on her face. ''What was she so smug about? Did these two plan something?'' ''I apologize... I was in deep thought'' "About what?" ''Vetranos'', came the soft reply. "I see", then I was silent for a bit. Then I remembered why he spoke, "what did you want to suggest?" ''Ah, that you don''t follow Ms. Lilian?'' "You look like a creep talking to yourself like that" Maddie said flatly, looking at me. "Eh?" i gasped shocked and clasped my hand over my mouth. I didn''t realize I''d been speaking out loud. She just grinned. "Here" came Lilian''s voice and I looked up to see we were on the door that led to the roof. ''How did we get here?'' I wondered seeing as I followed them subconsciously. I walked past the door with them and Lilian closed it. ''What do you mean by don''t follow them, Mordred?'', I asked bringing out my lunch and about to sit down. ¡®You already¡­ My Lady, Watch Out!¡¯ ¡°Eh?¡± left my mouth and I found myself flying before hitting the rails with my back. ¡°Ouch! That fucking hurts¡±, I grimaced putting my hand on my back. ¡°Is that so?¡± the earlier voice said. Still from Lilian¡¯s mouth. ¡°Ho~¡± Maddie chuckled just leaning on the wall watching. ¡°What the hell just happened?¡± I bellowed. ¡°Scary~¡± the voice from Lilian mocked and Lilian appeared in front of me as I blinked. ¡°Wha¡ª¡± Black feathers blinded my eyes and Mordred materialized blocking the incoming punch and making Lilian take a step back. ¡°Tch, you can already materialize¡± She grumbled ¡°My lady still has her power, you know?¡± Mordred glared. ¡°Of course, I know¡±, the voice from Lilian replied, ¡°though, she doesn¡¯t seem to know how to use it as well¡±, a smile crept on Lilian¡¯s face. ¡®She noticed fast!¡¯ Mordred¡¯s eyes widened and he gritted his teeth, bending his back a bit. ¡°Oh my~ this will be quite interesting. Have been wanting to fight you for centuries¡± Lilian chuckled and her turquoise pupils disappeared leaving just the white, ¡°you wouldn¡¯t mind if I go a bit crazy, would ya, Vodka¡± ¡°No, I am enjoying the spectacular scene¡± came a different voice from Maddie but it was a male voice. I narrowed me eye, ¡®Could it be¡­?!¡¯ Mordred and Lilian lifted up the floor at the same and I heard a loud bang. Mordred¡¯s feet and Lilian¡¯s collided and they were both sent back and tumbled to the ground before standing. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°As expected of a familiar that¡¯s a fallen angel¡±, Lilian chuckled, ¡°I, Rene, want to fight even more now!¡± she cackled as her killing intent enveloped the place. Her eyes had a crazy hue as the only focused on Mordred. (AN: From now on Lilian will be Rene till Lilian gets hold of her body) I noticed that she was focused on Mordred so I decided to try my luck and intervene with their battle, helping Mordred in the process. Almost as soon as my shoulders moved upwards, they were soon forced back down. ¡°Do not interfere¡± came the curt voice. I looked up to see Maddie grinning. She looked at me carefully before saying, ¡°What the hell happened?¡± and then bursting out laughing. %%%%%% Mordred jumped back before clenching his fists and jutting forward as twelve ice shards appeared circling around him. Rene¡¯s face adopted a devilish grin and her eyes seemed to flash red even though it was plane white. ¡®Dammit, for someone blind, she¡¯s too hard to suppress¡¯, Mordred grumbled inwardly. He controlled the shards to imbed her at the sides to which Rene swiftly maneuvered her body avoiding the shards and charging towards him. He reacted a second too late as he was withdrawing the only shard remaining before Rene got hold of his mana signal. She used the wind to cut open his sides and he retreated fast with the aid of ¡®lightning burst¡¯. His innate restorative abilities came to his aid however he was already at half of his mana and it had just been 1 minutes since the fight begun. Rene smirked and using ¡®wild fire¡¯ was enveloped in flames as she charged towards Mordred. The icicles around her melted at the immense heat which the ¡®wild fire¡¯ gave. ¡®His proficiency is ice magic is rather weak if you ask me. If it was the Violet Goddess, my flames would be doused¡¯ she chuckled inwardly as she continued charging. She slashed once again at Mordred¡¯s waist, ¡®Angels are always troublesome to fight¡¯ she cringed as she watched the damage heal. Mordred¡¯s left leg rose up with tremendous force and an explosive sound came through and blood erupted from his legs and Rene¡¯s previously clean uniform adopted a stain of blood. But the blood was not Mordred¡¯s. His hands clenched, he went for the same spot and she anticipated it and wove her body around his arm before delivering a firm blow to his shoulders to which a CRACK was heard. ¡°Hmph¡± she scoffed but then she felt an immense pain in her back. No¡­ it was like her skin was shredded and disappearing slowly. Her wild fire was also disappearing. ¡°I forgot you have her energy, damn!¡± She roared furiously. She dabbled in nature magic but not light magic so she couldn¡¯t end the scorching leech. She felt helpless with this thing and cursed Mordred before vowing to take him down with her. Rene was visibly infuriated, ¡°I let my guard down!¡± she shrieked and in one swift motion, adopted the stance of the ¡®butterfly¡¯ and put it into effect. ¡°Shit, she¡¯s planning to take me with her¡± Mordred¡¯s grin was wiped off his face as he tried to go into a counter stance, ¡®been a while so I am very rusty!¡¯ he cursed madly. Rene¡¯s eyes glowed brightly and her dainty body moved to the left as her two hand crossed with the right above the left and she lifted off the floor. Mordred¡¯s right hand went across his chest and his left hand adopted a tiger claw. He moved into the air. Rene spread out her hands fulfilling the image of a butterfly and the two hands, with only two fingers out of each, came falling down at the same pace with her knees raised up. The hands were all of a sudden enveloped in red ki and blue energy force. Raw. Mordred clenched his right fist and his left hand glowed with purple energy force and they were about to collide when a surge of raw blood soaked mana wafted across their senses and the alarms in their head went off. Rene immediately invoked wildfire again while Mordred lightning pulse and they moved back at faster speeds than when they first used the spells. A loud clap enveloped the area and Vodka appeared where Rene and Mordred were about to collide. (AN: Maddie will now be Vodka from this point). ¡°W-What do you think you¡¯re doing??¡± Rene screamed infuriated. ¡°Temper issues¡±, Vodka cringed as he stated playfully then his eyes turned cold, ¡°I never knew you came to throw your life away here¡± Rene¡¯s eyes widened and she looked away. Then a howl of pain left her mouth as she fell to her knees clutching her back, ¡°Dammit¡± Mordred held his leg that was showing no signs of healing and fell to the floor. ¡°If I remember clearly, you came her to check if the Queen truly ran away abandoning her people, right?¡± Rene let out groan of acknowledgement. Vodka quietly moved downwards till his feet touched the ground, ¡°Mordred, stop the spell¡± ¡°I can¡¯t. My mana was wiped out to cast the scorching spell in the first place. The rest I had was used for the tiger counter¡± he spoke, his voice betraying his pain. ¡°Why did you cast a spell like that?!¡± Vodka growled angrily. ¡°Well, she was going to kill me if I didn¡¯t!¡± Mordred retorted wile panting. Vodka sighed heavily and his hands glowed white and he reached for Rene. Her whole body was enveloped in white light and she sighed in relief as the feeling of her flesh being eaten and her mana being reduced disappeared. ¡°You¡¯re lucky it wasn¡¯t from Agnes¡± Vodka said sternly. ¡°Hmph, this Agnes can¡¯t do anything anyways¡± Rene snapped. ¡°That body of yours is not of an immortal''s. Are you trying to destroy it?¡± Vodka growled. It was obvious to any onlooker who was the boss here. Rene¡¯s face grew a bit dim as she realized she could have just trapped herself in a dead body. Vodka chuckled before facing Agnes, ¡°Do you mind repeating what you said a few moments ago?¡± Next Chapter Chapter 17 ~ Once upon a time AN: Heads up, I will change the name of the months in Vetranos but nothing else about them. NOTHING ELSE. Previously on ''To Remember...'' I stared blankly as the accounts of what just transpired played over in my head countless times. I say that but all I was were colors, colors, lightning, and fire then I heard noises. They were moving too fast for me to even see. ¡®What does Mordred mean by he can¡¯t protect me?!, has he even seen himself??¡¯ I shrieked inwardly. ¡°Oi, Queen¡± came a voice very close to my ear. I nearly jumped off the building in surprise as I shot to my feet. ¡°Eh? What?¡± I turned to find the familiar looking face of Maddie but I knew it wasn¡¯t her. She sighed loudly, ¡°I have been calling you for a while. What are you dreaming off?¡± he chided. ¡°Ah, that is----¡± I began. ¡°Well, forget that. What did you say a few moments ago?¡± he asked ¡°Hmm? What I said??¡± I brought my hands to my chin and stroked it like I had a beard, ¡°Ah! I said you were a transvestite!¡± Vodka¡¯s eyebrows twitched and a muffled laughter was heard from Rene¡¯s direction. ¡°Not that¡± He basically forced the words out of her clenched teeth. (AN: Seeing as Vodka is a male in a female body, I will refer to him as a she/he. It depends on the perspective. Pls don¡¯t get confused. However, if you do, I¡¯ll chose a gender and call him only that) ¡°What did I say then? I don¡¯t think I told you anything except that you were a----¡± I felt a hand cover my mouth as I was about to speak and Vodka¡¯s yellowish-brown eyes glared at me daring me to say it again. For some reason, I felt happy so I smiled at him, to which she responded with a scowl. ¡°Something about memories¡± he growled fiercely. Mordred¡¯s eyes widened and he flew quickly to me, ¡°My Lady, they don¡¯t need to know about that" "Hmm?" At that sentence, Rene perked up. ''Ah, it is fine'' I told Mordred inwardly, ''besides if I don''t handle it well, we both might not survive, right?'' Mordred bit his lips and gave a nod before disappearing into thin air. I looked up at Vodka and smiled, "I lost my memories" Rene blinked a few times before bursting out into laughter, "Nice one" she chortled. "I am serious, though..." I said softly and looked up at Vodka before deciding to stand up. I dusted my skirt and arms, "Well, that''s how it is so if you came to kill me for something I did then do it when I know and feel guilty. Wouldn''t that benefit you too?" I asked Rene. She looked at me in the eye, "How dare you talk so arrogantly! You ran away and left all of us to die!" I narrowed my eyes, "I know I said I don''t have my memories but from what I know, I am not a coward. So, what you just said right now is probably a misunderstanding" I stated flatly. She grit her teeth, "You!" "Calm down!" Vodka''s voice boomed. "But, big bro----" "Just calm down. In the first place, if she didn''t ''run away'' like you said, she''d be dead. Shouldn''t you be happy she''s alive?" ''Big bro?!'' I mused "But... But... there is no way she is Our Majesty!" "Tch, you and your infatuation" Vodka mumbled. ''Huh?'' I wondered "infatuation with what?" Vodka looked at me, ¡°Hmm? What are you talking about?¡± I blinked thrice in succession, ¡®he¡¯s avoiding the topic¡¯ and I sighed. ¡°Why do you think I am not her?¡± I finally asked. Rene looked at me then her eyes softened for a moment, ¡°She¡¯s strong, terrifying, demanding and caring¡± ¡°You just contradicted yourself¡± I stated flatly. ¡°But she¡¯s just that!¡± Rene argued. Mordred materialized and all of a sudden I felt weaker. He was shocked and caught me as I drowsily fell down. ¡°What happened?¡± I mumbled softly. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t realize that you are unable to handle this much energy force seeping out¡± Mordred said apologetically. Rene looked at bit frantic, ¡°W-What happened??¡± ¡®I thought she wanted to kill me¡¯ I mused and glanced at Vodka¡¯s face which held no emotion whatsoever. Like he was concealing something. ¡°I used her mana to heal my wounds when I was in the summoning room¡± Mordred said faintly and gripped my shoulders a bit stronger. I willed myself to sit upright. "Hmm?" I spoke groggily, ¡°sorry, the usual me could handle this, right?¡± ¡°Your Majesty, I don¡¯t mean it that way¡± Mordred protested. I gave him a weak smile and looked at Vodka, ¡°If I get my memories back, everything will be better, right?¡± He seemed to think for a moment before giving a simple nod. "Then, is there way I can get back to Vetranos?¡± Vodka smiled, " Therre should be but why do you want to go back all of a sudden?" "I have been wanting to go for a while. But I decided to hold back till I felt that I had the willpower to last" "And you feel that you have it now?" "No. I felt that I had it for a while now" "Ho~" "Yes, during the break, I saw a bit of my memories. I stabbed someone with a broken glass. I saw it and I didn''t feel scared instead I felt calm. That''s why I believe I am ready" "You wanted to be fine with killing, first? To think this day would come when the Violet Goddess said something like that..." Rene said dumbfounded. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. "Oh?" I smirked, "I thought you didn''t believe I was her" Rene gasped and turned away swiftly. I chuckled. "Hmm. And I guess seeing us, you think that since we came here, you can return with us, right?" "Yea. If possible sooner than later" I nodded firmly. I knew this people and I knew that Rene, although she acted like that truly did like me. Well, she liked me when I am fierce and strong. "Eh?" Mordred said baffled. I turned to him, "Yea. If I want to remember everything, staying here will take probably 20 years or so" and then I turned to face Rene, "but twenty years will be too much time right?" She stared at me before saying, "What do you think?" "It is too much time. There is probably something I need to be doing rather than attending school, right?" Vodka let out a rare smile, "And here I thought you lost your perspective side. We only came her with our consciousness so to get you back..." "Consciousness?" I asked. "Yea. Our bodies are in Vetranos" "Then let me move my consciousness over?" I said bluntly. An eerie silence enveloped the place. "Ah..." I scratched my head, "I forgot I am supposed to be dead. It''s probably destroyed..." "To get you back will take quite a while" Vodka said, looking at me with his eyes sofened and wearing a caring smile. ''This guy'' I narrowed my eyes at his smile. He seemed to realize something and immediately his face turned expressionless. ''My imagination...?'' I pondered and looked at Mordred who looked deep in thought. "What is it?" I asked him. "In Vetranos, there is a lady who can trigger all your memories but..." Mordred began. "Really?!" I asked surprised. "Yes.." He replied hesitantly. "Is it Marielle?" Came Rene''s voice. I turned to look at her to see a face scrunched up in disgust, "That old woman?!" She continued. "Old?" I questioned, "Older than me?" I pointed to myself Mordred and Rene''s eyes widened and then they both burst into laughter. "Wha---" I asked confused. Ding dong ding dong "Ah, the bell.." I mumbled. "Hmm? then we should go" Rene stated standing up. "Hey Mordred" I said softly. He was about to disappear but he stopped and stared at me. "What?" ¡°I said I saw myself stabbing someone, right?¡± I continued. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°It was somewhat of a lie¡± I smiled and stood up shakily. Vodka¡¯s eyebrows seemed to twitch. ¡°Well, I did stab someone,¡± I stated, ¡°but the one who stabbed was a smaller version of me¡± Mordred¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°When did you know me, Mordred?¡± I asked quietly and moved forward. ¡°My Lady¡­¡± he said quietly. I let out a smile, ¡°I stabbed someone. As a child. Makes me wonder how I grew up¡± I continued walking, ¡°And here I thought I was some royalty¡± I giggled. Rene bit her lips as though sad and walked out. Mordred disappeared quietly. I look a step forward before finding Maddie¡¯s face in front of me. I took a step back confused. ¡°What is it?¡± I asked baffled. She looked into my eyes as though looking for something then let out a sad smile, ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing¡± He said and stepped back allowing me to pass. I moved past the door quite confused about what just happened. The thought from before crept into my mind and I shook my head vigorously to refute the thought. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¡°One would think that a year would be enough for your feelings to disappear¡± came Mordred¡¯s voice. When he had left Agnes¡¯ body, was a question left unanswered. Vodka seemed shocked and turned back to see him, ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°To think you of all people didn¡¯t notice me¡± Mordred chuckled at the man''s vulnerability ¡°It hasn¡¯t been a year. It¡¯s been two. She died the year before last on Sipge¡­ no it¡¯s not been fully two years, right?¡± Vodka said and leaned against the door. ¡°Well, Miss Elizabeth perished last Onrth. According to them here, it¡¯s called January¡± ¡°You learnt?¡± ¡°After being with Her Majesty for so long, of course¡± Vodka smiled, ¡°I see¡± ¡°Yea. My Lady was in the void for 5 months. I had already thought she was dead then she called out to me on the first of Tibeth. I was beyond baffled. But do you think he noticed her presence? Since you two did?¡± Vodka was silent, ¡°Maybe¡± he said after a while. ¡°Then. She might not be safe¡­.¡± Mordred trailed off. ¡°She makes decisions without caring about opinions just as usual¡± Vodka chuckled. ¡°Are you angry?¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°That she remembered him before you¡± Mordred smirked. ¡°She doesn¡¯t remember him, and she doesn¡¯t think much of me anyways¡± Vodka stopped leaning on the door and opened it. ¡°I think she already noticed¡± Mordred said softly. ¡°I have always been bad at hiding my feelings¡± Vodka scoffed and walked out. Mordred looked up at the sky, ¡°Nerphia, do something. He''s trying too hard¡± he sighed and disappeared once again into thin air. AN: a little time skip in the next chap~ Next Chapter ------------------------------------------------------------------- Read, Comment, & Enjoy Chapter 18~ Truth Previously on ''To Remember...'' Read, Comment, Rate, & Enjoy ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I held my hair back as the wind blew it. It was now May 28th. I stared at the doors that led to the front door of my school and beamed. I was graduating this year and informing Valerie and Co. of my true self. More than a year has passed since I first saw Vodka and Rene. ¡°What are you smiling at?¡± came Rene¡¯s voice as she walked towards me. I smiled, ¡°I¡¯ll miss this entity called school¡± ¡°Hmm? Why?¡± She asked innocently. I pitied Lilian and Maddie who didn¡¯t get to experience the rest of their high school lives but it¡¯s not like I could do a thing about it. I looked down at the red and white graduation gown that I wore, ¡°Who knows?¡± I replied to Rene. ¡°I feel nothing though¡± came Vodka¡¯s voice very close to me. I jumped in fright. He conceals his presence every time he wants to talk to me. I really wish he would stop and although I talked to him about it, he just ignored my pleas. I have finally decided that he really was not like I first thought. ¡°Of course you don¡¯t feel anything¡± I mumbled hoarsely. He smiled a bit before his poker face took over. I stared at the school for a bit more before talking, ¡°After spending a year ravaging libraries you finally found something?¡± ¡°Of course. I didn¡¯t think it would take this long though¡± He stated proudly "Is that so¡± I replied dryly. ¡°Elizabeth!¡± came a sweet voice. I turned to see Valerie waving and my English teacher waking away. ¡°Are you going to tell them today?¡± Rene asked. ¡°Uh-huh¡± I smiled and began to walk over and Vodka and Rene followed closely behind. ¡°My Lady¡± Mordred projected his voice. ¡°What is it?¡± I asked ¡°What do you think they¡¯ll say?¡± he asked. ¡°Hmm? Probably ¡®I can¡¯t believe Elizabeth is dead¡¯ or ¡®You killed my daughter!¡¯ or ¡®What kind of stupid joke is this¡¯¡± I chuckled. I heard a beep and brought out my IPhone 9 (AN: hehe~) and looked at the message. JOHN: Will be home soon. Congrats. I let out a pleased smiled as I thought of John coming home. ¡®But will you be okay? If they react like that?¡¯ came Mordred¡¯s voice in my head. I walked up to Valerie, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Mom. I told you I have something important to tell you all when I graduate¡± ¡°So secretive¡± Valerie chuckled and patted my back, ¡°Hey, Will!¡± she called and waved over to my dad then used her head to point in the direction of the car. He nodded and began to walk away, ¡°We¡¯ll see you at home¡± she walked away. I took out my car keys from the pocket of my gown and sighed, ¡®I will be okay, Mordred¡¯ I said to him, ¡®Who knows? They might accept me. Well, whether they accept me or not doesn¡¯t really matter, right?¡¯ I turned to Vodka, ¡°To my car?¡± He smirked and past me in the direction of my car while mumbling, ¡°I still need to fully understand this equipment called a car. Even the humans in Vetranos don¡¯t have it¡± Although Vodka wasn¡¯t beside me, I could hear him. My ears have gotten more sensitive and are almost as tall as the ones from my memories. I laughed and teased, ¡°You won¡¯t need that knowledge anytimesoon¡± Rene laughed behind me and ran up to Vodka before engaging in a conversation. Except I couldn¡¯t hear them. They probably summoned a chamber again. I breathed out slowly before sighing and walking up to them. %%%%% ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± Valerie asked staring at me. ¡°Hey Beth, I really need to go somewhere my with my friends, you know?¡± Margaret pouted, ¡°But Mom won¡¯t let me. What do you wanna say?¡± ¡®This girl¡­ she just turned seven a month or so ago yet so snappy¡¯ I thought clicking my tongue. ¡°E-L-I-Z-A-B-E-T-H¡± I said slowly. ¡°Beth, Elizabeth, aren¡¯t they all your names?¡± ¡®So this is why mothers never want their children to grow up¡­. she¡¯s not even a teenager!¡¯ I bellowed inwardly. ¡®My Lady, I suggest you calm down¡¯ Mordred said quietly. A chuckled was head beside me and I turned to Maddie. ¡®How does he know what I am thinking about?¡¯ I pondered. ¡°True, what is it you want to talk about dear? Even calling Maddie and Lilian¡± ¡°It is quite important, Mrs. Baker. We are waiting for John¡± Rene said in Lilian¡¯s voice. ¡°Oh¡­ I see. So, you all have something to tell us?¡± she beamed. I smiled in reply and glanced at Wilson. He was on his phone. I raised a brow and shook my head fondly. ¡°Sorry! Traffic!¡± came John¡¯s booming voice, ¡°Phew, didn¡¯t think it¡¯d take this much time¡± he stepped into the sitting room and glanced at all of us, ¡°Some kind of family meeting or ¡­. Actually whatever. First, come on. A hug for graduating Salutatorian¡± he said with his arms outspread. I beamed and hugged him. "But" he put on a teasing smile, "I would have expected Valedictorian..." I gave a helpless smile, ''If I was Elizabeth then that''d be true'' He laughed loudly, "Just messing with ya" "I know" I replied with a playful scowl. He ruffled my hair as though I was a child and walked over to my dad and sat beside him, "So what''s up with this sitting?" Valerie giggled, "Elizabeth has something to tell us" she glanced at me, "right?" "Oh?" John looked at me. I nodded and sat down, "Hmm, before I start pls show yourself" Nothing happened. ''Mordred!'' I chided. ''My Lady---'' he began. ''Come out. I am a strong woman, right?'' He seemed hesitant and I was about to call him again before he appeared. In the same appearance as when I first saw him. And of course, dazzling. I smiled at the grand appearance seeing as he materialized in the air with outspread wings before slowly descending. They were all stunned. "Fairy..." Came Margaret''s voice jolting them back to reality. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation."What the hell?!" Wilson screamed. "I don''t see any strings... How did you make him come out of nowhere?" Valerie said after him. "That was some amazing stuff, how did you learn to do that?" John exclaimed. I shook my head, "It wasn''t special effects or anything" I looked around them and caught their eyes, "I am not from this world" I waited for a while before Wilson burst into laughter, "You can joke sometimes, can''t you?" I smiled and then 5 balls of fire appeared around me. "How are you doing that?" John asked baffled. I reached out and held one of them in my right hand ''Don''t do that'', Valerie wanted to call out but nothing happened to Elizabeth''s hand, "How?" I let out a small smile, "Like I said. Not of this world. Look" I used my mana to create water that enveloped my left arm, "Amazing isn''t it?" They looked very confused. "I don''t expect you to grasp everything and I''d like to introduce you to---" "To think you left us sitting her saying nothing,¡± Rene¡¯s seductive voice enveloped the room ¡°I was fine with waiting, ¡° Vodka¡¯s imposing voice followed. John¡¯s face seemed to flush pink while Wilson just stared blankly. ¡°Oh?¡± Rene chuckled and turned to me, ¡°Your father¡¯s in love. My charm doesn¡¯t work on men truly in love. It is boring in a way¡± I sighed, ¡°Why are you using your charm in this situation¡± ¡°Eh~ you make it seem like I can control it¡± she giggle fondly. I could see John almost fall out of his seat. ¡°Come to think of it, Vodka,¡± Renne turned to him, ¡°He¡¯s a guy, why didn¡¯t you take him?¡± ¡°Like I said, he¡¯s a trans---¡± I began. ¡°He had no power residue¡±, Vodka cut me off, ¡°probably from being away most of the time¡± I chuckled a bit. ¡°You sound different..¡± Valerie spoke quietly. I turned to her, ¡°Lilian is Rene, an acquaintance of mine from my world and Maddie is Vodka, another acquaintance¡± I pointed to Mordred, ¡°he is my familiar, Mordred¡± Mordred gave a small bow. ¡°I know you don¡¯t believe me or you can¡¯t however, I thought it would be rude to just leave without telling you why?¡± ¡°L-leave?¡± John finally came to his senses. I gave a small smile, ¡°I have to go back to my world¡± There was a moment of silence. Actually a minute of silence and a staredown. ¡°You are not joking?¡± Wilson broke the silence looking at the hovering fireballs. ¡°No¡± I replied softly. ¡°Then if you¡¯re not her, where is Elizabeth?¡± the question I¡¯d been dreading came from John. I was about to speak but the words got caught in my throat. I lowered my eyes and swallowed. ¡®They would think I killed her. Even though I haven¡¯t said anything about who I am¡­.¡¯ I thought. ¡°She¡¯s dead¡± came the unpaved voice. My eyes widened and I turned to Vodka with everyone else doing the same. Including Rene. Maddie sat with arrogance and returned all the baffle gazes with a calm look. ¡°S-She¡¯s dead?!¡± Valerie stuttered. ¡°Yes. We look extremely alike so I took over her body when her soul left¡± I spoke frankly. Valerie slumped into the chair, ¡°Even for a joke¡­¡± she mumbled. I rubbed my forehead and stared at them. ¡°Did you kill her?¡± came Wilson¡¯s oddly calm voice. ¡°Eh?¡± I was shocked a bit by the question, ¡°No. She died and I came. That¡¯s all¡±, ¡®I hope they believe me¡¯ I cried inwardly. ¡°You say you¡¯re not from here¡± Wilson continued, ¡°Then why did you stay with us?¡± ¡°Memories¡± I stated matter-of-factly. ¡°Oh, so that part was true¡± Wilson said nodding. John was looking from Wilson¡¯s face to mine rapidly checking it as though wishing to find a playful expression. ¡°Yes.¡± I said flatly. Then he was silent or a while then he said, ¡°If you are joking please stop now¡± his voice had a hint of anger to them. I smiled a bit sad and shook my head, ¡°If I just wanted to lie, I wouldn¡¯t go to such extents to prove it¡± ¡°I see¡± he said and stood up and grabbed the silent Valerie before heading away. ¡°Did she faint?¡± Rene asked chuckling. ¡°Who knows¡± I replied. John looked at me for a bit more before standing up and going away. The remaining group was the people from Vetranos and Margaret who had not said a thing. No, she was just infatuated with Mordred¡¯s wings. ¡°Are you planning to stay and hear their answers?¡± came Mordred¡¯s soft voice. I shook my head then walked over to her and squatted to be on eye level, ¡°Help me tell them that I am gone, okay?¡± She looked at me quietly then spoke, ¡°Where?¡± ¡°Vetranos¡± I smiled ¡°Where is that?¡± I patted her head, ¡°The place where I come from¡± I stood up and walked away. I heard some feet taps indicating that the group were following behind. ¡°Beth, is everything you said, true?¡± came Margaret¡¯s shaky voice. I bit my lips and with a nod walked out the door. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mordred waited for Agnes to get out of earshot which was quite a long distance before turning to Margaret. A pulsating purple necklace appeared out of nowhere and he placed it her neck before whispering something in foreign words then saying to her, ¡°With this, I can know their response. My Lady will probably regret no staying to see¡± He followed suit and walked out the door. Margaret blinked furiously a few times, ¡°Hmm? What just happened?¡± she asked blankly, ¡°Beth just left after all that and¡­.hmm I feel like I am forgetting something....¡± After a while of speculation, she shrugged and walked up the stairs. It was as though the purple necklace was invisible to her. Next Chapter AN: Very small time skip [th_084_.gif] we will soon backtrack to where it all began. And perspective will soon change to a third person. If anyone wants to know their reactions I can include a side story or possible implement it into the story when necessary. Chapter 19~ Vetranos Previously on ''To Remember...'' Read, Comment, Rate & Enjoy --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°It will be quite advisable to close our eyes for this¡± Vodka stated, matter-of-fact-ly. ¡°Just for your information, this is a library so quiet down¡± I scoffed. ¡°Did you really think we forgot to erect a sound barrier?¡± Rene smirked. ¡°Ah, that exists¡­¡± I said as I was struck with remembrance of what they used when Mordred and Rene fought. ¡°Well, step on the black smoke¡± Rene said playfully. ¡°Just so you both know¡±, I began, ¡°I don¡¯t trust your endeavors¡± ¡®Mordred, is it fine?¡¯ I asked him. ¡®Yes, Your Majesty¡¯ he replied while chuckling. I fumed and pouted before putting my right foot on the shadow. Nothing happened. I was sure a vein popped as I was pissed at their trickery. Then the words, ¡®¡­Macheere¡¯ was uttered by Vodka and I felt myself pulled into the shadows. Vodka and Rene looked at each other. ¡°Where did you transport her?¡± Rene spoke first. ¡°Tahamult desert¡± he replied with a grin. ¡°How close are you to there?¡± Rene asked. ¡°Two days¡± he replied. ¡°Hmm¡­ well I am a day closer. Why didn¡¯t you just send her to Madame Marielle?¡± ¡°She¡¯d be killed the moment Marielle sets her eyes on her¡± Vodka said swiftly in reply. ¡°With Mordred there?¡± Rene retorted. ¡°Ah¡­¡± he began but trailed off. ¡°You forgot about him, didn¡¯t you?¡± Rene scoffed. ¡°N-NO!¡± Vodka stuttered. ¡°Big bro, you lose your composure easily these days¡± Rene teased and the body of Lilian Harrison slumped to the floor. Vodka sighed audibly and the sound barrier disappeared with Maddie West¡¯s body slumping to the floor. Lilian regained consciousness and looked around, ¡°Wha----¡± Memories of school flooded her memory and some seemed to be erased or cut out. ¡°What the hell?¡± Maddie groggily said as she sat up baffled beyond measure. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¡°Brown¡­¡± were my first words as I stood up and looked around. All I could see was brown sand. "Mordred, where are we?¡± ¡°In Tahamult desert¡± ¡°Why on earth or Vetranos did he send us to a desert?!¡± I shrieked. After calming down I asked Mordred to materialize. ¡°My Lady, I am afraid I cannot do no such thing¡± he said bluntly. ¡°Eh? Why?¡± ¡°He will probably recognize my energy¡± ¡°What? This ¡®he¡¯ probably recognizes my energy, right?¡± ¡°No. Anything not ''Immortal'' is trash to him¡± Mordred said with a hint of anger in his voice. ¡°Uh-huh¡± , I said slowly absorbing this bit of info. ¡°You still won¡¯t tell me who it is?¡± I asked as I started moving. ¡°No, I apologize but¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. My memories will come back and I¡¯ll find out then¡± I chuckled. ¡°Yes¡­.¡± Mordred said softly. ¡°Although, I wonder what will happen¡± I mused. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Ah, for me to remember it all, I wonder what will happen¡± ¡°It probably will go smoothly¡± Mordred said adamantly. ¡°Oh? And why do you think so?¡± He chuckled, ¡°That old lady is very fond of you¡± I narrowed my eyes, ¡°Suspicious¡­.¡± ¡°Eh?! Your Majesty, how am I suspicious?¡± Mordred said flabbergasted. I stayed quiet and just hummed a ¡®Better times Ahead¡¯ song. I soon hear a low growl and I stopped walking, ¡°Did you hear that?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a desert scorpion¡± ¡°Is that so¡± I said quietly. A moment of silence. ¡°What kind of stupidity! How am I supposed to know what a desert scorpion is ?!¡± ¡°Ah...¡± came Mordred¡¯s voice. I flopped down on the sand exhausted mentally. I felt a bump on my butt and reached for my jeans¡¯ back pocket. I brought out the bump and my iPhone 9 was staring at me. I blinked as though waiting for the image to register. ¡°So, what am I supposed to do with this?¡± ¡®Who knows?¡¯ Mordred replied, not projecting his voice anymore, ¡®By the way, I suggest my lady jumps to the right now¡¯ I followed his instructions and a metal tail came flying out from where I¡¯d been seating. I stared at it wide eyed. ¡®Oh? It¡¯s mutated¡¯ Mordred spoke fondly. The tail retreated back into the ground. ¡°Stop acting like a spectator and help!¡± I chided ¡°But, I can¡¯t come out because I¡¯ll put Your Majesty in danger¡± Mordred said flatly. ¡°I am already in danger¡± I shrieked as I ran away. ¡®He could be freakishly annoying¡¯ I sighed and stopped running. Then I closed my eyes and my ears twitched, ¡°Information¡± I muttered ¡®Poisonous tail. 10 times the size of a regular scorpion, really agile, live under the sand, feat on anything with blood. Are blind and use sound for direction¡¯ ¡°How nice of you¡± I scoffed. ''But this would count as my first battle...or first kill without memories'' I thought. ¡®Hey Mordred¡¯ I called out inwardly, ¡®What would you rank this thing?¡¯ ¡®Rank? Hmm¡­ a rank 2 warrior¡¯ ¡®Oh? So it¡¯s weak¡¯ ¡®Yes¡¯ I smirked and charged at the tail. Then I realized I had no weapon. ¡°Tch¡± I clicked my tongue and summon two ice shards. Immediately I felt a bit drained, ¡®To think Mordred summoned twelve¡­¡¯ I hit the tail with good force and found myself flying back from the collision. ¡°Wha---¡° ¡®I did say it was mutated¡¯ Mordred said. ¡°You---!¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.¡®It probably ate a newly born iron golem. Its tail is now iron. Use fire instead¡¯ He instructed. I grumbled and my hand was enveloped with purple energy before turning into blazing fire and I jumped forward. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A man sat on a golden throne clad in red and black robe. His chin rested on his hand as he listened to a man in a white overcoat ramble . His eyes were closed and he seemed bored. Suddenly his eyes flew open and darted around the room. His eyes were beautifully hazel and seemed to tear through people. At the opening of his eyes, fear was etched into the faces of many around and eerie silence filled the air. He glanced from one end to the other before narrowing his eyes and asking, ¡°She¡¯s dead, isn¡¯t she?¡± No answer came. They probabably didn''t know what he was talking about. He slouched backwards into the golden throne with his auburn hair moving with him and glanced at the man in the overcoat. ¡°Kill him¡± were the next words that flowed out of his mouth in a frosty tone. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¡®I thought you said it was weak!¡¯ I screamed as I spat blood out of my mouth. ¡®Yes. But you asked me so I judged by my standard¡¯ ¡®Mordred¡¯ ¡®Yes?¡¯ ¡®You¡¯re an idiot¡¯ ¡®M-My Lady¡¯ he stuttered ¡®The biggest one I have ever seen¡¯ I continued and with a huff made my hands blaze once again. Whenever I heated its tail it would whack me and dive back into the sand. I needed a way to get it out. I closed my eyes and waited before hearing movement in the sand, ¡®I thought you said I was a rank 5 warlock¡¯ ¡®Yes, but you don¡¯t know how to use spells well nor mana management so in essence you are just like a mere mage¡¯ ¡®BUT you also said that I was a rank 52 fighter. So I should be stronger than this scorpion right?¡¯ The tail revealed itself and I skidded away before grabbing it with the wind and pulling it out. It was fighting to retreat back but I wouldn¡¯t let it. After a minute of push and pull, I finally won and it came flying out of the ground. ''My Lady, could it be¡­ no I never told you about the ranks did I?¡¯ ¡®Nope, not at all¡¯ I admitted Mordred sighed, ¡®Sorry, that was stupid of me. A gladiator is the greatest one could be called based on using ki. A Sorcerer is the greatest on could be called when using magic. You infuse ki to fight but My lady¡¯s knowledge on that is near to nonexistent¡¯ ¡®Shut up¡¯ I pouted and pounced on the desert scorpion frying it. ¡°Hmph¡± I scoffed satisfied. ¡®Oh? You defeated it¡¯ ¡®Of course¡¯ I beat my chest and sat down but inwardly I was shaking. Had my attention been taken away for even a second more I¡¯d be dead. It was about to poison me. I wasn¡¯t sure if the poison was lethal or not but it¡¯s poison and poison should be avoided. ¡®Continue what you were saying¡¯ I urged Mordred. ¡®Oh right,¡¯ he acknowledged and continued, ¡®Gladiators > Combatants > Warrior > fighters. In summary, you are at the base of the chart¡¯ ¡®This guy¡­. He¡¯s out rightly belittling me¡¯ I sulked. I would say something but I feel like there was an unsaid reason for his belittling. ¡®As for mana and energy force, energy force cannot be used at your level. It is too wild. To use mana, energy force has to be converted and some people cannot convert energy force as they don''t have a mana channel so they rely on just ki. Using mana hierarchy is Sorcerer> Warlock> Magus> Mage¡¯ ¡®Oh? Then what is an Immortal or craven?¡¯ ¡®Well, those are¡­ actually my lady say these words, ¡®Guide the powers of darkness to shield me, Mana Shield'' ¡®Ok?¡¯ I asked thoughfully. That sounded ominous. I obeyed nonetheless and said the words aloud. Something covered me and although invisible I knew it was there. After saying the words ,I fell to the ground. ¡®Hmm¡¯ Mordred said thoughtfully, ¡®Your mana pool is being restricted for some reason. Maybe your memories?¡¯ ¡°What are you talking about? Actually, what did you make me do?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± he projected his voice, ¡°I made you cast a spell and although your mana pool should be that of a 5th rank Warlock, the residual mana in your body was used to power it. odd.¡± ¡°Tell me that before I do it¡± I chided, ¡°What does the spell do?¡± ¡°Prevents those scorpions from noticing you¡± ¡°Ah, that is useful¡± ¡°Right?¡± Mordred replied obviously pleased with himself. I chuckled, ¡°Tell me about the ranks later actually. I am very sleepy¡± Mordred made no reply and I drifted off into sleep. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In the air above Welch, Venoth, a blurry shape sped across the skies. All one could see was a white blur. ¡°Hehe~ I want to see her regain her memories. So fun¡­.wait, if she regains her memories, my life¡­¡± the voice was saying from the skay before a ¡®hmph¡¯ was heard and speed of the blur went up a bit more. %%%%%%% Red light shot into the sky leaving a dent in the ground below. Actually it was not a light but a red cape and a gleam from stainless steel reflecting the light of the moon could be seen . The light moved faster and looked like a blur hovering over the vast garden of Memphis and going past it towards the general direction of Venoth and Edira. Sry for the tardiness~ but I got an A!!! Anyways, although you might the confused but in the ''Memory lapse'' arc, the readers will know everything...well almost everything. Chapter 20~ To relive the journey Glossary I woke up and stretched out. It seems fighting took a lot out of me. I looked around and saw a face infrom of me. The face stretched into a grin, ¡°Seems like I got here faster than I thought¡± came from the mouth of the face and the face moved backwards letting me see the whole body structure. It was a woman. She had while hair, white pupils and was dressed in white wedding dress. The dress was extremely fitting, serving to enhance her already apparent beauty. Her ears were very pointy and ghere was a tiny sky blue diamond in the middle of her forehead. I furrowed my brow baffled, ''She has four ears??? they look like rabbit ears...'' She smiled seductively at that, ¡°What?¡± ¡°Rene¡­?¡± I asked not very sure. ¡°Oh? Here I thought I¡¯d have to introduce myself¡± She grinned. Having heard her voice for a little over a year, I could recognize it somehow. I chuckled a bit thenglanced at her, ¡°I am guessing Vodka told you where I was?¡± I pondered silently whether to ask about the ears or not. She nodded briefly. ¡°He should be here in quite a bit¡± ¡°Your eyes?¡± I finally asked ¡°Ah!" She stopped walking and giggled, ¡°I am pretty much blind you know?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°But I can use other people¡¯s eyes to see. Of course with a heavy mana price¡± She smiled gently andgrabbed me getting me to my feet. ¡°Uh-huh¡± I said not understanding at all. Suddenly a sound was heard from the sky and I looked up to see something red falling down towardsme. I yelped and jumped back quickly. When the dust dissipated I saw a man clad in red robe. He had long furry brown ears that looked like an animal¡¯sand a tail that wagged behind him. Like a dog. ¡°If you say I am a dog¡± The voice came from the cloak, ¡°you won¡¯t get off easy¡± I immediately shoved the unsaid words down my throat. His eyes were deep blue, his hair blood red and his face stern and firm like I imagined. He definitely looked different from the ones I saw in my memory. But the voice was Vodka¡¯s. ¡°He¡¯s a pure one¡± Rene spoke in a tone that said she knew what I was thinking. ¡°Huh?¡± I turned to her. I doubted her knowledge about my thoughts though... ¡°Look. No gray streak of hair¡± she pointed to Vodka. ¡°Gray¡­? ah!¡± I said now remembering that the people I saw all had gray streaks of hair. Did I look like I wanted to know that...? ¡°We should head out¡± Vodka said stiffly and waved his hand. A bright red sword materialized a few inches away fromus. ¡°Oh~¡± I was a bit intirgued at this new finding. ¡°Come on¡± Rene grabbed my hand and before I knew it I was pulled into the white void. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¡°I¡¯ll advise you to go back the way you came! If you still want your measly lives¡± a creaky old voice rangout by my ear and I opened my eyes to see us in a thicket. ¡°What the---¡± I began. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Teleportation¡± came the brisk answer. ¡°Eh? Then why didn¡¯t you teleport to me?¡± ¡°Teleporting to the Tahalmult desert is impossible. Teleporting away from the desert is plausible¡± Vodkacontinued. I looked at him blankly, ¡°I don¡¯t get it¡± ¡°I see¡± he replied curtly and said no more. ''This rude....!'' ¡°Marielle! We have something interesting let us in¡± Rene screamed. There was silence and then the thicket in front of us parted to reveal a cleanly cut meadow. In the midstwas a cherry blossom tree that looked extremely beautiful. A figure came out from behind the tree revealing an old woman with a walking stick. She looked at usfirmly for a few seconds before she disappeared from my sight leaving the stick to fall on the floor. "You. You look familiar" I saw a saggy face in front of me suddenly. I was shocked and jumped back quickly. "Hmm?" The croaky voice continued. Rene moved her feet and the old lady jumped back, "Your smell!" Rene shrieked, "Take a bath at least once every 5 years" "Oh? It''s Rene and Todd",the lady smiled revealing a set of perfect white teeth. ''Todd?'' I asked Mordred. ''That would be---'' Mordred began "It has been a while, Aunt Marielle" Vodka said with a small bow. The lady was quiet for a moment before flopping on the grass and her stick appeared in front of her, "What might you want?" "The Violet Gladiator" Rene said curtly while holding her nose. I looked at the lady carefully. I couldn''t smell anything bad... Why was Rene acting up? "How many time do I have to tell you that I don''t revive people" Marielle sighed. "No" She pushed me forward, " She''s alive" The lady looked at me, "To get a look alike for her how many worlds did you search? Actually if you did that, you''d be recovering mana, right now... How did you.... You! How do you have her energy?!" She exclaimed. "Eh?" I asked baffled. "Not an immortal body but this energy..." She continued her eyes widening. "It is Her Majesty" Mordred''s voice came through. Marielle was visible surprised as her eyes widened. "This...This is..." "We were quite surprised when we felt her energy too" Vodka interjected. "Felt..? Don''t tell me ..." She began to say. "No, he didn''t notice" Mordred spoke. "I see... What do you need?" She asked. I felt Vodka''s hand on my shoulder. It felt warm. I would have thought it would be cold, just like he is. "Her memories. She forgot everything" He stated. "Oh?" Marielle grinned, "That I can do" The ground shook and a large table came up from the ground. Below it was black. No grass was under the table. Marielle pulled me and I found myself on the table. "Ssshh" she whispered. I tried to get up but I couldn''t. "Alright, Just some blood", she conjured a bucket and I felt breeze on my hand then pain. "Ow!" I shrieked. "Mordred. I need you out" Marielle called, "He won''t notice you here anyways" Mordred materialized and stood beside me. "What is happening?!" I asked confused. He smiled a bit and I looked at my bleeding hand. And slowly but surely. I lost consciousness. Next Chapter ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Well that ends the first arc. I have prom today and grad with moving houses so the next few days are hectic. I''ll be uploading this chapter with my phone so sorry if it ends up weird. I''ll try to get chapters out when I can. Chapter 21~ The beginning AN: Sry for the extremely late chapters. Because of real life, I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll be able to get out chapters. Pls understand. Thx! So into Agnes¡¯ memory, but of course not all are from her memory. Just watch her whole past unfold. Glossary Read, Rate, Comment & Enjoy ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was dark. The only thing that lit up the inside of the petite cottage was the moonlight seeping through the windows. ¡°Milady, relax! Push!¡± A loud groan, followed by whimpering was heard. "Sierra¡­¡± a deep voice sounded in the darkness. The moonlight seemed to shine even brighter and moved to illuminate the owner of the voice. With blood red horns protruding from the corners of his forehead stood a man. His body was enveloped in a dark aura and his skin pulsated purple light. ¡°I¡­. Kingston¡± came a pained voice, ¡°I am fine¡± The creature named Kingston seemed to bite his lips and seemed angry. But on a closer look, it was a face full of sorrow, ¡°I told you, you don¡¯t have to¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine¡± the voice came again and a terrible scream filled the air. ¡°Sierra!¡± Kingston rushed to the barely lit bed. ¡°Sir, please calm down¡± a girlish voice called out frantically. ¡°B-but¡± came Kingston¡¯s flustered voice. Soon heavy panting was heard. Followed by loud weeping, ¡°I made it¡± came the barely audible weeping voice. ¡°Sierra¡­¡± came Kingston¡¯s voice and he fell to his knees. ¡°Hehe¡± came the pained chuckle, ¡°I told you, I can''t die that easily¡±creaking of a bed was heard, ¡°Lucy, light the candles¡± ¡°Yes, madam¡± came the kind voice. The room was soon lit showing five figures in the room. Four women and an demon, Kingston. At the edges of the room lay lanterns and at the far right stood Kingston at the far left was a lady with long black hair and crystal blue eyes. She looked pale and drained and was holding a bloodied baby in her arms. The baby had tiny streaks of blonde hair and made no sound. Suddenly the purple on Kingston seemed to shine even further and envelope him and when the light disappeared, a man with deep green eyes and full head of long white hair was left there. Kingston stepped forward and leaned over the bed and stared at the baby. Slowly the eyes on the baby opened revealing a beautiful pair of blue eyes. ¡°Girl¡­¡± Sierra said softly. One of the ladies took the baby and went a bit further into the cottage then came back with a cleansed baby which she handed back to Sierra. Kingston broke into a wide grin, ¡°She has your eyes¡± then his face turned vile, ¡°But this hair, which man¡­!¡± before he could finish what he was saying he was sent flying across the room. ¡°You!¡± Sierra gritted her teeth and clenched her fists threateningly , ¡°If it was another man¡¯s child, it wouldn¡¯t be this hard and painful!¡± Kingston rolled over to his bottom and scratched his head with a faint smile, ¡°ha-ha, sorry¡± Sierra smiled a bit then glanced at the child, ¡°She didn¡¯t cry¡± ¡°She¡¯s bound to be different from others, Milady¡± the lady at the side of the bed spoke. ¡°I know, Angela, I know¡± Sierra smiled, ¡°Name her?¡± She turned to Kingston. ¡°Eh?!¡± He seemed shocked at the offer and rushed forward to the bed staring the child in the eye, ¡°Cute...¡± he said softly and touched her cheek. At that, the child made a small noise and chuckled. His eyes widened, ¡°She understands what I am saying¡± ¡°I know you like to joke, King but that is unbelievable¡± Sierra chuckled. ¡°Eh? Just now, I wasn¡¯t joking but¡­ hmm...name her Agnes¡± he said thoughtfully ¡°Why Agnes?¡± ¡°Because it sounds like a smart person¡¯s name¡± Kingston said bluntly. There was silence. Sierra sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t know, when people see you they say you are scary but I don¡¯t see it¡± ¡°Haha, that¡¯s a good thing for you, right?¡± he chuckled. Sierra lifted a hand to her cheek, ¡°I guess so¡± ¡°So you are Agnes Marlston, okay?¡± He smiled at the tiny baby and played with her little ears that although subtle were pointy, ¡°Just like an elf¡¯s¡­ huh? No gray streak¡± ¡°Huh?¡± came out of the elf, Lucy¡¯s mouth as she moved closer to the bed, ¡°how is that possible?¡± The baby¡¯s mouth opened but all that came out were gurgles. It was then that she burst into tears. ¡°Wha---¡± Kingston immediately became flustered. Sierra cuddled the baby and began to feed her, ¡°Calm down, Kingston¡± Kingston put his hands which had been up in the air down by his side, he gave an awkward laugh ¡°I was calm¡± A light chuckle was heard right next to him. The girl who chuckled was very short with bulging muscles and the only way to identify her gender was the gown she wore. She however could be called handsome with a chiseled face. Kingston flushed red at the sound of the dwarf girl laughing. Sierra burst into laughter, ¡°Agnes, your father is quite the character, don¡¯t you think?¡± The baby made no response clearly occupied with its drink. She just smiled sweetly at the tiny bundle of joy that she never thought she¡¯s have. ¡°Well, it is a good thing that she doesn¡¯t have a gray streak, right?¡± Sierra said quietly and was answered with nods around the room. She stared at the baby¡¯s face. Even if the baby occurred as a mistake because Kingston and her lost control after being apart for so long, the baby was still precious. Although Sierra smiled outwardly, inwardly she felt saddened. She could imagine what her grandfather would do if he heard she gave birth to Kingston¡¯s child. The conversation she had with him was still vivid: ¡°Grandfather, I don¡¯t want to give this child up¡± She had pleaded. ¡°You dare to stand in front of me and tell me you will give birth to that demon¡¯s child! By the God¡¯s Sierra!¡± He had roared ¡°Grandfather, I already told you countless times that I love him!¡± ¡°Such insolent words! Lock this wench up for she knows no better!¡± He screamed. Immediately guards rushed at her only to find themselves thrown back with great force. ¡°You!¡± he pointed at her fiercely, ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of spell that demon lord used to bind you! But! Do you know what will happen to you if you give birth to a demon child?!!¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± she had said and looked down at her stomach, ¡°But grandfather, this child will become the proof of our love. Even if it takes my life, I want this child to be born¡± ¡°Sierra Lodwood. You speak heinous things against the house of Lodwood. Not once have we been tainted. You have the guts to destroy that?! That demon! He¡¯s making you sacrifice your life for an offspring, how dare he?!¡± her grandfather screamed furiously but Sierra just shook her head. ¡°He already said that the moment the child becomes a threat to my life he¡¯d kill it. But which father really wants to kill their own child or wants it dead? That¡¯s why, I will give birth to the child. So that Kingston won¡¯t have to go through any pain¡± Then she looked straight at her grandfather, ¡°Plus it¡¯s me. I won¡¯t die that easily¡± She smiled and with a step backwards jumped out the window. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°W-What are you doing?!¡± She heard her grandfather¡¯s outraged voice, ¡°Go after her¡± She bit her lip and continued to flee¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Sierra peered once more into the face of her child and smiled softly and whispered, ¡°You were so worth it¡± Kingston upon hearing this chuckled and patted Agnes¡¯ head, ¡°Sorry, I was wrong¡± At this, Sierra burst into laughter. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ¡°Mom!¡± came the voice of a child and a girl in cotton yellow dress and a grass hat came running into a cottage. She had blue eyes and blonde hair and looked around the room, ¡°Papa, you look scary again¡± She noted fondly. The guy with horns looked up and let out a small laugh, ¡°I feel more relaxed like this¡­¡± he trailed off as his eyes met what the small child had in her hands. The creature smiled. To an outsider, this would have been very scary to look at, ¡°Is that for your mom?¡± Startled, the child hid the flower behind her back, ¡°W-What is?¡± Kingston burst into laughter, ¡°Go on¡± he pointed to the door behind him. The small child was all smiles and ran past him inside the door. He looked outside the window and sighed, ¡°5 years. Already in the month of Farahe, I hope things remain as tranquil as they are now¡± he stood up and transform into his human look then proceeded to the room. He found Sierra on the bed chuckling with Agnes. ¡°Kingston¡± She said lovingly as she noticed him. He smiled at her, ¡°Agnes, go play with Lamia¡± The child brightened up and dashed out of the room. ¡°She loves the dwarf¡± Sierra giggled then began to cough. ¡°Milady!¡± Lucy was shocked and dashed out to get some water. Kingston looked at her and knelt down holding her hands in his large palms, ¡°It¡¯s my fault that you¡¯re like this¡± ¡°What? My mana is coming back slowly already. I have 30% now¡± ¡°But it¡¯s been 5 years!¡± he looked at her sharply. She reached out and touched his head gently, ¡°Of course, there would be consequences for giving birth to Agnes and I already knew that. Don¡¯t worry. I lived, didn¡¯t I?¡± Kingston opened his mouth to say something but closed them immediately after and bowed his head with Sierra¡¯s hand resting on it. ¡°I love you¡± he whispered and Sierra just smiled gently. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Master Lodwood, are you sure?¡± ¡°How many times do you want me to repeat myself, Lieutenant Coyole?!¡± The man called Lodwood bellowed. It was night and faces were illuminated by the torches. The men standing around were in armor and they moved stealthily with hushed whispers from time to time. The men seemed to number a hundred and were moving in the direction of a small cottage up the hill. The man called Lodwood had dark circles under his eyes and age seemed to have caught up with him. He was in armor too and his deep blue eyes reflected the moon¡¯s beauty. ¡°Yes¡­¡± the red haired man called Lieutenant Coyole replied, ¡°but how do we get Ms. Sierra out of there?¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t¡± Lodwood replied, his tone cold. Victor Lodwood had lived for a thousand plus years looking over his children. He had reached the rank of an Untouchable and was able to preserve his life for this long. Taking over when any of his lineage died and making sure that the lineage was pure but the demon lord, Marlston was trying to destroy it. ¡°Sir?! What do you mean by we aren¡¯t? Ms. Sierra is your gran---¡° ¡°She¡¯s not my granddaughter!¡± his thunderous voice shook the men and they turned to look at the now enraged Lodwood, ¡°That thing ,that is being deceived and manipulated by that demon is not my daughter!. Besides, that thing shouldn¡¯t be alive anymore, even if it is, don¡¯t leave it alone. It defiles me and bears a demon child. By all means, kill that demon child¡± he grit his teeth as he spat those venomous words. Many of the soldiers gulped deeply, happy, that they were not the receivers of such hate. Lieutenant Coyole seemed lost for words and just ordered his men to pick up the pace. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kingston shot up from his knees as he had been there for hours. He glanced at Sierra whose eyes were filled with alarm. ¡°I know¡± her voice sounded worried, ¡°where is Agnes?¡± She asked frantically. Lamia burst in with Agnes gripping her hand, ¡°Here Milady¡± Sierra then made her way off the bed. ¡°What are you----?¡± Kingston began but she raised a hand to her lips and in a small voice told Lamia ¡°get ready to flee¡± At that, Agnes¡¯ ears seemed to twitch and Lamia grip on her tightened, ¡°Yes¡± she said with a resolute bow. ¡°Sierra...¡± Kingston began. ¡°To have had five years was more than I hoped for don¡¯t you think so too?¡± she said quietly and stretched out her arm. The maid elf looked downcast and place and silver laced robe in Sierra¡¯s hands, ¡°Angela, Lucy¡± She spoke firmly and threw on the robe, ¡°You¡¯ve both served me well¡± At that their eyes widened, ¡°Milady¡± They chorused. ¡°She tugged on the collar of the silver laced robe, ¡°This is my last request Lamia. I hope you can honor it¡± she said solemnly. ¡°Yes!¡± Lamia said her voice audibly shaky. Sierra turned to them and smiled then faced Kingston, ¡°We are going to defend our child¡± she said firmly. He looked at her for a while before smiling a little, ¡°Die after me¡± he said solemnly. She just kept on smiling then looked at the girls, ¡°You all should prepare to leave¡± ¡°No!¡± They screamed and shook their heads furiously, ¡°We chose to flee the Lodwood household to be here, Milady¡± Angela said softly. Sierra shook her head, ¡°This, we definitely won¡¯t live through¡± ¡°We have devoted out lives to you Milady, what is better than serving you till death?!¡± Lucy said firmly. ¡°Death¡­¡± came a small voice. All of them turned to look at the small child. ¡°Get her out of here¡± Sierra mouthed. Lamia tugged on Agnes¡¯ hand but the girl wouldn¡¯t move. ¡°Is mommy coming?¡± she asked quietly. Sierra crouched and patted her head, ¡°I¡¯ll try my very best but¡­ only if you go with Lamia?¡± Agnes seemed to hesitate for a moment before nodding slowly. Sierra smiled and watched her daughter leave through the back door. She could now see torched coming up the hill and she sighed and with a wicked grin said, ¡°Five years of being cooped up doing nothing hehe~, Time to fill my boredom¡± she strolled out majestically out the door and Kingston and the two girls followed suit. Chapter 22~ The true beginning Agnes looked back at her house that now had flames surrounding it. ¡°Miss Agnes, let¡¯s hurry¡± came Lamia¡¯s desperate voice. Agnes listened to the screams that came from her house and looked at the flames that were rising in the direction of her house. She was scared. Very scared. ¡°Mommy¡± she whimpered softly. ¡°Agnes¡­¡± Lamia¡¯s voice sounded cracked, ¡°Sorry, let¡¯s hurry, okay?¡± Agnes managed a nod and after glancing back a few times began to run to keep up with Lamia. Suddenly Agnes heard a scream. And she stopped running. The scream was not familiar but the voice was. It was her mother¡¯s. A thunderous roar shook the ground and from the direction of their house came purple flames. Agnes¡¯ eyes widened and she wrenched her hand from Lamia¡¯s, ¡°Mommy¡­, Daddy¡± she whispered and began to run. Lamia was shocked at the girl¡¯s speed and ran as fast as her stout legs could carry her. But she was a dwarf and dwarves were not very agile especially if they didn''t train to do so. ¡°Miss Agnes! Please come back¡± Lamia beckoned but it all seemed to fall on deaf ears. Agnes ran towards the cottage and saw the purple flames. She reached out to them and nothing happened. She used her whole strength and opened the door. Running inside she poked her head through the window to look for her parents. She saw her mother with something shiny inside her. She cocked her head slowly trying to register what had happened. Then she saw that red liquid dripping from her barely standing mother. Then a memory of something that happened earlier floated into her mind: ¡°Ouch!¡± She had squeaked when playing with the shiny thing in the kitchen and the shiny thing¡¯s edge scraped her palm. ¡°How many times have I said don¡¯t play in here?¡± the maid, Lucy had said sternly while running in after her yell. ¡°Sorry¡± Agnes had mumbled while watching the red stuff leave her hand. It hurt for a while and as usual went back to normal. %%%%% Agnes blinked confused at the scene in front of her house ¡®Why hasn¡¯t the red liquid stop flowing?? It should have gone back to normal¡¯ She thought. ¡°Why are you all still here?!¡± she heard a commanding voice and looked on, ¡°Go find the child. IT is probably escaping right now!¡± The commanding man looked aged and had stern blue eyes with grey hair evading his previously black one. Immediately men in shiny clothing went running in the direction, she and Lamia had been taking. ¡°Grandfather...¡± she heard her mother speak. But her mother sounded like she was in pain. Agnes glanced at her father. He had people all around him. But these people were covered in red stuff. Her father seemed to be finding it difficult to breath. ¡°Who do you call grandfather?! You bewitched thing,are not my daughter!!!¡± the same man screamed, ¡°End their torture¡± He continued angrily. ¡°My child will not get captured by the likes of you¡± Kingston said slowly, his voice filled with conviction. ¡°Y-You!¡± The man screamed and ran towards her father. She could hardly see him run but she could see the shiny thing go through her father, ¡°Die already, you monster¡± he said venomously. ¡°Kingston!!!¡± she head a ferocious scream and suddenly flames enveloped her mother. ¡®Die¡¯ the word repeated in Agnes¡¯ mind. The word didn¡¯t sound nice. She look at her mom and dad who were slowly falling to the floor. ¡®Follow Lamia¡¯ Her mother had ordered. She didn¡¯t come out because she didn¡¯t want her mom to know she disobeyed her but her mother didn¡¯t look well. She then heard the faint words that left her mother¡¯s mouth, ¡®Please live¡¯ Agnes¡¯ eyes widened and as though realization dawn on her opened her mouth to scream. But all that came out was muffled noise. ¡°Sssshh¡± she heard Lamia¡¯s soft voice. ¡°Hmm?¡± the bearded and blue eyed man looked up and peered into the cottage, "I have almost exhausted my Ki reserve so I can¡¯t check. Men, go in the house and kill any living thing inside. If you find nothing. Burn it up¡± He instructed. Suddenly a loud sound came from the house and the man¡¯s eye widened, ¡°Hurry!¡± Agnes felt Lamia¡¯s hand leave her mouth and Lamia darted out the back door. ¡°Follow that shadow!!¡± He screamed loudly and all the people around charged after the shadow. Soon not a sound was heard. Then the loud sound of weeping broke through and Agnes charged out the door. ¡°Mommy!¡± she screamed. ¡°Mommy, wake up!¡± she shook the lifeless body fiercely. But no reaction whatsoever. ¡°Daddy¡­.¡± She said softly, ¡°Daddy¡­ this, is this what you called blood? Mommy blood isn¡¯t stopping, why?¡± she turned to face the demonic face of her father. A face that held no breath. ¡°Daddy?¡± she called confused. She tapped her dad. She could see no red stuff coming out of her dad. She moved closer and touched him, ¡°Daddy..?¡± she called ever so softly. ¡°Daddy why aren¡¯t you getting up?¡± her eyes move to the thing imbedded in her father. She touched it and felt dizzy and drew her hand back immediately, ¡°Ouch¡­¡± she whimpered and began to cry, ¡°Daddy wake up and stop mommy¡¯s blood!¡± Daddy had done it for her way too many times when it wouldn¡¯t go back to normal. Why he wouldn¡¯t do it now?, she couldn¡¯t understand. ¡®Die¡¯¡¯ the words echoed in her mind. ¡°Die¡­¡± she repeated softly¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. ¡°Whenever your blood won¡¯t stop flowing come see me ok?¡± her father had said while patting her head, ¡°If you don¡¯t, you could die, you know?¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Die?¡± she had asked confused. Her dad had just smiled, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you when you need to know. But¡­¡± he poked her nose, ¡°It is a very bad thing, okay?¡± Agnes had just nodded aggressively then¡­¡­¡­.. ¡°Die..¡± Agnes repeated again this time a bit loud and with scared eyes looked at her father ¡°Hey¡± she shook him, ¡°Wake up¡± tears once again began to fill her eyes, ¡°Wake up!¡± her voice went a bit louder and she moved over to her mom shaking her vigorously, ¡°Wake up, Mommy!¡± she yelled desperately but no response. Agnes raised her hand to her face and glanced at the now red palms. But her hand didn¡¯t hurt so it was not hers. ¡°No..¡± she shook her head. And then she heard and clanging sound like a spoon hitting fork but louder. She found herself staring at a red haired man with brown eyes. The man noticed her immediately and reached for his scabbard but no sword lay there. He narrowed his eyes. ¡°Are you Sierra¡¯s child?¡±, the man spoke. Agnes just stared at him with tear filled eyes. Suddenly the man seemed to disappear and reappear right beside her, holding her throat. Agnes¡¯s eyes widened in surprise and began to cough while screaming, ¡°Let me go!¡± This persisted for a while and Agnes began to not feel her legs and began to see dark spots then the grip on her throat was gone. She found herself staring into the man¡¯s brown eyes. She took a step back scared. ¡°Because Ms. Sierra saved me¡­. Run¡± he said softly. ¡°Eh?¡± she retorted reflexively. ¡°RUN!¡± he said angrily while clenching his teeth. Agnes looked towards the cottage, ¡°I¡­ Lamia¡­¡± ¡°HURRY!¡± the man sounded very desperate. Agnes was confused but she took two steps backwards and then with a swift turn took to her heels. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¡°Lieutenant?¡± a voice called. The red haired man turned around to see a soldier standing there, ¡°Ah, Marcus¡± ¡°Why are you here?¡± Marcus asked. Coyole just smiled faintly and drew out the sword embedded in Kingston :It¡¯s a precious sword. Wouldn¡¯t want to waste a few hundred thousand Mahs now, would we?¡± Marcus chuclked, ¡°Lodwood¡¯s looking for you. I think he¡¯s finally gone senile¡± ¡°Hmm? Why? He got the child, didn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Nah, was a stupid dwarf maid¡± Marcus said fiercely. One could tell, Marcus was not dwarf friendly. ¡°Then¡­?¡± Coyole began. ¡°Yes. We don¡¯t know where the child is¡± Marcus said and waved him over, "Let''s go" After Marcus had gone a bit further, Coyole sighed lightly, ¡°That was close, only this once¡­¡± he muttered and followed Marcus closely behind. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Agnes was panting heavily and she leaned on a nearby tree. The adrenaline rush had faded and all the corpses that she saw floated into her mind and she hurled. She was panting feverishly and dropped to her knees. She swallowed. Then for the first time since she¡¯d been running thought of Lamia and then she remembered the look in the red haired man¡¯s eyes when she mentioned that name. Lamia was ''die''. (AN: not a typo). And it was her fault. Agnes buried her face in her laps and wept in the midst of the trees. And from there, she drifted away. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself covered and moving slowly. She yawned loudly and the movement stopped. ¡°Awake now, lad?¡± She heard a sweet voice. A young man was peering into her face. She looked around and found herself in a wooden container. Slowly nodding the man beamed and raised up the container making her fall out. She scraped her arm on the floor and in turn glared at him. ¡°It¡¯s been quite a pain to carry all the way here, you know?¡± he smiled and nudged the lady standing beside him. Agnes¡¯ eyes drifted over to where the lady stood and scanned her. The lady looked human just like the man. Well except from the animalistic ears and tails waving around from behind them. The man stared at her, ¡°never seen a Lurk before?¡± he asked. Agnes looked at him and shook her head. He smiled an patted her head, ¡°So innocent¡± At that action, Agnes¡¯ eyes watered and she burst into tears. ¡°Wha----Cameron, what did you do??¡± the lady shrieked frantically. ¡°Daddy!¡± Agnes cried out tearing profusely. ¡°I did nothing, Ruby,¡± he replied, shaking his head. ¡°C¡¯mere¡± Ruby said softly and embraced Agnes while rubbing her back, ¡°it¡¯s alright, dear. Calm down¡± she soothed while Agnes continued to wail. Agnes felt her tears refuse to come after a while and sniffed while reaching up to hold her head because of the slight pain she felt there. ¡°Are you okay now?¡± she heard Ruby ask. Agnes made a swift nod and Ruby withdrew her embrace and stretched out her hand which Agnes held onto. %%%%%%% Agnes opened her eyes again and looked around. She was surprised that it was this dark. She remembered them stopping to eat and had eaten a lot because of hunger but she didn¡¯t know where she was or more importantly were Cameron and Ruby were. She felt around the place where she laid and realized it felt like wood. She hypothesized that she was in a wagon. But the wagon wasn¡¯t moving and there was hardly any noise except from some crackling sound and she could smells flames signaling that the sound was from the flames. Chapter 23~ The first Previously on To Remember... AN: So tomorrow seems to be the day of travel. As I promised earlier, will greet y¡¯all when I come back with three chapters. Anyways, I finally have time from all the packing and moving and applications so HERE: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Agnes looked around and spotted the couple she had been traveling with sitting across each other and in the middle a crackling fire. She wanted to get out of the wagon and get closer to them but then she heard the man speak. ¡°Tch, if I knew she¡¯s be this much trouble, I wouldn¡¯t have bothered taking her to the capital¡± he sounded agonized ¡°You said she¡¯d get us money if we sold her as a slave. But she¡¯s eaten up half of all the money we have on us!¡± the lady shrieked angrily in response. ¡®Slave¡­?¡¯ Agnes thought. It was a word she knew. Lamia used to be one of those. And Lamia said those were awful. Agnes¡¯ eyes widened and she realized that this situation was not a good one. But she was just five years old so she didn¡¯t really know what to do. She looked around and decided to get out of the wagon. Instead of letting her creep out quietly, the wagon creaked then tilted and made her fall off. ¡°Ouch¡± she grimaced rubbing her elbow. She heard the crunching of leaves and Ruby and Cameron made their way towards her. ¡°Are you okay?¡± came Cameron¡¯s sweet voice ¡°Did you just wake up?¡± Ruby¡¯s gentle voice followed. Agnes was scared. They were acting very different from a while ago. She slowly moved her head from the left to the right. ¡°Oh? Then you¡¯ve been awake for a while?¡± Ruby smiled and placed her hands behind her. Agnes shivered at that smile and then stood up startling Ruby and Cameron. She opened her mouth to speak then with a swift motion took to her heels. Ruby¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Bitch! She heard us!¡± She slapped Cameron¡¯s back and ran after her. Agnes was running furiously but she could hear footsteps behind her. She tried to increase her speed and saw fire in front on her and immediately stopped, tumbling in the process. She felt the back of her dress grabbed and was spun around to face Cameron whose face no longer held the sweet look. He cackled, ¡°Did you really just try to outrun us?¡± Agnes shook her head furiously. ¡°Oh?¡± he smiled viciously, ¡°Then what were you doing?¡± Agnes was shaking, ¡®What are they going to do to me¡¯ She wanted to cry for help but was too scared to move her mouth. ¡°I asked, what were you doing?!¡± Cameron roared in her face. ¡°I-I-I-I¡­¡± She began. She glanced behind him to see Ruby smiling cockily. Then she saw something by Cameron¡¯s leg. The moonlight had directed her attention to it. It was glass. Broken glass. She looked right into Cameron¡¯s eyes and began to struggle to break free. His grip was very tight and Agnes could barely move. But with all the struggling movement, Agnes was now at arm¡¯s length from the glass. She was panting furiously. ¡°Oi, Ruby. This one is troublesome¡± Cameron smiled. ¡°Did you just notice?¡± Ruby chuckled, ¡°Just put her in the wagon. At least we don¡¯t have to act anymore¡± ¡°Yea, yeaa.¡± Cameron laughed. At this point, Agnes grabbed the glass and stabbed the hand holding her dress with all the force she had. He screamed furiously and let her go. Agnes stared at the two in front of her. She was feeling dizzy and unsteady. She kept panting loudly. ¡°This bitch!¡± Cameron screamed and charged towards her. Agnes felt herself move and everywhere went purple then black. %%%%%% Ruby watched as Cameron darted towards the little girl. ¡°He¡¯s so hotheaded against a little girl¡± She scoffed but what happened next baffled her. The girl glowed purple and moved steadily from the path Cameron was charging into. Cameron was obviously enraged and he charged at Agnes without care and the small bleeding hand that held and green broken glass moved upwards and Cameron found himself stabbed in the heart. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. It was then that Cameron seemed to come to his senses, ¡°Wha---?¡± he asked baffled with another swift motion, Agnes let the glass fall and with her right hand hit the right side of his head. Instead of hearing a crack from the impact, the gruesome scene of a head falling from its body followed and Cameron¡¯s lifeless body hit the floor. Ruby couldn¡¯t make a sound. She didn¡¯t understand what just happened. The crunching of leaves was heard and she found herself facing the purple glowing blue eyed Agnes. The face that looked at Ruby was lifeless and unlike Ruby¡¯s assumption, Agnes¡¯ eyes were black. There was no hint of light in them. Agnes looked just like a demon to Ruby. Suddenly after staring at her Agnes took a step forwards and at this Ruby let out a bloodcurdling scream. ¡°NO! Don¡¯t come any closer!¡± Agnes took another step forward. ¡°I¡¯m begging you!¡± Ruby was scared beyond belief. She couldn¡¯t believe what was happening. Not at all. Agnes suddenly charged at her and she screamed in fear then she felt the wind brush past her and looked up. Agnes was gone. She turned around to see a small glowing figure moving further away. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Agnes blinked and found herself in a thick covering in the forest. She looked around and saw no one. She didn¡¯t understand what was going on. After the blackness she remembered nothing. She felt for where she was lying down and used her arms to sit up. She felt inexplicably weak for some reason. She felt her head wanting to split and grabbed it with her left hand. Her right hand felt weird and she looked at it. She couldn¡¯t see well so she moved a little towards the light and realized that it was not night anymore. Her stomach rumbled and she grabbed her stomach with her right hand and looked at her now dirty yellow dress. She patted her head realizing that her grass hat was gone too. She scooted weakly towards the morning light seeping through the leaves and let go of her stomach. She stared down at her yellow dress that had hints of red from her parents and began to cry. She raised her right hand to wipe her tears and then stopped. She looked at them startled there was dry blood on them. It was not her parent¡¯s blood she knew that very well. Ruby and Cameron had helped her wash the blood off her hands. ¡®Whose blood is this?¡¯ she pondered and patted herself down but she could find no deep injuries on her body. She cocked her head to the right obviously confused. She closed her eyes and remembered Cameron holding her by the dress and then the glass beside him. Then she realized that she couldn¡¯t remember what happened after Cameron charged at her. She tried racking her brain to jolt the memory but that just gave her a head ache. She sighed and rested on the tree stump behind her. ¡°What could have---¡° she began to speak but then countless images rushed into her head and she held her head tightly as it threatened to fall off from the information overload. Her eyes darted around confused and then it widened. ¡°What is this?¡± She asked herself baffled. In her head, she could see her hand cut off Cameron¡¯s head. She stood up shakily, ¡°There¡¯s no way, I would do this...¡± she muttered absentmindedly. Then Ruby¡¯s scared image floated into her mind. ¡°No¡­¡± Agnes muttered and with an earthshaking roar once again, ¡°NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!¡±
PREVIOUS CHAPTERTO REMEMBER...NEXT CHAPTER
Chapter 24 ~ Lost and Found The burly man behind the counter quietly cleaned the cup. He glanced at the small blonde girl tied behind the counter. The girl¡¯s eyes were open but she wasn¡¯t moving. ¡°Hey Old man! Do you have something for me?¡± A jolly voice rang out in the bar causing heads to turn. ¡°If I didn¡¯t have something for you, I wouldn¡¯t have called¡±, came the grumpy reply. A man garnered up in red was the owner of the first voice. He sat at the counter and slid something to the burly man. The old man raised a brow then scoffed, ¡°Found in the bushes¡± then cocked his head to the right. The man in red smiled and walked behind the counter. ¡°Oh? Blonde and blue, rare¡± he commented. ¡°You think so?¡± the burly man replied. The man in red gave a small nod then knelt down, ¡°Yo¡± The girl¡¯s eyeball moved until they landed on him. They stayed like that for a while until her eyelids slowly dropped and she looked dead. The man chuckled then stood up and dusted his trousers. ''Nothing I haven''t seen before'' he thought as he walked to the door and in a quiet voice said: ¡°Sack her¡± ---------------------------------------------------------- Agnes slowly opened her eyes and looked around. It was dark and she felt weak. She moved her arms and the sound of chains followed. She moved her feet and the same thing happened. ¡°Would you stop? You¡¯re hurting my ears¡± came a grumpy and childish voice from her front of Agnes. ¡°It¡¯s the one who came yesterday¡± another voice followed. This time female from the right. Agnes stopped moving and rested on the wall behind her. ¡°She¡¯s a quiet one¡± a sassy female voice rang out from the front-right. ¡°Uh-huh. The first male voice said. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± A sweet male voice resounded from her left No reply. ¡°Name?? Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t have one?¡± the sassy one continued. ¡°Linde, you are being rude¡± ¡°Jeis, we are all in a cage. That itself is already rude¡± A sigh was heard. ¡°Anyone have left over candles? I can¡¯t see a thing¡± the first male voice said. ¡°You had the last candle, Kulai¡± Linde replied. A chuckle was heard, ¡°What happened to it?¡± the sweet male voice came again. ¡°You make it sound like I did something to it, gee Steve¡± ¡°Because you probably did¡±, a totally different voice from the front-left. ¡°Even Mexa thinks so¡± Jeis¡¯ voice rang out ¡®5 people¡¯ Agnes thought. A loud sound like iron hitting iron was heard and then the creaking of metal followed by shuffling of feet was heard to the right of Agnes. Light began to stream in as 7 men filed in holding candles. Agnes cringed at the sudden light. ¡°Awake now, are you?¡± came a cold voice. Agnes looked up at a man wearing a worn out colorful shirt that seemed to have faded from overuse and red shorts. It was the man that put her in a sack. He squatted down to her eye level and smirked obviously satisfied with something. ¡°Dinner time¡± he spoke very softly. Different from what Agnes was expecting, ¡°If you¡¯re wondering where you are, well you don¡¯t need to know since you won¡¯t be getting out unless I want you to¡± he then smiled, his plump cheeks parting to reveal his brown teeth ¡°As for how you got here¡­. You know that, don¡¯t you?¡± he gave a breif nod to the men behind him, got up and walked away. The sound of the metal door following soon after. The remaining six men hurriedly opened the cages and dropped the candle in the hold on each cage door. The children filed out orderly while the man who opened Agnes¡¯ cage went over to unlock her chains. She didn''t struggle. Just stayed still. Soon enough, the men were gone and a middle aged lady filed in pushing a cart. She dropped 6 bowls on the ground and walked out. The once noisy children did not make a sound while all this was happening. Once the lady left, they all grabbed a bowl and sat down. ¡°You coming?¡± Linde asked. Agnes didn¡¯t make a sound and just walked over the grabbed a bowl while scanning them. Linde was human, with fiery red hair and blue eyes. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. The girl sitting by her right had green and seemed really stout with a squared nose. A typical dwarf. The girl opposite her had pale red hair but there was a gray streak of hair on her face. There was a small diamond imbedded in her head and pointy ears but a bushy tail hung out behind her and no claws. She was an elf mix. The gray hair made it all the more clear that she was a semi. The boy beside the elf mix was smiling gently. He had brown hair and beautiful green eyes. Human. The last person was a male. A pure lurk with the wagging tail and the soft looking ears. A dog lurk, signified by the paws. Well, not exactly dog paws. ¡°Hello¡± the human boy spoke, ¡°You never said your name¡±. Steve. ¡°Are you dumb by any chance? Or deaf?¡± the elf mix said. Jeis. ¡°If she was deaf, how would she know you were asking?¡± Linde scoffed. ¡°Ohhhhh¡± Jeis said in realization. ¡°Hey guys¡± the lurk suddenly spoke. ¡®Kulai¡¯ Agnes noted. ¡°What?¡± Jeis asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t she a semi?¡± he asked. ¡°Wha--- how many times have I told you not to use that word?!¡± Jeis shrieked as she pounced on him and began to hit him. ¡°It slipped¡± he cried in defense. The rest kept drinking their soup as though it was a normal occurrence. ¡°She looks like one though¡± Linde suddenly spoke out. At that they all turn to the blonde- and blue girl who wouldn¡¯t make a sound. ¡°She has pointy ears¡± Jeis gasped. ¡°But no diamond¡± ¡°Wow. She looks human if you cover her ears¡± Steve¡¯s sweet voice rang out. ¡°But where is her gray hair?¡± Kulai asked. The rest of them looked at her baffled. ¡°If you cut it, it grows back immediately. I know from experience¡± Jeis said. ¡°Maybe her ears just happen to be super pointy¡± Kulai said. ¡°Where are you from?¡± Linde finally asked the question bothering everyone. Agnes looked up and stared at them for a moment then she lifted up her bowl and drained it then proceeded into the cage closing it behind her. ¡°I think she¡¯s dumb¡± Linde said. ¡°Definitely not deaf though¡± Jeis chuckled. ¡°Cards anyone?¡± Kulai asked. ¡°With melted candles again?¡± the dwarf girl finally said something. From the voice Agnes could tell she was Mexa. ¡°Why not?¡± Steve giggled. ¡°I think the soup has sleeping drugs again, sheesh¡± Linde grimaced as she took a spoon. ¡°Oh? What kind of tongue do you have to taste it?¡± Kulai asked with a baffled face. ¡°You¡¯re the dog here, how come you don¡¯t taste it?¡± Linde scoffed at him. ¡°Wha---- heyyy!!!!¡± He bellowed angrily. Jeis and Steve just laughed while Mexa kept a straight face. Agnes slowly closed her eyes, eradicating any sound she could hear and tried to fall asleep. Images of her dead parents flooded her mind, giving her endless nightmares. She had barely lived the past few years. She didn''t care what happened to her at this point. She just wanted to be back with her parents again. ---------------------------------------------- Agnes jolted up to her body drenched in water. ¡°Get up!¡± a roar greeted her. It was dimly lit. She glanced around and recognized the cage from yesterday. She could make out the pained faces of the other children. Jeis in particular seemed to be telling her to come out of her cage. She looked up but could not make out the man¡¯s face. It was blurry and dark. ¡°I said get up¡± he screamed and kicked her. Pain coursed through her body but she didn¡¯t make a sound. Slowly, she descended back to the floor while the man rained kicks on her and she closed her eyes. It were as though she couldn¡¯t feel a thing. --------------------------------------------------------- ¡°Obedient my ass!¡± a man yelled as he threw books on the floor, ¡°He gave me a dumb bitch!!!!!!¡± His big frame heaved up and down making it obvious that he had been throwing a fit for a while. Suddenly the door opened and a young man walked in. ¡°Did you manage to get the girl awake?¡± Tendo asked grumpily without facing the man that stepped in. ¡°No, Mr. Tendo. We tried everything. Electricity, whips, ice. Nothing¡± the man spoke. ¡°Fuck Fuck Fuck!!!!¡± he screamed and slammed the table making it break into two then walked towards the young man Tendo grabbed the man by his shirt, ¡°Go get that oldie and tell him, he gave me a defect slave¡± He threw the man at the door while the man scurried to his feet and away. Tendo held his head and clicked his tongue, ¡°What a waste of a hundred¡­..¡± He bit his lips the stood straight up, ¡°Wiser! Go get Marshall¡± ¡°Yes Sir!¡± a clear voice came from outside the door and soon there was silence. AN: The grammar and spelling errors are numerous. I know. I will do a thourough proofreading when I get back. *Imagine me bowing*
PREVIOUS CHAPTER To Remember¡­ NEXT CHAPTER
Chapter 25 ~ the slave "So? What do you say?" Tendo grinned widely. "I''ll have to see to tell", the man called Marshall looked on sternly. "Haha! Of course" Tendo chortled. "Get the girl" Tendo ordered. The men on standby hurried to the task. Soon enough, they reappeared with a tiny girl. She was hardly 3 feet and looked to be six years of age. Her eyes were half open and her expression was placid. Judging from her bruises, she had been beaten up recklessly. Marshall smiled, "What a rare combination. People will love it" he smacked his lips. "Right? Rare blonde hair and crystal blue eyes for just 150 silver" Tendo beamed but cursed inwardly, ''this girl! After all that work she is finally conscious now?!'' Marshall scrutinized the girl then nodded, "I''ll take it" Tendo clapped his hand and grinned widely, "Thank you, Marshall" ----------------------------------------------------- Agnes had been half awake till she was loaded in a carriage but couldn''t hold her conscious up anymore and had collapsed. She felt odd as her body.... the pain she should feel wasn''t there. She didn''t know why. She sat up and looked around. Her eyes stopped at her left. There was a girl there sharpening a wooden spear. The girl seemed just notice Agnes''s movements. "I''m Aileen", she said curtly and then looked up, " You?" Agnes stared at her for a while before looking at her self. She was dressed in a pale brown gown. Nothing she had before was with her. She suddenly felt tears rush to her eyes but she held them back just as fast. "What? Are you ignoring me?" Aileen scoffed and her attention was back to sharpening her spear. Agnes opened her mouth to speak but no sound came out. That surprised her so she tried again. But nothing. Her eyes widened and she held her throat trying to cough but still no sound. ''What is going on?!'' She shrieked inwardly. A faint bell resounded throughout the room. Aileen grabbed her spear and walked towards the door. "To think i tried to talk to you because you were out for 2 days" she mumbled and was out the door. It was then Agnes took a good look at her body. ''If my memory is right, I was beaten up...'' She inspected her hands and then her legs. There was not even a scratch on it. ''Did they heal me?'' She thought but as soon as the thought came she shoved it aside. She ran her mind through everything that had happened and she held her throat. Just for instant, her eyes turned black. ''The voice that Mom liked....'' With that she got up and walked out the metal doors that Aileen went through. Once at the door passage, she saw many people walking in one direction. Many looked like adults and some were of her age. Few of them wore the brown gown that she wore. There was chattering from all directions of the huge hall. She felt a bit intimated but apart from a few glances no one payed much attention. Shrugging her shoulders, she walked with the grown and soon found herself in a bigger room. "Wow!" She tried to exclaim but no sound came out. The room was humongous but apart from that it was extremely plain. Having lived indoors majorly, Agnes was a bit fascinated. "We are under the Colosseum", a voice close to her ear spoke. She turned to see a boy who was a head taller than her, dressed in black and carrying a sword. "New?" He said non chalantly. She nodded softly. "Figured. There''s soot all over your face" ''Soot...what''s that?'' She thought but touched her face a bit and looked at her hand. It was covered in black dust. After considering whether to vigorously wipe it off or ignore it, she nodded at the boy and walked away. ---------------------------------------------------------- Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on."The profits from yesterday was huge" Marshall chortled away at the corner of the room with men who looked at least 35. They chugged the huge beer in their bottles and laughed. "It is expected from the storm queen to rake in such profits!" an obviously drunk man laughed savagely. "Who wouldn''t pay to see her massacre her opponents", replied another with a playful look as his right eye was covered by his black hair Marshall''s eyes scanned the room with a grinned plastered on his face. Every living thing under the colloseum was there to get him money. There were more ''Savages'' than gladiators and Marshall was glad of that. The savages were not eligible to get paid a dime until they earned high ranking in ''Dark Home''. Suddenly, Marshall caught the sight of long blonde hair at the edge of his perception and the wide grin on his face disappeared replaced by disbelief. "T-That..." "Hmm? What''s wrong?" A man with spike blue hair turned to him. "Huh? Nothing!" He waved it off and laughed with the chattering men. Then at the side of his eyes looked back. The girl who he bought for a very cheap 150 rals that was half dead. She was scarless. He ran countless simulations in his mind before narrowing his eyes then as thought nothing had happened, he smiled cheerfully. Just as he smiled, his eyes met the eyes of the little blonde girl. There was nothing in her eyes. No emotion at all. Her face had a blank expression then she turned away. He was a bit stunned. Usually, the new ones glared at him and their hatred was evident. He brushed it off and turned away. "That''s a new reaction", he scoffed and his mind was back to ogling the profits he had made, ''Hehe, these men think they can make me share the profits'' he thought keeping up his cheerful facade ---------------------------------------------------------- Agnes stared at the man who bought her. She wanted to kill him, shred him to pieces! It was the first time she truly wanted to kill someone. Oddly enough, she felt no hatred for Tendo. No, she didn''t even fully register Tendo''s existence in her mind. She was found in the forest and almost immediately after, she was sold. If anything, she was thankful to him for getting her out of her lifeless state of grieving and self hatred. But Marshall, she hated him. For buying her? No. She just hated him. It was irrational. There was no profound reason just an instinctual hate. And that hate made her want to remove him from her sight. It was irrational. It took all that she had to turn away from the man. She knew how weak she was. No matter what she wanted, the Agnes right now was just powerless. Right when she was about to turn away, she felt something in her about to take over her. She froze on the spot trying not to slip out of control of her body. Narowing her eyes, she wondered what exactly that was. She had an inkling but wasn''t sure and just sighed inwardly, ''Mom...'' Something like this had happened when she killed Cameron. ''Something'' just took over. She registered the direction most people walked in and followed. Then a drop of blood slid out of her mouth and she wiped it off quickly. Chapter 26~ Welcome to the Colosseum Agnes scanned the room after turning away as fast as she could to avoid any complications with Marshall. She took in the sight of many others dressed in the pale brown dress which she wore regardless of gender. One thing she could note though was that there were no elves. No¡­ they were elves?? She wasn¡¯t knowledgeable about many things but she saw people who looked like elves but they has that odd gray streak. The vast majority did not wearing the pale brown cloth, she noted. They wore eccentric clothing. She saw many picking up a bowl and then getting and scoop of some brownish liquid from a lady far back. Slowly she followed suit and took a bowl and took what was supposed to be mushroom soup. She saw an empty corner and went over to sit on the floor while pondering her circumstances and wondering if she could get out of here. The image of that man screaming ¡°Run¡± popped into her head and she once again offered a silent thanks to her life saver. Agnes knew that her being alive was thanks to him and her situation right now was not merry and it would be hard for her to have days like she had with her parents and she was too small and weak too do anything about that. Plus she had no knowledge about anything, the colosseum didn¡¯t seem to have a library where she could learn something. Suddenly, a loud bang was heard forcing Agnes to look up from her tasteless bowl of soup. She saw a well-endowed female who had no qualms about showing off her assets with the half shirt she wore that exposed her cleavage and slightly torn pants. On her hand she had a gauntlet on and a smirk was on her face and her bright red hair covered half her face. She sat down on the table and roared, ¡°Hey brown bastards!¡± and the effect grabbed the attention of the ones clothed in pale brown gown. Weirdly enough, the only ones wearing brown were those in the cloth. Agnes narrowed her eyes at the lady. ''Does she mean us?¡¯ ¡°Since you are all new, you need to go to the lecture hall after your¡­¡± she looked at the bowls with eyes of disgust, ¡°¡­meals¡±. ¡°Huh?¡± many voiced their confusing. A boy spoke out his confusion, ¡°Where is this lecture hall?¡± At that the red head grinned, ¡°Find your way there¡± ¡°What---¡±, he wanted to say something but she had already flung herself from the table and walked off. ¡®Fast¡¯, Agnes thought. The girl moved so swiftly as though she had no bones. Thinking carefully about what the girl had said, she decided to face her bowl of soup again She stared at it then began to wonder why she was even drinking the soup in the first place, she didn''t really feel hungry anyways. It looked more like something that would poison her than give her nutrients. She glanced around the room to see many angry faces, some injured and some who looked like they might jump at Marshall any moment. Honestly, Agnes was surprised the man was still alive and kicking seeing as he was in charge of a place where the majority wanted to kill him and somehow she could guess that some actually could. Agnes stared at her food wondering what month it was. Suddenly the girl known as Aileen stood up. Her eyes met Agnes¡¯ for a moment before she broke of contact and said in a soft but cold voice, ¡°Follow me. I¡¯ll show where the lecture hall is¡±. To Aileen saying this, the non-brown wearers had a bit of a reaction. They seemed surprised but that was it. Her voice was heard at all corners of the room so it was probably mana fueled. Without waiting for anyone to say anything she began to walk off. Many hurriedly followed her and Agnes stumbled to her feet and dropped her half eaten bowl in the trash following closely behind the mass of people. Even without counting, it was easy to figure they numbered under 100. She looked closely at the clothing of others who didn¡¯t wear brown. They all had one thing in common. Some kind of weapon. Even Aileen who was apparently a mage had one. They were led down the hall and Agnes found herself walking for quite a while. Her eyes darted everywhere taking in the structure of the place and the size. ¡®How big is the colosseum? This is just the underground and it is ginormous¡¯.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. She raised her hand to her throat wondering if her voice will ever come back. If she was healed by her own power then she should be able to speak again soon but if it was an outside party that healed her scars then she probably would not be able to speak again. Aileen suddenly stopped walking and pointed at the metal door to her left and once again without any warning just walked away. Agnes was evidently startled by it and glanced towards the direction she had pointed at. Abruptly, the door flung open and they found themselves staring at a room brightly lit by the sun and completely empty. Suspiciously a few at the front had entered but seemed startled. Soon many followed suit and all began to file into the room but they didn''t seem startled. Agnes saw the only thing that must have been in the room when they entered. It was a pedestal with crystals embedded on it. She wondered why they were startled but it was understandable as she didn''t know very much. Agnes wondered what they were as she had no knowledge on things like that. The pedestals shone a bit and an image of an aged man appeared behind it. If not for the fact that she saw the man appearing from the pedestal, she would believe that he was real. The projection made no sound and just stared ahead as though waiting for them all to sit down. Agnes made herself comfortable beside a seemingly 12 year old girl who had short brown hair and seemed completely human but had a very long strand of grey hair which Agnes wondered why she didn¡¯t cut it, however it was not her first time seeing it today. She had seen many in the dining hall before with long gray strands. Some had short strands too. She also wondered why she didn¡¯t have any gray strand like others. ¡°First of all, this is the Kingdom of Ferasi, the land of the blood elves on Venoth. If you do not know who or what blood elves are, just know that any who attempt escape will become their food¡± the projected old man spoke all of a sudden and Agnes stiffened for a second. She glanced around and noticed that the majority didn¡¯t even bother to listen. ¡°And we are under the colosseum¡±, he continued and his gaze changed to one of contempt, ¡°Wherever you came from doesn¡¯t matter here and your only work is to entertain. When I say entertain, I don¡¯t mean dancing or singing, I mean to fight. "To live, you must entertain, to entertain you need to be strong if not then you can make a visit to hell¡±, his eyes scanned the room as though looking for something. "If the audience, the citizens of Ferasi do not like you, we will feed you to the dogs" Many in the room flinched uncomfortably at his words. It would seem more had started to pay attention to the white bearded man. He really looked as though he was there as his eyes scanned the room. ¡°Ki and Mana. Ki is refined energy force and mana is the conversion of energy force. It is common knowledge that not everyone is born with a mana channel. "Even among those born with a mana channel, not all of them can use it. No elf has ever had one but all elves can use mana" Then he grew silent. Agnes didn¡¯t know how much time had passed then suddenly he yelled furiously, ¡°LISTEN!!!!¡± True to his words many were laying around and ignoring him and this startled them quite a bit. ¡°Hmph¡±, he scoffed then continued, ¡°I will teach you the basics then you are all on your own¡± ¡®He is an illusion, right?¡¯ Agnes pondered. Then she felt the girl beside her poking her side. She turned to see her holding out a blue piece of clothing. ¡°Clean your face¡±, she mumbled just loud enough for Agnes to hear. At that Agnes recalled that there was something called soot on her face which she ignored. She nodded and muttered a thanks then wiped her face half-heartedly. "The unknowledgeable amongst you should listen well or you WILL become food", he started, "Ki, mana, energy force, mage, warrior. These are the terms you have heard or are hearing for the first time. These words are your keys to survive under the colosseum. "What is Energy force? I don''t know. It has been there before I was born and before our ancestors were born. It just is. Energy force is everywhere. Everyone can feel it even if they aren''t a mage or warrior. "Energy force by nature is wild and uncontrollable. Using energy force raw is nigh impossible. For humans, elves, dwarfs, lurks and wild monsters, energy force takes a blue shade. "Just like everyone can feel energy force. Everyone is born with Ki paths. Using those Ki paths is another matter. Ki is refined energy force. The Ki paths travel through your body and is also where you will refine the energy force. "To use energy force, just call it into your body and lead it into your Ki paths not your Ki expanse or it will collapse. When energy force is refined in the expanse, it becomes transparent. How long Ki refinement takes depends on the person. Ki is then led through the Ki paths" "As for the refining technique, you will get it when you leave this room", he stopped, letting his eyes wander the room then continued, "Ki however is red... why?" he paused and someone''s hand shot up. A feral grin spread on the old man''s face and something in the ceiling moved and almost immediately a shrill cry followed. Agnes'' face contorted in horror as the boy whose hand had been raised was impaled with a spear. Red streaks adorned the garments of the people who sat next to him. Sounds of bowels being emptied was heard at corners of the room. The old man cleared his throat and all eyes in the room turned to him. He didn''t even give an explanation, just stared back at them blankly. Agnes felt choked and tried to control her bowels. ''It''s just a projection'', she told herself pushing the death she just saw to the recesses of her mind. "Ki is red due to the Ki paths having some blood in them. The Ki gains blood essence while circuiting clockwise. Ki rotation afterwards is done automatically. Using Ki that hasn''t been bathed in your blood essence is tantamount to suicide. It will not obey you. Refined or not, Energy force is not yours till you make it yours", he continued as though nothing has happened. "Once this step is finished, one has become a rank 1 fighter. Simple, right? One''s rank is determined by the amount of Ki in your Ki expanse and Ki paths. The amount you can hold is what you can use. Ki paths can be increased naturally or with techniques. Advancement in Ki and mana usage depend on your innate talent. Rank is determined by how many times your Ki expanse or mana well expands. "Now, mana. Mana is not something everyone can use. Only those with a mana channel can use it. You are either born with one or not. Mana is simply converted energy force. I say converted but that''s just to make it seem fancy. "The mana channel simply ''tames'' energy force, it doesn''t change it but EF that has passed through a mana channel becomes the owner''s. As such mana is blue just like energy force. To use mana, one has to awaken your mana channel. "It looks like a pulsating lump of flesh in your mind. Once you are able to reach it mentally, it stops pulsating.... well it should and will begin to convert the EF around you. If you cannot reach your mana channel no matter how much you try, forget it. Mana is not for you. This process can kill so it''s advised to do it when one is over 5.You should have enough body mass by then", he abruptly stopped and turned to a corner of the room. Swiftly, the ceiling revealed another spear, impaling the girl beside Agnes. The warm blood soaked Agnes'' face compelling her to scream as she moved backward. Her body shook as she sent a fierce glare to the projection, trying her best not to jump at it. The girl was the one who gave her the cloth to wipe her face. Agnes looked at the now black and red clothing and found it difficult not to cry. "Do not try to circulate your Ki or discover your mana talent while I am talking", he said crisply pausing for effect then flashed a crooked smile. "It irritates me" "But as I said earlier, all elves can use mana even though they are never born with a mana channel. Why?" Once again he paused. The room fell silent as the deadly glares that the old man had been getting throughout his speech intensified. From the cluster at the door, it was obvious that many had tried to leave the room but got thrown back in. They couldn''t leave until he was done and they couldn''t do anything to him as he wasn''t even in the room. Majority of the room occupant has never cultivated before so even if he was present, they couldn''t harm him. So they did what they could. Glare fiercely and hope to kill. He cleared his throat in the exact same way as before - like a recording and spoke, "Elves are born with diamonds on their forehead. This diamond is a mana channel for them. Don''t bother ripping one from their foreheads to use it. It loses its function once the elf is dead" Then he laughed, ¡°Trust me, I¡¯ve tried" Chapter 27~ A new acquaintance Agnes sat on her bed as she tried to wash away the experience in that room but remember word for word the instructions the aged human had given. Many had lost their rationality and immediately tried to attack the man but alas it was simply a projection. Agnes thought it was a record at first but there was no way a recording could adapt to the situation in the room as fast... unless this had happened before? ''No way! There would definitely be some changes''. The anger in her heart was burning and it was taking all she had to quench it. Actually, it was less anger at the man and more thirst for blood... yes, that delicious.... ''NO!'' she yelled inwardly, frightened at her thoughts. Her eyes widened. ''Am I going insane? Why would I want blood?''. Agnes didn''t know a lot about demons. Nobody talked about demons. She resolved to look through her mind throughly after and filed the old man who gave the intro speech under her rather empty list of dangerous people. Her experience in that room was an intro into the world under the colosseum and it was not pretty. A rattling sound broke the silence in the room and Agnes looked up to see Aileen entering the room. Aileen took a glance and her but this time said nothing. She walked to her bed and sat down. Agnes stood up and walked to her, giving the older girl a start. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out and she became even more depressed. Aileen was bewildered, ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Nothing¡±, Agnes replied expecting no sound to come out as she shook her head too. Her eyes widened and she clutched her throat trying out different sound then began to jump around startling Aileen. Her voice was back! ''How?'' she wondered. It wasn''t there a second ago. ¡°Are you ok?¡± Aileen finally asked and Agnes stilled then looked up to stare at her then she pointed at Aileen¡¯s dark blue hair. ¡°Why does your hair have a long gray part?¡± She asked softly. At that Aileen gave a bitter smile and dropped to Agnes¡¯ eye level, ¡°How old are you?¡± Agnes thought for a moment, ¡°Seven¡± Aileen softly patted her head and whispered, ¡°So small. You must have suffered¡±. Agnes stiffened at that sentence. ¡°I¡¯m not going ask¡±, Aileen smiled, ¡°So many stories here. I don¡¯t know nor do I need to know all. Just know that you are not the only one¡± Agnes seemed to tremble and soon enough tears began to gather at her eyes. Aileen opened her arms and welcomed the crying little girl while trying to soothe her, ¡°I won¡¯t say it¡¯s okay but just know that I am friend to all who need one¡±, she whispered softly. After bawling for a few minutes, Agnes got hold of herself. She however was very surprised at the fact that she cried and ended up staring at Aileen, wondering. As though knowing her thoughts, Aileen grinned, ¡°That happens when you bottle everything up¡± Agnes immediately turned her gaze away, seemingly embarrassed. ¡°Well, like I said before, I am Aileen. You?¡± ¡°Agnes¡±, she replied softly. ¡°Well, this¡±, She said picking a strand of gray from her hair, ¡°Signifies that I am not a pure breed¡±.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Pure breed¡­¡± Agnes repeated barely audibly. ¡°Well think of it this way. How do I look to you?¡± ¡°A very weird elf¡± ¡°Exactly¡±, Aileen chuckled and her voice although not very noticeable took on a dangerous note, ¡°My father is a dwarf¡± Agnes apparently did not notice the difference and was mumbling to herself after nodding to what the older girl had said. ¡°Well, while I am not stout¡±, Aileen continued, ¡°my elven diamond is barely noticeable but my ears are proudly elven. If you see anyone with a gray lock of hair, they are not pure breeds¡± ¡°Oh¡± Agnes nodded vehemently as she understood more. ¡°You?¡± Aileen then asked. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°What are you?¡± Agnes cocked her head to the side, seeming confused at the question. ¡°You are not human nor elf. You don¡¯t have a diamond and if you cover your ears you look human however your hair is completely blonde¡± ¡°I------¡± ¡°You couldn¡¯t have dyed it or cut off the gray strand. That is impossible¡±, Aileen cut her off as she rambled her thoughts. Agnes seemed to now understand what Aileen was asking, ¡°I have always been like this¡± ¡°Oh¡­ are you human? Just asking to be sure¡± Agnes shook her head in response. ¡°Right¡­¡± she tapped her chin in thought then she furrowed her brows and looked Agnes up and down, accessing her, ¡°Oh well. Any other questions you would like to ask?¡± Agnes thought silently for a bit then asked, ¡°What exactly is this place?¡± ¡°The colosseum,¡± Aileen said dryly. ¡®I already knew that¡¯, Agnes thought but didn¡¯t say that, ¡°Are you always like this?¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Aileen replied innocently but Agnes just blankly stared at her. She seemed to guiltily scratch her head, ¡°I haven¡¯t had a roommate in a year. That¡¯s all¡±. ¡°I see¡±, Agnes nodded half believing. There seemed to be something more. ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°No. What do we do here?¡± Aileen narrowed her eyes and her happy go lucky mood disappeared in an instant, ¡°Survive¡±, immediately after she was back to her earlier mood. Agnes was a bit surprised at this but didn¡¯t say anything and just nodded to that, "The intro..." "Hmm?" Aileen questioned not understanding. "In the lecture hall", Agnes elaborated "Oh, old man Greyson. He''s dead, don''t bother yourself about him" Aileen scoffed Agnes widened her eyes surprised but Aileen just smirked, "It''s a recording. Sure it''s tweaked here and there but it works. You were frightened of him, right? Even though he stood there and did nothing" Agnes stilled before nodding her head, "It has always been a recording?" Aileen stood up, making a little twirl, "No, I met him when I first came here". She looked Agnes in the eyes and a smile similar to old man Greyson''s appeared on her lips, "I killed him too" Agnes flinched and the bloodlust leaking from Aileen. Almost as soon as she felt it, it disappeared startling the six year old child. The room was silent before Agnes found her voice again, "How old are you?" "22. came here when I was 10", Aileen answered with a sweet smile and sat on the floor meeting Agnes'' eyes "That''s.... long...¡± Agnes could help but say. ¡°Well yea", Aileen chuckled. She didn''t seem to think much of it, "Have you checked if you are a mana user" ¡°No, not yet¡± ¡°I see, then unlike what you¡¯d think, that old man¡¯s instructions are quite helpful to begin with. The refining technique you got is horrendous but beggars can''t be choosers right? You are already past five years old so your mana channel should not hurt you when awakening it¡±, at that she paused for a bit and continued, ¡°If you can that is¡±. She then stood up from the floor and dusted her trousers, ¡°Go for it¡±. Agnes nodded a bit and moved to her bed ready to embark on a journey that would decide her future. ¡°Ah, wait!¡± Aileen suddenly shouted. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Soot¡±, she pointed to the ceiling above Agnes that was black in color and muttered something, the blackness slowly disappeared, ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s a prank for new inmates. Seems my friends sneaked in, can¡¯t believe I just noticed¡± she continued, scratching her head quite embarrassed. It was impossible to believe that Aileen just noticed the obvious soot and Agnes ended up burst into laughter at the bad lie. She was laughing for the first time in a long while. After calming down, she muttered an inaudible thanks to Aileen for making her feel relaxed. Aileen obviously didn''t hear her and was quietly sharpening her wooden spear. ''Isn''t she a mana user? Why use a spear?'' Agnes wondered but didn''t ask. She began to reminisce on what the old man from the projection had said, word for word. She closed her eyes and tried to search for the energy force in the air. Something that stood out. She felt it almost immediately causing her to ponder why she never noticed it was there. She called for it and it entered her body but left as fast as it entered. She tried again this time refining it immediately. The refining ''technique was a book that told you how to ''weave'' energy force. Then she noticed something odd. The energy force entering her body was purple instead of blue. Startled at this discovery, she immediately stopped refining. She looked up to see Aileen looking at her. The older immediately gave a fake cough and turned away. Agnes considered telling her about her energy force but changed her mind. She decided to just go for it. Her father was a demon, something was bound to be different. Soon enough her Ki paths were up and running, it was red just like she was told. It seemed energy force being purple or blue made no difference to Ki formation. Agnes didn''t think she''d have a mana channel as her mother was an elf but she checks anyways as she was curious. Looking into her mind all she saw was darkness. She sighed inwardly about to withdraw then saw a flicker of light. She immediately focused and saw a black pulsating lump of flesh. Another oddity. The flesh wasn''t red as it should be. Her inner flesh was red so this definitely wasn''t usual. After pondering for a while with no answer, she filed it under gifts from Demon daddy and moved on. The mana channel acted like they said it would, given her a bone splitting headache and pains in her whole body as large amount of energy force entered her body to be converted. Soon enough, the rush calmed down and her mana well was a quarter full. Aileen suddenly broke into a smile and gave an audible sigh of relief as she felt the movement of energy force towards her roommate, ¡°She can use Ki and mana. She¡¯ll be okay¡±, she mumbled to herself as she finally lay down to stare at the ceiling. This wasn¡¯t just the attachment to a new roommate after not having one for a year. Agnes was her 45th roommate and Aileen had been at the colosseum for 12 years. Roommates hardly ever get changed. Except if they were dead and needed to be replaced. Chapter 28~ A new life School is soon. Urgh, I''m about to cry. School messes up my writing but i''ll see how it turns out. Now do enjoy the read. Quite longer than I expected Agnes heard Aileen¡¯s sigh and was jolted out of concentration, her eyes snapped open. Aileen gasped, realizing what she had done. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry¡± She said clasping her hand in apology. Agnes shook her head gently, ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll just begin again¡±. She closed her eyes and was about to call the energy force in again when a loud screechy voice sounded in their room. ¡°Block C. File out¡± Agnes grimaced at the sound and looked at the older girl for an answer. Aileen in return just gave a bitter smile, ¡°You don¡¯t have a block yet, no need to worry¡± ¡°Block? What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°A supposedly randomized way of getting us to fight but I don¡¯t think so¡±, She got up and walked towards Agnes pulling her to her feet, ¡°Come on, let me show you how fights in the colosseum look like¡±. She pulled Agnes to the door and looked out into the corridor, left and right. Seeing no soul, she picked up Agnes like the child that she was and bolted. ¡°What------?¡±, Agnes immediately yelled in protest, wriggling to get away. ¡°Shhhh¡±, Aileen replied and didn¡¯t seem to be making any effort despite Agnes¡¯ wriggling. Agnes was dumbfounded and stopped struggling. She looked towards where they were going to know what was happening. She found they had passed the lecture hall and soon she was a tiny hallway. Aileen entered that hallways and touched the wall on the left. A circular region of earth opened up revealing a dark entrance. ¡°Go in¡±, Aileen whispered urgently. ¡°No¡±, Agnes replied firmly. ¡°Urgh¡±, Aileen seems really impatient for some reason, ¡°Just go¡±, she urged. ¡°No¡±, Agnes shook her head vehemently, wondering why Aileen didn¡¯t just push her into the whole against her will, ¡°What is in there?¡± ¡°New roommate? About time¡±, a soft spoken voice sounded and Agnes was surprised to see the well- endowed girl from earlier that day. Aileen beamed, ¡°Yes, thank goodness you¡¯re here Sarai¡±, she said and her eyes looked down at the small boy holding onto Sarai, ¡°My roommate doesn¡¯t trust me,¡± she continued giving a small laugh. Agnes pouted as she screamed inwardly, ¡®You won¡¯t tell me what exactly you¡¯re doing. How can I just go with it?!¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s fine. That¡¯s your block for this month. Gonna skip?¡±, Sarai said ¡°No. Skipped last time, besides I am close enough to graduating from a Savage¡± To that Sarai grinned, ¡°Be careful out there¡± ¡°I will. And that?¡± She pointed to the boy beside Sarai. ¡°Noet¡¯s new inmate¡±, Sarai said crisply. ¡°Oh¡­,¡± Aileen¡¯s expression seemed to pale for a second then she reverted back to normal as she squatted and dropped Agnes, then patted the little boy¡¯s head. ¡°Hurry if you want to make it, got ur life savers?¡± Sarai asked with a smile. ¡°Yup, recently stocked up on my pills¡±, She said as immediately bolted away leaving a light breeze behind. Agnes looked at Sarai, evidently confused by the interaction and the appearance of Sarai. ¡°Go in, I will go in too,¡± Sarai said dryly. Agnes stared at the lady for a while before deciding to comply. For some reason, this lady frightened her a bit. She crawled in and began to move with the borders and she felt some movement behind her. Sarai used earth magic to reclose the entry and they were plunged into complete darkness. After crawling for a while, Agnes saw a ray of light and moved a bit faster. She soon found herself looking at ten circular opening. ¡°Take one opening¡±, Sarai¡¯s voice sounded out. Agnes obeyed and crawled to the farthest one then peered through the hole. Immediately her mouth opening as she gasped in surprise. ¡°Unnecessarily big, right?¡± Sarai said as though seeing what Agnes saw even though she wasn¡¯t looking through the hole. ¡°It is¡±, a small voice was heard and Agnes realized there was small boy right next to her. ¡°He¡¯s eight years old, mind you¡±, Sarai suddenly said. Agnes face contorted in disbelief. He looked at most five years old. She was about to say something when Sarai pointed towards holes. She turned to look and was once again fascinated by the humongous sight. The colosseum was bigger than she imagined. The seats right in front of her were occupied by many wearing common clothing and was quite the rowdy area. She shifted her gaze towards the right and saw that these seats where packed with rows or people wearing exquisite clothing and speaking in hushed tones. Right in front on her on an elevated platform were four ruby clad seats that exuded majesty. Only one seat out of the four had a golden inscription of a dragon on it. The seat on its right was different from the other two as it was higher in size with a silver inscription with a writing that she could not see but even if she could, she was unable to read. The two other seats were completely the same but were one step lower. These seats were empty but it was easy to tell that they were to seat royalty. She looked around taking in the crowd and was surprised that the hole allowed her to see this much. She suddenly wanted to see what everyone had gathered here to see. ¡°Haha¡±, a cheerful voice suddenly boomed and Agnes could not see the person, ¡°Welcome to the colosseum! Today as we have gathered to enjoy ourselves for the Talhut festival and because of that we will bring out our most wanted entertainment, the Seratin mastiff¡±. ¡°Shit,¡± Sarai suddenly cursed, ¡°It¡¯s a festival. They will wring them dry¡± ¡°Huh?¡± the little boy asked but got no reply so Agnes didn¡¯t bother to say anything. The ground shook as a section underneath the seats apparently for nobles revealed a cage. The cage opened and a seven feet tall animal proudly walked out. Its body was unlike that of dog¡¯s and was completely like a saber tooth except less profound. Its body was completely black in color and it had a small tail. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.The only different color was its golden eyes. It was Agnes¡¯ first encounter with a beast and fear crept into her heart at the sheer size. ¡°The lucky savage for the mastiff is¡­.,¡± the voice began its voice filled with obvious ridicule as it paused for effect. Agnes could feel the anticipation for the name, ¡°Mavah¡± -- -- -- -- --- --- --- ----- ---- ---- ---- ----- -------- -------- -------------- Aileen sat on the uncomfortable bench humming a tune softly. The boy beside her on her left leaned on the wall, his hands behind his head and he seemed to be enjoying the tune. He had rare light green hair and his eyes were eerily black. He, however had a beautiful face and body structure. Even his posture was refined. If he was dressed appropriately, no one would deny that he was a prince. The place they were in was packed in other areas but there was a mini circular space in front of them¡­ as though nobody wanted to be too close. On her right was a doll. No, she looked like a life sized doll. Her skin was very pale and her eyes were round and she did not move at all. She stared into space and her black gown had white laces around it. The only thing that made one know that know that she was alive was the barely noticeable rising and falling of her chest. ¡°Ah¡±, the boy suddenly spoke. ¡°What?¡± Aileen stopped humming and looked up at him. ¡°It¡¯s a festival today¡±, he said quietly. ¡°What? Tch, I forgot. Shouldn¡¯t have chosen today to fight¡±, Aileen stiffened then grumbled. The boy sighed, ¡°You¡¯re probably fighting me then¡± ¡°Yup¡±, she replied softly, then looked down and she wriggled her feet then her voice dropped so low even someone sitting right next to her would find it hard to hear, ¡°Who is killing who?¡± The boy chuckled softly as he obviously had heard her, ¡°Go wild¡± ¡°Alright. Signal?¡±, She replied, her voice still as small. ¡°Lightning burst¡±, he said and this time, his voice was as small as hers. There was silence between them and Aileen did not continue humming. ¡°Hey Noet¡±, Aileen suddenly spoke. ¡°Hmm?¡±, he perked up. ¡°Never mind¡±, She shook her head furiously as though shaking off a bad thought. Watching her antics, his hand found its way to her head as he patted twice, ¡°It¡¯s been 5 months¡±, he said then moved his hand away as he looked towards to blank ceiling. ¡°Mavah¡± a loud monotonic voice suddenly sounded and both Aileen and Noet had immediately weird expression on their faces. ¡°No way¡±, Aileen gasped. ¡°First on a festival. It¡¯s a mastiff isn¡¯t it?¡±, Noet said dryly. ¡°He¡¯s not strong enough, is he?¡±, ¡°He¡¯s learnt very little from me, he has a one percent chance of winning¡±, Noet said bitterly ¡°Sarai¡­ She might kill Marshall¡±, the doll spoke for the first time. Aileen suddenly smiled, ¡°He deserves to die. Why haven¡¯t we killed him yet?¡± ¡°Because anyone else and we are stuck for the rest of our lives¡±, Noet replied grumpily. ¡°Not true. We could kill them all¡±, the doll spoke again. ¡°Correction¡±, Aileen chuckled, ¡°You could kill them all¡± And the doll was once again silent. Aileen leaned back to stay on the wall and began to hum again but this time the tune was very sad. A commotion occurred in the crowd and Noet clutched his hands as he watched the pitch black hair disappear behind the sliding doors after which he slowly closed his eyes. --- --- - -- -- ---- ---------------- ------------ ---------------- --------------- Agnes heard the name Mavah and stilled. It sounded like a male name. ¡°What---?!¡± Sarai shrieked at the mention of the name startling Agnes, ¡°No, no, no¡± she stuttered in disbelief, her voice getting smaller with every word. Opposite where the mastiff came out from was a small gate. This distance between them was 10 meters long. The small gate slowly opened revealing a teenage boy. His gaze met the not moving mastiff and he stilled for a second then sighed audibly and immediately drew the daggers lodged on this belt. As he walked forward, his ebony hair fluttered in the wind and his brown eyes seemed to not give a damn about his current situation while a small smile played on his lips. Looking at his confidence, Agnes turned to look at Sarai wondering what her earlier outburst was for only to see a stunned look on Sarai¡¯s face but that soon disappeared, replaced with a bitter smile, ¡°As expected¡±, she muttered softly then closed her eyes and leaned back on the earth while pulling her knees towards herself. She suddenly began to hum very softly a tune similar to the one Aileen was humming. Agnes too re positioned herself as her knees began to hurt and she looked at the apparently eight year old boy who didn¡¯t make a sound but didn¡¯t say anything to him, minding her own business. The boy called Mavah stopped walking 10 feet away from the mastiff and Agnes wondered why the mastiff wasn¡¯t doing anything. It just stood proudly but did not make a sound. Looking at this scene something in her heart told her that this boy might not live through this. At that thought, she grabbed her chest and bit her lips, forcing herself to look. For some reason, she didn¡¯t want to miss this. She realized that if she who knew nothing felt this way then the boy who had obviously experienced more than she had, knew too but his whole fa?ade had almost deceived her. She then with different eyes looked at these people who seemed ready to jump out of their seats, excited at what was happening. She realized from the loud mutters and feverish glances that the one the people wanted to die was not the mastiff but the boy. Her eyes widened in disbelief as reality seemed to slap her in the face once again after her encounter with Ruby. She bit her lips and blood seeped out as a thought crossed her mind, ¡®So sickening¡¯. Chapter 29 ~ A new life II The colosseum was heated up with fervor. The common people were divided as usual; some eager to watch the show, some with undisguised disgust, and some who didn¡¯t care either ways. It was Ferasi law that all citizens were to attend the colosseum for a performance every festival. Today was the Talhut festival, celebration of the Talhut, a blood elf researcher whose breakthrough extended the life expectancy of blood elves. And like every other law in Ferasi, this one mainly needed to be obeyed by the common people. The nobles weren¡¯t concerned with defying this law, neither were there any consequences. However, the right which seated the nobles was fairly full. Luken smiled and thought to himself, ¡®As expected¡¯. Blood elves had a particular longing towards blood, that they couldn¡¯t resist; non-animal blood. It wasn¡¯t just the taste but the energy it contained. Like all elves they has diamonds on their forehead but their diamonds were red as they were filled up with blood and a barely functioning mana channel. They were just born like that. Blood elves were also born with crooked Ki paths so they couldn¡¯t cultivate Ki. Luken understood their sentiment, after all he was a blood elf himself. Well half-blood elf. Even though he still had that urge for blood. A glance at his reflection in the glass pane showed his almost perfectly chiseled face. He had deep green eyes and long red hair adorned with the famous gray strand. His reflection make him scoff. His beauty was the only reason he was still alive after all. As a semi, life was always hard. You were either a slave or a servant. Or a living puppet. He was definitely a living puppet, only saying what was told or doing what was asked. He glanced to the right to see excited noblewomen obviously discussing him and sighed. Luken was a colosseum decoration. Eye-candy. Attraction. At least he wasn¡¯t a sex slave. Yet. They paid for his body so it was a job per se. He was also the voice of the colosseum. He was definitely doing much better that his counter parts. Sometimes he wondered why people kept making more semis. A semi could not reproduce and they were scorned. As to why that was, it was said that holy essence fled in the presence of a semi, and that obviously meant rejection from the gods. One couldn¡¯t hide they were a semi. Maybe if you looked very much like one race you could hide it for a minute or so. The permanent gray hair always gave it away. Any semi always had locks of their front hair gray and some in their back. It could not be dyed and if it was cut off it grew back. If you wore a wig, it would fuse with the wig turning the corresponding location of it grey till you took it off. It was obviously magical. Researchers had studied this phenomenon for years and found nothing. So this rejected parts of society were forever bound to be rejects. Luken noticed his thoughts were wandering and reined them in. He has just announced the savage who was to fight and the audience was waiting in anticipation for the man¡¯s arrival. Once again, his eyes flickered to scan the common people. Although they tried not to, they all wanted to see some blood spilled today. Luken smirked as a funny thought passed through his head. If his life was dependent on the common people loving his appearance he would live longer. Nobles were always fickle and he was sure those noble ladies would soon get tired of his beauty and when that happens his life would be forfeit. Not because the noble ladies wanted him dead but as most of his time was spent in the colosseum, he had come to know many secrets. Secrets that if spread would collapse the kingdom and cause war with other countries. It was a speculation that blood elves dine on the blood of intellectual beings. Residing in the populace would tell you they only took animal blood for nourishment ¨C a lie that only the common people believed. Once again, Luken has to reign in his wandering thoughts as the gate had opened revealing a small boy with ebony hair. The wind blew revealing his confident expression and his eyes held no fear. Luken scanned him with his mana sense and furrowed his brow. The boy¡¯s attitude was a complete bluff. The boy was only a rank 27 fighter. His mage rank was close to nil; just 5. He probably didn¡¯t know any spells; even if he did, he couldn¡¯t cast them. The Seratin mastiff on the other hand was a ¡­ oh. It had gone through a major breakthrough. ¡®Impressive¡¯, Luken couldn¡¯t help but think. The mastiff had been at rank 60 for 5 years. It was now a rank 61 fighter. The chances of the boy winning was less than 1 percent. He couldn¡¯t help but sigh.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. A beep sounded next to him signifying the arrival of his script. Luken tapped the voice amplifier and it flickered on. He began to read in his most expressive voice, ¡°This is our second encounter with the savage, Mavah!¡± A loud cheer from the audience enunciated his words. He laughed into the mic and continued reading, ¡°Many remember his previous battle where he showed his battle dominance, ripping the heart out of this roommate¡­! Oops. Former roommate¡± A hearty laugher followed. ¡®How was that funny?¡¯ Luken wanted to ask but waited for the laughter to die down. ¡°Now then, shall we witness his prowess in battle once again?!¡± ripple of discussion followed that question, ¡°Or will he be another food to the mastiff?!¡± To that many thunderous roars and claps followed. They were obviously excited, showing that Luken¡¯s job was almost done. ¡°Let the show begin!¡± he roared and leaned back into his seat. He reached out and tapped the voice amplifier and it flickered off; the voice amplifying crystal was obviously old with all the flickering. Luken suddenly felt dizzy and choked up. He cursed his elven blood for the xth time and reached out for the bottle of red liquid on the floor. Opening the bottle, the thick smell of blood filled the air and Luken immediately took 2 big gulps draining it halfway. He seemed much better now and placed the bottle back down then he leaned back again to watch the ¡®show¡¯. *** Mavah looked up at the huge beast some distance away. He waited patiently for ¡®the voice¡¯ to finish its revolting speech and the moment the word ¡®begin¡¯ was said, the still mastiff moved. Mavah could barely see where it went before he felt pain it his abdomen and found himself flying backwards. Mavah tried to reposition himself to cushion his fall but he felt a shadow over him and immediately raised his daggers to block the ferocious claws. The blow sent him flying again and he was soon on his back in the mastiff¡¯s previous position. He tried to stand up but his bones creaked in protest. The deafening noise from the audience was not helping to say the least. The mastiff was walking towards him. It was obviously playing with its food. Mavah sighed inwardly. He already knew the outcome of this battle. There was no way he could win against a rank 60 mastiff. He didn¡¯t know it had gone through a major breakthrough either. Gritting his teeth, he charged towards the mastiff, spitting out the blood that had formed in his mouth. ¡®If I am going to do this, I have to it right¡¯, he thought. *** Agnes gasped as the boy charged towards the beast. Even someone like her with no battle experience could tell he was not going to be able to do anything. Sarai¡¯s humming suddenly increased in pitch making Agnes tear her eyes away from the battle. The older girl was no longer hugging her knees. She was watching quietly with a sad smile on her face. Noticing Agnes¡¯ sight on her, she stopped humming and spoke, ¡°That¡¯s my brother¡± Agnes wasn¡¯t really surprised. It was easy to guess they had some kind of relationship. She turned her eyes back to the scene and Sarai began to hum again. Agnes¡¯ eyes widened at the scene in front on her. The mastiff was injured on its back and legs while the boy bled from his eyes, nose, mouth and ears. A few seconds away and the situation had changed. The boy seemed worse off at a first glance but something was wrong with the mastiff. A Seratin mastiff¡¯s self-healing was almost as good as a troll¡¯s. But the beast was not healing up. Mavah moved again with speed much greater than his previous old and this time the mastiff didn¡¯t wait for him to come. It charged at him. With speeds faster than Agnes¡¯ eyes could follow, they sought to injure each other. Agnes could only hear the collision of metal and claw. The mastiff suddenly drew back and its claws glowed red. Shocked gasps were heard throughout the common populace then excited cries followed. Agnes guessed it was using some sort of special skill but she was wrong. The mastiff could manifest Ki, an ability all fighters that have gone through a major breakthrough have. Mavah¡¯s eyes widened at this revelation. He suddenly laughed wildly and began to chant, ¡°*$^%#&@#% ^&&$#$ %#^#%, lightning burst. Die!¡± Agnes found herself unable to understand the words of the spell he was saying but she instinctually knew he couldn¡¯t survive this match. She bit her lips till it bled and kept watching. Maybe it was because Mavah was the first colosseum match she had ever seen but she found it difficult to turn away. Mavah seemed to disappear and appear before the mastiff. His dagger found its way into the mastiff¡¯s eyes but not before his lower half was separated from the rest of his body by the mastiff¡¯s claw. The energy in the colosseum seemed to reach an even higher peak with his death. The mastiff had retreated in pain and the healers came to help heal it. The mastiff shook the healers off once they took the dagger out and moved to stand proudly over its kill. Applause and cheers from the audience were numerous for this beast. Then it fell over. Dead. Sudden silence enveloped the area. Luken was dumbfounded at the sudden turn of event. He couldn¡¯t help smiling, imagining Marshall¡¯s angry face as he forked out money to buy another Seratin mastiff. Agnes was holding her mouth, trying her very hardest not to throw up, ¡®It will take some time to get used to this¡¯ Sarai had stopped humming when Mavah has fallen and had proceeded to cry quietly. The eight year old child went on to softly tap her head as though consoling her. Agnes was startled at his movement as she has forgotten the little boy was there. ¡®Little¡¯ as in size, he was older than her. She wanted to console the older lady too but ended up just staying where she was and before she knew it she has teared up. A loud trumpet boomed through the colosseum startling any who were asleep awake. Apparently, there were some who slept with the noise of the audience. The trumpet seemed like it was announcing something. Sarai immediately wiped her tears at this sound and grabbed the Agnes startling her. ¡°What¡­,¡± Agnes wanted to ask, surprised at the sudden movement. ¡°We gotta go. NOW¡±, Sarai bellowed, interrupting her. She pulled on the boy with her other hand and proceeded to bolt out of the tunnel pulling on the two like bags of air. Agnes found herself out of the tunnel and back in that tiny hallway. Her brain had not fully caught up with the sudden change in scenery and she released herself from Sarai hold. ¡°Why did we leave all of a sudden?¡± she felt compelled to ask. Terrible or not, the colosseum was where she was going to be in for a while and that was a good opportunity to learn more. ¡°That was the trumpet announcing the King. The moment we are noticed in that tunnel is the moment we die¡±, she replied crisply letting down the boy in her arm, ¡°If you would excuse me, I have business to do. Find your way back¡± She immediately dashed away leaving the two in awkward silence. ¡°Hello. I don¡¯t think I ever introduced myself. My name is Harvy¡± Agnes turned to him, ready to reply but the words never came out of her mouth. The tunnel was dark so this was the first time she ever seen his face. He wasn¡¯t extremely handsome or extremely ugly. But his eyes were breathtaking. They were like jewels that gleamed with the slightest input of light. The hazel eye that she saw were simply just beautiful. Chapter 30 ~ Luken ¡°Wow! Beautiful as usual Agnes. Beautiful¡±, Noet chortled sarcastically at the girl who just walked out of the metal elevators. She looked absolutely frightening, covered from head to boots with blood. She donned a skin tight black leather jumpsuit with a scimitar hanging by the right side of her hip and small throwing knifes hanging off the belt on her waist. Her outfit was intact and she wasn¡¯t injured anywhere so the blood was definitely not hers. ¡°Well, thank you¡±, she replied sarcastically trying to wring her hair dry which was soaked in blood, ¡°This always gets in my hair. Maybe I should cut it?¡± ¡°I think she looks wonderful¡± Aileen commented trying her best not the smile. Agnes burst out laughing at that, ¡°Thank you Aileen¡± ¡°I think she looks hot¡±, Harvy admitted cheerfully, his eyes roaming Agnes¡¯ body. She had matured well, having an average backside but a bountiful front. It wasn¡¯t too big or too small. Just perfect. If it was as big a Sarai¡¯s, Agnes might have actually cut it off. She hated anything that interfered with her battle performance. ¡°I¡¯m informing Bertha about this¡±, Agnes quipped, a smile on her face. ¡°What?! No, no, no. I¡¯m just complimenting you¡± he quickly tried to explain himself. ¡°Right¡±, Aileen deadpanned Noet couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of blood¡±, a monotonic voice floated over prompting them to look over to May. As usual, she had no presence and no expression on her face. The living doll¡¯s eyes did show curiosity. ¡°Ah¡±, Agnes ran a hand through her hair, ¡°I got 3 opponents. The beast one was ginormous so lots of blood got on me when I killed it¡±. ¡°Oh¡±, she replied in the same monotonous voice. Judging from her attitude, she had obviously lost interest. Agnes wondered what May thought the blood was from. No, it was obvious the blood was from her enemies so the quantity was what made her curious. Agnes scanned her body but shrugged as she looked the same as usual. The colosseum was a platform for entertainment. To survive in this place, one had to not simply fight but have a performance on stage. But a performance alone was nothing, the crowd had to love you enough to label you, then you had some form of standing in the underground. The past 20 years, Agnes had worked on her ¡®identity¡¯. 5 years ago, she was finally given the label ¡®Blood Bitch¡¯ after her demonic side took over her body for a few moments. She had torn her opponent from limb to limb then proceeded to bathe in his blood after which she regained control but the damage had already been done. Luckily for her, only her rationale was clouded not her demon side emerging. Her purple mana would have otherwise go wild, manifesting outside her body and then slowly her body would transform into a demon¡¯s. She had managed to survive till now hiding that side of her because the moment it was known, she would have been killed. Actually, if the King was at that battle he would have recognized her demonic aura. It was rumored that he was a Warlock after all. Her control over that side of her was questionable, as a matter of fact. It wasn¡¯t like she had another personality. Her demon side just made her lose her inhibitions. It also made her thirst for blood oddly enough. Demons didn¡¯t even drink blood¡­ well, they liked to bathe in them which was what she ended up doing so that was that. It had always manifested when she was full of anger so she had to be calm all the time which was tough during a battle. It also manifested when she was horny, oddly enough. The audience had loved the horrid display of ¡®affection¡¯ and named her ¡®Blood Fanatic¡¯. Agnes thought ¡®Crazy Bitch¡¯ was more appropriate but figured you take what you get. Sometimes she truly doubted whether the audience truly loved the performance or the fact that she flung blood everywhere. She took on that identity as it raked in money. She couldn''t change it even if she wanted to though. Marshall loved money. All Marshalls did. And the more money one made, the faster one could graduate from being a savage. To graduate from a savage, the colosseum should have made 100 gold coins from your battles which was around 100,000 silver. That was gigantic sum. Obviously designed to keep bought colosseum slaves underground till the end of their lifespan. If one did manage to ''graduate'' from being a savage, 10% of the earnings from your fight would be given to you. This 10% can be saved up and then used to pay the Marshall back the cost that you were bought. Of course plus 2.5% interest every month you stay at the colosseum. Agnes sighed inwardly. It was nigh impossible to gain enough money to buy yourself. The longer you stayed, the more expensive you got. She gave Aileen a discreet glance and couldn¡¯t help but sigh again. ¡°What?¡± Aileen asked obviously noticing the glance. ¡°How much do you have now?¡± Agnes asked, lowering her voice so only Aileen could hear. It was pretty useless as both Noet and May had battle sense. Harvy didn¡¯t though. A bitter smile crossed Aileen¡¯s face, ¡°1020 Silver¡± Agnes couldn¡¯t help but grimace. Aileen was bought for 500 silver and she had graduated from a savage the year that Agnes arrived. This was incredibly fast for someone who had spent only 12 years at the colosseum at the time. Alas, Aileen was one of the more expensive savages brought to the colosseum. She was completely healthy at the time unlike Agnes who was bruised and battered making her buying price quite high. And staying in the colosseum wasn¡¯t cost free either. Gear, weapons, techniques. Everything cost money. One could easily guess that the prices were inflated in the markets near the colosseum. She wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the day she left, she found that the sword she bought for 10 silver cost only 400 copper. 10 silver was 100,000 copper so it was much more than a simple price inflation honestly but she had no other options. She needed a better weapon than the wooden shit they gave her to fight with at first. Savages didn''t earn money but they earned points. Those points could be exchanged for gears and had money equivalents. Agnes looked down at the brand on her wrist. It contained the record of the points she had and was the brand that all savages. Challengers had a different type of brand. Escaping from the colosseum was actually very easy, security was quite lax. You¡¯d simply die after getting 10 meters away from the building because of the brand. And if you could get someone to help to wipe off the brand and then run, you still wouldn¡¯t be able to leave the walls of the Kingdom. Only citizens of the Ferasi Kingdom could leave the walls, after all. Sadly only a magus that has achieved their major breakthrough could wipe the brand off as it required 5th circle magic and no magus came underground the colosseum. Well, even if they did, it wasn¡¯t like they knew the spell. Agnes shook her head furiously. Her thoughts were wandering off. ¡®After effect of being around Luken too much?¡¯ she wondered. The fact that she knew all the bars against escaping meant she had wanted to. She finally understood why sometime years ago when she asked Noet why he never escaped when he easily could, he said it was pretty much impossible. The group engaged in mindless charter, walking towards the lunch area. After a battle, it was customary to eat here. Even if you were drenched in blood, even if you were injured and even if the food was usually disgusting. Well the food for savages. Savages always got the short end of the stick in everything ¡®free¡¯.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Many of the challengers preferred to keep to themselves and sat on the left of the dining hall. They saw themselves as people who would be free sooner or later and didn¡¯t bother making ties with people that may die the next day. Savages on the other hand, the newer ones especially, were more ¡®bubbly¡¯ and interactive. Grouping up and hatching escaping plans when they could then dying off as fast as they arrived. They usually sat wherever the fuck they wanted. Unlike what one would expect though, quarrels that led to death underground were rare. Agnes attributed this to the fact that the colosseum never bought savages over 10. She couldn¡¯t think of a reason why though. ¡°Storm Queen!!! My favorite!¡± A loud voice boomed suddenly, threatening to burst numerous eardrums. People looked up from their bowls and plates grimacing and covering their ears, throwing a fierce glare at the owner of the voice. ¡°Ugh, Marshall would you please!¡± Agnes screamed in response. It was more like a reflex at this point. The idiot always infused Ki into his words. The only reply she got was a hearty laughter, ¡°Aileen! Your earnings today were big as usual. Well done!¡± Aileen flashed a fake smile at the man and briskly walked away to an empty table. Noet chuckled at her reaction and followed after her, leaving Agnes and Harvy alone with the uninvited company. ¡°I don¡¯t think I did anything wrong this time?¡± Marshall had to ask. Harvy rolled his eyes and patted the bulky man on the shoulders, following after his peers. ¡°I need extra throwing knives. I lost a few inside someone¡¯s body¡±, Agnes immediately got to business ignoring whatever Marshall had said previously. This Marshall was different from the Marshall that brought Agnes to the colosseum. He was the fourth one to inherit the title. His name was Raven. She never bothered to find out his last name as she didn¡¯t care though. Nobody called a Marshall by their actual name anyways. That¡¯s just how things were. Unlike the previous Marshalls though, this one looked fuckable. He had a well-proportioned body befitting of the warrior that he was and a nice face. The challengers here had gotten used to Marshalls that were walking lumps of flesh so he was a pleasant surprise. The previous Marshall had died the day after Mavah died in the arena. Sarai had ignored all consequences and killed him. Aileen, Noet and a lot of the challengers had been beyond furious. Apparently, the 3rdMarshall was the one that introduced the challenger system, allowing them to have hopes for freedom. Sarai was executed swiftly afterwards by the Crown Prince¡¯s declaration and the new Marshall came in. Luckily he didn¡¯t change anything like they expected, making the savages and Challengers feel a tad grateful. The highest rank one could be in the colosseum was a 100 for Fighters and 80 for Mages. Nobody, Savages or Challengers, knew how to ascend tiers, becoming a Warrior or a Magus. Once they reached the bottleneck rank, they were stuck there till they left the colosseum. Not like a majority of them could actually reach the bottleneck rank though. And unlike before, the Marshall rank was a rank 33 Warrior. Simply put, he couldn¡¯t be killed unless all of them joined hands. Although Agnes tried not to, she disliked Sarai for killing Marshall. Not because they brought a higher ranked Marshal but because she had wanted to do it herself. She had also wanted to get to know the Bear Lurk but she got herself executed before that couldn¡¯t happen. The procedure for ascension into a higher tier Ki user or Mana user was a secret withheld from the numerous challengers and savages limiting their firepower and preventing possible rebellion. They were fated to be weakling forever, under the colosseum. Marshall¡¯s eyes roamed Agnes'' body diligently, finally stopping at her breasts and nodded appreciatively, ¡°Understandable. Hands¡± Agnes stretched out her hand in a practiced manner and he grabbed her wrist tapping her brand. It glowed bright red and then stopped glowing, going back to its tattoo like form. ¡°12 hours¡± he smiled, his voice booming throughout the dining hall again. ¡°Aye¡± she cringed, briskly walking away. Judging from her reaction to his obvious leering, it was not the first time. Looking on the bright side, he never did anything except look. And she wasn¡¯t the only one he did it to. Grabbing a bowl of whatever goo was being served today, she joined the rest at the table. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should be happy I am on his good side or not¡±, Aileen said poking the fish in her bowl as Agnes sat down. ¡°I think you should be happy. I was on the bad side of the 2nd Marshall here and that just sucked. I couldn¡¯t buy any weapons because she wouldn¡¯t let me¡±, Noet commented heartily. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think you should. He might cheat you out of your earnings to keep you here if he likes you too much¡±, Harvy frowned, obviously thinking through this seriously. ¡°I agree with Harvy on this. Stay away from him if you can¡± Agnes nodded. Although the Marshall seemed approachable, living here long enough would tell you never to trust officials from the palace Aileen burst out laughing, ¡°Do you really need to tell me? I know, I know. How long have I been here? I¡¯m not stupid¡± ¡°Where is Bertha?¡± Harvy asked shifting the topic swiftly. Agnes had to admit, his ability to shifts discussions this time was not bad. He sucked usually. ¡°She was in Block D this month so should be in battle? I didn¡¯t have to face her though¡±, Noet admitted, ¡°How come you didn¡¯t know that?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Harvy mumbled his mouth full with soup. Soundly swallowing, he spoke, ¡°I think she¡¯s tired of me.¡± ¡°Already? I am actually impressed. I thought she¡¯d take longer¡±, May spoke dryly. Once one spent enough time with May, her voice didn¡¯t sound so monotonous and you could figure out the emotions in her words. Agnes burst into laughter, ¡°I think Harvy isn¡¯t bad at all. He¡¯s quite good in bed¡± ¡°He is but that¡¯s the only good thing about him¡±, Aileen nodded, obviously agreeing. Agnes was surprised to hear they¡¯d had sex before but quickly hid it. "Really?" Noet asked, vividly interested. He didn''t seem to care that his girlfriend had fucked Harvy nor was he even surprised. Actually calling her his girlfriend was a stretch. It was more like sex friends.They did get along exceedingly well regardless. ¡°I am quite uncomfortable with this discussion¡± Harvy spoke flabbergasted, his eyes widening. ¡°How come you never tried seducing May¡± Noet asked beaming, ¡°I¡¯ve been curious for a while now.¡± Harvy sighed dramatically, ¡°I still love my life.¡± ¡°That¡¯s rude¡±, May scoffed but the expression on her face¡­ well there was none but she obviously wasn¡¯t serious. ¡°Here comes the topic of this discussion¡±, Noet announced and the group turned to look in the direction he pointed to. "I thought we were talking about Harvy though", Agnes smirked. "Me too", May nodded, agreeing. "I didn''t think so" Noet objected. Bertha flashed a grin at the group as she walked over holding a bowl of beef soup just like Agnes¡¯. It was more water than soup though. Free food was always a disaster but people came to the dining hall anyways. It was more a discussion hall than a dining hall if you looked at it objectively. If one wanted good food they could buy some with their points. For those who were saving up points then the dining hall was the place to go. The underground motto was TINSTAAFL (There is no such thing as a free lunch). Even the watery food there were given was bought with the money they bled for in the colosseum arena even if they didn¡¯t directly pay for it. ¡°I am fucking exhausted dammit!¡±, Bertha made it her obligation to yell as she sat down beside Harvy. She had quite a few cuts on her body but was otherwise looking ok. ¡°Today¡¯s fight wasn¡¯t bad I¡¯m guessing?¡± Agnes quipped from the side. Bertha actually looked better than usual. She wasn¡¯t losing an arm or a leg. ¡°Had to use the damn pills¡±, She replied crisply, stuffing her mouth with the tiny pieces of meat in her soup. ¡°¡°Ugh¡±¡± The whole table groaned in unison at her response. Bertha was a semi just like the majority of the savages and challengers. Pure breeds were actually rare underground. Bertha was a weird rarity. In a semi with a dwarf counterpart, the dwarf part is usually not dominant but the dwarven part in Bertha was dominant giving her more explosive strength in battle like a normal dwarf. So even though she didn¡¯t have much Ki talent or a mana channel she used that and survived till today. ¡°I think the audience wanted something rare today. I was paired up with someone who had gone through a major breakthrough¡± Bertha grumbled banging the table, ¡°That Marshall¡­ Just want to snap that son of a bitch in half¡± ¡°You could. He¡¯s right down there¡± Harvy smiled sweetly pointing towards the elevators that went deeper underground. ¡°Oh shut up, I didn¡¯t ask you¡± Bertha snapped at him. ¡°Was just trying to help¡± He shrugged, revealing a fake pout. ¡°I¡¯ve always thought son of a bitch was quite rude to dog lurks, why is it even an insult?¡± Noet quipped. ¡°We¡¯re not dogs, we¡¯re wolves¡±, Harvy corrected for the umpteenth time. Agnes chuckled "I was pitted against crazy people too, Bertha. Around same rank though" "You''re always pitted against crazy people", Harvy pointed out. Agnes nodded, "True. Makes me more willing kill ¡®em and bathe in their blood" "Agnes, we''re eating", Aileen reminded her. "So Marshall pits you against crazy people on purpose?" Bertha asked wide eyed. "Actually, I somehow don''t think so. Most of the people my rank are crazy. Look at me for example" Agnes explained. Aileen and Bertha nodded in agreement. Harvy smiled shaking his head. ¡°Eat quickly and go get healed up before you die. You know what those pills do¡± Noet interjected seriously making Bertha grin widely. Noet provided them with pills. They either doubled your strength while killing you at the same time or put you in a half dead state, making you lose a few ranks as a result. ¡®Better than actually dying, right?¡¯ Agnes scoffed inwardly as she was reminded about the pills. It was how this group faced each other and were still alive today. Only the gods knew where he got the pills from but they still took the pills. Details weren¡¯t always necessary for everything. ¡°I know. I was just freaking hungry¡±, Bertha replied heartily and then slurped down the rest of her food. ¡°Is that actually tasty to you?¡± Agnes mumbled putting a piece of meat in her mouth. Almost immediately she gagged spitting it out. It felt wrong to not have a plate in front of her in a dining hall, that¡¯s why she always got one. Not for the food. Definitely not. ¡°Such a good match. You both have beautiful eating habits¡± Aileen commented sarcastically at Bertha¡¯s extravagant eating manner. Harvy burst out laughing and copied Bertha, wolfing down the rest of his food. Noet began to laugh and choked on the chicken he was eating mid bite at their antics. Aileen hurriedly patted his back, surprised and amused. Bertha stood up, nodded to them and left, deeming Aileen¡¯s comment not worthy of a reply. ¡°One of her lung is ruptured,¡± May spoke up quietly, ¡°She doesn¡¯t feel pain?¡± causing the group to turn to her, descending into abrupt silence. May was a complete mystery. It wasn¡¯t like all of them knew everything about each other but they at least knew the bare minimum. But not about May. All she has told them was her name and that she was 147 years old. Noet said when he arrived at the colosseum 62 years ago, May had been here looking just like she did now. Even if fighters that had gone through their major breakthroughs barely aged until the later part of their years, the key word here was ¡®barely¡¯. They did age, just not quickly so there should have been some change in the way she looked after 62 years. Agnes couldn¡¯t help but narrow her eyes at May¡¯s comment. To know Bertha¡¯s internal condition, May had to be a Warrior that had gone through their major breakthrough or even a Magus. May was a dual specialist or at least she seemed to be. Her talent as a Ki user and Mana user were pretty much the same. If she was a Warrior or Magus though, then what was she doing under the colosseum? And why hadn¡¯t she told them how to ascend tiers? Aileen sighed loudly breaking the tense silence, ¡°I think she feels pain, May. She¡¯s just very good at now showing it¡±. May always had a way of destroying the mood. ¡°Ah¡±, the doll replied nodding her head a few times as though gaining enlightenment into the being called Bertha. She apparently found nothing wrong with the group¡¯s reaction. It was a usual occurrence after all. ¡°I really can¡¯t get a read on you May¡± Harvy chuckled grimly staring at her. His hazel eyes seemed to burn with curiosity. ¡°If you could though, you¡¯d be dead¡±, May replied sweetly as she stared back. The whole group couldn¡¯t help but smile at her response. She wasn¡¯t kidding. Chapter 31 ~ Luken II Agnes wrapped the old towel around her head and climbed onto her newly upgraded bed. She had been feeling sticky with the blood all over her, especially the few that got in her butt crack. It was simply disgusting. She took a curing potion after every match so as to avoid any infections. That also meant that she spent a lot of money as those were quite expensive. Honestly, Agnes found her life underground relaxing. The battles she fought, even the ones where she wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d make it out alive did nothing to change that fact. She really wouldn¡¯t mind spending the bulk of her life here but the audience wasn¡¯t guaranteed to love her that long. She¡¯d rather stay here till that time comes as she had no reason nor goal to leave though. She had pondered about revenge before and realized that she had no inclination towards hunting down her parent¡¯s killers. Actually it was more that she didn¡¯t want to repay her life saver, who was obviously part of the group that attacked her parent, with retribution. She felt reluctant to go hunting down the man that had preserved her life and simply going after everyone else but him felt rather half-hearted. She believed herself to be an all or none type of person. ¡®Doesn''t that make me a terrible daughter? Wanting to repay him rather than seek vengeance for them¡¯ she always wondered. ¡®Actually, is he still alive? Are they still alive?¡¯ she asked herself truly curious but had no answer to that. They seemed like very powerful people so it was more likely that they were alive than dead but nothing was ever set in stone especially in a world where thousands died off every second. She could see the vague outline of her mother calling her name sweetly as she closed her eyes and let herself reminisce. ¡®Besides as weak as I am, I would achieve nothing but my death¡¯ she told herself for the umpteenth time. Perhaps her weird addiction to battle and becoming stronger was fueled by the death of her parents. She would rather not have to run away while her loved one were being killed again, after all. She couldn¡¯t even remember how her life saver looked nor did she know his name but she was grateful to him, even though she shouldn¡¯t be. Her parents could have run away with her but they stood their ground and fought to allow her time to escape. They wanted her alive and alive she was. Colosseum slave or not, she was still alive. And she did love her life. She loved being alive. Even though she faced death without fear most of the time, she knew she loved her life. And she knew that she preferred keeping her life to seeking out some powerful beings in blind revenge as she didn¡¯t even know what the situation was or why it happened. Even if that made her a selfish and ungrateful daughter. Even if she often despised herself for her selfishness. Agnes lay down and stared at the blank ceiling. She had wanted to train for a bit before sleeping but it would appear she was quite exhausted after today¡¯s fights. The last guy she fought was quite tough to kill. She suddenly thought of Aileen and Noet. They both wanted to leave this place at all costs. Noet was a pure human, he could easily find a place for himself if he left but Aileen¡­ she was more likely to be captured and resold into slavery as she was a semi. Most likely as a battle slave. Agnes had to admit though, capturing Aileen would be very hard. There was a reason Aileen was called ¡®Storm Queen¡¯ in the arena. Her lightning affinity was extraordinary and her innate talent with mana was very high. Someone like her would already be in a high position if she wasn¡¯t a semi. Agnes thought the audience had an odd way of labelling them. Surely ¡®Lightning Queen¡¯ would have been better? Aileen controlled lightning essence not summoned storms. ''Well, whatever floats their boat'', she acknowledged. In just 32 years, Aileen had become a rank 60 mage. It was amazing talent that spoke volumes about where she game from. Volumes that Agnes had no fucking clue how to decipher. Agnes was almost a hundred percent sure that Aileen¡¯s goal when she left the colosseum was revenge. The expression that she saw when she asked Aileen about how she got here was frightening to say the least. Agnes¡¯ innate talent with Ki was quite high too. In 20 years, she had already reached rank 54¡­55 as she ranked up in battle today, just 10 ranks behind Noet. Harvy always laughingly said he was with a group of monsters. Truly, the talent concentrated in their group was very odd for a group of slaves who were bound to fight for the colosseum. Agnes knew that if she ever truly faced Aileen, she wouldn¡¯t survive. It has been proven for centuries, over and over that mana triumphs over Ki which was Aileen¡¯s specialty. Also, Aileen used a spear to fight even though she wasn¡¯t very adept with it. A staff would give her spells more power but she always used a spear. When curiosity got the better of Agnes and she finally asked why, the answer Aileen gave was beautiful. ¡°I¡¯m not always sure if my opponents are dead when I use my spells. It looks like they are but I have to feel with my spear to make sure. Once bitten, twice shy, right?¡± she had said. Noet explained that Aileen had once run her opponent through with a spell of lightning spear before and assumed she had won from his seemingly dead state. As she walked away, she was run through with a sword and set ablaze. Apparently her opponent had gotten his hands on some lightning resistant armor and was just faking it. She had barely survived that experience and always carried a physical weapon for surety. To the rest of her group, Agnes was an oddity. She told them she was a human + high elf mix but her mana talent was not the best (high elves were famous for having huge mana wells and high innate talent). She was obviously a semi but her gray strand was nowhere to be found. Ignoring the blatant lies she had told, Noet had taken it upon himself to give her a gray dye for her hair. Luckily, 3rd Marshall was dead and her peculiarity had gone unnoticed for now. Actually, Agnes¡¯ mana talent wasn¡¯t terrible, she just couldn¡¯t learn spells publicly as it would reveal her purple mana. Nobody had purple mana, not even demons. And there had never been any record of a demon and an enlightened being ever having a child. Anyways, because of her situation, her rank rose very slowly. She wouldn¡¯t even have been able to learn any spells if not for Luken. Spells were in the language of the gods so she couldn¡¯t understand not read them without a blessing from a priestess or a mana crystal with the blessing sealed inside.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. And to get a blessing, you have to let your mana come in contact with the priestess or mana crystal. Obviously, given her situation, there was no way she could buy a mana crystal. And revealing her mana to a priestess was asking to be executed. After the World War some 5000 years ago, Demons were absolutely despised. As to why, Agnes didn¡¯t even know. She was curious but that info wasn¡¯t exactly available here. ¡°Raena¡± a soft voice floated into her ears jolting her upright. She found herself staring into a pair of green eyes that had somehow appeared without her noticing. She tensed up first then recognition followed, ¡°How many times do I have to¡­.mmm¡± Her words were cut off as her lips locked with the owner of the face in front of her. She embraced him, kissing back with practiced ease. He tasted like blood. They broke off shortly and a grin surfaced on Luken¡¯s face, ¡°Hello¡± ¡°One day, you are going to be caught and killed¡±, Agnes admonished, ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°True¡±, He admitted chuckling, ¡°I just felt like it. You don¡¯t want me here?¡± ¡°Yes¡± Agnes admitted. ¡°I¡¯m hurt¡±, Luken playfully held his chest before bursting out laughing. Agnes shifted on the bed, making space for him to sit on ¡°I really want you to be careful¡± ¡°I know. We have this discussion every time we meet. Don¡¯t you get tired?¡± he asked placing his head on her lap and looking at her. She was as beautiful as usual. And smelt like soap. ¡°No¡±, she snapped angrily. Luken couldn¡¯t help but smile. Was she really that scared he¡¯d be caught? ¡°Okay. I¡¯m always careful but I will be more careful¡± ¡°Good¡±, she finally smiled but she didn¡¯t really believe him. She started to caress his hair and asked, ¡°How was today?¡± ¡°Oh, you were absolutely lovely¡±, he began dramatically. ¡°Not me, I know how I was¡±, Agnes immediately interrupted ¡°Oh do you?¡± Luken raised a brow ¡°As a matter of fact, yes¡±, she replied nodding. Luken grinned, ¡°Today wasn¡¯t that bad. About a hundred fatalities? There were more beasts than savages in the arena today¡± ¡°Oh? That¡¯s less deaths than usual. But Marshall seemed oddly happy today anyways. How did Aileen do?¡± ¡°Total decimation as usual. The crowd was excited but I think she might have to step up the game a bit¡±, he paused for a bit, thinking carefully, ¡°She needs to give them a show. Like Noet does¡± ¡°Noet is off in the head. I don¡¯t think anyone should do what he does¡±, Agnes objected ¡°I find his dances with the corpses of his enemies quite entertaining,¡± Luken admitted an amused smile. ¡°Well, I never said you weren¡¯t off in the head too,¡± Agnes smirked. Luken reached out and brushed the wet hair off her face, ¡°He also has a lovely singing voice¡± ¡°I have to agree on that one. When I first heard it, it took my breath away¡± Agnes replied with a reminiscent tone. ¡°Is that competition I hear?¡± he joked. ¡°Nah, Noet is not my type¡± Luken was amused, ¡°First time I¡¯m hearing you have a type¡± ¡°He is too handsome¡± she deadpanned. Luken immediately burst into laughter. Calming himself down, he nuzzled himself deeper into her laps, ¡°I¡¯m sleepy¡± ¡°Aileen¡¯s going to be here soon¡± ¡°I can cast a cloaking spell¡± he offered. ¡°Don¡¯t you have work to do?¡± Agnes countered. ¡°Raena¡± he said softly, stopping her words. He sat up and with a gently caress began to kiss her again. This time, they took longer as their tongues wrapped around each other in a meaningless battle for dominance. Agnes had to break away when Luken¡¯s hand stared wandering. She took a while to calm down before explaining her obvious reluctance, ¡°It¡¯s my time of the month¡± Understanding showed on his face and he chuckled, kissing her once more. ¡°You know, semis can¡¯t even get pregnant, why do you still get those?¡± he felt compelled to ask. ¡°Don¡¯t ask me. I was born this way¡± Agnes smiled. He suddenly grinned widely, ¡°I truly was just sleepy, you know?¡± ¡°Right¡± Agnes rolled her eyes. ¡°Really!¡± he exclaimed. ¡°You¡¯re not very convincing¡± Luken sighed in defeat and closed his eyes then suddenly went still. His pale skin coupled with his current position made him look like a corpse. A trait peculiar to blood elves. Obviously used to this, Agnes caressed his hair gently, letting him fully relax. Luken was how she found out that being too horny could also release her demonic side. It wasn¡¯t one of her best memories with him neither was it her worst. At that time she wasn¡¯t even attached to him. He was just someone she¡¯d seen underground who looked out of place. Out of place isn¡¯t exactly the right word. There were no blood elves in the underground colosseum and he was in every way a blood elf. If not for his gray lock of hair, she¡¯d have thought he was a pure breed. She found him half dead just lying in a dark side of the alley on her way back from getting some equipment. As her thoughts reached this point, her eyes widened and she tapped her brand anxiously. ¡®8 hours¡¯ it read. She had completely forgotten about her shopping time today. She looked down at Luken who was probably sleeping at this point and sighed. He had some other woman¡¯s smell on him again. Who? She had no clue but it was definitely a noble otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have the obvious smell of perfume. Just like her, his body was his survival key. She wouldn¡¯t say she loved the man but she liked him enough and cared about his wellbeing. And try as she might, she just couldn''t care less if he slept around or not. Maybe it was because she knew that his sleeping around was not voluntary? His body is his key to his survival. A bitter smile floated onto her face as she once again acknowledged that fact. Was it a fact though? She had no way to know about his situation as she was stuck in the colosseum. So was it blind trust? Agnes smiled as her thoughts led up to there. Trust was a funny word. Actually, when she¡¯d seen him half- dead in the dark alley around 8 years ago, she had completely ignored him and walked away. If not for him grabbing her leg like a corpse that just gotten awakened, she would have never helped him. She had taken all the money on his person as repayment and given him some of her potions to help him. It didn¡¯t take long before he was up and running after that. Literally. He had thanked her and swiftly vanished. A spell most likely but she didn¡¯t think her potions worked that fast for recovery. It was probably his own recovery rate that did majority of the work. There was no way she would know at the time that his recovery had been sealed before he was discarded there, half-dead. His attacker had simply left his fates to the gods. Something Luken said he was grateful for. He never told her who the attacker was though. She had actually forgotten about that incident back then until one day, she retired to her room and tried to lie down only to feel someone in her bed. She jumped back and scanned the bed but saw nothing. The bed looked same as usual. She wasn¡¯t an idiot, she knew something like the invisibility spell or the cloak spell existed. Sensing no movement, she assumed the person had fallen sleep and immediately riled up her Ki, attacking the being in her bed. The person quickly blasted her away with a gust of air ¡°Air Volley¡±, obviously not asleep like she assumed and pinned her down with a barely visible whip ¡°Air Bind¡±, knocking her breath out. She could barely recover before she found herself in a prison, ¡°Water Prison¡± Not giving her any time to break the obviously fragile prison, he solidified the water into ice, readying ice shards ¡°Ice Arrows¡± at her vitals effectively stumping any thoughts of escaping the now ice prison. One would think an ice prison would be easier to break through as you could simply shatter it but experience has told anyone who ever has the fortune to be in an ice prison to never want to be in another. Well, that was only if the person who cast the spell had put a lot of mana into solidifying the ice or was proficient in mana efficiency. Luken wasn¡¯t like one of those royal bloods with ginormous mana and he never actually went a magic school so he probably didn¡¯t know what the hell mana efficiency was, meaning his ice prison was very easy to break. He made up for that with the ice arrow spell which was set to kill at the slightest movement. The ice prison was just there as a psychological thing; made the target feel trapped. Which was exactly how Agnes felt surrounded by those pointy roads to hell, ¡®It¡¯s a fucking magus. I am so screwed¡¯. Seeing as he was just calling spell names here and there not even bothering to chant the spells, he was definitely a magus and one that had gone through their major breakthrough. As to what a being of that caliber was doing in her room, Agnes had no clue. She heard a click and the room brightened up as the light bulbs came to life. ¡®Where the fuck is Aileen?¡¯ Agnes wondered then answered herself, ¡®With Noet obviously. She will be looking for a 46th roommate soon enough it would seem¡¯ With that thought she bitterly smiled and looked up to face the intruder. ¡°Hello¡­ uh blood fanatic? Sorry I don¡¯t really remember your name¡± she heard a silky voice come out from the familiar face. ¡°You¡­¡± her eyes widened in recognition. She didn¡¯t recognize him from his voice announcing battles in the colosseum but as the man she had saved some time ago. ¡°Oh so you do remember me¡±, He smiled, beginning to walk up to her before stopping a few feet away glancing at her hands which were glowing red with manifested Ki. ¡°No need to be hostile really¡± he chuckled, ¡°I am not here to hurt you¡± ¡°I know. That¡¯s why I am in a cage ready to be maimed at the slightest movement¡± she barked angrily. He gave a nervous laugh, ¡°That was just reflex¡­ I felt a threat to my life, you know¡± Agnes¡¯ mouth twitched but she said nothing. ¡°Ok, this is not how this was supposed to go¡± he thoughtfully caressed his chin. ¡°Oh really?¡± Agnes muttered dryly, ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Thank you for helping me, a few weeks back¡±, he finally said after some silence. Agnes didn¡¯t let down her guard but gave a toothy grin, ¡°You¡¯re welcome¡± A minute of silence passed tensely. ¡°Do I come another day? You seem to be in a bad mood?¡± he asked with a laugh. ¡°I wonder why¡± Agnes mumbled sarcastically. Was he serious? ¡°Right?¡± his eyes twinkled with mischief. ¡°Get these things away from me¡± Agnes growled. The ice shards were still there and too close for comfort. ¡°Oops, my bad¡±, he returned the toothy grin but didn¡¯t move the deadly magic shards. ¡®This son of a b¡­¡¯ Agnes cursed inwardly. ¡°If I remove them, you¡¯ll immediately attack me. I know¡±, He said moving over to the bed and sitting down, ¡°So we¡¯ll have to talk like this¡± Agnes couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Talk about?¡± ¡°You¡¯re exactly my style. Date me¡± he replied swiftly. The half-demon couldn¡¯t bear the situation anymore and snapped, charging blindly to attack him rupturing major veins and organs as the ice shards did their jobs. She didn¡¯t get close enough before she collapsed, bleeding profusely. As she drifted into unconsciousness, a thought passed through her mind, ¡®Well, that went swell¡¯ Luken¡¯s eyes widened in surprise at the sudden change in situation. He quickly moved to stabilize her condition, forcing potions and pills down her throat. ¡°This definitely isn¡¯t how this was supposed to go¡± he mumbled, ¡°Or was I too straightforward? I feel like an asshole¡± As he watched her slowly heal up while still unconscious, his eyes couldn¡¯t help scan her body, after which he nodded appreciatively. ¡®This is what people call a feast for the eyes¡¯ he thought and he reassessed the lady known as the ¡®Blood Fanatic¡¯ in his mind. His final assessment of this lady after their brief interaction was ¡®a hot-headed idiot.¡¯ Chapter 32 ~ Luken III Agnes opened her eyes and memories of her last time conscious rushed into her mind making her sit up and scan the room fiercely. She spotted a grinning face just opposite hers, sitting on Aileen¡¯s bed. ¡°Good morning¡±, he said, resting his chin on his palm as he leaned forward. Her face morphed into one of confusion, ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I left you here last night. You slept and you¡¯re just waking up¡±, he clarified. Agnes stared at him trying to read his expression if he was lying or not. No light was entering the room so she couldn¡¯t tell the time of the day unless she left it. She calculated her chances of leaving the room before he could stop her. They were pretty high. He was a magus and as a general rule of thumb, mana users were physically weak naturally. Except dual specialists of course. She eventually gave up on the idea of leaving the room as she was still feeling quite drained. She did lose a lot of blood. She figured out quickly that he was masking his expressions so she gave up on that too and leaned back on her creaky bed, ¡°You know, I usually don¡¯t rush head first to my death like that¡± ¡°I could see that¡±, he replied sarcastically. ¡°No really. You got on my nerve. And what was that? Date me? What bullshit¡±, she grumbled. She didn¡¯t even bother trying to attack him again. She wasn¡¯t winning a scuffle with a Magus anytime soon. But that didn¡¯t mean she wasn¡¯t going to watch for an opening. ¡°I figured that was what made you click¡±, he nodded slightly, ¡°I was being serious though¡± ¡°Of course you were¡± Agnes rolled her eyes barely interested in talking with him. ¡°I¡¯ve actually never had a girlfriend in my 345 years alive. Before I die, I figured why not?¡± he explained. That got Agnes¡¯ attention, ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°You heard me¡± he smiled. ¡°Oh¡± Agnes paused, ¡°Hell no. I am not dating someone the age of my great grandfather¡± ¡°Fuck you. What era is this that anyone gives a rat¡¯s ass about someone¡¯s age?¡± he asked wide eyed, vividly surprised at her reply. ¡°Agnes¡¯ era¡± she quipped. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± he blinked confused. ¡°ME!¡± she retorted in disbelief. ¡°Oh! That¡¯s your name?! You know, I did say I didn¡¯t know it¡± he reasoned. Agnes¡¯ mouth opened and closed in brief succession as she couldn¡¯t find the right words to say. ¡°Ag¡­Ag¡­ Agnes. Wow that¡¯s a shitty name¡±, he found himself saying. ¡°Excuse you?!¡± Agnes screamed angrily. Her dad gave her that name! She immediately began to rile up her Ki as his let his guard down. ¡°Uh, wrong word. Sorry,¡± he quickly corrected, ¡°I meant to say, it¡¯s difficult to pronounce¡± Agnes raised a brow. She was more than offended at this point. But somehow¡­ just somehow she felt calmer. Was it because he said sorry? He didn¡¯t even sound like he meant it though. She sighed inwardly and let her roused Ki dissipate slowly and continued listening. She decided that she didn¡¯t want to give him the satisfaction of riling her up again and instinctively she knew. He looked like his guard was down but it wasn¡¯t. ¡°AG-NES. Yup, I think it hurts my throat a bit when I say it¡± he said nodding, obviously satisfied with his explanation. ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t¡± she shook her head in disbelief at his antics, ¡°How does that make any sense? Since when does saying Agnes hurt anyone¡¯s throat? ¡± ¡°It does¡±, he refuted ¡°No. It doesn¡¯t. AG-NES. Nope, my throat¡¯s fine¡± ¡°Well, your throat is different obviously and it hurts mine,¡± he stuck to his previous statement. ¡°For someone who has apparently lived very long, you are very childish¡± Agnes was stupefied. ¡°If I was serious all the time, I wouldn¡¯t live this long¡± He pointed out. ¡°Actually, who the hell are you?¡± ¡°I am Luken. No last name currently. I see you are finally curious about me----¡± ¡°Not really¡± ¡°---which is good progress. Do you have another name?¡± he continued ignoring her input. ¡°Raena¡± Agnes replied stunning herself, ¡®Why did I tell him?¡¯ She had just reflexively answered. It kind of made sense as he was in control of the conversation. ¡°That¡¯s easier to say. I like it. Raena¡± Luken smiled satisfied. Agnes found herself staring dumbfounded at him. She wasn¡¯t buying his throat reason at all. He shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, ¡°Ok, it doesn¡¯t hurt my throat BUT as your soon to be boyfriend, I feel like I have to call you something unique, don¡¯t you think? ¡°No and I can see that you¡¯re a piece of crap so even if I was looking for a fling, it wouldn¡¯t be you. Besides I can see why in 345 years, you haven¡¯t had a girlfriend¡± Agnes nodded in understanding. ¡°I never said I was a virgin and make that 340 years. I don¡¯t think I knew what a girl was when I was five¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I called you a virgin? I¡¯d be more inclined to believe you were the ghost of my grandpa and what? I knew what a boy was when I was 3¡± ¡°What¡¯s with you and grandpas?¡± Luken scowled. She rolled her eyes, ¡°Nothing? I think this is the first time I said grandpa this whole conversation¡± ¡°Really?¡± he scrunched up his face, trying to search him memory. ¡®I could have sworn¡­¡¯ ¡°Yup¡± Agnes replied, stopping his thoughts, ¡°What do you want? This is going nowhere¡± ¡°Well, I think this little talk is going quite well¡±, he counteredIf you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°I beg to differ¡± Agnes scowled. ¡°You don¡¯t want to chop my head off anymore, do you?¡± he smirked. Agnes wanted to retort but the words stayed in her mouth. Truly, her urge to kill him had pretty much died down. She did want to bash his skull for insulting her name but that was it. ¡°Ok let¡¯s get back on topic. Date me¡± he announced again. ¡°No. I still think you¡¯re a piece of shit, that¡¯s not changing anytime soon¡±, Agnes replied crisply. ¡°What? Why?¡± he asked baffled. ¡°I am going to act like you didn¡¯t just ask why¡± She replied, rolling her eyes. ¡°Ok¡±, he side-stepped her comment, ¡°I ran various simulations through my head on how you¡¯d reject me but age wasn¡¯t one of them¡± ¡°Well, color me surprised¡± she huffed. ¡°No really¡± ¡°At least you knew you were going to be rejected¡± Agnes commented happily. ¡°Well, yes obviously. If you accepted I¡¯d have assumed you were planning to murder in bed sometime in the future¡± ¡°That¡­ is actually a good idea, why didn¡¯t I think of it?¡± she wondered aloud. Luken burst out laughing, ¡°You know I¡¯m being serious, right?¡± Agnes stared at him for what seemed like an hour, ¡°Yes but no¡± Luken¡¯s first impression with her wasn¡¯t the best. No, scratch that. They started off on the completely wrong foot but their personalities did go very well which she realized the more he kept breaking into her room and they interacted more. The fact that they were currently involved made her laugh sometimes as she really couldn¡¯t imagine being with him before. Self-defense or not, he had attacked her and then she almost killed herself by running into obviously deadly magic but that was beside the point. Of course, his age was never a problem; that was just an excuse she thought up on the spot. The average lifespan in Vetranos was around 200 years with people of that age looking in their twenties or thirties. Usually, the younger they looked, the deadlier they actually were. And Agnes knew no one could actually manipulate the way they looked, they just aged very slowly compared to people who couldn¡¯t even use mana or Ki. Come to think of it, he never truly explained why he broke into her room and asked her to date him. He always glossed over the subject¡­ well, Agnes wasn¡¯t that curious anyways. Agnes sighed as she remembered her stupidity when she first fought against Luken. She really had to work on controlling her emotions. She didn¡¯t even think straight at the time; she just snapped and moved irrationally. It was one of those times where her body moved on her emotions before her head actually thought through it, which was really bad. Because next time, she wouldn¡¯t be almost dead, she¡¯d be dead. She wasn¡¯t the only one whose body moved before her head did. From what she remembered of her mother, she was very emotionally driven. As in her mother, Sierra, had always acted on her emotions before realizing the stupidity or ideality of the act. ¡°You know? I once wanted to seal my emotions. They were scary and I couldn¡¯t control them. But your father liked me. This crazy me. This me who murdered people with the slightest provocation. The me who killed people because I got angry for just one second ¡­ wait your father is a demon so he does the same thing, doesn¡¯t he?¡± she had once said to Agnes then burst out laughing, ¡°Never mind. This sounded way cooler in my head¡± As to why she was telling such scary thing to a child, no one knew. No child wanted to be told their mother was a murderer even if they didn¡¯t know what the word murderer meant then, they would know later. Murderer or not, Agnes loved her mother. Besides, Agnes herself was a murder, so like mother like daughter, right? Of course, Agnes didn¡¯t understand what the fuck her mother was talking about in terms of emotion control at the time but she had personally experienced it as a child. Because one time Sierra gave Agnes alcohol as she didn¡¯t want to deny her sweet baby anything. Agnes didn¡¯t even ask for the damned drink, she was just curious before the apparently drunk Sierra fed it to her. And in another instance, Sierra broke her father¡¯s spine (which healed back immediately) for walking in their small garden in his demon form; pretty much all the flowers died. ¡®Wait. Demon form? I thought demons couldn¡¯t change their form?¡¯ a sudden realization coursed through her mind. She had definitely seen her father take on a human form quite a lot. ¡®How?! That makes no sense. I know for sure my father is a demon no¡­ why didn¡¯t I realize this before??? A human- demonic breed? No, that makes no sense. Demons love eating human flesh, it¡¯s their staple food. Father always looked human half the time so he must have shapeshifted to look like that? But demons cannot change their form. Wait, I can change my form so he¡¯s a half like me? Ugh, again demons do not mate with their food. Scratch that! Maybe he was a human turned demon? How does that even work? Actually, where do demons come from?¡¯ Her face was contorted with confusing as she tried to make sense of what she just realized. She had many questions that had no answers and it was giving her a headache. A small movement on her laps jolted her out of her rampaging thoughts and brought her back to reality. She took some time to calm herself down and remembering about her scheduled outing today, lifted Luken¡¯s head from her lap and moved away replacing herself with a pillow. His eyes immediately shot open at the switch, startling her, ¡°What?¡± ¡°Oh¡±, she chuckled briefly and tapped her brand, showing him her remaining hours on it, ¡°I have to go buy some stuff¡± He sat up and stretched briefly, ¡°Oh¡± he scratched his head absentmindedly, ¡°Ok. I think I¡¯ll go. They might be looking for me¡± She nodded at that, ¡°Got it¡± ¡°So I may walk amongst my foes, merge with my being, Invisibility¡± he chanted softly. Just like he had appeared, he disappeared from her sight. Agnes smirked and reached out patting his invisible head, ¡°Bye¡± His head moved up and down, then judging by the wind, he was out the door. Luken had a dual affinity of water and air meaning he had to chant the full spell when another elemental essence was involved, even if he was a magus. Agnes stared at the empty room for a few seconds astounded at the lack of security in the colosseum. Well, it was understandable, who protects slaves? She took out a fiery red jumpsuit from under her bed and putting it on. She equipped the belt with throwing knives and hooked up her scabbard with her sword on it and left the room. Instead of just buying extra throwing knives, she decided to buy a new sword technique. The one she had currently was too brutish and had no fluidity. That kind of style was good in the colosseum for mowing down opponents but in tense battles where she needed to adapt to the situation, she couldn¡¯t do so as her current sword technique was too frigid. She usually ended up discarding it during battles like that and relying on her throwing knifes and Ki. But that definitely wouldn¡¯t work every time. Plus she didn¡¯t mesh with the style at all. She was just using it till now because it was one of the cheapest ones. She had 40,000 points to shop with and was probably going to use most of it up today. Agnes walked towards the adamantine doors that led to the colosseum market. She wished she could rip some parts of the door out and sell it when she got outside...ok, she did want to go out and see the world but she was definitely in no hurry. If she sold the doors, she would definitely make a fortune or at least that¡¯s what she heard. She raised her arms up and a green light shone scanning her up and down. The sound of something unlocking followed and the doors slid open as loud as usual. The hustle and bustle of the usual market did not exist here. The prices were fixed so there was no haggling at all. Agnes walked past countless colosseum savages, looking for a particular merchant. He was always around on the days that ended with a 3 (3rd, 13th, 23rd, etc.). She spotted him looking as shady as he always did in a corner of the road. ¡°Hey Carlos¡± she greeted with a smile and walked into his tent. He looked as idle as ever. The burly blood elf looked quite vicious with all the scars on his body but had quite the friendly attitude. He opened his eyes and scanned her trying to jog his memory. ¡°Oh, Agnes, right?¡± She nodded, ¡°That¡¯s me¡± ¡°Let me see...¡± he picked up a book by the side and began to flip through it. Agnes didn¡¯t dare interrupt him. Everyone knew that Carlos always went a tad crazy if you stopped him when he¡¯d started something. ¡°Ah-ha!¡± he finally stopped flipping the book and smiled satisfied, ¡°Agnes Marlston, 10 throwing knifes. Why, that¡¯s a full set dear. What else could you need?¡± Agnes let out a nervous laugh, ¡°I forgot to retrieve a few during my match so I¡¯m missing 3¡± ¡°I see. As usual buying a full set is 10,000 points. Buying a single throwing knife is 1500¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just get the set again in case. I might lose them again after all¡± ¡°Aye! I trust they served you well so far?¡± he asked rummaging through his bag for something. ¡°Absolutely. They¡¯ve been extremely helpful¡± Agnes admitted. ¡°Not against mages though, right?¡± he chuckled, ¡°Found it¡± he brought out a black plaque with weird inscriptions on it. Agnes laughed, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t use a throwing knife on a mage. That¡¯s stupid¡± ¡°You speak the truth¡±, he nodded and raised the plaque up. Agnes tapped her hand against it and the tingling feeling that entered her hand told her some points had been deducted, ¡°I see some people do it though. They should take a lesson from you¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pass on giving lessons, thank you very much ¡°Agnes shook her head accepting a set of throwing knives from him. She immediately turned around immediately to leave. If you got into a conversation with Carlos, you¡¯d end up spending hours with him, unknowingly. He loved to ramble on, would never say a true word about himself but was a good conversation partner. Which was not what she was looking for right now or so she thought. As her feet stepped outside his tent, the ponderings she had earlier today entered her mind. She couldn¡¯t help but glance back at the man. She didn¡¯t think he was trustworthy but he seemed quite knowledgeable besides if she never asked anyone, she¡¯d never get answers. She considered it for a second and retreated back into the tent. ¡°Carlos?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± he had already reverted back to the idle form she saw when she first entered the tent. His eyes were also closed and one would have thought he was asleep if they weren¡¯t acquainted with his ways. ¡°What do you know about demons?¡± she finally asked after some consideration. The man in question gave her the strangest look she¡¯d ever seen. Chapter 33 ~ The Road to Disaster ¡°Demons?¡± Carlos¡¯ voice sent a chill down her spine. Agnes immediately readied herself for battle berating herself. She had a spell at the tip of her tongue ready to cast and placed a hand on her sword. ¡®Why did I think asking about demons was a good idea in the first place¡¯ She was about to pull out her sword when Carlos spoke again. ¡°Why would you want to know about those?¡± Carlos¡¯ earlier threatening atmosphere disappeared so fast Agnes actually wondered if she imagined it. ¡°No reason actually¡± Agnes feigned indifference still on guard, ¡°I hear that demons existed but nothing more. Simply curious¡± Carlos nodded in understanding, ¡°Yes. You savages aren¡¯t even a hundred, are you? Of course you don¡¯t know much¡± Agnes had to force herself to refrain from saying, ¡°there are many savages and challengers over a hundred¡± She looked around and seeing no stool decided to seat on the floor. It was actually very comfy. ¡°Demons¡­ I hear we coexisted with those spawns of hell before the Great War. As to what our ancestors were thinking, I have no clue¡± he began. ¡°The humans began the world war, those maniacs love their wars but this was the first time they involved the other parts of the world. It started with the dwarves joining in, then elves picked a side then lurks picked a side too. Do you know what side the elves picked?¡± he asked. Agnes nodded, hoping he was getting somewhere with this. ¡°We sided with the humans. Or the high elves did. There was only one elven kingdom back then you see, so we blood elves didn¡¯t even have a say until we fought tears and blood for our own kingdom¡± he answered himself, finishing with a smack of satisfaction. He seemed to be quite happy with the fact that the blood elves had their own kingdom. Agnes didn¡¯t share his sentiment but could tell he was about to go on a tangent of how the blood elves got their own kingdom so she spoke, ¡°Why did they side with the humans?¡± Carlos couldn¡¯t help but glare at her even though her question wasn¡¯t exactly interrupting him, ¡°Don¡¯t know. Don¡¯t care¡± Agnes almost snorted in derision. What was he getting mad for? He cleared his throat, ¡°So-so and so happened but the world war kept escalating with no sign off stopping. Do you know why the great war came to an end¡± He was apparently out of his story telling mood and Agnes didn¡¯t bother answering. He was going to answer it himself anyways. ¡°Demons¡± he said gravely, "Those bloody bastard" ¡®I¡¯m actually curious of this part,'' Agnes thought to herself, ''They say the demons caused the end of the world war which I think is a good thing so I guess the process was the problem?¡¯ ¡°Demons lived in Human, Elven, Dwarven and Lurkan societies at the time, they didn¡¯t have their own kingdom. Even though, they managed to be unified throughout the war saying they were neutral. You couldn¡¯t see a single demon on the battle field¡­ actually humans had some demons in their ranks..." Agnes raised a brow. "Anyways,one day it was like they had all gone crazy. They attacked everything in sight, killed, maimed, and destroyed. The damage they brought was bigger than the damage the societies had received throughout the war. The societies had to reach an agreement and band against the demons. Our ancestors said the demons were a very mellow race, slow to anger, patient group of people but I don¡¯t believe that for one second. Mellow people don¡¯t bide their time for years plotting to wipe out all intellectual races. I believe our ancestors were deceived for centuries. Sadly¡±, he shook his head at that, took a deep breath and continued his long winded speech. ¡°It is also said that demons were a race that avoided extremely negative or extremely positive stimulation because if that happened they could change forever. And the war did exactly that. It set them off and they have been like that ever since¡± he said solemnly then burst into crass laughter. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that for one second either! They are a vile race whose sole purpose is rampaging and killing!¡± he exclaimed, vividly riled up. He took another deep breath and added thoughtfully, ¡°Like a worse version of dwarves ¡­ or humans. Depends on which side of the map you¡¯re on¡± ¡°In conclusion!¡± he exclaimed extravagantly, ¡°Anything positive you hear about demons is spread by those nutjobs who believe everything has a good side¡± this particular sentence had a practiced feel to it. Like he¡¯d said it many times before. Seeing her puzzled expression, he clarified, ¡°The Church¡± That made Agnes much more confused and she had to ask,¡± I thought the church hunts down demons?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, they are a bunch of hypocritical tards but we tolerate them because the gods and godesses use them to speak to us¡± The words flowed out of his mouth so well Agnes figured he was quoting someone. Agnes chewed over this new info and realized that she didn¡¯t actually get much of her questions¡­ any of her questions answered but she didn¡¯t dare ask for more specifics. At least she¡¯d learnt something new so it wasn¡¯t a total bust. She got up abruptly startling Carlos, ¡°I¡¯ll go. You¡¯ve fed my curiousity. Thanks¡± and walked out of the tent. She yawned tiredly and let her eyes roam around the quieting market. It was already quiet but it was going quieter as the day grew darker. As she searched for a merchant selling sword techniques, she spotted a spell trader packing up his wares with the side of her eyes. A spell crystal rolled off his table and fell to the floor as he packed up his wares ended up next to Agnes¡¯ feet. She picked it up and the label on it read ¡®lightning burst¡¯. This particular spell was forever imprinted into her mind after watching Mavah use it but she never found it. Aileen knew it but refused to teach it. After Aileen had taught Mavah, he had used the spell in the arena when his mana couldn¡¯t even fuel it effectively killing himself. If the mastiff hadn¡¯t cut him in two, his would have burst into pieces due to using a 2nd Circe spell while being a rank 5 mage. Agnes was actually curious about how he could even use the spell, even if for a second or so before dying. Not like the boy was around for her to ask. In usual cases, the moment you finish reciting the spell, you would burst into pieces in a spectacular fashion. Agnes had watched many mages do it, it looked like red fireworks in her opinion so Mavah was quite unique. Maybe it was because he was a Ki user? Noet did say Mavah¡¯s talent for mana was horrendous and when she watched that battle, he used only Ki till that final spell.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Agnes understood Aileen¡¯s sentiment regarding teaching that particular spell seeing as Aileen had taught her the ¡®Lightning Sword¡¯ spell with no problems. She gave the spell crystal back the merchant who answered with a barely audible ¡°thanks¡± not really registering her presence. She could run off with the spell crystal but she¡¯d seen other savages who thought they were smart try that. It never worked out. ¡°How much?¡± She asked as it seemed the man took her as someone who picked something for him, not someone who wished to buy goods. ¡°Ah¡± he exclaimed in realization, ¡°I am closing up now though¡± ¡°I know, I¡¯m just asking how much¡± She explained, pointing at the spell crystal. ¡°20,000" ¡°No way. That¡¯s expensive!¡± Agnes exclaimed. This was her first time asking the price of a spell so she was surprised. She¡¯d never bought spells from the market nor checked her affinities as that would be asking for execution. One could check their affinities without a priestess but Agnes didn¡¯t know that and neither did the majority of her group. It wasn¡¯t even public knowledge under the colosseum. The man shrugged in reply, going back to packing up. To activate a spell crystal and learn a spell, you have to infuse your mana into it. Agnes couldn¡¯t do that publicly so this was an alternative she¡¯d just thought off. Luken had managed to give her an offensive spell crystal but it was fire based. She didn¡¯t seem to have the affinity for fire as the spell always looked lackluster when she cast it just like Luken¡¯s when he cast fire magic (He didn''t have fire affinity) Overall, she knew two spells, Lightning sword from Aileen and Blaze from Luken. This would be her third one if she got it. ¡°I want the whole crystal, I¡¯ll use it later¡± she said quickly before he put it in his bag. ¡°Buying for someone else?¡± he asked in understanding. Spell crystal could be learnt from a specific number of time and this particular one had sold 4 times. There was only one left after which the crystal would shatter and savages usually bought these if they wanted to give a spell to someone else. ¡°Huh? Y-Yes¡± she stuttered surprised but pleased at his misunderstanding. ¡°100k points¡± he replied smilingly as he rotated the crystal in his hand. ¡°What?!¡± her voice went up three pitches, ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°No¡± he said coolly Agnes froze then a small laugh escaped her mouth. ¡°The crystal will break immediately after use. There¡¯s only one spell left after all. Even if you want to study it you¡¯ll gain nothing¡± he said, his tone a bit stiff. ¡°I don¡¯t want to study it, I just want to learn it later¡± she replied honestly as it was obvious he noticed her true intention. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°No reason in particular¡± Agnes replied promptly. The man scrutinized her for a few seconds. He couldn¡¯t really place his foot on it but there was something suspicious. It wasn¡¯t like this was the first time someone has asked for a spell crystal but it was usually for someone else. She could just use learn the spell now. Why ¡®later?¡¯. He shrugged after a while as he realized he didn¡¯t really care much about her reasons, ¡°25k¡± ¡°Oh, come on¡± Agnes groaned. ¡°Did you think the crystal was going to come free? I spent money to get it and seal those spell inside¡± he said cockily, ¡°and that¡¯s quite cheap you know? Do I increase the price?¡± Agnes grudgingly lifted up her hand, slapping it against the hanging black plaque paying her dues and grabbed the crystal storming away. He blinked a bit surprised, ¡°I haven¡¯t activated it yet¡± She froze mid-storming and turned around with an embarrassed look. He smiled and brought out a similar looking crystal. It glowed for a few seconds after which he nodded to her. She turned around and walking away, still embarrassed. He shrugged and went about his day, quickly placing the event in his mind as another odd day under the colosseum. *** Marshall downed a cup of beer impatiently. He really hated waiting and now he was made to wait for someone. His eyes were fixed on the door and soon enough, a huge figure in a cloak entered the rowdy inn. No one really took interest in the figure; there were shady people like that everywhere. One particular noteworthy thing was that everyone in the inn, Marshall included, had the telltale red diamond affixed in the middle of their forehead. The figure in the cloak placed a bronze coin on the counter and received a jug of beer in return. He briskly walked over to Marshall and sat opposite him. ¡°You¡¯re late, Carlos¡± Marshall huffed. ¡°I had things to do¡± Carlos replied crisply. There was no respect in his voice, if anything there was disdain, ¡°To think I¡¯m being reduced to interacting with absolute maggots¡± he exclaimed angrily. ¡°I¡¯m not here to care about your sentiments, Carlos¡± Marshall snapped. From his expression, he didn¡¯t seem to care or notice Carlos¡¯ disdain. Merchants¡¯ of the colosseum were all prisoners. They sold spells, equipment and materials that they were instructed to sell, to colosseum slaves. The maggots he referred to were the ¡®semis¡¯. ¡®Beings that were rejected by Supreme Beings, just by interacting with them you felt tainted too¡¯ was truly how Carlos felt and the majority of the prisoners felt. There were ones that didn''t care either ways but those were rare. The job of these ¡®merchants¡¯ was to inform the royal palace of anything ¡®fishy¡¯ among the slaves as the merchants were the only way the colosseum slaves could get information about the outside. And to do that they had to be ¡®approachable¡¯. If you were approachable, then the colosseum slaves would tell you secrets or even ask you to help with their escape which was laughable as the merchants themselves weren¡¯t even free. This group of prisoners were all on probation and had a junk of their powers sealed. Most of them were advanced warriors (warriors that had passed their major breakthrough) but were only as strong as rank 70 fighters from being sealed. If the prisoner brought back considerable information or savages spent enough points on them they could then be released from prison. Oddly enough, Carlos wasn¡¯t an advanced warrior yet looked down on Marshall. The usual outcome would be Carlos losing his head for his disrespect or being beaten up as strength defined status most of the time but that wasn¡¯t happening currently. As to why, it was important to know that Raven Inagon, the current Marshal was a rising commoner. The important point here being ¡®was¡¯ as he rose in capacity until he just didn¡¯t. Raven had been a rank 33 Warrior for around 430 years. He became a rank 33 Warrior in just 100 years so it was very obvious he had stagnated. The man they all thought would be a future noble of the Kingdom had become another fallen warrior. His talent could only carry him so far. Marshalls were usually people that the Kingdom has filed as expendable, meaning no one really cared if they were dead or not. The colosseum slaves may not know this but every citizen of the Ferasi Kingdom knew. Weirdly, the man himself had volunteered to become a Marshall. This was weird because warriors had a total lifespan of 550 years but an advanced warrior had 600. The man was already near the end of his lifespan (around 70 years left when he became Marshall) and instead of marrying and settling down or enjoying himself or even trying all sorts of ways to extend his life like most people did, he asked the King to become a Marshall. Even though he wasn¡¯t able to get stronger, he could still be in a considerable position in the army because of his Warrior status but he asked to be a Marshall. It was unpreceded. The King had actually agreed (another oddity as even though the king allows people to ask him for a favor, getting him to agree to it is a one in a million chance) to his request and after that he was no longer just a fallen warrior but a ¡®tainted¡¯ one. The so called ¡®taint¡¯ didn¡¯t mean that anything happened to people who interacted with semis but it was just a general consensus that they made you feel deprived of holy energy which was aptly named ¡®taint¡¯. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to listen to my troubles¡­ I¡¯m just saying¡±, Carlos gulped his strong beer, ¡°This is good stuff, how come I didn¡¯t know about this place before I went to prison?¡± ¡°Carlos¡± Marshall growled, his tone turning dangerous, ¡°You said you had information, that¡¯s why you¡¯re being allowed to meet me here¡± The man in question sat upright and rubbed his nose, ¡°One of your slaves was curious about demons¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Marshall questioned, his brow raising in surprise, ¡°Who?¡± ¡°It was¡­¡± Carlos paused and then grinned, ¡°I don¡¯t remember¡± Marshall grunted in acknowledgement and passed a sack over to him. Carlos immediately opened the sack scanning it with his eyes and a satisfied smile emerged on his face. ¡°Agnes¡±, he said, his mind obviously elsewhere at the sight of money. ¡°There are so many Agnes¡¯. I would like a description¡± ¡°Marlston¡± Carlos replied swiftly. ¡°Oh¡­ Blood Fanatic¡± Marshall nodded in understanding then scrunched up his face, ¡°What exactly did she ask about demons? Why?¡± ¡°Nothing specific. Asked me to tell her what I know about those vile things¡± ¡°Did you?¡± Marshall knew the answer but thought to ask anyways. ¡°Yea, I figured why not? Everybody needs to know about those spawns of hell even maggots¡± ¡°I see¡± Marshall drawled uninterested in his reason, ¡°Well then, that¡¯s nice to know and all but from what you said, I figured there was more information?¡± ¡°Ah yes¡± Carlos scratching his head as though he just remembered, ¡°She felt odd¡± ¡°Oh? How exactly?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have Ki sense but I¡¯m about to advance so trust me on this she was odd¡± ¡°Odd means nothing to me Carlos, that¡¯s as vague as it can get¡± Marshall frowned in spite of himself. ¡°But that¡¯s how I can explain it. The feedback I got from my battle sense was a bit foul. It wasn¡¯t excessively foul but she was obviously about to attack me at some point and the feedback from my battle sense was at that moment was very odd¡­ it was ---¡± Carlos tried to explain but seeing a Marshall wasn¡¯t getting it he shrugged. Carlos hadn¡¯t ever had his battle sense next to a demon before (if he ever had he probably wouldn¡¯t live to tell the tale) he had only seen one before. Even just seeing, he was repulsed and filled with fear. If he ever had ever fought with a demon and made it out alive he¡¯d recognize that odd and foul feeling as evidence that your battle sense or Ki sense has come into contact with demonic energy force. Marshall stared at him silently and then sighed, ¡°Thanks for the very useless information Carlos. And my mood is foul ¡­ well, it¡¯s been foul for a while though¡± Carlos shrugged again. He didn¡¯t really care whether Marshall¡¯s mood was foul or not. That was his last thought as his head was separated from his body. Chapter 34 ~ The Road to Disaster II ¡°Welcome back¡± Aileen sing sang the moment Agnes entered the room. She had just come back from a late dinner with Harvy and Noet. Bertha and Aileen had been missing all day so Agnes was a bit surprised to see her in the room. ¡°Well, you¡¯re energetic¡± Agnes noted a bit surprised at the hearty welcome. This was so unlike Aileen. The usual cheer about Aileen was more than often fake. She always smiled and chuckled but if you knew her you¡¯d be able to know that most of the time she only smiled because she felt she had too. One of the things Agnes loved about Harvy was his ability to make Aileen laugh. Aileen would end up killing Harvy if they were left alone but with the appropriate distance, they would co-exist just fine. This was why she felt surprised when she was told they¡¯d slept together even if it was just once. She wished she¡¯d been there to see it. ¡°Hehe¡± She flashed a grin feigning mysteriousness. ¡°What happened?¡± Agnes asked walking over to her bed, unbuckling her belt. ¡°Not telling¡± Aileen sing-sang again. Agnes raised a brow ¡°You know what? I¡¯m not even curious¡± ¡°Ok, wasn¡¯t going to tell you anyways¡±, Aileen smirked, seemingly satisfied with something. Agnes shook her head and pulled put out a piece of comfortable clothing from under her bed, swiftly changing out of her jumpsuit. ¡°Why do you always go shopping dressed for war?¡± Aileen asked sharpening her wooden spear- it was more of a habit now rather than actually sharpening it. It seemed like she was asking Agnes just for the sake of it not that she actually cared. ¡°War? No. Battle? Yes. I just don¡¯t feel comfortable without it¡± Agnes replied absentmindedly. The room descended into silence as Agnes went about her sleeping rituals; checking her ranks, fighting the air and the only other sound in the room came from the slashing of a sharpening knife on the wooden spear. Agnes finally lay down staring at the ceiling and waited for her exhaustion to set in. Today had seemed longer than usual to her for some reason. She turned on her bed facing the older lady and just watched her repetitive motion. Agnes was the youngest in her group being 27. May was 127 (Agnes suspected this wasn¡¯t true), Noet was 72, Aileen was 42, Bertha was 54 and Harvy was 28. Agnes knew that she and Harvy were just kids to them even if they never said it outright. Her eyes moved to rest of the head of the elf-dwarf. As usual her hair was a beautiful shade of dark blue. ¡°I do love your hair¡± Agnes commented in an attempt to make small talk as she sunk her head into the pillow. ¡°I know¡± a smile surfaced on Aileen¡¯s face, ¡°You¡¯ve told me before¡± ¡°Well, yours looks like the night sky, mine looks like urine¡± Agnes said, her tone weary but upbeat. Aileen paused her sharpening and pulled a lock of hair in front of her face. Her hair was cut in a bob and the only long part of it was the gray one,¡± I don¡¯t think it looks like the sky? Neither do I think your hair looks like urine. That is such an odd description. I¡¯d have said¡­ um sunlight¡± ¡°Meh¡± Agnes drawled. The sharpening repetitions were making her sleepy, ¡°I got this hair from my mother----¡± She suddenly froze mid speech, stunned. Aileen had a stunned expression too but quickly recovered, ¡°Someone¡¯s a bit loose lipped today. Was your mother the high elf or the human?¡± Agnes didn¡¯t answer still stunned at what she just said. She never talked about her parents. Ever. She had made it a creed to never do so or else one day she¡¯d slip up without knowing. She had already been found out by Luken and even though he didn¡¯t really care that didn¡¯t mean everyone else was the same. Aileen shrugged expecting no answer from Agnes and went back to her business. Just like she didn¡¯t know Agnes¡¯ story, Agnes didn¡¯t know hers. It was sort of an unspoken rule in their group not to ask. Well, except to Bertha. Bertha was very open about how she¡¯d been banged and bagged to the colosseum. Aileen didn¡¯t think that was a story to be open about but that was just Bertha, she didn¡¯t give two fucks about anything most of the time and had repeatedly asked every one of their stories, even if she got no answer. The mere fact that they were in the colosseum meant they¡¯d been sold to the colosseum by either their own parents or a random person, captured by roaming slave traders or captured by the Marshalls themselves; rare but still happened. What so ever past you had, it always led up to that fact. Agnes folded up on her bed, resolving to never have a repeat of this little incident. She soon drifted off to sleep with all her troubles manifesting in her dreams like always. *** In a certain building, there was a hallway that held no sign of living things but was wide enough to accommodate 50 or more people. It was beautifully lit and adorned with silver engravings on the wall. Expensive chandeliers hung from the ceiling but there was an eerie feeling in air that made its emptiness more pronounced. This hallways had 4 bronze doors-more like gates- leading to 3 different chambers. Two of these doors were 10 feet away from each other and were the only ones with gold lining on their edges. There was sound coming from within one of these doors. These sounds resembled talking but none of the words could be made out from the outside. Inside of the room didn¡¯t lose to the outside in terms of the eerie feeling but there were only two people inside this chamber and judging by the furniture, it was a study room. The atmosphere would have felt a bit stifling to an onlooker but the two individuals didn¡¯t seem to care. ¡°Elder brother, I don¡¯t understand why you keep letting that vermin live!¡± an obviously infuriated young lady spoke. Well, she looked young. ¡°I let so many vermins live. How has this one offended you?¡± a sickly looking young man replied. He looked ready to fall dead at any moment but his temperament was not that off the sick. It was that of royalty.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Yes. That is the one of the bad things about you Elder Brother, you keep letting them leave,¡± the lady sighed massaging her forehead, ¡°He is a failure. Since when did we start keeping failures?¡± ¡°Hmm, since 200 years ago?¡± he chuckled heartily. The laughter did not fit his face at all. Princess Abigail clicked her tongue in annoyance. She didn¡¯t know what her brother found entertaining at all. Prince¡ªoh right, Crown Prince¡ª Eliot had always been an eccentric person. He found delight in the oddest things, a complete 180 from the King. Abigail looked at the person who was to become King when the current King passed the kingdom over. She couldn¡¯t help but roll her eyes. Because of the hassle involved with royal intrigue and what not, Abigail had given up her rights to the throne when she turned 120 ¨C at least that¡¯s what people thought. She had given up after seeing her eldest sibling volunteer herself be a test subject for the future of the royal family. She had looked up to the 1st princess and first born child, May Salvador and had come to the realization early in life she could never meet May¡¯s dedication for the Kingdom. On the other hand, Eliot would lay down his life for it, just like May. That kind of ruler was what the Kingdom needed and Abigail¡¯s only wish was to support him. And, there were only 3 children born to the royal palace so there was not really any competition for the throne if May and Abigail didn¡¯t compete. Eliot might be dedicated to the Kingdom but Abigail couldn¡¯t help but feel that she was handing over the Kingdom to someone who wasn¡¯t very strong, both literally and figuratively. ¡®Handing over¡¯ because both Eliot and Abigail knew that if she truly wanted the throne, it wouldn¡¯t even be a competition. Eliot would be totally eradicated and Abigail would become the new Empress. One of the reasons the King still ruled was because he was unsure of Eliot¡¯s capability. Eliot was born with a denser diamond than usual meaning his mana cultivation capacity was destined to be close to nil. Even with all the experiments he¡¯d performed on his body, it was just another reason why Abigail felt the need to support him. Otherwise she¡¯d have left the royal palace and found something to do with her life. ¡°I don¡¯t see what is so fun about him and 200 years is a long time, Elder Brother¡±, Abigail muttered, giving up on changing his mind. She could immediately squash that vermin like the bug that he was but she usually let Eliot have the final say. ¡°He thinks he can escape my grasp¡± his voice sounded a bit empty, ¡°I like it¡± Abigail raised a brow, ¡°He¡¯s been trying to escape your grasp even before now and he needs a specific blood dosage to survive so escaping you is impossible. You¡¯d think he¡¯d figure it out after all these years¡± ¡°Oh he has figured that out¡± Eliot smiled ferociously, spinning the wine glass of red wine or was it blood? in his hand¡­. It looked too light to be blood though. As to where the glass appeared from and when it appeared, it wasn¡¯t possible to know, ¡°He is looking for a way to get his regular dosage without me¡± Eliot laughed lightly in spite of himself. ¡°A futile attempt obviously. He probably has made no progress in that direction since there¡¯s no way to escape your hands. Aren¡¯t you bored?¡± Abigail yawned. She wasn¡¯t sleepy, just tired of trying to convince him to kill these people. Eliot rarely ever listened. The prince was silent and only the barely audible slosh sound from spinning the liquid could be heard in the room, ¡°Actually¡± he paused obviously pondered something, ¡°Actually yes¡± he paused again. ¡°Yes. I am bored¡± he said with a tone of finality. Abigail¡¯s eyes widened, surprised that her words actually got to him. ¡°Let¡¯s kill him!¡± she squealed in delight. She truly just wanted to have that thing removed from her sight. The noble ladies were getting intoxicated with the man and she wouldn¡¯t want Eliot to have to deal with a rebellion or something similar due to some bed warmer that they created. Her brother didn¡¯t seem to have picked up on the developing situation and she was ready to help him when the time came, if worst came to worst but now that he was all for eradicating the vermin she was all up for it! ¡°Mildred¡± Eliot called softly as though talking to someone right next to him. There was nobody there. ¡°Yes, Sire¡± a voice, obviously male came from beside Eliot. The two royal children weren¡¯t startled as though the voice was always there. ¡°Where is Luken? Now that we¡¯re talking of him, I just realized he¡¯s been disappearing lately¡± Eliot asked. There was a brief silence before Mildred spoke, ¡°I didn¡¯t monitor his disappearance as he never left the colosseum, Sire. I will definitely find out¡± ¡°¡­Oh¡± Eliot said his voice monotonic. Abigail burst into laughter, ¡°How utterly useless. Do you not screen your guards, Elder brother?¡± The man in question was completely still like a statue. It was like time had frozen around him. ¡°I---¡± Mildred began. ¡°Shut up¡±, Eliot spoke icily, only his mouth moving. Abigail couldn¡¯t wipe the smile on her face, ¡°Mirabelle?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness?¡± a lovely female voice replied from the space beside Abigail. There was no indication of a being next to Abigail either. ¡°Where has he been disappearing to?¡± she asked. ¡°The underground, your highness¡± Mirabelle replied respectfully. Abigail furrowed her brow turning to Eliot, ¡°You gave him access to that?¡± ¡°No¡± his stature like posture finally moved and he relaxed in their seat. Judging from Abigail¡¯s reaction, or lack of, Eliot probably became a ¡®statue¡¯ often enough. ¡°Then¡­?¡± Abigail looked at the space beside her as though looking someone in the eye. ¡°He has been visiting a savage underground, Your Highness. I didn¡¯t mean to be vague¡± this time, Mirabelle¡¯s voice was a bit shaky. ¡°I thought you meant the lab!¡± Abigail barked, her smiling expression completely wiped from her face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Your Highness¡±, the voice was completely shaking with fear at this point. Abigail didn¡¯t seem to notice her fear, ¡°Wait. A savage?¡± Eliot perked up at that, ¡°What is he doing with a savage?¡± ¡°That¡­¡± Mirabelle began but paused a bit reluctant to continue. The fear a second ago was completely gone from her voice oddly enough. ¡°He¡¯s fucking one? Oh now that¡¯s interesting¡± Abigail¡¯s face perked up obviously intrigued. She waved her hand elegantly and whispered, ¡°Incinerate¡±. The side of the room where Mildred¡¯s voice had come from caught on fire and the horrid stench of burning flesh spread through the room. The cloak spell Mildred had cast was broken by the sudden attack revealing a middle aged looking man burning to crisps. There is no change in the expression on Abigail¡¯s face and she didn¡¯t even look at where he burned. ¡°For Bermia¡¯s sake, Abigail, stop burning up my guards¡± Eliot sighed tiredly, ¡°That¡¯s the 50th one this year and it¡¯s just Farahe (4th month), by Tibeth (12th month), who knows how many that¡¯ll be?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± She cleared her throat and acted like he said nothing ¡°Isn¡¯t it interesting? That vermin is fucking a semi!¡­ it¡¯s a semi, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡± Mirabelle answered quietly. ¡°A semi! We set him to have an instinctual repulsion to semis but it would seem that part of the control mechanism failed. You did a great thing by letting him live, Elder Brother!¡± she praised truly excited. ¡°It¡¯s the 50th one. Do you think dual users grow on trees?¡± Eliot deadpanned, completely ignoring her comment. Abigail had to laugh, ¡°OK. I won¡¯t do it again if you get reliable ones¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you said last time¡± Eliot raised a brow. Abigail guiltily scratched her head, ¡°I¡¯ll give you one?¡± ¡°No¡± Eliot refused firmly. Abigail just sighed expecting this, ¡°Then 3 chances?¡± Eliot took a while to mull it over and a small smile found itself to his face, ¡°Perfect¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Eliot tiled his head at that, confused. ¡°Luken. His control mechanism seems to be a bit faulty. It¡¯s the first one to fail in centuries, this might lead to breakthrough in our research¡± Abigail spoke animatedly, ¡°I always thought it just didn¡¯t set well which was why he keeps trying to escape from us but it¡¯s simply not working well!¡± In the creation of a puppet, if the control system doesn¡¯t set well before puppet activation, the puppet will be given the instinctual desire to get away from the maker. No one knew exactly why it worked that way. Dark magic always had oddities to it. Eliot shook his head, ¡°No, his control mechanism has always been a bit faulty¡± Abigail¡¯s expression was full of surprise. She hadn¡¯t been there for the creation of Luken but why would Eliot leave someone with a faulty control? ¡°I needed to test something. I did set for the instinctual repulsion but it wasn¡¯t a full setting. If the incomplete mechanism completely fused with his body, his full set of emotions from his time as a human should come back instead of making him a mindless puppet BUT he would still be under my control was the hypothesis¡± Eliot explained. ¡°No wonder¡± Abigail mumbled. Luken had always been odd. For a puppet, his emotional range was too wide, ¡°So the hypothesis is proven? We should retrieve the mechanism from his body and study it, right? It could be replicable¡± ¡°No¡± Eliot shook his head, ¡°He barely got his emotional range back. Just recently he retrieved his ability to like somebodyso he began the relationship with the savage girl BUT he¡¯s been getting much more rebellious than we programmed him to be meaning the control mechanism is slowly losing effect. As for the study, we could do it. I was planning to allow it sometime so he could get some more emotions but he¡¯s reaching the end of his lifespan anyway so i guess we can end it¡± Abigail opened her mouth to reply but the words got stuck in her throat. She stared incredulously at Eliot, ¡°You were playing dumb?¡± Eliot smirked, ¡°I liked seeing Elder Sister in action¡± Abigail opened her mouth dumbfounded, ¡°You¡¯re angry?¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°Wow, I suddenly feel sorry for Mildred,¡± Abigail smiled ferociously. She obviously felt nothing for the dead man. ¡°You¡¯re not going to ask why?¡± ¡°I know why. ¡®Elder Brother¡¯¡± Abigail chuckled, elegantly leaning back on her chair, her eyes twinkled, more than impressed. She was fooled, and spectacularly so. Eliot grit his teeth, ¡°Who is your elder brother?¡± then he added with an aggrieved mumble, ¡°I¡¯m sure I was born after you¡± Chapter 35 ~ The Stage is Set ¡°They¡¯re as lively as ever right, Abigail?¡± a deep voice came out of the man on the highest throne in the colosseum. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty¡± She replied respectfully. The colosseum was as always filled with boundless excitement even more so when royalty was present. The Kingdom of Ferasi had a weird unification between their citizens and royalty. The royal palace had been loved for generations by their citizens and that didn¡¯t seem to be changing any time soon. The King was a huge man, having the bearing of a bear lurk and the physique of a warrior. If not for the blood red diamond on his forehead that told of his race as a blood elf, an ignorant person would definitely think he was a Ki user. His black eyes seemed like an endless abyss and his hair was a fitting blood red. Actually, it wasn¡¯t that blood elves couldn¡¯t use Ki, a common misconception. It was just that many blood elves, the royal family in particular are born with crooked ki paths making them unable to use Ki whatsoever. In exchange though, the mana well of blood elves with crooked ki paths were ginormous making crooked ki paths in Ferasi to be looked at as a blessing. By his right of the King, on the same platform was his queen, Bithrya. She looked as vicious as ever, her red eyes looking ready to shoot flames and her short brown hair waving crassly with the wind that she was most likely making herself as there wasn¡¯t any wind blowing in the colosseum at the moment. She was covered in obviously expensive jewelry and draped with garments befitting of her status. On a smaller platform, to the left of the king sat the ever graceful princess Abigail. She had her long silky red hair braided and adorned with simple jewelry while her face had a gentle smile. Her eyes were as dark as her father''s and yet did not look as threatening, something that she¡¯d actually worked on for years. To the right of the queen on the same smaller platform was the recently crowned prince, Eliot. Just looking at him made you want to take care of his fragile self. He looked as pale as usual wearing his ever dead expression. His eyes were as red as his mother¡¯s without the ferocity and his hair as red as his father¡¯s making for a striking combination. For better or for worse, this particular combination made his extreme paleness all the more apparent. As the roars from the people threatened to shatter her eardrums, Agnes tightened her grip around her sword, took a deep breath readying her stance. She always felt nervous when fighting in front on royalty and today, the whole royal household was here, an oddity as today wasn¡¯t even a festival but it wasn¡¯t like the first time it had happened. It was just a rare occurrence. ¡°Welcome people of Ferasi and others¡± a voice sounded out in the arena quieting them a bit. Agnes felt herself calm down hearing Luken¡¯s voice. It was difficult not to get nervous with royalty. They had definitely all come into contact with a demon before and if any of her mana was used in this battle, they¡¯d notice her peculiarity. ¡°Today we have many spectacular battles for you! I trust you will not go home dissatisfied¡± Luken chuckled, ¡°Even more so as we have His Majesty, King Ale----¡± The rest of Luken¡¯s speech was completely drowned out by the numerous chants of ¡°Long Live the King¡± which was admirable as he was using a voice amplifier. He had to wait for the frenzy to die down a bit then continued, ¡°Today out first course will be...¡± he paused on purpose and the crowd finished his sentence for him, ¡°Blood Fanatic!!!¡± ¡°Her opponent is the one and only Artist of the colosseum, The Waltz-ster!¡± his voice was filled with so much enthusiasm Agnes felt a bit ticked off. The response to that was definitely louder than they had been for Agnes. It was obvious her opponent¡¯s popularity surpassed hers. Agnes stared calmly at her opponent on the other side of the ring. Noet looked very calm from afar, he even had a small smile on his lips. Agnes sighed inwardly. This was the third time she had to face this madman. The other two times he sent her on a short visit to Yama and she didn¡¯t even get to touch the hem of his shirt. As the saying goes, third times the charm so she might actually deal some damage today. It wasn¡¯t like years ago when she wasn¡¯t even an advanced fighter so her confidence was much higher. She would definitely win if she could use her mana though. She was a rank 37 mage now and a rank 58 fighter compared to Noet who could only use Ki and was a rank 67 fighter. Even with only 3 spells known, it was a very good advantage. On the other hand, Noet was something else. His Ki was not as rough as hers meaning his Ki refining technique was much better so he had definitely began cultivation before he came to the colosseum. Well seeing as he was 10 years old when he arrived at the colosseum, it was understandable. He also had weird battle techniques that made his seemingly boneless when he fought. As to what it was Noet would never tell. Simply put, in a battle of Ki with Noet, even if she was a few ranks higher than him, she was most likely not going to win. Luken had said a few words while her mind was considering how this fight would end up, and ended with his trademark words, ¡°Let the show begin!¡± The carefree smile on Noet¡¯s face vanished the instant Luken finished, he moved covering the distance between them in seconds and Agnes immediately jumped to the right as though on cue. A good decision as the location she stood before now held Noet and the place he landed on cracked. But this also meant that there was only a 2m distance between them.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Noet materialized his Ki on his arm, covering it from elbow to hands, and dashed towards her again. This time Agnes readied her sword, ready to take him. The exchange of blows went quickly and Agnes¡¯ sword quickly shattered under the pressure. She had expected that and quickly controlled the direction the shards flew, causing Noet to quickly dodge. Using the little opening she created, she materialized Ki on her right leg kicking at Noet¡¯s abdomen. She found her leg caught in mid-air and a ferocious grin appeared on Noet¡¯s face. He had already anticipated that. ¡®Oh no!¡¯ she immediately screamed inwardly and attempted to pull back. The cracking sound of her ankle enhanced by the roars of the colosseum was what she heard next. She didn¡¯t let out a scream, just threw herself as far away as possible from the man rolling on the floor before she came to a stop. She wobble to get up, barely able to stand on her right leg, pretty sure a bone was broken. She bit her lips till blood came out, watching his every move. To crack the bone of a fighter of her rank¡­ Noet was very strong even though he didn¡¯t look it. He just stood there too, apparently watching hers. Noet was a madman, a consensus amongst all colosseum slaves. The moment he got in battle, he forgot who you were and would definitely fight to kill you. Agnes knew the ¡®forgot who you were¡¯ part was a lie but she was really tempted to believe it every time she fought him. Agnes moved first this time, propelling herself with a Ki boost effectively using up half of the Ki she had remaining. It was an ineffective way of boosting speed but she didn¡¯t really know another way. She let herself get carried by the wind, hefting a Ki enhanced punch at him. Noet narrowed his eyes at that and immediately changed his stance to accept her blow instead of dodging. The velocity with which she moved caused him to move back a few steps but with pretty much no damage. She immediately resorted to throwing out punches as fast as she could, as her Ki reserve was beginning to run low. ¡°Umiquen¡¯s shift technique¡± She heard Noet whisper and his hand moved quickly, countering every punch she threw by redirecting it. It was a though he could sense where she would punch next, a feat battle sense could definitely not do, especially with the speed she was using. Noet looked relaxed on the outside but inwardly he was felt stifled. He had to be careful not to hurt himself as Agnes¡¯s Ki was going a bit berserk as she got angrier, flashing widely with every punch she threw. He suddenly felt a warning from his battle sense and quickly moved his head to the right but not fast enough as a throwing knife brushed past his eyes, drawing blood. A satisfied smile could be seen on his opponent¡¯s face and she threw another one which he didn¡¯t even need the feedback of his battle sense to tell him to dodge. A unified gasp swept through the arena before thunderous cries of ¡°The Waltz¡± filled the arena. Even though Agnes had just injured him for the first time, the support was not for her at all. Obviously her small victory did nothing to the surety which they felt of Noet¡¯s win. ¡°Tch¡± Agnes clicked her tongue. If she threw it a bit faster, she could have gorged out his eyes. She watched Noet¡¯s mouth twitched and his killing intent was released, enveloping her. She flinched and felt herself stiffen in reflex. She had never actually felt Noet¡¯s killing intent and she was giddy with surprise. It meant he acknowledged her battle prowess¡­ or was he just mad she injured him? She unsteadily attempted a crouch and hid her face away from the audience, quickly shoving 2 red pills into her mouth, an action Noet noticed. She guided her mana towards her mouth, enveloping these in a weak purple membrane as it stayed under her tongue so they wouldn¡¯t begin dissolving. Noet suddenly disappeared from her sight, she immediately went on alert. He was using another Ki technique again, something unavailable to colosseum slaves. Her battle sense told her of a danger to her back and she instinctively skid forward to move away. She then felt the familiar sensation of a hand cutting through her stomach. And looked up to see Noet¡¯s expressionless face. His mouth moved and slowly she dropped to the floor. It was apparently possible for the colosseum audience to get louder and Noet gave a big smile to the crowd. After screaming for a while they calmed down obviously waiting for something. Noet gently picked up Agnes¡¯ lifeless body causing it to rise and steadied it. A melodious voice came out from his mouth and the audience who recognized the song quickly joined him singing along as he performed a dance benefiting of a noble with her ¡®corpse¡¯. ¡°Abigail¡± the King said softly while Noet danced, causing Eliot to finally move from the position he had been the whole battle, looking up. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty¡± Abigail replied sweetly. She looked serene and her eyes traced the body which was being thrown around by Noet in his waltz. ¡°Did you feel it?¡± He spoke with laughter in his voice. The expression of the princess and the queen changed gravely for an instant before reverting back. ¡°I thought I imagined it¡± Abigail laughed melodiously. She had been extremely startled by her Father¡¯s question. But thinking through it, it¡¯d have been weirder if he said nothing. ¡°What bull¡± Bithrya barked, ¡°You were probably going to go inspect it after today¡± ¡°I¡¯d prefer if you all didn¡¯t speak in tongues¡± Eliot spoke monotonously. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later¡± Bithrya said softly. ¡°It¡¯s not a combatant but it¡¯s a demon that can change their form. Have the demons begun to evolve?¡± Abigail asked a bit worried ¡°No. it¡¯s not a demon. Marshall discovered it before and I arranged this match to confirm it¡± the King said tersely, ¡°We think it¡¯s a half¡± ¡°What?!¡± Bithrya¡¯s eyes widened in surprise and her voice caused many to turn to look at the royal compartment curiously. The royal family looked as calm as ever, making the audience think they imagined the yell. ¡°Mother, are you going senile?¡± Abigail whispered, ¡°Why are you screaming?¡± ¡°This girl¡­ do you want to die?¡± ¡°Oh, you could try¡± Abigail taunted. ¡°Cut it out¡± the King said, his voice frigid. They immediately stopped talking. ¡°Halfs are impossible for demons. There is no way she¡¯s a half¡± Eliot spoke, his brows were knitted in obvious confusion. He had picked up the crux of the conversation apparently somewhere along the line. ¡°It should be impossible¡± Abigail said barely audibly, ¡°It seems your Majesty already knew?¡± ¡°Well, strictly speaking, halfs aren¡¯t impossible for demons¡± The King finally said after a while not answering Abigail¡¯s question. Bithrya seemed to be done with this conversation as she wasn¡¯t even listening. Perhaps Noet¡¯s ballad interested her. ¡°Oh?¡± Eliot was intrigued. ¡°We already know that a woman pregnant with a demon child would get eaten up as nutrients, as demons are created from energy force. That¡¯s why it¡¯s thought to be impossible.¡± King Alejandro further explained Abigail nodded, ¡°Yes but they won¡¯t even survive a week if the woman didn¡¯t have dark affinity¡± ¡°So¡­ if the woman can give the child enough affinity to grow, it¡¯s possible?¡± Eliot asked, mulling over the new knowledge ¡°No¡± the King smiled in return shooting down his idea, ¡°Even if the woman is a dual specialist untouchable, that¡¯s impossible¡± ¡°Then an immortal?!¡± Eliot¡¯s voice actually rose in tempo. ¡°Hey, Crown Prince, have you met an immortal?¡± Abigail rolled her eyes. Did he think before speaking? ¡°No¡± Eliot guiltily replied reevaluating his statement. If not for the head of the church being an immortal himself, Immortals would simply be a myth. The idea of this half-demon''s mother being an immortal was an idea so ridiculous, he didn¡¯t know why he thought of it. ¡®Am I really going insane?¡¯ he wondered inwardly. ¡°Do you think they grow on trees?¡± she scoffed glaring at him. Oddly enough she still had her gentle smile on her face after she had done speaking. ¡°Sorry, Elder Sister¡± Abigail felt her mask cracking and turned away from Eliot. She didn¡¯t know anyone else who would talk about an immortal like candy you see on the street. Alejandro''s lips twitched quite a few times making it obvious was trying not to laugh, ¡°We¡¯ll discuss this later. He¡¯s done dancing¡± The royal compartment grew still and if one hadn¡¯t looked at them some point during this time, you wouldn¡¯t think they had moved an inch. The next act came into the arena and the response was pretty much the same. Loud whistling, clapping and overall eagerness. Bithrya suddenly leaned in to her husband and whispers¡°That child¡­¡± ¡°Who?¡± Alejandro questioned her, barely above a whisper. ¡°The boy from the first act. He¡¯s a noble, right?¡± The King was silent for a bit then answered crisply, ¡°Yes¡± Chapter 36 ~ Only Bermia Would Know ¡°That fucking son of a bitch!" A ferocious roar came from the patient who apparently just woke up. ¡°Yea, yea. Shut up. Or I¡¯ll make you¡± An obviously disinterested voice replied to this particular patient¡¯s outrage. ¡°Oh god it hurts¡± Agnes squealed as the reality of her situation hit her. ¡°You¡¯re so energetic¡± Harvy commented bored out of his mind. He had been entrusted with taking care of the unconscious Agnes so he had been stuck in this blood smelling room for hours. ¡°Then what? Should I cry?¡± Agnes retorted, ¡°Goddamn it fucking hurts! Argh my stomach. Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!¡± She continued screaming incoherently for the next few minutes while Harvy found something interesting in his nails. ¡°Done?¡± He asked when she had quieted down a bit. ¡°No¡± she snarled ¡°Where is Noet when I¡¯m dying here?¡± ¡°Waiting for you to cool down¡± ¡°I¡¯m cooled. Tell him to come¡± she immediately said ¡°If I believe that, I probably lost my brain somewhere¡± Harvy snapped, ¡°So? Is it completely out of your system?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Agnes finally checked her body, ¡°I¡¯m bleeding internally now so yes. They¡¯ve done their job and are out¡± ¡°Ok, I couldn¡¯t know so had to wait for you to wake u¡ª¡± An glass shattering scream obviously mana infused vibrated the room they were in. Harvy was shocked and held his ears which were ringing. ¡°For Delia¡¯s sake Agnes! Oh my fucking¡­ shit I¡¯m bleeding. What the hell was that for?!¡± He screamed horrendously as blood from his ears touched his hands. ¡°M-m-my ranks!¡± she stuttered in disbelief. ¡°What?!¡± he snapped. She had probably busted one of his eardrums. ¡°I dropped 5 ranks¡± she turned her face ghastly pale. His anger vanished into thin air as what she just said registered and he wore a completely stunned expression, ¡°Oh¡­oh¡­oh shit!¡± ¡°Shit? Shit?!¡± her voice went insanely higher with every word. ¡°What else should I say?¡± Harvy asked the hysterical female incredulously. ¡°This-This is worse that shit! This is¡­ oh my fuck¡ªcan¡¯t find the right word¡± she seemed really close to crying. ¡°I knew one pill dropped a rank or 2 but apparently taking 2 pills at a time enhanced the after effect¡± He shook his head mulling over this information. He really wondered where Noet got all these pills from. ¡°Argh! Really, why does Noet have to dance?! I wouldn¡¯t have to take 2 if he simply ¡®killed¡¯ me and I was carried out of the arena¡± Agnes moaned. This drop had set her back months Of Ki refining. ¡°Stay still¡±, Harvy said a bit absent minded and chanted, ¡°I beckon the holy powers of the gods, restore unto this being what was once their own, Healing Touch¡± His hand glowed a greenish hue as he placed it on Agnes¡¯ abdomen. The area immediately stopped bleeding but that was it. ¡°So that one may regain their power, bless their being, Rejuvenate¡± he continued and collapsed to the floor exhausted and empty. He sat down on the floor with eyes closed so he could recover his mana. Agnes smiled as the pain that racked her body reduced. She wasn¡¯t bleeding and getting closer to her death every second now which was definitely better but her body¡¯s natural healing speed wasn¡¯t going to fix the injury Noet gave her. She looked at the collapsed Harvy. Luckily, he was a pure wolf lurk so he could use holy spells; one didn¡¯t need holy affinity to use basic healing spell, you just needed to use holy essences. Noet was a pure human too and if he had a mana channel he¡¯d be able to use holy spells too, that¡¯s how things worked. Everyone but semis could use holy spells. ¡°Why use rejuvenate? My rank has dropped so my Ki is unstable. My innate healing is next to nil right now¡± Agnes questioned tiredly. Harvy opened one eye, ¡°¡­Oops. Forgot¡± and closed it again. Agnes sighed not even bothering to think up a smart remark, ¡°Thanks¡± ¡°Mm-hmm¡± he mumbled not really caring. ¡°Really. Thanks¡± she felt like she had to say it again. ¡°Shut up. You¡¯re disturbing me¡± Harvy finally snapped. Why is she so sentimental today? ¡°Oh¡­ sorry¡± Agnes mumbled her voice barely above a whisper. Minutes later, Harvy opened his eyes and stood as his mana had fully recovered. He cast Healing Touch again and looked closely at Agnes only to discover she was fast asleep. He sighed and sat down, this time on the chair beside her bed. He ended staring at her with nothing to do. After a few seconds of watching her sleeping, he reached out and ruffed her hair, ¡°Be glad you¡¯re alive. Not about ranks¡± *** ¡°The words, ¡®go easy¡¯, they don¡¯t exist in your dictionary?¡± Aileen asked as she looked into Noet¡¯s eyes from his lap. ¡°They do. That¡¯s why you always win when we fight¡± Noet defended himself. ¡°Oh sure¡± Aileen replied sarcastically. Noet sighed and caressed her hair, ¡°I was taught that way. The word ¡®go easy¡¯ was never in my mother¡¯s dictionary when she taught me how to fight¡± Aileen didn¡¯t reply, just found a more comfortable position for herself to sleep. And sleep she did. Noet absentmindedly stroked her head while he thought back to the match. He got infuriated at being injured and gave her a more grievous injury than he had meant to. He really didn¡¯t mean to but his mother had beaten her training it to him so severely that even after countless years he still abode by it subconsciously. When he was just 4, his mother began to shape him into a warrior. Perhaps the knowledge that her son, despite his royal blood didn¡¯t have a mana channel gave her a sense of urgency. Urgency to ensure her son¡¯s survival in that den of wolves called the royal palace of Forten. And perhaps her efforts were rewarded given the fact that he was alive instead of dead like his countless siblings who were immediately put down the moment Empress Veronica Cael ascended the throne.Stolen novel; please report. His mother had said these words almost every day. ¡°The moment your blood is drawn by your opponent, that¡¯s the moment you become a disgrace. Does the house of Cael need disgraces?¡± ¡°No, Mother¡± Noet had answered. ¡°So? What do you do to avoid that situation?¡± ¡°Win¡± ¡°And if you can¡¯t avoid it?¡± she would then ask ¡°Eliminate the reason for the disgrace to the house of Cael¡± ¡°Yes, my son. Eliminate it¡± Her expression whenever she said this was very satisfied, an expression which was rare on his mother¡¯s face otherwise. Noet had taken the words ¡®eliminate it¡¯ to heart at that time and was in the process of purging it. It was much harder than he thought because even as 68 years had passed and he still subconsciously acted on his mother¡¯s words. His mother¡¯s reasons regardless, Noet didn¡¯t want to follow her words. Because of his mother¡¯s ¡®peculiar¡¯ way of life, his step- sister had felt her hold on the throne would be weakened if her siblings and step- siblings were alive and sought to eliminate every one of them. Noet escaped but that was only because he was not killed on sight but was captured to be personally beheaded by the Queen. He had entered a slave caravan to leave the city but had ended up noticed and bound then soon enough found himself in the underground colosseum. Noet smiled as he suddenly thought of May and Agnes. His daily life in the colosseum became interesting the moment he met May and Agnes added some spice to that. Over these years, Noet realized he was a very curious person and always sought to get down to the bottom of everything. It was also why he knew that this underground colosseum was also an experimental ground for the royal palace¡­ although if the royal palace found out that he knew, he would be eliminated immediately. As to how he found out¡­ well, that¡¯s a story for another day. May on the other hand was a complete mystery. Based on his interaction with her, he discovered that her memories from before the colosseum were completely gone but that was the extent of his knowledge. It was difficult to know more about a girl who didn¡¯t know anything about herself after all. And she was scary. Noet remembered the fond memory of Tabie, a swarf (stone dwarf)- rabbit lurk who they had related with for some time years ago. The girl found something out about May and as to what exactly, Noet didn¡¯t get to know before May swiftly crushed the girl into a bloody pulp AND didn¡¯t remember that she did that afterwards. Agnes on the other hand was a complete open book. Even though she tried to seem secretive, the girl couldn¡¯t mask her expressions and her back story could easily be discerned. Her parents were murdered in front of her. Nothing new. She also had no inclination for revenge which was somewhat odd for someone with that type of back story but once again, nothing new. The only mystery about the girl was her parents. Noet had never seen a semi without a brand (the gray lock of hair on a semi is called a brand) before her. He had sent Ianan, a former loyal retainer of his mother''s, to investigate her background. The retainer didn¡¯t come up with much. Due to his interest in the other two girls, one would find it a bit odd that he was involved with Aileen. Noet didn¡¯t see anything odd about it. Honestly, Noet saw what he could have been in Aileen. When he first came here, he wanted nothing more than to get out and destroy Veronica but as years passed, that feeling calmed and Veronica slowly became a simple memory of his past. Aileen wasn¡¯t like Noet in that aspect. No matter how many years have passed, her anger and desire for revenge still burnt fiercely. Not that she could actually achieve anything with her meagre powers but her devotion towards her revenge was extraordinary. Noet got up leaving Aileen on the bed and walked out of the door. Agnes had probably calmed down by now so he was going to check on her condition and see what the after effects of a double dosage of those pills did. His goal when he left here wasn¡¯t something as tiresome like becoming a King, he wanted to become a merchant. Not just a simple merchant however but the head of a merchant Empire. And for that to happen, he needed to have something unique in the market, something people would want. Selling what someone already had was begging for competition and having the sole ownership of a product meant he could set the price to whatever the hell he wanted. The pills were what he planned to base his empire on and his ¡®friends¡¯ were the test subjects. He didn¡¯t tell them and even if they asked, he didn¡¯t say. He offered and they took it so they couldn¡¯t say he forced them. He would have found other random blood elves for trials but that would just make him noticed before he could spread his wings. The colosseum where people died every day was the best place to do this and if they were his ¡®friends¡¯, he could monitor them. *** ¡°Hello¡± a sweet voice entered May¡¯s ears startling her even though she didn¡¯t look it. May turned slowly to face the owner of the voice, ¡°Princess?¡± ¡°Yes, thankfully you remember me¡± Abigail gave a big smile. ¡°Do you need something?¡± May didn¡¯t seem concerned about the fact that the princess of Ferasi was in her room nor did she actually care why. ¡°No. I wanted to see you¡± Abigail chuckled sitting herself right next to May and leaning her head on May¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Princess¡± May called out. May didn¡¯t move away, not minding Abigail¡¯s actions and she wasn¡¯t even surprised at it. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Do you know me?¡± she asked monotonously ¡°Of course. Ice Queen of the colosseum¡± Abigail immediately said ¡°No¡± May paused and asked again, ¡°Do you know me?¡± ¡°I just said yes¡± Abigail replied with a sweet smile. ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb¡± May said and one could tell she was being cold even though her voice was monotone. ¡°Really, you ask this every time you see me. I know you, Ice princess¡± Abigail replied bubbly. May stared at her for a few seconds before looking blankly into space in front of her, ¡°Do you need something?¡± ¡°You¡¯re frustrating¡± Abigail pouted. May liked going in circles whenever she saw her. She had to ask a particular question 3 times every time they met and if Abigail didn¡¯t give the same answer, she would start over. ¡°Do you need something?¡± May asked again, her voice not differing in pitch. ¡°Even puppets are more flexible that you¡± Abigail complained. ¡°Do you need something?¡± Abigail exhaled tiredly, ¡°Yes. I wanted to see you¡± ¡°Do you need something?¡± May repeated. ¡°Oh? Sorry I mixed that up. I meant No, I wanted to see you¡± ¡°Do you need something?¡± Once again May said. If one looked closely they could see the edges of her lip rise up. ¡°Argh, really! You think I don¡¯t know you do this on purpose? Since I pretend I don¡¯t know you?¡± Abigail spat, ¡°You¡¯re having fun, right?¡± ¡°Do you need something?¡± May acted like she couldn¡¯t hear a word Abigail said. ¡°No. I wanted to see you¡± Abigail replied exasperated. May nodded satisfied, ¡°Princess¡± The exchange went on 2 more times and then Abigail collapsed on the bed as though exhausted. ¡°Why are doing this to me?¡± she pouted, blinking her beady eyes. ¡°Like you said, you know me yet you act like you don¡¯t¡± May sneered. Abigail decided to contact May on a whim so years ago. It was a whim that Abigail regretted because she realized fast enough that she wanted to keep contacting May. She didn¡¯t realize how much she loved talking to her elder sister until then. Even if the May in front of her looked different, the body and soul was definitely that of the 1st princess. Even if she had no memories, her way of acting was that of the 1st princess. And the first princess was Abigail¡¯s idol. ¡°I told you I have my reason¡± Abigail complained. ¡°I believe you but I¡¯ve always wanted to know more about myself¡± May¡¯s lips curved into a small smile, ¡°Even though I have no brand, I can¡¯t leave the colosseum since my legs won¡¯t obey me. Even though I¡¯m a colosseum slave, I barely have to fight. I don¡¯t have full control of myself at all times, like when I killed Tabie and don¡¯t remember it. I¡¯m like a puppet¡± ¡°You¡¯re not a puppet,¡± Abigail immediately told her. If anyone had tried to turn May into a puppet, Abigail would have skinned them alive. ¡°I know. Puppets always know that they are puppets¡­so I¡¯m not one,¡± her voice had a tone of finality to it that Abigail realized she was just saying. May didn¡¯t actually think so. ¡°That¡¯s great. I thought you thought¡­ actually never mind¡± Abigail tapped her forehead in thought. ¡°Ok¡± May replied not really caring. ¡°OH! I almost forgot, Agnes that sav--- I mean girl. What do you know about her?¡± she exclaimed. Her mind was elsewhere so she was only remembering what she came here to ask. ¡°Agnes¡­? The little girl?¡± May asked a tad confused. ¡°No¡­ or yes? When you say little girl, you mean the 27 year old one right?¡± May nodded. ¡°Yes, that thing. What do you know about her?¡± Abigail questioned. ¡°Why don¡¯t you have her background checked or something? You¡¯re a princess¡± May wondered aloud. ¡°I already sent somebody today to find out. Trying to get some details that background checks might not have? I doubt it but it happens sometimes¡± Abigail said with a smile that wasn¡¯t a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t know her¡± May replied immediately. ¡°Huh? You interact with her almost every day, how could you not know her?¡± Abigail asked confused. ¡°I know her but I don¡¯t know her¡± May explained. ¡°Oh! Really? Well, it makes sense that you aren¡¯t really curious about that thing but this just give me more work¡± Abigail reasoned and descended into a contemplative silence. ¡°You¡¯re lying right now, right?¡± May suddenly said. Abigail was surprised, ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve already done your background check on her, right? You just didn¡¯t find what you were looking for¡± May surmised. Abigail was silent for a few minutes simply staring at May. May found no reason to look away and starred back. They stayed like this till Abigail broke the silence. ¡°As expected of you, Eld¡ª May. Really, as expected,¡± she stood up and squatted down in front of May, ¡°You¡¯re too perceptive for your own good, you know?¡± ¡°No¡± May replied swiftly. Abigail just smiled at that, ¡°Don¡¯t tell her¡± ¡°If I find a reason to, I will¡± She replied curtly. Abigail grinned widely and with a step back, she disappeared from the room. She wasn¡¯t bothered with May¡¯s answer because there was next to no chance that May would find a reason to tell Agnes. And even if May did, what would Agnes do about the knowledge that a princess was interested in her past? Exactly. Nothing. So why did Abigail feel compelled to tell May not to inform Agnes about this little talk? Only Bermia would know. Chapter 37 ~ The Stage is Set II ¡°Luken¡± A muffled groan could be heard a distance away from the voice. ¡°Luken¡± it was obvious the owner of the voice was smiling. Groan. ¡°Luken~¡± the voice sing-sang, ¡°Ugh, is he asleep? Wake him up¡± The sound of water hitting a body was heard. The room was very dark and the tiny light there couldn¡¯t be used to see much. A female figure could be seen sitting on a chair with numerous male figures around her. On a table some meters away from her seat was a figure who sat lifelessly, strapped to a chair. One of the male figures moved picked up a bucket and the sound of water hitting flesh could be heard again. She clapped her hands twice and the rooms brightened at all corners. The bloodied figure¡¯s head hung from the chair and the water that dripped from his body were all dyed red. It looked like he¡¯d been in this state for days judging from the dark brown blood on his person and patches on the floor. ¡°Luken? Sweetie? Can you hear me?¡± the female questioned mockingly. The bloodied figure tried to lift his head but failed. Another painful groan escaped from his throat. ¡°Look, you¡¯re making this hard for yourself¡± she continued with a sickening sweet voice, ¡°And for me! Can¡¯t you see that?¡± ¡°Fuck you¡± he inhaled deeply, ¡°Mirabelle¡± his voice cracked, obviously in pain. Mirabelle shook her head, ¡°Tsk tsk, why doesn¡¯t her highness simply make you talk? You¡¯re just a puppet¡± That made the figure twitch. Mirabelle sighed and moved her short green hair from her face. She had one regular eye that was brown and the other one looked like it was ripped out from a serpent and transplanted onto her face. Her blood red diamond was so large it reached the top of her nose. She had no gray strand on her hair signifying her blood purity. ¡°Really so frustrating!¡± she screamed suddenly and swung her hand. The unlucky figure standing next to her flew a few feet away and a clang was heard, suggesting he landed on something metal. ¡°Luken! Luken dear, we¡¯re the same! Why are you making this hard for a fellow servant?¡± her voice once again sounded sickening sweet, the anger completely vanished from her voice. Only a tired groan was the response to her words. She took a deep breath and moved so fast from her seat it was as though she vanished. Her arm glowed a thick red color and her hand went through his stomach prompting him to release a blood curling scream. She withdrew her hand and it was covered in red meaty substances. ¡°Oh, shut up. We both know you¡¯re fine¡± She flung her hand waving blood everywhere, ¡°That is disgusting¡± There was not a single drop of blood or flesh on her. Or maybe one couldn¡¯t see it due to the intensity of the black outfit she wore. Luken wheezed in pain as in a speed visible to the naked eyes his stomach began to reform and soon it was fine again. Oddly enough, only that injury healed. Every other one on his body stayed the same. ¡°Anyways like I said, you¡¯re wasting both of our time. Just tell me what I need to know and you¡¯ll be out of here¡± she gestured extravagantly, reseating herself. ¡°You¡­¡±Luken began but began coughing unable to speak. The sound of metal doors opening was heard and a short female blood elf walked in soon after. She wore a fox mask that hid her face and her head was bald. Not sparing Luken a glance, she walked up to Mirabelle and whispered into her ear then walked out as quickly as she came in. Mirabelle was silent after the girl left and only Luken¡¯s deep breathing could be heard. ¡°We already know. That she¡¯s a demon¡± She said softly, breaking the silence. Luken head shot up, his bloodied face full of surprise, ignoring whatsoever pain racked his body due to that movement. ¡°The Crown Prince was curious¡± Mirabelle began to explain with a face that said she was doing the other a favor, ¡°A puppet that feels it¡¯s free ¡­ how would he act when faced with something he want to protect?¡± Luken¡¯s face dawned with understanding and then distorted into one of absolute rage. ¡°Absolute loyalty¡± Mirabelle sneered. He let out a roar of anger, engaging in a futile struggle against the chains which bound him. His mana was sealed and he wasn¡¯t a Ki user so wanting to break his bounds was only a dream. The man couldn¡¯t actually believe he¡¯d been tortured for nothing. He was angry but there was nothing he could do about it. Perhaps he was destined to die like this since the day he was captured from his hometown. Mirabelle¡¯s sour mood soared with his anger. She had been saddled with this boring job of torturing Luken. Torture was only interesting when the person you tortured broke and Luken didn¡¯t crack the whole time. If anything he was still lively enough to throw curses when he found the slightest energy. Although Luken was a puppet, he was a flesh puppet so he was alive and kicking, just his brain was a bit tweaked and under the control of someone else. Flesh puppets always had awareness making them not battle efficient as they wouldn¡¯t mindlessly follow instructions to the letter but for spying and responsibilities they were the best. They could never betray their owner even if they tried. The only thing that sucked about flesh puppets was that they became like dolls after they gained control mechanisms. To train them to express realistic expressions for infiltration was years of work so Luken himself was truly a breakthrough into advanced puppeteering.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. He could express emotions easily from the get go even if an expert person could easily tell it was fake. As time went on, his expressions became more realistic but their control over him also weakened. If they could fix that problem, the art of flesh puppeteering would be invisible in infiltration. Mirabelle was in charge of torturing him for information about his savage partnerand he had been completely silent about her. It was a truly remarkable as flesh puppets instinctively betrayed everything but their owner. So, honestly I didn¡¯t torture you for nothing but I¡¯m not telling you that, Mirabelle laughed inwardly. Luken¡¯s current rage right now made her feel satisfaction. It completely over wrote the boredom she felt the past few days. She cracked the hands and smiled viciously. She wasn¡¯t done yet. *** Abigail slowly brushed her hair. She stared blankly at herself in the mirror, going through the motions just for the sake of it. This particular action went for a few minutes before she spoke, ¡°How¡¯s Mirabelle?¡± ¡°She seems to be having fun¡±, a coarse voice spoke and a figure dropped from the ceiling behind Abigail and stood, her hands behind her back. It was the bald elven girl with the mask. ¡°Fun?¡± Abigail asked lazily. ¡°Yes¡± the girl replied sharply. Abigail continued brushing her hair, not speaking anymore. The girl nodded and jumped up again, vanishing into the ceiling. Soon after, the door to the room slid barely open but nothing came in. ¡°I¡¯m here, Your Highness¡± Mirabelle¡¯s voice could be heard as soon as the door was closed. She cancelled her invisibility spell and knelt to Abigail¡¯s side. ¡°So?¡± ¡°He was very uncooperative, Your Highness¡±, Mirabelle replied softly. Abigail¡¯s hand paused for a second, ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness¡± ¡°Not even one word?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness¡± Abigail stopped brushing her hair and dropped the hair brush, sitting still in silence. Maids numbering five strolled in almost immediately, their heads lowered and began to change Abigail¡¯s outfit. She was changed into a white fleece cuffed sleeve and black thigh pants. Her hair was removed of the single ornament it had and carefully pulled into a pony tail. After placing her feet in a black pair of boots, they all bowed and left the room. ¡°Spear¡± she ordered. Mirabelle lowered her head as she offered a silver spear that had appeared in her hand. Abigail twisted her neck from left to right, feeling satisfied, she asked, ¡°Where is mother?¡± ¡°In the training room¡± the masked girl¡¯s coarse voice was heard-apparently she¡¯d never left causing Mirabelle flinched, startled. ¡°Oh?¡± Abigail raised a brow, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡± came the curt reply. Abigail just smiled thoughtfully at that, ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter much. And Mirabelle?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Highness?¡± Mirabelle asked, her voice a bit choked. ¡°Calm down¡± Abigail chuckled heartily. ¡°Yes...¡± Mirabelle answered, then added in a smaller voice, ¡°Your Highness¡± Abigail sashayed towards the door, her ponytail swaying with her every step. The doors opened before she reached them but she stopped before stepping out. ¡°You didn¡¯t kill him, right?¡± Abigail asked without turning around. ¡°No, Your Highness¡± Mirabelle shook her head. ¡°Good. I still have use of him¡± Abigail nodded pleased and briskly walked out of the room. The room after Abigail left went completely void of sound and despite there being two beings in the room not a soul could be seen. A loud clang shattered the silence and the masked girl and Mirabelle could be seen away from each other as their invisibility spells were destroyed from the impact. Mirabelle twirled a black dagger in between her fingers and her face held a huge scowl, ¡°Crazy bitch, if you¡¯re there, say something¡±. Her once brown eye had become half yellow, closely resembling her serpent eye. ¡°Why should I?¡± the masked bald girl sneered. Her hands were covered in red gloves but she held no weapon. Mirabelle¡¯s scowl deepened and she stopped twirling her dagger obviously about to attack again. ¡°Oh my, are you seriously attacking me in Abigail¡¯s room?¡± the bald girl chuckled but looked as relaxed as ever. ¡°You! How dare you call her Highness by her name!¡± Mirabelle was visibly enraged, and she flickered appearing before the bald girl. ¡°Wow, how uptight. Abigail doesn¡¯t care, why should I?¡± she effortlessly moved away before the dagger reached her, grabbing Mirabelle¡¯s arm, tapping it. A crack could be heard as the arm shattered including the bones, becoming mangled mess. Mirabelle¡¯s expression barely changed and she stabbed towards the masked girl with her working arm but before she could do anything she was held in a choking hold and pinned to the ground. She struggled for a while and slowly began to cough violently. The masked girl didn¡¯t release her, watching her struggle. Slowly but surely Mirabelle slowly lost her ability to breath and just before she was gone, the masked girl released her. Mirabelle immediately took deep breaths hacking and holding her chest. Both of her eyes had gone back to their usual color of brown. The bald girl squatted till her masked face was in front of Mirabelle, ¡°You didn¡¯t take your meds?¡± Mirabelle¡¯s previous attitude was completely gone and she resembled a little child being scolded, ¡°Sorry, I was stuck with the puppet¡± ¡°I know. Why didn¡¯t you take it before meeting Abigail?¡± The bald girl¡¯s voice actually had a hint of care to it. ¡°That¡­ I wanted to hurry and report¡­¡± she said guiltily. It was as though what took place seconds ago never happened. ¡°That¡¯s bad! Imagine if you had attacked Abigail instead of me!¡± The masked girl warned. Mirabelle shook her head ferociously, ¡°I would never¡­attack her royal highness!¡± The masked girl chuckled and ruffled Mirabelle¡¯s hair, ¡°I know¡­ it was just an example. You would never do that¡± Mirabelle nodded to that and gave a toothy smile. ¡°But you would attack everybody else unreasonably, like now¡± the girl finished Mirabelle looked elsewhere, giving a fake whistle. The masked girl just laughed at that. ¡°But...¡± the masked girl wondered aloud, ¡°If you were in that state while you dealt with the puppet, are you sure he¡¯s not dead?¡± Mirabelle froze. *** Agnes dried her hair as she just came out of the shower. She had just finished a very rigorous Ki session and had been sweating all over. She quickly changed her clothing and sat on her bed. She took a deep breath and began to chant a spell, ¡°Guide the essence of lightning into a form of piercing measure, Lightning Sword¡± Her small orb of lightning formed first them began to expand slowly, revealing its form as a lightning spear¡­ ¡°Shit, wrong spell¡± she cursed but waited for it to fully form before she willed it to dissipate. Cancelling a spell before it was done was asking for backlash. She sighed and waited for her mana pool to refill before chanting again. It was a 3rd circle spell and as Agnes hadn¡¯t become an advanced mage yet, using a third circle spell used up almost all her mana. The remnants were only enough for a rank 1 spell. From what she knew, that meant her mana well was huge because most people on average cannot cast a rank 3 spell before their major breakthrough and if they could, it would finish up their mana pool. Minutes later, her mana pool was filled up and she cast correctly this time, ¡°Guide the essence of lightning into a form of slaying measure, Lightning Sword¡± The orb of lightning formed then next the hilt of the lightning sword formed confirming that the spell was the correct one. Sometimes she wondered how mages who had hundreds of spells remembered how to cast them correctly. Looking at the formed sword in her hand, she couldn¡¯t help but sigh. The spell took the default form of a long sword but she had a scimitar for a weapon. She tried to manipulate the form but came up with a distorted looking sword as she ran out of mana before making any reasonable changes. She willed it to dissipate, frustrated. She was 3 ranks away from the breakthrough point thankfully so her mana would definitely expand a bit but she didn¡¯t really have anyone to teach her finesse with mana and even Aileen didn¡¯t know. She was probably stuck with the default sword sadly. She lay on her bed idly again waiting for her mana to recover. Her thoughts wandered over to Luken. He had been a no show for the past few days making her a bit worried. It wasn¡¯t the first time she wouldn¡¯t see him for a few days but these past few days, she¡¯d been feeling a bit restless. She couldn¡¯t shrug the feeling that something bad was going to happen and judging by her experiences the past few years, her instincts were on point majority of the time. Her mana recovered and she once again began her routine of casting spells and testing her limit and hoping to rank up at least once. If her instincts were right this time, she would need more power than ever and thinking about Luken wasn''t going to make her rank up. Chapter 38 ~ The Stage is Set III It was the dining hall of the underground colosseum. Savages of different qualities clamored in this place making their discussions indiscernible. On a particular table that held a mixture of savages and challengers are the complete opposite, speaking in hushed tones. ¡°What was that supposed to mean?¡± the black haired boy asked, his brows furrowed. ¡°Why are you asking me? Do I look like I know?¡± the blue haired girl opposite him snapped. ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking you¡­¡± Harvy mumbled, the sides of his mouth twitching as he suppressed a sneer. ¡°This is this first time I¡¯ve heard of this. Did this ever happened before?¡± the blonde girl questioned, her expression a copy of Harvy. Noet was very silent during their whole exchange oddly. He was always the one to speak out first or explain the situation so this was definitely an oddity. Nobody answered Agnes¡¯ question and the group descended into silence. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard anything like this the whole time I¡¯ve been here. It¡¯s probably a new thing the new Marshall decided to add?¡± Bertha finally said. ¡°Why would Marshall ask us slaves to go watch a show?¡± Harvy asked ¡°Perhaps, they found some runaways and decided they¡¯d had enough of that?¡± Agnes pondered aloud. ¡°That¡­ actually sounds reasonable. So we¡¯re going to watch them slice and dice some runaway?¡± Aileen answered. ¡°They have to know that wouldn¡¯t work? We¡¯ve spilled so much blood here, seeing more wouldn¡¯t have any effect¡± Harvy objected to her theory. ¡°May¡± Noet suddenly spoke and they reduced their talking to listen to him. The girl in question hadn¡¯t spoken a word since they got to the table which wasn¡¯t rare, it¡¯s the fact that she was spacing out that was rare. She turned her head robotically to look at Noet. ¡°Yes?¡± she said slowly, dragging out the word. ¡°What do you know?¡± he asked sternly, surprising the others. ¡°Know?¡± she continued slowly then suddenly her blank gaze sharpened and intense killing intent spiraled out of her. Many people far away from her found themselves keeling over unconscious and one could imagine the state of the people on her table. Noet and Aileen had fallen to their knees, visible shivering. Agnes on the other hand had fallen face flat on the floor, barely able to retain her conscious. Harvy and Bertha had both collapsed with Bertha looking worse of the two, bleeding from her mouth. She retracted her killing intent a moment later and sighs of relief went through the hall. The cause of all this silently glared at Noet then sighed, ¡°I¡­ am a bit sleepy¡± she got up and with very slow movements left the hall. Nobody moved until they could no longer hear her footsteps. Even when she was gone, there was barely any movement. Fear had been instilled into their hearts. *** ¡°What the actual hell was that?!¡± Aileen screamed, her face contorted in rage. They were currently in Noet & Harvy¡¯s room with the exception of May. They all sat on the ground, their expressions a variation of anger, confusion and calmness. ¡°I think I set her off¡± Noet said calmly with a shrug of his shoulders. ¡°You think?¡± Agnes asked baffled, ¡°You think?!¡± ¡°My question is what the hell set her off. You barely said anything!¡± Harvy yelled frustrated and angry at the fact that he actually collapsed. Bertha was still unconscious till now, even after Harvy had used a healing spell. Killing intent mainly affected mentally weak individuals so it was understandable. Bertha was the sweet definition of a muscle head after all. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything but she most likely thought I had figured something out¡± Noet continued. He didn¡¯t seem fazed by what happened 2 hours ago. ¡°Don¡¯t get all fucking mysterious, Noet¡± Harvy snapped. It would seem his fuse had been lit. ¡°What did you figure out?¡± Agnes asked quietly. She sat on the floor still trying to understand why May did that. She was completely stunned by May¡¯s sudden hostility and couldn¡¯t get over it. The girl despite her terrible first impression was quite sweet. ¡°Nothing¡± Noet said simply with a satisfied smirk. What is he so satisfied about?Agnes brow twitched. She wanted to pound his arrogant face in. ¡°I¡¯ve never actually fought May so that was an eye opening experience¡± Aileen inhaled deeply and finally sat down like the rest of them. She had been pacing furiously around the room, making them all jumpy from the moment they''d entered. ¡°Am I the only one more concerned about this ''show''we¡¯re watching in half an hour?¡± Agnes had to say. All savages and challengers were all instructed to come out to the now empty colosseum to watch a show. It was the first time ever and they were all concerned about what it would entail. There was no way the Marshall wanted to entertain them so it was either they were planning a mass wipeout or something more sinister. Or simply giving them new instructions but they could do that with the speakers that announced their fighting blocks. Every one underground could hear those. ¡°I¡¯m concerned¡± Harvy replied grimly, ¡°But I¡¯m much more concerned about why May did that¡± ¡°Why?¡± Aileen snarled, ¡°That bitch is nuts obviously. No other reason.¡± Harvy turned to glare at her, ¡°You¡¯re just going to jump to conclusions without knowing why? Noet obviously did something!¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you care so much for her reason, but I don¡¯t give a fuck ok?¡± Aileen snapped. ¡°You¡­!¡± Harvy¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I don¡¯t¡± Aileen repeated, ¡°I thought we were all in this together but no apparently it¡¯s ok to attack each other when we fucking feel like it¡± ¡°We do that all the time in the Arena¡± Agnes inputted. ¡°Please do not come into this conversation, Agnes¡± Aileen glared at her. ¡°But we do¡± Harvy affirmed. ¡°And since when was the dining hall the ¡®Arena¡¯?!¡± Aileen shrieked. ¡°Since today I guess¡± He shrugged ¡°Ok. Now you¡¯re just being ridiculous¡± She bared her teeth at him. ¡°In case you weren¡¯t listening, Noet obviously did something. Noet?¡± Harvy gritted his teeth. ¡°You were there weren¡¯t you?¡± Noet replied tauntingly, ¡°What did I do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not getting into words games with you,¡± Harvy snarled, ¡°Start talking. Now¡± Noet narrowed his eyes, ¡°Make me¡± ¡°What a harmonious atmosphere,¡± Agnes scoffed, ¡°Have you ever thought that she did that to get our minds off the show and onto her retardedness?¡± ¡°She is not retarded¡± Harvy immediately came to May¡¯s defense. ¡°How fucking swell, why are you defending her?¡± Agnes asked incredulously. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think a retard could be a mage¡± Harvy immediately said Agnes gave a laugh of derision, ¡°Are you really getting technical right now?¡± ¡°Yes¡± Harvy crisply replied. ¡°Youfuckingpieceofshit¡± Agnes cursed shaking her head in disbelief, "What is up with him today?" "Are you really asking? He''s always had a short fuse" Noet shrugged.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. "I know! The problem here is he''s defending May here. She''s the one who knocked him unconscious" Agnes was baffled. "Maybe she''s his rebound" Noet offered. "No, she isn''t," Harvy snarled, "I just don''t think someone who''s usually quite well-behaved would suddenly feel like murdering us. I am mad but first, I want to know. Why?" "Well, I think that''s fantastic" Agnes mumbled sarcastically. "I¡¯ll tell you why she did that¡± Aileen suddenly spoke, ¡°She obvious wanted to assert the fact that she¡¯s the strongest among us! Well, you know what I think about that? Bullshit" ¡°Now you¡¯re just jumping to conclusions¡± Harvy snarled, ¡°And she is the strongest among us sorry to burst your fucking bubble¡± ¡°Bubble? Really?¡± Aileen rolled her eyes. ¡°I am not getting into this argument¡± Harvy shook his head. ¡°You know what? I agree with Agnes, you are a fucking piece of shit¡± Aileen looked at him pitifully. ¡°Agnes calls everything a piece of shit, since when did that matter?¡± he sneered ¡°Since I agreed with it¡± She snorted ¡°Well, if you didn¡¯t know, I don¡¯t give a fuck about your opinions¡± Harvy retorted with a sardonic smile. ¡°What the fuck? Really? Are you two really starting this now? Acting like children?¡± Agnes shook her head ¡°Since this infatuated idiot decided to defend May¡± Aileen growled, ¡°And I commend your taste, Harvy. May isn''t a bad rebound¡± Harvy scowled, ¡°What?! Excuse me, Infatuated?! Where the fuck did you get that info?¡± ¡°Then why else are you protecting her?¡± Aileen asked matter-of-factly. ¡°Oh this is just fantastic! So if I protect someone because some crazy bitch refused to think things through I¡¯m infatuated?!¡± ¡°What did you just me, you fucking son of a---¡± Aileen shrieked and whipped out her spear. ¡°Ok. Calm the hell down¡± Noet¡¯s Ki infused voice boomed. ¡°No. No. You! This whole situation is because of you. I am not going to take your fucking deceit and bullshit. You¡¯re going to tell us right now why May reacted like that!¡± Harvy snarled, his hazel eyes looking very threatening. It would seem he never forgot who he truly was mad at. ¡°I¡¯m not really curious as to exactly what triggered you two, but I agree with Noet. Calm down¡± Agnes interjected. ¡°Are you really ignoring me, right now? Someone¡¯s grown some balls¡± Aileen voice went dangerously low and before anyone could do anything, she chanted and arcs of lightning were flung at Harvy. Harvy anticipated this, jumping before she could finish her spell and avoiding the blast by a few seconds, ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, I was born with those¡± he sneered sarcastically. ¡°Are y¡¯all really starting your effing cat fight right now?¡± Agnes yelped as she jumped away. She was too close to Harvy and almost got shot. ¡°Oh for Bermia¡¯s sake, are you two serious right now?¡± Noet asked incredulously. His and Agnes¡¯ words fell on deaf ears. The two had entered their own world, trying to one up each other with words and Harvy dodging every spell Aileen threw at him. The boy was a weaker mage than Aileen but he knew all her spells, able to know what was coming. Aileen never actually fought at full power because the boy would probably not last a round. But technically it counted as fighting since they were trying to hit each other... right? Regardless, Aileen and Harvy would always find one ridiculous reason or the other to ''fight'' against each other. Even in a situation like this. The times were they actually tried to kill each other was rare but it''s not like it hadn''t ever happened. ¡°I am speechless¡± Agnes said as she watched them go at it. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s the first time¡± Noet shrugged. "You know, I don''t think Harvy liked Bertha enough to actually have a rebound.." Agnes said after some thought. "Eh, let Aileen think what she wants. She''s quite furious right now. She hasn''t lost in the arena for a while and i think having someone shove that she''s still a weakling in her face riled her up" "Well, yea. She is weak... we all are" Agnes said softly, "But I think you''re the one that suggested him having a rebound" Noet ignored the later part of her words. Miraculously, none of the spells from Aileen and Harvy flew towards the bed that Agnes and Noet had made their safety harbor. The fact that Aileen and Harvy were able to fight in this barely spacious room was actually an amazing feat. ¡°You know" Agnes began, "I understand this happens more often than not but I thought we were having a serious conversation¡± "Why would you think that?" Noet smiled. "Huh? If that wasn''t a serious convo then what was it? Cuz I was being serious" Agnes sputtered "Serious about confirming the fact that May wanted to kill us?" Noet chuckled. "Don''t try to be smart with me. You know i meant the show" Noet was silent at that. "Of course, don''t say anything. It''s not like you actually know anything about it" Agnes scoffed. Noet remained silent. ¡°So? Any ideas to why May felt the sudden urge to kill us?¡± Agnes asked softly changing the topic since he refused to talk about it. ¡°No¡± Noet replied in a curt fashion. ¡°Ugh, I always get ticked off when you lie¡± Agnes took a deep breath full of frustration. Noet went silent again and only the taunting exchange between Aileen and Harvy could be heard for a moment. Agnes massaged her forehead, ¡°I always knew you were an assh---¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t lie¡± Noet said startling her, ¡°I was just suspicious of her behavior. Her reaction was not what I expected¡± Agnes studied him for a while. He''s actually explaining himself? ¡°I knew something was off with May before they announced that show¡± he continued, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect her to tell me but I wanted to confirm something. However, her killing intent was out of my expectations¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Agnes chewed over her next words, ¡°I¡¯m somewhat glad to hear that¡± "Well... I just felt like I had to explain myself this time" He shrugged. "Oh so you do know that you''re quite cryptic" Agnes smiled, somehow she felt lighter. "Well, people do love puzzles" Noet smirked. "You are ridiculous" Agnes laughed in spite of herself. ¡°All Blocks. A, B, C & D¡±, a voice from the ceiling suddenly sounded out, ¡°File out. Now¡± Agnes knitted her brow, "Already?" "It would seem" Noet affirmed. Aileen and Harvy immediately froze in their tracks at that annoucement. Apart from a few torn parts of their clothing and little scratches, they seemed fine. They glared at each other simultaneously then walked out of the room together. ¡°They have a really shitty relationship¡± Agnes couldn¡¯t help but comment. Noet smiled at that, ¡°I agree. But they sync very well¡± Agnes chuckled and nodded to that. They did start and stop fighting at the exact same time. ¡°Let¡¯s go?¡± Noet stood and beckoning to her. She began to stand and nod then suddenly froze, ¡°Actually, I think I¡¯ll go change into my battle outfit. I feel odd¡± Noet scanned her, ¡°You seem pretty prepared for battle to me¡± She was indeed. Wearing her signature black jumpsuit and a sword at her hip, she looked very battle ready. ¡°I meant my other equipment. I don¡¯t have my throwing knives¡± ¡°Ok¡± Noet nodded, ¡°Go get it, I¡¯ll join the others¡± Agnes stretched out her hand, ¡°Pills please¡± Noet raised a brow, ¡°You really think you¡¯re fighting?¡± ¡°Yes¡± She replied curtly. He paused for a moment scanning her again then spoke, ¡°I gave you pills last week¡± ¡°You only gave me the Ki ones¡± ¡°Got it¡± He reached into his pocket and pulled out four blue pills, ¡°One at a time only ok?¡± She nodded in affirmative and walked away. Noet stood in place for a while and his eyes narrowed dangerously. He did not know what thisshowwas going to be about and that fact annoyed him. Even worse was the feeling of unpreparedness that overwhelmed him. He cracked his fingers, inhaled deeply and walked out of his room. Agnes on the other hand, had gotten her things from her room and walked in the direction other slaves went. The terrible feeling she¡¯d been having had intensified over the past few days and she didn¡¯t like that one bit. Just like there were huge adamantine doors that connected to the market, there were huge ones that connected to the colosseum but these doors had never been opened- at least the whole time Noet had been here. Instead of going to the waiting hall and joining the elevators to go into the arena, they were able to just enter the arena and this time, the usual barrier that protected the audience was down. Just as Agnes was about to pass through the huge doors, a hand grabbed her and pulled her back. She reflexively acted, trying to heave a blow at the owner in an attempt to separate herself but found that she couldn¡¯t budge. She looked up to see Marshall¡¯s expressionless face staring down at her. ¡°You don¡¯t go there¡± he states softly as he lifted her from the floor with an arm, placing her one his shoulders and dashed away with enough speed to make Agnes dizzy as she struggled futilely. He stopped in front of the waiting room and threw her inside. She groaned, shaking her head to remove the dizziness and glared at him. A small smirk arose onto his face and he brazen asked, ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Agnes was silent. She was trying her very best not to try to escape. She could already see the result of that. ¡°Enter the elevator, you¡¯re fighting¡± He gestured to the elevator. ¡°I thought we were watching a show¡± Agnes knitted her brow. She didn¡¯t know why she was trying to buy time but she needed something. Anything. ¡°Well, they are. You aren¡¯t¡± he answered crisply, gesturing again. ¡°Hmm, he doesn¡¯t have bad taste¡± a voice suddenly sounded in her ear. She immediately dashed backwards unsheathing her blade and staring warily at thin air. Slowly, the form of a woman was revealed. The most noticeable thing about her was her ginormous diamond that reached the top of her nose. She had a small smirk and her eyes rapidly scanned Agnes. ¡°I never actually saw the girl so I¡¯m a bit surprised¡± The woman chuckled, flashing a smile at Marshall who still stood outside the door to the waiting room. ¡°What are you doing here, Mirabelle?¡± Marshall asked dryly. The woman chuckled again, ¡°How could I afford to miss such a good show?¡± ¡°You were ordered to come here it would seem¡± Marshall smirked. The woman stopped smiling, ¡°Don¡¯t try to read me¡± ¡°I was guessing¡± Marshall shrugged Mirabelle narrowed her eyes but said nothing. She turned to face Agnes, ¡°I¡¯m only here out of curiosity. No need to mind me¡± and then as slowly as she had appeared, she disappeared. Agnes could tell that the slowness of her appearance and disappearance were on purpose and she knitted her brow. Her hairs stood at the back of her neck, and she didn¡¯t need her battle sense to tell her she was in extreme danger. ¡°Go¡± Marshall said crisply, as it seems Agnes wasn¡¯t going to walk towards the elevators. Agnes turned to him, her voice strangely emotionless ¡°Am I the show?¡± ¡°Way to be perspective¡± Marshall drawled and shut the door of the waiting room with a bang. Agnes looked at the doors and sighed. He probably hadn¡¯t left yet so she waited. A few minutes passed and she charged at the door, heaving a punch at the hinges. The door slowly fell down forward and she scanned the area in front of her. There was nobody. She couldn¡¯t help but grin. Did they really think I was going to enter just because they asked me to? As soon as her feet crossed the doors, she found herself thrown backwards with such speed that as soon as she hit the ground, she was sure something broke. She looked up to see the expressionless face of Marshall. He said nothing and slowly walked away but she knew he was still there. His eyes told her that he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to cut her down the moment she tried again. She gulped audibly and glanced towards the elevator. For me to be the show, maybe they discovered what was unique about me? As soon as that thought crossed her mind she shook her head, I¡¯ve been very careful so I don¡¯t think so¡­besides they''d kill me not make me a show. She slowly walked towards the elevators and stared at them. The doors opened widely as though asking her to enter. She didn''t like the way things were going at all. And if she stayed here, she didn''t Marshall would just smile and let her be. She''d been having this bad feeling for the past week so it would seem this was the cause. I''ve fought so many times for my life. This won''t be any different,She told herself taking a deep breath. The most annoying part of this whole thing was she didn''t know what was going on. There was no way the opponent she was facing would be like all her previous ones. Maybe it was even a warrior. Then, it was either she died up there or down here. So she entered the still open elevators.I''ve fought so many times for my life. This won''t be any different,She told herself again. Chapter 39 ~ The Play Year 3438AW, Ferasi Royal Palace ¡°Announcing her Royal Highness, Princess Abigail¡± a loud voice boomed through the doors. The 36 year old, Abigail swallowed as she watched the huge golden doors get drawn open by stiff faced guards. This was her second time meeting the King, her father, and she was very nervous. The opened doors revealed the breathtaking view of a majestic hall. Even though this was her 3rdtime here, she was still a bit stunned. She glance down at the bright red carpet, lined by numerous nobles that led to the throne of the King. They spoke in hushed whispers obviously giving her some sort of evaluation. Abigail looked like a non-cultivating 14 years old despite her age which was understandable. She was an advanced mage already, making her a genius of her peers. She wore leather armor and held a wooden staff with a crystal embedded on it. She walked forward, with calculated steps, not raising her head and every step feeling extremely heavy to her. At an appropriate distance from the throne she knelt, her right arm across her chest and spoke in a loud voice, ¡°First Lieutenant Abigail Salvador reporting!¡± ¡°Raise your head¡± a soft voice, obviously female, spoke after her. Abigail did not move. She didn¡¯t dare to. ¡°Raise your head¡± a cold voice male rang out and immediately Abigail¡¯s head shot up. Her eyes met the eyes of the King because of that swift movement and immediately she could feel her mana grow restless. His eyes were almost like an abyss threatening to suck her in a swallow her whole. She turned away so fast she almost gave herself a whiplash. She found herself looking into the soft eyes of her elder sister, Mayenne Salvador. Her elder sister looked very gentle, with her long black hair reaching her waist and her red eyes were ever so soft. The color red always has a domineering quality to it but it never on May. Abigail suspected that even when May was in battle, she looked just like that. That didn''t mean Mayenne was kind in battle, no; May was like Father in battle. Decisive, swift and cruel. But Mayenne was also the most caring but strict person Abigail had ever known. And as a princess, she knew a lot of people. Abigail¡¯s inner restlessness calmed down at once after she locked eyes with Mayenne and she smiled internally,Elder sister May always has that effect. She slowly turned her head back to the throne but did not dare to raise her head enough to look into the eyes of the King. Even without looking into his eyes, his aura alone was stifling and she found it a bit difficult to breath. ¡°Your Majesty, I think you¡¯re scaring her¡± A sinister voice chuckled. Abigail glanced at the exquisite shoes which lined the feet of the Queen, Bithrya. The queen¡¯s voice and look had always a sinister quality to it, for as long as Abigail had known her. The queen herself was quite nice to people she liked but to those she hated, she was the worst person in the world. Abigail had heard numerous times that her mother was once the gentlest person you could ever meet. In 2490AW, her father finally became a warlock, an existence that dominated the continent of Venoth, which was also called the Elven continent. However as he had been extending his lifespan using pills and elixirs, it was inevitable that the breakthrough almost killed him. The man was incapacitated and the Queen had to rule for 509 years making people actually think the King was dead. Dealing with devious plots and nobles had turned her mother into a worse copy of her father and even after she was no longer ruling, Bithrya remained the same. ¡°How was the subjugation?¡± the King asked. His voice had a silky but terrifying quality to it and Abigail had to stop herself from shuddering. ¡°It went well, Sire. All the rampaging demons were exterminated¡± Abigail said respectfully. ¡°Average level of the demons?¡± ¡°Mainly fighters of rank 1-2, Your Majesty¡± ¡°No rank 3¡¯s?¡± he confirmed. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty¡± Abigail nodded. If there had been a rank 3, she wouldn¡¯t had made it back in one piece even if she could still kill the thing. Demons were ranked from 1-9. Rank 9 demons were pretty much legends and would most likely wipe a kingdom off the map. Dual users had it easier to fight demons but demons were crazily strong. Some demons were monsters corrupted by dark mana, others were people corrupted by dark mana and others were created in the Lucic realm and set free on the Vetranos. One couldn¡¯t know, they looked all the same. The ones made from people corrupted would regain their clarity when they became devils but before that it was impossible to differentiate. The Lucic realm was Yama¡¯s domain and he would release demons on a whim. The gods and goddesses never did anything to stop him but they did instruct their followers to hunt down demons. Abigail didn¡¯t know much about higher beings but she was pretty sure that 6 of them could definitely deal with Yama, no matter how powerful he was rumored to be. 6 because Nerphia never involved herself in their conflicts. According to legend, the other gods and goddesses fought with each other countless times. The mortal realm had also been destroyed countless times before they finally decided to just sit down and watch instead of coming down on their own and blasting everything to smithereens. And Yama was never ganged up on during these wars and not because it would be crass for gods and goddess to do such a thing. He was usually on the side of Bermia¡­ well according to legend. It¡¯s not like Abigail was there or anything so she didn¡¯t believe her goddess would side with such a revolting god. ¡°Good¡± the King said and descended into silence. Abigail knelt there not moving, waiting for his next instruction. ¡°You think demons are quite easy don¡¯t you?¡± he suddenly said. Abigail was stunned. What sort of question was this? For a beginner mage, demons were obviously hard but for a skilled and advanced mage like her, there were very easy to kill. Well, the ones her rank were easy so she didn¡¯t really understand all the hype about demons and their fearsomeness. But Abigail didn¡¯t think she should say that. That was asking the King to put her head on a stick. ¡°Nothing is impossible with the grace of Bermia, my Liege¡± She responded politically. Suddenly his aura intensified and Abigail found herself almost choking. She was downright terrified. It wouldn¡¯t take a genius to know he didn¡¯t like her answer. After stifling her for a while, the aura rescinded slowly and she couldn¡¯t help but take huge gulps of air. Her hands shook feverishly while she held them to try to curb it. She didn¡¯t dare look up to see his face. ¡°His Majesty, Late King Aiagez died. My father died. Why?¡± his voice boomed coldly. Abigail audibly gulped and couldn¡¯t find her voice to answer. ¡°A demon¡± Bithrya¡¯s solemn voice could be heard. ¡°No matter what, never underestimate a demon. No matter what!¡± he screamed furiously. The nobles had already kotowed, unwilling to face his wrath. The wrath of a warlock was not something they could handle. After a seconds, he visibly calmed down and added, ¡°Especially an enraged one¡± ¡°I was of the belief that demons were enraged all the time¡± Bithrya mumbled. ¡°Queen!¡± he turned to glare at her. She gave a fake cough and looked elsewhere. There was no reaction to the King and queen¡¯s bickering. It happened often enough. After that, there was not a sound heard in that throne room. The nobles seemed to have stopped themselves from breathing as you couldn¡¯t even hear that. The silence persisted for an unknown amount of time before the King spoke again, ¡°Go¡± he growled, ¡°Get out of my sight¡± Abigail jumped a bit and nodded her head stiffly. She performed her dismissal rites to the King and Queen and moved to leave the room. She didn¡¯t turn around to leave ¨Cyou never turned your back to the King. ¡°Your Majesty¡± Mayenne called startled at his abrupt dismissal of Abigail, ¡°She¡¯s still very young and inexperienced¡± ¡°That¡¯s nonsense. Young and inexperienced is no excuse for that behavior. She belittles everything we stand for. Those things are the rise and fall of Kingdoms!¡± He roared furiously. Abigail jumped visibly this time and quickened her backwards stepping out of the room. The gold doors opened before she reached them and shut immediately after she left. Mayenne looked at her furious father and sighed. The whole Kingdom had watched as the late King had fallen together when a rampaging devil emerged in Ferasi years ago. The casualties that day was like mountains and nobody ever belittled a demon, especially devils, after that day. Abigail had probably heard the story but she mainly looked at only devils to be terrifying, not demons. Like many others she saw them as two different species but demons and devils were one and the same. The vast difference between the demons of rank 1-6 and 7-9 was like the divine realm and the mortal realm ¨Cincomparable. ¡°I understand, Your Majesty¡± May conceded, ¡°I¡¯ll talk to her¡± ¡°Since she thinks they¡¯re so easy, why not send her to subjugate a rank 4 demon. Of course when she¡¯s of the minimum rank¡± Bithrya spoke her thoughts. ¡°Mother, I don¡¯t think the goal of these subjugations is to send my sibling to her death¡± May spoke viciously. ¡°Oh please, if you baby them too much, they become likethat. Thinking the world is beneath their feet¡± Bithrya snarled. ¡°That¡¯s WHY,¡± May paused for effect, ¡°I said I¡¯ll talk to her¡± ¡°Your Majesty?¡± Bithrya didn¡¯t answer her and turned to her husband by her right, ¡°Well?¡± The King rubbed his chin in silence then ever so slowly, a vicious smile blossomed on his face. The nobles looked to each other, speaking with their eyes. They seemed to come to an agreement and chorused, ¡°Long Live the King¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. *** Year 3717AW, Sectu, Ferasi Colosseum Arena Zorai took in the view in front of him. It was a view he never thought he¡¯d see but there he was. Standing in the platform where the usual audience of blood elves sat. It was suspicious for the colosseum officials to suddenly ask them to watch a show but he wasn¡¯t going to refuse. Mostly because he¡¯d very likely be put down if he did. He filed out with his ¡®group¡¯, a ragtag pack of people who stayed together because they had mana. The people who heknewhad mana in the Arena were so ¡®many¡¯ that he could actually count them with his hands. Zorai was one of those people fated to never use Ki¡­ not that he cared much. Many people either had one or the other and he had luckily grabbed the ¡®good¡¯ part. The fact that he had mana was why he was still alive till this day. And also because of the underhanded tricks he was fond of using but everybody used those. ¡°You¡¯re not coming?¡± a short Elf-lurkan boy, known as Qivry asked him. ¡°No¡± Zorai whispered. He was trying his best not to move away from the huge adamantine doors. If shit hits the fan, he needed to be able to bolt. And as a mage his natural speed stunk so this was his only choice. So he stayed a bit far away from the doors that led back underground but close enough to reach it in seconds. Qivry shrugged not caring much and walked away with the other people in his ¡®group¡¯. They didn¡¯t seem to care very much about being together. Zorai intently scanned the place for death traps. There was no way in hell, the colosseum officials were trying to get them to enjoy themselves and he knew it. Everybody knew it. But what exactly they wanted from the slaves was unknown. Suddenly, a clack sound could be heard. Zorai recognized it as the sound from the elevator that usually brought them into the battle arena. He didn¡¯t realize the audience actually heard that sound. The metal gates rumbled and began to slide open. Zorai raised a brow, were they really about to watch a ¡®show¡¯? He shook that thought out of his head immediately. There was no way that would happen. Only an idiot would believe that. Out of the metal gates was a woman. She looked tall and shapely. Her hair was a beautiful honey blonde and from what Zorai could see her eyes were blue. It was such a rare combination that if he¡¯d seen her before he¡¯d immediately know her name. From what he knew, it was mainly high elves had that combination of color. She wore a tight smile and the soft wind blew her hair, caressing her face. He wondered why she left it long. Long hair became a weakness in the colosseum so people always cut it. Perhaps it never inconvenienced her before? Or were all her opponents such dimwits that they never realized her hair could be used against her. Almost as soon as he thought that she pulled up her hair and pinned it up in such a way that the thing didn¡¯t even wobble. This movement revealed her long elven ears but judging but the fact that she had no diamond on her forehead, her elven side wasn¡¯t dominant. Zorai figured she was a half as she had the ever permanent gray strand of hair in the front of her hair. Well, that works too but I¡¯m pretty sure it would unravel in battle or did she find some way to make that not happen¡­ I don¡¯t get it. Cut the fucking hair. Zorai was just bitching on her hair because he had to cut his to get away when an animal caught him by the hair in his earlier days in the colosseum and almost snapping his neck because of it. She also wore a body fitting jumpsuit that Zorai was sure cost a fortune in the underground market. She must be a challenger,he figured. Soon enough his thoughts went to the real crux of the matter. She had to be the ¡®show¡¯. But all she was doing since she got into the arena was look around with a confused expression. If anything, she was just as confused as he was. Maybe she didn¡¯t get the memo to get up here? He scanned the audience of slaves and from the expressions he could read, they didn¡¯t really get what was happening too. He audibly sighed and was startled when the opposite metal gate began to open. His eyes narrowed. They were releasing a monster apparently and the barriers that usually protected the audience sitting was down. Obviously. Why would they protect slaves? He waited in tense silence but no monster came out. Then men dressed in imperial armor depicting the black and red insignia of the Ferasi Kingdom walked out. They kept filling in, leading a cart that was being pushed by 5 able bodied men wearing only khaki shorts and showing off their sturdy chests. They didn¡¯t seem to be putting any effort into pushing the cart so Zorai wondered why they were all pushing it. It looked like only one of the men could do the job. The men paused in the middle of the colosseum and Zorai counted 50 imperial soldiers and couldn¡¯t help but gasp. Blood elves were unable to use Ki so these men had to all had to be mages, right? It was terrifying to see so many mages in one place. Zorai was obviously one ofthosepeople who thought blood elves were all Ki-less. Regardless, he was terrified at the fact that he was faced with so many mages and even more terrified at an empire that could command this many mages. One could imagine the feeling of the girl below who most likely had the same misconception as Zorai. The cart was covered in a thick black sheet of clothing and only the bottom of the cart could make it identifiable. The sheet had a black point in the middle signifying it was suspended on a pole most likely nailed to the cart. Zorai was curious but at the same time, not curious as to what was under the sheet of clothing. He didn¡¯t have to wait long as the men unraveled what was under the sheet. It was a beyond bloodied man. His face couldn¡¯t be seen from all the dark brown blood that coated his body. His red hair was barely discernable and he looked fairly emaciated. He was bound, neck, waist and legs to the pole and his hands drooped uselessly by his side. The ever magical gray strand of hair seemed to shout out even more due to his appearance and wasn¡¯t bloodied in the slightest. Zorai came to the obvious conclusion the man was dead. Big whoop.The show was a dead man on a stick¡­really?Zorai rolled his eyes then he realized he¡¯d forgotten about the girl and turned to her. She was the perfect definition of frozen in shock. Zorai at first thought she was frozen at the sight of a dead man but that would be ridiculous. She obviously wasn¡¯t a new savage so there was only the possibility that she knew the man. But that too would be ridiculous. Why on Vetranos would imperial soldiers¡­ actually wasn¡¯t the man a colosseum slave? Then it would make even less sense for them to stick him on a pole and try to send the poor thing into grief? Zorai laughed at his thoughts. Poor thing, huh? Who knows how much blood this particular ¡®poor thing¡¯ had shed? She stirred and her mouth moved. Being a few feet away from her, he definitely couldn¡¯t hear her words. ¡°Luken...¡± a broken voice floated into his ears. She had infused her words with Ki or was it mana? He couldn¡¯t quite tell. She stepped forward shakily, ¡°Lu¡­¡± She stopped walking, ¡°No¡­it can¡¯t ¡­¡± She suddenly dashed towards the cart and surprisingly the imperial guards and the able-bodied men jumped back, giving her space. She climbed onto the cart, tore to ropes that bound the dead man and shook him fiercely. ¡°Luken!¡± numerous cries of this name boomed through the arena. Zorai clicked his tongue and wriggled a pinky in his ear. She was fucking loud. Soon enough, the tears and snot that flowed out of her began to offset her speech and all Zorai could hear was incoherent babble. At this points the imperial soldiers who had been froze in place suddenly moved. They had entered a circular formation when Zorai hadn¡¯t noticed. Their swords moved in unison, all stabbing towards the girl. The impalement of 50 swords was ghastly and there was no more sounds from the girl. Zorai was surprised all 50 actually fit. Damn, that had to be some skill. His life goal when he left this place was to massacre every blood elf in existence. It was a nice dream of his that wasn¡¯t unique to him at all. Despite his life goal, he could still see that the commander of the soldiers trained them for that particular impalement. He heard no clang signifying none of the swords actually met! He really would like to meet this person. Then kill them if they were a blood elf which they 99.99% were. During his brief interlude, the girl had flopped to the floor still, leaving the dead body of the man on the cart and Zorai noticed an oddity. The imperial soldiers had odd expressions that from what Zorai could get from his mediocre face reading ability, they were confused about the outcome of that particular impalement. ¡­are they stupid? They made a kebab out of the human-elf girl, I can¡¯t fathom what exactly they were expecting.Zorai stared incredulously at them. It wasn¡¯t only him, almost all who saw this play out had similar expressions. The whole colosseum descended into awkward silence. ¡°What the actual fuck?¡± an annoyed voice broke the silence. That was the trigger to the loud clamor of discussions that followed. Zorai had no one to talk to so he just stared at the still confused soldiers. He couldn¡¯t hear what they were saying, couldn¡¯t read their mouths either. He saw a movement at the corner of his eyes and his eyes travelled to find the impaled girl rising, the swords still stuck inside her making for a peculiar sight. ¡°Holy mother of Bermia¡± someone exclaimed before Zorai could. The sight of the standing girl made everyone¡¯s hair on their neck stand. They was no way she should still be alive. The imperial soldiers had shocked expressions on their face, something Zorai didn¡¯t expect. It would seem this was something out of their expectation. Well, the sight of the dead rising would shock everyone but a corpse puppeteer. Suddenly, a low growl could be heard, rippling through the colosseum. Zorai¡¯s battle sense kicked into high alert, telling him to run. He was confused. Nothing was happening and yet his battle sense was behaving erratically. No wonder they say battle sense was untrustworthy before one became a warrior. The growl sounded again, much louder than the previous one. Zorai tried to suppress his instinctual response of fleeing as his curiosity at this point was much greater. He moved forward a bit to see better. Where exactly was the growl coming from exactly? He couldn¡¯t see any monsters. Suddenly a baleful aura assaulted the whole colosseum and Zorai found himself rooted to the spot unable to move further. He watched in mixed fascination and horror as the girl suddenly began to change. The energy force around her distorted, gaining a purple hue and her purple¡­ purple?! Zorai went wide eyed. Her purple mana went wild and one could see her skin get visibly darker every second. She grew even taller than before and her body lost everything that made it feminine. Her eyes were simply yellow orbs and her ragged skin was a jet black. Her once dainty hand spotted ferocious claws and the purple aura around her was simply vile. The imperial soldiers seemed to be in the same situation as Zorai, unable to move. Her jaw opened wide and a loud growl was heard revealing her non elven set of teeth and the only word that came to Zorai¡¯s mind was¡­ demon. The demon moved with such speed that Zorai¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t follow. The able bodied men who had been immobile since they pushed in the cart finally moved. They all attacked it at the same time, their Ki covering their bodies in a defensive measure. Warriors!Zorai shuddered. Everything that had happened the past few minutes were a bit hard to digest. But he couldn¡¯t help but think they were stupid. The fact that they were bare-chested meant they had no armor to protect their hearts. If that wasn¡¯t idiocy then what was? Due to the situation he was in, the reality that blood elves were using Ki hadn¡¯t clicked yet. There were flashes of darkness from one point to the other and each flash resulted in blood and gut being flung around. The demon effortless ripped the imperial soldiers from limb to limb and even though Zorai couldn''t see it''s face right now, he was sure the demon would be happy as it killed so many. Zorai decided that he couldn¡¯t stay here anymore, something he definitely should have decided earlier. He moved backwards wanting to leave and noticed that the doors with which he used to enter had been closed at some point. And he didn''t notice because of the situation in front of him. Shit,he cursed. He looked at the battle which was taking place down there. It was more like a one sided slaughter. As the demon fought, the swords which were inside it were flung around callously, often impaling an imperial soldier. The men in khaki were also fighting it and against these men, the demon seemed to have some difficulty. An encirclement of 5 warriors was not an easy thing to shrug off after all. Something Zorai was glad about. If they could kill it them his life was ok for the meantime. Otherwise it would definitely kill them next as the colosseum officials had apparently decided to offer the slaves to the demon as a snack. Well, relative snack. It did try to eat one but spat it out after. Apparently the taste wasn¡¯t to its liking. Zorai had no elven blood though so things didn¡¯t bode very well for him. Zorai noticed that the only reason the demon couldn¡¯t break out of the encirclement was because the men could keep up with its speed. Perhaps that¡¯s why they wore no armor? It didn¡¯t take long before the men in khaki had suppressed the demon and it was unable to murder any more imperial soldiers around. The imperial soldiers numbered less than 20 at this point and these people were not unharmed. The demon had lost this battle but the kingdom didn¡¯t fare well either. At least that was what Zorai thought until the vile aura that was the demon¡¯s intensified. The once purple mana aura turned jet black like its skin and it was impossible to make out the demon¡¯s figure due to the thickness of the aura. It let out a huge roar revealing a set of black jagged teeth. The pillars of the colosseum shook in response and the bodies of some soldiers and some of the slaves directly exploded. Zorai fell to the floor sick to the stomach. He felt his mana rampaging around inside of him, threatening to blow him into pieces too. He tried to calm it down, and even after it did he had a lingering fear in his heart. He glared hatefully at thisdemonand finally decided to cast a spell and perhaps put the demon down. An enraged demon might not realize an incoming sneak attack, he figured but then realized that none of the essence were heeding his call. This meant the intensity of the demonic aura was too much for the essences to listen to him. This was exactly why beginner mages were instructed to never fight a demon. Not like Zorai knew that. He thought the demon had corrupted his mana or even him. For the second time this evening, Zorai was scared for his life. The beautiful radiance of the setting sun contrasted with the terrible visage of the demon making it even more terrifying. He shook in trepidation as he watch the chaotic demon tear through every living body around him and was barely harmed. The injuries it took earlier were nowhere to be found and with every breath it took, a feral growl followed, sending shivers down the spine of everyone around. Blood and gut were strewn everywhere, the once brown platform a deep red. No one but the demon stood. The colosseum slaves had picked themselves up by now and had readied their weapons and spells. They all knew who the demon was coming after next. The demon turned to them slowly, its yellow orbs that served as its eyes seemed to be shining in the black background of its body. And for the first time ever, it smiled. It smiled and its now oddly white, human looking ginormous teeth were shown. Itsmiled. And disappeared. Zorai¡¯s face felt warm and a beautiful hue of blood red clouded his sight. That was the last thing he saw before he felt a bone searing pain and everything went black. On top of the roof of a building, meters away from the colosseum, a bald girl with a fox mask watched all of this in absolute silence. Interlude Crunch Mordred loudly bit into an apple. He also didn¡¯t forgot to loudly smack his lips as he chewed. Smack ¡°Ow! Marielle!¡± he screamed and threw a glare at the old dwarf that had popped up behind him. ¡°I see you forgot your manners boy¡± the old lady croaked. Rene burst out laughing. ¡°This isn¡¯t funny. I have to eat. I have to! This is embarrassing¡± Mordred whined. ¡°Embarrassing or not, I don¡¯t want to listen to your eating habits¡± Marialle warned. ¡°You weren¡¯t even here, who asked you to listen to our conversation¡± Mordred mumbled but she heard him anyways and sent another wave of her stick towards his head. Thwack! ¡°Ow! I think something cracked!¡± He cried. The old lady paid him no attention and proceeded to vanish from the spot. ¡°Not my fault you¡¯re bonded to her Majesty¡± Vodka smirked. Mordred threw a glare at him. ¡°How is that embarrassing? I eat all the time even though I don¡¯t have to¡± Rene asked as she tried to peel an orange for herself. ¡°Exactly Rene. That¡¯s the problem. I have to eat¡± Mordred sighed, ¡° I don¡¯t know what happened. I suddenly feel much weaker that before and I¡¯m more like a mortal now¡± ¡°Perhaps because Agnes cultivation is currently that low? We¡¯re no longer on earth and you can¡¯t be stronger than your summoner in Vetranos¡± Vodka reasoned ¡°That actually makes sense¡­¡± Mordred mumbled. ¡°I now understand how my Lady felt¡± Rene shook her head, ¡°Binding with an angel and he just had to be a stupid one¡± ¡°Wha---¡± Mordred went wide eyed. Rene smiled and squashed the orange in frustration. It wasn¡¯t peeling. She could usually deal with this but she couldn¡¯t use her mana to see in here. ¡°Sometime I forget you¡¯re blind¡± Mordred noted. ¡°Shut up. I don¡¯t need you to remind me. I forget it too¡± she snarled and added smilingly, ¡°This seems like the right time to say, Fuck you Pluto!¡± ¡°You¡¯re asking to be cursed again¡± Mordred shook his head. ¡°What¡¯s the worst he can do?¡± Rene scoffed.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The sky rumbled in response and she pursed her lips and screamed to the sky, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that! Can¡¯t you take a joke you big oaf!¡± The sky calmed down almost immediately. Mordred was about to comment on the odd relationship she had with Pluto but noticed Vodka¡¯s oddity. He turned to the red haired man and followed his eye sight. Agnes didn¡¯t look as calm as she¡¯d looked when she began to recover her memories. If anything her demonic aura was threatening to come out. Her body was also undergoing visible changes. Her skin was changing between black and yellowish brown. Cracks appeared on her skin. Opening and healing continuously. And most noticeably, her rank was skyrocketing. ¡°That doesn¡¯t look good. Marielle!¡± Rene screamed. The old lady popped out of nowhere and raised a brow, ¡°What? Do you have to call me when I¡¯m feeding my chickens?¡± Rene promptly ignored her response, ¡°The Queen is acting up¡± Marielle glanced at the body on the table and shrugged, ¡°Everything looks fine to me¡± ¡°Really?¡± Mordred was baffled. Rene raised a brow, ¡°If you say so. I¡¯ve never actually watched one of your crazy spells in action so this is quite a surprise¡± The old lady cackled, ¡°Why so worried? She won¡¯t die to something this little¡± ¡°Our Queen won¡¯t die but Agnes can¡± Vodka said very softly but they all heard him. Whack Vodka felt a metallic stick on his forehead. He yelped in pain and turned around to see Marielle¡¯s angry face. ¡°That is our Queen. Not some girl. You would do well to never say that again¡± her eyes were practically glowing with anger. Vodka nodded and the threatening atmosphere was gone in an instant. Mariella flashed her crooked teeth at them and with a pop she was gone. She seemed to love disappearing everywhere. Rene stared at Vodka, boring holes into his body, ¡°Elder Brother, are you still¡­?¡± ¡°No¡± he replied firmly. Rene kept staring at him for a while more then shrugged, ¡°I understand¡± ¡°I was wondering¡± Mordred suddenly said, ¡°Can we watch? I¡¯ve been curious about my Lady¡¯s past but she never tells me¡± ¡°If you want to be killed the moment she awakens, go ahead¡± Rene gave a blinding smile and gestured to the table Agnes was on. Mordred thought over it for a second and realized he still loved his life. ¡°Since we¡¯re talking about killing now, won¡¯t Her Majesty kill us?¡± Vodka asked with a smile that wasn¡¯t a smile. ¡°Why?¡± Mordred asked confused. ¡°Not you. Me and Rene¡± Vodka clarified. ¡°For trying to kill her?¡± Rene raised a brow. ¡°Yes¡± Vodka nodded. Rene caught what Mordred threw at her. Feeling it, she guessed it was a peeled orange, ¡°Yes, most likely. But it¡¯s not like---¡± Vodka smirked interrupting her ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s the first time, right?¡± Rene grinned. ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll do that¡± Mordred objected. Vodka turned to him, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°When she gets her memories, she¡¯ll know. Just how cowardly her actions were¡± Mordred said solemnly. He truly didn¡¯t think her actions were. He thought they were admirable but it would definitely look cowardly. ¡°Cowardly¡­¡± Rene chewed over those words and shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t think it was cowardly¡± Mordred and Vodka were visibly surprised. They thought that Rene found Agnes¡¯ actions that day as cowardly. If Agnes were here she¡¯d be confused. The Vodka she knew on earth always had a poker face. This Vodka showed everything on his face. ¡°Then why were you so angry?¡± Vodka had to ask. Honestly he only came to earth because his sister was so adamant. If not he wouldn¡¯t. He lost a few years of cultivation due to it and would never do it again no matter what. She raged about the Queen abandoning them but Vodka didn¡¯t see it like that. Regardless of his view, Rene was furious for months and when she finally got a hold of Agnes she exploded. ¡°She promised¡± Rene mumbled at first, ¡°that she wouldn¡¯t ever risk her life for us. That her life was priority but what was the bs she pulled?!¡± Her voice had gone very high at this point, ¡°The chances of her surviving that spell was less that 0.00001 percent!¡± Mordred couldn¡¯t stop the smile that floated onto his face, ¡°As expected. You are Rene¡± Vodka was smiling to, ¡°I know, right?¡± Rene gave them a look but she was blind so her eyes weren¡¯t focused, ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± Mordred and Vodka looked at each other and burst out laughing. And Agnes lay as still as ever on the table of memories past. Chapter 40 ~ Prisoners of the Play The dining hall of the underground colosseum was sparse. There was only 1 individual seating on a table. He had a leather shirt that hugged his body, lining his thick muscles. His chiseled face would appeal to any lady would saw him. This table had different assortment of food and meet and it was hard to believe one person would eat it all. He ate in silence, the sound of his chewing breaking it from time to time. He finished the huge quantity of food in record time and got up from the table, not bothering to tidy up his dishes. He walked towards the distant elevators that read in bright white paint, ¡®You Touch, You Die¡¯. A message meant for colosseum slaves who were curious about every Tom, Dick and Harry that crossed their path. The way he walked would seem slow to the average observer but in reality he moved swiftly. He reached the elevators in a few steps and placed his hand into a black box on the right of the elevator. He made Ki appear on his hand and the Ki reader recognized his Ki, and the doors slid open. He stepped into the elevators and it closed but didn¡¯t move. There were no buttons to push in this elevator. ¡°Keyword?¡± a silky voice floated into the metal box. Public elevators were an expensive commodities as they were powered by mana stones and had to be manually operated. Mana stones were expensive but they were a onetime cost unlike the operator who needed a paycheck. Private elevators like this one the other hand functioned totally on mana. Keywords were set into the mana stone but skilled mana scribes. Since ambient mana only reacts to the language of the Gods, the keywords are in the language of the gods. ¡°?$!@/! €&! $¡±&|???>????¡± he spoke in some garbled tongue and the thing reacted instantly, moving backwards first then to the right, then downwards and finally, it stopped. The way the elevator moved would definitely have caused someone who just finished eating nausea but he was completely ok. The elevator doors slid open to reveal a barely lit hallway. Guards whose gender was impossible to discern stood on each side of the hall. They wore thick iron armory that covered them from head to toe and held iron spears. Together they gave off an imposing aura that did not affect the man whatsoever. The guards turned in unison to face the man and after a brief moment of staring at him, they -returned to their statue like position. He walked on paying no heed to the lineup of guards and reached the white archway at the end of the hallway. There was a staircase leading down in front of him, and hallways to his left and right. He entered the hallway to the right and kept walking. Soon, he arrived in front of a metal gate that had some traces of silver dust on it. He took out gloves and a bunch of keys from inside of his person and wore them before touching the gate. He unlocked the gate and with a slight push, it creaked open. The gate led to a dark area and after walking for some time, the very dim light from the hallway did nothing to lighten the place. He was fine, however, seeing as he didn¡¯t stop for an instant. After a few minutes of walking, he stopped and said, ¡°v^#&!|?¡± Nothing happened in response but he continued walking and if one could see him right now, they would see him walk through a thin veil of darkness and disappearing. He entered a room that was quite sparse. It had three bed, three dressers, three bathroom¡­ there were 3¡¯s of everything. That wasn¡¯t the noteworthy part of the room though. It was the three people in the room. By the side of the first bed was a boy with dog ears looking to be around 13 or 14. His ears twitched when the man had come into the room but no other movement was made. His scraggy hair was a deep black and his bushy black tail lay lifelessly by his side. His head was down so it was impossible to see his face. He had a metal cuff on his wrists which had glowing blue runes running through it, and on his ankle was a similar cuff except this one had red runes. Looking aimless on the second bed was a human boy looking to be in his late teens. The green haired boy stared blankly at the ceiling and his wrists had similar red cuffs but nothing on his feet. And the last bed lay a girl so still one could claim she was dead. The dark-blue haired girl didn¡¯t even seem to be breathing and she had blue cuffs on her legs as she had only one hand. There were no red cuffs on her. Judging by her brand, she was a semi. The room was silent with the new comer saying nothing and the previous residents saying nothing. Finally, the man took a step forward and began in a hearty tone ¡°Well I¡¯m glad you¡¯re enjoying yourselves¡± Silence. ¡°I came to check on you¡± he continued nonetheless, ¡°and tell you the reason why you were allowed to live¡± ¡°Bullshit, I¡¯m alive because of May not you twits¡± the wolf lurk growled, his head now up and glaring at the man. ¡°Tsk, tsk¡± the man shook his head, ¡°Do you really think that?¡± Silence again. ¡°Yes¡± a very quiet voice spoke. The girl in the third bed sat up slowly, her face was very pale and her lips were cracked, ¡°May¡­ saved us¡± The human boy shifted his gaze from the ceiling and onto the man, ¡°What do you want, Marshall?¡± Marshall chuckled, ¡°I already told you but I¡¯ll repeat it again. I¡¯m her to inform you of the reason you¡¯re alive¡± ¡°I¡¯m not curious¡± the human boy retorted. ¡°Ah, Noet. As snarky as always¡± Marshall grinned. Noet didn¡¯t reply to that. ¡°Well, if you didn¡¯t already know, your ¡®friend¡¯ is a demon¡± he paused as though waiting for something but there was no reaction from them. Marshall shook his head, ¡°You could at least give me a fake gasp or something. So lackluster¡± ¡°I wish you would die this instant¡± the girl croaked. Marshall burst out laughing, ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± The trio decided to ignore him and began to return back to the positions they¡¯d been in the past 5 days. They hadn¡¯t taken any food given to them or water. They hadn¡¯t even spoken to each other. They were just frozen in considerable shock. ¡°Well, how would you like to meet the demon?¡± it was like water in a desert. The trio turned to him in unison, waiting for him to continue speaking, ¡°You can¡¯t kill it. We need it alive¡± They didn¡¯t even move. They knew Marshall was just mincing his words, he hadn¡¯t got to the point. The man smirked, ¡°It has been stuck in the demon form the past few days and nothing we¡¯ve done have made it turn back to its previous form. That¡¯s where you come in¡± ¡°You want her back in her semi form?¡± the girl asked. ¡°Yes¡± ¡°Why?¡± Noet asked. ¡°No comment¡± Marshall answered cryptically. ¡°Is that even possible?¡± Noet changed the question, ¡°she¡¯s been corrupted and is now a demon. Demons don¡¯t change back¡± Marshall was silent. He scratched his head for a second or so then spoke, ¡°Well, I guess you¡¯ll figure it out sooner or later. She¡¯s a half¡± ¡°Impossible¡± Noet spat out angrily. Who was Marshall trying to deceive?Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°I thought it was impossible too¡± the man smiled, ¡°but even at my age, you learn new things everyday¡± Noet stared at him so intensely that he could bore a hole into Marshall. ¡°Anyways¡± Marshall smiled, ¡°I need one of you. Preferably with a good relationship with the demon. I don¡¯t really know the intricacies of your group sort it out yourself¡± He shrugged and took a step back and whispered something inaudible to them. Tendrils of darkness from who knows where reached out and wrapped him and he seemed to disappear into the thin air. The room was silent as it had been the past few days. Except for one thing the eyes of the residents weren¡¯t as lifeless. ¡°May¡­ is she dead?¡± The girl finally asked the question they all wanted to. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Bertha is though¡± the lurk said emotionlessly. There was a brief silence again. ¡°She really was a magus huh¡± Noet eventually said. ¡°I can¡¯t believe she actually did that¡± the wolf lurk said unhappily "I knew she was nice but for her to...." ¡°Me neither¡± the girl croaked, almost inaudibly, "She actually tried to buy time to save us" ¡°I do¡± Noet said making them turn to him, ¡°I believe May would do something like that. It''s just like her¡± "Well, you did know her longer than us" the lurk said grimly. ¡°She was a warrior too, you know¡± the girl added, not knowing what else to say. ¡°Yea¡­¡± the lurk drawled, ¡°Aileen?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± the girl turned to him. ¡°Are you okay?¡± he asked. She went quiet for a bit, glancing at the gaping hole that used to be her right hand, ¡°I¡¯m okay, it doesn¡¯t hurt anymore¡± The lurk nodded and turned away. ¡°Thanks for asking, Harvy¡± she added after some silence. ¡°No¡­problem¡± he spoke barely above a whisper, ¡°When we get out of this prison, we¡¯ll see if we can get you a metal one¡± She dragged her knees closer to her face and mumbled, ¡°Ok¡± ¡°If we get out¡± Noet muttered. The other two didn¡¯t respond to that. ¡°Why are we here?¡± Aileen asked. A stupid question. ¡°Well, if you haven¡¯t noticed, we have mana suppressors and Ki supressors on, so we¡¯re most likely prisoners¡± Harvy remarked sarcastically. ¡°I¡¯m glad you still have your spunk Harvy but I don¡¯t think this is the time for it¡± Noet snapped. ¡°We need to get out of this place¡± Aileen stated the obvious. ¡°Yea¡­¡± Harvy closed his eyes, ¡°The question is how, right?¡± ¡°If there was some kind of entrance or exit we could use it but we¡¯re in a room with only white walls¡± Aileen once again stated the obvious. Harvy sighed, ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, there¡¯s probably some voice recording crystal in this room somewhere¡± ¡°I can¡¯t feel any¡± Aileen replied immediately. ¡°Your mana is locked¡± Harvy rolled his eyes, ¡°You¡¯re feeling very¡­ what¡¯s the word? Dumbed down? You¡¯re dumber than usual¡± ¡°If you revise those words, it means you thought I was smart so I¡¯ll take it as a complement¡± Aileen croaked and moved backwards slowly on her bed, going back to her sleeping position, ¡°I¡¯m just not thinking very clearly¡± ¡°Oh¡± was all Harvy said and no more was spoke between them. Once more the room was silent. ¡°I think all the slaves in the colosseum are dead¡± Noet spoke softly breaking the silence, ¡°but us¡± ¡°Most likely¡± Aileen replied solemnly, ¡°She did raze everything to the ground¡± ¡°When that bald woman stopped its rampage...there were still some people around¡± Harvy objected. ¡°Yes but---¡± Noet began ¡°That woman¡­¡± Aileen interrupted him, ¡°She could have stopped Agnes earlier¡± None of them said anything so she kept talking, ¡°I definitely saw her the moment Agnes turned to attack us and I actually thought we had help. Just looking at her you knew she was strong but she didn¡¯t help us¡± She paused meeting Noet''s eyes for a second then shesmiled bitterly, ¡°Perhaps for an instant I forgot what I was. To actually think someone was going to help me. Or had the chaos of the situation gotten to me? I don¡¯t know. That woman just stood there, watching May get ripped to pieces. As though she wanted to confirm it with her eyes. She did interfere the moment after. Of course, not before my arm was ripped from its socket¡± AIleen paused again and closed her eyes. ¡°Not before¡± she repeated in a quieter voice. The boys stared at her without saying a word. It was obvious she wanted to get all of thisoff her chest. Harvy had opened his mouth to say something at some point but closed it immediately. He wasn¡¯t very good at consoling anybody, if anything he would make it worse. And he wasn¡¯t quite sure she needed any consolation. ¡°At first, I reasoned she was enjoying the view of a demon rampaging thorough the slaves, it wouldn¡¯t be beneath her¡± Aileen said, her voice filled with venom, ¡°But as I thought over it, she was waiting for May to get killed. It was as though she needed May dead¡± ¡°She needed May dead? What would make you think that?¡± Noet asked, a brow raised. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡± Aileen replied with a shrug, ¡°These few days I¡¯ve been idle and my thoughts just led up to that point. Perhaps I¡¯m just spewing nonsense to rationalize my situation¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re onto something¡± Noet said thoughtfully. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to be onto something, Noet. I¡¯m frustrated¡± Aileen mumbled. ¡°I¡¯m taking all this with a grain of salt---¡± Harvy began ¡°You should¡± she said, a bit too loud to be called a whisper but a whisper nonetheless. ¡°But¡ª¡± Harvy continued unhindered, ¡°If this is true, why? That bald lady had enough strength to overpower a demon, surely she could kill May even easier?¡± ¡°Like you said, take it with a grain of salt¡± Aileen shrugged, not caring much. She just wanted to tell somebody her thoughts. ¡°You know, if we¡¯re being recorded, they would know about this theory of yours¡± Harvy said thoughtfully. ¡°We¡¯re not being monitored¡± Noet said softly but firmly. ¡°Why do you think so?¡± Harvy asked. ¡°A demon just appeared within a Kingdom¡± Noet said. ¡°And?¡± Harvy questioned obviously not getting it. ¡°The church moves whenever a demon is sensed. With the amount of vile aura Agnes let out yesterday, they would not be the church if they couldn¡¯t sense it¡± Harvy didn¡¯t ask Noet where he got his knowledge from. He already knew the answer to the question so he asked, ¡°And why does that relate to us not being monitored?¡± ¡°Judging from Marshall¡¯s words, Agnes is alive. Meaning, the Kingdom of Ferasi is allowing a demon to live. The church of Bermia will not stand for that¡± Noet further explained. ¡°So¡­¡± Aileen spoke ever so softly, ¡°They need to advocate manpower towards dealing with the questions and prodding of the church¡± ¡°Exactly. And if my suspicions are right, only the Royal palace and a select group of people know we¡¯re alive. They probably fed the populace with words like ¡®we slew the vile demon¡¯¡ª¡± ¡°Well, they should have¡± Harvy whispered resentfully to himself but Noet heard him. Noet glanced at the boy but said nothing of it, ¡°---and other heroic words. So according to the palace, the demon has killed all the colosseum slaves but they probably killed all the other witnesses and left us alive for whatever reason¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± understanding dawned on Aileen¡¯s face, ¡°A recording crystal would be a liability¡± ¡°Yes¡± Noet couldn¡¯t help but smile, ¡°The church is very anal on demon extermination so they will investigate very well¡­ or at least that¡¯s what I read¡± ¡°So¡­ about what Marshall said?¡± Aileen said suddenly. ¡°I was actually going to get to that¡± Noet said softly and furrowed his brow, ¡°He said he needs one of us so he¡¯s going to take one of us to meet Agnes and possibly make her regain her half elven form¡± ¡°Count me out. The moment I lay my eyes on that demon, I will kill it¡± Harvy growled. Noet wasn''t surprised by that declaration at all ¡°I¡¯m sensing this is not just because Agnes killed Bertha or May?¡± Aileen turned towards him. Harvy was silent. ¡°So?¡± Aileen pressed on. Usually she wouldn¡¯t try to dig deep but she had nothing better to do. ¡°I¡­¡± Harvy spoke and his voice was barely audible, ¡°my village was run over by demons¡± He paused. Aileen and Noet just listened quietly. ¡°Everything and everyone I know was gone that day. Everything¡± he continued his voice getting smaller with every word, ¡°Half or not, it¡¯s a demon¡± He paused again and laughed scornfully, ¡°If I had the power I would eradicate every demon in existence but I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m not the first to want to do that¡­ and I won¡¯t be the last¡± Aileen didn¡¯t talk about what he¡¯d just revealed. He¡¯d always been quite silent about his previous situation and she was a bit surprised that he actually told them but that was all she felt about it. Surprised. She didn¡¯t feel sorry for him or want to console him after his story. If anything she wanted him to forget that memory. Some memories just serve to tie you down after all. Hers was a good example. She turned to Noet, ¡°Count me out too. I might end up attack her¡± Noet was visibly surprised then his eyes found her missing arm and he nodded in understanding. ¡°No¡± Aileen shook her head at his assumption, ¡°I¡¯m not angry she took my arm, I¡¯m not angry she slaughtered more than a thousand slaves. But she killed May. I might seem like I dislike May but she was an older sister to me. The fact that she¡¯s dead hasn¡¯t fully registered with me but meeting with her killer is not going to go well¡± Noet nodded, ¡°Well, I see this as an opportunity to get out of here and I guess I¡¯ll be the one to go¡± ¡°Nothing against demons, huh?¡± Aileen asked. ¡°No, I hate them more than you could ever know¡± Noet said so venomously that Aileen actually flinched, ¡°but the reason I hate demons does not apply to Agnes¡± Aileen stared at him for a few seconds then spoke, ¡°She didn¡¯t do that because she wanted to. She was made to¡± Noet looked at her and nodded, ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a good thing or a bad thing that you understand me so well¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good thing¡± Aileen cracked a tiny smile, ¡°Some people live their whole lives misunderstood¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lie¡± Harvy spoke suddenly, ¡°That¡¯s a lie. That¡¯s a lie!¡± his voice grew increasingly agitated with each sentence, ¡°That¡¯s a lie¡± ¡°What is?¡± Noet asked, raising a brow. "That demonwanted to do that. It smiled! Am I the only one that saw that?!¡± Harvy screamed. Aileen narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°Have you ever met a demon, Harvy?¡± Noet asked softly, a smile on his lips threatening to form. The boy turned to face Noet, his hazel eyes ready to tear him into pieces. ¡°No, you haven¡¯t¡± Noet answered himself. He didn¡¯t seem to care about the ferocious gaze being directed his way, ¡°You probably watched from afar in fear as the demon tore through your village. If you¡¯ve seen one, you¡¯ll know that they don¡¯t have human teeth¡± Noet moved on his bed to a more comfortable position, ¡°Have you wondered why even though the demon could tear through those imperial warriors easily it had some difficulties with May? From what I saw, those men were much stronger than May¡± Harvy didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Agnes was trying to regain control. Trying being the keyword here. She didn¡¯t. Did you also not wonder why it tore off Aileen¡¯s arm instead of simply tearing her through like it had done to the other slaves?¡± Harvy didn¡¯t answer. ¡°You obviously don¡¯t care about what I¡¯m saying. And you really shouldn¡¯t, it¡¯s just my opinion. Perhaps I¡¯m wrong but that¡¯s actually quite rare. I¡¯m usually right¡± Noet said. Harvy still didn¡¯t answer. His gaze hadn¡¯t slackened in the slightest, if anything it had intensified. ¡°I may have my Ki sealed but that doesn¡¯t make all the fortification my body had disappear. I wouldn¡¯t advise attacking me but if in your rage, you have lost your reason, I wouldn¡¯t mind snapping your neck. I haven¡¯t spilled blood in a while so I¡¯m itching you see¡± Noet said grimly and a feral grin appeared on his face. ¡°I miss Bertha¡± Aileen suddenly said making the boys jump a little. She raised a brow, did they actually forget she was there? Harvy¡¯s eyes softened and he withdrew his gaze slowly and bit his lips. He closed his eyes and leaned back on his bed muttering, ¡°I miss her too¡± Chapter 41 ~ A Day in the Life of a Princess Currently, the Kingdom of Ferasi was in a lockdown. Every person in the vicinity of the colosseum had experienced the horrid feeling of being touched by a demonic aura some days ago. News travelled fast in the Kingdom and the Church had immediately sprang to action, ready to take it down. However, the royal palace declared the demon dead before the church was able to do anything. This was not the usual reaction to the presence of a demon in a Kingdom but this one was a unique situation. The reason for all the hassle was the intensity of the demonic aura that was felt by many. Experienced warriors said that nothing less than a rank 4 demon could release a demonic aura of that intensity And a warlock from the church actually said the aura rivaled that of a demon lord. If the aura wasn¡¯t so vile, priests and paladins wouldn¡¯t have bothered to come out and the adventurer¡¯s guild would probably have put up a quest to slay it. Due to the people still reeling from the experience as it reminded them of the death of their previous King, paladins patrolled the Kingdom and the King placed the Kingdom on lockdown. The Church was still investigating on the demon because it truly came out of nowhere. Not because there was no body of the demon; everyone knew that demons dissipated into dark mana a while after their death. But because there was always some kind of sign that a demon was being birthed or released from the Lucic realm but it didn¡¯t happen for this one. It didn¡¯t help that all the witnesses to this demonic fight were dead, including the valiant warrior who took it down, Raven Inagon. Raven Inagon, the Marshall of the now eradicated colosseum had killed the demon but was in the process infected with demon blood and had to be incinerated. For an extremely skill advanced warrior to die with the demon, it was most likely a rank 5 demon so Raven was hailed as a hero and his tainted identity as a Marshall was ignored. The amount of damage a rank 5 demon could do was ridiculous according to stories from warriors and the like. The citizens of Ferasi were glad they didn¡¯t have to personally find out just how much damage it could do first-hand. Of course, the numerous casualties of the colosseum slaves didn¡¯t matter. After all, slaves could always be replaced. Regardless, as all the colosseum slaves were dead, the colosseum was shut down until further notice. Truly for the church, investigating the demon was just a show to allow the citizens to relax, the Royal family had proved themselves trustworthy over decades and they definitely weren¡¯t going to shelter a demon. For one, sheltering a demon was utter madness, one could smell a demon a mile away. And secondly, keeping a demon would definitely going to end up with your demise. According to history, a long time ago, a group of human scientists had once payed adventurers to subdue a demon, which they then bound, wishing to study it. Unlike an intellectual being, demons never stop struggling, they didn¡¯t know the word tired. They didn¡¯t know words if we were being technical but the stamina of a demon is regarded as endless and whilst trying to study the demon as it struggled, they got themselves killed. Another group of elven scientists wanted to study a demon. They obviously thought they were smarter than the humans and this time they made sure to stay away from its predatory claws. Well, they didn¡¯t die from its claws. These scientists actually succeeded in showing a capability of demons that was previously unknown before this incident Demons could apparently ignite their souls, shattering it for all eternity and that was exactly what that particular demon did. Not all demons have souls, only corrupted demons do. As it is impossible to differentiate a natural demon and a corrupted demon, everyone just generalizes that all demons could do it. This was a rare thing though. In a hundred years, out of 7000 demons, only 8 would ignite their souls. No one knew the triggers and nobody wanted to find out the triggers. So in conclusion, the prospect of the royal family harboring a demon was so ridiculous that the church didn¡¯t really think about that idea. It was more of a passing thought during the council meeting. The Church did however, watch out for any suspicious movement in the palace and among the nobles, after all, one could never be too sure. The vile aura was definitely a demon¡¯s. If it didn¡¯t appear natural or migrate from somewhere, then it was summoned and the amount of mana needed for a demon summoning could only be powered by a noble or by the palace in the Kingdom of Ferasi. *** A guard stood silently and at attention, practically touching the door he was supposed to guard. His fellow guard had taken a break and so he was alone and in charge, something that he didn¡¯t really care about. His job was to guard the royal dungeon which was under the royal palace so people breaking into it happened once in a century. Mainly because the royal dungeon was empty 90% of the time. He was startled by a thump and a figure dropped from the ceiling and in front of him. He immediately went on guard but if it was a true assailant he¡¯d probably be dead already. His brain finally registered the figure in front of him and he relaxed his guard performing a salute. The short bald woman¡­ girl wearing a fox mask that was the figure, gave him a brief nod. He opened the dungeon gates wide and bowed as she passed through. She looked like a child than an adult honestly. As the masked girl walked into the deeper parts of the dungeon, she received the same treatment but judging by her reaction, she was obviously used to the treatment. She suddenly paused in the middle of an empty passage that led to the lower parts of the dungeon and jumped up attaching herself to the ceiling. She then cast a spell and seemingly melted into the shadows. Almost immediately after she had taken this action, voices in discussion could be heard coming from the stairs encroaching onto her previous location. ¡°I offered your suggestion to the remaining slaves and I think it would work¡± a deep voice boomed. ¡°If they refuse just pack them and throw them in with the demon¡± another voice, much lighter than the first one replied emotionlessly. ¡°Yes, Your Highness. But I am of the opinion they will jump at the opportunity to leave their prison. The colosseum was not a restrictive place so they are not used to staying in one place¡± the deep voice drew closer to the masked girl¡¯s area. ¡°Hmm¡­ you¡¯re right. They will definitely feel trapped even though they haven¡¯t been there for long¡± The figured in discussion had now reached the top of the stairs. ¡°Yes¡± the deep voice came out of the huge man. They both wore quite mundane outfit but their bearing meant they were anything but mundane. ¡°Good. I look forward to seeing results. If Abigail weren¡¯t like that, she¡¯d definitely spearhead this experiment. Too bad¡± said the slim man with an eye catching combination of red eyes and red hair. He was definitely the crown Prince of Ferasi, Eliot Salvador. ¡°Yes. Princess Abigail¡¯s situation is sad¡± the huge man replied. Eliot stopped walking and glanced at the man following closely behind him, ¡°Anyways, results are needed. The church is poking around so definitely be careful. This was handled very poorly in the first place, the church wasn¡¯t supposed to be involved¡± ¡°Sorry, Your Highness¡± the huge man bowed his head in apology. Eliot sighed, ¡°If I had my way I would eliminate that demon but the King seem to have found some sick fascination in it. From his experience with demons I thought he would loathe to see one alive¡± ¡°If I may gauge the King¡¯s mind¡­¡± the man began and looked towards Eliot for approval to continue. Eliot nodded and he continued his train of thought, ¡°I believe His Majesty is trying to make a demonic blood antidote. A never before seen half-demon could be the answer¡± Eliot tapped a finger on his chin and smiled a smile that wasn¡¯t a smile, ¡°Oh?¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. The man only nodded in response. ¡°As expected of Father¡± Eliot acknowledged, ¡°If you¡¯re right and that is his goal, the prestige of the Ferasi Kingdom will soar to new heights¡± The man said nothing in reply. Eliot began to walk again and the man followed. He stopped and the man did the same. Eliot sighed and ordered, ¡°Don¡¯t follow me. Stay here and watch over my sister¡± He began walking again and this time the huge man didn¡¯t follow, just stayed in a bowing position. The man didn¡¯t move an inch until Eliot was out of sigh after which he straightened up. A shadow dropped from the ceiling in front of him and he wasn¡¯t startled in the slightest. ¡°Aren¡¯t you having fun?¡± he sneered at the figure in front of him. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you too, Marshall¡± the masked-and-bald girl said, a smile evident in her voice. ¡°I¡¯m not a Marshall anymore¡± Marshall replied curtly. ¡°Eh¡­ then, nice to see you, Raven¡± she chuckled. ¡°Raven is dead. I don¡¯t know who you¡¯re talking about¡± ¡°Really? So frustrating. Just answer the name. It¡¯s not going to kill you¡± Marshall didn¡¯t reply to that. The girl sighed and flicked her imaginary hair, ¡°Ok. Qivane then¡± ¡°Qivane died 800 years ago. I don¡¯t know who yo----¡± he began again. ¡°Oh fuck you¡± she cursed and walked away towards the stairs Marshall¡­ no, Raven and Eliot came from. Towards this man whose name changed faster than a girl changed purses, she wasn¡¯t going to bother herself. Raven couldn¡¯t stop the smile that appeared on his face and followed after her. ¡°Is she still like that?¡± the masked-and-bald girl asked after a period of silence between them. ¡°Yes. Actually, she seems to have gotten worse¡± he replied. The bald girl smiled, ¡°See? I was right to cut it off when I did¡± ¡°I agree but the King isn¡¯t so happy with your actions¡± ¡°He ordered it though¡± ¡°I know but he¡¯s still unhappy. At least he¡¯s less of a baby than he was a thousand years ago or he¡¯d be throwing a tantrum right now¡± Raven chuckled. The bald girl burst out laughing, ¡°I agree!¡± she didn¡¯t stop laughing for a while after which she rubbed the edges of the eyes on the fox mask as though wiping away tears, ¡°He¡¯ll get over it¡± ¡°It was a hard decision for him¡± Raven said solemnly. ¡°I know¡± the laughter was gone from her voice, ¡°he had to choose one daughter over the other after all¡± He nodded, ¡°Princess Mayenne. What a disastrous fate that girl has¡± ¡°She chose it herself and we have to be grateful. Without her, we¡¯d be looking for another royal family¡± ¡°She could have become Empress¡± Raven objected. ¡°Ha¡± The bald girl scoffed, ¡°She¡¯d be overthrown in days¡± Raven smirked, ¡°Princess Mayenne was never made for ruling¡± At this point, they began to hear the echoes of a scream but payed it no heed. ¡°Yes. Sadly. Princess Abigail on the other hand is a natural born ruler even though she doesn¡¯t want to¡± ¡°I wonder what made her dislike the throne so much¡± he wondered aloud. ¡°I don¡¯t know and I don¡¯t care enough to find out. We¡¯re on our way to fix that, isn¡¯t that right?¡± the bald girl replied as they stepped down the last stair. As the two walked, the screams they heard on their way down the steep stairway became even more pronounced. They continued discussing, not even changing their expressions as though they couldn¡¯t hear it. ¡°How are you planning on ¡®fixing¡¯ it?¡± Raven asked. ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s a secret¡± Raven chuckled, ¡°I already expected that answer¡± ¡°Actually, why did you come with me?¡± the masked-girl questioned. ¡°You didn¡¯t want me to?¡± he asked innocently. ¡°No¡± she playfully replied. ¡°I¡¯ll stop here¡± Raven suddenly stopped walking and gesture towards a thin hallway. ¡°Let me go!¡± an enraged voice from within that hallway could be heard. ¡°Ok¡± the bald girl nodded to that and kept on walking, entering the thin hallway. ¡°Let me go!¡± the same voice screamed again, ¡°I¡¯ll kill all of you¡± ¡°Let me go! Who do you think I am?!¡± ¡°How dare you do this me?!¡± ¡°I have to kill that demon!¡± ¡°Let me out!¡± ¡°You will regret this!¡± Screams of this manner continued non-stop and the masked girl felt tempted to actually hum to it as it made for an odd harmony but she didn¡¯t. That would just jeopardize what she came here for. She kept walking until she reached the source of the screams. Bound to four mana suppressing chains was the once elegant looking Princess Abigail. The saying that mana users were physically weak didn¡¯t seem to apply to her as she struggled ferociously to free herself. Chain rattled and clanged enhancing her angry roars. She looked completely disheveled, her black hair in a complete mess and a crazed look in her eyes. ¡°Tsk tsk tsk¡± the bald girl couldn¡¯t help but click her tongue. The angry Abigail grew silent, finally noticing the presence in front of her. Her eyes widened in recognition and she screamed in delight, ¡°Jewel!¡± The bald girl didn¡¯t reply. ¡°Jewel come release me! Finally! They thought they can simply lock me here! But no! Here you are to rescue me!¡± she was obvious a tad unhinged as she spoke. Jewel just stood motionless, staring at her. When Abigail saw that Jewel wasn¡¯t coming to her rescue, she screamed hysterically, ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Jewel sighed inwardly adjusted her fox mask and pushed open the unlocked bars that led to Abigail¡¯s jail Her eyes grew even more crazed as Jewel walked inside the jail and her eyes were glazed with excitement, ¡°I can¡¯t believe they would dare to this to me! Me!¡± She cried, ¡°It seems they didn¡¯t account for you¡± then laughed crazily. She ended up stunned to silence when Jewel made no move to undo her binds. ¡°Who are you?¡± Jewel squatted down making Abigail have to look down. ¡°Wha---this isn¡¯t a time for jokes! Release me!¡± Abigail roared furious at Jewel¡¯s actions. ¡°Who are you?¡± Jewel asked again, ignoring Abigail¡¯s anger. Abigail breathing grew quicker at this and her eyes grew redder. Jewel watched her in silence for a few then stood back up. ¡°Abigail, unless you regain some of your rationale and we talk, you aren¡¯t leaving here¡± Jewel stated firmly walked out of the jail. ¡°No! No!! No!!!¡± Abigail screamed futilely as Jewel walked out the door, ¡°Come back here!¡± Jewel stood beside the door and waited for the effects of her words to sink in. After 10 minutes of obviously useless screaming, Abigail finally calmed down. Jewel came back in and threw a bottle of water in Abigail¡¯s direction. Abigail glanced at the bottle then at Jewel. She did this twice and then dropped to floor, grabbing the bottle of water and downing it. Jewel waited for Abigail to finish the bottle of water and fling the projectile at her. Which she dodged of course. ¡°Abigail¡± Jewel spoke softly and sat down meeting the crazed eyes of the female in front of her. ¡°Your Highness¡± Jewel spoke again, her voice now laced with venom. Abigail visibly flinched at that and the intensity of her glare softened for an instant before blazing even more than before. Jewel chuckled at that, ¡°Do you know why his Majesty Aiagez named me Jewel?¡± Abigail didn¡¯t answer her. ¡°No profound reason. He was trying to select an appropriate diamond for his queen and since the late queen liked my selection so much, he named me Jewel¡± She said softly, her eyes looking up at the ceiling, obviously reminiscent. She dragged her gaze down to Abigail, ¡°If you¡¯re wondering how that story relates to you in anyway¡­ it doesn¡¯t. I was trying the break the ice¡± she then laughed. Princess Abigail wasn¡¯t impressed. Jewel then stood and walked around, her playful atmosphere vanished in an instant, ¡°I asked you, Who are you?!¡± ¡°Abigail¡± Abigail growled, almost forcing the words out of her mouth ¡°Abigail¡± Jewel repeated, ¡°Abigail what?¡± Abigail didn¡¯t answer just glared at her. ¡°Answer me!¡± Jewels angrily stomped and the shockwave threw Abigail against the wall and some debris fell from the ceiling as a result. ¡°Princess Abigail of Ferasi¡± Abigail spat full of spite, some blood dripped by the side of her mouth. ¡°Good¡± Jewel nodded, ¡°Good. Princess¡± The way she said the word made Abigail narrow her eyes at her. Jewels squatted to be on the same eye level, ¡°Dear, who locked you in here?¡± No answer. ¡°Probably the King¡± Jewel chuckled grimly, ¡°Why?¡± No answer. ¡°Because you dumbly wanted to get revenge for May?¡± Abigail twitched at that question. ¡°Wrong!¡± Jewel spat with a tone of finality, ¡°Then because you were about to reveal the existence of the demon to the church in your anger?¡± Abigail began to breathe heavily. Jewel¡¯s words were akin to rubbing salt on her wounds. ¡°No!¡± Jewels mana infused voice boomed throughout the lower dungeon. Abigail¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. If it wasn¡¯t those things then what? ¡°Because you¡¯re a princess¡± Jewels spoke very slowly. Abigail froze at Jewel¡¯s words. ¡°If you were the crown princess, who would dare touch you?¡± Jewel sneered, ¡°Just who would dare touch the future Queen. The future Empress of this Kingdom?¡± Abigail turned her gaze away and moved to cover her ears. She didn¡¯t want to listen to this. Jewel moved to grab her hands, ¡°You must listen. The throne is yours and you must take it. Look at where shying away from the throne has left you!¡± Abigail shook her head furiously, ¡°I don¡¯t want to¡± ¡°Abigail!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to!¡± the girl was almost crying. Jewel let go of her hand, ¡°I see. You do not wish to avenge May¡± Abigail turned swiftly to Jewel, stunned. Jewel nodded her head, ¡°I understand. You can stay here while that demon is allowed to live without paying for what it¡¯s done¡± Abigail shook her head, ¡°No, that can¡¯t happen¡­¡± ¡°Yes¡± Jewel chuckled, ¡°It¡¯s happening right now¡± Abigail shook her head. She had been trying not to think about that. ¡°Y¡¯know, I couldn¡¯t make it in time but I saw¡­¡± Jewel began siniterly ¡°Noo¡­¡± Abigail cried out immediately. It was as though she knew Jewel¡¯s next words weren¡¯t pretty. ¡°¡­The demon ripping May¡¯s limbs out of their sockets¡­¡± ¡°No!¡± Abigail screamed desperately. ¡°¡­,gouged out May¡¯s heart and licked it¡­¡± Jewel chuckled evily. ¡°Stop¡­¡± ¡°Ate it¡± ¡°Stop¡­¡± ¡°And roared in delight at its wonderful taste¡± Jewel made a mocking squeal of delight, ¡°Wonderful, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Stop! Please! I¡¯m begging you to stop¡± Abigail broke down crying. ¡°Why? If you actually cared---¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it¡± Abigail interrupted her. Her voice was firm as tears dripped down her face, ¡°I¡¯ll do it¡± she repeated herself. ¡°I¡¯ll become Queen¡± Jewel didn¡¯t say anything for a while, staring at Abigail dumbfounded. Then a crazed laughter escaped from her mouth, growing louder every second. When the laughter finally stopped, Jewel brought her face inches away from Abigail¡¯s and removed her mask. A stunned gasp escaped from the lips of the Princess. *** Jewels walked out of Abigail¡¯s jail satisfied. She hadn¡¯t released Abigail yet. The girl needed more time to cooldown. She walked past the hallway and into the large expanse. She found Marshall¡­oops, Raven standing where she¡¯d left him. The man was giving her a look that she¡¯d recognize anywhere. ¡°No¡± she protested before he even opened his mouth, ¡°I did not drug her¡± He raised a brow, ¡°Princess Abigail has the strongest mental fortitude I¡¯ve ever seen. Simple words like that should not have that effect¡± ¡°True but I really didn¡¯t drug her¡± His gaze said he didn¡¯t believe a word she said. Jewel sighed, ¡°That¡¯s why we killed May. Not because Abigail was growing too attached like we told Eliot¡± ¡°Oh?¡± was Raven¡¯s reply. ¡°We had to cut off the one thing Abigail cared about¡± Jewel continued, ¡°That¡¯s the only way she would breakdown and listen to me¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that backfire?¡± Raven couldn¡¯t help but ask. Sure, it was public knowledge that Princess Abigail was very strong headed about never taking the throne. As to why, Raven was never told but he had to guess it had to do with Princess Mayenne. If the one thing that Abigail had an emotional attachment to was gone, her rule would not be a soft one. ¡°It could backfire, yes, but even that is better than Prince Eliot taking the throne¡± Raven grew silent at that. ¡°Prince Eliot is a good man. A bit nuts but a good man nonetheless¡±, Jewels said softly. She turned around to stare into Raven¡¯s eyes stressing her next words, ¡°However, he must never rule. Or the Kingdom of Ferasi will fall¡± Chapter 42~ How to Talk to a Demon Noet perked up as the space in front of him darkened. The darkness grew bigger and bigger until it was wide enough for someone to pass through. Which someone did. Harvy barely raised his head to acknowledge the newcomer. ¡°So, who is coming with me?¡± Raven immediately went to business. ¡°Me¡± Noet spoke, ¡°Noet¡± Aileen and Harvy chorused at the same time. If Raven was surprised, he didn¡¯t show it. He just nodded and gestured for the human boy to follow after him. Noet climbed down from his bed and walked to Marshall. Noet felt himself grabbed by the collar all of a sudden and then couldn¡¯t see anything anymore. It was total darkness. He felt Marshall place something in his hand. It felt like a piece of cloth but he wasn¡¯t exactly sure what Marshall wanted him to do with it. It would seem the man grew impatient and grabbed the piece of clothing from him and wrapped it around his eyes. Oh, Noet exclaimed inwardly, a blindfold He was led by Marshall but they moved quite slowly. The Ki restraining cuffs were quite heavy after all. They walked and Noet tried his best to memorize the turns and turns they made but he soon felt confused. It was like they were in a maze. He grit his teeth in frustration. They were onto him. Marshall didn¡¯t seem to notice his distress, still leading him to only the gods know where. Suddenly they stopped and Marshall took off his blindfold. He opened his eyes and winced at the influx of light. Blinking his eyes to adjust, he stared blankly at the sight in front of him. The demon was sleeping. Or did it just look like that? If it was any other color and didn¡¯t have that vile aura, he¡¯d have thought it was a resting beast. Marshall grinned at his expression. This was exactly why they kept it alive. It was an opportunity to study demons like never before. ¡°Try your best¡± he patted the boy and left the room, locking Noet inside. Noet stared at the demons imposing visage and couldn¡¯t help but gulp a bit. He took a deep breath to calm himself and walked forward towards the cage in front of him. The demon moved a little and he paused. Then he stepped forward more and its eyes shot open and its yellow orbs stared at him. He finally understood why it was so bright in the room. The memory in his mind was definitely enhanced by the situation that day. Agnes didn¡¯t look as terrifying bathed in white light. She looked at most as a black beast. Maybe it was because of how calm she was? Noet had seen demons and he would never equate them to something as mediocre as a beast. But it was a fact that demons were never calm. But half-demons were, apparently. He realized his thoughts were about to start wandering and focused himself. He took another step and Agnes growled so he moved a step back and sat on the ground. She didn¡¯t seem to care much about him, laying back down in her previous position. She looked asleep again. ¡°Agnes¡± he called. It made no movement to acknowledge him. ¡°Agnes, I know you can hear me¡± There was no reaction. ¡°Agnes¡± Noet tried in this manner to get a response out of the demon but nothing. He kept trying for minutes which then turned into hours. 1 hour. 2 hours. 5 hours. 1 day. Marshall never came to remove him from the room or stop him. Suddenly Noet stopped calling her name and glanced at the door. He was betting that Marshall was no longer listening in and had finally left. More like hoping though. He turned to face Agnes and stretched, ¡°Ow, my back¡± He had been in the same posture for hours so he was stiff. When he finished his stretching he lay on the floor and stared at the ceiling in silence. Then he spoke, ¡°Raena¡± The reaction from the demon was instantaneous. Its eyes shot open and it stood, fixing its stare at him. ¡°Like I thought¡± Noet glanced at her, ¡°You¡¯d react to that¡± It took a few steps forward and Noet immediately backed off with a laugh. ¡°Don¡¯t get mad. Once you get mad, it¡¯s going to be difficult to regain control again¡± It froze mid-step. ¡°You are in control!¡± Noet screamed in surprise, ¡°I expected this but this is¡­ do you know what this means?!¡± The demon narrowed its eyes in response. Noet gave a fake cough, ¡°Sorry. I got a bit excited¡± It didn¡¯t react to that. ¡°They brought me here to make you go back to your elven-demon form but I¡¯ll suggest you don¡¯t do that. Yet.¡± His words were greeted with a ferocious roar and the demon charged at the cage, obviously enraged. It swiped at thin air as Noet was already quite far Noet wasn¡¯t surprised, ¡°Ok, I would be an idiot if I didn¡¯t guess you were an elven-demon¡­ wait, is it demon-elf?¡± He looked to it for confirmation. He got none. Noet scratched his head, ¡°I feel like I¡¯m talking to air. Can you talk in that form?¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. It was still obviously angry, growling and huffing. ¡°I told you not to get angry. Demons are fueled by anger itself. You cannot get angry¡± Noet said. It actually got angrier, clawing and banging against the cage. ¡°We¡¯ll talk later then¡± Noet sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t know when Marshall is coming back. He cannot hear what I want to talk about¡± Noet leaned on the door and the angry roars of the demon lulled him to sleep. Noet woke up with a start glancing around. He went into high alert then realized his bearing and calmed down. He was surprised at the fact that he slept so deeply. He looked up to find the demon looking right at him. Usually he could tell what people thought through their eyes but he¡¯d never trained to read a demon¡¯s expressions. It did unnerve him as he wasn¡¯t sure how long it¡¯d been staring at him. ¡°I see you¡¯ve calm down¡± he spoke. It sat down on its hind limbs in response to that. ¡°Ok I¡¯m guessing you can¡¯t talk in that form so let¡¯s go with nods and head shakes ok?¡± It did nothing at first then slowly moved its head up and down then left and right. It seemed to just be getting the hang of its body. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m not used to having a one sided discussion but there¡¯s a first time for everything, right?¡± It moved its head up and down. ¡°No¡­ you didn¡¯t have to reply to that¡± It shook its head. ¡°Are you still testing your responses?¡± It nodded and shook. This cycle continued for a while till the movement actually seemed fluid. Then it faced Noet squarely. Noet smiled, ¡°Ok, that¡¯s new. Well, everything about this is new. First of all, you¡¯re probably wondering why I¡¯m not scared or wanting to take your head¡± It nodded. ¡°And you¡¯re also wondering why I called you Raena¡± It nodded. ¡°And why I knew you were in control¡­ albeit barely¡± It paused. Then nodded. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll answer all of them in that order. First of all, I¡¯m not going to deny it. I hate demons¡± He locked eyes with the demonic being in front of him, ¡°With a passion¡± It moved backwards suddenly, trying to find its way back to its sleeping posture. It lay down, looking just like it had when Noet came in. Noet was stunned then he realized something and quickly said ¡°Agnes¡± ¡°Ok, Agnes I¡¯ve been trying this for a whole day now, would you please listen!¡± Noet¡¯s voice sounded really frustrated. The door to the room opened and Marshall walked in. ¡°You¡¯re doing well¡± he said sarcastically. Noet glared at him, ¡°She¡¯s just being strong headed, she¡¯ll talk to me¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Marshall drawled, ¡°You have less than a day left. I didn¡¯t expect much anyways¡± Noet clicked his tongue and threw a glare at the demon. Marshall walked out and Noet continued his charade. An hour or so later, the demon moved, steeping closer and sitting on its hind again. Noet laughed, ¡°How was my acting skills?¡± The demon said nothing. ¡°Anyways, like I was saying, I hate demons. You are no exception. But I like Agnes. Not like that but I am fond of Agnes Marlston. And you just happen to be Agnes Marlston¡± The room went quiet for a while. ¡°You know I was a bit surprised when I figured out I actually didn¡¯t want to kill you. Seems you made a pretty good impression on me but I¡¯m not so sure about Aileen and Harvy¡± It perked up at those names. ¡°I¡¯m not saying anything about them¡± Noet said immediately dousing her expectations with cold water. ¡°Moving on. And the second question was¡­ um¡­ why I called you Raena, right?¡± It nodded. ¡°It was honestly a process of elimination. You told Aileen your middle name so I figured if you didn¡¯t answer Agnes, you¡¯d answer Raena¡± Noet was beginning to pick up her reactions and judging by the way her tense shoulders relaxed, he¡¯d said the right thing, ¡°I can guess there is some hidden reason for you answering Raena?¡± Noet asked then sighed, ¡°I forgot you can¡¯t talk¡± It just stared at him. ¡°And finally, why I knew you were in control. I mean, it¡¯s obvious. But judging from the chaos you caused in the colosseum, it¡¯s quite hard to reign in your demon¡­ side?¡± It tilted its head to the right, as though in thought and then nodded. ¡°OK. Demon side. You had trouble stopping yourself, there were signs here and there that made me come to that conclusion¡± The demon nodded. Noet grinned, ¡°Now we are on the same page, I¡¯ll tell you why I¡¯m here. First of all, I need to get out of here. Aileen, Harvy and I have been taken prisoners and I don¡¯t know about them but I don¡¯t want to be here. And I¡¯m guessing you don¡¯t want to either¡± It nodded. ¡°And most likely, when they feel like they don¡¯t need us anymore, we will all be killed. I don¡¯t want to live with an invisible blade over my head. At least in the colosseum I had some¡­ although mediocre control over my life. I have been planning an escape from the colosseum for years and you have made me push my plans up so it¡¯s not like this is something I¡¯m bringing up on a whim, ok?¡± It nodded. ¡°Alright, first of all, I need the layout of this place. For that I need you. I could do this myself but they have already picked up on the fact that I¡¯m trying to get the layout. As to how you¡¯ll do that, I¡¯ll get to that. Secondly, I need a distraction. I have that covered¡± Noet gave a cheeky grin. ¡°Thirdly, it¡¯s obvious we are still in the vicinity of the colosseum because Harvy and Aileen are still alive. I have been able to wipe my brand off,¡± he showed his wrist which still had a colosseum-like brand on it, ¡°This is fake¡± The demon suddenly moved its claws to check the back of its hand. ¡°If I¡¯m not wrong, your brand should be gone. The way this brand works is it ties itself to your mana or your Ki. If you have both, it should brand your mana. Meaning when you transformed and your mana became demonic, you lost the brand, right?¡± Indeed, it wasn¡¯t there. ¡°The problem is Aileen and Harvy¡± The demon stared and its eyes looked a bit odd but Noet could discern what it was trying to say. ¡°That¡¯s just rude,¡± he declared, ¡°Do you really think I¡¯d abandon them? I¡¯m not that selfish¡± The demon still had the same odd look. ¡°Ok, I would usually abandon them but they have some use in this escape plan. Namely man power. I can¡¯t do this alone. That I know that very well. Honestly, the colosseum was one of the most guarded places in this Kingdom. As to why, you don¡¯t need to know¡± The demon shook its head. ¡°I¡¯m not telling you¡±, Noet smirked, ¡°So despite what you might think, simply wiping the brand off wasn¡¯t going to free you. But from what I can discern, the other colosseum slaves should be wiped out¡± ¡°Thanks to you¡± Noet didn¡¯t forget to add, ¡°And that gives us a chance¡± The demon just gave a low growl in response. ¡°We have one shot. Once the disturbance you made settles down, we¡¯re screwed. I¡¯ve been plotting for years because I needed something really big but you¡¯ve done just that¡± The demon nodded and then gave an odd look. ¡°I am not going to thank you. I don¡¯t think you deserve it¡± Noet retorted. It nodded again, giving the same odd look. ¡°No¡± Noet rolled his eyes, ¡°If anything, my life was at risk back there¡± The demon gave a huff and turn away. Noet chuckled, ¡°Ok whatever. Now, this is what you are going to do¡­.¡± *** ¡°How was she?¡± Aileen immediately asked as Noet arrived back into the room. Marshall dropped the boy off and left immediately. Noet didn¡¯t answer her question and began mumbling to himself, ¡°jjj????. No, it wasn¡¯t that. ???????. No, that doesn¡¯t sound right¡± ¡°Is that the language of the Gods?¡± Aileen asked. ¡°Yes¡± Noet sighed frustrated, ¡°I can¡¯t use mana so I never got blessed to understand it¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s stupid¡± Aileen couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°I mean how would you know what spell your opponent is casting, if you don¡¯t know it?¡± ¡°It seems I didn¡¯t word that well. The colosseum didn¡¯t bless Ki users to understand God¡¯s language¡± Noet snarled. ¡°Oh. Don¡¯t get mad, I just thought---¡± Aileen didn¡¯t finish her words and changed the subject, ¡°Want me to interpret what you said earlier?¡± Noet¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°You could?¡± ¡°Well, the first thing you said isn¡¯t even a word. The second thing was ¡®Open a tummy fall¡¯ which is stupid so I¡¯m guessing you didn¡¯t mean to say that¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to say the password Marshall said¡± Noet told her. ¡°Oh!¡± Aileen exclaimed, ¡°But Marshall has no mana so that has to be a keyword¡± ¡°I know. But what I don¡¯t get is why he¡¯d allow me to over hear it¡± ¡°Well, you don¡¯t understand the language of the gods¡± Aileen pointed out. ¡°But I can replicate it¡± Noet objected. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure ¡®open a tummy fall¡¯ is not the keyword here¡± Aileen argued. ¡°True¡± Noet relented, ¡°But he was most likely telling me that the keyword changes¡± ¡°What?¡± Aileen was confused. ¡°That even if I hear the keyword, I can¡¯t do anything with it because it will change¡± Noet explained. Aileen raised a brow, ¡°How did you come to that conclusion?¡± ¡°Can someone get some sleep in this place?!¡± Harvy screamed barging into their conversation. ¡°I thought you were awake and acting as though you were asleep so I didn¡¯t give a fuck. Sorry¡± Aileen retorted insincerely. ¡°Since you¡¯re both awake¡± Noet said not bothering to answer Aileen¡¯s question, ¡°Shall we talk? On how to get out of here?¡± The two fixed their gazes on him in unison. Then Harvy burst out laughing, ¡°I know you want to but I didn¡¯t think you were actually serious¡± Noet narrowed his eyes at him. ¡°Our colosseum brand. Did you forget about that?¡± ¡°Oh¡± Noet smiled. It was understandable they¡¯d worry about that, ¡°I can take care of it when we leave here¡± ¡°You sound so confident that we can leave¡± Aileen noticed. Noet grinned, ¡°Because I am¡± Harvy raised a brow at that, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m listening¡± Chapter 43~ The Ramifications of a Bored King Year 3717, 17th of Sectu, Ferasi Royal Palace. Eliot looked up from his book as the door to his room opened and a huge man stepped in. Raven directed a deep bow in Eliot¡¯s direction and greeted him. Eliot nodded and placed his book by his side, ¡°How was it?¡± ¡°Sadly, he was unable to move the demon¡± Raven replied. Raven was a man who worked for the King to people in the royal palace but to Eliot, Raven was one of his. He¡¯d known the man since he was a child and respected the man. He was glad when Raven finally agreed to be under his faction. Raven was an accomplished warrior and even though they¡¯d faked his death, Eliot didn¡¯t dare discard him or belittle him. The man¡¯s worth was much more than his rank. Eliot was the crown prince but he knew his meagre rank was a stumbling block. The nobles did not want the face of the Kingdom to be some mage. Even if he was an advanced one. Eliot couldn¡¯t advance in rank naturally like his sister. He was born with crooked Ki paths like his sister and father and he also had a huge mana well like them. However, his mana channel that was his elven diamond wasn¡¯t up to par. He ranked up using mana crystals and results from his experiments. But because of his situation, he needed whatever support he could get. ¡°I didn¡¯t have high expectations in the first place but this result is quite dampening¡±, Eliot sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll try with the semi tomorrow¡± Raven replied. Eliot nodded, ¡°Do that. And were you careful?¡± ¡°Yes. Nobody saw me enter here¡± Raven said. Eliot smiled satisfied. Raven was his hidden card for now as people didn¡¯t know they were actually allies. Of course, if Jewel knew about Raven deceiving her, she would slay him where he stood but that was a risk Eliot was willing to take. ¡°Good. Brief me on what happened when I left the dungeons¡± Raven gave a quick overview and when he stated that Abigail was going to aim for the throne, Eliot¡¯s face fell. He remained quiet for a while then eventually sighed and massaged his head, ¡°I knew this day would come. Quite late if you ask me¡± ¡°Your Highness, with the matter of Abigail¡­¡± Raven began. ¡°No¡± Eliot shook his head, ¡°I¡¯ve prepared for this and I¡¯m glad to see my preparations aren¡¯t in vain¡± ¡°Your Highness¡­¡± ¡°Raven¡± Eliot said coldly, ¡°I¡¯m not changing my mind¡± The huge man nodded, ¡°I understand¡± Eliot nodded, ¡°This is a good time to see which nobles are actually loyal to me¡± ¡°Yes. I will send the message out¡± Raven replied. ¡°Good. Is there anything else?¡± ¡°No, Your Highness¡± Eliot gave him a brief smile and gestured to the door, ¡°You may leave¡± Raven nodded again and briskly left. *** Year 3717, 20th of Sectu, Ferasi Royal Palace. Bouts of laughter could be heard from inside the throne room. King Alejandro chuckled and shook his head, ¡°Did that really happen?¡± A girl looking to be of age 13 or 14 sat opposite him, sprawled on the floor. Her eyes were deep red and her brown hair formed a blanket on the red carpet of the throne room. She wore a purple gown that made her look even more childish and she looked like a smaller version of the queen Bithrya but the usual viciousness queen Bithrya exuded was replaced by playfulness with this child, ¡°Yes¡± she replied with laughter in her voice, ¡°I too didn¡¯t believe it¡± Alejandro¡¯s eyes twinkled with mirth as he spoke, ¡°See? I told you. You two would match very well¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested¡± she sing-sang, ¡°I even made my body look like a child¡¯s to remove their interest¡± ¡°Oh? I¡¯m not talking about their interest. Aren¡¯t you interested in him?¡± ¡°Huh? No!¡± She replied defensively, ¡°Where did you get that idea?¡± ¡°He resembles me¡± Alejandro continued teasing, ¡°Isn¡¯t men like me your type?¡± ¡°This little boy,¡± she growled, ¡°Do you want to die?¡± ¡°Are you angry? Aunty~¡± Alejandro burst out laughing. ¡°Aunty?!¡± she got up on her feet, ¡°Today, I¡¯m not letting to you off. Come here!¡± Alejandro had already at some moment sprang to his feet and bolted away, ¡°No~¡± She laughed and bolted after him. The two engaged in some stupid play, jumping around and with their speed it was actually impossible to catch sight of them. Suddenly the right side of the throne room caved in and one could see Alejandro embedded in the wall. ¡°I really want to show this sight to the nobles¡± The girl burst out laughing at her handiwork. Alejandro easily removed himself from the wall and fixed his arm back in place, ¡°That hurt, really. Sister-in-law, are you trying to kill me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so?¡± she tilted her head and skipped back to the red carpet proceeding to resume her previous position, ¡°Where is Bithrya? Her older sister came and she can¡¯t even say hi¡± ¡°She¡¯s busy. The church is still fussing around¡± ¡°Ah¡± the girl exclaimed, ¡°I forgot¡± ¡°Says the one who caused this mess¡± Alejandro complained. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t push all the blame on me. Who ordered this?¡± she asked wide eyed.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Alejandro shrugged. The girl rolled her eyes, ¡°I didn¡¯t hit you hard enough¡± King Alejandro just laughed at that. He walked back to his seat and sat down. Then his aura playful atmosphere suddenly changed. The girl sighed and the hair on her head began to recede until there was only a shiny scalp left. She waved her hand and a fox mask appeared in front of her and she wore it, ¡°Why is he coming here?¡± ¡°I sent him to do something¡± Alejandro answered coldly. It was as though their previous interaction never happened. Jewel clicked her tongue and waved her hand again. Her purple dress disappeared and she was now wearing a black leather uniform. She walked briskly towards Alejandro¡¯s side and bowed her head, frozen in that position. The huge golden doors slowly slid open and in walked a huge man. He wore obviously enchanted full body armor and his face was covered by a helmet that only showed his eerie white eyes. He knelt down a few feet away from the throne, placed his hand in front of his chest and bowed saying in a loud voice, ¡°Raven Inagon of Tova. Reporting¡± ¡°Raise your head¡± King Alejandro ordered and Raven obeyed, ¡°Is it about time to give you a new name?¡± ¡°Not yet, Sire. My mission isn¡¯t finished yet¡± Raven replied. He glanced at the barely noticeable female beside the King. Jewel was like a statue just stating there with no presence. If she truly hid herself, he¡¯d be hard pressed to actually find her. He had to admit, between the two of them, even though they started serving the Kingdom around the same time she had done more for it. Her existence itself was a mystery though. The commoners didn¡¯t know she existed and the nobles that did were very respectful to her. Even though they didn¡¯t know how she looked. Raven didn¡¯t either. The previous King never revealed her identity and the current King did the same. Princess Abigail most likely didn¡¯t know too. He was curious but somehow he knew that trying to find that out would only be stirring a hornet¡¯s nest. The King only nodded in response to Raven¡¯s reply. The throne room was quiet for a while then the King spoke again, ¡°And Prince Eliot?¡± ¡°I acted according to your orders but it would seem Prince Eliot will not go down without a fight, Your Majesty¡± Raven replied respectfully. ¡°Oh? He¡¯s grown bolder over these years. Is he planning a civil war?¡± ¡°I believe so, Your Majesty¡± The King stroked his beard, ¡°Well, that isn¡¯t bad¡± Raven¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. The King only gave a vicious smile, ¡°The Kingdom is too peaceful. We need something like this to give some excitement, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Then¡­ you knew Prince Eliot would¡­¡± Raven spoke as the thoughts formed in his mind. ¡°Of course I predicted it. Abigail wouldn¡¯t be a good queen if I simply handed her the throne on a platter¡± King Alejandro spoke frankly. ¡°But this¡­ lives of the people¡­¡± ¡°Will change¡± King Alejandro said boldly, ¡°The people in my Kingdom simply sit back and allow the rulers to do whatever they wish. They do not argue with the rules even if they hate them. How are they better than puppets?¡± Raven couldn¡¯t find the words to say. ¡°If a civil war breaks out, the people will finally pay attention to the business of the Royal family. They shouldn¡¯t expect their lives to go sweetly when they do nothing¡± Alejandro said. ¡°The citizens do pay attention to the royal family, Your Majesty¡± Raven couldn¡¯t help but say. ¡°No. They don¡¯t¡± Alejandro shook his head, ¡°They pay attention to the laws we make. If things continue from here, the Kingdom of Ferasi will simply be ruled by the whim of one person. If the people simply sit and accept what they¡¯re given, what do you think the result will be?¡± ¡°Sire¡± Raven said after some contemplation, ¡°Perhaps there is another way to make the citizens pay more attention to their rulers----¡± ¡°There is¡± Alejandro cut him off. ¡°Then¡­¡± Raven began ¡°But it¡¯s not bloody enough¡± Alejandro grinned. Just by his side, Jewel couldn¡¯t help the grin that spread under her mask. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Raven was shocked. ¡°A different topic please¡± Alejandro waved his hand, not really caring about Raven¡¯s opinion in the matter. When Raven realized that, he once again affirmed how much Alejandro had changed from when he was just a prince. Raven finally decided to just open one eyes and close the other to this matter. Perhaps Alejandro wanted a change of pace and was achieving it by sending his children to war. And perhaps he didn¡¯t really care that Mayenne was killed like he claimed. But Raven decided to ignore all that. For reasons only he knew. ¡°The demon finally changed back to its semi form¡± Raven said, changing the topic like he was asked. Alejandro grinned widely at that, ¡°Finally! Have you moved it?¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. My men are currently moving it to the lab¡± Raven replied. ¡°Wait. Why did the demon change back?¡± Alejandro suddenly asked. ¡°That¡­ actually I don¡¯t know. I came back and saw her in her semi form. I hadn¡¯t yet called any of the prisoners to meet her again so it was a surprise¡± Alejandro narrowed his eyes, ¡°Something is suspicious. All the prisoners met it and there was no reaction right?¡± ¡°Yes, But earlier today her demonic transformation was loosened and she was back in her original form¡± Raven replied. ¡°Raven¡± Alejandro called coldly. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°Who is ¡®she¡¯?¡± Alejandro snarled. Raven¡¯s eyes widened and he bowed, ¡°Sorry. It was a slip of tongue. It won¡¯t happen again¡± Alejandro glared coldly at him then withdrew his gaze, ¡°Go back to the colosseum now. Something is definitely wrong here¡± ¡°Yes, Sire¡± Raven bowed even deeper and wore his helmet. He got up and began to walk backwards. Suddenly somebody burst into the throne room screaming ¡°Sire!¡± ¡°What are you doing?! How dare you! You have no respect for the throne!¡± Raven immediately responded with rage, releasing his aura. ¡°Let him be¡± Alejandro waved his hand for Raven to calm down, ¡°What is it?¡± he asked the now frightened soldier. ¡°T-The l-left s-side of t-the k-king-kingdom is on fire¡± the soldier stuttered as his body trembling after experiencing Raven¡¯s aura. ¡°Oh?¡± Alejandro actually smiled and turned to Raven, ¡°It seems we¡¯re too late. This problem is your fault. Go fix it¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Raven was stunned. ¡°The prisoners are escaping, idiot. You¡¯re really only good for the battlefield¡± Jewel condemning voice could be heard. Raven¡¯s face changed as realization dawned on him. He gave a hurried bow and flashed out of the throne room. Alejandro looked at the soldier who hadn¡¯t made any movement to leave, still reeling from the aura and sighed inwardly. He waved his hand and a small wind flung the man out of the throne room and the doors closed with a bang. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to hurt the poor soldier¡± Jewel commented. ¡°He¡¯s fine¡± Alejandro muttered half-heartedly. Jewel shook her head, ¡°How did he handle this really? I told you Raven is not suited for jobs with finesse like this one. I should have handled it!¡± ¡°But that¡¯s why I let him handle it¡± Alejandro smirked. ¡°Huh?¡± It was a rare sight to see Jewel confused. ¡°I can¡¯t have Abigail being aimless you know¡± he gave a grim chuckle and watched with his mana sense as realization dawned on Jewel¡¯s face. ¡°You¡­¡± she began then shook her head after thinking through it, ¡°Well, it¡¯s your Kingdom. Do what you want with it¡± Alejandro laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t be mad. I just didn¡¯t want to destroy your track record¡± ¡°What track record?¡± Jewel scoffed. ¡°If it was you, those prisoners would be stuck there for eternity. That¡¯s how you work. I can¡¯t have people thinking you fail once in a while if you let them go¡± Alejandro said. ¡°But, you¡¯re fine with freeing that half-demon? I though you wanted to study it?¡± Jewel asked. ¡°I did but I feel like it¡¯s a shame¡± ¡°What is?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the first of its kind. I¡¯m curious just what a half-demon can do¡± Alejandro smiled, ¡°Killing it now won¡¯t let me learn anything new¡± Jewel didn¡¯t reply to that. ¡°I thought you would be more furious¡± Alejandro commented. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I heard people who participated in the Great War loathe demons¡± Jewel said nothing to that. ¡°Tch¡± Alejandro clicked his tongue, ¡°You, father, The church. I never hear specifics about the war against demons. What exactly happened back then?¡± ¡°Haaa¡± Jewel let out a long breath, ¡°You¡¯re bored¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Alejandro nodded to that, ¡°Which other warlock do you see idling his time away ruling a Kingdom¡± ¡°You could have just handed the throne over to Abigail years ago like I said¡± Jewel pointed out. Alejandro turned to her, ¡°And let her be your puppet? What do you take me for?¡± Jewel removed her mask and burst out laughing. She walked with quiet steps towards the red carpet and Alejandro¡¯s eyes followed her, ¡°I¡¯m hurt. You have such a scary image of me¡± Alejandro gave a fake laugh, ¡°Hurt, my ass. I haven¡¯t forgotten what you did to me years ago¡± ¡°Oh my. You hold a long grudge¡± Jewel grinned. ¡°Anyways¡± Alejandro changed the subject, ¡°Now that she¡¯s seen what you can do, she¡¯ll be more wary of you¡± Jewel just gave a small smile, ¡°Well, I played along because I plan to leave anyways. It¡¯s gotten boring¡± Alejandro was stunned for a second then sighed, ¡°I knew that went a bit too well. You followed every one of my instructions¡± ¡°I¡¯m your servant, Your Majesty. I have to follow your instruction¡± ¡°Who are you acting for, Sister-in-law?¡± he scoffed. Jewel gave a soft laugh. ¡°Where are going to?¡± he asked Her eyes turned reminiscent for a second and Alejandro barely caught it, ¡°I¡¯m meeting friends¡± Alejandro turned silent then eventually said, ¡°Which friends?¡± Jewel narrowed her eyes at him, ¡°Don¡¯t poke too much. You¡¯ll get hurt¡± He nodded. What could hurt a warlock like him was debate-able but he seemed to accept what she said. He wasn¡¯t immortal after all. ¡°Don¡¯t die¡± He finally said after some contemplation. Jewel smiled and began to walk away from the throne room, her back facing him. She stopped before opening the golden doors and muttered, ¡°Like you care¡± Chapter 44~ The Ramifications of a Bored King II Agnes made quick work of the people guarding her and charged down the long passage. She turned left then right, then jumped down, then left, then left, then left¡­. Noet had thought Marshall just took him in circles to make him unable to understand the road to Agnes¡¯s prison but he was wrong. This place was an actual maze and Agnes was impressed with her ability to remember the road. Perhaps feigning that she was unconscious was the right thing. They didn¡¯t blindfold her because of that and she was able to register landmarks. She looked down at her hands which were currently bound with Ki suppressors and then at her feet with had mana suppressors. She honestly couldn¡¯t feel the weight Noet complained about. Her demonic transformation had probably caused some changes to her internal structure. And her outer one too. She looked down at her once elven looking hands. They were now sharp claws that she could actually retract but they still looked monstrous. It was as though the now permanently transformed hand was a warning. That the more she became a demon, the more she¡¯d lose her other self. She ripped up any guards she met before they could do anything. Even without Ki or mana, the Agnes now was stronger than any average fighter. As for mages, she hadn¡¯t met any mage so there was no way to test that out. She soon arrived at a dark hallway and she felt movement at the corner of her eyes. She quickly hid and heard a familiar voice. ¡°Aileen get your fat butt out of my face¡± ¡°Excuse you?¡± another familiar voice shrieked. ¡°Oh don¡¯t start bickering you two. We are literally in the middle of trying to escape¡± Once Agnes heard that voice, Agnes revealed herself but they seemed to not notice her. Of course, they didn¡¯t. They were deep into the dark hallway and were trying to squeeze out through a hole surrounded by darkness. ¡°You know, I thought you got the keyword right Noet¡± Harvy¡¯s angry voice could be heard. ¡°I did. Aileen probably said something wrong¡± the boy scoffed. ¡°Of course, the blame is on me¡± Aileen snarled, ¡°Be grateful it at least worked¡± ¡°It worked so well we¡¯re trying to squeeze out of a hole that can¡¯t take your butt¡± Harvy replied sarcastically. Aileen finally fell out of the hole where she had actually been stuck for a while and hmphed, ¡°I¡¯ve literally been sleeping and eating the past few days. Only. I¡¯m more appalled that you two didn¡¯t gain any weight¡± Harvy squeezed himself out, falling to the ground too. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get a move on¡± Noet ordered once he fell out. ¡°I can¡¯t see shit¡± Harvy cursed. ¡°I know. Same here,¡± Noet replied, ¡°That¡¯s why Agnes is supposed to meet us here¡± ¡°Wait, Agnes?! I heard nothing about this¡± Harvy was surprised. ¡°You didn¡¯t. Cuz I didn¡¯t tell you¡± ¡°What---¡± Harvy¡¯s words were cut off when the sign of a torch could be seen from the edge of the hallway. ¡°Agnes?¡± Noet called but placed his hands ready to attack. ¡°Yes¡± she replied and walked closer. The trio were able to see the familiar face of the girl they¡¯d known for years as she walked closer. ¡°Why is she here?!¡± Harvy practically growled. ¡°Oh please Harvy. Don¡¯t tell me you really didn¡¯t realize she was part of this plan¡± Aileen rolled her eyes but nobody saw because it was so dark. ¡°No!¡± he retorted angrily. By now, Agnes was close to them and it was obvious he was restraining himself from lashing out. ¡°Well, I can see you still have some brains left¡± Agnes couldn¡¯t help but say. He fixed a glare at her at that sentence, ¡°What?¡± ¡°I mean, you can attack me if you want. I don¡¯t mind¡± Agnes dared him. He grit his teeth but did nothing. He wasn¡¯t a fool. He was mana and Ki bound and her demonic strength would overpower his. Agnes shrugged, ¡°Hi Aileen¡± The girl in question gave her a quick glance and turned away, ¡°Sup¡± Agnes smiled. When she¡¯d met Aileen some days ago, the girl had immediately attacked her with all she had. If not for there being a cage between them, Agnes would have ripped the girl to pieces. ¡°Alright, now we¡¯ve exchanged pleasantries, Agnes, did you do it?¡± ¡°Yes. All clear¡± she replied stoically. Noet¡¯s eyes fell on her suppressors, ¡°Why do you still have that?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± she tilted her head confused. Noet and co, still had suppressors on them so she knew nobody had come to take it off. ¡°You could have broken it¡­¡± the edges of Noet¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Really?¡± Agnes exclaimed then proceeded to widen her hand and the thing cracked into pieces from the pressure, ¡°I thought something bad would happen if I broke it¡± ¡°Nah, not these ones¡± Noet replied and stretched out his hand towards her. Agnes swiftly broke the ones on her legs and crushed his, ¡°What are these? Sand?¡± she couldn¡¯t help but say. They broke too easily. ¡°No¡± Noet rubbed his wrists, ¡°Bonafide metal¡± ¡°Oh¡± Agnes let out an amazed gasp. Noet spotted a line of blood on his wrist and grimaced, ¡°You cut me¡± ¡°Ah, sorry¡± Agnes cringed, ¡°I¡¯m not used to these¡± she waved her claws in his face. Aileen pointed to her legs with her only hand and gave a sweet smile. ¡°Are you planning my death right now?¡± Agnes couldn¡¯t help but ask but broke the binds on her feet anyways. ¡°No. That was a long time ago¡± Aileen replied and shook her legs. Finally. Agnes¡¯ eyes floated over to Harvy and she looked at Noet, ¡°I¡¯m not going to free him¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Noet shrugged, ¡°That¡¯s your business but he¡¯ll slow us down¡± ¡°We can just leave him here then¡± Agnes suggested with a hearty smile. Harvy glared at her then relented stretching out his hand, ¡°I¡¯ll behave¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe you¡± Agnes snapped at him. ¡°Just release him. I¡¯ll watch him¡± Noet offered. When he saw Agnes was still unwilling he said, ¡°We need all the hands we can get. You¡¯ve killed many of the guards around here but if we¡¯re leaving here, the guards will be much more¡± he then leaned into her ear and whispered, ¡°Remember what I said? We need all the power we can get¡± Agnes thought it over and used her thankfully normal looking legs to crush the Ki suppressors on Harvy¡¯s leg, ¡°Can we leave his mana sealed?¡± she gestured to the mana suppressors on Harvy¡¯s arm. Noet thought over it then said, ¡°Ok sure¡± Agnes nodded at that while Harvy grit his teeth. ¡°We¡¯re wasting time here¡± Aileen said. ¡°Yeah¡± Noet agree and propelled himself forward, dashing away. Agnes followed swiftly behind him. Harvy followed and Aileen lagged behind until she finished reciting her lightning burst spell after which she shot to Noet¡¯s side. The quartet soon arrived at a peculiar white archway that contrasted with the ash colored walls that surrounded it. They stopped as they saw the shadows of people. Agnes offered to take a look, after which she came to report her finding. ¡°It just had to be an elevator¡± Noet cursed, his voice very small to avoid being heard. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with those?¡± Agnes asked, her lack of experience showing. Aileen had a face that asked the same question. She was just as inexperienced. Noet gave the two of them a peculiar gaze and looked over at Harvy. The boy was the same. Noet wondered for the xth time why he was escaping with idiots. ¡°Forget it¡± Noet sighed, ¡°Those guards, how many were there?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. They seemed about to notice me so I bolted¡± Agnes replied. Noet nodded, ¡°Then, approximately?¡± ¡°30?¡± she said after thinking thoroughly. Aileen inhaled fiercely at that number. Noet bit his lips and mumbled, ¡°That¡¯s huge¡± ¡°I think we can take it¡± Agnes seemed unworried. Noet gazed at her for a while then narrowed his eyes and drew very close to Agnes¡¯ face, whispering so the others couldn¡¯t hear him, ¡°Are you okay?¡± Agnes stared into his eyes and shook her head. ¡°Shit¡± he cursed, ¡°Can you last?¡± ¡°I think staying too long in the other form had some side effect¡± Agnes whispered back. ¡°Why so secretive¡± Harvy sneered. ¡°Shush¡± Aileen snapped at him. His voice could be overheard! ¡­ Not like hers was low either. ¡°Hmm¡± Noet pondered ignoring Harvy¡¯s remark, ¡°Will it impede us?¡± ¡°Not really?¡± Agnes said a tad unsure. Noet nodded and said louder for the others to hear, ¡°We go in¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s either I¡¯m dead or a prisoner. So why not¡± Aileen remarked. The quartet took a simultaneous deep breath and charged. The guards reacted instantly brandishing their spears and a fierce battle began. Agnes had a vicious grin and she crushed metal and snapped bones. The sound was simply delicious. Many of the guards attacked her because it was obvious she was doing the most damage. Noet and co didn¡¯t fall back much. They employed whatever they could ending the lives of whatever guard they could lay their hands on. Of course, they didn¡¯t come out unharmed. Aileen especially was unused to fighting with one hand and got stabbed in the side. Luckily it wasn¡¯t a deep stab. Harvy had his hands restricted but was working fine with his legs. His arm did get pierced though. Noet on the other hand was completely fine. Agnes had her stomach punctured but it healed up almost immediately so that didn¡¯t count. It would seem that with this complete demonic transformation, everything that made demons, demons¡­ Agnes suddenly felt the impact of something hot and flew back. ¡­was finally manifesting in Agnes. Noet stilled at the sudden appearance of a mage. Or maybe the mage had been there, just hiding. He dodged a spear which was thrust at his head and hoped to finish fast so he could check up on Agnes. Agnes boost in strength was a major key to escaping this place. But Noet was actually more worried of the fact that he didn¡¯t hear the mage chant. Were his senses dulling? Aileen didn¡¯t waste time, immediately conjuring a lightning ball at the mage to which the mage was unable to dodge. Mainly because this mage was dressed in armor just like the other soldiers but mages aren¡¯t supposed to wear armor because they don¡¯t have their bodies fortified like fighters do. The mage downed a blue liquid while he was on the floor and tried to take off his armor. He saw another lightning ball flying at him and quickly rolled cursing inwardly. Lightning was a rare affinity and Aileen just had to have it. He flung a fireball at her to which she swiftly dodged. She probably could tell what spell it was from the chant. The mage changed tactics and bolted away. Aileen ran after him and looked towards her team to see if anyone could lend a hand. They were all busy with one spearman or the other and Agnes was still down. Well. She¡¯d taken a third circle spell head on. She¡¯d be lucky to still be alive. Aileen¡¯s eyes widened as she suddenly realized she didn¡¯t know what spell the mage was casting now. She paused her chase waiting for him to finish. Something she instantly regretted. He wasn¡¯t attacking, he was buffing the soldiers. The bodies of the remaining guards glowed a pale golden and the intensity of the guard¡¯s attacks increased. A soldier immediately attacked her and she claimed his life with her lightning spear. It would seem the guards were finally concentrating their attacks on her to free their mage. With Agnes out of the equation, the group had much more to face at a time. The battle continued with both sides seemingly having a stalemate. One would think that with Aileen there, things would go much faster but a mage is not truly effective until they are a magus. As a magus, they can dual cast, use spells that hit multiple enemies at a time and not really need to chant the whole spell. Agnes shook her head to regain her vision and patted her burnt chest. She heard sound of fighting a few meters away and realized that she had been knocked away by a fire spell. She didn¡¯t have time to think about why she wasn¡¯t dead after getting hit, immediately joining the fray. The situation changed again. The main problem with the guards was the armors they had doing nothing against Agnes¡¯ claws unlike the others so she killed them easily. Of course with their buff, it was harder to simply claw through their stomachs but it wasn¡¯t impossible. Soon enough all the guards were dead, including the mage. ¡°Oh my Bermia, that was exhausting¡± Aileen exclaimed. ¡°Meh¡± Agnes shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t even compare me to you, Agnes¡± Aileen scoffed. ¡°How are even ok after that?¡± Aileen asked incredulously. Agnes looked down at her scalded chest, ¡°I¡¯m actually curious too¡± ¡°Perhaps because demons are innately resistant to mana?¡± Noet offered squatting to pick something. ¡°They are?¡± Agnes¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Ow, my sides fucking hurt. I was poked with a spear¡± Aileen complained ¡°I can see that¡± Agnes deadpanned. ¡°Harvy please¡±, Aileen ignored her and pointed to her injured side. Harvy gave her a look and gestured to his mana cuffs. He had tried to get a guard to break it for him during the scuffle but they were smart enough not to. Agnes suddenly felt something move and her eyes widened. She immediately dashed forward, distressed. Noet noticed her sudden movement and followed her eyes sight after which his eyes widened too. Aileen groaned oblivious in her exhaustion ¡°Can¡¯t we release hi---¡± Stab Aileen¡¯s words were stopped by the searing pain she felt in her chest. She slowly looked down to see the tip of a spear poking out through her chest. She opened her mouth to say something and she fell down lifelessly to the ground. ¡°No, no, no!!¡± Agnes shrieked. She didn¡¯t make it in time! She immediately pounced on the guard that had faked his death ripping him to complete shreds. Noet and Harvy were frozen in shock. Noet was shocked because even though he knew some of them or even all of them would die, he didn¡¯t think so early. Agnes got up, her face bloodied and crushed Harvy¡¯s mana suppressor, ¡°Heal her!¡± Harvy stumbled over mechanically, still in disbelief and cast his healing spell. He tried over and over again but the stab had pierced her heart directly. And a 2nd circle healing spell wasn¡¯t going to do shit against that. ¡°What are you doing?! Heal her!¡± Agnes shrieked hysterically. ¡°Heal her¡± she broke down into sobs. Seemingly deciding sobs weren¡¯t enough, she charged irrationally at Harvy, grabbing him and shaking him, ¡°Heal her!¡± Noet finally got a hold of himself and charged at Agnes. He pulled her away from Harvy as she struggled aimlessly, ¡°Agnes¡± She kept struggling. ¡°Agnes!¡± he roared. She cried harder and struggled. ¡°Raena!¡± he screamed fiercely. She stiffened for a second which was enough for Noet to pin her down. ¡°Calm down!¡± he yelled. She struggled, and was definitely going to use her claws if he kept holding her down. And Noet didn¡¯t want to test how sharp her claws were. ¡°Please calm down¡± he practically begged. Seeing as she was somewhat listening he continued, ¡°Don¡¯t let your emotions go wild. You know what can happen¡± She was obviously struggling less now. ¡°And¡± he began then whispered the rest into her ear ¡°She¡¯s not Luken¡± Agnes stopped struggling at that and the tears rolled freely from her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s it. Calm down¡± Noet nodded and let go of Agnes. Her body trembled as she cried and she muttered incoherently amidst sobs. Apparently, the events of that day affected her more than it looked. And Aileen¡¯s sudden death was a terrible reminder. On the other hand, Noet seemed barely affected by Aileen¡¯s death. Sure, he was sad and thought it was too bad but that was it. He glanced at Agnes and shook his head. That could have turned very bad if she went all demon on them. Even if Aileen was alive, taking Agnes in her demon form was an impossible task. Sadly, the girl couldn¡¯t willingly transform or she¡¯d be a very effective weapon. He waited for Agnes to finish her episode and thought of his previous evaluation of her. He¡¯d thought he could use Agnes prowess in battle effectively when they finally escaped but after her performance today, she was proving to be more of a liability than an asset. She was strong, yes. But if she broke down this easily then, she wouldn¡¯t last long. Chapter 45~ The Ramifications of a Bored King III Harvy stood frozen in shock at the sudden death of Aileen. Sure, he knew that one of them might die but after they refused to release his mana shackles he reasoned that he would be the one. And he actually hadn¡¯t noticed the guard was still alive. The man played dead so well. Even without Agnes urging him to heal Aileen, he continuously tried but the spell could not bring the dead back to life. Healing touch was a spell that worked to restore and was efficient for anything that wasn¡¯t life threatening and amputations. For example, Agnes¡¯ injury when she fought Noet. It looked big but wasn¡¯t life threatening in the slightest. Yes, she¡¯d bleed to death after like 2 or so hours but that wasn¡¯t counted as life threatening so it helped. And the spell also worked slowly. One cast wasn¡¯t going to solve anything except if it was a cut from chopping onions or something. He slowly recovered from his frozen state and gave a silent prayer to Nerphia for her. He glanced at Noet who finished what he was doing with Agnes. Harvy felt like the relationship between them had changed ever since that day. He¡¯d only seem them interact for minutes and he could figure that out. He narrowed his eyes at the sobbing Agnes and the thought that he could kill her now and she wouldn¡¯t even be able to defend herself crept into his mind. Once the thought surfaced, he couldn¡¯t remove it. He glanced at Noet who was in thought and figured he¡¯d give it a try. He didn¡¯t have to lose much, anyways. If he kept going with them, they¡¯d surely kill him when his use ran dry. Now that Aileen was dead, their whole team had nobody to hold them together. She, Bertha and May were the only reason why Harvy stayed in this group. And all three were dead. He had grown fond of Agnes after a while but that quickly turned to hate when he discovered what she really was. He felt completely betrayed and appalled to find out she was a demon, half or not. And it was no secret that he disliked Noet so sticking together with these two wasn¡¯t going to amount to anything but his demise, Harvy decided. He muttered the spell for air rocket and watched as it snaked towards Agnes unnoticed. At least he thought it was unnoticed until a spear appeared in its path. The spear shattered but that done its job as the swiftly moving ball of air missed Agnes by a hair¡¯s breadth boring a hole into the wall instead. Harvy looked up to see a furious Noet and he sighed inwardly, glancing at Agnes. Like he thought, she didn¡¯t notice anything. Still in her own world. Noet gripped the spear in his hand tightly then suppressing his anger, let it drop to the ground. He moved towards Harvy, who didn¡¯t even bother to look guilty and grabbed him by the throat then slammed him into the ground. ¡°I see you have nothing better to do¡± Noet snarled. ¡°Did you really think I was just going to sit and accept all this bullshit?¡± Harvy spat in his face. ¡°You¡­ do you really want to be stuck here?¡± Noet asked. ¡°Honestly no. But I¡¯d rather be stuck here than be an accomplice to freeing a demon¡± Harvy retorted. Noet strengthened the choke on Harvy¡¯s neck until the boy began to cough and wheeze. To which Noet just sighed and let go. He glanced at the shattered mana shackled and cursed inwardly at Agnes¡¯ emotional actions. He grabbed Harvy by the shirt and walked away. The boy wasn¡¯t even struggling. Honestly, even if he did, nothing would come out of it. Harvy had been fortunate to fight against Noet before and he would like to keep that memory exactly where it was- in the recesses of his mind. Noet walked on until he found a suitable place after which he simply flung Harvy down. ¡°Wait¡­¡± Harvy had said when he realized what Noet was about to do, ¡°No. Noet¡­.¡± He was already falling before he finished speaking. Noet waited till he heard a thud then he left. He could help but think of how terrible everything was going. He hoped that the disturbance in the city wasn¡¯t subdued yet or else he was royally screwed. He walked back into the archway to see Agnes sitting upright and staring at Aileen¡¯s dead boy. She turned around at the sound of his footsteps and Noet froze mid-step. Her eyes were no longer all blue like they were minutes ago. One of her eyes had turned purple. He wondered if it was a permanent change but otherwise said nothing of it. ¡°Let¡¯s go¡± he said and she nodded, getting up from the floor. She looked almost like she usually did after a battle in the colosseum, Noet noted. He walked up to the elevator and it opened. He entered it and waited for Agnes to enter but she didn¡¯t move. ¡°What is it?¡± he asked holding out his hand so it wouldn¡¯t close. ¡°Wasn¡¯t there a problem with it being an elevator?¡± she replied, raising a brow ¡°Ahaha¡± Noet gave an embarrassed laugh, ¡°I was a bit confused¡± he confessed. She nodded and entered the elevator. It closed after a few seconds and they slowly rose in the air. Neither of them bother to chat. They were on their guard throughout because the moment the elevator opened again, they¡¯d be thrust into battle. The elevator stopped for a second midair, then swiftly moved to the left, then forwards with such velocity that they almost tumbled forward. The thing finally stopped and opened. Agnes brandished her claws, covering it with Ki, ready for action while Noe covered his hands with Ki. Their number had dropped from four to two so they were going to have to go all out instead of conserving it like last battle. The sight that greeted their eyes was outstanding. A very empty dining hall with no soul in sight. Noet blinked a few times and slowly retracted his Ki, making sure they weren¡¯t just hiding to ambush them first. His spy had told him that they were in the underground colosseum but he didn¡¯t believe it. It would seem this underground colosseum was more than just a cover for the royal palace¡¯s experiments. The place underground was ginormous and had definitely taken years and lots of money to build. ¡°So¡­¡± Agnes finally spoke. She was still on guard, her Ki shining brightly over her claws. ¡°It would seem we¡¯ve been unnoticed so far¡­¡± Noet said uncertainly. ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Or was that place completely unmonitored?¡± Agnes was confused. ¡°I don¡¯t think¡­ actually, let¡¯s get out of here¡± Agnes nodded to that and the two quickly left the colosseum through the elevators that took them to the arena. The arena was completely empty and the rotten smell of dead bodies and blood assaulted their noses. ¡°Oh my fucking Bermia!¡± Agnes exclaimed holding her nose, ¡°Did they leave all this shit for days?¡± ¡°Apparently¡± Noet nodded stoically and moved towards the audience seat, ¡°Follow me¡±. He jumped over the platform that separated the arena from the audience and his feet landed on something soft. He didn¡¯t even bother to look down but he cringed, ¡°That is disgusting¡± ¡°This is the epitome of laziness. Oh my fucking! EW!¡± Agnes exclaimed as she jumped after him. No one would actually believe this was the same girl sobbing madly earlier. ¡°Let¡¯s keep going¡± he closed his eyes and grudgingly opened them again. Agnes followed him as he walked downstairs¡­ oh wow, there was a stairs. She hadn¡¯t noticed that before. Well, even though it was her second time in the audience seat, the first time she wasn¡¯t exactly in her right mind. Come to think of it, she¡¯d never actually been able to see the audience leave. No, no one underground have ever stayed to watch them leave. ¡°This is usually covered with an illusion spell¡± Noet suddenly said, bringing her out of her thoughts, ¡°Even on the day you went mad, the illusion spell was present¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°I didn¡¯t go mad¡± Agnes refuted him. ¡°Well, I think you did¡±. ¡°No. I could just barely myself. I did not go mad¡± ¡°My nose is closed and I can barely breathe, Agnes. Can we not have this discussion?¡± he replied. She grudgingly shut up. ¡°Anyways, the illusion spell is down now but as far as you knew where it is the illusion spell doesn¡¯t really matter¡± Noet finished what he was saying earlier. ¡°I can¡¯t believe Aileen¡¯s gone¡± Agnes said suddenly. ¡°¡­ Well, she is¡± Noet said crisply. Agnes glanced at him but didn¡¯t say anything else. She shifted her sight to taking in her surroundings. They soon reached a hallway that had other stairs most likely connected to other parts of the colosseum. There were also tables here and there which Agnes wondered what they were for. They soon reached the brown wooden gate. When Agnes and Noet left the gate, they could feel the air change. They immediately released their noses and took huge gulps of air. ¡°Oh sweet fresh air. Thank you goddess¡± Agnes couldn¡¯t help but cry out happily. Noet was quiet as he stared at the colosseum behind him. Then he smiled. ¡°Why did the smell suddenly go away?¡± Agnes asked. There was no way a simple wooden gate would make the hideous smell of rotten bodies just vanish. ¡°The royal palace has been quite lazy. They just erected a barrier to keep in the smell and left¡± Noet clicked his tongue. Agnes began to nod her head in understanding then she immediately brandished her claws and covered them with Ki, immediately charging towards the area she felt movement. She grabbed a girl who was trying to hide herself and immediately moved her claw to behead her. *** King Alejandro drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair as he stared at the golden doors idly. Something seemed to occur to him and he called, ¡°Guard Captain¡± One of the gold door moved and a guard, covered in chainmail armor walked in. He didn¡¯t get very far from the doors before he stopped and bowed, ¡°You called for me, Your Majesty¡± ¡°What time is it?¡± Tanyl was confused as to why the King was asking but answered anyways, ¡°It¡¯s sometime after noon, Sire¡± ¡°Then they should have left¡­¡± Alejandro muttered. ¡°Huh? Sorry, I couldn¡¯t pick that up¡­ if you could¡­¡± Tanyl bowed. ¡°Oh¡± Alejandro made his voice loud enough, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Gather some boys and go clean up the colosseum. It¡¯s dirty¡± ¡°Yes? But Sire you specifically asked us not to cl---¡± Tanyl began. ¡°Yes. And I¡¯m asking you to clean it up now¡± Alejandro interrupted him. Tanyl was dumbfounded. ¡°Go¡± Alejandro waved his hand lazily. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty¡± Tanyl bowed again and walked backwards out of the throne room. *** ¡°Agnes! Stop!¡± Noet screamed, rushing towards her. Agnes stopped mid-swing, looking at Noet with a confused expression. The lady in her arms wiggled free and ran towards Noet, crying, ¡°Leader¡± Noet accepted the small woman into his arms and patted her head, ¡°Sorry¡± ¡°Leader! My life flashed before my eyes!¡± she whined. ¡°Yes, Yes. Sorry¡± Noet kept patting her head and told Agnes that he would explain later with his eyes. Agnes just stared at the scene in front of her stunned but said nothing. The woman was an elf and judging by her sky blue diamond, she wasn¡¯t a high elf. The woman finally calmed down and threw a glare at Agnes then looked behind Noet for something. ¡°Huh? Where are there?¡± the lady was confused about something. ¡°Ah¡± Noet scratched his head, ¡°They¡¯re dead¡­ at least I think so¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± the girl exclaimed, ¡°What am I here for then??? I¡¯m missing all the action!¡±¡¯ ¡°Ha-ha¡± Noet gave a nervous laugh, ¡°Sorry, Lysa¡± Lysa sighed and gestured towards Agnes, ¡°She¡¯s fine, right? You said the blonde doesn¡¯t need anything¡± Noet nodded and began the introductions, ¡°Lysa, this is A---¡± ¡°Raena¡± Agnes interrupted him, ¡°I¡¯m Raena¡± He looked at her for a while and nodded, ¡°And Raena, this is Lysa¡± ¡°It¡¯s not nice to meet you¡± Lysa smiled at Agnes. Agnes smiled back, ¡°You too¡± The older looking woman¡¯s smile twitched and she looked at Noet, ¡°How many enemies where they that two died?¡± ¡°Why is she here?¡± Agnes asked before Noet could answer. ¡°30 opponents. One was a mage,¡± Noet said to Lysa and turned to Agnes, ¡°She is here to remove Aileen and Harvy¡¯s brand¡± The eyes Agnes used to look at Lysa couldn¡¯t help but change. This woman was an advanced magus! ¡°30? That¡¯s smaller than we thought though?¡± ¡°I know but circumstances didn¡¯t allow the other two to survive¡± Noet shook his head. ¡°Oh well,¡± Lysa shrugged and turned to Agnes. The words she wanted to say were stuck in her throat as she noticed something odd in the way Agnes looked at her. Noet noticed something odd too and felt compelled to say, ¡°She is magus¡± ¡°Huh? I know¡± Agnes nodded, ¡°Being an advanced magus is quite impressive. I was just surprised¡± But for an advanced magus she was quite easy to kill¡­ almost kill. ¡°Who is an advanced magus?¡± Lysa stared at her incredulously. ¡°You¡­?¡± Agnes sensed there was something wrong here. Lysa burst out laughing, ¡°Well, I¡¯m flattered but no. What gave you that idea?¡± ¡°I thought only an advanced magus could clear the brand¡± ¡°What? No. Who told you that?¡± Lysa was stunned. Luken, Agnes thought but didn¡¯t say. He had said only an advanced magus could remove the spell. Luken himself was one but he didn¡¯t know the spell to remove the brand. ¡°Perhaps that was the story in the colosseum?¡± Noet said thoughtfully, ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you thought that. Well, it¡¯s good we cleared that¡± ¡°How did you get the spell to remove the brand?¡± Agnes was curious. ¡°So inquisitive¡± Lysa noted, ¡°It¡¯s not really a spell. Brands like that are simply mana weaving¡± ¡°Mana weaving?¡± Agnes was confused. ¡°Talk later. Let¡¯s go¡± Noet announced, his eyes fixated at the rising clouds in the distance. ¡°Impressive isn¡¯t it?¡± Lysa smirked, ¡°You told Ianan to go big and he went ginormous¡± Noet tore his eyes away from the view, ¡°I hope he doesn¡¯t get himself killed¡± ¡°He¡¯ll be careful, Leader¡± Lysa smiled. ¡°I hope so¡± Noet nodded, ¡°Let¡¯s go¡± They both moved in unison while Agnes followed. Soon they reached 5 brown horses tied to a tree. Lysa walked up to one, ¡°Go home, Glynn¡± and then patted another, ¡°You too Flynn¡± The two horses neighed and galloped away gathering dust. Lysa fetched black cloaks from a bag she had slung over her shoulder and gave Noet and Agnes one. They quickly wore it and Noet and Lysa jumped onto one horse and waited for Agnes to do the same. ¡°I¡¯ve never ridden a horse¡± Agnes said, as it looked like they hadn¡¯t realized that fact. ¡°Oh, come sit with me¡± Noet shifted forward. Agnes nodded and climbed onto his horse. Lysa reached out and patted the other one, ¡°Sorry, follow the others, Jeon¡± The horse neighed in reply and ran off. ¡°You talk to them?¡± Agnes was in awe. ¡°Yes. I have nature affinity¡± Lysa smiled. ¡°Nature?¡± Agnes questioned. ¡°I told you two to talk later. Please¡± Noet broke into the conversation that was about to begin. Agnes knitted her brow. She felt a bit odd being ordered¡­ was it an order? ¡°Sorry, Leader¡± Lysa chuckled, ¡°She just has so much enthusiasm¡± Noet smiled at that and kicked the horse. It sprang into motion, galloping. And from the sound behind them, Lysa was following quite closely. Agnes watched as the buildings past her by as they ran. There were people who were a tad stunned at the noise the horse made. Angry shouts for running through the streets but they seemed quite used to seeing horses simply rushing through their streets and they made way with ridiculous speed. One notable thing about them was not a single semi could be seen. Well, they were going quite fast and Agnes couldn¡¯t see every single person as some were in their buildings but she had an inkling that there probably wasn¡¯t any semi at all. Which meant she hadn¡¯t seen any slaves. It¡¯s not like semis were the only slave candidates. Look at Noet for example, he was a pure human but he¡¯d been in the colosseum as a slave but for some reason no one seemed to have any slave. Or maybe it was just this part of the Kingdom? Agnes sighed deeply and turned back to look at the thinning colosseum. They had gone quite far and she could barely make out the building in the distance. She couldn¡¯t help but feel happy and sad that she¡¯d left. The way she departed from the colosseum was definitely not what she envision that she¡¯d have to go through to leave the colosseum. She knew that Luken had died because of his connection to her and felt very regretful. If only she hadn¡¯t agreed to date him, he¡¯d still be alive. Images of the people she¡¯d spent the past few years with flashed through her mind. Aileen. May. Bertha. Harvy. Fortren who dies a long time ago. And even Marshall. She wondered where everything went wrong. She¡¯d been so careful yet¡­ Bertha and May. She¡¯d personally sent them to meet Yama. A bitter smile floated onto her face. Even though she¡¯d killed them she didn¡¯t feel much then and didn¡¯t feel much now. She had felt terrified of herself at that. Were her emotions getting numb and was she becoming more of a monster? But her dad wasn¡¯t a monster. Even when he walked around in demonic form he was still kind and handsome. At least she thought he looked handsome. So why was she like this? She at least felt relieved when Aileen¡¯s death hurt her. She wasn¡¯t unfeeling. She wasn¡¯t a monster. Luken would definitely say she was a monster though. ¡°A beautiful one if I might add¡± he¡¯d say. As her thoughts once again wandered towards Luken and she couldn¡¯t stop the tear that ran down her cheeks. He was dead. Every time her thoughts went towards him, she remembered that fact. Maybe it was something to thank Noet for that she didn¡¯t go crazy every time she remembered her dead lover. ¡°You cannot get angry¡± he¡¯d said. Well, she wasn¡¯t angry per se, she was frustrated. Frustrated at her lack of power, frustrated at her current situation. Furious that this sort of thing happened to her¡­. Ok, so she was angry. She immediately tried to calm down before she got even more riled up. She felt Noet in front of her tense up and realized that she had strengthened her grip. ¡°Sorry¡± she mumbled and released her grip but he hadn¡¯t heard her. She tried to remove bad thoughts about Luken and think of the good times they¡¯d spent together over the years. That wasn¡¯t really working but it was working. It would take a long time before she could truly accept it though. But even if he was dead, she wanted to keep something from him. She didn¡¯t have anything tangible which sucked. If she knew this sort of thing would happen she¡¯d have told him to¡­. She paused her thoughts there. If she knew this sort of thing would happen she wouldn¡¯t let it happen. And I¡¯m getting angry again, Agnes realized. It was a bit odd. Yes, her emotions made her act before think sometimes but she knew how that felt. This was different. Her tendency to anger seem to have shot up by magnitudes. She shook those thoughts out of her head. She didn¡¯t want to think about that now. She wanted to think about him. Raena. She could almost hear Luken say her name. Perhaps using the name he always called her was perfect. That was tangible ¡­ maybe. She looked forward at the slim back of Noet and narrowed her eyes. Noet. Noet was a mystery but if there was one thing she knew, she definitely couldn¡¯t trust the man. She joined him to escape because she really had no other choice and she¡¯d taken his pills because there really wasn¡¯t much of a choice either. However, Noet wasn¡¯t someone you wanted to trust. From what she knew, 90% of the words that came out of this man¡¯s mouth was a lie. But being in the colosseum, it was important to stay with whomever would keep you alive the longest. Agnes had known Noet for years and the more she knew this man, the more she didn¡¯t want to know. However, just like he had said once, people loved puzzles. His cryptic nature just made her curious even though she didn¡¯t want to be. He¡¯d told her during their discussion that he got the most part of the escape covered but the extent to which he had made her flabbergasted. He had a freaking magus under his control and even though he was a colosseum slave, he¡¯d apparently managed to create some kind of group. Agnes glanced at the huge wall of smoke in the distance. And a group that could accomplish such a thing in the Kingdom of Ferasi. To Agnes, Noet was the kind of man that would sleep with you today then slip poison into the breakfast he made for you the next day if he decided you were useless to him. On the other hand, if you had value to him or piqued his interest, he''d treat you like a gem. Chapter 46~ Goodbye ¡°Are those claws?¡± Agnes suddenly heard a loud shriek. She turned to face a little blood elf boy who had a very funny looking face at the moment, ¡°Are those elf ears?¡± ¡°Yes. Yes they are¡± Agnes deadpanned. ¡°Wow! You¡¯re a semi!¡± he exclaimed. ¡°Tien, calling someone a semi is rude¡± Lysa warned as she climbed down from the ladder. ¡°Sorry mama. Welcome back¡± He apologized and gave her a quick hug. ¡°Actually what are you?¡± Lysa asked her, ¡°I noticed those but I actually thought I was seeing things because I couldn¡¯t see your brand¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Agnes smiled. She was wondering why Lysa didn¡¯t comment on her odd look. ¡°It¡¯s quite fascinating that you have two different eye colors. Does it make you see two different things?¡± a little blood elf girl that Agnes hadn¡¯t noticed at first asked. ¡°No¡± Agnes shook her head. That was a question she¡¯d never been asked before and this was her first time seeing children not in the colosseum. ¡°Am I invisible?¡± Noet had to ask. ¡°Leader!¡± The children exclaimed going to hug him. Agnes was stunned. Noet had always been in the colosseum, how did they know him? ¡°We always go to watch his matches¡± Lysa said as though knowing her thoughts Agnes raised a brow. ¡°They don¡¯t give the best impression at first but it was our only way of contact. Did you actually think he sang and danced because he felt like it?¡± Lysa laughed. Agnes stopped herself from nodding. ¡°Are you avoiding the question? What are you?¡± Lysa asked again and when Agnes didn¡¯t answer she continued, ¡°I feel like you are a wolf lurk- elf mix but you don¡¯t have that gray thing that shows you¡¯re a half¡± Agnes reflexively touched her hair in panic and turned towards Noet. It would seem he forgot too, judging by his expression. ¡°Lysa, please take us to a private room now¡± his face was stern. Lysa was surprised but she obeyed anyways and led them away. Soon they re-emerged with Agnes having a lock of her hair looking gray. ¡°Well if that isn¡¯t suspicious, I don¡¯t know what is¡± Lysa remarked. ¡°I¡¯ll explain it to you later¡± Noet promised. Agnes gave him a look and he shook his head, ¡°She has to know. If we¡¯d been careful from the beginning we could hide it but hiding it now will just make her suspicious¡± ¡°I can hear it all¡± Lysa commented. ¡°I know, I didn¡¯t try to stop you from hearing,¡± Noet beamed at her. Lysa shrugged and walked away, ¡°Later then. Let me go get the children occupied with something else so they forget about this little incident¡± Noet nodded at that and asked Agnes to follow him. They walked on, past a huge hall and into a room that looked like a meeting room. For a ¡®small¡¯ hideout, this is quite big, Agnes thought. When they¡¯d arrived in front of a small cottage, Noet and Lysa had led their horses inside the quite tall doors and Agnes was surprised to see it was a stable inside. They had climbed down from the horses, brushed away some hay and entered into their underground hideout. It would seem that everything in this Kingdom was underground. He stopped in front of a medium sized door where a brutish blood elf wearing a chest plate stood. ¡°Leader¡± he gave a nod in Noet¡¯s direction and narrowed his eyes at Agnes beside him, ¡°Who¡­?¡± ¡°Harry¡± Noet acknowledged the man, ¡°I¡¯ll do official introductions later. I¡¯d like to talk to the lady¡± Harry nodded and opened the door. Noet nodded back and walked through, Agnes following closely behind. Harry followed them inside and closed the door. Noet noticed this and gave a weak smile, ¡°Alone please, Harry¡± The man sent a barely perceptible glance towards Agnes¡¯ menacing claws and shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s okay, Leader¡± ¡°It¡¯s ok. I can take care of myself¡± Noet smiled. The man furrowed his brow, ready to shake his head again. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you with the others?¡± Noet suddenly asked. ¡°Huh?¡± the man was obviously surprised by the question then he grinned, ¡°I thought it¡¯d be bad if there was no one to officially welcome you¡± ¡°Bullshit, you just didn¡¯t want to die¡± Noet scoffed. The man gave a fake cough, ¡°Leader, you have misunderstood¡­¡± ¡°And I¡¯m much stronger than you. If I can¡¯t protect myself, then you¡¯ll protect me?¡± Noet said. ¡°That¡­ there¡¯s power in numbers¡­¡± Harry croaked. ¡°Harry¡± ¡°Yes, Leader?¡± ¡°Leave. And tell Irisa I said you can have some extra food¡± Noet couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. The man¡¯s face lit up brightly and he gave an over enthusiastic salute, ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± Harry wasted no time in disappearing from the room, leaving the two alone. Noet turned to see Agnes making a strange face to which he just shrugged to. She didn¡¯t ask anything about that little interaction, just walked into the room. Noet sat on the head of the table in the room while Agnes just stood at the opposite side, leaning on the wall. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have many questions. I¡¯ll answer them later. Right now, we need to discuss what your cover will be¡± ¡°No. I want my questions answered now¡±, Agnes replied. Noet looked at her and sighed, ¡°I have things going on right now. I promise everything will be explained tomorrow¡± ¡°Some days ago, I thought I knew Noet, but today I find out I don¡¯t really do¡± Agnes faced his squarely, ¡°So essentially, you¡¯re a stranger to me¡± ¡°Then why did you follow me here?¡± he asked, raising a brow. ¡°I don¡¯t have anywhere else to go¡± Agnes said simply. Noet¡¯s mouth twitched, ¡°Then leave¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to. I will just get captured or something similar¡± she continued shamelessly. Noet was quiet, simply sizing her up ¡°Just tell me what this place is. Hideout does cut it, it¡¯s obviously something bigger¡± Agnes moved and took a seat. ¡°Are those always going to look like that?¡± Noet asked pointing to her claws. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, it just¡­ don¡¯t try to change the subject¡± Agnes glared at him. He shrugged, ¡°Was just giving it a shot. Well then, what do you want to know about me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to know about you. I want to know what this place is and why you brought me here¡±, Agnes asked. Noet smiled, ¡°I didn¡¯t bring you here. You just followed along¡± ¡°I¡¯m not stupid, Noet. You always have a plan and you wouldn¡¯t have let me find out about this place if you didn¡¯t want to use me for something¡± ¡°And you¡¯re fine with being used?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really give a fuck, Noet. I just want to know why and what this is. I hate going in blind¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re right. I brought you here for something. But not exactly to use you¡± Noet agreed. ¡°Right¡± Agnes rolled her eyes, ¡°I want to know what this place is first¡± Noet smiled, ¡°I¡¯m not going to tell you when I don¡¯t fully trust you. Just know that this is simply part of something greater¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m pretty trustworthy¡± Agnes argued. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think so¡± he shook his head, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you when I think you¡¯re not going to run off when you get a chance¡± Agnes clicked her tongue, ¡°Ok, you¡¯re just going to avoid saying anything anyways. What do you need me for?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll talk tomorrow¡± Noet said. ¡°For Bermia¡¯s sake, Noet!¡± She snapped. ¡°Why do you have to know now?¡± Agnes narrowed her eyes and vanished from his sight. Noet noticed her sudden aggression but couldn¡¯t get away in time. He found himself nailed to the wall by the neck with a very angry face in front of him. He felt a little pain on his neck and realized her claws nicked him. He clicked his tongue and wanted to try to escape but her next words made his freeze. ¡°The moment you try anything, I¡¯ll crush your neck¡± Noet didn¡¯t move, his eyes burning with anger. ¡°Look here. I¡¯ve had enough of my life being in the hands of someone else. Either you start talking or this is going to end ugly¡± she growled.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Noet didn¡¯t answering just glaring at her as though daring her to try. She was in his territory. If he was dead, she wouldn¡¯t make it out alive. They just stared at each other like that, the atmosphere growing tenser by the second. Then suddenly, Agnes grinned, ¡°I was right¡± He knitted his brow confused at her sudden change. ¡°You have no one guarding you. What is a leader with no personal guard?¡± He narrowed his eyes at that. She released her hand and let him drop to the floor. He rubbed his injured neck and glared at her. ¡°Sorry, mistake ¡°she replied insincerely, ¡°Since you were being all secretive, I thought it¡¯d be better if I just confirmed my suspicions¡± ¡°Now that you¡¯ve confirmed that, what will you do?¡± he asked, affirmed her deductions. ¡°Nothing. Do you have a spare room I can take?¡± He took a deep breath and pointed to the door, ¡°Ask Lysa¡± She nodded and began to walk towards the door, ignoring the deathly glares he was shooting at her. Then she stopped and looked to him, ¡°I thought you wanted to discuss my cover?¡± ¡°Get out¡± he said through gritted teeth. Agnes flashed him a grin, ¡°Ok¡± *** Agnes woke up to a very unfamiliar ceiling. She stared at it until her mind ordered itself and she remembered where she was. She glanced at the practically empty room and sunk her head back into the surprisingly soft pillow. She didn¡¯t want to get out of bed yet. She raised her claws to her eyes and stared at her vicious looking limbs. She retracted her drawn claws and they like always, pulled themselves into her skin but she didn¡¯t really feel it. Honestly, they weren¡¯t as big as they were when she first transformed back to her demon-elf state. Back then her hands stayed black and ginormous, making it impossible for her to actually move them. Then as she stayed in complete control of her emotions, it had slowly reduced in size and went back to her actual skin color. Just like Lysa said, her claws resembled a wolf lurk that had activated their bloodline, just without the fur. She heard a knock on her door and stared at it not saying anything. The knock came again and a tearful voice could be heard calling her name, ¡°Raena?¡± The voice sounded a lot like Lysa¡¯s but why would Lysa be crying. ¡°Come in¡± Agnes said, but before she could even finish her words, Lysa burst in and enveloped her in a bear hug. ¡°You poor thing¡± Lysa wept and Agnes took a long time to calm her down and find out what was wrong. She wasn¡¯t used to dealing with crying people at all! Apparently, Noet had told Lysa Agnes¡¯ story. About how she, a human orphan was captured by Xerox. A particular group of human scientists infatuated with semis. They researched ways to access the variety of attributes a semi could access and ways to completely change one¡¯s race. She was just one of the many unfortunates. In Agnes¡¯ case they tried to make her an elf but that didn¡¯t work so they tried to make her a lurk. Agnes was deemed a failure and tossed out after which she was captured by slave traders and sold to the colosseum. And Agnes made her hair gray to avoid talking about her past. After all, simply saying she was a half was easier to explain. Wow, Agnes thought sarcastically, I didn¡¯t know I was a human experiment. But she didn¡¯t say that to Lysa. Instead she made a sad face, as though the memories of that time was coming back and told Lysa that all was fine and she had forgotten about it. Lysa didn¡¯t believe her but figured Agnes didn¡¯t want to talk about it. She patted the girl on the head and smiled, ¡°It¡¯s okay. You¡¯re now part of us¡± Agnes nodded solemnly, forcing herself to tear up a bit. Lysa ruffled her hair, ¡°Irisa made a huge breakfast to celebrate yesterday¡¯s success. She¡¯s a good cook. Come and eat when you¡¯re ready¡± Agnes nodded with a smile. ¡°Do you know where the dining hall is?¡± ¡°Yes¡± Agnes nodded again. ¡°Good¡± Lysa¡¯s hand finally left her hair and she pointed to the mirror at a corners of the room, ¡°I brought that last time. Nobody uses this room so it¡¯s pretty empty. Sorry¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine¡± Agnes shook her head. ¡°Ok then. Wash up and come eat¡± Lysa grinned and left the room. I didn¡¯t know I could act¡­ well, I don¡¯t know if she believed my fake acting, Agnes blinked, you learn new things every day. Agnes put a hand to her hair and patted it down. She didn¡¯t hate the whole head patting thing but she didn¡¯t like it either. Lysa obviously thought she was a child ¨Cwhich she was. I mean if Lysa was a magus, she was probably some old bat already. Her mouth twitched with dissatisfaction at the story Noet made up for her. She didn¡¯t want to be looked at as some pitiful child! She chose to ignore the fact that any other story would be hard pressed to explain her very obvious oddities. She glanced at the mirror she hadn¡¯t noticed before and looked at herself carefully. Her right eye was a deep indigo and her left eye was a light blue. Her blonde hair had definitely gotten longer, reaching her waist now. She ran a hand through her hair and wondered why she hadn¡¯t noticed the length before. She looked at her hands and let her claws out again and with a quick swipe she chopped it in half. She turned to the right and left checking it and it looked like a pretty horrid haircut. Not that she cared much. It still was longer than she wished so she cut it again until it was just above her neck and in the process nicked herself. She rubbed the blood off her neck, grumbling about her terrible control over these claws. She then started at the bright red blood on them and sighed. Luckily, her blood was still red no black as she would have no way to explain that. She got up and began to take off her clothes when she realized she didn¡¯t have a change of clothing. She spotted a white material next to the door and picked it up. It was a white cotton dress that was a tad bigger than her but she could wear it. A red towel lay folded underneath it. Lysa probably dropped them there, Agnes reasoned. She picked up the towel, dropped the dress on her bed and walked towards the bath house. She had thought that there would be a bathroom but apparently not. The extravagant treatment at the colosseum once again came to her mind. There were bathrooms. Good beds if you decided to buy one and good food if u bought them too. She had never understood why people wanted to escape when life in the colosseum was quite easy; fight, eat, sleep. But now that she was out she finally understood. They seeked that sense of freedom the colosseum never gave. The place was oddly tempting to stay in and they never treated one terribly; something which was usual for slaves in other Kingdom. But in the colosseum you were trapped. When she was done with all that ¡®work¡¯ and was dressed up, she felt refreshed. Her head seemed to have also cooled and she didn¡¯t feel close to tearing up at every second. She thought about Lysa¡¯s offer and began to head towards the dining hall even though she didn¡¯t feel very hungry. The directions from the previous day were quite easy to follow and the hall was quite conspicuous making it easy to find. Entering the dining hall greeted her with the lovely mix of blood and chicken. It resembled the smell of the dining hall in the colosseum but the smell of blood wasn¡¯t as thick. Looking around she could spot freshly injured men and women chortling and being as loud as they fucking could. How swell. She wanted to clasp a hand over her ears and something worrying came to mind. Was her hearing enhanced? She didn¡¯t think so or she¡¯d notice sounds being louder than usual before. So they were most likely being as loud as fuck like she thought. Pieces of shit, she almost said aloud. She felt her anger rising to alarming height and all of a sudden feeling quite hungry. For blood. Her hand twitched and she narrowed her eyes. This was really troubling. I thought demons didn¡¯t like blood¡­ or was that a lie too? Many of her ¡®knowledge¡¯ from the colosseum were proving to be lies now that she¡¯d stepped out. Suddenly, she remembered Carlos, the man she¡¯d asked about demons. She hadn¡¯t seen him since that day and had rationalized he¡¯d probably found something better to do but he was most likely dead. And come to think of it, he was the only one she¡¯d ever asked about demons. Well, fuck, Agnes couldn¡¯t help but curse inwardly. Her anger she was trying to calm down began rising again. Happy thoughts, Agnes. Happy thoughts¡­ what fucking happy thoughts! She banged her right hand on the closest table, crushing it as splinters of the wooden table flew and the whole place grew silent. Just for an instant though and the majority quickly ignored her, while the rest gave her suspicious glances. She was not a familiar face. Agnes cursed inwardly, holding her hand tightly. At least, her anger calmed down so that was a plus, eh? No, she derided herself. She had to do something about this. A fighter that couldn¡¯t control their emotions didn¡¯t even count as one. You¡¯d be dead before you know it. She sat down on the table which had a quarter of it crushed in her anger, sighed and buried her face in her hands. Some of her hair entered her eyes with that actions and she flinched. Her hair prompted her to take a good look at the people in the hall. There were barely and humans. Correction, there seemed to be no other human than Noet and the man he was talking to at a corner of the hall. There seemed to be a weird divide between the number of elves and blood elves in the hall. There interacted with each other, the divide was the amount. There was an equal number which was odd. They were in the blood elf Kingdom, right? And more importantly, there were no semis. It would seem that all the semis in the Kingdom were stuffed into the colosseum for entertainment purposes. She pulled some of her hair in front of her face and looked at it for a second. She had washed off the gray dye and didn¡¯t re-apply it. It¡¯d be faster for her to accept her if she was an ¡®experiment¡¯ than if she was a semi. She glanced at her large hands and couldn¡¯t help but sigh again. She¡¯d look completely human if she just hid her ears! Well, not really since humans couldn¡¯t have blonde hair but she didn¡¯t know that. Anyways, people would be more accepting of her and she needed to fit in here. She was an escaped slave and even worse than that, an escaped demon. And if she saw no semi on the way here and her deduction wasn¡¯t wrong, every semi found on the street would most likely be reported which was another reason why she should use her advantage to the fullest. And from what she knew, people hated being around semis for whatever reason. The blood elves loved semis slaughtering themselves but co-existence was not going to happen. Actually, now that she thought about it, why didn¡¯t Noet make up this ¡®experiment¡¯ story in the colosseum? She¡¯d blended in as a semi the whole time but apparently she didn¡¯t even have to. Agnes thought about it carefully and realized that savages and challengers alike were close-minded fucks like her. They were brought in pretty young and so the world they knew was limited. Noet seemed to be an exception but he was proving to be an exception to everything these days. Suddenly, Lysa berating her kid yesterday came into her mind. Half not semi. Apparently, semi was a derogatory word. She felt sort of amused that she didn¡¯t know that before. And she¡¯d identified herself as a semi until now. What was offensive about the word, exactly? She didn¡¯t know and she didn¡¯t really care but she wouldn¡¯t keep calling herself that. She figured the people who coined the name were probably pieces of shits who had nothing better to do that to form a terrible name for people who hadn¡¯t done anything. Actually, is shits a word? I don¡¯t think so¡­eh, whatever, Agnes shrugged. She was the definition of uneducated after all. Her thoughts had wandered and she couldn¡¯t remember what she was just thinking about. She then realized someone was calling her name and she looked up to see Lysa waving widely at her. The older lady had definitely grown fond of the girl in the span of hours for some reason. Was it the sob story? ¡°Raena!¡± she called again and Agnes smiled and waved back. She felt a bit odd hearing her name. She wasn¡¯t used to anyone else but Luken calling her but she knew she¡¯d get used to it later. ¡°Come here!¡± Lysa motioned for her to come closer. Agnes got up, sending a guilty glance at the table at first before she realized that Noet was probably going to have to pay to have it fixed. And at that realization she was happier and not feeling any ounce of guilt. As Agnes walked closer, the smell of chicken broth and fried chicken became stronger. She smiled at the old elven lady in a hair net who was next to Lysa. Just from the way the woman was, with her limited experience, Agnes could tell she wasn¡¯t a cultivator. Sadly, she wasn¡¯t advanced warrior or a magus yet so she couldn¡¯t identify a cultivator with anything but intuition. She¡¯d heard that¡¯s when you developed Ki sense and mana sense but as she was a dual user, she wondered how that worked. Would she have two of them? Well, that was a long time away. ¡°This is Irisa, the head cook. Her personal cooking is heavenly¡± Lysa said with a smile when Agnes was within ear shot. ¡°Hmm¡± the lady scrutinized her, ¡°She looks familiar¡­ Noet brought her?¡± She doesn¡¯t call him Leader, Agnes noted. ¡°Yes. She¡¯s from that foul place, that¡¯s why you recognize her¡± The old elf made a sound of acknowledgement, ¡°It¡¯s good she¡¯s out of there. And Lysa already told me you have a situation so I won¡¯t ask¡­¡± her eyes looked at her huge hands, ¡°about your peculiarities¡± ¡°Thank you¡± Agnes said to no one in particular. They both nodded anyways. ¡°Here¡± the old lady gave her a plate with a large serving of chicken breast, ¡°you¡¯re probably wondering what all the fuss is about¡± Agnes glanced at the still loud room and nodded. ¡°Hehe, Leader finally left that dreadful place! If that isn¡¯t worth celebrating what is??¡± Lysa said with a grin. ¡°It was admirable for that child to accomplish all of this while being there. Now he¡¯s out, he can finally spread his wings!¡± the old lady flashed her yellowing teeth. ¡°That¡¯s ¡­ great¡± Agnes replied. She didn¡¯t really know what all this was about. Was he some kind of rebellion against the Kingdom or something? A very tall man, practically towering over them approached Lysa from the back and gave her a peck on the head. She looked up with a smile, apparently already noticed the man, ¡°Welcome back¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Tien?¡± his deep voice said. ¡°He¡¯s been looking for you. How did it go?¡± He didn¡¯t reply, instead fixed his gaze on Agnes, ¡°Who¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Raena¡± Lysa smiled, ¡°You all were out when he came back with her. He¡¯ll introduce her later¡± He nodded and shifted his gaze back to Lysa, ¡°It went much better than I thought. We lost a few men but the majority was able to escape with their lives¡± ¡°I can see a lot of sad faces¡± Irisa said, looking at people who weren¡¯t as cheerful as the others ¡°They lost arms or legs during this, it¡¯s understandable¡± he said, ¡°They will have to leave after today¡± ¡°True, too bad¡± Lysa shook her head, ¡°Gretel must be saddened¡± ¡°I hope she doesn¡¯t enter try to enter closed door cultivation again¡± Irisa commented heartily. Lysa laughed, ¡°She might. Who knows, the gods might favor her and let her become a magus¡± ¡°What gods¡± Irisa snorted, ¡°Her talent is up to here. She should be satisfied with being able to use 3rd circle healing magic¡± ¡°Lady Irisa, are you quarreling with Gretel again?¡± the man laughed loudly. ¡°That wench refused to heal me again¡± Irisa retorted. ¡°You probably just touched something hot and screamed to be healed again¡± Lysa refuted her. ¡°I¡¯m old and fragile. I have to be healed to preserve my skin¡± Irisa replied with a smirk. ¡°Fragile my ass¡± Lysa snorted, ¡°Anyways, you call yourself an expert in the kitchen yet you burn yourself all the time. Aren¡¯t you embarrassed?¡± Irisa opened her mouth to say something then suddenly turned towards Agnes. She sized up the girl and snarled, ¡°What are you still doing here? Go away¡± Agnes was startled but she didn¡¯t say anything. She made a face and began to walk away. When she turned around, she sneered inwardly, if you wanted me to go, why didn¡¯t you say something? Rude thing. And so, grouchy Agnes found somewhere to sit and eat. Chapter 47 ¡°Where are you?¡± a sinister voice rang out in the dark forest. The sight of a grown man was running blindly for his life was not something one could witness every day. He stumbled over something he couldn¡¯t see in the darkness but immediately got to his feet. Alas, it was too slow. He felt something wet touch him and his eyes widened. ¡°No! You can¡¯t ----¡± He didn¡¯t finish the words as his mouth was filled with water and a spike rose from the earth piercing his heart. ¡°Hehe¡± the voice said, ¡°Last one~¡± The shadow of a tree nearby moved and a figure clad in black could be seen. Apart from the sinister looking red eyes drawn on the mask it wore, everything else was black. As it walked further from the tree, it could be seen that this person was female. Her footsteps couldn¡¯t be heard by the average person in this forest, telling of her skill. She walked with calculated step to where the man lay in the puddle of his blood. With a wave of her hand, a purple hue covered her hand and the earth spike retreated slowly back into the earth but not much. ¡°Tch¡± she clicked her tongue, ¡°I hate earth spells¡± She places her hand on the ground and sent her mana in and this time the spike retreated quickly but she was breathing hard, ¡°I hate earth spells¡± she repeated again. She stood up and stayed in the same position till her breathing stabilized. She then turned toward the left and began walking, whistling a very odd tune. When she passed a particular tree she paused a looked to the left, ¡°Found you!¡± There sat a shivering dwarf-lurk child. He shrieked in surprise and moved backwards, ¡°Don¡¯t hurt me¡± he cried. The woman squatted down to his level. ¡°No, please! I didn¡¯t do anything¡­. They¡­¡± ¡°I know¡± She spoke softly, ¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt you¡± The boy obviously didn¡¯t believe her, shaking his head and crying. He wore brown tattered gown and there were bruises scarring his face and visible parts of the body. She sighed and took off her mask, revealing a beautiful visage of blue-and-purple eyes. She had very short blonde hair that looked crassly cut and then she smiled. The boy froze and his fear was forgotten for an instant. She took advantage of that blank and grabbed him. He immediately realized what was going on and wanted to struggle but she began to pat his head and hum very softly. The humming was very serene and before the child knew it, he began to cry. She only patted his head and stood up, carrying him in her arms. She sent a glance at the torch or fire appearing in the distance. Apparently, the commotion had been noticed. She muttered something and the darkness around her seemed to stretch after which she couldn¡¯t be seen again. *** ¡°Agnes!!!¡± a very furious voice rang out. Noet was practically smoking from his ears right now. ¡°Hmm?¡± an upside down face popped in front on him, startling him. The face had her usual innocent smile as she stared at him with a small smile. He glanced up to find her leg inside the ceiling as she hung from it. ¡°Did you do it again?¡± he asked angrily. ¡°What?¡± she played dumb. ¡°Agnes!¡± She wriggled her hand in her ears, ¡°You don¡¯t need to shout. And my name is Raena¡± ¡°How many times have I told you not to attack slave trading caravans?!¡± ¡°They were in front of me, what should I do?¡± ¡°Ignore them!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to¡± she replied with a toothy grin. She could imagine a vein popping on Noet¡¯s head. ¡°If you get caught¡­¡± Noet began. ¡°¡­ you will get implicated¡± Agnes cut him off, ¡°I know, you say this every time¡± ¡°Agnes, I unders¡­¡± ¡°Raena¡± she cut him off again ¡°Raena¡± he gritted his teeth, ¡°I understand you don¡¯t want to see semis placed in the colosseum like you were but rescuing them on a whim isn¡¯t going to do anything!¡± ¡°It¡¯s better than just sitting around doing nothing¡± she replied and flung herself from the ceiling landing behind him. Noet opened his mouth to say something but decided not to. It would go on deaf ears after all. He sighed massaging his forehead then said, ¡°Ok, you deal with it. You don¡¯t even listen to me anyways¡± Agnes smiled. Noet wanted to speak again and froze as a particularly ugly monkey strode past the door of the room they were in. Whoops, Agnes groaned inwardly. ¡°Is that¡­¡± he began then paused, ¡°Is that a new one?¡± ¡°No¡± Agnes replied quickly. ¡°It¡¯s a new one, huh¡± he nodded, quite calmer than Agnes expected. ¡°Yes¡± she replied softly. ¡°Agnes¡± ¡°Raena¡± ¡°Agnes¡± he repeated himself glaring at her, ¡°Didn¡¯t I say no more animals?¡± ¡°But they¡¯re cute¡± She refuted. ¡°They¡¯re quite ugly to me. And even if they¡¯re cute, I don¡¯t want them here!¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°Sorry¡± ¡°What do think this place is? A zoo?¡± ¡°What is a zoo?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb with me¡± he snarled. ¡°Yes¡± she tried her darnest not to smile. He felt like saying more but then she wasn¡¯t really listening to what he said, was she? He sighed, ¡°I have a meeting soon¡± ¡°When?¡± Agnes immediately took a serious tone. ¡°Around 5¡± ¡°I understand¡± ¡°And ask Morgan when he¡¯ll be done with the new batch of pills¡± ¡°I understand¡± Agnes paused wondering if she should ask something. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°That¡­ about Gretel¡± Agnes said softly. Noet sighed, ¡°Ever since Irisa died, she hasn¡¯t been so good. It¡¯s gotten worse?¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°She hasn¡¯t lived that long though. Around 400?¡± ¡°400 is long! What is wrong with her though?¡± ¡°Grief and failure to ascend. That¡¯s why I told her to stop trying to breakthrough¡± ¡°She must have felt frustrated¡± Agnes replied thoughtfully, ¡°After all, Lysa ascended when she was barely 200? That¡¯s fast¡± ¡°People die without ever attaining the rank to ascend. Lysa has talent, that¡¯s different¡± Noet sighed, ¡°It¡¯s going to be hard to get another healer¡± ¡°Well, good luck with that¡± Agnes shrugged. Noet gave her a look and just left the room. Agnes smirked and saw that the ugly monkey was still lingering around, ¡°Juven!¡± she called and dashed towards the furry creature. She wrapped it in a hug, rubbing her face in its soft fur. It didn¡¯t resist, enjoying the cuddles and caresses. ¡°How was your day here? Do you like it?¡± It made some sounds. ¡°Sorry, Lysa isn¡¯t here so I don¡¯t understand what the hell you¡¯re saying¡± She pouted. It made another sound. ¡°Really, where is Lysa this time?¡± ¡°Mommy!¡± Agnes eyebrows twitched at the familiar voice and she let go of the creature. It bailed immediately, having just come for the hug. ¡°Who are you calling mom, you brat?¡± she growled at the little elf-human girl who smiled at her. The girl seemed not to care about Agnes¡¯ anger and gave a toothy grin, ¡°Mommy, Sir Ianan needs you for something¡± The edge of Agnes¡¯ mouth twitched and she pulled the girl¡¯s cheeks hard, ¡°You brat, I am barely above a hundred! When would I have a big girl like you?¡± ¡°Wow, you¡¯re an old lady then¡± a voice said from a corner. Agnes paused her cheek pulling and send a glare at the elf-human boy who had popped up at the corner some time in between their talk. She sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t have time to deal with you kids. I¡¯m going. Tell Ianan I''ll meet him later" She released her hand and waved at them. ¡°Bye¡± the two chorused before running away. Agnes ran a hand through her hair and gave a half smile. These kids made it a job to tease her every day, calling her ''mom''. They had picked it up when Lysa once said she was like their mother., sometimes. It was aggravating to be the object of their affections though. Made it harder to leave. She sighed inwardly and began to walk towards the exit. She¡¯d talk with Ianan later. Agnes soon reached the ladder which led outside. She pulled herself up into the ¡®house¡¯ and was greeted with the wonderful smell of horse dung. She was used to it so her expression didn¡¯t change and she waved at a particular horse with a reddish brown mane. It was Flynn and Glynn¡¯s descendant and her personal ride. She didn¡¯t need a horse now so she just waved and left the house which was used as a cover for the underground. As she walked, she saw numerous posters on the walls for runaway prisoners, bandit, etc. They were in a remote part of the right side of the Kingdom so there were no neighbors. Noet had the house built close to the village of Tova as imperial soldiers weren¡¯t concentrated here much. She kept seeing a particular poster as she walked to the central part of the Kingdom. It depicted a blonde girl with the right part of her hair gray, showing she was a semi. Her eyes were colored bright blue and she had a weird smile. The crime she had committed wasn¡¯t listed but this poster had been commission by Queen Abigail and had a hefty bounty of 10 gold. Agnes smirked as she passed another posted. Perhaps she had to thank her demon transformation? The poster and the current Agnes looked nothing alike. The good part was that she had a different eye color and no gray hair. The bad part was that Agnes had aged rapidly the past few years looking to be like a non-cultivator in her mid- twenties now. That meant that demonic transformation actually ate into her lifespan. Well, the fact that she, a fighter, was ripping warriors in half was absurd so the price she payed that sort of power up was understandable. At least that¡¯s what Noet said. Even if it made her stronger, that kind of price was something Agnes didn¡¯t want to pay. She had sworn to never take that form again or else she wouldn¡¯t even know how she died. The thing might be shortening her lifespan every minute or even second she used it. Well¡­ thing is a weird way to call it. It wasn¡¯t really a thing, just something she knew she had but couldn¡¯t see. It had no form or anything tangible. She paused as she saw the huge building in the distance. Noet¡¯s merchant company. He had big dreams of an empire and Agnes had scoffed at first but these days she was starting to believe that it could actually happen. To say Noet achieved his continuous success over the past few years by himself would be a lie. The civil war played a huge part. Princess- now Queen- Abigail had asked her father for the throne weeks after Agnes escaped. And the King actually agreed. Eliot was already crowned prince, so people couldn¡¯t believe it. Prince Eliot refused to acknowledge it and the Kingdom was plunged into war. The war lasted for years. People predicted it would last 5 days but Prince Eliot put up a considerable fight. With all the injuries and chaos war causes, it was inevitable that pills like Noet¡¯s would sell like hotcakes. Noet capitalized on that and right now, the company was becoming a formidable existence but not enough to be called an empire. A merchant empire was one that existed and flourished in the four continents. They only had a base in Ferasi so they weren¡¯t even half way there. They. Agnes didn¡¯t include herself in that ¡®they¡¯. She didn¡¯t see herself as a merchant currently or ever. Right now she was saving enough money to be able to leave here. Noet had been trying to tie her down to the company but she¡¯d rejected everything. The Kingdom of Ferasi wasn¡¯t a place she wanted to be at all. And that was putting it mildly. With everything she had experienced here, it was understandable that she wanted to be anywhere but here. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t leave Ferasi easily. It was like that during the reign of King Alejandro and it was the same with the reign of Queen Abigail. Every exit out of the city was guarded but it was understandable to monitor the going and coming in of the Kingdom. And it¡¯s not like they stopped people from leaving or entering. The only problem was the I.D requirement. Agnes didn¡¯t have an I.D. and she couldn¡¯t risk alerting Abigail by trying to get one. Just the picture of the current her would be a flaming beacon. Sure she had some changes but anyone who actually looked closely could see the resemblance. Agnes moved her eyes away from the building and began to run. She let the wind carry her, enjoying the feel of it on her skin. She soon found herself in an empty plot of land, hidden from public eyes with the bulk of trees that surrounded it. Agnes had found this location when she was raiding a slave caravan 2 years ago. She had figured out fast enough that it was a prime location for training. The peace and seclusion made it perfect. She took a deep breath and smiled. It was sort of a shame that she had no air affinity. If there was anything she loved more that ugly furry creatures, it was the air. Instead she was stuck with earth affinity. She really disliked earth magic. It wasn¡¯t that earth magic was weak but that it was noisy. The movement of the earth always made some kind of noise. And earth magic was permanent. If the earth was moved, it would stay like that. All in all, earth magic was the exact opposite of the current Agnes. When she was in the colosseum, she preferred explosive, vibrant power. Now, she preferred it subtle but deadly. It wasn¡¯t like she could chose to abandon earth magic as it was currently the only thing she could learn. Lysa was a nature magus so she was perfect to learn earth spells from. But that was all she could learn from Lysa. Agnes couldn¡¯t risk going to the adventurer¡¯s guild or the temple and getting her mana signal in the Ferasi database so she couldn¡¯t acquire any new spells on her own. She could in theory create one but that required decades of research she couldn¡¯t spare. Plus she wasn¡¯t really interested in research. She found a nice spot next to a rock and sat down, facing the rock. She raised her hand and whispered softly, ¡°Shadow bind¡±. Tendrils of darkness spread from her hand, wrapping around the rock, attempting to bind it. The rock didn¡¯t budge and the spell dissipated. She didn¡¯t bat an eye at that and cast it again. The more you use a spell, the better you got at using it. It didn¡¯t get more powerful per se but it was more deadly. It was akin to a swordsman using a sword like an extension of his own body. The sword didn¡¯t get better or anything, but it was deadlier. She¡¯d gotten this spell on her hands during the war some years back. And a few other darkness spells but the amount of darkness spells she had access to could be counted on one hand. Mainly because having the affinity of darkness wasn¡¯t smiled upon in Ferasi and many other parts of the world. Many of its past wielders have shown the world just what horrid things the element was capable of. And the fact that demons were born of dark mana did not help the affinity¡¯s case in the slightest. She chanted again, continuing in this rhythm of casting and dissipating for a few hours till her mana ran out. She cringed a little at the feeling of an empty mana well and got up. She scratched her head trying to remember what her next line of action was supposed to be. ¡°Right¡± she exclaimed softly then broke into a run, ¡°Ianan¡± Chapter 48 The huge golden doors opened, revealing the majestic beauty behind it. Wearing a crown befitting of her stature, she sat proudly on her throne. The sound of armor moving could be heard as a huge man, obviously a Ki user, walked into the throne room. Admirably, he didn¡¯t bow nor look subservient. He looked very tranquil. Stopping a few meters away from the feet of the throne, he bowed, placing a hand in front of his chest, ¡°Dakath Evacol of Tova greets your Majesty¡± ¡°Rise¡± she said softly. Dakath, formerly known as Raven, looked up, his eyes meeting Abigail¡¯s. Remarkably, her dark eyes looked just like King Alejandro. ¡°So? How did it go?¡± she asked, shifting her posture a bit. ¡°As usual, Your Majesty¡± ¡°Nothing?¡± her eyes narrowed dangerously. ¡°Yes¡± Dakath replied. ¡°Are you telling me that she left the Kingdom?¡± her voice went up a notch. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t think so. She wouldn¡¯t dare get an identification with your Majesty looking for her so I believe it safe to assume she is still in the Kingdom¡± Dakath replied, his voice still level. Queen Abigail closed her eyes to rein in her emotions. As she reopened them, one could practically feel the anger in her gaze, ¡°Are you actually looking for her?¡± ¡°Of course, Your¡­ Highness¡± ¡°Raven!¡± She screamed, slamming her hand on the arm of the throne. ¡°Yes?¡± this time, his tone sounded dangerous. Abigail gritted her teeth, ¡°Dakath, how many time do I have to tell you¡­¡± ¡°I apologize, Your Majesty. It was a slip¡± he interrupted her. Abigail gripped the hand of her arm chair tightly, ¡°I see¡­ good job¡± He gave a curt bow, turning around and leaving the room. The throne room returned to its usual silence. ¡°How much longer do I have to keep up with this¡± Abigail¡¯s hateful voice rang out. ¡°Sorry, Your Majesty¡± a voice replied. Abigail let out a sigh and leaned into her chair, ¡°It shouldn¡¯t have left my Kingdom, why is it taking so long to find it?¡± There was no reply. She drummed her finger tips on the armrest, thinking out loud, ¡°Do I personally¡­?¡± ¡°No¡±, the voice interrupted her before she could continue, Your Majesty must not leave the palace. Especially now¡± Abigail didn¡¯t reply to that, as the guards announced the next visitor. *** Dakath walked silently, the wind doing its best to rid his hair of whatever form it had once taken. His thoughts were as stale usual as he took in the humongous sight of the Kingdom of Ferasi. He felt no elation as one of the people who had hands in raising this Kingdom. Besides as far as the world knew it, he was dead. And dead, he stayed. He rose his head to gaze at the blazing sun and almost as swiftly, turned his gaze away. But he¡¯d seen what he wanted to see. The sun was beautiful. He let his gaze drop, looking at the people running back and forth on the ground. Perhaps it was the view point from the roof top but he felt superior to them. It was a given that he¡¯d felt superior but at this moment he felt even more so, inexplicably. Unlike these people, his life didn¡¯t depend on the word of one person. That alone made him----- The sight of something by the side of his eye stopped his thoughts. A particular shade of blonde hair. Dakath felt his eyebrows twitch and he narrowed his eyes turning his gaze onto the owner of the hair. A full second of scrutiny later, Dakath couldn¡¯t stop the smile that crept on his lips. How stupid. He didn¡¯t account for the fact that her appearance would change, wondering if the little girl actually managed to outsmart them all. Dakath moved his gaze away as she froze in place, obviously looking for someone. He felt a tad impressed that she could feel his gaze, even if he wasn¡¯t trying to conceal it. He sat down on the roof and raised his head to meet the gaze of the sun. Beautiful. A cryptic smile flitted across his face again. In situations like this, Dakath always admired the beauty of coincidences. *** Agnes ruffled her wet hair with her towel, flopping down into the sofa, ¡°You called?¡± Noet looked up from whatever crap he was doing, scratching his head for a second, ¡°Oh right. We are heading out on an expedition tomorrow and I want you to come with us¡± ¡°Tomorrow?¡± Agnes asked in disbelief. ¡°Yes¡± Noet nodded. ¡°Isn¡¯t it quite late to be telling me this?¡± Agnes raised a brow. ¡°Not exactly¡± Agnes gave a dry laugh, ¡°So you want me to follow you on an expedition?¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°We were asked by the palace to do a little exploring for them. Nothing much¡±, Noet shrugged. Agnes raised a brow, ¡°The palace?¡± ¡°Suspicious?¡± ¡°Yes. I mean you¡¯re a merchant company¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not exactly a secret that many merchant companies are comparable to sects in terms of strength¡±, Noet smiled. ¡°Well,¡± Agnes crossed her legs, ¡°It¡¯s not a secret either that sects are made up of a bunch of twigs who believe Ki will one day be superior¡± Noet laughed, ¡°Twigs, huh¡± ¡°I really think they are delusional. I mean yes, Ki is fairly powerful but I don¡¯t think it can ever match the might of mana¡±, ¡°You do realize you are talking to a warrior, right?¡± ¡°I do realize I¡¯m talking to a warrior who doesn¡¯t really give a fuck¡± Agnes replied. Noet nodded, ¡°It¡¯s not like their delusions are from empty air. Ki was once superior to mana¡± ¡°That was when mana research wasn¡¯t a thing yet. Like millions of years ago¡± Agnes rolled her eyes then gave a start, ¡°This discussion is derailing¡± Noet smirked, ¡°Was worth a try. Anyways, the palace knows we have enough strength to do this so we were asked¡± ¡°Why this company?¡± ¡°I would like to believe we were finally recognized. Wouldn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pass on this expedition, Noet. It smells fishy all over¡± Agnes shook her head, wrapping her hair in the towel. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s not your hate for the palace coming into this?¡± ¡°What hate?¡± Agnes narrowed her eyes. ¡°Oh nothing. Maybe the fact that they killed your¡­¡± ¡°Boss¡± Agnes¡¯ voice boomed through the room.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Noet sighed, ¡°You are coming with me¡± ¡°No. This is weird, why do you even want me to?¡± ¡°Because, I think it¡¯s a good opportunity for you¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± Agnes rolled her eyes. Noet went silent for a few seconds then spoke, ¡°They want us to explore an underground ruin¡± Agnes froze. ¡°Apparently, the miners found something suspicious and it has been confirmed that the place is a ruin. And it¡¯s huge¡± Noet continued. ¡°No way. When was this?¡± ¡°Few days ago¡± ¡°When you say huge, do you mean huge or huge?¡± ¡°Huge¡± ¡°Damn¡± Agnes clicked her tongue. At first, she had gotten into looking at ruin excavations to find out more about her demonic heritage then slowly, she began to realize that she liked ruins. She¡¯d gone through already explored ruins and had been dying to finally explore one herself. ¡°Anyways, it¡¯s up to you if you want to come or not¡± Noet suddenly said, changing his previous statement. Agnes glared at him, ¡°You know, I hate you sometimes¡± Noet smiled, ¡°That¡¯s nice¡± Agnes placed a hand on her head and leaned back, ¡°This still feels weird¡± Noet ran a hand through his hair, ¡°Raena, do you really think that if the Queen knew you were alive and kicking, she¡¯d leave you alone?¡± Agnes narrowed her eyes. ¡°No¡± Noet spoke firmly, ¡°The answer you are looking for is no. So, I don¡¯t think this request from the palace has anything to do with you, honestly. Once I heard it was a ruin, I figured I¡¯d bring you along to surprise you but that¡¯s obviously not working out so well¡± Agnes listened quietly until the end of his sentence when she raised a brow, ¡°Surprise me?¡± Noet sighed and leaned back in his seat, ¡°Happy birthday, Agnes. In advance¡± Agnes couldn¡¯t stop the smile that crept onto her face, ¡°Would it kill you to stick to one name?¡± ¡°Agnes. Raena. Same thing¡± Noet shrugged. ¡°That reasoning is just¡­¡± Agnes shook her head, ¡°Thank you, I should say. I would like to go to the ruins. But somehow I don¡¯t feel like something is right¡± Noet drummed his fingers on the table, ¡°It¡¯s not like you to be so suspicious. Alright, I¡¯ll get some extra protection just to be sure¡± Agnes nodded, ¡°Where is Ianan? I have been looking for him all day¡± ¡°I had him do something for me. Is there something you need?¡± ¡°Not really. He asked me to meet him¡± ¡°Oh¡± Noet exclaimed, ¡°That was probably about the expedition. He was supposed to tell you about it although now that I think about it, it was probably better than I did¡± Agnes rolled her eyes, standing up, ¡°Is that it?¡± ¡°Yes, actually¡± Noet gave her a brief smile before swiftly turning his attention back to the crap ton of papers on his desk. Agnes got up from her seat. ¡°You are coming, right?¡± Noet asked, not looking up from whatever he was doing. ¡°Sure¡± Agnes gave a faint nod. Although Noet didn¡¯t see her nod, he sensed it and nodded back, focusing on his stuff again. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Agnes exclaimed softly as her hand touched the door knobs, ¡°Is Lysa coming with us?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m taking Ianan with me and I need someone to watch over this place¡± Noet answered without looking up. Agnes gave a small smile and released her hair from the towel, shaking her hair out as she walked out the doors. She waited for the doors to close behind her before she walked away. This is weird. From what I know, Noet and the palace haven¡¯t really had much communication since that civil war and now, he¡¯s being asked to clear a ruin? Something as profitable as a ruin? Surely, the palace had other merchant company they are close to. This is just a new company on the rise. She pulled a strand of hair from her face as she entered her personal room. Was I sold out? She ruminated over that thought for a while then tossed it away. Noet wasn¡¯t that type of roundabout person. If he truly sold her out, she wouldn¡¯t even be here at this moment. It was possible Agnes may be looking too much into this due to her prejudice with the royal family but the opposite was also possible. She lay down still on her bed, gazing at the ceiling. It was plain, just like she liked it. Anyways, thinking about it wouldn¡¯t change anything and it wasn¡¯t worth it to lose the opportunity to explore a ruin just because of a baseless worry. She sent a glance at her always ready equipment in the corner of the room and sighed. She then closed her eyes and began another dreamless sleep. As the tiny crack of daylight seeped into the window, Agnes opened her eyes. She blinked once. Twice. Then got up. Not bothering to take a shower, she wore her gear with such fluidity that spoke experience and headed out. A few nods and waves later, she was out of the building and into a lustrous restaurant. She waved a card at the counter before they could say anything and a waiter led her upstairs and into a private room. She gave a slight nod to the people already inside and sat in a corner. After waiting a few minutes, Noet arrived and discussion began. After which they ate and headed out. The entourage was not too small not loo large. There were enough people that people would know they was some kind of event but not enough to make bigger entities suspicious. Agnes was a step behind Noet as usual and on guard. The Namihal forest was a huge forest rumored to connect to the Kingdom of Welch, not that Agnes had checked it out. Even if she wished to leave Ferasi, the monsters on that route were monsters she wouldn¡¯t dare to face unless she wished to lose her life. And she wasn¡¯t sure how much of a connection the blood elves and high elves had. Her aim was to leave this continent. It was somewhat a farfetched idea but anywhere in the elven continent to her didn¡¯t seem safe. After all, one should underestimate royal power. Sure, she¡¯d been able to evade Queen Abigail¡¯s search for a while but someone would soon put two and two together. She¡¯d been making preparations to leave but security had gotten even tighter after Abigail took the throne and her wanted poster was all over the gates. Despite the monsters though, slave traders had a route through the forest. She had never been able to actually squeeze it out of them even with death threats. She had come to believe that slave traders probably went under some kind of oath before knowing the route which was pretty religious for something as petty as slave trading. She sent a glance behind her at the orderly men having mild discussions. They seemed more like soldiers than mercenaries. Which was expected because this ruin exploration dealt with a lot of secrecy. Mainly because of how much benefits a ruin exploration could actually bring to a Kingdom. There¡¯d even been wars over ruins after all. She looked up, waving a thick branch away from her face, sighing inwardly. The forest was extraordinarily quiet and they hadn¡¯t encountered anything. Which was definitely a good sign, seeing as they had cast concealing magic over their party. Meeting a monster that could counter that magic or see through it was definitely not a good sign. They soon arrived at the mining outpost. As expected it was void of any human beings in the area. Two men walked forward, checking the stability of the mines with some device before they all proceeded into it. The place was dark and musty and Agnes could see mining equipment lying around carelessly. She scanned the place with as much as her eyesight could let her. There wasn¡¯t really anything impressive. It was a mine after all. Suddenly, Noet raised his hand, signaling them to stop. He looked through something Agnes could identify as a map and pointed at something. Ianan unsheathed his sword and walked forward disappearing into the darkness. He came back a while later giving a faint nod. At that, Noet signaled for them to move again. Soon arriving at a place that was obviously a dead end in the mine, Noet gave instructions to move in. Unlike Agnes who currently had a confused look on her face many of the men walked forward with no hesitation. Agnes scratched her head guiltily. She had been a tad absent minded during the briefing this morning. She watched in fascination as the men reached the rock and just disappeared into it. ¡°What are you doing? Enter¡± Noet said, failing miserably to stop himself from smiling. Agnes gave a cough in embarrassment and followed into the rock after him. She felt her sight distort for a second and then she was somewhere else. It still looked like the mine but she could tell that it wasn¡¯t. She didn¡¯t wait for instructions as she knew what she was to do here. She nodded towards Noet and moved out to scout around. She strained her battle sense to the maximum ready to act upon any warnings of danger. Her ears twitched as she heard something. She removed her daggers hanging at her waist and muttered something under her breath. Acting oblivious, she moved a bit closer to the sound. Suddenly, she swiped to her left, coming face to face with the entity planning to kill her. The wolf was humongous. She could barely make out its figure in the darkness as its fur was obviously black. She flicked her hand, throwing five balls on the floor. The beat dodged what it assumed to be an attack but all the balls did was flicker with light, barely illuminating the place but at least she could now see. It growled in response and moved to crush it. The darkness was its domain and it didn¡¯t really like the light. Agnes didn¡¯t give it that chance, charging forward. The beast dodged her charged clawing at her sides. She curled up, avoid the hit and using the chance to injure it. It gave a hiss in pain and moved back in preparation for an escape. Agnes smirked. This was the signature move for a shadow wolf. They were naturally attuned to darkness despite having no magic and were used to killing unsuspecting prey from the darkness. The trouble some part about them was that they always tried to retreat when injured. If they judge themselves to be weaker than their opponent they bail almost immediately. Unfortunately, this was never then end of it as they would track you down with your scent and almost always return with an entourage of other shadow wolves. A single shadow wolf would not give someone of Agnes¡¯ rank problem. Even five of them would be fine. But when it becomes at least 100 of them, her making it out alive would be difficult. SCLUNK The wolf slumped to the ground as a sizeable lump of rock was embedded in its chest. Agnes waved the blood off her dagger from where she¡¯d nicked the beast and sheathed them. She walked forward, waving her hand to withdraw the rock she had sent into the beast. She had heard that shadow wolf hide was quite thick but apparently not. She sighed inwardly as she thought about this battle. She couldn¡¯t wait to rank up to be a magus. Recitation of full spells when in combat was a chore and it took too much time which made using spells in battle a bit inefficient. When she became a magus, she wouldn¡¯t need to recite the full spells anymore. She heaved the wolf unto her shoulder and decided to walk back. She¡¯d deliberately stalled after killing the wolf and no other animal came, attracted to the blood. The place was practically empty¡­ which was odd. What had the wolf survived on if there was no other food? She walked back to the group and discovered she was one of the first scouts back. She dumped to body of the wolf with people who could skin better than she could and walked to Noet. They would cut up the meat and preserve it. ¡°Did you see anything of notice?¡± Noet immediately asked when she drew near. ¡°No. That¡¯s all that was there¡± ¡°Just the wolf?¡± Noet wrinkled his brow. ¡°Yes. Oddly, I couldn¡¯t find any other animal and this place is bare without even growing trees. There is not food source for that wolf to live off¡± ¡°You think it was planted here?¡± ¡°No. I think it came from somewhere in this ruin¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Familiarity. It was too familiar with this place when we fought¡± ¡°Hmm¡± Noet caressed his nonexistent beard, ¡°Shadow wolves aren¡¯t a threat but the fact that it appeared at out of nowhere is a problem¡± Agnes nodded, ¡°But there isn¡¯t much we can do about that. It is a ruin, there is bound to be some kind of absurdity. The only thing is I haven¡¯t felt any mana fluctuations which is worrying¡± Noet was quiet for a while before he said, ¡°When we entered this ruin, did you feel any mana fluctuation¡± ¡°No¡­¡± Agnes sighed, ¡°Just like I thought, this ruin is a grade higher than we were told¡± Noet clicked his tongue. ¡°I think we should explore a bit more. There doesn¡¯t seem to be much of a threat now. The only difference with a grade D ruin and a grade C are the illusions and illusions aren¡¯t so scary once you¡¯re aware of them, right?¡± Agnes said. ¡°I would have thought you¡¯d immediately want to leave seeing as you didn¡¯t even want to explore at first¡± Noet smirked. ¡°I¡¯m already inside. Besides, going out now would be giving up an opportunity of a lifetime¡±, She shrugged. Noet studied her face then smiled, ¡°Yea. We already know what to expect and we should be able to handle what it throws at us. There shouldn¡¯t be a problem¡± Agnes grinned sarcastically, ¡°Uh-huh. What could possibly go wrong?¡±