ã€ŠThe Change In Life - Ystirã€‹


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 A New Beginning #1 English

    The sound of flames can be heard. Screams of despair and pain. The palace of the paladin Lin Keeper was burning... The scent of burning filled the entire kingdom of Alahead, a low-tech kingdom but with very precious infrastructure.

    "Get out quickly! All of this will turn into nothing in no time!" shouted Elio as he pointed toward the exit. He was a man with red hair, blue eyes, and a height of 177 cm. He wore a silver trench coat, a black vest, black pants, and brown boots. His neck and hands seemed to have some kind of red shell. "Damn it, why did it have to be this magic? I hope the necklace works," he thought as he kept walking desperately, searching for his son while lava and flames consumed the place.

    Outside the palace, it was clear that in a very short time, nothing would remain. A large number of mages used water and earth magic to prevent the lava from spreading further throughout the kingdom.

    "Everything will be fine, the necklace will be delivered soon," shouted Rei, the most powerful mage in Alahead.

    "Please, Rei... Help Elio," expressed the paladin Lin through tears, kneeling on the ground.

    "It''s too dangerous, Lin... I''m very sorry, but we must wait," he said, approaching her to comfort her.

    Suddenly, the lava began to turn blue, and everyone was terrified by this catastrophe, as the entire palace started to disappear at great speed.

    "My God... This is getting worse," said Rei with concern, rising into the air with his magic and beginning to create a large green shield that covered the entire palace. "Dig very deep holes around the shield!" he shouted as he watched the lava consuming what was left of the palace.

    Rei''s green eyes reflected astonishment and concern at such a catastrophe, while at the same time, they were illuminated by the intense blue color of the lava. From those bright green eyes, we transition to eyes that were blue on the right and red on the left. His hair was red, and he wore dark purple pants. He had black boots, black gloves, a blue shirt, a red vest, and a blue trench coat. Additionally, on his belt, there was a recognition insignia. He walked under the rain with a large backpack on his back. His gaze was empty and only reflected sadness; the rain only intensified it.

    Louis had just arrived in the eastern lands, in a kingdom called Ystir. He was looking for a place to stay, but they didn''t accept his money because it was from a kingdom not many knew about.

    "What will I do now...? I didn''t expect this to happen. They didn¡¯t accept the gold I have either. Should I introduce myself to the king?" Louis thought as he kept walking on the sidewalk. "Huh... It seems the rain is starting to clear... I¡¯d better solve this on my own."

    As he continued walking, he caught a glimpse of a piece of paper offering something... "A fast and careful package delivery person is needed. Location: Kingdom center, North Street... Hmm, I could do it and earn the money I need for lodging." As he was reading, a person with an umbrella passed by his side.

    "Hey, kid, you should find a place where the rain won¡¯t fall on you, or you¡¯ll catch a cold," said the man, who then continued on his way.

    "After turning twelve, I never caught a cold again..." he murmured sadly and then continued walking.

    As Louis headed toward the center of the kingdom, he saw incredible things: technology he had never seen before in his kingdom. But what amazed him the most were the cars.

    "How incredible...! They''re like carriages but without horses. This place is wonderful!" he thought, unable to help but smile. "I also see many people with their rune companions. I remember that those who have rune magic have a mark somewhere on their body, and thanks to that mark, they can summon their companion... Well, enough distractions, I must continue." Louis managed to reach the address mentioned on the sign, though he had to ask around a lot since he knew nothing about this place.

    "This must be it... I hope no one has taken the job," he said, putting his backpack aside and concentrating to dry all his clothes using his magic.

    Louis took a large bag from his backpack and then used his hand to completely dry the backpack. Then, he rang the doorbell and waited... until a short man with a mustache and brown hair, dressed in a gray suit, opened the door.

    "Well... Do you need something?" the man asked, surprised to see Louis.

    "Good... uh... afternoon. I¡¯d like to know if the delivery job is available," Louis responded with little expression.

    "Yes, come in... The interview is conducted by Professor Maxwell. I¡¯ll take you to his office," he said kindly, letting him in.

    "Thank you very much. My name is Louis A. Keeper," Louis said seriously, lowering his head slightly after entering the house.

    "Uh? Nice to meet you, Louis. I''m Hanks Morthener, this way..." he said respectfully and kindly. "I felt... warmth? How strange," Hanks thought.

    Inside, the house had a large wooden staircase upon entering. The walls were completely wooden, and there was a window stretching from left to right. Hanks led Louis to Professor Maxwell¡¯s office.

    "Professor, a young man is here for the delivery job," he mentioned after knocking and opening the door upon hearing the professor say to enter.

    "Perfect, let him in..." said a man with a wise, calm, and moderate voice.

    "Come on, Louis," said Hanks, letting him in.

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    "Good afternoon, sir. My name is Louis A. Keeper," Louis said seriously, lowering his head slightly again.

    "Nice to meet you, Louis. I¡¯m Professor Maxwell. Do you have a r¨¦sum¨¦?" he asked while sitting at his desk. "Hmm, I felt something strange... Warmth?" the professor thought.

    Professor Maxwell was a tall man with white hair and a white beard. He wore a gray vest and a black jacket, and additionally, his right arm was mechanical.

    "Curri...? No, what¡¯s that?" Louis asked, a bit confused but still maintaining his seriousness. "Whoa, his arm is mechanical," he thought without showing signs of surprise.

    "Heh, you¡¯re not from here, are you?" Professor Maxwell smiled slightly upon hearing his question.

    "No, sir... I''m from the northern lands," he replied sincerely.

    "Northern lands... Interesting, the Kingdom of Alahead, right?" he said after thinking for a moment and recalling the news he had read.

    "How did you know?" Louis asked seriously.

    "There was news about a church affiliation with your kingdom," he replied frankly while closing a book that was on his desk.

    "Eh? Really?" he said, a bit surprised by the news.

    "You didn¡¯t know? Heh... Well, I''d like to give you the job, but you¡¯re not from here..." he said without much interest.

    "Give me at least one job, please. I need a place to stay, and they didn¡¯t accept my money at any hotel," he replied sincerely, his words filled with warmth.

    "Huh? Again... this warmth," the professor thought as he listened to Louis''s words. "Hmm... Well, the rain has cleared, so I need you to bring some parts to a forge nearby. If you manage to bring them back within the estimated time, I¡¯ll hire you," he said as he stood up and handed a letter to Louis.

    "Alright, I accept." Louis took the letter and opened it immediately.

    "Perfect. The address is in the letter. You have 20 minutes starting... now," he declared while checking his wall clock.

    "I¡¯m off then!" Louis quickly left the office and ran toward the exit. Professor Maxwell watched him leave the house through a window in his office.

    "Let''s see... Glomequer¨ªa Forge, located in... kingdom center, South Street... It shouldn''t be too difficult," Louis said as he read the address and ran, dodging a few people.

    After the designated time, Louis failed to arrive on time, as he got lost and had to ask many people for directions to his destination.

    "I shouldn''t have expected anything from that boy," said the professor while looking at the clock.

    "Call your boss, old man!" The sound of a door slamming against the wall was heard.

    "What¡¯s going on?" Surprised, the professor got up from his chair and quickly headed toward the entrance.

    A group of six men entered the professor''s house. Two of them stood out: one had a golden gun and wore a golden mask, along with a hat, a blue shirt with gray stripes, black pants, and black shoes. The other, with a spear on his back, wore a gray mask and completely gray clothing.

    "You need to leave, or I''ll call the guards!" Hanks said angrily.

    "Please, those idiots are useless. If you don¡¯t want to walk out with a bullet in your head, call that Maxwell guy," said the man with the golden mask while pointing his weapon at Hanks'' head.

    "Who the hell are you?" asked the professor furiously, arriving at the entrance without stepping down the stairs.

    "You must be Professor Maxwell. I need you to hand over the piece that Boss Yeynos ordered," replied the one with the spear on his back and a gray mask.

    "Yeynos¡­" he muttered, a bit fearful.

    "I took too long¡­ I hope they can exchange the gold I have¡­ Huh?" Louis thought as he arrived at the professor''s house with the items he had requested and saw the six men.

    "Hey... Who are you guys? Professor, is everything okay?" he asked while observing everyone''s weapons.

    "Louis... I mustn''t let him get involved," thought the professor. "You need to leave, Louis. We''ll talk later."

    "No, not now... This kid is in this. Wow, look at his eyes, they¡¯re different¡­ Hey, are you some kind of freak or what?" said the man with the golden mask mockingly as he approached, showing Louis the gun.

    "Maybe I am¡­" Louis responded, grabbing the barrel of the gun.

    "Let go, bastard!" the masked man shouted, trying to pull his weapon away.

    "Louis!" Professor Maxwell yelled.

    Louis released the gun and punched the man in the stomach, making him stagger back and fall to the floor.

    "Idiot! How dare you!" shouted the man with the gray mask, charging at Louis and forcing him out of the house.

    "Damn it! Ahh, my gun! Catch the brat!" yelled the man with the golden mask when he saw his weapon''s barrel crushed, quickly dropping it due to the heat.

    Before the others could get out, two smoke bombs fell beside the door, and Hanks shut it.

    "Idiots¡­ You come to my house and treat me and my employees like trash¡­ Now no one will leave without a bullet to the face!" he said angrily while descending the stairs, his mechanical arm beginning to charge energy. With his left hand, he put a mask over his face.

    Meanwhile, Louis kicked the man with the gray mask to get him off. Quickly, he pulled a katana from his backpack and kicked the backpack alongside the professor¡¯s items. In the background, many people were seen fleeing the scene, and the professor''s house door closed.

    "You think you''re brave for attacking a man of Lord Zthur," said the man with the gray mask, grabbing the spear from his back.

    "I don¡¯t know who that is, and I don¡¯t care," Louis replied, beginning his attack. His sword clashed against the spear at high speed. Clearly, the spear had the advantage due to its longer attack range, but Louis was only testing his opponent''s skills.

    Gunshots rang out inside the house; some bullets flew through the windows, shattering them.

    "What¡¯s wrong? Not so tough anymore?" mocked the masked man, slamming his spear into the ground.

    Louis stepped back as the masked man used the spear for support to propel himself and launch a kick. Louis dodged, but his opponent reacted quickly, freeing the spear and aiming it at his neck. With a swift move, Louis blocked with his katana and pushed back forcefully, making him retreat.

    "You''re good, but not better than me!" he shouted furiously and lunged again, attacking from the side. Louis positioned the blade of his sword low and countered the attack. The weapons clashed, and sparks flew from the impact.

    "You think you can beat me?!" he yelled, trying to win the struggle.

    "Of course, it¡¯s very¡­ simple!" Louis responded seriously as his other hand generated heat and his black glove turned red.

    Louis lifted the spear¡¯s blade with his sword using all his strength and struck his opponent in the chest, burning his clothes and leaving burns.

    "Bas¡­tard¡­" he groaned in pain, kneeling and placing his head on the ground.

    He tried to lift his head, but Louis stepped closer and struck him with the hilt of his katana, making him collapse completely to the ground.

    Meanwhile, the professor and Hanks had captured everyone, tying them up with ropes.

    "You''ll pay for this, old man!" said the man with the golden mask.

    "You better shut up. I can shoot you in the head just as easily as you aimed at my friend and the boy. Besides, didn¡¯t you say the guards were useless?" the professor said angrily, aiming his mechanical arm while removing his mask.

    "Damn it¡­" he muttered, surrendering. "Tryl will defeat the kid and then take down the old man, I''m sure!" he thought while Hanks tied him up with the others.

    "Here¡¯s another one," Louis said, opening the door and leaving the spear-wielding man on the floor.

    "No way, Tryl lost¡­ Huh? His chest is burned. What did you do to him, freak?" he asked, angry and greatly surprised to see his friend.

    "He¡¯s fine, but he had no chance against a paladin," Louis said seriously while storing his katana in his backpack.

    "Paladin, you?"

    "What happened here?" a knight asked as he arrived at the scene.

    "I am Professor Maxwell. These idiots broke into my house with weapons, and I simply defended my home. Apparently, they work for Zthur," said the professor, making his mechanical arm return to normal.

    "Zthur, huh? Guys, come on! We need to take these men to the cell," the knight shouted. "Good thing we were nearby."

    "Yeah, because normally, they don¡¯t even show up when called. Your security has been dropping a lot," the professor said indifferently, turning his back to the knight.

    "I¡¯m sorry about that, sir¡­" the knight expressed, saddened by what had happened.

    "I¡¯d better go; I don¡¯t want to be a bother¡­ I¡¯ll have to present myself to the king," Louis thought while the professor spoke with the knight. "Here you go, professor," he said, handing him a bag.

    "Thank you so much, Louis, for everything. By the way, you said you were a paladin. What are you doing here?" the professor asked, taking the bag.

    "I¡¯m trying to change my life¡­ Well, I¡¯m leaving," Louis expressed sincerely, remembering why he came as he stepped out of the house.

    "Wait, are you planning to present yourself to the king?" the professor asked, grabbing his shoulder.

    "Yes, I have no other choice," he replied, turning to look at the professor.

    "Don¡¯t do it. The current king won¡¯t help you at all and might even kick you out of the kingdom. I have a proposal: stay at my house while you¡¯re in the kingdom, and in return, you¡¯ll only have to deliver my packages. What do you think?" he said with seriousness and concern.

    "Really? You¡¯d do that for me?" Louis asked, surprised.

    "Of course. Besides, you¡¯re a paladin, and having you here will be a great help," Professor Maxwell said, convinced.

    "Alright, then I accept, and I thank you as well," Louis said, bowing his head. "Wait a minute! If I had said from the start that I was a paladin, would you have accepted me?"

    "Of course, immediately," the professor replied, laughing as he patted his head.

    "Wow¡­ Well, it¡¯s time to start this new life," Louis thought as he entered the house, and Hanks closed the door.

    End of the chapter.

 Professor Maxwells Blueprints #2

    On a road where silence reigns... The sound of metallic horse hooves can be heard... going at full speed...

    "Let''s go faster!" said a man with a fearful tone.

    "This is the fastest!" shouted the driver.

    A person with a metallic body looked at the carriage speeding by. "That box will be mine," he said with a robotic voice.

    Suddenly, the carriage shook from something falling on top of it.

    "It''s on top of us!" said a man in a suit, hiding a box under his seat.

    A giant bird crashed through the carriage roof, grabbed the man, and threw him far away.

    The driver heard the sound of a scream fading. "Damn!" he expressed nervously, pulling out a shotgun and aiming upward. "Die, bastard!" he shouted.

    The driver fired twice, destroying part of the carriage, and the sound of flapping wings was heard. Then, only the squeaking of the carriage and the metallic hooves of the horses could be heard. Suddenly, a man in black armor appeared in front of him, flying.

    "I think that¡¯s enough," he said in a robotic voice, aiming with a cannon in his hand.

    The driver hyperventilated, struggling to breathe. "Die!" he said, aiming his shotgun at him.

    The carriage exploded, sending debris flying in different directions at high speed. The metallic horses were shot off, crashing into trees. Of everything, the only thing left intact was the box, which fell into a river.

    "Haha, see, my brother? I told you it was good cargo," he said, taking the box.

    "You were right, brother. I regret doubting you," he said with regret.

    "It¡¯s fine, Jhin. I could have been wrong, but the box survived, so now we just need to open it and see what''s inside. Let''s go with Inock," he added in his robotic voice, getting on the eagle with Jhin.

    The eagle began to fly away from the area, and then a closed door was visible. Professor Maxwell''s voice could be heard from behind it, apparently annoyed. A loud sound, like a hit, was heard, followed by the professor¡¯s footsteps approaching the door.

    "Hanks!" shouted the professor, opening the door.

    "Did something happen, professor?" Hanks asked, arriving confused at the office.

    "Call Mei. They stole the plans for my reactor," he said, very upset as he walked.

    "Yes, sir," Hanks replied, hurriedly looking for the number.

    "And to think I fought so hard to get them back," the professor thought.

    Meanwhile, Louis was doing push-ups on the ceiling. He wore a blue shirt, black pants, black shoes, and a blue necklace hung around his neck.

    "Louis! Where are you?" asked the professor, entering the room and seeing the open window. "What the hell are you doing up there? Come down, we need to talk," he said, leaning out the window and seeing Louis on the ceiling.

    "I¡¯ll be down in a second, professor! Just finishing up," Louis yelled while continuing with the exercise.

    After finishing his push-ups, Louis came down from the ceiling and grabbed some clothes to change while listening to the professor.

    "Get ready. We need to find a paladin who can help us find the thieves who stole my plans," the professor mentioned while watching Louis take his clothes.

    "A paladin? Interesting. Can I take a shower?" Louis asked seriously, slightly surprised.

    "Of course, but don¡¯t take too long," the professor said, noticing Louis''s seriousness. "Are you always this serious?" he asked sarcastically.

    Louis looked at him for a few seconds and answered, "Yes."

    "Well, never mind... Don¡¯t take too long!" the professor retorted, leaving the room.

    "Professor, paladin Mei is waiting for you at the BlackMyth cafeteria," Hanks said, approaching the professor, who was modifying his mechanical arm.

    "Alright. I¡¯ll finish this and I¡¯ll be ready. Go get Louis and tell him to wait at the entrance," he said, concentrating on his arm. "Wait a minute! Did you say Mei?" he asked, surprised.

    "Yes, sir," Hanks replied.

    "Strange... Normally, she sends others because she¡¯s too busy," the professor commented, then returned to working on his arm.

    Meanwhile, Louis was getting ready in his room.

    "A paladin... I haven¡¯t met another paladin besides those from my kingdom," Louis thought as he put on his coat. Suddenly, someone knocked on his door. "Come in."

    "Young Louis, Professor Maxwell wants you to wait at the entrance," Hanks said after opening the door.

    "Alright, I¡¯m on my way," Louis replied, grabbing his katana after putting on his coat.

    "I must avoid using too much magic. I don¡¯t want to get kicked out of the kingdom for being too dangerous," he thought as he left his room and went down the stairs to the entrance.

    "Hanks, remember to activate the shield," he said while descending the stairs.

    "I¡¯ll do it right away!" Hanks yelled from afar.

    "Perfect, you¡¯re here. Time to go. We¡¯ll take a car to get there faster," the professor said, leaving through the door.

    "What¡¯s a car?" Louis asked, showing a bit of confusion.

    Professor Maxwell was somewhat surprised that Louis didn¡¯t know what it was.

    "They are these." The professor stopped a car, and the driver asked where they wanted to be taken. "I need you to take us to the BlackMyth cafeteria," he instructed the driver.

    "So they¡¯re called cars and not carriages," Louis thought, crossing his arms.

    "Of course, it¡¯ll be 100 ystires," the driver said.

    "Get in, Louis," the professor said, opening the car door.

    "Really?" Louis asked, a bit confused.

    "Yes, let¡¯s go," the professor insisted, giving him a slight push with his mechanical hand.

    Louis and Professor Maxwell got in the car and started moving towards their destination.

    "Incredible! How does this... car work?" Louis asked with curiosity.

    Noticing Louis¡¯s interest, the professor began explaining how it worked, until they arrived at the cafeteria.

    "And that¡¯s how a car works. Incredible, right? A relic from the old days. I¡¯m glad we didn¡¯t lose its plans," the professor said confidently and happily.

    "I didn¡¯t understand anything," Louis thought. "It¡¯s amazing, professor, thanks for the explanation," he commented, trying to hide that he hadn¡¯t understood a thing.

    "Well, we¡¯ve arrived. Here you go," the professor handed the driver a bill, then got out of the car, followed by Louis.

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    They both entered the cafeteria, and in a corner, there was a woman with short, wavy purple hair and purple eyes. She wore a shiny pink leather jacket with metallic details over a black turtleneck shirt adorned with an elegant brooch. She had blue earrings that contrasted with her outfit and was holding a cup of coffee.

    "Purple hair... Incredible!" Louis thought, covering his mouth.

    "Jonathan! How are you? I¡¯m glad to see you. Hmm, I see you brought company," she said in a sweet and soft tone.

    "Wow, her eyes are really beautiful," he thought upon seeing her multicolored eyes.

    "Hello, Mei... Don¡¯t call me Jonathan, please. Louis, introduce yourself," the professor replied with a sigh of annoyance.

    "Yes, my name is Louis A. Keeper. Nice to meet you, paladin Mei," Louis said respectfully, bowing his head.

    "Nice to meet you, Louis, but don¡¯t call me paladin, just Mei is fine," she replied with a soft smile, feeling a little uncomfortable.

    "Very well, Miss Mei," Louis said, understanding the request.

    "Miss? I like that," Mei thought, reflecting a smile on her face.

    "Well, do you have them?" the professor asked, a little desperate.

    "Yes, I have them, but first I¡¯ll finish my coffee and... my cake!" she said happily as the waiter brought her a cake.

    "Mei... I¡¯m going to lose my plans! They¡¯re very important, it¡¯s for my machine," the professor expressed angrily while watching Louis look at the cafeteria counter.

    "Alright, I¡¯ll eat it quickly. And the boy?" she said, understanding the situation, then took a bite of the cake.

    "He¡¯s coming with us. He¡¯s a paladin from the Alahead kingdom, from the northern lands," the professor replied, calming down a bit.

    "Really? A paladin? How did you manage to get a paladin to stay with you? And why didn¡¯t you tell me?" she said, looking at Louis, a bit annoyed.

    "Hey, how does this thing work?" Louis asked curiously, touching the device.

    "You can¡¯t touch the coffee maker, sir!" the woman at the counter said, trying to stop him from touching it.

    "Oops... Sorry... And how does this box that spins things work?" he said, feeling guilty after the jar fell to the floor, but his curiosity won again.

    "Go to your table, sir," the woman said, annoyed.

    "Are you sure he¡¯s a paladin?" Mei commented, watching the mess Louis made and taking a sip of her coffee.

    "Yes... Apparently, in his kingdom, they don¡¯t have technology like this, so that¡¯s why he¡¯s so curious, even though he¡¯s usually very serious," the professor explained, disappointed by Louis''s mess.

    "Sorry, professor... I¡¯ll pay for what I broke," Louis said, feeling guilty.

    "It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll pay, but don¡¯t touch things," the professor said, reminding him of someone.

    "Well, here¡¯s the list," exclaimed, placing a holographic device that displayed the thieves. "Apparently, these three are very wanted, especially the one in the robotic armor." The device showed the thieves¡¯ information when the device was touched.

    "How do they have such incredible things in this kingdom?!" he shouted excitedly upon seeing the device.

    "Huh? Sorry, continue," he said, embarrassed by his actions.

    "Don''t worry, be yourself, it''s better that way," she said cheerfully, touching Louis'' head.

    "Hey, don''t encourage him," he sighed. "So, do you know where they are?" he asked as the waiter placed the bill on the table.

    "Xitlari has already found them with his cameras, so all that''s left is for you to pay the bill," she replied, smiling and finishing her cake.

    "But what? How many cakes did you eat?!" he asked, surprised and annoyed by the total on the bill.

    "One. I donated the others to the orphanage. Oh, come on, don''t be like that. Your thieves are at the end of this street, in a bar," she said, taking the device and standing up from the table.

    Suddenly, another device went off. "Xitlari says they''re negotiating your box," she mentioned, teasing him with a smile after talking into the communicator.

    "Great, the worst part is that my project benefits you, and you charge me," he retorted as he paid the bill.

    "Come on, we''ll go in my car," she said as she walked toward the exit.

    Mei''s car was silver and looked very modern and a bit futuristic. Mei got into the car and waited for Louis and Professor Maxwell to get in as well.

    "Whoa! This is more incredible than the one we used to get here," Louis expressed, amazed as he looked inside.

    "It is. Well, shall we go?" she said with a smile, starting the car. The moment Louis and the Professor got in, Mei sped up to get there as fast as possible.

    "Mei, slow down!" the Professor said, terrified, as he grabbed his seat and adjusted his seatbelt.

    "This is amazing!" Louis exclaimed, excited, sticking his head out the window.

    "Is this what you were talking about, Master Rei?" he whispered, looking at the many cars and people everywhere. His eyes were sparkling from how colorful and beautiful the city was.

    After a few minutes of travel, which only Louis and Mei enjoyed, they reached their destination.

    "Alright, we''re here," she said, turning off the car and getting out.

    "Next time, I''ll take a separate car. How do they let you drive like this?" he asked, annoyed and a little dizzy, as he struggled to get out of the car.

    "Are you becoming an old grump now? Come on, we need to get in before they sell your plans," Mei said, taking on a more serious attitude and pulling a golden scimitar from her trunk, which looked more like a small, very comfortable room.

    "Clara, wake up, we need to work," Mei said to her scimitar.

    From the scimitar, a flying golden sphere emerged and landed on Mei''s shoulder, and the scimitar turned pink.

    "Miss Mei has a fairy! This is incredible, it''s not easy to befriend one," Louis said, surprised as he saw Clara.

    "Her name is Clara. Louis, Clara. Clara, Louis," she exclaimed kindly, and Clara moved close to Louis'' face to greet him. "Well, it''s time, let''s get ready," she said as they approached the bar.

    "Good afternoon, gentlemen. Pala... Ahem... private detective Mei. Everyone can leave except for the three at the bar and the idiot next to you," she said authoritatively, opening the bar door forcefully.

    Everyone started leaving the bar...

    "Hey, pay first, you scoundrels! You made me lose so much money, now you''re going to pay the bills for all of them," the bar owner shouted angrily as he approached Mei.

    "Here, I''ll buy the whole bar," Mei replied, handing the owner a silver bill.

    "Huh? Impossible... A silver bill from a paladin..." the owner said, surprised. "Is it true? You''re Paladin Mei Teews. I''ve never seen you in person, I''m so sorry, I''m leaving now," he continued, now happy, shouting, "I won''t have to work anymore!"

    "Paladin? Hahaha, I didn''t expect this," said Kein with his robotic voice, standing up from his seat.

    "Don''t let her intimidate you, Kein, she''s not a paladin anymore," he said confidently.

    "Huh? Maxwell!" he shouted, surprised.

    "Jamiel, you damn trash! I knew you were jealous after I won that prize," the Professor shouted angrily, pointing with his mechanical hand.

    "Die! You paid off the judges!" he responded furiously, pointing at him with his hand as well.

    "Silence, old men! So this is worth even more than what you were going to give us," Kein replied, annoyed, with his robotic voice, smashing the table with a punch.

    "Ah... well... maybe a little more," Jamiel said, scared and surprised by Kein''s action.

    "Brothers... first, we need to take care of the supposed paladin or ex-paladin," he said, mocking as his brothers got up from their seats.

    "I''ll make you eat your words after I rip that outfit off," Mei said, drawing her scimitar and launching an attack directly at Kein.

    But Jhin countered her attack with an expulsion spell that came from his sword, knocking her back. Then, the eagle took it and started flying her through the air, throwing her hard onto the ground.

    Inock moved in to attack the Professor, but Louis stopped the attack and kicked him in the chest, sending him crashing through the bar''s wall. Kein caught Louis by surprise and started flying with his suit, grabbing his arm and rising rapidly.

    "Let go of me!" Louis shouted, heating his arms.

    "(Sudden temperature increase) How?" Kein said, surprised by the temperature rise in his armor. Kein released Louis, and he began to fall.

    "Damn, I need to grab onto something," Louis thought as he fell. Louis drove his katana into the wall of a house and then pulled it out to land on the ground without harm.

    "Kid, I think it''d be better if you went home!" Kein shouted before crashing where Louis was.

    Louis tried to dodge, but the impact reached him and sent him flying far. The impact alarmed many people, and they started leaving the area.

    "Louis, are you alright?" Professor Maxwell asked, stepping out of the bar.

    "Yeah, I''m fine..." Louis replied, getting up from the ground.

    "Don''t get distracted, old man!" Jhin said behind the Professor.

    Suddenly, the eagle landed on Jhin, preventing the attack on the Professor. The Professor took his distance from Jhin and began charging his arm with energy.

    Kein ran toward where Louis was, pulling a sword from his arm.

    "Rubel? What happened to you, buddy?" Jhin asked, surprised, getting off the eagle.

    "You damn... you''ll pay for this," Inock said angrily when he saw the eagle.

    Mei entered the bar at high speed and began attacking Inock with her scimitar. She had the upper hand, but Jhin tried to attack her from behind. However, Clara stopped the attack. Mei backed off, and Clara combined with the scimitar, turning it golden.

    Jhin and Inock tried to corner Mei, but she easily defeated them both.

    "Golden Slash!" Mei launched an attack, and both were pushed back after their swords clashed and exploded.

    "What''s going on? Not even with two of you and those swords can you beat me?" Mei commented as she looked at them on the ground.

    "Damn you!" Inock said, getting up from the ground.

    "We can, brother," Jhin said, getting up after Inock.

    Meanwhile, Louis and Kein continued fighting, exchanging blows with their swords.

    "Hey, kid, why don''t you give up? I''ll give you a part of the plans. Honestly, I feel bad about finishing you off," Kein said as their swords collided.

    "Shut up!" Louis shouted, heating his katana to red-hot and slicing through Kein''s sword.

    "Incredible... He heated his katana in no time. He must have practiced a lot with his magic," Kein thought, seeing the katana glowing red.

    Kein tried to hit Louis with his metal fists, which, when dodged by Louis, destroyed the floor.

    "What''s going on, fight?!" Louis tried to slash his chest with his katana, but Kein grabbed his arm and punched him in the stomach, sending him flying and crashing through the wall of a house.

    "Waste of time," Kein headed toward the bar, but the Professor shot him with his mechanical arm and started delivering a shock that kept him from moving.

    "Old man... This won''t work!" Kein said angrily, enduring the shock and grabbing the Professor''s mechanical arm, ripping it off.

    "Dammit..." the Professor fell to the ground while holding his arm with his left hand.

    "You shouldn''t have gotten involved in this, old man," Kein said, throwing the Professor''s arm to the floor.

    Then, a huge explosion with many golden slashes blew off the bar''s roof.

    "What the hell?! Brothers! Are you okay?" he shouted, worried, running toward the bar.

    A hand touched Kein''s shoulder and then destroyed his armor.

    "(Sudden heating)," Kein''s right arm detached from his body, revealing the skin on his arm.

    "You... How are you conscious?" he said, surprised, backing away and pointing with his left arm.

    Louis ran towards Kein, who was backing away while firing with his arm. Louis dodged the attacks with ease, until Mei''s scimitar, flying at high speed, struck Kein''s head, distracting him.

    Seizing the opportunity, Louis delivered a direct punch to Kein''s chest with his hand wrapped in lava. Kein''s armor completely deactivated, and he was thrown backward, crashing to the ground.

    "It''s over," said Louis, watching Kein on the ground as his red eye glowed faintly.

    "It''s not over until you kill me!" yelled Kein, furious, aiming a gun.

    The gun was sliced by the scimitar, and Professor Maxwell pointed his mechanical arm at Kein, holding him with his left hand. Mei positioned the scimitar near Kein''s face.

    "You are fuc..." he muttered, interrupted when the scimitar''s hilt hit him in the head.

    "Miss Mei... How can you do that?" Louis asked, surprised by how Mei controlled the scimitar with her hands.

    "Thanks to my connection with Clara, I can do this... Are you okay, Jonathan?" Mei asked, seeing Professor Maxwell''s mechanical arm detached.

    "I''m fine... And stop calling me Jonathan!" the Professor replied, annoyed.

    "Alright, alright, here, Louis, take the box," Mei said, handing him the box.

    After a while, a group of knights arrived, and Mei was talking to them.

    "Professor, I''m sorry I didn''t protect you," Louis said, while watching the Professor sitting in Mei''s car, reattaching his arm.

    "Don''t worry, I''m fine, it''s just metal... And you? Are you okay, Louis? You took quite a hit," asked Professor Maxwell, while fixing his arm.

    "Yeah, I''m fine, but..."

    "But?"

    "Nothing, Professor," Louis replied, feeling guilty.

    "Listen, in a fight anything can happen, didn''t they teach you that?" said the Professor, understanding how Louis felt.

    "Yeah, but... I''m a paladin, I could''ve done better," Louis said, disappointed, pressing his hands together.

    "You demand too much from yourself, Mei couldn''t even prevent this from happening, and she has more years of experience than you. We''re all fine, and that''s what matters," the Professor said, placing his hand on Louis''s shoulder.

    "And remember, don''t tell the count anything!" Mei yelled, approaching the car while looking at the knights. "Do you want me to take you?" she asked with a smile.

    "No, you drive like a maniac," the Professor replied instantly.

    "I do want to!" Louis said, excited.

    "I''ll drive slowly, don''t worry. I used to drive like that because it was an emergency. So, are your plans there?" Mei said sincerely.

    "Yes, they''re there... And Jamiel?"

    "I tied him to a chair when I saw him trying to escape with the box," Mei said with her sweet, soft voice.

    "You''re always the same," said the Professor, noticing the way she said it.

    "Well, I''ll drop you off at your house. I have to go to the PT agency," she said, getting into the car.

    "Agency?" Louis thought.

    Mei took Professor Maxwell and Louis back home.

    "Thank you so much for everything, Mei," the Professor said with a slight smile on his face while carrying the plans.

    "Thank you, Miss Mei," Louis said, bowing his head.

    "You''re welcome. Let me know if you need anything!" she said before speeding off in the car.

    "Hanks! Open the door and deactivate the shield!" she shouted in front of the entrance.

    "Shield? I don''t see anything," Louis said, looking for the shield.

    "It''s invisible..." said the Professor.

    "Professor, how did it go?" Hanks asked, opening the door for them to pass.

    "Everything''s fine, thank God," the Professor replied, entering the house.

    "God..." Louis whispered, remembering something.

    "Well, I''m going to the lab to repair my arm completely," he added as he went upstairs.

    "Did it get damaged?" Hanks asked, barely noticing any damage to the arm.

    "A little, but it''s almost fixed. Louis, go rest. There are a lot of deliveries tomorrow, and also, I''d like to take you to see the whole kingdom so you don''t get lost, understood?" the Professor commented before entering the lab.

    "Yes, Professor," Louis replied, heading to his room.

    Louis entered his room, took off his coat, placed his katana beside his bed, and lay down, staring at the ceiling. Then, he looked out the window at the sunset and finally closed his eyes to sleep.

    End of the chapter.

 Consequences for the future #3 (part one)

    On a beautiful sunrise, a couple was strolling through their field, enjoying the dawn with the lights reflecting all over the place.

    "I told you it wouldn¡¯t be a waste, they are beautiful," the woman said cheerfully, taking the man''s arm.

    "Haha, yes, you were right," the man expressed happily, hugging the woman.

    "I hope we can sell enough to buy everything we need," she mentioned while touching her belly.

    "You¡¯ll see that everything will turn out fine," he exclaimed as he continued walking by her side.

    "Bill... what is that?!" The woman pointed forward upon seeing a large black beast among the cornfields.

    "It can''t be..." His eyes instantly filled with terror. "Run!" he shouted, taking Mari''s hand. Both ran with all their strength toward the cabin.

    "How is that thing here?!" she asked, alarmed, as she ran, looking ahead while holding her husband''s hand.

    "I don¡¯t know, Mari, just run!"

    "You Ystires... will suffer the same pain I endured!" the creature roared with a deep, grave, and sadistic voice as it watched them flee.

    "Come on, we¡¯re almost there!" Bill looked back and saw the creature about to catch Mari... Without thinking, he stopped and pushed her away... letting go of her hand.

    "Run, Mari! RUN!" he screamed, and then the creature pierced him through the back. Its claws could be seen emerging from his chest.

    "Noooo! Bill... Bill," she cried out in terror, tears streaming down her face as she covered her mouth with both hands.

    "Go... please..." Bill fell to the ground as the beast withdrew its claws.

    With nothing else to do, Mari started running, touching her belly as tears ran down her face.

    "You are brave, little Ystir, but she... will die all the same!" the creature said, revealing its appearance. It was two meters tall, had black fur and yellow eyes. It wore a long dark coat that reached the ground and walked barefoot.

    Bill, with his last strength, grabbed the werewolf¡¯s coat. "I won¡¯t... let you go."

    "What do you think you¡¯re doing? Don¡¯t touch me with your filthy hands, Ystir..." he said coldly, looking at him with contempt before cutting off his arm.

    "I''m almost... almost there! Bill..." she thought through tears as she reached the cabin. She quickly locked herself inside and grabbed a machete near the door.

    "Hello, I was waiting for you. You humans are so slow," the werewolf mentioned, sitting in a chair while cleaning his blood-stained hand.

    Terrified, Mari pointed the machete at the creature, her heavy breathing betraying her exhaustion.

    "That thing won¡¯t do anything to me. Hmm... I hear two hearts inside you," he said sadistically with a grin.

    Suddenly, a marble shot through the wall and touched Mari, making her disappear. This changed the werewolf¡¯s expression. "You again, what do you think you¡¯re doing? You won¡¯t defeat me, hunter... You will die just like your father!" he shouted furiously, watching all his blind spots.

    The entrance door was kicked open by the hunter, who fired a sonic weapon that destroyed much of the cabin and sent the werewolf flying. "I promised I would follow you anywhere to kill you... No matter where you are! I will tear you to pieces, you bastard!"

    The hunter wore a white jacket and hat, a mask half black, half white, covering his entire face, black pants and shoes, and had an axe on his back. His weapon, and apparently a great number of objects, were hidden in the pockets of his jacket. The hunter started running toward the werewolf, pulling two spheres from his pockets and throwing them at his opponent, causing massive explosions that distracted the werewolf. Then, taking advantage of the distraction, he got close enough and aimed his weapon at point-blank range. Instantly, the werewolf let out a great howl that clashed with the sonic shot. The impact created a shockwave that pushed them both back and shattered the sonic weapon.

    "If you so badly wish to die... I will gladly tear you apart!" he shouted after getting up from the ground.

    The werewolf began running towards the hunter. The hunter took his axe from his back, ran, and leaped to strike with all his might, only to... hear the sound of the werewolf¡¯s claws clashing against the axe¡¯s edge.

    Then, we see Louis getting up from his bed, doing his exercise routine with push-ups, sit-ups, and handstand push-ups. After that, he takes a bath and prepares for the new day.

    "Professor, I¡¯m ready," he said seriously, but with a hint of excitement on his face.

    "Haha, I was just about to look for you in your room, let¡¯s go," he mentioned, noticing his slight trace of excitement.

    Professor Maxwell and Louis left the house and started walking, while Hanks watched them from the door.

    "First, the northern zone, where we are now. Here, all kinds of scientists, some singers, actors, paladins, and important people live. Though there are paladins who live in other parts of the kingdom as well. Also, the palace is here. Now let¡¯s go to the most important routes for me, and besides, I¡¯ll show you how the kingdom works, but first, I want to talk to you about something," he said with a smile as they walked on the sidewalk, with many people passing nearby.

    "What is it, professor?" Louis asked curiously after making a slight move to avoid bumping into a child.

    The professor stopped for a moment and approached Louis. "You control lava, don¡¯t you? I saw what you did to Kein¡¯s chest armor. I erased the traces with my arm so Mei wouldn¡¯t see them and cause you trouble."

    This took Louis by surprise, and a fear ran through his entire body. "I... Yes, professor, I can do it! But I won¡¯t hurt anyone! I have control over my magic!"

    "Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t say anything. Let Mei find out on her own. Let¡¯s leave that aside, I don¡¯t want to take away the excitement you had," he said, patting his shoulder with a slight smile on his face.

    "Alright..." he said, still a bit worried.

    "You¡¯ll get over that worry soon enough, but I had to let you know," the professor thought, then continued walking and arrived at: "The southern zone! Here, you¡¯ll find all kinds of forges, as well as other shops like clothing stores and jewelry stores."

    "And here is the Glomequer¨ªa forge," Louis added, fascinated as he watched them create swords, armor, and mechanisms with next-level technology¡ªmachines that instantly turned a piece of metal into a nut.

    "Of course, the Glomequer¨ªa forge is the main one for me. It¡¯s where they create all sorts of objects for my machines and technological devices," he said, happy that Louis hadn¡¯t forgotten.

    "That¡¯s incredible! How do they do that?" Louis asked excitedly, approaching a stand and about to touch the device.

    "Louis, damn it, don¡¯t bother others! Sorry, he¡¯s a foreigner," the professor said, pulling him away from the place.

    "No problem," the owner replied, continuing his work.

    "Let me explain how they work," he said, placing his mechanical arm around Louis¡¯s neck.

    "Okay."

    "Perfect... Look, Louis, this device is a specialized cutter for sharpening and refining swords, powered by a modified arcane crystal that regulates it properly. The best part is that it has a system that detects human skin and stops instantly thanks to this amethyst eye," he said, pointing at each component as he explained.

    "That¡¯s incredible, professor. Where do they make those modified arcane crystals?" Louis asked, astonished and excited.

    "In the eastern zone!... Here, they create all kinds of magical and mechanical artifacts. Plus, the grand bank is here, where all the money is managed properly... or at least it was before. With this new king, everything is wrong, even if people seem calm," he said, slightly annoyed at the end, lowering his voice as they reached the eastern zone.

    "In the eastern zone!... Here, they create all kinds of magical and mechanical artifacts. Also, this is where the grand bank is located, where all the money is properly managed... or at least, that¡¯s how it used to be. With this new king, everything is wrong, even though you see many people acting calm," he expressed, slightly annoyed at the end, lowering his voice as they arrived in the eastern zone.

    "What¡¯s up with that king? I always hear people complaining about him," Louis asked curiously as he walked.

    "He steals most of the kingdom''s money, leaving only a small portion of the profits from business with other kingdoms so that people don¡¯t realize we¡¯re not progressing economically. But Mei and I are not fooled," he replied, annoyed, speaking in a low voice as they walked.

    "And why don¡¯t you do anything? Miss Mei is a paladin," he said, confused, furrowing his brow.

    "Well... the king expelled her and other paladins because they discovered what he was planning. He took advantage of the last project left by the former king, which was about to be launched, to make it seem like it was his, and with that, he won over the entire kingdom... He¡¯s just trash," he responded in a low voice.

    "I see. And... why are you speaking in a low voice, professor?" Louis asked, lowering his voice and placing one of his hands beside his mouth.

    "The citizens are very bothersome and protective of their king, so we have to avoid saying anything bad about him near them," he replied, leaning closer to Louis to keep others from hearing.

    "I understand... It seems like there are problems in every kingdom," Louis mentioned, remembering his own kingdom and taking on a sad expression.

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    "Your kingdom too? Hmm... well, I guess that¡¯s normal. By the way, that blue necklace you have, what is it? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s just an ordinary stone," he asked curiously.

    "Should I tell him?..." he thought, recalling the past while looking at his necklace... Then, he took it and pressed it lightly. "It¡¯s a gift from my father and my master. It¡¯s a necklace with sky blue magic. It helps me control my powers and has a spell that prevents me from taking it off," he responded, trying not to show his sadness and hiding his gaze.

    "Sky blue magic... how interesting! Someday, I want to meet your father and your master," he said, very interested, dropping the subject.

    "If he knew... he¡¯d surely kick me out of the house instantly," Louis thought, keeping his gaze averted.

    "Well, now let¡¯s go... to the western zone! Here, you can find all kinds of food: fruits, vegetables, legumes, etc. Plus, there are restaurants and the city''s entertainment centers. If you¡¯re going to invite someone, I recommend the Dinat restaurant¡ªthey cook wonderfully!" he said, buying two apples and handing one to Louis. "Also! Mei''s PT agency is located here, but they are undercover to avoid suspicion," he whispered into Louis''s ear.

    "Really? Should we say hi!?" Louis said, eager to see her.

    "Ehh... better not," he expressed, slightly disgusted, taking a bite of his apple.

    "What? Why?" Louis asked, puzzled, taking a bite of his apple as well.

    "Mei is very..." Before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted.

    "Mei is very... what?" Mei repeated in her sweet and soft voice, standing behind them with a communicator in hand. Beside her was a strong and determined-looking girl. Her long hair was dark with red-tipped ends. Her eyes were an intense reddish-blue color, and she was 169 cm tall. She wore a buttoned white shirt, dark bluish pants, a dark modern-style jacket, white shoes with black stripes, and on her chest, she had a circular red gem the size of an apple. "I called you ten times, it¡¯s urgent!" Mei expressed, annoyed.

    "I left my communicator, sorry. What¡¯s so urgent?" he asked curiously, scratching his head.

    Mei saw Louis, and an idea instantly crossed her mind. "Louis, why don¡¯t you go on a mission outside the city with Kassie? I¡¯ll introduce you... Kassie, this is Louis A. Keeper, paladin of the Alahead kingdom. Louis, this is Kassie Matther, from the Aquamirae kingdom".

    "Mei!" Kassie exclaimed, nervous.

    "Ah, sorry, I forgot. Forget the last part, Louis. Kassie, go with him to the eastern harvest," she said, then approached the professor. *"Jonathan, I need you to tell me where you get your invisible shields,"* she whispered, looking around to see if anyone was listening.

    "Don¡¯t call me Jonathan! And... why do you need an invisible shield?" he expressed, slightly annoyed.

    "That idiot! He left the farmers without a shield, plus there¡¯s not a single guard with them. We need to fix this quickly," she expressed angrily, lowering her voice so no one could hear. "Guys, go quickly, they need your help there. Ririam said some creatures are getting in, so be careful".

    Louis turned to Kassie and greeted her. "Nice to meet you," he said, inclining his head.

    "Thank you, same... I think," she responded, puzzled by Louis¡¯s gesture. "Well, follow me, we need to hurry to the eastern zone," she said, taking Louis¡¯s hand and raising the other to hail a car.

    While they were in the car, Kassie curiously asked, "Are those contact lenses?".

    "What are those?" Louis asked, confused by the question.

    "You don¡¯t know? Wow, your eyes are natural! That¡¯s incredible..." she expressed, surprised, leaning on her elbow while looking out the window.

    "Thanks..." Louis said, feeling happy. "Seriously, this kingdom is amazing; it has so many things I don¡¯t know and different people," Louis thought.

    Louis and Kassie remained silent until they reached the southern exit.

    "This place is amazing!" Louis commented, getting out of the car and seeing some technological devices used by the people.

    Kassie paid the driver and then approached Louis, confused by his behavior. "You think so? I see it as normal..." she expressed indifferently while looking at the devices. "Does your kingdom not have technology like this?" she asked as she walked toward the kingdom¡¯s exit.

    "Not at all, all of this is new to me," he responded, smiling while following Kassie and observing the objects.

    "I see... Sir, can you take us to the eastern agricultural zone, please?" Kassie respectfully asked.

    "Of course, hop in! That''ll be 150 ystires," the carriage driver responded.

    "A cabin for the driver! Incredible... Way better than the ones in my kingdom," Louis mentioned as he observed the carriage, while the driver introduced himself to Kassie as Marti.

    "By the way... what brings you to this kingdom, Louis?" she asked inside the carriage as Louis got in.

    "My master told me I had to go out and see the world to become a better paladin, but I think I mainly did it to change my life," he responded sincerely, warmth in his voice as the carriage sped away.

    "Your voice..." Kassie muttered, surprised, without thinking.

    "My voice?" Louis repeated, confused, tilting his head.

    "Forget it..." she said, turning her gaze toward the window. "So, you''re not looking to advance in the paladin ranking?" she asked while continuing to look outside.

    "There¡¯s a ranking? I didn¡¯t know that. Honestly, all I want is to live in peace and not be judged, helping as many people as I can. I don¡¯t care about a ranking at all, though it might be exciting to be on one," he responded sincerely, his voice warm again.

    "I see... (That warmth again, like my brother... But how does he generate that feeling of security?)" she thought, once again noticing Louis¡¯s warm voice and feeling safe with him.

    Suddenly, the roars of creatures were heard in the distance.

    "Those were the roars of Linfari and Quirit¨¢nidas," said Louis and Kassie at the same time. Kassie was surprised that Louis knew about these creatures. "Sir, stop, we have to see what''s happening," Kassie knocked on the metal window behind her, making the driver stop.

    "Oh my God! What are those creatures doing here?" Marti exclaimed, terrified upon seeing them.

    Louis and Kassie got out and saw the two creatures fighting in a nearby lagoon.

    "I must go and get them out of here. You go to the southern harvest," Kassie said, taking off her shoes and starting to run toward the lagoon.

    "Wait! I can help, I''m good at swimming," Louis said, watching her leave.

    "I prefer to do this... alone, please," she said, with evident nervousness in her voice and a worried expression, stopping because of Louis'' comment.

    "Huh? ... Alright, I''ll go to the harvest," Louis replied, noticing her reaction and returning to the carriage. "Sir Marti, continue toward the harvest."

    "I¡¯ll try to take you, but honestly, I don''t want to stay around here too long after seeing those things!" he responded. He started the carriage again; it was moving so fast that it trembled.

    "Sir... don''t you think... you could go a little... more calmly?!" Louis exclaimed, hitting against the carriage walls due to the speed and the sharp turns.

    "It can''t be, GIANT EAGLES!" Marti shouted as he turned so sharply that the carriage ended up overturning.

    "Sir, are you okay?" Louis asked, concerned as he got out of the carriage.

    "Yes, luckily, I bought insurance," Marti replied, peeking out from the cabin door.

    "Get out quickly! I need to get you to a safe place," Louis said, pulling him out of the carriage effortlessly.

    "But... my horses!" Marti exclaimed as he ran alongside Louis.

    "They''ll be fine! Eagles don¡¯t hunt them because they¡¯re too tough and heavy," Louis replied while heading toward a cabin.

    "I think you''ll be safe here... Get inside, I''ll come back for you later," Louis said, scanning the area before turning back.

    "Wait, you''re leaving me alone?!" Marti exclaimed in fear, grabbing Louis'' coat.

    "Hey, what are you doing?! Let go of me! I have to see if anyone else needs my help!" Louis shouted, struggling with Marti.

    "I won''t let you go! What if there''s a monster nearby? You have a recognition badge and a katana, you must be really strong, so protect... me...!" Marti screamed, still clinging to the coat.

    "Don''t be selfish...!" Louis pulled harder, but a loud sonic explosion halted their argument.

    "I told you, there are monsters nearby," Marti said fearfully, hiding behind Louis.

    "That was sonic magic..." Louis said, circling the cabin to see where the explosion had come from. "The cabin is destroyed," he thought, then heard something moving in the bushes. He took his stance, ready to draw his katana, while Marti stood behind him.

    "Finally, people! Please, help me! My husband is injured," a woman cried out, running toward Louis with tears on her face.

    Venturing into the harvest, Louis followed Mari to where her husband was. Nervous upon seeing the gaping wound in the man¡¯s stomach, Louis tried to feel his pulse, but it was already too late to help him.

    "No, please! Do something..." she knelt beside her husband and noticed the badge on Louis'' waist. "You''re a paladin, you must have magic to help him, please," she pleaded, sobbing in despair.

    "I''m sorry... but my magic can''t help anyone," Louis replied, feeling guilt and resignation. "Damn it, if only I had arrived earlier," he thought, punching the ground.

    "How is this possible?... What happened? The shields were supposed to protect us, and there were knights guarding the area," she said while embracing her husband, her tears continuing to fall.

    "What caused this?!" Louis demanded with seriousness in his voice.

    "A werewolf... He entered our harvest at dawn and... We tried to run, but my husband sacrificed himself to save me... to save us. Then, someone else helped me, but I think he''s still fighting it," she responded while touching her husband¡¯s face and her belly.

    "A werewolf..." Louis thought, surprised. Behind him, a giant, muscular figure was rising from the harvest.

    "Watch out!" Marti shouted, his eyes widening at the sight.

    Louis turned, but in an instant, he was struck in the face, sent flying, and crashing into the ground and the harvest.

    "I found you... Hahaha, I knew you wouldn¡¯t leave for that man, and now we have more prey. Now, everyone will suffer my wrath, EVERYONE!" the werewolf declared sadistically as Mari clutched her husband and Marti fell to the ground in fear.

    With a powerful leap, Louis struck the werewolf with his katana, but the beast blocked the attack with its claws. They then exchanged fierce blows, clashing claws against the blade. The werewolf launched a stronger attack, but Louis deflected it with his katana.

    "Take this, you bastard!" Louis punched the werewolf in the face, sending it flying through the harvest and crashing into the ground, leaving a massive trail behind.

    Louis began conjuring two lava hounds. Straining himself, he shaped their legs entirely from rock to prevent them from burning the ground and covered their bodies in a layer of stone. As he did this, his red eye began to glow. Mari and Marti watched in awe at the magic he wielded.

    "You need to get as far away as possible. They will protect you. I put this rock over their skin, but still, try not to touch them," Louis instructed before following the werewolf¡¯s trail.

    "A child... A child did this to me?!" the werewolf roared in fury, pressing his fists against the ground in rage. "Damn you!"

    "Surrender and face judgment for your crimes!" Louis demanded as he approached.

    "What are you saying? It''s either you die here... or I do!" the werewolf shouted, lunging at Louis with his claws, slashing at the harvest instead of him.

    "I need to lure him away as far as possible," Louis thought, dodging swiftly and leading the fight into the forest.

    "What¡¯s wrong? Now you''re running? Hahaha," the werewolf taunted, continuing his ferocious attacks, leaving deep claw marks on the trees. Splinters flew everywhere, and one cut Louis'' cheek.

    Louis studied his movements, dodging easily and ignoring the small wound, which began healing instantly.

    "You... have magic, damn mages!" the werewolf yelled in rage, attacking again. Louis evaded, and a tree collapsed as its trunk was shredded by the werewolf''s claws.

    Louis heated his katana to a glowing red and severed the werewolf¡¯s claws before delivering a punch to its jaw, sending it crashing into a tree.

    "Damn it, I should have gone back to create the artifact... I won¡¯t die to a mage, let alone a child," the werewolf thought, standing as the tree behind him fell. His claws grew longer and turned black.

    Both locked eyes for a moment until... they clashed, sword against claw!

    "They¡¯ve become tougher... The books I read never mentioned this," Louis thought, continuing his attacks and blocking the werewolf¡¯s strikes.

    The werewolf managed to push Louis back, leading him near a cliff. Louis realized this and flicked small drops of lava onto the werewolf¡¯s chest, making him cry out in pain. Then, he slashed his chest again.

    "Damn you!" the werewolf roared, clenching his teeth so hard that blood dripped from his gums as he lunged to grab Louis with both arms.

    Louis leaped over him, coated his fist in lava, and struck his back, making the beast collapse in agony.

    "That should be all," Louis mentioned as he made the lava lose its temperature.

    "Lava... That''s not fair..." he thought, enduring the pain and breathing heavily. "I won¡¯t lose to magic!" he shouted, using all his strength with his arm to attack.

    Louis blocked the attack, but he managed to cut off his left arm, forcing Louis to take a step back.

    "Hahaha, I did it, now I just have to..." he thought, laughing as he watched Louis wounded.

    The werewolf blinked, and Louis had already leaped in front of him. He grabbed the werewolf¡¯s head and smashed it against the ground, breaking his nose. Then, Louis lifted his head and let go, making him fall onto his back. Exhausted and drained, the werewolf did not get up again.

    "I can survive these wounds, but this boy won¡¯t let me go. My death means nothing; they¡¯re almost ready anyway... Heh, 240 years will be worth it if those bastards die," he thought, breathing heavily.

    He tried to step back a little, but he felt he was at the edge of the cliff.

    "Sigh... Just kill me, I don¡¯t want to keep looking at you..." he said after seeing Louis¡¯s face, which reflected pity, while his left arm was healing.

    "No..." Louis replied, sheathing his katana.

    The werewolf was willing to do anything, but... as he tried to continue the battle, he slipped.

    Louis managed to grab his hand and tried to pull him up, but...

    "Hehehehe, death to the mages!" he said sadistically and, with his claws, scratched Louis¡¯s hand, making him let go.

    At this action, Louis watched with pity as the werewolf fell. Then, he turned around, closing his eyes.

    As he walked, Louis saw the hunter¡¯s corpse in the distance. He approached and tried to carry it, but he couldn¡¯t. A fear inside him filled his mind; his hands trembled uncontrollably.

    "I need Kassie¡¯s help," he said sadly and continued on his way.

    Louis reached Mart¨ª and Mari, called the dogs to come closer, and absorbed them with his hands.

    "Are you okay?" Mart¨ª asked after seeing Louis¡¯s arm.

    "Yeah, he only managed to cut my coat and glove. Can you come with me? I need help carrying the bodies; we¡¯ll use your horses," Louis replied seriously.

    "Of course... Let¡¯s go," Mart¨ª answered, following Louis.

    Louis and Mart¨ª took the horses to transport the corpses, covering them with blankets that Mari had in the cabin.

    "It looks like the eagles are gone. Let¡¯s go," Louis commented after looking at the sky as they left the southern harvest field.

    "Louis! Over here!" Kassie shouted from afar as she ran toward him.

    "Kassie..." Louis thought as he saw her. "Were you able to drive away the creatures?" he asked when Kassie finally reached him.

    "Yes, it was a bit difficult, but yes," she replied, slightly out of breath. "What... happened?" she asked, her gaze lost as she saw the corpses on the horses.

    "I¡¯ll tell you on the way," he replied, sadness and guilt reflected on his face.

    Louis, Kassie, Mart¨ª, and Mari managed to return to the kingdom, and as they arrived, they saw knights heading toward the southern harvest field. Mari could no longer walk due to her pregnancy, and Kassie took her by car to the PT agency. Louis and Mart¨ª arrived much later, delivering the bodies to Mei.

    Mei and the professor were talking in Mei¡¯s office.

    "This is horrible... What was that priest thinking, putting that trash on the throne?" Mei said, both angry and sad, sitting in her chair, pressing both hands together.

    "Now we have even more crucial witnesses to remove him from power," Professor Maxwell said, sitting on a couch in Mei¡¯s office.

    "Even so, it¡¯s not fair... for anyone. It wasn¡¯t just in the south; four people also died in the east, and three in the west," she replied, lowering her head in frustration.

    "You can¡¯t do everything, Mei... You¡¯re in a very difficult position, but we have to remove that man as soon as possible. After what happened today, people will start losing the trust they had in him," Maxwell added, standing up from the chair and looking out the window.

    "And Louis?" she asked, lifting her head again.

    "The poor guy felt guilty for not saving those two people, but the pregnant woman, Mari, managed to calm him down," the professor responded while continuing to look out the window.

    "Poor thing... I had never failed so much before... Everything always turned out perfectly for me, but since the king died... everything has fallen apart," she said, staring at the floor.

    "Well, let¡¯s hope everything goes well now, because if not, you might have to cut ties with the church as a last resort. Well, I¡¯ll be off, Mei, I need to talk to Louis," the professor said, opening the office door.

    "Of course, I¡¯ll go see Xitlari to check if the shields have already been placed." Mei got up from her chair and left with the professor.

    Louis was outside, on the roof of the agency.

    "Louis... Are you okay?" Kassie asked, walking across the roof of the agency with some difficulty.

    "Yes, I am, but... I also feel afraid," Louis responded, somewhat calm but expressionless.

    "Well, it doesn¡¯t seem like it... You remind me of my brother. He was just like you; he cared a lot about doing everything right, and if something went wrong, he felt guilty, even if it wasn¡¯t his fault. He acted strong all the time," she said with melancholy, sitting beside him.

    "Did he die?" he asked, but Kassie didn¡¯t respond. "I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have asked that...".

    "It¡¯s okay... I think you¡¯re very sensitive. You remind me of Xitlari; she¡¯s also very sensitive, like you. Well, I hope we can go on a mission together someday," she said, smiling, standing up, and climbing down from the roof.

    "Likewise," Louis replied, calmer, with a slight smile on his face as he watched her leave.

    "Like me? I wonder who... that girl named Xitlari is," he said as he removed his gloves and looked at his hands. "Is that why you wanted me to leave... master? To learn that I won¡¯t always be able to help everyone? Should I have killed the werewolf? But... I never could have. I... must never kill anyone... ever again".

    End of chapter.

 Consecuences for the future #4 (second part)

    In the wonderful and little-explored northern lands, we find a rather isolated kingdom, where a woman with long yellow hair and red eyes was pacing back and forth in a room of the king¡¯s palace in Alahead. She wore golden and white armor.

    Suddenly, a window in the room opened... and a man entered in a rather... unusual way, creating many green ribbons around him with magic coming from his right hand. His hair was short and messy, bright green in color, and his green eyes reflected a mix of confidence and security. He wore a long-sleeved white shirt with an open collar, paired with a dark long vest, and his pants and shoes were a dark green. His belt held a kind of pouch, and he also had six fingers on each hand.

    ¡°You¡¯re still doing your weird stuff, huh?¡± she said sarcastically as she saw him enter the room.

    ¡°Lin, Lin, one day you¡¯ll understand how important it is to make a stylish entrance,¡± he said proudly while absorbing his magic.

    ¡°Well then? How¡¯s Louis?¡± she asked as she sat down.

    ¡°Louis? Uhm... Is that why you called me? Well... Uhh... I haven¡¯t seen him,¡± he replied nervously, touching his head and shifting his eyes from side to side.

    ¡°What are you saying? You said you¡¯d go see him, and if he¡¯s in trouble! What about his collar?¡± she said, worried, standing up from the chair and approaching Rei.

    ¡°Calm down, calm down, don¡¯t worry. The collar would have already alerted me if something were wrong, don¡¯t think it hasn¡¯t... I have everything under control... hehe,¡± he said, a bit nervously, trying to reassure her while standing behind her and attempting to massage her shoulders. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you should stop wearing your armor all the time?¡±

    ¡°No, just like you love making your weird entrances, I prefer to wear my armor all the time,¡± she responded, turning around and removing Rei¡¯s hands from her shoulders.

    ¡°... You¡¯re afraid it will happen again, aren¡¯t you? Lin... I have everything under control, this phase is part of my process to become a better paladin, and believe me, Louis needs it,¡± he said after a moment of silence and began to speak with confidence and calm.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m scared! I could lose him if something like that happens again, and not only that, the people of Ystir will consider us enemies. Your decision is completely irresponsible, I don¡¯t know how the king accepted it,¡± she said, raising her voice and cornering Rei against the wall while poking him with her finger.

    ¡°Calm down! Everything is fine, nothing has happened. Lin... you need to trust your son more,¡± he said, a bit nervous about Lin¡¯s words.

    ¡°I trust my son, but not that magic or the collar,¡± she replied, annoyed.

    ¡°I have everything under control, I can monitor the collar; I will immediately use my magic to go wherever he is and prevent any catastrophe, but I assure you that nothing bad will happen, he controls his powers well, you saw it yourself,¡± he said seriously, moving away from Lin and taking a jar from a cabinet.

    ¡°... Even so, I don¡¯t think it was a good idea to let him go alone,¡± she said, crossing her arms and looking away.

    ¡°Courrr-coo, kuh,¡± said a messenger crow through the window.

    ¡°Huh? The church...¡± he said, puzzled, opening the window and taking the letter. ¡°Damn,¡± he muttered after reading the letter once he opened the envelope.

    ¡°What happened?¡± she asked, trying to see the letter.

    ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just a problem of mine, don¡¯t worry,¡± he said calmly, storing the letter back in the envelope.

    Lin used her magic and made Rei crash against the room¡¯s wall, causing a mess throughout the place.

    ¡°What are you doing? Are you crazy? Huh? The letter?...¡± he asked angrily, getting up from the floor, and then panicked when he didn¡¯t see the letter in his hand.

    ¡°You... you¡¯re an idiot! You put that he was only human? And with fire magic! I knew it was strange that they accepted him so easily. I have to get him out of Ystir before they...¡± she yelled angrily after reading the letter and then threw it in Rei¡¯s face.

    Rei created a barrier in front of Lin, preventing her from leaving. ¡°Of course not, you won¡¯t do anything! I will fix this, I already have everything under control,¡± he said seriously, getting up and taking the letter.

    ¡°You better remove this, or I¡¯ll wreck your room again,¡± she said angrily, seeing the green barrier in front of her.

    ¡°Calm down, Lin, remember that the king put me in charge of Louis, and I will answer for everything. I knew they would discover what I did, only it took them less time than expected,¡± he said seriously and with a bit of concern. Lin tried to hit him, but he created a barrier in front of her, which cracked and then immediately restored itself.

    ¡°I swear everything is fine. I had to do it; if the current priest discovered we had someone with lava magic who was half-demon, they would have had him executed! And the king wasn¡¯t going to refuse the affiliation for your son. I have a friend I met in the war against Mayestad, and his son will take over as priest and allow Louis to live. I know what I¡¯m doing, Lin...¡± he said seriously, looking directly into Lin¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°But... still, it¡¯s not safe for him to wander around the kingdoms, he could have waited!¡± she said sadly, lowering her head but understanding Rei¡¯s words.

    ¡°Remember that if a paladin remains idle, they will lose their status, and if they lose it, nothing will protect them, and they will be hunted throughout the lands of Lyran. Here he does nothing because everyone hates him, but I told him he would primarily help the people of Ystir, although I think he already had those intentions. He has always wanted to help others because he watched you from a young age,¡± Rei mentioned, removing the barrier and consoling Lin, smiling at the end of his words.

    ¡°You better make sure nothing happens to him...¡± she said as a tear escaped from her right eye.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry... I promised it to Elio. Haha, what¡¯s the matter? I thought you were still tough and strong,¡± he said with a smile, seeing Lin¡¯s face.

    ¡°I still am!¡± she said, punching him in the face.

    *Kingdom of Ystir - Professor Maxwell¡¯s House*

    ¡°All right, Louis, you will deliver all these packages. I trust you; if anyone gets angry, just tell them I already delivered the package and I can leave now,¡± said the professor while showing him the 50 packages he had to deliver.

    ¡°Very well... I will do my best not to disappoint you,¡± said Louis with determination.

    Louis began delivering the packages from the eastern zone. He carried two if they were large, four if they were medium-sized, and the small ones in big bags.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t he be using the bike?¡± Hanks asked, confused as he saw Louis walking with boxes on his back.

    ¡°Let¡¯s say the bike won¡¯t be used for a while,¡± replied the professor, pointing to where it was.

    ¡°But what happened to it?¡± Hanks asked, scared when he saw it destroyed.

    ¡°I tried to teach him to use it, but... he always crashed, so... that¡¯s how it ended up. We¡¯ll fix it later. Well, let¡¯s prepare the materials to leave after Louis finishes,¡± said the professor, heading to his lab.

    ¡°All right, sir... Poor bike,¡± Hanks said with pity as he followed him.

    *Eastern Zone*

    ¡°Good morning, delivery from Professor Maxwell!¡±

    ¡°Thank heavens, I urgently needed this,¡± said a woman when she saw Louis.

    ¡°Sorry for the delay,¡± said Louis, bowing his head.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I heard Joel, the former delivery boy, got married and moved to the kingdom of Dajara. Put them here,¡± said the woman while arranging some things and then showed Louis the place.

    ¡°Kill her...¡± said a deep, dark, and resonant voice.

    ¡°Huh?¡± He looked around, confused. ¡°Did I hear something?¡± Louis asked.

    ¡°Hear what?¡± asked the woman, confused.

    ¡°Nothing, I guess it was my imagination,¡± Louis replied, placing the packages in their place.

    *King¡¯s Palace*

    In the king¡¯s palace, in a room that surpassed luxury, was Count Jens, the current king of Ystir. His hair was gray but well-kept, he was short in stature, and he wore pajamas.

    "Ahhhh, it feels so good to be king! Finally, I have what I deserve, and I no longer have to follow King Liu''s orders, huh? Now I''m the king... I don''t have to call him that, hahaha. Old fool, now I''m in charge here, at least for a while! I have to stash my money well; Prince Lue will take the throne when he turns 18, but I won''t lose my luxuries, and with Rays helping me, everything will go perfectly," he said as he relaxed on his giant bed, with a large table full of food to his right. The walls of the room were white, and it had a large window with golden frames. Additionally, the room had three doors: one to the left of the bed leading to the bathroom, and the other two for entering and exiting the room.

    "Sir Jens! I need to speak with you," said a man, knocking on one of the doors; his voice was deep and resonant, with a strong tone.

    "Come in, Reck!" Jens replied, a bit annoyed.

    "Sir, I need to..." he said as he entered the room. He was a dark-skinned man, very muscular and 190cm tall. His torso was covered by heavy black armor, which matched the pants, shoes, and gauntlets of the same material. His hair was short and dark, and his brown eyes showed determination and irritation.

    "Before you say anything, no more ''sir.'' I''m the King! Understood?" Jens interrupted him with an arrogant and high-pitched voice.

    "Yes, King Jens," Reck replied with annoyance, clenching his hand and trying not to show a look of disgust.

    "Good, now tell me what you want, Reck," Jens said, grabbing a grape from the table while lying down.

    "The cells on level one need maintenance and more guards. What the hell are you doing with the guards?" Reck asked, trying to speak delicately to avoid angering him.

    "I do with the knights whatever I want! Shut up and just take care of the cells. And if they need maintenance, why don''t you handle it? Aren''t you the best paladin in the kingdom? Serve your King well," Jens said, angry, getting up and standing in front of him.

    "Understood..." Reck responded, making a grimace of annoyance, and he left the room.

    "Good, knights, come and attend to your king," Jens said, clapping, and many knights entered through the other door. The men fanned him to give him air, and the women massaged him and offered him food. "Perfect... Hmm, this is delicious!"

    "Rays! You better do something, this is nonsense!" Reck said to a man with light green hair, short and neatly styled, falling softly over his forehead. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his green eyes reflected no emotion. He wore a formal outfit with a dark green jacket over a well-ironed white shirt, complemented by a matching green tie. Over his attire, he wore a dark brown harness that held what seemed to be technological equipment.

    "I''ll try to talk to him, Reck, but honestly, I doubt anyone will escape," Rays said, disinterested and tired, with a cold, emotionless voice, leaning against a palace pillar.

    "Seriously, what happened to you? You used to do everything right," Reck said, disappointed, and walked away from Rays.

    "Say what you want... I don''t care anymore," Rays replied coldly, watching him go.

    *Western Zone - PT Agency*

    Mei was sitting at her desk, organizing many papers in her office.

    "Canbel! Where are the documents on the woman Mari Yoffiner?" Mei asked after finishing reviewing the papers she had.

    "Here they are, boss! I''m sorry I didn''t hand them over earlier, I lost track of time, I''m so sorry," Canbel said nervously yet respectfully, quickly entering the office, showing his worry for failing the task.

    "It''s fine, don''t worry, take a break, okay?" Mei said with her sweet and gentle voice.

    "Yes, boss..." he replied as he left the place with his head down.

    "He takes it very seriously..." Mei said when Canbel left the office. The communicator on Mei''s desk began to ring. "Tell me, did something happen, Mern?" she asked with a small smile on her face.

    "Not at all, I just wanted to hear your sweet voice," Mern replied with a somewhat confident and relaxed voice, with a playful tone over the communicator.

    "Haha, you''re silly. Tell me, is Donquichua okay?" Mei said, laughing sweetly, blushing slightly.

    "He''s fine, he was the first I visited. He seems quite well. I''m almost done here in the kingdom of Dajara. Tell me, did I miss anything while I was away?" he said happily over the communicator.

    "*Sigh* You have no idea... That scoundrel didn''t maintain the farmers'' barriers, and people died due to creatures entering their areas. Damn bastard! I have to remove him from that place as soon as possible," Mei said angrily, hitting her desk as she recalled everything.

    "I''m sorry, I should''ve been there..." Mern said with regret.

    "No... It''s obviously not your fault. Besides, we have help from a new paladin, apparently from the kingdom of Alahead. His name is Louis A. Keeper. He''s a good boy, but he lacks experience," she said more calmly, standing up from her chair.

    "Alahead... I think I saw that on the church news, though the surname Keeper sounds a bit... Huh? I have to go, Mei, Diamo just arrived," he said, trying to recall but was interrupted.

    "Alright, goodbye!" Mei said sweetly.

    "Remember that I love you!" Mern said with excitement before hanging up.

    "Yeah, yeah... *Sigh* Mern..." Mei mentioned with a small smile on her face as she put away her communicator.

    Suddenly, two large explosions were heard in the distance, seemingly at the king''s palace.

    "What was that? It can''t be..." she said, surprised by the explosion, looking out the window, where she saw it came from the palace. "Damn it! What did you do now?" Mei immediately left her office.

    *Outside the Palace*

    "Let''s go!" "Freedom!" "Hahahaha!" many prisoners said as they fled the palace and the walls surrounding it, while people ran terrified by the event.

    "We have to be careful, brothers, first we need to get rid of these bracelets," Kein said, running with his brothers.

    "Brother, but Rubel..." Jhin said, running to Kein''s right.

    "We''ll get him out another time. First, we need equipment," Kein replied to Jhin.

    "We have to find the guy with the golden mask; he was the one who caused the explosion. I''m sure he has something to remove the bracelets," Inock said while running to Kein''s left.

    "Very well, let''s find him!" Kein said determinedly.

    *Western Zone*

    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    "Good afternoon, Professor Maxwell''s delivery! *Sigh* I finally finished..." Louis said relieved, arriving at a store in the West.

    "Oh, you must be the new delivery boy. Thank you so much, I was almost about to buy elsewhere," said the store owner when he saw Louis.

    "Burn it..." said a deep, dark, and resonant voice.

    "Not again!" Louis said, frightened by hearing that voice once more, looking around.

    "Is something wrong?" asked the owner.

    "It''s nothing! Uh... I... I¡¯m very sorry they were delivered a day late, I had to learn how the entire kingdom was," Louis said sincerely, lowering his head.

    "Learn...? You''re not from here? Well, then I wish you the best of luck," the owner replied.

    "Thank you very much, sir," Louis said gratefully and left the place. "What the hell are those voices?"

    Two explosions echoed in the distance, their echoes reverberating in the air like distant roars. The ground vibrated slightly beneath his feet as Louis looked up, uneasy, watching columns of smoke begin to rise on the horizon.

    "What happened...? I don''t have my katana... What do I do now?" he murmured uncertainly as he stood atop a tall building, watching the panic in the streets as people fled their homes, terrified by the explosions.

    A great yellow wind began to spread over the entire eastern area, like a soft veil of translucent shades swirling around. "Huh? What''s that?" Louis, determined, hurried towards the site of the explosion.

    "Captain, please... slow doooown! Aaaaa!" Kassie shouted as Mei drove at full speed, her expression both angry and determined.

    Upon arriving, Mei immediately got out of the car, her scimitar in her right hand.

    "You criminals! Return to your cells, or I''ll give each... and every one of you a sweet and gentle beating again!" Mei declared, clearly annoyed but still speaking in a soft tone.

    "Thank God..." Kassie said as she got out of the car, kneeling and touching the ground.

    "Please, there are way more of us than you. There''s no way you can take us all down," responded a man wearing a golden mask.

    "Don''t be an idiot, Jori! We better get out of here, that''s the ex-paladin Mei," whispered the one in the gray mask.

    "There are so many of us, Tryl, and besides, if things get ugly, we''ll just escape while she fights the others," he replied confidently.

    "You there, with the masks! You''re men of Zthur, aren''t you?" Mei said, fixing her gaze on the two.

    "Oh no..." Jori said, visibly scared.

    "You blew it..." Tryl said, disappointed.

    "You''ll come with me; we''re going to have a nice chat," Mei said, gripping her scimitar along with its sheath.

    Mei rushed towards them all. Tryl and Jori started running to escape. Mei struck down anyone who approached her with her fists and her scimitar.

    "Let''s go, let''s go!" Jori said desperately.

    A large wall of ice surrounded all the prisoners. On top of the wall was Kassie, using her magic to immobilize the prisoners.

    "Damn it, over here, Jori!" Tryl said, spotting an alley.

    Mei saw the two heading into the alley and tried to follow, but many of the prisoners surrounded her.

    "This has to be a joke. Rayyyyss!" King Jens shouted, watching the chaos in the kingdom.

    "What do you want?" Rays said in his cold voice, entering the room.

    "Send Reck and the knights to capture the prisoners. I don''t want the people to start hating me! So... hurry up!" he ordered angrily, looking out at the kingdom through his window.

    "I''m on it..." Rays responded indifferently.

    "I''ll leave the rest to you, Kassie!" Mei said, heading down the alley where the men of Zthur had fled, while many prisoners lay on the ground.

    "Xitlari! Where did they go? Can you see them?" Mei asked, taking out her communicator from her pocket while running through the alley.

    "I see them heading to the eastern area. Looks like they''re going to exit by the central bank!" Xitlari responded through the communicator.

    "Thanks," Mei said, storing the communicator. She climbed up and began running across the rooftops.

    "Stop... bothering me!" Kassie said as she tried to capture them all.

    One of the prisoners used fire magic to melt the ice, causing Kassie to fall off the wall she created. "Get her!" the prisoners shouted, waiting for her to fall, but she immediately refroze the melted water and struck down all those waiting below.

    "Goodbye, little girl...!" said the prisoner with fire magic, aiming at her back.

    Before he could use his magic, he was hit in the face by a powerful right hook that dragged him across the ground.

    "Huh? Louis, thank you!" Kassie said upon seeing Louis save her.

    "What happened? Why are there so many of these guys?" he asked as he punched another approaching prisoner in the face.

    "I''m not exactly sure, but it''s probably the king''s fault!" she replied while continuing to capture the prisoners with her magic.

    One of the prisoners hit the ground, creating a wave of earth that headed toward Louis. He jumped over the wave, dodging it. The prisoner then pulled a large rock from the ground and threw it. With a single punch, the rock shattered into pieces, and with a kick, Louis knocked him out.

    "Whoa! You''re really strong," Kassie said, amazed.

    "Thanks, it''s all just training!" he responded as he dealt with two more prisoners.

    "Look, brother, it''s that boy," said Inock from a distance.

    "We''ll get our revenge eventually. Let''s head to the southern area to remove the bracelets before they create another lockdown," Kein said, calming his anger upon seeing Louis.

    "Louis... Use your magic! It will be easier to finish them off, so they never commit crimes again. Make them feel suffering..." said a deep, dark, and resonant voice.

    "What the hell...!" Louis said, startled by the voice. This distracted him, and he took an elbow to the face from a very large, tall man, sending him to the ground.

    "Come on, kid, hehehe," said the prisoner, about to strike with both hands raised above his head.

    Kassie pushed him away from Louis with her water magic, creating a strong current and capturing more prisoners. She then immobilized them by freezing the water.

    "Are you okay, Louis?" she asked, worried, as she approached him.

    "Yeah... I''m fine," he replied, hiding his face as it regenerated in an instant.

    "Capture them all! Don''t let them escape!" shouted a knight who had arrived with many others. "Thank you for your help, you can leave now," the knight said, approaching Louis and Kassie, and then moved on to capture the prisoners.

    *Eastern Zone*

    "This is your fault! You always run your mouth and get us into trouble!" Tryl shouted, annoyed, as he ran.

    "Don''t be mad! We''re almost there with Boss Yeynos, through this alley!" Jori said, running alongside Tryl.

    "Where do you think you''re going?" Mei said, dropping down in front of them.

    "Oh no...! From behind!" he exclaimed, scared, upon seeing her.

    Behind them was the scimitar, being controlled by Mei. Mei kicked Jori''s leg, making him fall, then slammed his face to the ground and put his hands behind his back. Tryl tried to punch her, but she stopped his fist with one hand. Mei grabbed his arm and pulled him in to punch him in the chest. Tryl fell to the ground, groaning from the pain.

    "It hurts... The hit that kid gave me still hurts a lot..." he thought, while enduring the pain lying on the floor.

    "Son of a..." Jori said, interrupted by Mei as she knocked him out with a single blow. She then struck Tryl with the scimitar, knocking him out as well.

    "Done... Where were you two headed, you idiots?" she said, putting her scimitar at her waist and scanning the alley. "Hmmm, I don¡¯t see anything; it¡¯s just a dead-end alley, but..." she mentioned as she started hitting the ground. "Nothing... Maybe you just got lost. Ann, can you come to my location? I have two guys who will be very helpful. Have you finished with the prisoners?" Mei said through the communicator.

    "Yes! Everything is under control. The knights have already arrived, and Ririam is talking to them; I¡¯ll be there right away!" Ann replied with a cheerful and bright voice through the communicator.

    "Perfect, I¡¯ll send you my coordinates," she said, ending the call and sending her location.

    *King''s Palace*

    "It seems everything is fine now. Tell me, Rays, did Reck say anything?" Jens asked, watching the knights bring back the prisoners.

    "I didn¡¯t even talk to him..." Rays replied, sitting in a chair, staring at the floor.

    "What!? How the hell did they capture the prisoners?" he asked, confused.

    "... Apparently, when I was looking for him, he had already gone out with everyone to capture them, creating three teams: one for the east, one for the west, and one for the north. He went east because it seems a level 3 prisoner managed to escape..." he said, with less coldness, lifting his head.

    "You are a...!" Reck said furiously, entering the king''s room.

    "Stop, don¡¯t come any closer; you seem very hostile, paladin Reck. You''d better back off," Rays said seriously, preventing Reck from approaching Jens.

    "You... You''re an idiot!" Reck said angrily, leaving the room.

    "Whoa... Thanks, Rays; my heart almost popped out," Jens said, fearfully, sitting on his bed.

    "I think I should strip him of his paladin title; it''s not safe for him to remain in the palace," Rays said, sitting back down.

    "I can¡¯t... If people find out, they will be scared and blame me. Reck is the strongest paladin in the kingdom, the only one who can guarantee our protection," he replied, worried.

    "Then stop being such an idiot. At this rate, you''ll lose your status in no time, even though you already have a lot of gold saved up," Rays said, rocking in the chair.

    "No! I need more! I don''t want to lose these luxuries; I''ll have to get serious," Jens said, heading to take a bath while Rays looked at him coldly.

    "I just have to endure this guy a little longer, and I¡¯ll leave..." Rays thought, standing up and leaving the room.

    **Northern Zone**

    "Kassie! Huh?" Mei said, flying in the sky with yellow wind magic. "Louis, what are you doing here? Weren''t you supposed to be delivering packages today?" she asked as she landed on the ground.

    "Yeah, but I started a bit early and finished quickly. Then I heard two explosions and couldn''t help but come to help," Louis replied sincerely, warmth in his voice.

    "That''s great; I¡¯m glad. Come on, I''ll take you to Maxwell," Mei said, noticing that warmth in Louis.

    "I think I''d prefer to walk..." Kassie said, a little scared to get into the car.

    "Don''t be scared; I''ll go slow!" she said in a carefree tone, although she clearly enjoyed the speed. "Ah... only Louis, Xitlari, and Ann enjoy it when I drive fast," she said with a slight smile of amusement on her face.

    As she drove, Mei received a voice message.

    "Mei... How much longer do I have to stay here? I want to go on a mission!" Xitlari asked, annoyed, through the communicator.

    "Calm down; I''ll find something for you, but remember you were the one who suggested the cameras," Mei replied, sending a voice message.

    "Hey, Louis! The one who sent the voice message is Xitlari. Poor thing hasn¡¯t been on a mission for quite a while," Kassie whispered to Louis.

    "Oh, really? That¡¯s too bad for her..." Louis said, feeling sorry for her.

    "What are you two talking about back there?" Mei asked, looking at them through the rearview mirror.

    "I was telling Louis about Xitlari. Maybe he should meet her," Kassie replied excitedly.

    "Hahaha, you know Xitlari isn¡¯t very sociable; she hardly talks to anyone other than you," Mei said, knowing she wouldn''t be interested in meeting Louis.

    "One day she has to stop being so lonely, but she talks a lot with you," Kassie said.

    "Yeah, but I''m a special case... We¡¯ll see when she meets Louis. And just in case I forget, Louis, don¡¯t be scared when you see her, or she¡¯ll hate you forever, got it?" Mei said with a mischievous smile and a warning tone while keeping her gaze fixed ahead.

    "Okay... I think so," he replied, puzzled by the warning.

    After a few minutes, Mei dropped Louis off at Professor Maxwell''s house and headed towards the PT agency. Louis knocked on the door until Hanks opened it and let him in.

    "Louis! Finally, I need you to take care of the house while I work on my project. Hanks, grab the red bag; I''ll take this one. How did the deliveries go?" the Professor said, waiting for him sitting on the stairs.

    "Well... A lady was very upset, but I followed your instructions and left after delivering the package," Louis replied, recalling the lady.

    "Hahaha, I can already imagine who it was, but it doesn¡¯t matter. Besides, you helped Mei, right?" he said as he got up from the stairs.

    "Yeah, apparently a lot of the prisoners escaped from the palace," Louis replied, worried as he remembered the hit he took.

    "Hmm, I heard about it from the news and the two explosions that were heard. Here, take this; press the button when it hits 5 PM. We¡¯ll be back at 6:30 PM," the professor said, handing him a remote with a single button.

    "What is this?" Louis asked, curious.

    "I''m glad you asked. This device activates the invisible shield, which is perfectly aligned with the house. The shield is made with invisible magic and the most refined protective magic, accumulated in an amethyst crystal," he replied enthusiastically after clearing his throat.

    "Incredible... I''ll take good care of it," Louis said, surprised, as he tucked the device into his trench coat.

    "Per...fect! We''re leaving, Hanks... Ah! And please don''t turn it on yet; I don''t want it to run out before the month is up, they''re quite expensive," the professor mentioned before walking out the door.

    "Understood!" Louis replied, closing the door. "Now... what do I do? I don¡¯t know where that voice is coming from, but it¡¯s annoying to hear," he thought as he headed to the kitchen to make a cheese and turkey sandwich.

    Louis finished preparing his food. "Thank you for the meal," he said before starting to eat. After eating, he began to meditate and exercise since he didn''t know what to do until he fell asleep sitting on the entrance stairs.

    Peeking his eyes open, he quickly woke up and went to check the time on the clock on the second floor.

    "Ah! I lost track of time!" he exclaimed, startled when he saw the clock, pulling the remote from his trench coat and activating the shield.

    "So this is the house of that professor; I expected it to have many defenses and such," a woman expressed, disappointed, as she looked at the house. She had black hair tied back in a ponytail with two bangs on each side of her face. Her eyes were white. She wore a dark, tight outfit that included a cloak and light armor, with a katana at her waist. She was short, and her face reflected that she was very young.

    "But, Kumi... We''re in a kingdom; it¡¯s obvious that no one would have their house with thousands of traps and defenses," said one of the four hooded figures that were with her.

    "Whatever... Let¡¯s finish quickly and go to my father... Huh?" she said, confused.

    "Is something wrong?" asked one of the hooded figures.

    "How unfortunate... It seems there is an invisible shield; what can we do about that?" she asked, crossing her arms.

    "Nothing..." was the instant reply.

    "What do you mean, nothing?! Find a solution!" she yelled, annoyed.

    "Be quiet, I want to sleep!" shouted an elderly woman.

    "Ugh... It¡¯s too early to sleep," Kumi said after hearing the old woman.

    "She¡¯s an elderly lady, Kumi..." one of the hooded figures mentioned.

    "Hey you! What are you doing?" Louis asked as he looked at them from the second-floor window.

    "Huh? Who is this boy? Hmmm," Kumi thought. "Hello! I''m the daughter of Professor Maxwell; I came to bring some things I forgot before I left for my trip," she said with a smile, clasping her hands together.

    "That''s the worst excuse I''ve ever heard, miss," said one of the hooded figures.

    "Shut up, clown!... Could you please let me look for my things? Please," she said kindly, with a fake smile.

    "She never mentioned being his daughter... And if you were his daughter, you wouldn¡¯t need to ask for my permission, would you? But it''s obvious that you''re not, so get out!" Louis said, instantly detecting the lie.

    "Ugh, idiot," she said upon hearing his response.

    "I think we can''t do anything; we should tell Mr. Yeynos," said one of the hooded figures.

    "Nothing of the sort!" she said decisively, drawing her katana and starting to hit the shield. "I promised... that I would bring him... the... piece!" she expressed as she struck the shield.

    "Hmmm, how long will it take her to break it... Maybe I should take care of them before the professor returns," Louis thought as he watched her hit the shield and headed to go down the stairs.

    "Yes... why don¡¯t you get rid of them? It would be easier and they wouldn''t cause any more trouble!" said a deep, dark, resonant voice.

    "Again! Who the hell are you and how did you get in?" he asked desperately upon hearing the voice.

    "Louis... Louis! I have always been with you... Since that moment... The most glorious moment of our lives..." the voice replied, and many images and memories flooded Louis''s mind.

    "No! Stop!" he said as he walked near the stairs.

    "Come on! I just started insisting!" the voice shouted with fury, causing Louis to fall down the stairs out of desperation and pain from recalling the past.

    "Get out of here..." he said, starting to breathe deeply, managing to calm down.

    "I still don''t have enough strength, but soon I will take what is due," the voice mentioned, disappearing from Louis''s mind, leaving him at peace.

    Louis looked at his hands, which were shaking... He got up and realized that the remote had broken from the fall. "Oh no..."

    "Ha, ha, I told you it would work; not even an invisible shield can stop me," he expressed proudly after kicking the door open while his companions applauded. "Oh... What happened to you? Did you fall down the stairs?" he said upon seeing Louis.

    "What do you care! You won''t take anything from Professor Maxwell," Louis said seriously, but a bit embarrassed, as he drew his katana.

    "Kumi, we''ll take care of this while you look for the piece, that way we''ll reach your father sooner," suggested one of the hooded figures.

    "What an incredible idea, then, go ahead!" Kumi said excitedly.

    Two of the hooded figures surrounded Louis as they spun chains they launched at him. Immediately, Louis dodged them and headed towards Kumi, but the chains managed to trap him nonetheless. "Huh? How did they do that?" he thought as he watched Kumi leap onto him and head for the professor¡¯s office while wearing a lens over her right eye. "Absolutely not!" Louis made the chains melt and followed Kumi... "White Mist Union!" the other two hooded figures said, bringing their palms together and creating two hands that grabbed Louis, preventing him from following Kumi. Then the hands disappeared, but Louis could not escape from the four hooded figures.

    The hooded figures threw smoke bombs and, very carefully, they took turns attacking Louis, managing to hurt him. Louis heated his katana, and when the next one approached, he cut their sword and then kicked them in the stomach after heating it with his magic. The others hesitated for a moment, but then they decided to attack all three at once. Louis managed to stop their attacks but was being overwhelmed until, with all his strength, he cut their three swords. Then he launched another kick, of which two ducked in time, but one received it, crashing into the wooden wall, which cracked from the impact.

    ¡°Damn, this guy is really good!¡± said one of the two remaining hooded figures as he stepped back.

    Louis jumped onto the stair railing and then kicked one of them in the face, sending him flying through the window of the left wall toward the entrance. He then punched the other in the back, causing him to fall and crack the ground upon impact.

    ¡°Perfect! Now burn them, ahahaha,¡± said the dark voice, reappearing.

    ¡°Get lost!¡± shouted Louis, furious, making the voice disappear as he headed toward Kumi.

    ¡°Come on, come on, aha! Here it is. That damn old man had it well hidden. Good thing I brought the dark commander¡¯s glasses,¡± he said as he spotted a secret compartment through the professor''s desk.

    Kumi crouched down and opened the compartment with her katana. ¡°Oh no, it can''t be... An arcane box!¡± she exclaimed in disappointment upon opening it. As she stood up, Louis was in front of her, and she began to dodge his attacks with great agility. At one point, Louis nearly shattered a shelf full of books. ¡°Ufff, that was close!¡± Kumi, seeing this, started using items to keep Louis from attacking her, throwing vases, pictures, and other valuable objects to distract him. ¡°Hey! This isn¡¯t fair!¡± she said while adjusting the vases.

    ¡°Hahaha, guys, let¡¯s go!¡± he shouted happily, escaping from Louis and going down the stairs... But upon seeing his defeated companions, she became furious and unsheathed her katana. ¡°You... will pay for this...¡± she said, furious, pointing her katana at Louis as she arrived at the scene.

    ¡°They''re fine, I just knocked them out. You better return that box. I don¡¯t want to hurt a woman,¡± he expressed respectfully, preparing to fight.

    Kumi approached and clashed her katana with Louis¡¯s. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me for being a woman,¡± she said angrily, striking forcefully and pushing Louis back. Then she jumped on him and, with all her might, attacked his head, but Louis blocked the blow using his katana with both hands, one on the handle and the other in the middle of the blade. The impact caused Louis to sink slightly into the floor, which shattered.

    Kumi stepped back, and Louis, not wasting any time, lunged to attack, putting the blade of his katana toward the ground and attacking with great speed. Kumi tried to keep up, but she couldn¡¯t believe he was winning. ¡°It can''t be... It¡¯s as if... he had read my moves!¡± she thought while trying to keep pace until Louis managed to cut her left arm and then kicked her, sending her crashing through the window of the right wall.

    Louis jumped through the window, positioning himself in front of her, but she didn¡¯t back down.

    ¡°I won¡¯t give up!¡± she exclaimed determinedly, trying to stand firm despite her injury.

    ¡°Do you still want to fight?¡± he thought. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re in any condition; return the box and surrender to the kingdom,¡± he expressed, a bit surprised by her determination.

    ¡°Of course not! I¡¯m not going anywhere! I must fight for my friends and for the promise I made to my father!¡± she expressed with great courage in her words.

    She started attacking Louis again, but her attacks were slow and easy to block... Louis, with a quick and precise movement, disarmed the girl, making her weapon fly from her hands with a single cut of his katana. Kumi didn¡¯t care and got into a fighting stance to use her fists.

    Louis stood in silence, surprised by her bravery, and struck her in the stomach with the hilt of his katana, making her fall to the ground.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough...¡± Louis expressed, feeling pity. ¡°You¡¯re good, but you need to practice a lot more, although you did well,¡± he said, trying to make her feel better.

    ¡°Don¡¯t say silly things!¡± she shouted, annoyed.

    ¡°What a girl, so annoying! Why don¡¯t you show her what... the sufferi...ng!¡± expressed a sadistic voice in Louis¡¯s mind.

    ¡°No! Don¡¯t bother me!¡± Louis shouted, furious at the words he heard in his head.

    Suddenly, a light white mist filled the place, and a man with long hair tied in a thick braid falling down his back attacked Louis... He managed to block the attack, but it still pushed him back several meters. This man wore a white haori (a type of traditional Japanese jacket), open over light white armor that protected his shoulders and chest. Underneath the haori, a light-colored kimono or yukata could be distinguished, secured with an obi (sash). His pants were wide and dark, similar to hakama (a type of pleated pants worn by warriors and martial arts practitioners). In addition, a white bandage covered his eyes, and he wielded a white katana as a weapon. The sleeves of his clothing billowed in the wind, evoking the flow of the mist itself.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Kumi asked, surprised.

    ¡°Correcting my mistake...¡± he replied with a serene voice, as ethereal as the mist, launching himself at Louis... And like fog, he was hard to distinguish for Louis, and instantly the man disarmed Louis and then appeared behind him like mist. With impressive speed, he filled Louis''s back with cuts, shredding his clothes in the process... Louis fell to his knees, and when he lifted his head, the man was in front of him again. He removed the bandage from his eyes and looked directly into Louis''s, filling them with white mist; after that, it became difficult to notice that his eyes were different from each other. Louis lost consciousness, and his back wounds stopped regenerating.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t trust me... did you...?¡± Kumi said, disappointed in herself.

    ¡°Of course I did... But Zthur didn¡¯t...¡± he replied as he put the bandage back over his eyes. ¡°He didn¡¯t make a mistake... But I did; I wasn¡¯t ready...¡± she expressed calmly, aiming her katana to pierce Louis¡¯s heart.

    "Wait! Don¡¯t hurt him, Yeynos," shouted Professor Maxwell, approaching with Hanks to his right.

    "Jonathan! ... Heh, it¡¯s been a while," Yeynos said, his voice filled with nostalgia and surprise.

    "Don¡¯t do anything to him, and I¡¯ll give you the piece you asked for..." the Professor said seriously, concerned.

    "But... I have the piece!" Kumi said, showing the arcane box.

    "That¡¯s a fake... I have the real one," Yeynos said, transforming his mechanical arm to reveal a medium-sized piece, like a sphere with an "S" inside. He took it out and then transformed his hand into a cannon.

    "Is that it, Kumi?" Yeynos asked, unable to see anything.

    "Yes, father... That¡¯s it..." she said disappointedly, dropping the arcane box to the ground after seeing the piece through the dark commander¡¯s lens.

    "Well... I¡¯ll give you the chance to take it yourself, daughter," Yeynos said upon hearing the sound of the arcane box hitting the ground.

    "Stop! Give me the boy first," the Professor said firmly.

    "Of course not... After I kill him, you and your friend come next," Yeynos replied, aiming his katana again.

    "You think so?" A great blue light began to illuminate the Professor¡¯s arm. This light emanated from a crystal embedded in the Professor¡¯s mechanical arm.

    "Dad... It¡¯s like a piece of plumorium," Kumi said, surprised to see it.

    "Plumorium?" the Professor thought, unfamiliar with the material.

    "How? Where did you get that?" he asked, surprised and a little nervous.

    "I have my sources," the Professor replied, aiming his arm at Yeynos and Kumi. "Here¡¯s the deal: I give you the piece, and you let the boy go," he stated firmly and seriously.

    "Ha, I could easily kill you. You¡¯re not a threat," Yeynos said with great calmness.

    "Want to bet? I assure you that the shot from this thing will destroy part of the kingdom; you and your daughter won¡¯t be able to escape and won¡¯t have the piece," he expressed as if he didn¡¯t care about the others.

    "You¡¯re still crazy!" Yeynos replied angrily. "Very well, I accept..." Yeynos sheathed his katana, moved closer to Louis, and then stepped back, hiding his left hand, with which he was signaling to Kumi.

    "When I shoot, we¡¯ll get closer to Louis," the Professor whispered, and Hanks nodded.

    "To avoid any problems, we¡¯ll make an oath, like in the old days," Yeynos said, causing a black mist to surround the Professor and himself. "I swear not to harm this boy." The Professor hesitated but ultimately accepted. "I promise to give you the piece you¡¯re looking for." Then the mist surrounding the Professor and Yeynos merged, turning white and then fading away.

    The Professor fired the piece, instantly activating his arm, and moved toward Louis with Hanks. Yeynos drew his katana to attack the Professor and Hanks, but the Professor¡¯s arm created a blue force field, while Kumi immediately went for the piece after the Professor shot it away.

    "You¡¯re a bastard! You were going to kill us!" the Professor said angrily, sweating on his forehead.

    "And you¡¯re a fool! You deceived me!" Yeynos expressed angrily, striking the force field with his katana.

    "Maybe I overdid it a bit... But my technology is the best," the Professor said, after which Yeynos was struck by a great burst of blue light that sent him flying, crashing into a house. Many people looked out their windows, frightened by the impact.

    "Haha, haha, haha, is that all you can do? With your... technology, maybe I won¡¯t kill the boy, but you... die today," he said calmly as he approached them again.

    "I¡¯d recommend you go for your daughter; there¡¯s a woman driving like crazy, and she¡¯ll be here soon, but not just her..." the Professor said confidently, preventing Yeynos from attacking the shield again.

    "Bastard..." Instantly, Yeynos ran toward where his daughter was.

    "Ririam! Do you have her in sight?" Mei asked as she drove at full speed, with Kassie about to vomit in the back.

    "I¡¯ve got her," replied a man with very dark brown hair and glasses, in a deep and serious voice.

    Ririam shot at Kumi with his sniper rifle as she grabbed the piece. Instantly, Yeynos appeared, using his white katana. "I¡¯m giving it back!" he said calmly, raising his voice slightly. The bullet had been returned, and Ririam managed to stop it using the same rifle.

    "We have to go; we need to deliver the piece to Zthur," Yeynos expressed as he began to run across the rooftops with his daughter.

    "But my friends!" Kumi said worriedly as she handed the piece to her father.

    "We¡¯ll have to get them out when the time comes; I¡¯m really sorry... But the priority is to deliver this piece," Yeynos replied, taking the piece and storing it in his clothes.

    A large amount of yellow air was approaching them.

    "Damn, hurry!" Yeynos said, carrying Kumi and walking at great speed over the houses.

    The yellow air quickly caught up to them, but Yeynos managed to get close enough to the kingdom¡¯s exit. With a great leap, he turned into mist and passed over the wall, managing to escape.

    "Jonathan! Is he okay?" Mei asked, arriving with her car, as Kassie got out with great relief.

    The Professor deactivated the shield on his arm and showed how Louis was doing. Quickly, Mei carried him to Professor Maxwell¡¯s house.

    "Will he be okay, right?" the Professor asked, worried.

    "Din says he just needs to rest, and he¡¯ll be fine in the morning," Mei replied while checking one of the hooded figures. "Do you think we should inform his kingdom?" she asked, pulling out some kunais hidden in the hooded figure''s clothes.

    "No... This morning I talked to him... when I was teaching him to use the delivery bike and after he crashed many times..." he said, recalling the disaster. "He told me that... in this kingdom, he can be himself and doesn¡¯t have to pretend or hide... and that no one judges him or treats him like trash," the Professor replied, watching the damage to his house.

    "I understand... but for..." Mei began, only to be interrupted by the Professor.

    "I think I¡¯ll move near the agency for safety. Could you help me look for one?" the Professor said, determined and recalling something.

    "Of course, I¡¯ll help you!" Mei said with her sweet, gentle voice, remembering the last time she asked him for that.

    End of chapter.

 The Dark #5

    In a vast but dark and empty space with a thin layer of black fog filling the place, Louis lay on the ground in that inhospitable place.

    "Louis... Lo... uis..." a deep and resonant voice mentioned, which seemed to vibrate within his mind, giving the sensation that his thoughts were being invaded.

    Louis opened his eyes and got up from the ground, a bit disoriented by the place he was in, looking to see if there was anything more than just darkness. "What¡¯s happening?"

    "Hello, Louis..." said a voice appearing behind him. It was very tall, and his eyes were completely red; he wore a black cloak, even darker than the place.

    "You again... Who are you and what are you?!" Louis was confused by the place and began to distance himself from the dark being.

    "Who am I? I... am you..." it replied, getting closer and taking Louis''s same form and voice, but with a deep and resonant tone. Its eyes remained red, and its skin turned grayish.

    "Impossible... This must be a dream," Louis thought, surprised to see himself.

    "Well... yes, it is... but I am very real... hahahaha, after so much time, I can finally exist! Hahahaha!" it expressed with madness and a resonant laugh, full of mockery and perverse pleasure.

    "You¡¯re crazy..." Louis said upon hearing its words.

    "Yes! I am! Hahahaha!" A great amount of darkness captured Louis, and the dark being took its original form again.

    "Damned, let me go!" Louis said, trying to escape, but the darkness surrounding him did not yield at all.

    "Ha, ha... I¡¯m crazy about killing and turning this kingdom into ashes... just like that day I was born... Do you remember it?!"

    The images of that day... screams of suffering and the despair of the people... appeared all around the place as translucent memories.

    "Stop, STOP!" Louis shouted upon seeing all that again.

    "Aww, why? We¡¯ve just started, is that all you can handle?!" it expressed mockingly.

    "What the hell are you? And where did you come from?" Louis said desperately, trying to escape.

    "Me? I am you! Are you listening? I am Louis! But... I was born that day, the best day of my life so far! Hahahahaha. I never had the chance to exist! I just watched what you decided..." it expressed with madness and remorse.

    "You looked like a fool, doing everything that man told you, when you were stronger than him!" it shouted angrily in Louis''s face.

    "Hehe, you¡¯re crazy! If you say that... it shows you didn¡¯t see everything," Louis said, mocking its words.

    "Of course not... By following that guy¡¯s orders, I disappeared, but now... I¡¯ve returned. I¡¯m not sure why," it said, walking around Louis. "But... now I¡¯ll take advantage of the fact that I really exist!... I¡¯ll go deeper, where you hide your greatest pain. Maybe then you¡¯ll accept what you are! And I¡¯ll be able to take the reins. Hahahaha, HAHAHAHA!" it shouted with madness as it approached Louis and pierced his forehead.

    "No! NO!" Louis said, resisting.

    "Yes... Remember that day our father died... that exact moment," it said while smiling and taking Louis''s form again.

    "Noooo! Leave me... ALONE!" Louis screamed, making his eyes glow intensely. The vast amount of darkness surrounding him exploded, and the whole place filled with blue and red lava.

    "Interesting... Hahahaha! Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll disappear with this," the dark being was amazed to see Louis¡¯s power after being pushed by the explosion.

    In the real world, the blue necklace on Louis¡¯s chest shone brightly, and he sweated from his face, gripping the bed sheets.

    "Come on, show me more...!" the dark being shouted while resisting the great amount of lava around it.

    The lava turned violet and yellow, and the whole place was completely filled with it while Louis remained surrounded by lava, and his face became covered with violet and blue tattoos.

    "Yes... Yessss!" it said with satisfaction while its body crumbled into small pieces of rock like charcoal.

    Louis, seeing the dark being¡¯s madness and realizing how the place was, began to absorb all the lava again.

    "Huh? What are you doing, damn it? No, this isn¡¯t over!" it shouted upon seeing Louis absorb all the lava.

    Louis continued absorbing the lava, making his tattoos disappear from his face, and the darkness once again filled the place. Once he finished absorbing everything, a great explosion of blue, violet, red, and yellow light made the darkness disappear.

    "Damned! Hehe, you still won¡¯t get rid of me," it shouted while smiling, seeing the great amount of light coming toward it.

    The necklace stopped glowing, and Louis suddenly woke up, breathing heavily, touching his chest and looking at his necklace. "What... was that?" he said while observing his necklace and then looking around the room, which was completely different from the one he knew. Louis was only wearing his blue shirt and dark blue pants. He noticed the complete silence in the place and saw his katana on a piece of furniture; then he noticed that the window to his right had a blue layer. The door to his room was opened by Hanks, and upon seeing him awake, he quickly went to inform Professor Maxwell.

    Louis got up and put on his black boots. He was curious and tried to touch the blue layer; his hand passed through it, and nothing happened, but then the layer disappeared, and the Professor entered the room with Hanks behind him.

    "Thank God you woke up, are you feeling okay? Everything alright?" the Professor said, approaching and asking with concern, examining Louis from head to toe and even pulling his cheeks.

    "I¡¯m fine... Professor, what happened? And where are we? Huh! The guy with white hair? Where is he?" Louis asked, a bit agitated, remembering his last fight.

    "Everything is fine, it¡¯s all been solved, and we¡¯re in our new home. Yeynos won¡¯t find us here again. I¡¯m sorry for getting you involved in this, Louis. I never thought he would show up..." the Professor replied, trying to calm Louis down.

    "It¡¯s okay, Professor... I¡¯m a paladin, and I must fulfill my responsibility in any kingdom. My master told me that I should always help, but... this time I didn¡¯t help at all... They stole his piece, didn¡¯t they?" Louis¡¯s words were filled with a giant guilt for failing.

    "Sigh... I¡¯m sorry to put this weight on your shoulders, but you shouldn¡¯t feel guilty... A mission or an object is no more important than your life," the Professor understood Louis¡¯s words, feeling his guilt as if it were his own. Louis remained silent and turned his back on the Professor, reflecting on what he had said.

    "Putting that topic aside... I want to talk about your wounds, Louis. You''re half-human, right? Yesterday, when Hanks went to change your bandages, he found your wounds completely healed. I want you to understand that you have nothing to fear... but I need you to tell me what you really are. I¡¯m the only one who will support you. Mei won''t either." The professor''s words were clear and firm, leaving a sense of gravity in the air.

    "I... I''m a half-demon human... nothing more, professor. I''m sorry for not being more honest with you..." Louis replied, with a slight stiffness in his voice. A shadow of conflict appeared in his gaze, a sense of duty towards the professor, tainted by the burden of not having been entirely truthful.

    "Alright, Hanks brings..." Understanding Louis, the professor was about to order Hanks to do something, but was interrupted.

    "I think, to avoid causing trouble, it''s best if I leave," Louis said, with a determined and serious look, taking his katana and leaving through the window.

    "Louis! Wait!" The professor watched as Louis ran down the sidewalk with his katana in hand.

    "It¡¯s for the best... I¡¯ve always been a burden... Not even my own kingdom wants me there, why would this one?" Louis thought as he continued running eastward; people were looking at him running, apparently recognizing him.

    Louis kept running, and for a moment, he lowered his gaze when he saw everything was clear. "My stuff was left back there... What will I do?" he thought, then looked up just as a car started to come out of a house and hit him, causing him to fall to the ground. He didn¡¯t get up; he just stayed looking at the sky with his arms outstretched as people stared at him and began to talk.

    "Are you okay, kid? You should watch where you''re going, huh? You... You''re Alahead''s paladin," the man in the car said, recognizing Louis by his eyes and red hair.

    "How do you know that?" Louis asked as he stood up, surprised.

    "Please! Ystir has the best journalists, they notice everything!" The man was so excited that he even got out of his car.

    "Journalists...?" Louis whispered, confused.

    "Yes, journalists, sir," the man said in a moderately high-pitched, rhythmic voice. He was a man with cream-colored hair, wearing a cream-colored suit, and had a mustache; his eyes were a bright brown. "Sorry you ran into my car... No, wait... Good thing you did!" he said excitedly, realizing something, and Louis was surprised by what he said. "Don¡¯t you want to come to my clothing store? Of course, you do! You must be interested!"

    "Wait, sir..." Louis said, trying to say something.

    "Don''t worry, my store is the best! Let me take your katana, I¡¯ll put it here." The man insisted so much and even pushed Louis into his store.

    "Weren¡¯t the clothing stores supposed to be in the south? Did I get lost?" Louis thought as he looked at the store. It had a counter in front of the entrance with a girl attending; there was a lot of clothing from left to right, and further inside, all kinds of footwear and stairs at the end of the hallway.

    "Sweetheart! Come quickly, there¡¯s a very special customer! It''s Paladin Louis! Yina, get your notebook to take his measurements," the man said excitedly as he searched for his measuring tape.

    "Yes, father!" said a girl with brown hair and dark skin; her eyes were identical to her father''s. She wore a white blouse with long, wide sleeves and golden details on the edges. The blouse design included golden embroidery near the neck and chest. Over it, she wore a deep blue sleeveless dress, cinched at the waist with a golden rope belt, which fell into two long loops in the front. The dress also had an additional emerald green cape at the bottom; she wore flat shoes that matched her outfit. A being in the shape of a boomerang floated on her shoulder.

    "Excuse me, sir, I..."

    "Oh, sorry... My manners. My name is Lowin, this is my daughter Yina and her rune companion, ?in... And my wife, Lara, the best tailor in Ystir!" he said excitedly, passionately, and a bit nervously.

    "Oh, don''t exaggerate. It''s a pleasure to meet you, Paladin Louis," said Lara, a little flushed, gently hitting Lowin.

    "Likewise," Louis said, perplexed by the situation.

    Lowin began taking measurements, mentioning them as Yina wrote them down in her notebook.

    "I need to get out of here..." Louis thought as they measured his arm. "Mr. Lowin, I don''t think your clothes will withstand my magic."

    "That offends me a little, but don¡¯t worry! What? Do you have blue fire magic like Paladin Ribrin from the kingdom of Centarion? If so, my wife is prepared to make you the best clothes to withstand such magic," Lowin said a bit upset at first, then continued with excitement as he kept measuring his arm and then moved to measure his forearm.

    "Oh, no..." Louis thought as he realized he couldn¡¯t leave.

    "Tell me, what would you prefer me to make for you? Something similar to what you''re wearing?" Lara asked while looking at Louis''s clothes.

    "(Well, my coat is probably damaged... I''ll have to go back to get my things...) I''d like a blue coat with... I don''t know how to describe it... it has triangular extensions around the chest that fold or something like that, I¡¯m not sure."

    "Fold? They must be lapels, for sure. Alright, what else?" Lara said, writing everything down after guessing what Louis wanted.

    "I think that''s it... Ah! Just with pockets inside, please, and no buttons; also some boots like these, but red," Louis replied while trying not to move so Lowin could finish taking the measurements.

    The family finally finished noting the information, and Louis was free.

    "Perfect, thank you very much, Mr. Louis, and don''t worry, I''ll make a great design for you. Can you give me your address so I can deliver everything?" Lowin asked, signaling his daughter to write down the address.

    "Don''t worry, I¡¯ll come pick it up... And how long will it take?" Louis asked, showing sadness on his face.

    "Umm... By tomorrow afternoon. But, do you have something, sir? I notice you''re sad... Did I say something?" Lowin asked, a little worried upon seeing Louis''s expression.

    "No... I... I feel like... I''m not good, and... that I shouldn''t be in this kingdom... or any other." Louis''s words resonated with them, who felt a warm sadness and guilt.

    "But you''re a paladin, you should be in a kingdom. You''re a good person; you came to our kingdom to help us... I saw on the news you and a girl helping when the prisoners escaped from the palace," he said understandingly, feeling the sadness, guilt, and warmth that Louis''s words conveyed.

    "Maybe, but... I''ve failed, and I¡¯m supposed to be strong... but really, I''m just a danger." He lowered his head, his words filled with deep sadness.

    "Sir..."

    "It''s okay, thanks for everything, I¡¯ll pick up the clothes tomorrow," he said, taking his katana and leaving the place.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    "Poor thing, he''s so depressed," said Lara after Louis left.

    "We¡¯ll make an amazing job to lift his spirits! I''ll go right away and make the designs," said Lowin with determination, taking Lara''s notebook and heading for the stairs at the end of the hall while his daughter and wife watched him.

    "It seems people already know who I am... Or at least know part of what I am..." Louis thought as he continued walking.

    The people watching him pass recognized him and talked about him. "Look, it''s the paladin of Alahead," said an older woman upon recognizing him. "He''s so handsome," another woman mentioned as she saw him. "He must have trained a lot to become a paladin," added another person. "His eyes are incredible," said a woman who walked past him. "He carries his katana; I hope I can use one someday," said a child. "Look at his arms, he must be very strong," commented a man. "He''s just a kid," said an elderly woman. "Yeah, he looks too young to be a paladin."

    "His eyes are strange," said a man, and someone else replied, "At least he''s human," crossing his arms. "It''s a bit boring that some paladins have the same magic," mentioned a boy standing next to a group of teenagers. "I wish I were a paladin," said one, and the other replied, "What are you talking about? It must be too much responsibility."

    After a long walk, while listening to the murmurs of admiration and criticism around him, Louis reached the exit of the kingdom. The air felt different there, fresh and free. The eastern exit had, at first, a stone bridge with railings, and next to the kingdom wall, there were many carriages with different people.

    "Hey! Paladin Louis!" shouted a man from afar in a carriage.

    "Marti..." said Louis, recognizing him and stopping.

    "How are you? Do you need me to take you somewhere?" he asked as he got out of his carriage and approached him.

    "I¡¯m... not well, and... I don''t need to go anywhere," Louis replied hesitantly, wondering whether he should lie, but he didn¡¯t want to anymore.

    Marti and Louis sat together on a bench to talk.

    "Why do you feel bad? Did something happen?" he asked, feeling sorry for sensing his negativity.

    "I¡¯ve failed... I haven¡¯t completed my missions correctly... I let Professor Maxwell get hurt, I couldn¡¯t save those two men, I couldn¡¯t prevent the professor¡¯s piece from being stolen... I broke his bicycle." Louis¡¯ words were deep, filled with guilt, sadness, and regret. Tears began to fall from his face, sliding down his cheeks and falling to the ground with a soft sound.

    "Hey, calm down, kid... It''s normal to fail, you''re not perfect, you''re actually very young to be a paladin. You saved me... Me and the woman from the eastern harvest and her son; without you, we would have died," Marti expressed with understanding, patting his shoulder.

    "I''m supposed to be different... I¡¯m supposed to be strong, and now I¡¯m... crying like a weakling," Louis said, hating himself, as the tears continued to fall.

    "Crying doesn¡¯t make you weak... It makes you human. Can you imagine someone who doesn''t cry? I don''t know what that would be... Crying helps you release your emotions." Marti¡¯s words came with sincerity that resonated in the air, as if someone had told him that during a difficult time.

    Marti¡¯s words managed to calm Louis; he wiped his tears and stood up. "Thank you..."

    "I hope you can keep protecting people and become a great person," Marti said with a smile on his face.

    "I will... ''he sighed'' I feel better, but... this is strange... I don''t feel like I want to cry or feel bad, but I still feel something negative," he said, noticing a strange sensation inside him.

    "Here it is!" shouted a woman, pointing her hand at Louis; she seemed to have a holographic device.

    Suddenly, a large group of people in suits arrived at the spot; they began shouting and running toward Louis. "Huh? Wait! Hold on! Aaaaah!"

    The people started surrounding him and crushing him. "We have some questions!" shouted a man.

    "Paladin Louis, tell me, do you wear contact lenses?" asked a woman.

    "Ayy... I don¡¯t know what that is!" he replied, as they kept crushing him.

    "Could you tell us why you decided to come here?" asked a tall man with a cap.

    "I wanted to change my life!" he replied.

    "Are you a spy?" asked a woman with blonde hair and glasses.

    "Not at all!"

    "Hey! You, nosy people! Move aside!" Marti shouted, trying to push them away.

    "Do you think our kingdom is a great place?" asked a woman with short pink hair.

    "How did you manage to become a paladin at such a young age?" asked another man with short hair styled to one side.

    "Is it true that your red eye shines when you use your magic?" said a lady with orange hair.

    "Please, calm down! Let me breathe!" he shouted.

    Suddenly, someone fired at the ground, causing the crowd to panic and instantly move behind Louis.

    "Huh?" said Louis, surprised.

    "I see you became famous, thanks to that, we realized you were here," said a robotic voice.

    "Kein!".

    "And not just him... We''re also here," "We!" said Jhin and Inock with robotic voices, standing next to Kein. The three wore metal armors that covered their entire bodies, even their faces; Kein¡¯s armor was black, Inock¡¯s was dark blue, and Jhin¡¯s was red.

    "Now all three of you wear suits? You managed to escape, didn¡¯t you? What do you want now?" Louis said seriously, placing his katana at his waist.

    "Please, isn¡¯t it obvious? Revenge!" said Kein, pulling a blade from his metallic arm and propelling himself with his boots.

    "Everyone, move aside!" Louis instantly drew his katana, stopping Kein''s attack. All the journalists and reporters moved away, pushing Marti and causing him to collide with his carriage.

    Then, Jhin approached quickly, hitting Louis¡¯ face and making him crash into the stone railing to his left, falling below the bridge. Beneath the bridge, the area was rocky with trees in the distance.

    "This looks so easy with armor like this!" shouted Inock, shooting projectiles with his right arm.

    Louis quickly got up and started running from the projectiles that hit the ground, creating several explosions. One of them hit him and sent him flying far. The three brothers jumped off the bridge and approached Louis with a large amount of smoke behind them.

    "Record this! Paladin Louis is fighting three criminals at the same time!" shouted one of the journalists.

    Kein looked at the journalists and shot a net to prevent them from moving. "I¡¯ll take care of you later, little ants," he then continued walking.

    "Damn... What can I do? I don''t want anyone to see me, and these three... at the same time?" he thought, stunned by the situation.

    "Louis... show them what you''re made of! If they''re going to hate me, let them! But I¡¯ll do what I must!" Louis thought. "But I¡¯ll do what I have to do!" Louis created two lava wolves using both his hands. "This should be enough to disable their armors without hurting them... This time... Don¡¯t let go of your katana, Louis!" he thought.

    "What the hell?" said Jhin, surprised.

    "Is that lava?" exclaimed Inock.

    "Wow! I have the exclusive, hahaha!" said the short pink-haired journalist, who wasn¡¯t caught.

    "Stupid rookie!" shouted a man inside the net. "Don¡¯t move so much, you idiots!" said the orange-haired lady; the journalists were too tightly packed in the net, making it impossible for them to escape. The pink-haired woman turned around and stuck her tongue out at all of them.

    "That¡¯s what you get for being nosy!" shouted Marti next to them.

    "No wonder my old armor couldn¡¯t withstand such temperature. Take care of those two; Louis... he¡¯s mine!" Kein added.

    The wolves began running toward them... Inock and Jhin shot at them with their armors and flew above them to avoid contact. Still, the wolves began spitting lava to reach them.

    Kein and Louis ran toward each other... When they were side by side, they started clashing their swords.

    "Interesting power, kid; now I see why you¡¯re a paladin at such a young age," he exclaimed as they continued clashing swords.

    "I am who I am because of my effort!" he said firmly. "and because of the help I received from the few people... that care about me." He replied with relief as he remembered those who cared for him. Louis and Kein were struggling in a clash of swords.

    "That¡¯s nonsense! People with magic always have more benefits!" he said angrily, winning the struggle and forcing Louis to step back.

    Kein stood in front of him and said in a mocking and annoyed tone: "Here¡¯s a little gift!" and shot him with his metallic arm in the chest, causing a large explosion that sent him flying through the air.

    "Well done, brother! Ugh! Damn wolf!" Inock shouted, dodging an attack from the lava wolf.

    "Damn it, his sword is much more resistant than the first time... I need to keep the others out of the fight" Louis thought, getting up with his shirt torn. Suddenly, the wolves jumped high, lost their shape, and managed to reach both brothers.

    "This can¡¯t be..." Kein adjusted his arm and shot ice bolts at his brothers. "Are you okay?!" he asked, his concern evident despite sounding robotic.

    "Yeah, we¡¯re fine..." Inock replied, covered in volcanic rock and ice.

    "We still need to learn how to use these things" Jhin said, removing a piece of rock that had stuck to the middle of his face.

    Louis appeared behind him, attacking with his katana using his right hand... but Kein stopped the attack. "Do you think you¡¯ll catch me off guard again?" Louis placed his left hand on Kein''s stomach and launched a large amount of lava that covered the armor, but... Kein activated a mechanism that froze the entire mechanical suit and part of Louis''s hand.

    "You won¡¯t defeat me again!" Kein said angrily, grabbing Louis¡¯s arm with his left and punching him in the stomach with his right. Then he lifted him into the air and punched him in the face, breaking his nose and sending him flying far away.

    "Damn it, he¡¯s in trouble" Marti said, watching from above the bridge.

    "This is getting better, I¡¯ll have the exclusive of the first defeat of Paladin Louis" the pink-haired girl said excitedly, continuing to film.

    "Hey, girl, if they beat him, they¡¯ll come for us next" expressed the other, desperate.

    "That¡¯s even better! I¡¯ll be remembered as the one who captured these images" she said, even more excited.

    "This girl is crazy..." Marti thought, scared of the girl.

    "Damn, it hurts so much..." Louis expressed in great pain, as his hands trembled and his face regenerated. Kein shot ice bolts at his arms and legs from a distance, preventing him from moving.

    "What the hell are you?" Kein said disgusted, watching how the wounds on his face regenerated as he walked towards him.

    Louis began to see Kein a little blurry, but he managed to break free from the ice by melting it and got up, wielding his katana while his face finished regenerating.

    "What the hell are you doing? You¡¯re useless!" a deep, dark, and resonant voice said in Louis''s mind. The being was so angry that his face shone like lava, revealing he wore a dark silver helmet.

    "Shut up, Dark... I don¡¯t have time for you to bother me!" Louis replied, prepared to continue his battle with Kein.

    "Who are you talking to? Did I hit you so hard that now you¡¯re... delirious?!" Kein asked as he started running toward Louis, and they began clashing their swords at great speed.

    "Dark...? You have the power to destroy a kingdom! Don¡¯t be weak!" Dark said, making his face shine brighter.

    "A rookie paladin like you won¡¯t defeat me, even with that magic" Kein said, annoyed as they continued clashing their swords rapidly.

    "Kill him and his brothers! Turn them into ASHES!!!" his voice became distorted, deeper, and full of fury, spewing lava from the holes in the helmet.

    Louis approached Dark in his mind. "Silence!" he said as his two eyes glowed. Louis grabbed Dark¡¯s face and crushed it, creating an explosion of lava in his mind and in reality. The explosion erupted from his body, tearing his shirt completely, and sending Kein flying far away, crashing into a large rock and destroying it. For a moment, things stayed calm.

    "I don¡¯t understand your hate... Just because I defeated you, what¡¯s inside of you?" Louis asked with great seriousness.

    Kein got up from the ground, moving away from the rock he destroyed after crashing into it. "What¡¯s inside...? Hate! And humiliation! A rookie like you... After I destroy you, I¡¯ll go after the other two who dared to hurt... my family!" Kein¡¯s words were full of contempt and fury, a feeling of humiliation and an insatiable desire for revenge.

    "You¡¯re an idiot! I¡¯ll never let you hurt the professor again!" Louis shouted angrily, positioning his left foot back and his right foot forward, placing his right hand back, holding the katana that glowed intensely from the high temperature.

    "Damn it! I won¡¯t lose... I won¡¯t lose to a rookie paladin like you!" Kein shouted and used the thrusters in his feet to go at full speed, preparing to attack with all his strength with his blade.

    Louis raised the katana above his head, covering it with a large amount of lava. Louis''s red eye glowed intensely, and a reddish tattoo appeared beside his eye. Kein reached him and, with all his strength, launched the attack with his blade, while Louis brought his katana down in a strike, clashing with Kein¡¯s and creating a large sound wave. Then, a great amount of lava burst from Louis¡¯s katana, dragging Kein through the current, pushing him against the ground and leaving a mark. Kein¡¯s suit activated the cooling system every moment, but it was reaching its limit.

    "Brother!" Inock and Jhin shouted, heading to help Kein.

    "No!" Louis said, seeing he had gone too far.

    "Yes! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Look at the great power you have" Dark said with madness.

    Louis began to cool the lava with all his strength.

    "Don¡¯t be an idiot!"

    "Shut up!" Louis shouted.

    With great effort, Louis managed to stop the massive attack, and all the lava turned into rock. Louis fell to his knees, exhausted from the effort, while Kein¡¯s brothers reached him.

    "Kein! Tell me you¡¯re okay, speak to me, please!" Jhin said, hitting the rock next to Inock. After hitting it for a while, they managed to find him and pull him out.

    "Brother, please respond..." he said, removing the helmet from his armor and showing his expression of concern and fear. Louis watched them from afar, also worried and breathing tiredly.

    "I''m... fine... Step aside..." said Kein with difficulty, and his brothers moved aside as the armor expelled a large amount of steam.

    "Good to see you''re alright, brother," said Jhon, hugging Kein after the armor finished expelling the steam. "We thought you were dead," added Inock, hugging him as well.

    "What do we do now?" asked Inock.

    "Isn''t it obvious? Now we attack him, the three of us..." replied Kein wearily.

    "But..."

    "He already used a lot of magic, and if I remember correctly, magic that creates elements requires a lot more, so... he shouldn''t have much left. We can win," Kein struggled to stand up and began walking toward where Louis was.

    "Alright... Let''s go, Inock," said Jhin, putting on his helmet and following Kein.

    "Are they coming...? I can do it, I have enough magic... This was what the six-year training with Master Rei was for. " said Louis, grabbing his blue necklace. "I must continue too!" Louis stood up and gripped his katana once more.

    Suddenly, a large gust of yellow wind came from the top of the kingdom''s wall. "Hello, everyone!" said a woman with a cheerful and radiant voice. Her hair was long and blonde, with bangs and a blue streak, and her eyes were violet. She was about 167 cm tall. She wore a jacket that was half yellow and half pink, a black turtleneck shirt with little stars on the chest, pink pants, and pink and yellow shoes. "Let''s see... red hair... Aha! I found it. So, the other three must be the bad ones. Don''t you think it''s unfair, three against one? But never mind, I''m here!" The girl sped toward them with her magic.

    "Aaaa! It can''t be, the ex-paladin and singer Ann Stary!" screamed the pink-haired girl.

    "It can''t be!" exclaimed all the journalists on the network.

    "I think we should leave, brother," said Inock in fear.

    "Why?" asked Kein, not knowing who she was.

    "It looks like the ex-paladins are here, and I don''t think we can beat them. Remember, we''re not good at using the suits," replied Inock, shaking Jhin.

    "But why are you shaking me?!" yelled Jhin, annoyed.

    Ann reached them, and Kein ordered them to shoot her. Ann easily destroyed the rockets. "Don''t be rough!" she exclaimed, putting her hands behind her and then forward, creating a yellow tornado that headed toward them, lifting stones and generating a great wind current in the area.

    Inock and Jhin moved Kein out of the way, but the tornado caught them. "Idiots! What are you doing?" said Kein, annoyed after falling to the ground. "Run, brother," said Jhin as they spun in the tornado with Inock. "We''ll distract her!" added Inock.

    "Damn it, I won''t let you!" said Kein, standing up to fight.

    "You''re injured, you won''t be able to do anything," shouted Jhin, and then the yellow wind covered him, and the tornado disappeared.

    "Huh?" said Inock and Jhin, confused.

    "Gotcha, now I''ve caught you!" said Ann as she continued flying, with the two trapped in a circle of wind spinning rapidly around them.

    "You missed one, pay more attention, Ann," said a man with a deep, calm, and slightly grave voice, with a confident tone. He had somewhat messy brown hair and wore black-rimmed glasses. He wore a long dark green coat over a black turtleneck shirt, brown pants, and brown-tipped shoes. He was watching Kein with a rifle.

    "Aaa! It''s the ex-paladin Ririam Bloick and Ann''s partner too! This day couldn''t get any better!" said the girl excitedly, filming Ririam while Mart¨ª looked at her strangely.

    "Oops... I''ll go after him!" said Ann, realizing in a silly and cheerful way.

    "No, I''ll go. Just throw me at him," said Ririam, getting ready and jumping high from the bridge as Ann propelled him with her magic.

    "Before, would you mind answering a few questions?" shouted the journalists before he flew off.

    "Damn it, the armor isn''t working... I can beat him, yes, of course I can!" thought Kein.

    Ririam shot with the sniper, making Kein lose his balance. As he fell to the ground, Ririam hit him in the face with the rifle''s stock. Then he took out a rod that turned into a staff and began hitting him, moving back and forth, not giving Kein a chance to respond. "Damn it, it''s so damaged, it''s hard to react, but... You''re mine!" thought Kein, waiting for an opportunity, and tried to land a right hook. But Ririam electrified his staff, stopping Kein''s attack. Kein, resisting with all his strength, took the staff from Ririam, but he used his magic and covered Kein with a large amount of slime.

    "Damn it, more magic! Come on, come on!" said Kein, annoyed, trying to get the armor to respond. Finally, the armor managed to work and destroyed all the slime covering him with an explosion from his hands. "Perfect, huh? Where is he?" thought Kein, confused when he couldn''t see him. Ririam fell on top of him and shot him in the back at a very specific point, causing Kein to fall to his knees.

    "Son of a bitch! How is it...?" Kein couldn''t move, and the armor shut down.

    "I know those things. Don''t think I don''t keep up with the advancements in war armor," interrupted Ririam to Kein and then put his staff away.

    "At least I lost to a paladin with experience," said Kein, feeling somewhat relieved but still annoyed.

    "Please... You had already been defeated; I just immobilized you so you wouldn''t escape," replied Ririam, while checking his communicator.

    "That''s not true!" replied Kein, annoyed.

    "Yes, it is," insisted Ririam. "No, it''s not," replied Kein. "It is! Now shut up," he answered.

    "They''re going to pay... You''ll see!" shouted Kein.

    "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Mei, we''re here... The kid is fine, don''t worry. Okay, we''ll go immediately," said Ririam, activating his communicator and talking to Mei while walking around Kein and touching his armor, noticing the damage it had.

    "What just happened...? Who are they? Paladins?" Louis thought, looking at Ririam from afar.

    Ann approached Louis but kept watching Ririam. "He''s so handsome... Just watching him walk... *sigh* I feel in love..." Ann said, feeling so much love just by seeing him.

    "Huh?" Louis said, surprised by what he heard.

    "I''m sorry, it''s just that sometimes, when I see him..." she said with her heart in her hand, slowly turning toward Louis.

    "Aah! Sorry, I shouldn''t look at other men without a shirt, I have a partner, hehe, sorry for scaring you." Ann immediately turned around, feeling bad for scaring Louis. "You''re Louis, right?"

    "Oh, it''s true, my shirt got torn to pieces!, how embarrassing...!" Louis thought, blushing slightly, turning around. "Yes... it''s me, are you paladins?"

    "We were; the king took away our status," Ann replied, still facing away while noticing that Ririam was coming toward them.

    "So, you¡¯re with Mei..." he said, thinking about what to do.

    "Yes, she sent us to find you. *Silence* Professor Maxwell says not to leave..." Ann said, trying to convince Louis per the professor¡¯s request. "I think, from experience, it''s normal to fail; we wish we could do everything right, but it doesn''t always happen," she said sincerely, smiling as she remembered her past.

    "I understand..."

    "So, you''re the guy... Hmmm, you have good muscles, but I still say you''re too young to be a paladin," she exclaimed after analyzing his body with her gaze, then turned to Ann and noticed she was facing away. "Here, put this on, but don¡¯t touch my artifacts," she said authoritatively, handing Louis her coat.

    "Thank you..." Louis said, putting on Ririam¡¯s coat.

    "Ann, you can turn around now," Ririam said when Louis had put on the coat.

    "Aah!" Ann screamed when she turned around and put her hands on her face.

    "Why are you shouting?!" Ririam asked, confused.

    "Because... without the coat, you look very handsome," she replied, a bit nervous.

    *Sigh* Ann... Anyway, let''s go to the agency. Have you flown before, Louis?" he asked, somewhat confused, as if he couldn¡¯t understand why she was acting this way.

    "Yes, I¡¯ve done it before with green magic," Louis replied, confused by Ann¡¯s attitude.

    "Green magic... interesting. Well, let¡¯s go!" he said, starting to fly thanks to Ann¡¯s magic.

    "Goodbye, Marti! Thank you so much!" Louis shouted when he saw Marti.

    "You''re welcome! Keep going, kid!" Marti shouted, watching them leave.

    "It¡¯s the best day of my life! And you... I won¡¯t get you out of there, get out on your own, you bad ones!" the pink-haired girl said, leaving the journalists on the net.

    "Damn girl!" everyone said.

    "Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll untie them, I¡¯ll go get a knife," Marti said, leaving after seeing the girl''s wickedness.

    "Thank you..." everyone said, sadly.

    "Hey, Louis, by the way, did you do all of that?" Ririam asked, pointing to the lava rock.

    "Umm... yeah... it was me..." Louis replied nervously.

    "So, did you have another type of magic? Mei told me your magic was fire," Ririam said, looking at the brothers arguing in the distance, as Ann was carrying them with her magic as well.

    "Uh... yeah, you could say I have other abilities," Louis replied, trying not to lie as he sat on the yellow wind cloud.

    "That¡¯s good," Ririam exclaimed, then spoke with Ann.

    "What should I do...? Professor Maxwell will scold me, but... do I even have a future here? *Sigh* Master Rei... what should I do?" he thought, looking at his katana. "This time, I didn¡¯t let go of it..." he said, Sketching a minimal smile, barely a movement on his lips and thinking about everything that happened that day. "What will I do with Dark? Heh, it seems he got upset because I called him that... I have to take care of this problem, alone, it''s something that''s inside me and only I will solve it" he thought, reflecting firmness and determination.

    After a while, they all arrived at the agency and headed to Mei¡¯s office.

    "Hello, Canbel," Ann said before entering the office with her cheerful voice.

    "Hello, Miss Ann," Canbel replied kindly.

    "Here he is!" Ririam said as he entered the office.

    "Louis! What happened?" he said, surprised to see him in tattered clothes and wearing Ririam¡¯s coat.

    "Kein and his brothers attacked me outside the kingdom," Louis replied, trying not to look at him from afar.

    An awkward and long moment ruled the office; everyone was silent, except Ann, who was humming.

    "Hmmm, well, we¡¯ll leave you alone, go ahead, kids," Mei said, noticing they needed to talk privately. Everyone left the office.

    "Take care of my coat and my things," Ririam said, opening the door once more, then left.

    "Okay... sorry for worrying you, professor..." Louis said, a little embarrassed.

    "I want you to know that... you haven¡¯t given me trouble; yes, maybe a few small ones, but tiny. Having you as my guest has been very good for me: you helped me with the Zthur men, you helped me recover my plans, delivered my packages despite not being from here; though, of course, that was your job. You didn¡¯t let them damage anything valuable in my house, but not only that. You also helped Mei, saved people. That I decided to take care of you... was the right thing to do, or at least I think so," the professor said sincerely, with appreciation and a slight touch of pride, as he approached and put his hand on Louis'' shoulder.

    "Thank you so much, professor..." Louis said, lowering his head and trying not to let him see his small tears after hearing that. He then hugged the professor, and the professor responded by hugging him back.

    "I always... wanted to hear that from someone else," he said, his voice slightly trembling.

    "Don¡¯t worry, Louis... I won¡¯t let them hurt you anymore," the professor thought, knowing everything he had gone through to get to this point.

    We move away from Mei''s office from her window and go to a faraway place in this world, hidden in the heights of the mountains.

    *West of Lyran - Church - Priest¡¯s Office*

    We see an elderly man with short white hair; he wears a black shirt with a collar and a white robe with golden details, somewhat loose black pants, and black loafers. He is sitting, looking out of his window, with both arms resting on a wooden cane; and over his left shoulder rests a golden staff. He also wears round glasses.

    "Edgar! I need you to let me know when Rei Fordesthmans arrives," he said in his deep, raspy voice, with a tone that inspired respect and authority.

    "Sir, he arrived at noon when you were in a meeting with the Tetran," Edgar replied, trying to calm him down.

    "I see... he probably convinced Litny... Tell me, when do I have free time to go to Ystir?" the elderly man asked, with a mix of interest and anticipation.

    "All this month is full, sir; it¡¯s when you have meetings with all the kingdoms. The bad news is that the king of Ystir didn¡¯t request a meeting," Edgar replied, standing firm in front of the priest.

    "That¡¯s bad... just when I need to go. Well, let that demon enjoy it; I¡¯ll handle the matter myself. You may leave," the priest said calmly as he kept looking out the window. After Edgar left the office, the priest began to smile.

    End of chapter

 Discoveries #6

    We see a little bird flying through the beautiful blue sky filled with completely white clouds. The little bird begins to dive down until we can fully see... the wonderful kingdom of Ystir, with its great walls and advanced watchtowers, forming a wide circle that protects its lands. In this kingdom, there are three entrances: one in the east, another in the west, and another in the south. There is no entrance in the north, as the palace is located here, and beyond the harvest fields, there is a large canyon, a very dangerous place with natural traps. Ystir has four main commercial areas but also has other zones like the northwest and southeast. Here we can find various businesses, such as bars, libraries, different types of stores, and, of course, a large number of inhabitants'' houses, both in the main zones and in other areas.

    We follow our little bird, who now rests in a tree beside a new friend. As the new couple cuddles, we see Louis nearby, wearing a blue trench coat. It has its characteristic flaps on the chest, without any pockets or buttons, except for the adjustment straps on the cuffs and, of course... his blue collar on the chest. On the back, he had a dark blue yoke that covered the upper part and extended to the shoulders. Additionally, he wore a back waistband and an opening at the lower part of the coat. He wore a blue compression shirt, dark blue pants, dark blue gloves, and red leather boots, which rose just below his knees, with a simple and sturdy design. They had no decorations, except for a cuff at the top. Louis was running with a box in his arm as many cars passed on his right, and the sun began to light up the streets with its wonderful splendor.

    "This way!" he said, stopping and seeing two paths to take. While running, we could see people working on mechanical items. "Goodbye, Louis!" a man shouted from afar, waving. "Goodbye, Mr. Brin!" he responded, happily waving back as he continued on his way.

    "I made it... Whew..." he exclaimed, slightly tired, in front of a house door. Louis knocked on the door and heard a lot of noise behind it.

    "Finally! Thank you for bringing it!" said a rather disheveled woman. You could see the fatigue on her face and also the desperation she was going through. She instantly took the package Louis was carrying and opened it as quickly as she could, assembling the pieces with great speed.

    "Mom! Where are you?" It sounded like six kids shouting those words at once. The woman, desperate, smashed a potion onto the pieces when she finished putting them together. The pieces, along with the potion, formed a clay doll with a human shape, much taller than Louis.

    "Incredible!" said Louis, watching the doll transform.

    "Please! Take care of them while I rest; I can''t be like this any longer!" she said almost in tears, kneeling before the clay doll.

    "Don''t worry, I''ll take care of everything. You can rest," the doll replied, going towards where the children were, who continued shouting.

    "Thank you, I couldn''t go on any longer..." said the woman, standing up and closing the door.

    "You''re welcome!" Louis left and walked down the sidewalk while cars passed on his left. "Poor thing... Is that what having children is like? Though I heard more than one..." he thought, marking a check in his notebook.

    "Make this place know suffering!" shouted Dark in Louis''s mind, showing him a destroyed scenario.

    "Don''t start!" Louis shouted, annoyed, while a man behind him got startled and fell to the ground.

    "Human emotions will make you weak!" he retorted.

    "Leave me alone..." he replied, lowering his voice while helping the man up. "Apologies, sir."

    "Grrr! I won¡¯t let your humanity damage who we truly are!" he replied, coming close in his mind.

    "I already got rid of you once; I''ll do it again, but alone, as I left Alahead to learn to do things on my own," he said seriously, showing irritation on his face. Dark simply faded from Louis''s mind, growling as his face glowed from the lava within him.

    "What a nuisance to live with these intrusive thoughts... But at least he¡¯s stopped showing those images. Though in dreams, he has more control... Drinking those anti-dream potions helped. Thank you, Amelia! I''m glad she helped me when I delivered a package to her library... Still, I must not let people see me talking like this; they¡¯ll think I''m crazy and hate me! I don''t want to worry the Professor," he thought as he kept walking, showing a bit of worry on his face. "I can do it! Just as Master Rei taught me," he said with determination after shaking his head several times.

    After a long walk, Louis returned to Professor Maxwell''s new house, which was located a few streets away from the PT agency. Louis opened the door with some keys and entered.

    "I''m back!" he shouted, closing the door again.

    Professor Maxwell''s house was two stories tall. The entryway, shaped like a tunnel, had a large window to one side that led to his office. The walls had red wallpaper and a black carpet covered the entire floor. Upon entering, there was a staircase leading to a small landing. To the left of the entry stairs was the kitchen; further to the right and ahead was the living room; at the end of the hallway were the stairs leading to the second floor.

    "Mr. Louis! You''ve adapted very well; now you deliver packages quite quickly," said Hanks, pleased with Louis''s achievement while holding a tray with a teapot.

    "Louis, Hanks, please don''t call me ¡®Mr.,¡¯" he said with a slight smile, approaching him.

    "I like to call you that, sir," Hanks replied, heading to the kitchen.

    "Yes, but being called that makes me feel old or as if I were older than you," Louis replied, climbing the stairs.

    "I see... Then I''ll try not to say it," he responded, understanding his concern. "By the way, Professor Maxwell is expecting you in the office."

    "Okay, thank you," Louis said, heading toward Professor Maxwell''s office. "Professor, do you need anything?" he asked upon entering.

    "Louis! Ha, you''ve memorized the kingdom''s routes, haven''t you? You no longer take as long as before. Two weeks to stop getting lost; I still remember last week when you got lost in the southwest zone, hahaha," he joked cheerfully, recalling the incident while sitting at his desk.

    "Please don''t remind me... It was so embarrassing, and Ririam scolded me just for that..." he said, slightly embarrassed and uncomfortable.

    "Ha, sorry. As you know, things have been a bit calm, but Mei, after much work... or rather, torture..." he said, recalling what Mei told him to get the information. "Mei managed to get the men of Zthur, who attacked my other house the day I met you, to reveal Yeynos''s hideout location... And she wants you to go to the agency to discuss it. But first... Do you really want to help this kingdom? You don¡¯t have to if you don¡¯t want to..." he said, switching to a more serious and firm tone.

    "Should I go...? Yeynos... That guy wiped the floor with me... But... I should try to help, and I won¡¯t just be someone passing through a kingdom. And Master Rei said always to do things that help the kingdom, and I like helping," he thought, remembering how easily Yeynos defeated him. "I''ll go! I should try to help as much as I can, and seeing the others in action also interests me," he replied with a small smile.

    "Good... then you may leave," he replied cheerfully with a smile.

    "What? Now?" he asked in surprise.

    "Yes, it would be better if you go now so as not to keep Mei waiting. This mission is very important," he replied conspiratorially.

    "I''m off, then! Thank you!" he said excitedly, leaving the office.

    "You''re welcome..." he whispered with a smile as he watched him go.

    "PT Agency... I wish I could see the place; I couldn''t see much when I came in two weeks ago..." he thought while grabbing his katana and a blue bag in his room. "This outfit is more comfortable than the other one I used to wear; in the end, it wasn''t so bad being forced to go into that store. Mr. Lowin did a good job... I wonder if the clothes are as durable as he said... Well, I''ll find out," he said after leaving his room.

    Louis left Professor Maxwell''s house and ran toward PT Agency. Many people passed by him, and some recognized him and whispered.

    "I should also give Mr. Lowin a gift for this bag; I like it a lot," he mentioned before arriving at the place, ignoring the people''s murmurs. "This is it! I remember it perfectly; I don¡¯t usually come by here..." he said, looking through the window next to the door. "Do they sell jewelry?" he said in surprise. "Right... I remember the professor said that to keep the king from finding out, they made a jewelry store to disguise it as an agency," he exclaimed, recalling what the professor told him, hitting his right fist with his left palm and heading to the door.

    "Well, here we go!" Just as he was in front of the door, about to reach out to grab the handle, the door opened, and taking a few steps... there stood a dark-skinned woman in front of Louis. She had bright brown eyes, short neck-length brown hair; she stood 180 cm tall. She wore a fitted black high-neck top that contrasted with a cropped white blouse, which was snug in the upper torso area and left her well-defined abdomen exposed. She wore a loose-style brown jacket of light fabric, with yellow accents on the edges; the jacket reached down to her knees. She also wore two golden bracelets on her hands and had thin curved earrings, wore black martial arts shoes, and seemed to be hiding something in her jacket.

    A sound escaped Louis'' mouth, but he couldn¡¯t say anything. "Huh?" he thought... His eyes fixed on her in amazement, feeling a warmth in his chest he couldn''t explain.

    "One blue eye and one red eye... Well, well! I found you. Hard not to with your eyes and your peculiar hair..." she remarked sarcastically, with a calm, deep voice, a subtle strength, but with reserved emotion. "Nice to meet you! My name is Dahlia Xitlari, but just call me Xitlari, please..." she frowned. "Are you okay?" she asked, noticing his silence and that he was staring at her.

    "Uh... yes... I... I''m fine," he replied with difficulty, lowering his face, which was blushing, and he noticed Xitlari was hiding something in her jacket.

    "Alright, let''s go! Mei is waiting for us in her office," she said, turning and heading toward the door next to the counter.

    "Sure," he said, entering and closing the door, then following her but keeping his distance. "I''ve never felt anything like this... in my chest... not even with lava covering my entire body," he thought, trying to shake off what had happened as he looked around the agency.

    "Why are you keeping so far back?" she asked, annoyed, turning around.

    "It''s nothing! Well... I just... wanted to look around a bit first," he said shyly, with a slight blush he tried to hide, looking away.

    "Huh! I see... I''ll show you around," she said, feeling a bit bad for judging him.

    "Huh...? Are you sure? I don¡¯t want... to delay Miss Mei''s mission," Louis asked.

    "Yeah, it¡¯s fine; I was going to pick you up at your house anyway. There¡¯s time," she responded with a bit of repressed kindness. "The PT Agency looked small from the outside, but... it¡¯s just a facade... Here¡¯s the investigation area; it¡¯s not very big, but it works. They prepare and create equipment here; they also research vital data that we need to expose Count Jens'' fiasco," she said as she observed others without entering the room.

    "Whoa, that¡¯s amazing!" he said, looking at the investigators who used holographic devices, controlling them with their hands. "Huh? It¡¯s like that time in my room," he thought as he noticed a white layer at the entrance, which didn¡¯t have a door.

    The room was 10x10, and they were creating an ice grenade, combining ice magic contained in a tiny sphere and embedding it in the grenade, which turned white; then, they threw it into a special container to test it, and the whole container froze.

    "That¡¯s incredible!" he said in awe, making people look at him because of his shout. "Uh? I¡¯m sorry! It¡¯s just that I love your technology," he said, placing his right hand behind his head with a slight smile.

    "Thank you, kid!" said one of the researchers. "Yes, it¡¯s appreciated," added a woman. "Thanks!" everyone in the room said at once.

    "Hey! You¡¯re Paladin Louis; your help in our kingdom is much appreciated," said a woman with glasses and black hair tied in a bun; she wore protective gloves and a white suit, as well as black heels.

    "You''re welcome, I enjoy helping," Louis replied kindly, as Xitlari watched him.

    "You¡¯re good at talking to others..." Xitlari said after Louis left the room.

    "Huh? Uh... Thank you," he replied shyly, looking away a bit.

    "But with me... it seems not..." she thought, growing suspicious of him from his response. "Here¡¯s where all the materials and equipment we use are stored, though Ririam uses this place the most," she said, showing him a small room filled with artifacts, weapons, and communication devices.

    "It¡¯s packed," he said, looking at the room.

    "This next one is the room where we wait for missions or hang out," she said, opening the door with a slight movement. Louis noticed a long gold bracelet with a large gem embedded in it, and he also saw a hand hidden in her jacket.

    "Was that a hand?" he thought, deciding not to say anything as he looked at the room. The room was 8x8; it had several sofas and bookshelves, as well as a round glass skylight in the ceiling.

    "And, well, that¡¯s it... I doubt you¡¯d want to see the cells and interrogation area," she said, stopping at the last door down the hall; in front of Louis, there were stairs leading downward.

    "Of course... thanks for the tour," he commented with the same shyness. "Do I look like an idiot acting like this?" he thought as Xitlari went through the door. He then entered too, and there was Canbel, sitting at his desk, typing on a keyboard with a hologram in front of him; to his left, he had a camera view of the shop¡¯s entrance, and to his right was Mei''s office door. The place was small but had a sofa with a table and a brown carpet with gray stripes.

    "I remember this place..." thought Louis as he entered the room, noticing that Canbel was very focused on typing.

    Xitlari opened the door and entered with Louis behind her.

    "Louis! I''m glad you came... We¡¯ll need all the help we can get for this mission," Mei said, revealing a bit of nervousness in her words, while the others looked away.

    "Hello, everyone, I¡¯m glad you invited me to the mission," Louis said sincerely, with a slight smile on his face. Silence...

    "What¡¯s wrong with you guys?" Xitlari asked, observing everyone, then approached Mei''s desk.

    "Are you okay, Mei?" she said sarcastically and then pressed a key on the keyboard on the desk. A hologram appeared, showing an image of Louis''s back, with the office and others in the background.

    "I knew it! That¡¯s why you sent me to get him!" she said, annoyed, using the keyboard to move the camera, revealing a flying beetle-shaped camera.

    "Sorry, it''s just... I was curious how Louis would react when he saw you, but you were in your jacket..." she said in a soft and sweet tone, getting up from her desk and trying to calm her, feeling a bit disappointed at the end of her words.

    "I wanted to see if you¡¯d start a fight," Ririam said, crossing her arms and closing her eyes.

    "What? How would I fight him?" Xitlari asked, surprised by Ririam''s words.

    "I was hoping for that too... I''m sorry, Ririam¡¯s argument was convincing," Kassie said, averting her gaze in embarrassment.

    "You too...?" Xitlari expressed, disappointed.

    "Haha, well, it''s good nothing happened, but now you have to show your secret," Ann said cheerfully, a smile on her lips.

    "It''s not a secret!" she shouted, pounding the table. "And anyway, I can¡¯t walk around without my jacket... These people discriminate a lot... even though they already know who I am..." she said, crossing her arms and lowering her voice at the end of her words.

    "What¡¯s going on here?" he thought while witnessing the entire discussion.

    "Well, anyway, here it is!" she said, raising two additional arms hidden under her jacket. Each had long bracelets with a blue gemstone embedded. "If you don''t like it, you can die," she said disdainfully, as if Louis¡¯s opinion didn¡¯t matter to her.

    "Ah... was that it? I had already noticed," he said warmly and a bit shyly. Silence...

    "That''s why you didn¡¯t get close to me! And here I thought you were nice," she retorted, moving closer to Louis.

    "No, no, it wasn¡¯t... because of that... Actually, I think your arms are amazing..." he stammered, blushing as Xitlari got close.

    "Huh...? I see..." she said, surprised by Louis''s response, blushing slightly and looking away, before sitting beside Kassie and crossing her four arms.

    "Hmm, I know that reaction..." Ann thought as she saw Louis¡¯s reaction when Xitlari approached him.

    "Well, putting that aside... Let¡¯s get serious," Mei said, adopting a serious attitude and using her keyboard to enlarge the hologram. "After a gentle but long interrogation..." she said, showing a short video of her torturing one of Zthur''s men she had captured.

    "Say it, damn you! Say it!" Mei shouted in the video while choking Jori with her arm.

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    "I can''t! Please... Stop!" Jori shouted, struggling to speak.

    "Then here we go!" she said, pulling out an electric rod. Upon seeing it, Jori started to scream "Aaaaah" as the video cut off.

    "What the hell?" Louis thought, watching the footage.

    "I finally got the location of Yeynos¡¯s hideout. We¡¯re all going, and we¡¯ll drag that bastard out of our kingdom," she said seriously, clasping her hands and bringing them to her mouth. "Prepare your gear!" Instantly, everyone got up and headed to the armory.

    They all left immediately, except Ririam, who was choosing carefully. "Maybe I need one of these..." she murmured as she examined the item, adjusting her glasses.

    "Why are you the only one here?" Mei said, annoyed.

    After Ririam finished, everyone waited outside the agency.

    "Why do they create things if no one uses them?" Mei muttered as she exited the agency with Ririam following.

    "We have our communicators," Xitlari replied, and everyone showed theirs except Louis, who still felt a bit out of place because of how the others behaved. "And we have our shields too."

    "Okay... So, the location is in the eastern area, in an alley; I¡¯ve sent you the location through the communicator," Mei said in her sweet and soft voice as she used her communicator, while people passed by nearby. "Four will go in my car, and Ririam and Ann in the air."

    "I¡¯d rather go with Ann; she knows how I like to travel," Kassie said immediately.

    "Yes, Kassie! Let¡¯s go!" Ann said, giving her a hug.

    "Great, then I''ll go with the ones who enjoy when I go full speed," Mei said, excitedly starting up her car.

    "Do you like how Mei drives?" Xitlari asked as she looked at the others leaving.

    "Yes..." Louis replied shyly.

    "Why is he acting this way?" Xitlari wondered as she got into the car.

    In the car, everything was quiet. Xitlari gazed out the window to her left, and Louis... well, he was looking down, unsure of what to say.

    "I don¡¯t get this... Why can¡¯t I say anything?!" Louis thought, shaking his head a bit, then glancing at Xitlari, who was illuminated by the sunlight streaming through the window, her hair moving in the wind. "Is what I¡¯m feeling... love?" he wondered after looking at her and averting his gaze. His body started emitting a warm aura.

    "Hmm, doesn''t it feel warmer?" Mei asked, noticing the increase in temperature.

    "Yeah, suddenly... it¡¯s warmer, huh? Hey! You¡¯re the one generating the heat!" Xitlari exclaimed, noticing Louis''s skin.

    "Huh? Me?!" he said, surprised, examining his hand and removing one of his gloves.

    "Louis, calm down, is something wrong? Turn it down, or you¡¯ll burn the seat!" Mei said, concerned for her car and also for Louis... but mostly for her car.

    "Sorry..." he said, focusing and managing to stabilize his temperature.

    "Phew, what a relief, thanks, Louis!" Mei mentioned, relieved. "By the way, Ririam told me you had earth magic as well. Paladins with two types of magic show a lot of promise; you could become one of the best," she said, trying to start a conversation.

    "Actually, I just used magic potions; it¡¯s not like I have another magic type," he replied a bit nervously.

    "Oh, I see... well, you¡¯ll still be one of the best if you manage to evolve your magic to blue fire, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll achieve it," she said, convinced of his potential.

    "I¡¯ll work hard, Miss Mei!" he said, feeling a bit guilty. "This is bad... I don¡¯t like lying, but the professor told me to do it as much as possible," he thought as he looked out the window to his right. "I wish I¡¯d never gotten this magic... I wouldn¡¯t have to lie and... my father... Calm down, Louis, you¡¯re past those thoughts," he thought, lightly shaking his head.

    After a while, they finally reached the eastern location, in the same alley where Mei had captured Zthur''s men.

    "Why is it so quiet?" Louis asked, not hearing much noise around when he got out of the car.

    "Ririam took care of it. If things get ugly, no one will be hurt," Mei replied, with Clara on her shoulder after she unfused from the scimitar.

    "Really? Is it here? Is there a secret passage or something?" Ririam asked, looking at the dead-end alley.

    "Indeed, but this type of passage requires a password," Mei explained, walking to the end of the alley and playing a recording on her communicator.

    "Please... stop! The password is *shiroi... kiri*," came a voice from the communicator.

    "Is that normal?" Louis asked Kassie.

    "Of course, we have to get information," Kassie whispered in response.

    The alley wall opened, revealing stairs going down. They all went down and turned on a flashlight on their communicator, except Ririam, who had two lights on the rings of her glasses.

    "How does this turn on?!" Louis asked desperately, searching for the button.

    "Here!" Kassie said, pressing a touch button.

    "Lower your voice!" Ririam intervened.

    When they went down, the place was spacious but completely deserted.

    "I think we¡¯re late..." Mei said, looking around the place.

    "There might be another passage. He¡¯s from the Krisha village; they had lots of secrets," Ririam said, inspecting the walls.

    "Right... Search the whole place, but be careful; there may be traps here." As soon as Mei spoke, everyone started to examine the area, which was a room made of pale-colored wood and entirely empty.

    "Hmm, I feel moisture on this part of the wall," Kassie said, crouching and examining the wall near the stairs.

    "How do you know?" Louis approached upon hearing Kassie¡¯s comment as the others searched the back of the room.

    "I control water magic too, I''m sure of it!" Kassie used her magic and broke a part of the wall, revealing a small tunnel.

    "I found something!" Kassie shouted, excited.

    A wall rose from the ground, trapping the others. Then, the stairs lifted and sealed the exit.

    Louis punched the wall with all his strength, but it didn''t do anything. "How... are you okay?"

    "Yes! Did you find anything, Kassie?" Mei replied, noticing that Xitlari couldn''t get through the wall.

    "It doesn''t move at all..." Xitlari replied after hitting it several times.

    "A tunnel! But it''s really dark... What do we do?" Kassie said worriedly, looking at the small, shadowy entrance.

    "Ririam! Give me a hug, maybe it¡¯ll be the last one..." Ann said fearfully, hugging Ririam.

    "Nothing will happen to us..." Ririam responded to the hug and tried to calm her down.

    "Don''t worry! I figured it would be a trap... That''s why... I brought..." Mei said, rummaging through her jacket. A white sphere came out of a wall. "What¡¯s that?" The sphere opened and lit up the entire place. On the other side, the wall flipped over, turning into a wall with spikes.

    "Did something happen...? Oh no..." Louis said upon seeing the spikes.

    "Get in!" Kassie shouted, diving into the tunnel, followed by Louis.

    Kassie and Louis began to fall down an endless tunnel until they passed through a white layer and arrived at a place surrounded by tall grass, illuminated by the sun under a sky with scattered clouds. At the top of the hill, a house with slanted roofs and white walls stood elegantly. Wooden columns held wide eaves that cast a soft shadow around the structure. Kassie created a stream of water that safely brought them to the ground.

    "No wonder I felt humidity; it rained here recently," Kassie said, noticing the drops of water on the grass. "Wow... this is a really pretty place for an assassin..." she commented, looking at the house on top of the hill.

    "Yes... Can you call the others? I don''t know how to use this," Louis said, getting up and pulling out his communicator, but he immediately put it away.

    "No one¡¯s answering... We need to check the house, we don¡¯t have anything else to do." Kassie tried calling everyone, but no one answered.

    Meanwhile, the others were in a completely silent place. There were stone structures in a refined style, with slanted red and orange tiled roofs. They were on a long path leading to the main building: a tall castle, surrounded by trees and thin, pointed towers, similar to a cathedral. Several small towers were scattered around the city, which had streets and paths connecting to each other. There were also stone arches and bridges crossing over small canals or rivers. Other long structures had a giant clock and a pointed roof. Some houses also had trees nearby and a garden in front.

    "What is this place?" Xitlari asked, gazing at the large palace.

    Mei sighed in awe upon seeing the place, feeling melancholic, and it was clear in her eyes that she wanted to cry. "This place... is Trownlian... one of the kingdoms destroyed by Mayestad. It''s so beautiful to see it again," she said with great emotion and sorrow as she remembered everything that had happened.

    "How is that possible? It can''t be... That sphere that exploded must have done something," Ririam said, confused and surprised by Mei''s words.

    "It could be binding or illusion magic..." Mei said.

    "It must be binding magic," Ririam replied.

    "Creating all this with illusion magic could take years..." she mused while pacing back and forth. "Ann! Fly as far as you can from the kingdom."

    "Understood!" Ann immediately flew off at high speed, raising dust and leaving a yellow trail behind her.

    Ririam noticed that Clara wasn''t with Mei. "Mei, Clara isn''t here..." Mei looked at her shoulder with concern.

    "I know... fairies can''t be bound or taken into an illusion," she replied, checking her shoulder.

    "Kassie and... what¡¯s his name?" Xitlari asked worriedly, forgetting Louis¡¯s name.

    "Louis! As punishment, you''ll ask him his name when we get back," Mei said sweetly and calmly.

    "What?! Why?!" Xitlari asked, surprised.

    "It¡¯s very rude to forget someone¡¯s name, and you need to be more sociable," Mei replied, observing the place and remembering old times.

    "After passing!" she shouted from afar, moving at high speed. "The kingdom, there¡¯s a long white space," she continued after reaching the ground with a smile on her face.

    "Then it must be... I''ve never seen such a well-crafted illusion field..." she commented while walking and looking at the castle.

    "It looks like they''ve figured it out... Although it took them a while... Weren''t they high-ranking paladins? I wonder who gave them this location," said a boastful voice with a hint of pride and playfulness, but deep.

    Everyone assumed battle positions and gathered to look around them.

    "Who are you?" Mei asked, scanning the area.

    "My name is Tai, nice to meet you! Paladins..." As he spoke, the ground began to crack. "Let''s see... how good you all are..." Many beings in silver armor emerged from the ground, beginning to surround them.

    "If it¡¯s illusion magic... With my magic, we can find an exit," Xitlari thought and began making poses with her four hands, which turned a bright blue.

    "Alright, cover Xitlari... And Remember that here, the magic is used twice as much and also... avoid the hits... or their brains will be damaged," Mei said, showing determination in her gaze.

    Meanwhile, Kassie and Louis entered the house and began searching everywhere.

    "Nothing?" Kassie asked, feeling bored.

    "Nothing..." Louis replied with disappointment. "I''m bored of searching... Do you think we should leave here?"

    "We can''t... We don¡¯t know what this place is... I¡¯m fed up! Get out of the house!" Kassie said, determined, creating a sphere of water with her hands.

    "Okay, I''m leaving!" Louis stepped out of the house and stopped to look into the distance.

    A large amount of water flowed out of the windows and doors. Louis was surprised and stepped away from the strong currents of water, which stopped at a certain point.

    "Huh? What was that?" said Tai, who was observing the others from atop a house while being invisible. Suspecting something, Tai left the area.

    "I got it!" Xitlari said, finishing her hand pose. "Rhino! Can you hear me?"

    "Yes, why are you speaking mentally? And where are we? And... why are you just moving your head? Well, not just you... The others too. Oh, I also see Mei¡¯s fairy, it¡¯s flying around her," asked with great confusion a small blue rhino spirit on Xitlari¡¯s shoulder.

    "We''re in a very well-crafted illusion field, what can we do?" she said, as Ann cleared the knights with yellow wind magic, creating a large tornado that pushed them away. Mei was fighting many at once, and with each strike of her scimitar, she sliced them in half. Ririam was shooting at those farther away.

    "Hmmm, start gathering spiritual magic in your mind, not in your arms, and then I¡¯ll take it to get you out of here by creating an impact in this room, and you¡¯ll leave the illusion field," the rhino spirit replied while trying to settle on Xitlari¡¯s head, pulling her hair.

    "I understand... Are you pulling my hair?" Xitlari asked, feeling a slight pain that distracted her.

    "Yes, almost there... Done! You can start now." The rhino finally managed to settle on Xitlari¡¯s head.

    "Perfect." Xitlari sat on the floor, crossed her legs, and began gathering blue energy in her head.

    Suddenly, dragons began emerging from the floor, knocking down buildings and tearing up the ground. Ann lifted everyone with her magic and flew them at high speed, trying to dodge the dragons'' fire attacks while Ririam shot at them. Xitlari was given a cloud to shield her from any harm.

    "Come on, Xitlari, you can do it!" Mei shouted, standing in front of Xitlari¡¯s cloud in case any of the dragons got close.

    A large black dragon appeared in front of them, throwing off Ann''s flight, and everyone started to fall.

    "Damn it!" Xitlari shouted, opening her eyes.

    Ann managed to stop the fall, and Xitlari returned to gathering energy, sitting on the ground. The black dragon destroyed one of the buildings, and Mei destroyed all the debris heading toward them. With a powerful leap, she reached the dragon¡¯s head and split it open. As she fell, Mei saw the large number of dragons approaching.

    "Xitlari! Hurry up!" she shouted while falling.

    "I''m almost... there!" Xitlari said.

    Ririam took out a device and threw it on the ground, creating a large, transparent green shield. All the dragons began to shoot fire, and the shield started to give way. Ann began charging a huge yellow wind blast in her hands, ready for when the shield broke. The large shield disappeared, and the flames were closing in on them. Ann released her blast, creating a yellow wind shield over them that moved at great speed.

    "No... I can''t... keep this up for much longer!" Ann shouted, struggling to keep the shield from breaking.

    "Almost... there... done!" Xitlari said.

    In the alley, the spiritual rhinoceros emerged from the ground, destroying much of it. The rhinoceros rose from the hole and waited outside.

    "What an entrance!" Mei said, emerging from the ground and standing next to Clara, gently rubbing her neck. "Are you okay, Clara?" Clara nodded while Xitlari looked around to see if anyone was near. Then, she stepped out and shrank the rhinoceros, placing it on her shoulder.

    "Hey, when are you guys coming out? We need to find Kassie and Louis," Mei asked, jumping over the hole.

    "I thought we were going to die..." Ann said, hugging Ririam, who was still on the ground.

    "Everything is fine, you did great," he replied, petting her head.

    "Get out of there already, lovebirds," Xitlari said, also jumping over the hole.

    Meanwhile, Kassie and Louis were still at the other place. Kassie made the water return into the house, where it was absorbed, leaving the place dry.

    "Whoa, this is amazing! Did you find anything?" Louis said, surprised that the house was intact, with all the furniture in place as if no one had been there.

    "I found this... It''s a scroll, but it''s sealed. It was on a fake floor, quite convincing," Kassie replied, turning around while trying to open the scroll.

    "It''ll be useful. And... now what?" Louis said, not knowing what to do next.

    "Hmm... Ah! I know, let''s go through the tunnel again," she suggested after thinking for a moment.

    "Yes, with your water magic," Louis added.

    "No, no, um, better with ice magic, hehe..." she replied nervously, as if hiding something.

    "Why not?"

    "Because... it''s better, let''s go!" she replied, grabbing Louis''s hand to leave the house.

    "Who are you? Don''t tell me you''re with the others?" Tai said, his words full of annoyance, alerting Louis and Kassie.

    "Are you Yeynos?" Kassie asked, peeking out, but there was no one. "Come on, put it in your bag," she whispered to Louis, handing him the scroll.

    "What? Not at all... My name is Tai, and I think... none of you will escape this place," he said, adopting a serious tone. Louis and Kassie were pushed by a large gust of wind; the attack was so strong that the house¡¯s entrance was destroyed.

    "Paladins! I''m afraid your defeat is... inevitable!" he said, emerging from the entrance and leaving a white mist behind. His hair was short and white, with eyes of the same color, as if they contained mist. He stood 176 cm tall and wore a black mask covering his mouth and nose. He had a white sleeveless hood reaching his pelvis, with a white cloak that reached just before his knee, coming out from between his shoulders. He wore a black shirt underneath, visible only at the sleeves, black wristbands with white dots, and black gloves. His pants were black, loose at the top and tight at the ankles, with a black belt adjusting the hood at his waist, and he wore white jika-tabi (traditional Japanese shoes worn by ninjas).

    "Are you okay?" Louis asked, helping Kassie get up.

    "Yeah... I''ll stay behind you," Kassie said, covering her arms with water.

    Louis drew his katana and moved toward Tai... He gathered momentum and clashed his katana with Tai¡¯s.

    "Magnificent sound, don¡¯t you think? Hahaha," Tai said with great excitement.

    Louis and Tai clashed their katanas while Kassie prepared to attack.

    "Wow... Hehe, you''re good with the katana. It¡¯s been a long time since I fought someone with equal strength," he said, noticing that Kassie launched a large water blast at him. Tai created a katana from his hand and began flying on it, dodging all of Kassie¡¯s attacks. "Phew! That was close, girl! Hahaha."

    "We don¡¯t have much time... I need to take care of the others too," Tai thought while continuing to dodge Kassie¡¯s attacks. "Dark Mist!" Tai dropped down from his katana and placed his palm on the ground, making everything turn dark for Louis and Kassie.

    Louis heated up his katana, lighting up his surroundings. Kassie used her crystal to light the place. Then, she placed both hands on the ground and began creating a large amount of water, which spread and trapped Tai with an arm of water. "Got you!"

    "Well..." Tai cut the arm with the katana he had left floating in the air and began flying again, standing on it. "Nice trick, you¡¯ll like this one!" Tai created a large number of katanas and directed them toward Louis and Kassie.

    Kassie created an ice wall with the water she had generated, stopping all the katanas in the ice.

    "Two types of magic... I didn¡¯t expect that, but who cares!" At great speed, Tai moved toward the wall, and with a single strike, destroyed it.

    "Back!" Louis shouted, preparing himself while Kassie positioned herself behind him.

    Tai clashed his katana with Louis¡¯s again, but this time Louis¡¯s katana sliced Tai¡¯s in two, surprising him, and Tai pulled back.

    "He¡¯s fast, but... we have the advantage," Louis thought. "Kassie, stay behind, I¡¯ll cover you," Louis said seriously.

    "Okay!" Kassie replied, noticing the seriousness in his words.

    "His katana is red hot... amazing!" Tai thought.

    Tai created many swords that started to surround him and directed them all toward Kassie and Louis.

    Kassie created an ice shield around them that began to spin at high speed, stopping the katanas and shooting many ice spikes toward Tai.

    "They have so many tricks," Tai said, dodging the spikes and destroying others with another katana that emerged from his hand.

    Tai pressed his katana harder, covering it with white mist, then threw it with all his might, piercing through the ice shield and heading straight toward Kassie. However, Louis intervened, trying to stop it, and although the katana was deflected, it pierced Louis¡¯s stomach.

    "Louis! Are you okay?" Kassie asked, rushing to him.

    "Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine," Louis said, pulling the sword out of his stomach and incinerating it. Kassie was stunned by how easily he destroyed the katana and how he didn¡¯t flinch at the pain.

    "Wow! Your fire is so hot, I¡¯m also impressed that you¡¯re still standing after a wound like that, respect," Tai said, flying over the shield. "But... don¡¯t you think you two don¡¯t fit together? Fire and water... get it? Heh, heh."

    Kassie shot more spikes from the shield, and once again Tai started dodging them, flying calmly and quickly over his sword.

    A beep sounded, and Tai pulled a round communicator from his pocket. "Well... bad timing, Father..." he said, shaking his head to avoid a spike. "I¡¯ll have to finish them off now... Besides, it looks like the others managed to escape. Too bad," Tai thought, fading slowly and disappearing from both of their sights.

    "Where did he go?" Kassie asked, trying to search for him.

    "I don''t know... But get ready, he could appear at any moment," Louis said, looking around everywhere.

    Suddenly, a small white sphere began to light up the place.

    "This is over, folks," Tai said, removing his mask and smiling as cracks-like marks spread from his eyes down to his cheeks.

    "White magic...? It can''t be!" Kassie exclaimed, frightened, as she removed the ice shield.

    "Run!" Louis shouted, grabbing Kassie¡¯s arm and starting to run.

    Suddenly, a gust of yellow wind came out of the tunnel, making the fog disappear.

    "Where are you guys?! Ah, there you are! Huh?" Ann shouted, looking for them, and saw Tai with the white magic sphere. She quickly grabbed Louis and Kassie and headed toward the tunnel.

    "Of course not!" Tai threw the white sphere, which shot towards them at high speed.

    Ann accelerated, making the yellow wind thinner, and they managed to pass through the tunnel. Then, they went through the entire tunnel, enlarging the hole and soaring at high speed into the sky until Ann managed to stop.

    "Are you... okay?" Ann asked, struggling to breathe.

    "Yes," the two replied, also tired, but Kassie was trembling.

    "Good... because I... don¡¯t..." Ann passed out and began falling with them. Kassie started screaming desperately, and Louis sheathed his katana, grabbed Kassie and Ann, and placed them in front of him while falling on his back.

    "What are you doing?" Kassie asked, confused.

    "I can handle the impact, you can¡¯t!"

    Kassie closed her eyes. They were falling at high speed... But suddenly, they went through a large amount of green slime that stopped their fall, landing in the middle of the large slime sphere. Ririam absorbed the slime again, allowing the three to touch the ground safely.

    "Are you okay?!" Mei shouted, running towards them with Ririam and Xitlari by her side. "Why did you come out of the hole like that?" she asked worriedly, kneeling as she arrived.

    "Ann! Are you okay? Please tell me you''re okay!" Ririam exclaimed, kneeling down, nearly in tears, as he took Ann in his arms and touched her face.

    "I¡¯m fine..." Ann replied, a little dizzy, and then Ririam hugged her tighter.

    "We don¡¯t know who it was... but they had white magic," Louis replied as he saw Kassie wasn¡¯t responding and was looking at Ann and Ririam.

    "White magic...? It can''t be... Only the priest has that magic..." Mei was stunned by Louis''s response.

    "Louis! Your stomach!" Kassie shouted, snapping out of it.

    "What? Were you injured?" Mei expressed, worried, as she stood up.

    "No, I¡¯m fine," Louis replied, standing up and covering his stomach.

    "Of course not!" Kassie retorted, thinking Louis was faking being tough. She stood up and moved Louis¡¯s hand, showing that he wasn¡¯t injured, although his shirt had a hole in it. "How...?"

    "That doesn¡¯t matter now, we need to leave! Get in the car!" Mei noticed the hole in Louis''s shirt and the blood stains, but quickly headed to her car, and everyone got in: Xitlari in the front, Kassie and Louis in the back, and Ririam with Ann on top. "Canbel! Did you call the architects? I don¡¯t want any complaints from that animal," Mei asked through her communicator while driving at a moderate speed.

    "They¡¯re on their way! They¡¯ll fix the damage and seal the tunnel for the usual price," Canbel responded through the communicator.

    "Perfect, thanks," Mei turned off the communicator and glanced at the others through the rearview mirror.

    "The mission was a failure..." Ririam mentioned while Ann was still unconscious on top of him.

    "Of course not... We got careless because we were so many, but now we know what we''re up against. It¡¯s not just anything; illusion magic of that level is very dangerous, and white magic is undoubtedly the worst... I need to arrange a meeting with someone from the church, and soon... The kingdom is in complete danger," Mei said seriously, with a determined look as she drove.

    "Kassie found this, it¡¯s some kind of scroll or something," Louis mentioned, pulling the scroll from his bag.

    "Let me see," Xitlari took the scroll and began analyzing it.

    "There are many beings inside, Xitlari," said the spiritual rhino. "I can feel it, it''s a large amount."

    "It seems to be a containment space; it contains a large number of creatures."

    "Keep it here," Ririam handed a security capsule to Xitlari, who stored it.

    Meanwhile, on the other side of the portal...

    "They escaped, how unfortunate... I better change the direction of the portal. Huh?" he commented with slight frustration while putting on the mask. Suddenly, a beep sounded again, and Tai pulled out a round device.

    "Is something wrong?" Tai asked, answering the call.

    "Of course something¡¯s wrong, you were supposed to be at the meeting. Where are you?" Yeynos said, annoyed, through the communicator.

    "Meeting? What meeting?" Tai asked, confused for not remembering the meeting.

    "In the ashes of Trownlian, Zthur will make a very important announcement. You¡¯d better come as soon as possible," Yeynos replied.

    "I don¡¯t remember being told about a meeting, but I¡¯ll do what I can to get there on time," Tai said, as he lay on top of his katana, which floated, taking him toward the tunnel.

    "Alright, hurry up..." Yeynos said, ending the communication.

    *Sigh... what a nuisance... But! I have to obey my father*, he commented, looking at the sky.

    Back in the kingdom of Ystir, and after a peaceful trip, everyone returned to the agency. Ann was feeling better, and it was getting dark; some people passed by the place on the sidewalks, and a few cars were driving by.

    "I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t worry," Ann was saying as Ririam helped her walk toward the agency. Kassie also came closer to help her.

    "You two go and take that to the research room," Mei said firmly, driving off in her car.

    Xitlari and Louis entered the agency in silence and headed to deliver the capsule. Neither of them said anything, just walking until they reached the research room.

    "Folks! Be very careful analyzing what¡¯s inside. I¡¯ll check it tomorrow," Xitlari mentioned, placing the capsule in a glass container that made the capsule float. Then, Xitlari left the room, followed by Louis.

    "Same as always with that girl..." one of the researchers commented. Louis heard the comment before leaving and then followed Xitlari, who stopped in his tracks.

    "What are you?" Xitlari asked suddenly, about to leave through the door.

    Louis was surprised by the question... But he knew he couldn¡¯t hide his secret anymore. "I¡¯m a human... half demon," he replied with relief and resignation.

    Xitlari made a surprised gesture but didn¡¯t turn around. "I see. By the way... you didn¡¯t tell me your name when I met you," she mentioned, not remembering, while still walking away.

    "I¡¯m sorry, my name is Louis A. Keeper, nice to meet you," he said warmly, with a slight blush.

    "Heh... Nice to meet you, Louis," she said, turning slightly and leaving through the door, heading out of the agency.

    Meanwhile, Mei kept driving her car.

    "Voice function."

    [Voice function activated], replied the car''s dashboard.

    "Search for information on Louis Keeper."

    [Understood], responded the dashboard.

    [Louis A. Keeper, 18 years old, son of the paladin Lin Keeper... He is a paladin of the Alahead kingdom, appointed on October 6th, 3682, stands at 170 cm, possesses fire magic, and is a half-demon human.] A thunderclap echoed at the last word from the dashboard.

    At Professor Maxwell''s house, he stood, watching the rain fall through his window.

    "You knew that, right?" Mei asked when she arrived, resting her hands on the desk.

    "You already figured it out... Sorry, I wanted to gather enough information to tell you without you doing anything improper," the professor responded, turning around.

    "Why would you do that?" Mei removed her hands from the desk and stood firmly.

    "Because for you... the kingdom is more important. Louis is a boy who has suffered a lot of contempt, and I want to prevent him from suffering more," he mentioned, sitting in his chair and taking out a holographic device.

    "You know they are dangerous, Jonathan. Having suffered a lot can make him want revenge," he said in a serious tone, and at the end of his words a clap of thunder fell.

    "Do you really think that? What would Xitlali say about that comment?" he expressed with disappointment.

    Mei thought about it for a moment and felt a little guilty for her words and harshness. "You''re right... I''m sorry."

    "Before you go... I won''t keep Louis lying... I''ll tell you once and for all, and I hope you''ll let me finish before you put your scimitar to my throat," he said seriously, pressing the device. holographic. The device displayed information and a photo of Rei. "Rei Fordesthmans is Louis'' teacher and...Louis possesses lava magic." Another thunderclap echoed in the distance at the last words.

    "How...? You want that to happen here too?!" She said surprised, hitting the table and leaving a mark with her fist.

    "Calm down... To reduce your worry, I''m showing you this... You know that Rei Fordesthmans is the son of Lion Fordesthmans; don''t think that Louis was trained by just anyone," he mentioned, showing him images of green and blue magic.

    "It''s still dangerous..." he replied, lowering his voice a little after seeing the images and listening to the Professor.

    "Have you seen the blue necklace he wears on his chest? That necklace prevents him from using the full potential of his magic. Furthermore, it was created with the magic of the celestial sword of Lion, that is no small thing," the professor continued showing him images of the necklace and the sword.

    "What if it stops working? What will you do?" Mei expressed more calmly, but with a small concern that did not come out of her.

    "Suppressed magic is very weak magic; it will be used up instantly. Louis mentioned that creating lava uses a lot of magic, and so he spent several years training with Rei to compress the part that he can use. If the necklace stops working Although I doubt it... You won''t be able to use much magic because it will mix with the suppressed magic. "Louis is a well-trained boy, he... won''t let anything bad happen!" he expressed with great certainty and confidence in his words, standing up and hitting the desk hard.

    Mei was surprised by the explanation and how he ended his explanation. "Heh... You take care of him because he reminds you of Alex, right?"

    The professor sat back in his chair. "The difference... is that Louis is trained, he is capable and knows the consequences of misusing his magic... Do you want me to tell you a little... what he has been through?"

    "Go ahead..." Mei responded.

    After a while, the rain stopped, and Louis arrived at the house. Before entering, he focused his body and dried all his clothes.

    "I''m back! Hanks?" he said, entering the house and closing the door. Louis headed toward the professor''s office but encountered Mei, who had just come out.

    "Miss Mei... What are you doing here? Oh! And about my injury... I..." Louis was interrupted by a sudden hug from Mei; she hugged him tightly, letting a few tears escape.

    "Don''t worry, Louis... I''ll support you too," she said with her sweet, soft voice, stopping the hug and wiping her tears. "I want to see you tomorrow at the agency... Okay?" she said with a slight tilt of her head while smiling with her lips.

    "Of course, I''ll be there!" Louis replied excitedly, and after hearing that, Mei hugged him again, gently.

    End of chapter.

 The dawn of something different #7

    The sun is rising... The crops are illuminated by the beautiful rays of light... also managing to illuminate the kingdom of Ystir. Time passes, and people prepare for a new day in their lives... cars pass by on the streets, people walk on the sidewalks... The palace opens its doors. We see Kassie waking up and getting out of bed in a room with blue walls, a window in front of the bed, and a desk by the window... Meanwhile, Ririam and Ann are together at a window ledge, having breakfast; Ririam is drinking coffee, and Ann blows into his ear, catching him off guard and causing coffee to spill on him. Ann, trying to help, uses her magic, creating a big commotion in the place... Xitlari is at the entrance of the PT agency, about to go in. We also see a tall man from behind, wearing a gray jacket and short white hair, walking along a path illuminated by the sun''s rays. The paladin Reck exits the palace while talking to a knight; we see King Jens asleep in his bed and the paladin Rays reading news on a holographic screen while drinking coffee; Louis waking up and starting his morning exercise routine; Professor Maxwell drinking coffee while reading a newspaper, with Hanks leaving him a plate of cookies. Finally... we see Mei entering the agency.

    " ''Sigh'' Again?" Mei asked as she entered the research room, leaning against the wall.

    "You know I like to work alone," Xitlari replied as she tried to open the seal of the scroll using needles with her four arms; she also had glasses on.

    "Xitlari... you need to work with others," she mentioned, approaching her and placing a hand on her shoulder.

    "I don''t want any mistakes, I hate having to fix something that wasn''t my fault," Xitlari said, focused.

    "The same thought, that''s why I don''t put you on missions," Mei replied while observing a crystal sphere in her hand.

    "You should, I always complete them without any errors," she mentioned as she took a finer needle from a box to her right.

    "Yesterday, you did an amazing job, and we were all there," Mei teased.

    "Yes... but I prefer working alone," Xitlari emphasized with a slight smile of self-sufficiency.

    "I won''t assign you a solo mission; at least do one with Kassie or... Hmmm, see you later." Mei left the room with an idea in mind; Xitlari watched her leave and then continued working.

    Mei entered her office after greeting Canbel; afterward, she sat in her desk chair, and a hologram appeared as she pressed a key on the keyboard on the desk.

    Then we move on to Louis, who was delivering many packages throughout the kingdom; some people recognized him and greeted him, while others watched him run. Some murmured, "How is it that I never see that guy sweat?" said a man who received his package and watched Louis run off to deliver another. "A paladin as a delivery boy! How strange! Ha, ha," mentioned another. "I love seeing him, he seems very cute to me," commented a woman. "He¡¯ll never pay attention to you," added another. Louis was heading to a bookstore with the last package in his arm.

    "Good morning, Amelia!" Louis said excitedly, placing the package on the counter and breathing with slight exhaustion.

    The store had a counter near the entrance and a large window in front of it; further inside, there were several shelves with books and a blue-silver cauldron kept in a glass case. The walls and ceiling were wooden, with various details and decorations.

    "Hello, Louis! Thanks for bringing my package. How have you been? Did the potions work?" Amelia asked respectfully. Her hair was black, curly, and slightly messy, tied back a bit with a few loose strands; her skin was dark, her eyes brown, and she stood 170 cm tall. She wore a long-sleeved white shirt with closed cuffs and, over it, a fitted black vest. She wore a necklace with a small pendant and round glasses. She also had long silver earrings.

    "Yes, I haven''t had any more dreams, and actually... I haven¡¯t heard anything since yesterday; maybe it¡¯s already gone," he expressed with gratitude, surprised that he hadn''t heard Dark anymore.

    "I''m glad to hear that... You know... I¡¯ve been researching your case, and I haven¡¯t found anything; I¡¯ve read up on curses from ancient times and nothing," she mentioned, bewildered, taking the package and placing it under the counter.

    "How strange... I wonder what it could be... Well, at least I don''t have those thoughts anymore, so I''ll just keep doing what I¡¯ve been doing," he said, feeling relieved and at peace.

    "I hope those thoughts don''t return. If you need more potions, don¡¯t forget that mine are the best," she expressed proudly with a slight smile of confidence.

    "Of course! I¡¯ll always come to your shop, goodbye!" Louis said, raising his hand and heading out the door.

    "Goodbye!" Amelia replied as she watched him leave through her window beside the counter.

    Louis returned home after greeting many people who recognized him on the street.

    "I''m back!" he said, entering the house and closing the door.

    "I''m glad to see your progress, Louis," said Professor Maxwell, appearing on the entryway stairs, hiding his arms behind his back.

    "Professor... were you waiting for me?" he said with slight surprise.

    "Yes, here, I figured you''d go straight to the agency," he replied, handing him his katana and the blue bag.

    "Thank you, professor... I appreciate everything you¡¯ve done for me," Louis expressed sincerely, hugging the professor warmly.

    "Don''t worry... I''m happy to have met you," he replied with surprise and joy at the sudden hug.

    "Goodbye!" Louis said, heading out the door.

    "Goodbye... Hanks! Are you ready? We need to continue with the project," he mentioned as he went to find him.

    "I''m ready! Just putting away the teapot," Hanks replied.

    Louis headed to the agency, and this time, he noticed a woman looking at jewelry that Canbel was showing her. One piece caught Louis'' attention; it was a necklace with a golden heart.

    "I wonder how much one of those costs," he thought as he walked through the door next to the register.

    Passing by the research room, he noticed Xitlari was there and, gathering courage, he entered to talk to her. As he entered, Xitlari glanced at him briefly and hid two of her arms.

    "Good morning..." he said a bit nervously, trying to approach her.

    "Good morning," she replied simply, focused on the seal of the scroll.

    "How¡¯s it going?" he said, attempting to make conversation but unsure of what to say.

    "Fine."

    "She likes people to approach her, doesn¡¯t she?" he thought. "Have you... managed to open it yet?" Louis kept thinking of what to say as he got closer to her, positioning himself beside her.

    "I wouldn¡¯t still be trying to open it, would I?" she replied, raising her right eyebrow.

    "Right..." he said, lightly tapping his forehead with his fist. "I don¡¯t know what else to say... Maybe if I help her..." he thought, trying to find a solution. "Have you tried pressing here?"

    "Don¡¯t touch it!" Xitlari tried to stop him, but when she raised one of the arms she¡¯d hidden, she hit the table, and the scroll lifted and began to shine white. A creature with horns and white fur emerged from the scroll, destroying the wall; it then started running through the car area.

    Xitlari covered her hands with blue magic, jumped, grabbed the scroll, and, using two needles, pressed firmly to seal the scroll.

    "What are you doing? Let¡¯s go!" she said angrily, going after the creature while pressing the needles into the scroll to prevent it from sealing again.

    *Mei¡¯s Office*

    "I¡¯m telling the truth, Zthur is a nerosma, sir," Mei said respectfully to a church leader on the holographic screen.

    "Miss Mei... they were expelled from the land years ago, and all those who remained have already been exterminated," said the leader of the church with an indifferent attitude.

    "I know what I''m telling you! I clearly remember what they looked like," Mei replied.

    "You¡¯re no longer a paladin, miss... You¡¯ve probably been left with scars like the others. I wish you the best; I must leave," the leader responded, completely distrustful.

    "I''m not crazy! Zthur has people with illusion magic and white magic! The kingdom is in danger!" she said, completely annoyed.

    "Of course, you''re crazy! No one has white magic other than the priest," he said angrily, cutting the transmission.

    "Damn it! They never listen!" she expressed in frustration, standing up and slamming her desk.

    "I see things are not going well..." said Reck, appearing at the window of the office to Mei''s left.

    "Reck! What are you doing here?" she asked, surprised to see him at the window.

    "The king supposedly gave me permission to go out and relax, but what he''s actually doing is hiding the kingdom''s money. The good thing is I know where he''s hiding it, but we need the priest here," he responded, irritated, leaning against the window with his arms.

    "I doubt he¡¯ll come... Now they think I''m crazy. Can¡¯t you call a leader?" she said in frustration, sitting down in her chair.

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    "He has me monitored by Rays; I don''t know what the hell is wrong with him helping that guy," he replied, frustrated.

    "You could make a call here," she said, thinking of a solution.

    "I already tried... Some of them even laugh at me. ''Sigh'' The priest won''t come unless Jens calls for a meeting... and he already confirmed there''s no need for one this month." Reck turned around and began looking at the sky until they heard a loud crash.

    "What was that?"

    "The scroll... go through the roof!" Mei expressed, surprised, standing up, grabbing her scimitar, and leaving the office as Reck jumped and began running at great speed across the roof.

    "Why did you have to touch it?" Xitlari shouted as she ran, pressing the scroll with the needles to prevent it from sealing again with three of her hands.

    "I''m sorry... I just wanted to help," Louis responded, feeling guilty but showing a bit of seriousness as he ran alongside her.

    "Move, everyone!" Xitlari shouted, and all the people began to rush into their homes or find shelter; some even flew with their rune companions to avoid the creature. "You stop it, and I''ll put it back in the scroll!"

    "Alright!" he replied, picking up speed and propelling himself off some houses. Xitlari focused, and her legs released the blue aura of her magic.

    Cars swerved, and others crashed; some, about to crash into walls, activated a system that surrounded the car with a white foam that cushioned the impact. Louis was about to catch up to her, but the beast kicked a pole that was heading towards a car with a family, and Louis stopped the pole using both his hands. The beast kept running until it received a powerful punch from above, which buried it into the ground and raised a curtain of dust. Xitlari was surprised to see Reck on top of the creature; she covered herself from the dust cloud, approached, opened the scroll, and forced the creature inside. Reck moved aside and watched as the creature was absorbed by the scroll. When it was over, Xitlari removed the needles, and the scroll sealed itself.

    "What was that? What happened, Xitlari?!" Reck asked angrily, approaching her.

    "It wasn''t my fault!" she replied, immediately defending herself.

    "Of course it was! You always want to do everything alone," he retorted, taking the scroll from her.

    "Wait! It¡¯s not her fault! I caused this..." Louis said firmly, stepping in front of Xitlari, giving Reck another small surprise.

    "What did you do?" Mei asked, arriving at the scene with Clara by her side.

    "It was my fault, I¡¯m sorry... I¡¯ll pay for all the damages," Louis said quickly when he heard Mei¡¯s voice.

    After hearing Louis''s response and thinking for a moment, Mei said, "Come, Xitlari." Mei gestured for Xitlari to come closer, and she did so, crossing her arms. "What happened?"

    "Sigh. I was working, and he arrived and touched what he shouldn''t have. You should put the door back in the research room," she replied, trying to justify herself.

    "I won''t do that, and... what did I tell you? Don¡¯t work alone, wait for the others, and please... your justification is not valid. You have four hands! You could have prevented him from touching the scroll," Mei said with a mix of patience and firmness.

    "Fine... What will the punishment be?" Xitlari replied reluctantly, remembering that she hid her arms when Louis entered.

    "Hmmm... Sure! You two, come!" Mei said after thinking for a moment and remembering her idea.

    "Don''t feel bad, kid. No one got hurt, but if you don''t know about something, it''s better not to help," Reck said, trying to cheer him up, seeing how bad Louis felt. Louis stayed silent as they walked toward Mei. "What''s it like being half-demon?" he asked, a bit awkwardly, as if unsure how to talk about these things.

    "Do you know? Are you Mern?!" Louis asked, surprised.

    "What? No, I¡¯m Reck. I¡¯m Mei''s companion, and the only one, aside from another, whose paladin title wasn¡¯t taken from us," he said, resigned as he mentioned the other.

    "I see..." Louis said, finally reaching Mei.

    "First... Give me that," Mei took the scroll from Reck when they arrived, and Reck raised an eyebrow at the action. "Second, let me introduce you to Reck Mortz, Louis, the strongest paladin in the kingdom... at least until I get my position back," she said with a challenging smile.

    "Ha, what are you saying? I¡¯ve always been the prime..." Reck said, as if he couldn¡¯t help but smile slightly.

    "Third! You two will deliver a jewel that was commissioned by Donquichua," Mei said, interrupting Reck with her sweet and soft tone of voice.

    "What? But I don¡¯t..." Xitlari said, disagreeing with the punishment.

    "No buts. You will also help Mern; he always goes outside the kingdom delivering jewels," Mei interrupted Xitlari and turned around. Xitlari sighed and handed the needles to Mei and left the place while hiding her arms.

    "Miss Mei... I think all the blame should fall on me," Louis said with a tone of frustration, guilt, and a hint of fear.

    "Maybe... but I know Xitlari, and her perfection won¡¯t get her anywhere. She was months away from becoming a paladin, which means you¡¯re superior to her, and you must train her," Mei said, understanding Louis and remembering all the good things before the king died.

    "Me!? Train her? I... I can''t do that!" Louis said, extremely surprised and a bit nervous.

    "I¡¯m leaving; I don¡¯t want the count bothering me. Let me know if anything important happens tonight," Reck said, parting from them.

    Many tall cars, carrying large containers with stones and people on top, arrived, along with other long cars transporting many people in blue suits.

    "Who are they?" Louis asked, curious, watching them arrive at the scene.

    "They are architects and helpers. They repair damages and assist those involved in accidents. I pay them, though. I found out Jens doesn''t notice much of what¡¯s happening in the kingdom," Mei replied, whispering when she said she paid them. "Let¡¯s go!" Mei said, starting to walk toward the agency, and Louis followed her while watching how they repaired the street and helped people. Louis felt guilty about everything that happened and showed frustration on his face.

    "Don''t feel bad... People are fine, the cars have an anti-damage system, and repairing the road is no big deal, but you''ll still have to pay for the damages," he said, noticing the mood Louis was carrying, and he just sighed.

    "How can I not feel bad...? All of this is my fault, just for trying to get closer to her," Louis still felt guilty and realized his last words.

    "You want to get closer to her...?"

    "That''s not what I meant..." he said, being interrupted.

    "It''s not easy. She''s very closed off, and although she talks to me, Kassie, and the others, new people... they''re not her thing. But you might end up liking her because you''re different," he said in a calm tone, trying to give him some perspective and hoping his words would help.

    "Different?" Louis asked, confused, as they continued walking toward the agency.

    "Yeah, I mean... you''re a hybrid. She always supports them because they''re different... like her," he replied, messing up Louis''s hair with one hand. "That aside, I wanted to ask you... Does it hurt when you use your magic?"

    "No, why the question?"

    "Curiosity. With you, only three people have been recorded with that magic worldwide, although... in the church system, they have you listed as having fire magic," he mentioned while Clara flew around her.

    "Heh... My teacher probably did something," he said immediately, confidently, with a slight smile.

    "Rei, huh..." Mei thought when she heard the name.

    After the walk, Louis was sitting in the waiting room on a sofa, resting his head.

    "When will I stop making mistakes...?" he thought, looking at the glass skylight.

    The door to the room opened, and there was Kassie.

    "Hello," Kassie said lightly.

    "Hello, Kassie..." Louis replied, feeling down.

    "I wanted to apologize for revealing your secret yesterday..." she expressed sincerely, showing guilt on her face as she sat on the sofa across from Louis.

    "Don''t worry, they had to find out, and I don''t like lying. My parents taught me it was something I should never do, at least with people I know," he said, trying to ease Kassie''s guilt and sitting properly on the sofa.

    "Thank you... And you, why are you feeling down?" she asked, trying to help him, but Louis wasn''t sure how to respond. "Come on! I can help you, we''re both hybrids, you''re already like a brother to me," she insisted, showing a small smile.

    "I think... I like someone," he said with a bit of hesitation, covering his face by resting his arm on his forehead.

    "Oh... I see... Well, I''ve never had a relationship, so I don''t have much to say other than just be yourself," she mentioned with mild surprise, trying to offer some help.

    "*Sigh* Today I tried to be myself, and... I totally messed up," he replied in frustration without showing his face.

    "Yeah... I heard you opened up the whole... thing..." she said, analyzing the situation a bit. "No way! You like Xitlari?!", realizing it, she made a surprised sound with her mouth, completely astonished.

    "Don''t mention it, please... She''s already mad at me, if she heard that, she''d never speak to me again, I think..." he said, not wanting to show his face due to the embarrassment he felt.

    "Come on! Don''t be shy, maybe I can help you, remember, I''m her friend," she insisted, sitting next to him and tapping his arm with her finger several times.

    "I don''t know... I''ve never felt anything for anyone before, I don''t know how to act," he replied, removing his arm from his face and putting both hands on his knees.

    The door to the room opened again, with Ann entering and Ririam behind her.

    "Louis, Kassie! Hi! I''m glad to see you, but even more so, Louis. Tell me, how does it feel to have lava in your hands? Does it burn?" she said with excitement, approaching Louis and touching his hand. Then she paused, as if something occurred to her, and with a sigh added, "Do you feel heat?"

    "Uhm... No, no, and... well, it feels like water, but thick and viscous, like it has a life of its own," he said, trying to answer her questions while she took off his glove to check for burns. Louis noticed that Ann''s hands only had four fingers.

    "That''s amazing!" Ann said upon hearing his responses.

    "Take a step back, Ann, and you should too, Kassie, if something happens, only you can stop the lava," said Ririam, pushing Ann away.

    "What do you mean? I won¡¯t do anything bad...", Louis said, a bit annoyed by Ririam¡¯s words.

    "Maybe, but... I still have my precautions," Ririam mentioned, showing that the right side of his coat was filled with water and ice items, and the ice ones emitted a cold air.

    Louis, surprised, said: "Aren¡¯t you cold?"

    "A little... but saving the kingdom is worth it," he replied, stopping showing his items.

    "Don¡¯t be like that with him. Hey, do you want to go have lunch at the El Dorado restaurant? It¡¯s new and right across from here, and you can tell us more about your abilities, Louis," Ann said with a radiant, cheerful attitude, eager to learn more.

    "Yeah, because I doubt we¡¯re going back to the Prilias restaurant after what happened this morning," Ririam murmured.

    "What? Are you still mad?" Ann said, turning her gaze to Ririam and showing a little sadness on her face.

    "No, it¡¯s fine," he replied, showing a slight anger that he was trying to hide.

    "I don¡¯t know..."

    "We¡¯ll go!" said Kassie, gently pushing Louis. "It¡¯ll help lift your spirits," she whispered to Louis.

    "Let¡¯s go then!" Ann said excitedly.

    As they exited the agency, Ann wondered, placing a finger on her right cheek: "Hmm, should we invite Xitlari too?"

    "To have her say no? She likes to be alone," Ririam responded, opening the door.

    "True... I wish I could talk to her more," Ann said a bit sadly, walking out the door, followed by Ririam, Kassie, and Louis, who was being pulled by Kassie by his coat.

    "You could also tell us about the guy with white magic," Ririam mentioned, showing some interest as they walked to the restaurant.

    "Sure, no problem," Kassie replied, continuing to pull Louis.

    Entering the restaurant, Ann greeted everyone with a cheerful and excited "Hello!" The restaurant had many tables, the walls were red with golden squares, and there were small golden lanterns on the ceiling. There were two small windows next to a table, and they chose that one. Next to the entrance, there was a brown wooden piano with several golden details.

    "Thank you for coming to our restaurant, my name is George. You¡¯re some of the first customers today, and if it¡¯s not too much trouble... Could I have your autograph, Miss Ann?" said a man dressed in black with short hair on top and semi-shaved sides, handing them the menu.

    "Of course!" Ann said, taking the notebook and signing it.

    "Thank you very much!" the man said as he received the autograph.

    "What a beautiful piano," Louis thought, fascinated by the piano.

    "Do you play the piano, Louis?" Kassie asked, noticing how Louis was staring at the piano.

    "Yes, my teacher taught me. He¡¯s an expert; I could never reach the way he plays... and I doubt I ever will, he has six fingers on each hand, that gives him an advantage," he said with great pride and appreciation for his teacher.

    "Six fingers! Whoa," said Kassie, imagining the speed with which he must play the piano.

    "Hey! Choose what you¡¯re going to eat. I want boiled potatoes and grilled litia chicken with Riz cream," said Ririam, closing the menu; He was sitting next to Ann.

    "I want yellow rice and Marfron meat with a cheese sauce on top, thank you," Ann replied with a slight smile on her face.

    "I¡¯ll have a litia egg salad," said Kassie Showing off a little would be because of Ririam''s scolding.

    "Don¡¯t you have sandwiches?" Louis asked, looking through the menu.

    "Sandwiches?" George said, frowning.

    "Louis... they don¡¯t have that here," Ririam said, crossing his arms.

    "Oh, don¡¯t they? Well... give me the suitsequer dish," Louis said, and George left with the order.

    "You don¡¯t even know what it is, do you?" Ririam asked, staring at him.

    "No, but it looks good," he replied While snapping his fingers.

    "¡®Sigh¡¯... Never mind, tell me, how strong was that Tai guy?" He mentioned with interest ignoring Louis'' action.

    "I¡¯d say he had strength equal to mine, and he could create katanas with his right hand," Louis replied with Worry, recalling the fight.

    "Yeah, and he could control them to fly around him or launch a bunch of them. I used an ice shield that spun to protect us from them, but with one of them, he easily pierced my shield," Kassie said, remembering how the katana pierced Louis.

    "I remember that when I pulled out the katana, it had a white mist aura. I think that¡¯s what makes them stronger. He also had the ability to trap us in a totally covered area with black mist," he said, Seriously remembering more of that intense fight.

    "The last part was probably illusion magic, but the rest... That guy really has a lot of abilities: illusion magic, creation magic, and white magic. It¡¯ll be a big problem facing him," Ririam said, trying to come up with a plan for Tai. "Well, I¡¯ll go wash my hands before the food gets here."

    "I¡¯ll go too," added Kassie, going but Taking his distance from Ririam...

    "I¡¯ll also go..." Louis thought, taking off his gloves. "Aren¡¯t you going, Ann?"

    "Of course, but I want to ask you something... You like Xitlari, right?" she said cheerfully and directly.

    Louis, surprised that she already knew, dropped one of his gloves. "How do you know? Did Kassie tell you?" he asked nervously and blushing.

    "Did you tell her? Haha, I found out just yesterday... When she came up to you, I noticed your expression, and I knew I wasn¡¯t wrong, because I felt the same way with Ririam when I fell in love with him," she said cheerfully, blushing at the end of her words.

    "I see... Don¡¯t tell anyone, please," Louis said, picking up his glove with a slight blush and heading to wash his hands.

    "Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t tell anyone," she said with a smile, standing up as well while Ririam was already coming back.

    After Louis washed his hands, he headed to the table and only found Ririam.

    "Are they still in the bathroom?" Louis asked, warming his hands, and Ririam was about to take out an ice weapon. "Hey! Calm down."

    "Sorry, I¡¯m just being cautious," Ririam said, pulling his hand out of his coat.

    "I think you¡¯re overdoing it..." he said, sitting in the chair.

    Suddenly, the lights went out, leaving only two that illuminated Ann. Kassie quickly sat in her chair.

    "What¡¯s going on?" Ririam asked Kassie.

    "It¡¯s to cheer up Louis, and also... the song is for you," Kassie whispered.

    Ann lifted Louis from his chair with her yellow wind magic and placed him at the piano. Louis hesitated; his fingers barely touched the keys, but George gave a thumbs up, showing his approval. The first chord resonated with warmth that filled the whole place. The melody flowed with great harmony. Each touch was like a ray of sunlight lighting up the place. Ann began to sing, and her voice was like a great sun that covered the skin with its warm glow, each word full of affection and softness.

    Every single day with you,

    Is like sunshine

    I feel the sun when I hug you,

    My life changes when I meet you

    Always... I want to... stay... with you...

    I want to stay with you, my yellow love! My life shines like the golden color, you''re everything for me, my yellow love.

    Don¡¯t be shy, don¡¯t go away from me,

    I can''t live without you.

    Don''t go, my yellow love!

    I am not complete if I don''t have you.

    When the light of the sun touches my face, I can feel, like I''m with you!

    I want to stay with you, my yellow love! My life shines like a diamond.

    We were destined to be a yellow couple.

    When I see you, I feel the radiance of the sun.

    The sunrise with you, when the leaves fall in the autumn season!

    You change my life, you change me, my yellow love.

    I want to stay with you, my yellow love! My life shines like a rainbow.

    You''re my boy, I am your girl, and I always want that... my yellow love...

    As Ann sang, Louis began to play with more confidence. His fingers moved calmly over the black and white keys, creating a melody that connected directly from the hearts of both. Each note resonated with depth, from the lowest to the softest marking the rhythm, to the high notes that shone like rays of light.

    In the last words of the song, Ann raised her hand, pointing to Ririam, and Kassie gave her a slight push. Ririam looked at her for a second and then saw Ann with her beautiful smile; he immediately got up from the chair and gave her a warm and emotional hug.

    "I love you... So much. There will never be anyone or anything that can give me what you¡¯ve given me... and keep giving me," he said with great feeling, placing his hands on her face and giving her a long and gentle kiss.

    Louis finished the song by playing a soft final low chord, like the last gleam of the sun... in a sunset.

    End of the chapter.

 A new change #8

    After the scroll accident and Mei''s punishment, Xitlari was walking toward the southwest area on the sidewalk.

    "If I had never arrived, none of this would have happened... What a hassle!" she said in great frustration, clenching her fists. "I¡¯m never wrong when I do things alone..."

    "Hey, freak! Go walk in front of someone else..." shouted a bearded man, stepping out of his shop. As she passed by, Xitlari quickly punched him, breaking his nose, causing him to fall to the ground, covering his face and complaining about the pain. Meanwhile, Xitlari kept walking.

    "I needed that..." she mumbled as she walked away with a sigh of frustration. "I won¡¯t do the mission with him. I¡¯ll ask Mei to let me do it alone and for him to do something else. I don¡¯t care," she muttered angrily, reaching a two-story building at the corner with a long blue window. The walls were beautiful, decorated with some adornments. The entrance had a small blue canopy, and above, on the second floor, there was another long window that illuminated the upper room.

    "Lily! Hello!" she exclaimed upon entering the very quiet place.

    "Xitlari!" several children shouted in unison, running toward her and giving her a hug.

    "Hi! How is everyone?!" Xitlari was very happy, hugging the children.

    "Very well!" they answered. "Pick us up!" said one girl. "Yes, please," added another.

    "Or can¡¯t you anymore?" said a boy, challenging her.

    "Ha, ha... Do you think I can¡¯t? Of course I can!" she said, accepting the challenge with a smile, lifting all the children with her four arms, who started laughing and getting excited.

    "Dahlia! I mean, Xitlari! It¡¯s good to see you. Did something happen?" said a woman with a kind and calm voice. She wore a white dress and a yellow robe. Her hair was brown, and her eyes were green. She wore black slippers with white knee-high socks and an advanced watch on her left arm.

    "I was just passing by, also to distract myself and shake off some anger," Xitlari replied, lowering the children and approaching Lily to give her a hug.

    "Anger? Are people still insulting you? So... hiding your arms doesn''t work?" Lily asked with concern, returning Xitlari¡¯s hug.

    "It works a little. Some recognize me, but I¡¯m angry about something else," she responded, remembering why she was there.

    "I see... Kids! It¡¯s almost lunchtime. Go get your plates so Julia can serve you," Lily said, bending down with a slight smile on her face.

    "Yes!" the kids shouted excitedly, running to get their plates.

    "Tell me, what happened?" Lily sat in a chair and offered Xitlari another one next to her.

    "There¡¯s this new guy. Because of him, I now have to leave the kingdom with him to deliver a package," she responded with a slight sigh, sitting in the chair with annoyance.

    "But you like traveling, what''s the problem?" Lily said, confused.

    "I don¡¯t want to go with him. Because of him, a very dangerous object opened, and I got blamed too. And if I go with him on the mission, he¡¯ll probably do something else and get me into more trouble," she said, clenching her four hands.

    "Why don¡¯t you talk to Mei about doing it alone? You can also ask her to send you with Kassie," Lily suggested, trying to find a solution.

    "I was going to do that, but thinking about it, I don¡¯t want to bother her... Taking care of this kingdom with the resources she has is not easy at all, and she fully supports teamwork. Plus, I couldn¡¯t get Kassie into my mess," she responded with understanding and stood up, looking at and touching the blue window with two of her hands.

    "But you would help her with her problems, wouldn¡¯t you? Ha, ha, ha. You¡¯re just like your father," she said with a light laugh and a touch of melancholy.

    "Do you think so...? *Sigh.* I wish I could do everything perfectly. The truth is, I felt a little embarrassed. He came in and I hid my hands, and that¡¯s why... I couldn¡¯t stop him. Actually, when I tried, my hands hit the table, but he still pressed the scroll! And if he hadn¡¯t come in, the scroll would have never opened!" Xitlari tried to reflect, but reached the same conclusion, getting more frustrated in the process.

    "Then... Go ask Mei. If you want to do it alone, do it alone. But maybe the guy didn¡¯t have those intentions. I¡¯ve noticed you behave like them. You shouldn¡¯t be like them... Not everyone is going to despise you, Xitlari. If you keep acting like this, they will..." Lily said, understanding what Xitlari was feeling and deeply concerned about her attitude.

    Lily¡¯s words made her remember something: "Actually, I think your arms are amazing..." Her lips tightened slightly, showing a touch of guilt, as if she had just realized her mistake. "I think you¡¯re right... But I don¡¯t know... What if he gets me into more trouble?" she said, accepting it all and heading toward the exit.

    "You¡¯ll figure it out," Lily replied.

    "It¡¯s easy to say. Anyway, thanks for listening to me," she said with gratitude.

    "It¡¯s nothing... Do you want to eat something before you leave?" she said, happy that Xitlari understood her message.

    "No, I¡¯m not hungry. I think I¡¯ll go back to the agency. Goodbye, and please say hi to the kids for me," she said calmly, giving a slight smile as she said goodbye and left.

    Lily stood up and waved with a slight smile. "I hope everything goes well, my girl."

    After a long walk back, Xitlari found a big surprise before entering the agency... She heard a melody that caught her attention.

    "That¡¯s... Louis!" Xitlari noticed Louis¡¯s red hair, and as she got a little closer to the restaurant, she recognized him. "And that¡¯s Ann," she mentioned upon hearing Ann¡¯s beautiful voice. "Lily is right... I¡¯ve been acting like those who despise me, afraid they¡¯ll despise me... and that has made me be alone most of the time," she thought, feeling a little bad and remembering Lily¡¯s recent words. Xitlari sat at the agency entrance to listen to the song. "Heh, this must be for Ririam... How does he manage to keep up with Ann¡¯s rhythm? No... Ann is adapting to Louis¡¯s rhythm. Ha! No wonder she¡¯s a professional singer..." she thought as she continued listening to the song.

    On Xitlari¡¯s shoulder, a blue energy was slowly gathering. Then, as she heard the end, the energy transformed into a blue owl.

    "Aww, what a beautiful piano! Where¡¯s the pianist?!" the owl exclaimed, feeling great passion and emotion.

    Xitlari was surprised by the appearance of the owl, letting out a surprised sigh. "A new spirit..." she said, thinking.

    "I¡¯m glad I decided to enter your life. My name is Buh. Tell me, where is...? Oh... how sad..." said Buh with great emotion, disappearing at the end of his words.

    "What are you talking about?" Xitlari said, standing up and noticing many people were approaching.

    "I¡¯m seeing your past... I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t enter your life earlier... I see... So that¡¯s what happened to Lum..." he responded with sadness upon seeing Xitlari¡¯s memories.

    Xitlari quickly entered the agency and headed toward the waiting room.

    "Hey, where are we going? I want to meet the pianist and the singer of that song," the owl replied, unable to separate himself from Xitlari.

    "I don¡¯t want anyone seeing me talking to myself, I¡¯ve had enough with the issue of my arms," she responded firmly, opening the door. "What¡¯s your hand position?" she asked, sitting on the sofa.

    "Eight circalitas, four mirias, and six linneas. Though I suggest you practice with two hands. I see you only know how to do the rhino spirit with your four hands," the spiritual owl responded while continuing to observe Xitlari¡¯s life.

    "Eight, four, and six... I got it! Earlier, you mentioned my father¡¯s name, do you know him?" she said, memorizing the order and feeling curious about what the owl was saying.

    "Lum is well known in the spiritual world. Many spirits wanted to be one of the three chosen to enter his life, including me. But I realized he didn¡¯t need me... His life was already good, and I... am the type of spirit that advises. I couldn¡¯t be with him. I¡¯m one of those who must go with people who need more help to improve their lives. Maybe I didn¡¯t enter Lum¡¯s life, but I did enter his adopted daughter¡¯s life," he answered, remembering when all the spirits talked about Lum and when he got the chance to enter his life.

    The owl¡¯s last comment slightly irritated Xitlari. "What kind of abilities do you have?" she asked directly.

    "Hmm, how direct. I have the ability to see the auras of others if you connect with them. Also, you can summon me to fly, create a shield, and I¡¯ll give you lots of advice. I¡¯m wise, girl," he replied, flying around Xitlari''s head. "Aha! His name is Louis the pianist, and Ann the singer, but I liked the piano more. It reminded me of something from my past life," he said instantly, landing on Xitlari''s shoulder.

    "Are you done seeing my memories?" Xitlari said sarcastically.

    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    "Almost... I see you''re on a bad path, you even realized that yourself. Don¡¯t worry; with me, you¡¯ll change, improve, and reach your best version. Obviously, it won¡¯t be easy, but I¡¯ll work hard to make it happen before you become an old woman, I swear," he said confidently, raising his wing as he swore.

    "I''m not on a bad path," Xitlari replied, staring at the owl.

    "Yes, you are. Being rude to most people, unkind, lonely, and closed off isn¡¯t right," insisted the owl, emphasizing it as if he knew her completely.

    "My father told me to be myself..." she said, refusing to accept what the owl was saying.

    "See? You''re closed off! Lum was right, but you need to change and improve to become your best version and get rid of the bad things in yourself," he said wisely, flying around Xitlari''s head again.

    Xitlari crossed her four arms, showing frustration at the truths the spiritual owl was saying to her. Then, the door opened, and Mei entered the room.

    "Xitlari! I¡¯ve been looking for you, I want to talk to you," Mei said with her sweet, soft voice, sitting beside her. "I know you like doing things on your own, but you need to learn to work as a team."

    "Yes! Mei knows what I¡¯m talking about," the spiritual owl mentioned.

    Xitlari listened to the owl and rolled her eyes.

    "Stop rolling your eyes at me," Mei said with mild annoyance, pinching her cheek.

    "Ouch! It wasn¡¯t for you. Don¡¯t worry, I had already decided to go with him, but I¡¯ll carry the jewel," she said while rubbing her cheek.

    "You changed your mind? It¡¯s rare to see that in you, but I¡¯m happy to hear it. Louis is a good guy, you can make peace while traveling, and he¡¯s different, just like you, and... you like different people," Mei said cheerfully, trying to convince her even more.

    "Yes, I understand, I¡¯ll try to make peace..." Xitlari responded to calm her down.

    "I¡¯m glad! Oh! One more thing, I won¡¯t let you touch the scroll unless you work with the others, understood?" she said, standing up and about to leave the room.

    "Understood..." Xitlari responded reluctantly.

    "Well, will you let me meet Louis?" asked the spiritual owl as soon as Mei left the room.

    "For what? He can¡¯t see you... and you already know him through my memories," Xitlari replied, getting up from the couch.

    "I¡¯d like to meet him in person, and Ann too," the owl said.

    "Tomorrow," Xitlari responded quickly, heading to the research room.

    "Why tomorrow? It can be today!" the spiritual owl insisted.

    "Because yes. I ask that you don¡¯t talk to me too much, I don¡¯t want them to see me talking to myself suddenly," she said before entering the research room.

    "Fine, but I¡¯ll still talk..." the owl replied.

    Everyone watched Xitlari as she entered, and she froze from all the stares.

    "I came to... help," she said nervously, trying to keep walking. After hearing that, everyone went back to tidying up. Xitlari approached and picked up several items from the floor, carrying a large amount thanks to her arms. The researchers noticed this, but continued working. In an hour, everything was organized, and the architects fixed the broken wall.

    "Now what? I should try to help them, I don¡¯t want to touch the scroll... Now I¡¯m panicking because of him," she thought, standing still watching how the others worked.

    "Why don¡¯t you start by approaching and not being afraid? Just inform them about what you discovered about the scroll," the spiritual owl suggested.

    "How nice it is to read my mind, huh?!" she whispered, annoyed by the comment.

    Xitlari approached the table. "I wanted to tell you... that needles 2 and 3 work correctly, also, the top part is the thinnest and the most fragile, easy to remove. Also, the ends on both sides should not be touched when removing the fourth layer. I couldn¡¯t remove the fifth one," she said calmly and professionally.

    "When it comes to that, it¡¯s easier for you. Go help the others," said the owl, urging her.

    "I¡¯ve already helped them... that¡¯s enough," Xitlari whispered, refusing the idea.

    "Go help them!" the owl said angrily.

    "Fine!" she responded, annoyed, approaching a man at a holographic screen.

    "If you use this code, it will be easier to save the files, and they¡¯ll be more protected," Xitlari said, showing him an encryption code.

    "Oh... That¡¯s true, thank you," the man replied.

    Xitlari realized she enjoyed this and went to help a woman with a full-body shield. Then she helped another with wiring a communication device, and lastly, forgetting the panic she felt, she dismantled the entire seal of the scroll with the help of the others. In the end, Mei was passing to her office with a bag and noticed Xitlari working with the others, a proud smile escaping her.

    "See? It wasn¡¯t that bad," said the spiritual owl after they left the research room.

    "Yes... You were right, but... I remember that in the past..." she said, feeling great happiness inside, but remembering the past.

    "No... Now, leave the past and walk in the present," the owl said, raising his wing to stop her.

    "Okay, I have to inform Mei about what we found," she said, heading to Mei¡¯s office.

    We switch to the others who were in the El Dorado restaurant. They had all finished eating and were chatting.

    "So, Ann is 25 and Ririam 26," Louis said, trying to confirm the information.

    "That¡¯s right, we met at the children¡¯s school. I still remember how cute he looked," Ann said with a touch of nostalgia and a smile on her lips.

    "Enough with the unnecessary information. Hey, Louis, have they told you how long you¡¯ll live in your kingdom?" Ririam asked seriously and curiously about the answer.

    "Huh? No, why?" Louis said, confused by the question.

    "I¡¯m asking because of your hybrid blood. Humans live to 130 years and age slightly at 60, and at 90, we age faster. But how does it work for you?" Ririam explained.

    "I remember reading that. And to answer your question... well, they never told me anything, but as I recall, demons live 180 years and age slightly at 80, and by 130, they start aging faster... But for me, I have no idea how long I¡¯ll live," he said, trying to answer the question.

    "You¡¯ll probably live longer than a human, that¡¯s for sure," Ririam said seriously.

    "Folks, before you leave, I¡¯d like to inform you that we¡¯ve received juice from the new fruit that was discovered, the melon. Would you like to try a glass?" George asked kindly, approaching the table.

    "Really?! Bring us four glasses, please. I¡¯ll treat you," Ririam responded with slight surprise.

    "Hey! How nice," Kassie said sarcastically.

    "Silence..." Ririam immediately responded.

    "Hey, Louis! Does it take a lot of magic to create lava?" Ann asked with great joy and curiosity.

    "Good question, Ann, I want to hear the answer," Ririam said, pressing a button on his glasses.

    Louis frowned at what Ririam said and answered, "Yes, quite a bit, but thanks to my master, I was able to concentrate the magic I have and use the right amount for long-term fighting."

    "You''re talking about Lion Fordesthmans'' son, right?" Ririam said, pressing the button on his glasses again.

    "Lion? My master is his son?!" Louis asked, surprised, getting up from his seat.

    "Didn''t you know?!" Ririam and Kassie commented, both surprised.

    "Well... he never mentioned it," Louis replied, sitting back down.

    "Here¡¯s the juice," George said, arriving with a tray carrying four glasses.

    Immediately, everyone took their glasses and tried it, except Louis, who was surprised to see how everyone grabbed a glass instantly.

    "Mmm, it''s so delicious!" Ann expressed with joy as she tasted it.

    "Ah... Yes, it''s very tasty," Kassie commented, fascinated, touching her cheek.

    "It''s good..." Ririam mentioned, without saying much more.

    "What do you mean by ¡®good¡¯? Say something else," Kassie retorted.

    Louis took his glass and tried it, and instantly he was surprised by the flavor. "It¡¯s... incredible! Where did you find this fruit?"

    "They say it was found in the eastern zone of Lyran," Kassie replied after taking a big sip.

    "I see..." Louis said, taking another sip.

    Suddenly, Ann''s communicator went off, and she pulled it out of her jacket.

    "Hello, Mei! Did you finish your call with Mern?" she said cheerfully when answering.

    "What are you saying, Ann?! The bank is being robbed! You have to go immediately!" Mei expressed, a bit nervously at Ann¡¯s comment.

    "Got it!" Ann responded, standing up and heading to the exit with Kassie and Louis, while Ririam left the payment for the drinks on the table.

    "Alright, time to go!" Ann said excitedly, making everyone fly and creating a square cloud that covered Kassie¡¯s view.

    "Wait! I¡¯m coming too!" Xitlari said, leaving the agency.

    Ann, surprised and letting out a sigh of astonishment, approached Xitlari to give her a hug. "No way! I¡¯ll do two missions with you in one week!" Ann said with great excitement and enthusiasm.

    "No hugs, Ann..." Xitlari said, stopping her with one of her arms.

    "I think I¡¯ll try not to talk to her. She must still be upset..." Louis thought while glancing at her.

    Ann quickly took everyone to the eastern zone, where the bank was.

    "Why is Kassie like that?" Louis asked, seeing the square cloud.

    "She¡¯s afraid of heights! But she knows my magic is the best way to travel," Ann replied, smiling proudly.

    "That explains why she froze up yesterday..." Louis thought, remembering when Ann took them out of the portal.

    After flying at great speed, they arrived at the location just before the robbers could escape.

    "Shit, we¡¯re done for! The paladins are coming!" one of the robbers said in fear. His hair was yellow, shaved on the sides and back. He wore a black vest, an amber-colored shirt, amber shoes, and black pants. Inside the bank, the place was empty, and some people were running from the back.

    "Didn¡¯t they say there were no more paladins in this kingdom?! Jomak tricked us!" another robber said angrily, wearing the same outfit, but this one was bald.

    "What do we do?" asked a girl with bags in her hands. She wore the same outfit, but her face was covered with a scarf, and her hair was shorter on one side.

    "Get ready... because I¡¯m not going down without a fight," said a man, cracking his fists. He was tall and muscular, wearing a gas mask on his face.

    "I¡¯ll go look for a hostage from the ones we locked up," added another man with long hair.

    "I see six in total. Judging by their clothes, they seem to be from Maber¡¯s gang. That means he¡¯s close to the kingdom," Ririam said, watching them from a distance through his glasses.

    "I¡¯ll handle them," Xitlari said with determination.

    "Of course not. We need to work together! Remember?!" Ririam retorted.

    "Leave it to me, please. This will be the last time I work alone," Xitlari said, jumping out of the cloud that was about to land.

    "Are you serious? Wait!" Ririam shouted, trying to stop her.

    Xitlari¡¯s descent was quick but controlled. Landing without a scratch, she began running towards the bank. The woman started firing with her weapon, and Xitlari dodged the shots nimbly until she got close, twisted the barrel of the weapon, and punched her in the face. Then, the tall and robust man threw a punch that Xitlari blocked with her left arm and then struck him with both of her right arms simultaneously. This caused the man to crash into the sidewalk, knocking him unconscious.

    The others arrived and watched as Xitlari dealt with them.

    ¡°Should we help her? I¡¯d like to help her¡­¡± asked Ann sadly, unable to work as a team with Xitlari.

    ¡°Let her be. She said this was her last time working alone,¡± replied Ririam, putting his arm in front of Ann to prevent her from getting closer.

    Louis watched in amazement at Xitlari¡¯s fighting style. One of the thieves fired several times with a pistol, but Xitlari blocked all the bullets with her right hands, covering them with her blue magic. Another tried to strike her with a sword, but she stopped it with one arm and punched him in the jaw with the other, took the sword, and threw it at the one with the pistol, disarming him. Then she approached him and kicked him in the chest, sending him flying through the wall. Another woman, who appeared to be a bit older, tried to attack her with a scimitar, but Xitlari dodged all her attacks until she grabbed the blade with both hands from the top and punched her twice in the stomach with her lower arms, knocking her out.

    ¡°Stop! Or you die!¡± said the long-haired man, holding an older woman who was...

    ¡°Please!¡± he shouted, throwing a dart from his jacket, shocking the man and making him release the woman.

    ¡°Thank you so much,¡± said the woman, falling to her knees in great relief, though still trembling.

    Louis was impressed, blushing and beginning to emit a warm aura, which Ririam immediately noticed and pulled out an object that sprayed Louis with water. Kassie quickly moved aside as Louis fell to the ground.

    ¡°What did I do?¡± Louis asked, surprised.

    ¡°You scared me! Why were you emitting heat?¡± asked Ririam, pointing the object at him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I think¡­¡± Louis responded, getting up from the ground and thinking it was because of seeing Xitlari.

    ¡°Be more careful! You almost got me wet!¡± Kassie said angrily, wiping the water off Louis and splashing it on Ririam¡¯s face.

    ¡°How dare you?! I¡¯m your superior! I deserve respect!¡± Ririam said angrily while Ann held him back from arguing with Kassie.

    ¡°When you earn my respect, I¡¯ll give it to you!¡± Kassie snapped, while Louis tried to stop her.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on with them¡­?¡± Xitlari thought from a distance as she helped the woman sit up.

    ¡°I want to tell you something¡­ Actually, two things. First, don¡¯t think that just because today you managed to work as a team, it will always be that way¡­ People aren¡¯t perfect, Xitlari,¡± said the spiritual owl as Xitlari handcuffed the thieves.

    ¡°I expected that!¡± she said angrily, scaring the woman. ¡°Sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s always the same! They fail, and even though it wasn¡¯t your fault, most of the punishment falls on YOU!¡± she expressed angrily but in a quiet voice to avoid scaring the woman, while continuing to handcuff the men.

    ¡°Now, here¡¯s the second thing¡­ We don¡¯t seek perfection because we learn from mistakes; we seek the best version of you,¡± the spiritual owl said, placing itself in front of Xitlari.

    ¡°I understand¡­ But still¡­!¡± she said, being interrupted by the arrival of the palace knights.

    The knights got out of a square car and began taking the thieves away.

    ¡°Hey! Remember we had nothing to do with this!¡± Ririam said to the knights, calming down because of what Kassie did.

    ¡°Of course, paladin Ririam,¡± one of the knights responded.

    ¡°Xitlari! We need to go,¡± Ririam said while drying his face with his coat.

    ¡°Thank you so much for saving me¡­¡± the woman said in a trembling but sweet voice, clasping her hands in gratitude.

    ¡°No problem, ma¡¯am,¡± Xitlari replied, happy for the woman¡¯s gesture.

    After the trip and returning to the agency, Ririam informed Mei in her office.

    *Sigh* ¡°And here I thought I¡¯d be working as a team¡­ Where is she?¡± Mei expressed, a bit disappointed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but she did say this was her last time working alone,¡± Ririam responded with his usual seriousness.

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope that¡¯s true¡­ Jah, Jens sent knights only for the money I''m sure¡± Mei said with concern.

    "It''s pretty obvious, you already have a plan to remove him from the throne?" Ririam asked taking a seat.

    "I''ll tell you a little...".

    Meanwhile, Kassie and Ann were talking to Louis.

    ¡°Remember to be yourself!¡± Kassie said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let the nerves get to you!¡± Ann mentioned determinedly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let her notice that you like her!¡± Kassie commented.

    ¡°Think carefully before you act,¡± Ann added.

    ¡°Too much information¡­¡± Louis thought, overwhelmed while still listening to them.

    After the long day, Louis headed home.

    ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± he said as he entered the house. ¡°Hanks?! Professor?!¡± he shouted, looking for them in their usual spots. ¡°Hmm¡­ Maybe they went out.¡±

    Louis took off his coat and shoes, lay down on his bed, and stared at the ceiling, thinking: ¡°I wonder if I can do something so she doesn¡¯t have to go? With everything Ann and Kassie told me¡­ *sigh* now I feel stressed, maybe a little rest won¡¯t hurt¡­¡± he thought, closing his eyes and falling asleep.

    In a plane filled with darkness lay a tall figure with a helmet on its head that glowed.

    ¡°This must be a joke¡­¡± it said angrily in a deep, resonant voice, causing the lava inside the helmet to bubble.

    ¡°Love?! That¡¯s it! What you FEEL!¡± it shouted, shaking the place and making the lava inside the helmet glow even more.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think you¡¯re rid of me¡­ By tomorrow, I¡¯ll have what I¡¯ve been searching for¡­ Your greatest fear, HA, HA, HA, hahahaha¡­¡± as its presence slowly faded away.

    End of chapter.

 The Big Diamond #9 (Part 1)

    As any other day, the sunlight begins to envelop everything... People get out of their beds to start their day, heading directly to work, others having breakfast, but always moving forward. The cars pass in the designated areas; people walk on the sidewalks, buy food, utensils, magical and mechanical objects. The advanced blacksmithing with sophisticated tools and the advanced mechanics with magic help in great things for this kingdom, but... There are certain things that have been lost... What happened? Why don''t they know some words, objects, or food? An answer that will be discovered in the future, if you¡¯re willing to stay here, of course.

    Life is about not giving up and always moving forward, no matter what... Change comes, and we must accept it, for it is part of life. We decide whether to change for the better or the worse by living the events of our lives... Everything happens for a reason, and so it must be.

    We continue our story with Louis waking up in the morning, preparing for today''s mission. While doing his exercise routine on the roof of the house, an idea crossed his mind.

    "That''s it! Maybe she¡¯ll forgive me and be happy," Louis said, climbing down from the roof and entering through his bedroom window, taking a shower, getting dressed, and preparing his bag with a large amount of ystires. He then left his room to meet Professor Maxwell, who was holding a cup of coffee, as he came down the stairs.

    "Good morning, Louis, I see you''re ready," he said after taking a sip from his cup.

    "Yes... Are you sure there are no packages for today?" Louis asked with concern.

    "Of course! Go and fulfill Mei''s mission, and you''ll earn more trust," he replied, lightly tapping his head.

    "Alright..." Louis said, staying silent for a moment and then, surprisingly, hugged the professor and left. "I''ll be back soon!"

    "Remember to eat something!" the professor called out as he watched Louis leave, taking another sip from his cup.

    Upon arriving at the agency, Louis found Canbel, who was cleaning the jewelry displays.

    "Good morning, Canbel, how¡¯s it going?" Louis said kindly as he entered the place.

    "Good morning. Very well, thanks for asking, Paladin Louis," Canbel replied, bowing his head and stopping his cleaning for a moment.

    "I''m glad to hear that... I always see you stressed. Oh, and just Louis, please," Louis mentioned before entering the door next to the cash register.

    "Louis, come!" Mei called as he passed by the door of the research room.

    "Good morning, Miss Mei, I¡¯m glad to see you. I''d like to talk to you before Xitlari arrives," Louis said, entering the room without noticing the person standing a little beside the door. They were holding their bag tightly, and their face showed determination.

    "Well... Let''s go to my office. I already have the jewel to deliver. By the way, let me introduce you to Mern," Mei said, showing a man with short silver-gray hair, slightly disheveled, with bangs falling over his forehead. His eyes were yellow, and he stood 182 cm tall. He wore a long grayish coat with golden details, buttons, edges, and decorations. Beneath the coat, he wore a tight black shirt that emphasized his physique. He had a golden belt with a circle in the center, black pants, and shoes, as well as a golden chain around his neck and a golden bracelet on his right hand. But what stood out the most was that, on the left side of his chest, he had a rune that looked like a yellow black hole protected by a glass casing with gold around it.

    "Nice to meet you! So, you''re the guy they''ve been talking about. I¡¯m Mern Makes, and... this is Mark," he said with a slight smile on his face, a deep, refined, and mature voice, with a tone of confidence and calmness. He created with his hand a being of the same size as himself, made of a white material with several golden lines.

    "Hello! You''re the guy with the lava. I''d like to know your intentions with this kingdom..." Mark said with a slightly robotic voice, full of energy and passion, approaching Louis a little and lightly touching his red hair with his fingers.

    "My... intentions? They¡¯re not bad at all, I assure you!" Louis replied, surprised by Mark, who kept touching his hair. He then shifted his attention to Mern''s chest.

    "You said you wouldn''t mention that, Mark," Mei said, slightly annoyed, crossing her arms.

    "Sorry, I had to do it..." Mark replied, a little regretful, touching his head.

    "What kind of material is this and also...? How is it fine? The rune is on the part of his heart," Louis asked, curious, touching Mark¡¯s arm and then looking back at Mern''s chest.

    "Just as reckless as Mark, ha ha ha. This material is called Golden Gyverna, an ancient material that was used before the ancient age. My heart is on the right side, that''s why I''m still alive," Mern responded calmly, with a playful tone.

    "Incredible... I don''t remember reading about that material either," Louis said, trying to remember something while touching his chin.

    "Normal, those books are only in the Great Library," Mern replied.

    "The Great Library?"

    "It¡¯s located next to the church and the magical observatory, to the west of Lyran," Mei answered, touching Louis¡¯s shoulder and heading for the door. "Shall we go?"

    The four of them headed to Mei''s office.

    "Alright, this is... It¡¯s very heavy, but I imagine you can carry it," Mei said as she placed an object on the table after taking it out of a safe beneath her desk. It was a black box with a large Y letter.

    "Of course, it¡¯s not that heavy... And here I bring... to pay for the damages from yesterday," Louis said, lifting it for a moment and taking off his bag to hand over a large amount of money to Mei.

    Mei looked at Louis''s bag, feeling a little guilty. "I don¡¯t want to be mean to you, Louis, just leave it like this. I¡¯ll pay for everything."

    "No... It''s my responsibility. I must... answer for my mistakes," Louis immediately responded, determined, while Mern and Mark watched them from the sofa. "Also, here¡¯s Xitlari¡¯s part."

    "Xitlari¡¯s part? Why?" Mei said, surprised.

    "The truth is, I feel like I¡¯m entirely to blame for what happened yesterday, and I didn¡¯t want to involve her in this. I thought she¡¯d like it," Louis replied with a hint of regret in his words, keeping his gaze down.

    "That¡¯s very nice of you, but I need her to learn how to work in a team, so..." Mei was surprised by Louis¡¯s decision. She sat down and, adopting a serious tone and Louis Said: "At least accept what I brought, please," Louis insisted firmly. While they were talking, Mern noticed a shadow behind the door.

    For a moment, Mei thought about it and responded: "To get that weight off your shoulders, I¡¯ll let you do it, but I can¡¯t let you go alone. I heard yesterday, from Ririam, that the people who tried to rob the bank were from the *Maber Thief* group, so I¡¯ll send you with Kassie. She won¡¯t mind going with you." Mei pulled out her communicator to call Kassie, and instantly the door opened, hitting the wall with force.

    "Of course not! I won¡¯t let you involve Kassie," Xitlari said, angry.

    Mei brought her hands together, rested her face on them, and stared at the door for a moment before saying: "It''s not good to eavesdrop, Xitlari..."

    Xitlari turned her gaze for a moment. "And... I won¡¯t accept your charity work. It¡¯s my problem, and I¡¯ll solve my problems," she said, walking up to Louis and leaning on the desk with one hand. Louis was surprised by the attitude and didn¡¯t respond, just lowered his head.

    "You need to calm down! You¡¯re acting like an ogre!" the spiritual owl replied.

    "Fine, Xitlari, calm down and take a seat," Mei said, noticing Louis¡¯s reaction and trying to calm things down.

    Xitlari grabbed the box and left through the door. "If you want to come, just come already!"

    "She never changes..." Mern said with a somewhat sarcastic tone.

    "Yeah, always the same with her," Mark added.

    "*Sigh* Go with her, I¡¯ll send the coordinates to Donquichua¡¯s house, and Louis... don¡¯t let her treat you badly. Remember you¡¯re her superior," Mei said with frustration while using her device.

    "Sure..." Louis replied, a little dejected, walking out and leaving his bag on the desk.

    "Do you think it¡¯s a good idea?" Mern asked, doubtful after what had happened.

    "Xitlari needs to learn how to work as a team, and I want to see how far this goes. I won¡¯t let her become a paladin with that attitude," Mei replied, getting up and closing the door.

    "Alright... Hey, wanna go out to eat?" Mern said, standing up with excitement, while Mark made a heart with his hands behind him.

    "I¡¯d like to, but I already had breakfast and I need to organize some things." Mei sat down again in her desk chair and turned on the holographic screen to start writing.

    Mern made a slight noise of annoyance and sat down, staring at the ceiling, while Mark spread his hands showing a broken heart. "We never do anything..."

    "Don''t act like that, we can have lunch together. I''m busy right now. You''ll see that God will take away all these problems and we can go back to how we were before," Mei said understandingly, looking at him for a moment.

    Outside, on the sidewalk, there were many people blocking Louis'' way, but no one passed near Xitlari.

    "Wait, Xitlari! Wait!" Louis shouted as he tried to catch up with her.

    "Seriously, there''s a lot to deal with you," the spiritual owl said with frustration as Xitlari walked angrily, hiding her hands in her jacket along with the box.

    "Xitlari...!" Louis managed to catch up with her, but she kept ignoring him and simply walked on. "Do you want to take a car to the exit?"

    "I want to walk..." she replied, without further words, walking faster.

    "They don''t look good... And they just started the mission..." Ann said regretfully, watching them with the beetle camera from the roof of a house.

    "Poor Louis... Should we do something?" Kassie asked, worried as she watched them.

    "The best thing is to leave them alone and hope things go well, though I think Xitlari is really harsh..." Ann said while controlling the camera with a remote in her hands.

    "Don''t say that... She''s just suffered a lot and became tough because of how they''ve treated her here," Kassie said, knowing more about Xitlari.

    "But she shouldn''t treat others badly just because of that..." Ann was quite sad about the situation; it was rare to see her like this.

    "I hope she manages to understand that," Kassie said while continuing to watch through the camera.

    Xitlari left Louis behind again.

    "If you keep this up, you''ll end up completely alone!" the spiritual owl said.

    "What do you know...?"

    "Plenty... Always solitary everywhere. And at home, you seem sad when you''re not training!" it replied.

    "I don''t have to listen to you..."

    "Of course, you do! I''m your spirit!" Xitlari just kept walking without saying anything. "*Sigh*... Xitlari... I understand your way of being because of how these people treated you, but he didn''t do that. Look at you: despite how they treat you, you still help them instead of leaving this place."

    "I stay here because I was born here. For my father, for Lily... for the kids... for Mei... for the people who like me..." she said angrily, but eased her anger as she kept speaking. Eventually, she stopped walking.

    "Yes, and he likes you. If not, he wouldn''t have tried to pay your part and wouldn''t have said he liked your arms," the spiritual owl mentioned, flying alongside her.

    "That has nothing to do with this!" she retorted.

    "Of course it does..."

    "Xitlari... I didn''t mean to make you angry. I... thought that would make you a little happy, since you weren''t going to work as a team," Louis said regretfully, interrupting the spiritual owl''s words, although Louis couldn''t see or hear the owl.

    "What do you know about me... I barely met you two days ago!" she said, getting closer to him and tapping him lightly with a finger.

    "I''m sorry... for that too... I was wrong," he replied nervously and guilty.

    "Why are you acting like this? You''re different with others, but with me... I don''t like others carrying my mistakes, they''re my mistakes for a reason. And I''m not someone you can buy with money!" she said angrily, noticing Louis'' attitude and calling him out.

    "Buy?" Louis said, clenching his fists. "Do you think I''m buying your kindness?! I... just wanted to get closer to you!" he responded, getting upset and causing Xitlari to step back with his words. "You''re so annoying... I don''t understand how I..." he lowered his voice at the end of his sentence and moved ahead while Xitlari watched him walk.

    "Did you hear that? You were really harsh with him! You''d better do something," the spiritual owl said, landing on her shoulder again.

    "But... why?" Xitlari said, confused.

    "What are you talking about, girl?" the owl asked as Xitlari caught up with it.

    "I... *sigh* I''m sorry, but... what do you mean? Why would you get close to me? Look at me...! Nobody does that, you''re the only one on this sidewalk," she said, standing in front of him and showing her other hands, while across the street, many people walked on the sidewalk. "Barely and I have people who like me, but I haven''t met anyone else in two years... Look at how I am, I''m not worth it!" she said with sadness and regret.

    "Look at me... I might look like a human, but I''m not! I''m a hybrid with demon blood. When they find out, I''ll be just like you... And I know it well, I''ve gotten used to it. We''re alike. I don''t know much about you, but... I want to know more. You... pique my interest a lot," he expressed with great sincerity and warmth in his words, with a compassionate and sad tone.

    "Wow! We''ve connected! I can see your aura... A warm and pleasant aura, but also innocent, with fear and a lot of weight... Also with a... hmm, I can''t quite distinguish this, it''s like you''re hiding it. Typical of young ones, you still have a lot to learn," the spiritual owl said while Xitlari was stunned by Louis'' response. "The best thing will be to keep going, and try to open up to him, it''ll be a good step for you to change and improve," the owl tried to make her react by lightly tapping her neck.

    "Do you think so?" Xitlari asked the spiritual owl, feeling guilty and noticing some emotion inside her.

    "Of course, I think so," Louis replied, thinking she was talking to him.

    Trying to think of what to say, she began to move her gaze from side to side.

    "I''m sorry... I didn''t know what you were feeling... It''s just that... I thought many things, your attitude with me and everything that happened yesterday and what just occurred. I... get angry very easily," Xitlari tried to be honest with a bit of difficulty, touching her neck with one of her arms while continuing to avoid eye contact.

    "It''s okay... at least now you understand that my intentions weren''t bad, and... now I know you better. I''ll try not to bother you too much," he said, looking for the right words to continue, with a small relieved smile.

    "If what you''re saying is true... I don''t want you to see me as a bad person. I appreciate the intention, but yes, please ask first," Xitlari felt better seeing that things had eased between them, but still felt a little bad about her behavior. "Come on, let''s deliver this jewel," Xitlari took Louis'' hand with one of hers. He felt a slight sensation and started running alongside her.

    "Yes! They''re finally calm," Ann said happily, watching them run with the beetle camera.

    "Such a relief... I hope they stay like this the whole mission," Kassie felt relieved seeing them on the screen Ann was holding.

    "I think that''s enough!" Ann pressed a button on the remote that made the beetle camera return to where they were.

    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    "Huh? Are you sure?" Kassie said, wanting to keep watching them.

    "Yep, we don''t want her to notice and get upset again," Ann said, turning off the screen and taking the device.

    "If you say so..."

    Louis and Xitlari were running until they reached the eastern exit.

    "Come on! You''re supposed to be a paladin!" Xitlari shouted with a smile on her face as she ran.

    Louis, hearing her words, managed to catch up and said, "Now we''re even."

    Xitlari, seeing him, started to make a hand pose, and the owl disappeared to make way for the spiritual rhinoceros. Thanks to this, Xitlari began running faster. Seeing them, some people stepped aside on the sidewalk while others tried to dodge them.

    "Hey!" Louis said, surprised to see her pull ahead so much. "You''re using your magic, this was supposed to be a normal race!" he said, speeding up and falling behind her.

    "This is normal for us!" she said excitedly as she dodged some people.

    The wind blew, and people were surprised to see them running; others whispered, but they didn''t care, they just kept going until they reached the eastern exit.

    "What happened...? A woman who isn''t a paladin beat you, hahaha," Xitlari said, tired but smiling, seeing Louis catching his breath.

    "Heh, heh. I... don''t have a support magic," Louis said, resting his hands on his knees.

    "Ha... Then let''s call it a tie. I doubt anyone would want to take me... It doesn''t matter if we walk there, right?" Xitlari observed the carriages at the kingdom''s exit, next to the wall with the wooden bridge in front of her. The sunlight illuminated the grass along the road, and the wind moved it gently.

    "I have a friend who won''t mind," Louis went to search among all the carriages until he found an old friend. "Mart¨ª!"

    "Young Louis! I''m glad to see you, hahaha!" Mart¨ª said, approaching him and hugging him. "And it seems you''re bringing company... Eh...! Although... she''s not..." he said jokingly, recognizing Xitlari as she made a hand pose with her four arms.

    "We need you to take us..." Louis tried to look at his communication device but still couldn''t figure out how to use it properly.

    "It''s east, near Lake Chifumi, at the top of the Quichua Spiral Mountain," Xitlari said, stepping closer when she saw Louis struggling with the device.

    "Eh... well, I could take you to the lake, but not to the hill. It''s very dangerous, there are too many rocks, and we could overturn," Mart¨ª said, a bit nervous because of Xitlari''s presence.

    "It will be fine..." Xitlari noticed Mart¨ª''s nervousness and took a small step back.

    "Perfect, then... please get in," Mart¨ª said as he climbed into his cabin while Louis opened the door for Xitlari to get in.

    "Thanks. Oh! By the way, you press here to see the received coordinates," Xitlari mentioned, grateful for the gesture, and after showing him a bit of the device, she climbed into the carriage. Then he climbed in as well.

    "I knew he was a good guy. Xitlari! You should have bought a mobile piano!" the spiritual owl commented with a slight smile as the carriage started to move.

    "For what?" Xitlari whispered, confused, briefly looking at the owl.

    "For what else?! So Louis could play it," the owl responded, flapping its wings impatiently, as if the answer were obvious.

    "You''re crazy!" she whispered, but loud enough for Louis to hear.

    "Who are you talking to?" Louis asked, noticing her whispering to her shoulder.

    "To no one, just practicing what to say to Donquichua," she said nervously with a slight awkward smile. "I told you not to talk to me when I''m with someone," she whispered again, but without Louis noticing.

    "Sure... Sorry," the spiritual owl said, a little discouraged.

    "*Sigh* Hey, Louis... Who taught you to play the piano so well?" she asked to make the owl feel better.

    "Did you hear me...?" Louis asked, a bit shy.

    "Yes... I was passing by when I heard you and Ann. You play beautifully," she exclaimed sincerely.

    "Thanks... My teacher taught me everything I know," Louis replied, trying to ignore the nervousness he felt with Xitlari staring at him so much.

    "Your teacher... Rei Fordesthmans, right? How strong is he?" Xitlari asked curiously while the spiritual owl started thinking about the name.

    "He''s very strong and powerful... I''ve seen a few times when he used a lot of magic, and... it was incredible everything he could do," Louis answered with admiration and pride, feeling more comfortable.

    "I see... I would like to meet him someday," she said with a slight smile, noticing Louis'' feelings.

    "I''ll introduce you. I''m sure he''ll like you," he added, smiling as he saw her slight smile.

    "Yes, you''re right. If he trained a half-demon boy, it shouldn''t be a problem to meet me. Though you look very human for a half-demon, the only thing different are your eyes, but they''re nice too," Xitlari said sincerely while putting the box with the gem aside on the seat, while Louis looked out the window to avoid her noticing his blush.

    "Hmm, this is what you needed, Xitlari... Someone who knows what it feels like to be different and has lived what you''ve lived, but still... I think he suffered much more, but... He has a pretty good attitude, they must''ve helped him a lot after what happened to him," the spiritual owl thought, staying silent while listening to their conversation.

    After a long journey, they arrived at Lake Chifumi, near the hill.

    "This is as far as I can take you, sorry about that," Mart¨ª said, stopping the carriage.

    "Don''t worry!" Louis said, getting out of the carriage. "How much is it?"

    "650 ystires. I appreciate that you always look for me to take you wherever you need," Mart¨ª said while taking the money Louis pulled from his coat, while Xitlari got out of the carriage and hid the gem, covering her hands from below with her jacket and looking around.

    "Ahh... Look what we have here, a very large piece of diamond! We have to get it," said a masked figure in a brown cloak that revealed his orange shirt and black pants. He wore metal boots and leather gloves. He was watching them with some sort of advanced spyglass from far away, atop a very large vehicle with a container behind.

    "Are you sure, Jamek? I don''t want any trouble," said a guy with orange hair wearing a gray jacket and an orange shirt.

    "Of course! I saw it through the spyglass; he''s carrying it on his waist," Jamek replied, putting it away. "Activate invisibility and take us to them. The rest, prepare the cell; it''s time for a real heist!" he said with authority and excitement as he stretched and the others prepared for the robbery.

    "Let''s go. The worst part will be the return to the kingdom," he said as he started walking toward the hill.

    "Of course..." Louis, after saying goodbye to Mart¨ª, followed Xitlari, and Mart¨ª went back in his carriage to the kingdom.

    The place still had a road with a large grassy field on their right, and on the left, a small field led to Lake Chifumi. Further ahead, a small mountain could be seen in the distance. The sky was full of clouds that partially covered the sunlight.

    "Hey, Louis, how long did it take you to become a paladin?" Xitlari asked curiously while continuing to walk with her gaze ahead.

    "It took a long time. I studied since I was little, but... my real training started... when my magic appeared. Six years, to be exact," he replied with some sorrow as he remembered that day.

    "I see, that''s quite a lot... I studied a little as a child, but I had to leave because no one accepted me. My father taught me everything he could. At 16, I started training to be a paladin. This year was the last, but the King died... And you know the rest," she said calmly, but when she mentioned her father, her tone turned sad. Then it shifted to a determined one, ending with one of sorrow.

    "How does your magic work? I''m asking because I know blue magic, and it''s not like yours," he asked curiously, trying to change the subject while touching his katana on his waist.

    "Whoa! Be careful; you have to be very careful with your one interaction with estritual magic," the spiritual owl warned, giving a rule.

    "I''m not allowed to talk about my magic. My father made me swear not to tell anyone about it. I''m sorry," she replied cautiously after hearing the owl.

    "Oh... I understand, no problem. I also swore things to my father, I understand that very well," he said with understanding while continuing to walk next to Xitlari.

    "Hey... What happ¡ª" Xitlari was interrupted as she was caught by a steel box.

    "Xitlari!" Louis was also captured. Inside, his arms were trapped by shackles. Additionally, another shackle was created inside the steel box, trapping his abdomen.

    "We''ve got them!" Jamek exclaimed excitedly, lifting the boxes with his magic while speeding in the car, which had removed its invisibility camouflage.

    "Reinforced steel with magic... And of good quality... Even covering my arms with the estritual magic, it won''t let me remove the shackles," said Xitlari, trying to pull out the two hands that had trapped him.

    "What an inconvenient situation, we need to switch to Rhyno," the spiritual owl mentioned.

    "I know, but switching spirits is very hard with two hands," Xitlari said, dropping the package to the ground.

    "That''s why I told you to practice," replied the owl.

    Louis used his magic and melted the shackles. Then he started melting the wall of the box, and Jamek, seeing how the steel box was turning redder, let it go and only carried Xitlari''s box. The box reached the vehicle and entered the large container.

    "Let''s go, quickly!" shouted Jamek, and the car started speeding.

    Louis got out of the box and was going to throw lava from his hand to stop the car.

    "Go ahead!" shouted Dark with his voice echoing in Louis'' head.

    He quickly stopped his hand with the other when he heard Dark''s voice. The car began to distance itself and disappeared from view.

    "You... what are you doing here again?" he said angrily, clenching his fists.

    "Did you think I had left? I just started exploring our mind a little," Dark replied while walking around Louis.

    "You mean my mind!" he said irritably while running, seeing the tire tracks the car had left on the road.

    "Our mind! I am Louis too," Dark answered furiously, standing in front of him, his helmet faintly glowing from the lava inside it.

    "I don''t... CARE! I don''t have time to waste with you," he shouted angrily while taking out his communicator.

    "Heh... Don''t think you''re that important. Today is... your last chance!" Dark said as he disappeared. Louis didn''t pay attention and continued forward.

    Meanwhile, the vehicle was heading to a remote area of the Quichua spiral mountain at high speed.

    "These must be Maber''s men," said Xitlari, managing to finish the hand pose.

    "Good luck!" said the spiritual owl before its form changed into a rhinoceros.

    "And now what happened to you?" the spiritual rhinoceros said, seeing where they were stuck.

    "A little mishap," Xitlari responded, destroying the shackles after covering her hands with her blue magic. "I''ll be out in a moment."

    "We have a good reward; this girl was carrying a large piece of diamond on her waist," said Jamek, going to the steel box. "You go and tell Quitsu to go faster and change the wheels to ones that don''t leave tracks on the road."

    "Yes, sir, right away," one of his men replied.

    "Now..." Jamek was interrupted by the loud impact as the door of the box tore off and crashed into the wall of the container. "Impossible? How did she do that...? It''s a reinforced steel box... What the hell is that?" he thought, surprised, watching her come out of the box. "Catch that thing, but keep your distance!"

    Everyone started shooting, and Xitlari blocked the bullets with two of her hands. She ran toward one of them to slam his head into the wall of the container and then used him as a shield. She quickly charged at the others, knocking them unconscious.

    "Damn! Useless!" Jamek removed his cloak, used his magic, and threw many blades at Xitlari. She covered her four arms with her magic and destroyed all the blades. Then she was going to approach, but he removed all the floor using his magic and launched the pieces toward her.

    "He won''t let me get close... Then I''ll do this," she thought as she struck with two of her hands the pieces of the container Jamek threw at her, and with the others, she started charging her magic.

    Jamek tore Xitlari''s jacket and took the box from her waist with a piece of the container. Then he covered her with the entire wall that was behind him.

    "Haha, it''s mine!" he said in a mocking tone, stepping out of the container. "Take care of this!" he added, throwing the box onto the seat next to Quitsu.

    "What''s going on?!" Quitsu asked in desperation.

    "Just drive!" Jamek replied while he began to detach the container from the car, struggling a lot in the process.

    Xitlari freed herself, concentrated all her magic into one hand, and struck the floor of the container. Half of a rhinoceros appeared, lifting the entire car and destroying the floor in the process. The car flipped over, causing the container to separate, and they finally crashed into a large rock.

    Xitlari got out of the container, pulled out all the unconscious people, and, seeing two people running with the box, she followed them.

    "They won''t escape!" she shouted as she ran at high speed toward them.

    "Damn it! Take the box and run, Quitsu!" Jamek said desperately, handing her the box and stopping to lift the container with his magic to strike Xitlari. But she stopped the container with her four hands and threw it toward Quitsu, using her magic to make it move at great speed. Jamek managed to stop the container, but Xitlari tackled him, knocking him unconscious.

    Quitsu kept running toward a hill. Xitlari grabbed a stone from the ground and threw it toward Quitsu, making him lose balance and fall. However, due to the slight push, Quitsu disappeared after passing through something. Xitlari, confused, approached. "Do you see anything, Rhyno?" Xitlari asked, stopping exactly at the point where Quitsu disappeared.

    "Sure, don''t you see? There are many guys coming toward us, and the one with the box is crawling toward them," Rhyno replied, confused because Xitlari had stopped.

    "A holographic shield... Very good for camouflage," Xitlari said, pulling out her communicator from her pants pocket.

    "Done... Now I must recover the jewel," she murmured as she sent her coordinates to Louis through the communicator. Then she removed her torn jacket, took several objects she had hidden, and placed them on a silver beltthat helped her hold the box. "Too bad, I really liked this jacket," she added, and passed through the holographic shield.

    On the other side, she saw how some people took the box and helped Quitsu walk. The place was a base with a lot of space, wheelbarrows, shovels, and some machines scattered around. There were also several cars and a black four-wheeled motorcycle. The hill was quite excavated, and in the distance, two medium-sized buildings connected by an elevated metal bridge could be seen.

    "It''s her! Stop her!" shouted Quitsu as those helping him turned to look at her.

    "You''d better give me the box if you don''t want any problems," warned Xitlari, adopting a combat stance.

    The man carrying the box ran toward the building that connected with the elevated metal bridge. The others ran toward Xitlari with weapons in hand. She neutralized them one by one with great ease, breaking their weapons and knocking them out with a single blow. Others appeared, shooting at her with machine guns, but she used one of her companions as a shield. Then she spun around and threw several electric darts at them, making them fall to the ground writhing from the shock.

    "What''s going on here?" asked a man with orange hair and eyes from the elevated bridge. He was wearing orange armor with wide, ornate shoulder pads, brown pants, orange boots, and a belt full of pockets.

    "Mr. Maber, that girl, or whatever she is, entered the shield. It seems she wants to recover a box that Quitsu stole from her," replied one of the men as Xitlari continued fighting the others.

    "And where''s the box? I don''t see it..." Maber said in an authoritative tone.

    "They''ve got it, sir," the man reported, before joining the fight with Xitlari. She punched him in the face, making him crash into a wheelbarrow.

    "Mr. Maber! I''ve brought this..." said the man carrying the box, handing it to him.

    "It''s a bit heavy, let''s see," Maber commented, surprised as he took it, and then started to open it.

    "Maber Thief, you''d... better... give me back the box!" demanded Xitlari, while still fighting Maber''s men.

    "Hmm..." murmured Maber, looking at Xitlari with some disgust. As he opened the box, his face showed great surprise upon seeing the diamond piece inside. "Hahahaha! Do you think I''m going to give this back to you? Are you crazy? Woman or... whatever you are, I don''t know what the hell you are, but not even in your dreams," he said mockingly and with an air of superiority.

    "So be it..." replied Xitlari, punching the last of Maber''s men and sending him flying.

    Maber frowned, took small pieces of amber from his belt, and created a two-meter-tall amber minotaur. It charged toward Xitlari and punched her, but she easily stopped it. She then pushed it, making it fall. Maber created many flying creatures called Plirias, which attacked Xitlari with their large claws. Some also carried Maber''s men away to keep them out of the fight.

    Xitlari dodged and destroyed some of the Plirias while trying to get closer to Maber. "I need to do something... These birds won''t let me reach him."

    "Xitlari! The owl can get you close to him," mentioned the spiritual rhinoceros.

    The minotaur got back up and attacked again, but Xitlari dodged, jumped, and struck it in the chest with her four arms, smashing it. The birds kept attacking her; she tried to dodge them while, with her four hands, she changed spirits using her hand stance.

    "Start charging your magic!" mentioned the spiritual owl as it appeared.

    "I''m on it!" she replied, dodging the birds and charging magic with her four hands while running toward Maber.

    "The girl knows what she''s doing... Could she be a paladin? Though I¡¯ve never heard of a four-armed paladin, jeh! The ones below will always be below, and the ones above, like me... will always be above," Maber said unconcerned, watching with great confidence from the elevated bridge, creating an amber holder on his belt to place the box with the diamond.

    Xitlari made the spiritual owl larger, and it carried her at great speed toward Maber, who, just as she arrived, jumped toward the elevated bridge, launching a kick.

    "You bitch!" he said as he saw her approach, managing to dodge her kick, which bent the bridge''s railing. Then, Xitlari threw two punches at him, which he tried to block by creating an amber shield with both arms, but the shield broke. She managed to hit him in the abdomen and chest, causing him to crash into his pawn and also into the railing, bending it slightly from the impact.

    "Serve for something!" shouted Maber angrily, pushing his pawn toward Xitlari, who knocked it away, throwing it down. Maber took advantage of the distraction and used his magic, creating a large amber pillar that pushed Xitlari away, making her crash into the ground.

    "Are you okay?" asked the spiritual owl, getting closer to her and trying to help.

    "Yeah... I just need to get this off me..." said Xitlari, hurt, trying to remove the pillar from on top of her.

    "You surprise me, phenomenon, but... it''s over! Amber magic... Great Marfron horn!" Maber created a large Marfron horn that aimed at Xitlari. The spiritual owl stood in front of her and created a barrier that stopped the horn.

    Xitlari managed to remove the pillar from on top of her, but Maber created another horn that was going to fall on her. However, the spiritual owl fully surrounded her, protecting her from any harm.

    "A little support!" mentioned the spiritual owl, seeing that the barrier was cracking. Xitlari stood up and placed her four hands on the spiritual owl, transferring magic to help maintain the shield.

    "Just 20 seconds and I¡¯ll smash those two things," Xitlari said, struggling to concentrate the magic. But another horn was attacking them from behind.

    "I love seeing this," Maber said with a mocking smile, resting his face in his hand and creating an amber wall around Xitlari¡¯s shield so she couldn''t escape in any way.

    "I won''t be able to hold it while you do the hand poses... Sorry, Xitlari," said the spiritual owl sadly, holding on as much as it could while the shield was very close to breaking.

    "Don''t worry, if I had had more time to practice, you could stop all those attacks," said Xitlari while smiling and continuing to give all the magic she could. The owl turned around and saw Xitlari''s smile. "Damn... I failed...!" thought Xitlari in frustration.

    Suddenly, the three horns split in half and fell beside the owl¡¯s shield, creating a loud noise.

    "And now?" said Maber, confused by what had happened.

    Louis struck the other halves of the horns, knocking them off the owl''s shield. The owl removed the shield, and then Louis smashed the amber wall and took Xitlari in his arms, as Maber launched another horn that collided with all the other pieces of amber and with the spiritual owl, making it disappear and reappear on Xitlari''s shoulder.

    "Are you okay?" asked Louis seriously and with concern as he ran out of Maber¡¯s sight.

    "Yeah... You can put me down now," said Xitlari, a little surprised and blushing from being carried. Instantly, Louis set her down properly, blushing as he realized his action.

    "Thanks, I thought it was over..." she said gratefully, falling to her knees.

    "Is something wrong?" Louis crouched to help her, but she refused.

    "It''s fine... I just used too much magic. You have to take the box from him," she replied, feeling dizzy.

    "Alright, move back a bit more. I don¡¯t want you to get hurt," Louis said seriously, heading toward Maber.

    "Ugh, what was that?" Xitlari asked, a bit confused.

    "What thing? That I didn''t die? Don''t worry, even if they destroy me, I always come back to your shoulder," said the spiritual owl.

    "Not that... I felt... something else," she said, trying to stand up.

    "Hmm... I¡¯m seeing your memories... Ah! You were about to die. It''s obvious you feel that pressure in your body," replied the owl after reviewing Xitlari''s memories. "Change spirit and start gathering magic. This guy is very clever and has a huge arsenal of things."

    "I¡¯ve used too much magic," she said with concern.

    "Don¡¯t worry. All the magic you used to stop the horns is managed by me, and half of it returns to you. You¡¯ll be fine," said the owl, trying to calm her down.

    "Alright, you''re powerful..." she said, a bit surprised, starting to make the hand poses.

    "Nah, each spirit has its advantages and disadvantages. I don¡¯t physically increase like Rhyno and another thing... I have to congratulate you, that estritual magic control you did was incredible." replied the spiritual owl.

    Meanwhile, Louis was in Maber''s sight. "So you interrupted my fun... Ohhh! You are indeed a paladin, I see your badge on your belt. Tell me, what is that thing you helped? A mutant, demon, or some new race?" Maber expressed arrogantly, showing little interest in the situation.

    "She is a woman, and she is worth much more than you can ever be," Louis replied angrily.

    "How dare you speak to me like that and compare me to that disgrace of nature?" Maber retorted angrily, pressing the railing of the bridge. "Damn!" Maber created three amber mammoths that charged directly at Louis.

    Louis ran towards them while creating two lava wolves the size of the mammoths. They collided with two of them, starting to melt with them. Louis jumped on the last one, and as he drew his sword, he decapitated the mammoth before continuing his way towards Maber.

    "What the hell...?" Maber said in fear, starting to throw amber spheres.

    Louis kept running towards him, smashing all the spheres with his sword. One of them he hit with his fist, causing it to impact Maber''s face. Desperately, Maber created a pack of Plirias. Louis jumped on one, then propelled himself with another, hitting them until he reached Maber. He created a large pillar to push Louis away, but Louis turned right and fell onto the bridge, easily cutting the pillar. Maber made an amber sword and exchanged several blows with Louis, though the latter had the advantage.

    "What kind of beings... are you?" Maber said, annoyed and fearful of Louis as their swords continued to clash.

    "Beings... better than you!" Louis shouted, cutting the amber sword in half. Then he aimed his next attack at Maber''s neck, but Maber stopped his right arm with his left and started hyperventilating, feeling confused.

    Maber took advantage, created an amber glove, and punched Louis in the left cheek, then made another pillar that threw him far away, crashing him onto the ground.

    "I think... if I kill you... many will thank me," Maber said, throwing a pillar with a large stake towards Louis.

    Xitlari destroyed the pillar with one blow and then broke the one on top of Louis as well.

    "Louis... Are you okay? Well, you''re a demon, I imagine you''re..." she said worriedly, with the rhinoceros spirit on her shoulder. However, remembering that he was half demon, she noticed his face full of fear and despair. "Wait for me, just let me finish this."

    "I wasn''t going to do it... I wasn''t going to do it, I''m sorry," Louis said, crying with his head on the ground and his hands over it.

    "What do you think you''re doing? That boy has lava magic! He''s a danger to the human race. If you have any sense, let me kill him!" Maber was very scared and upset with the situation, hitting the bridge''s railing.

    "The only danger here... is you," Xitlari replied firmly, as her four arms began to glow.

    Maber yelled in fury: "Stupid... Well, you both will fall! Amber magic... Great tyrannosaurus!" He took all the amber pieces from his belt pockets, creating the tyrannosaurus, which began running towards them, roaring and crushing everything in its path.

    Xitlari gathered her four hands, creating a large blue sphere. "Estritual magic... Great spiritual rhinoceros!" The sphere turned into a large rhinoceros that ran towards the tyrannosaurus at great speed.

    Both beasts collided, but the tyrannosaurus shattered before the spirit''s strength. The rhinoceros charged at Maber, destroying the bridge and crushing him against the hill, several pieces of the bridge flew off with a loud crashing sound.

    Later she run to help Louis. "Louis, wake up!" Xitlari knelt beside Louis, who was lying on his back, and tried to wake him up by moving his body and lightly hitting his face with great concern as she saw him breathing with difficulty while pressing his hands and teeth as if enduring something. "What''s wrong with him? Rhyno?!".

    "What''s happening?!" the Spiritual rhinoceros shouted, approaching them quickly, creating a slight rumble as it approached. "Absorb me and channel the estritual magic on his head and the area around his heart."

    "Alright!" Xitlari placed one of her hands on the spiritual rhinoceros, causing it to lose its giant form, becoming small and appearing on Xitlari''s shoulder.

    "Come on, you can do it, Xitlari! Estritual magic is meant to combat evil and curses," the rhinoceros commented while Xitlari used her four arms to channel the estritual magic over Louis'' chest and head.

    We transition to a recognizable place... Full of total darkness with a being that lit up the place with the glow from its helmet, thanks to the lava inside.

    "I... didn''t want to kill him... I didn''t want to! I didn''t want to... I''m sorry, I''m not a killer..." Louis was kneeling on the ground, with his head down, pressing his hands.

    "You are disappointing... It''s already clear that human emotions have corrupted you. Weak... useless and emotional," Dark was standing in front of Louis, with his head down, observing his despair. "There are no more chances... I told you I was yours, and now I will take what is mine too!" he said, bending down and lifting Louis'' head by his hair before snapping his fingers in his face. For Louis'' eyes, the whole place turned into a castle on fire surrounded by blue lava, and many screams of despair and suffering could be heard from afar.

    "No... Not here..." Louis said desperately as he observed the place, a room that was slowly being consumed by the surrounding lava.

    "Son... Don''t be afraid... Close your eyes," said a figure who didn''t show its face.

    "Dad..." Louis tried to close his eyes, but they opened again against his will.

    Elio tried to touch his son''s face, but his hand couldn''t hold, and it turned to dust like powder from the lava on top of it, becoming nothing. With a lament filled with agony and showing despair on his face, Louis watched as his father''s body turned to dust, how his whole face was burned away fiber by fiber. Soon, his father''s face and body turned into nothing in front of him while he continued hearing screams of suffering.

    "And thus... I gain control of everything!" Dark buried his hands in Louis'' heart and head. Suddenly, a blue light began to crack the darkness of the place. "What''s happening?" he said confusedly, then looked through Louis at Xitlari. "Noooo! What magic is this?!" he screamed angrily, before being separated from Louis. The darkness began to disappear, and the place filled with blue light and animal tattoos. Dark''s body was breaking apart... "Damn woman!... I swear! When I take my body! You... will be the first... TO DIEEEE!" Dark''s body exploded as it was consumed by the blue light.

    With a great sigh, Louis woke up, and many tears fell from his eyes. He looked at Xitlari and, without thinking, hugged her, which greatly surprised Xitlari. "Th... thanks," Louis said with a trembling voice as the tears fell from his face.

    "Louis..." Xitlari, trying to calm him, responded to the hug, surrounding him with her four arms and resting her face on Louis'' shoulder. "Are you... better?"

    "Yes..." he replied, then realized his action and pulled away from her. "I''m sorry, I must have made you uncomfortable."

    "Not at all... What happened to you?" she asked with concern while looking at him intently.

    "I don''t know..." he replied confused and with a sad, dull voice, lowering his gaze slightly.

    "I''ll go look for the jewel, stay here." Xitlari stood up from the ground and ran towards where the spiritual rhinoceros had charged at Maber. Louis looked at the place as it had been left, then stood up and found his katana. Before taking it, he felt a slight doubt, then put it back in its sheath at his waist. Xitlari had found the box and ran to it to take it, also noticing that Maber was on the floor, crawling to take it.

    "Your greed won''t stop you..." Xitlari mentioned before taking the box and checking if the jewel was inside.

    "Hehehe... There''s a reason I''m where I am... The weak stay below, and the strong... We stay on top," Maber replied after she took the box.

    "Do you think you''re on top? You''re an idiot... You''re at the very bottom... along with the other criminals of Lyran," Xitlari said seriously, closing the box before walking away from him, heading towards Louis as Maber watched her leave, thinking about what he had heard.

    "Louis! I found it!" she shouted from afar as she approached him.

    "That''s great... I... I''m sorry I couldn''t help you more," he mentioned with regret and the same low, dull voice when she was almost in front of him.

    "What are you talking about? You saved my life! I was going to be crushed... I''m really grateful," she replied with gratitude and a slight smile on her face while holding the box with two of her hands from below, and with the other two, she placed her hand on the elbow of her other arm. Louis felt a bit of relief hearing her words.

    "Hey... Have you ridden a motorcycle before?" she said with a slight excitement as she saw the motorcycle in the distance.

    "Motorcycle?" Louis said confused, as he had never heard the word.

    Then, Xitlari got on the four-wheeled motorcycle. "Get on! We''ll get there faster, we''re already very delayed," she said when she saw Louis had some doubts and was looking at the motorcycle a little, before getting on. "Hold on to me or you''ll fall..." she said as she started the motorcycle while holding the box with her other two hands.

    "Are you... Sure?" he asked timidly, with the same sad and dull voice.

    "Of course!" After Xitlari responded, Louis held on to her, wrapping his arms around her a bit unsure. Then, Xitlari moved one of her hands to the accelerator, and the motorcycle started moving, leaving the holographic shield and heading toward the Quichua mountain while the sun continued shining over the field.

    End of the chapter.

 The Big Diamond #10 (Part 2)

    The wind blew, lifting light curtains of dust, gently moving the grass on the ground while the sound of an engine resonated. The tires screeched as they collided with some rocks on the path.

    "It seems like the road is getting a bit rocky... Let''s see how far this friend of ours takes us," Xitlari said calmly while driving the four-wheeled bike, about to reach the spiral mountain Quichua.

    "I... I can''t take it anymore!" thought Louis, blushing, with his arms around Xitlari''s abdomen. "And with all these rocks, I feel even more uncomfortable!" Louis tried not to reveal his nerves with any movement. "What should I do...? I''m trying not to raise my temperature... like that time in Mei''s car or when she fought at the bank... I... I... Could hurt her..." he thought, filling his mind with worry. An image of his father appeared again, which grounded him. "No...!" he shouted, letting go of Xitlari and crashing to the ground, leaving a trail from the impact and rolling a few times due to the great speed they were going.

    "Louis!" Xitlari quickly braked to turn around, reaching him. She then got off the bike and approached him. "Are you okay? Why did you let go...? Was I going too fast?" she asked, confused by what had happened, moving closer to help him.

    "No... You were fine... It''s just... It''s my fault. Get on the bike; I''ll catch up," he replied, raising his hand to stop her from helping. He then stood up from the ground, but kept his gaze downward.

    "Is it because my abdomen started sweating and slipped?" Xitlari thought, touching her abdomen with one of her four hands while holding the box with the diamond in the other. Xitlari placed the diamond on top of the bike and then made several hand movements with her four limbs. Louis noticed she was doing something and watched her slightly, showing a bit of his face full of worry and fear.

    "I''ll see you later, Rhyno," she said, making Rhyno transform into the spiritual owl. "Buh, I..." she whispered but was interrupted.

    "First of all, he wears gloves, it wasn''t going to slip because of that. Second! His aura is filled with fear, worry, and pain... We don''t know exactly what happened, but we need to find out," the owl said directly while observing Louis''s aura.

    "Discover?! What do you want to discover? We need to deliver the diamond!" Xitlari said, trying to lower her voice so Louis wouldn''t notice she was speaking.

    "You summoned me to give you a solution, and here it is: try acting like an adult and help him," the owl replied, starting to fly in front of Xitlari.

    " ''sigh'' Fine... Louis! What happened back there? Is it because of Maber? If you''re worried, you can send a message through the church''s program," Xitlari said, turning her gaze to Louis.

    "It''s... hard to explain... And I don''t want you to think badly of me," he responded without looking at her, touching his face with his left hand.

    Xitlari approached to place one of her hands on his shoulder. "Don''t worry... I know you better now, and I know you''re a good guy. You can tell me," she said with a slight smile on her face.

    Louis turned to look at her, his eyes lighting up slightly. Then he hid his face again and pulled away from her, gently removing her hand from his shoulder. "I could... tell you while we walk up, if you want to walk, of course..." he said, starting to walk toward the mountain. Xitlari hid the bike and followed him after taking the diamond off the bike and placing it on her belt on her left. After a moment of silence and several steps from both, Xitlari walked beside him.

    "So... What do you have?" she asked, glancing at him while they kept walking.

    "I''m not so sure about telling you," he replied, walking with his gaze down. "I... ''sigh''... I''ve had a lot of intrusive thoughts, painful dreams because of someone... I had to use dream-blocking potions, which helped me sleep, but he didn''t leave. I still had to listen to him, see the images he put in my head... see... that moment..." Louis tried to stay strong, but the more he spoke, the more he fell apart... until tears escaped from his face, which he quickly hid and wiped with his right arm.

    Xitlari was surprised by his words and his reaction in the end. "Mei told us about you... The truth is... At first, I didn''t pay much attention to that call, but... when she mentioned what happened to you... I can''t imagine what you went through that day. That you''re here, with me, shows you''re strong... And that you''ve worked hard to get where you are. You''re not just anyone," she tried to be as sincere as possible, attempting to lighten the weight Louis felt on him.

    "Well done, Xitlari," the spiritual owl said with a smile after hearing her words. "Too bad Louis can''t hear me... I could help him too," he thought, watching Louis, waiting for his response.

    Inspired by Xitlari''s words, Louis replied, "Thank you for those words, they mean a lot to me... if they come from you," he said, finishing wiping his tears and lifting his face to look ahead.

    "Really?" Xitlari thought, once again surprised by Louis''s words.

    "I''m sorry you saw me like this..." Louis said, thinking and feeling embarrassed.

    For a moment, Xitlari looked at Louis and knew how he felt. "Don''t worry... I think good people always have moments like this," she said as if she had already experienced it. Louis understood what she meant, and both continued walking toward the top.

    After a long walk along that vast rocky path, Louis and Xitlari found themselves in an area surrounded by stone walls, a flat path that turned to the right but with many large rocks around. It was almost like a cave, but without a roof.

    "How nice! No more giant or sharp rocks," she said, looking around the place, with Louis''s communicator in one of her hands. "And... I''ve also made your profile and posted the capture notice for Maber. They''ll be quick to look for him. There are a lot of knights about to ascend to paladin who are dedicated to finishing the capture of certain criminals." Xitlari handed the communicator to Louis before continuing her walk.

    "No one is allowed to pass!" shouted a being, 176 cm tall, with a robotic voice. Its body was entirely metallic. After shouting those words, it jumped on top of Xitlari, attacking her from above with its arm, which turned into a blade. Xitlari caught the sword with both hands and then punched the robot in the stomach, sending it flying and embedding it in the stone wall.

    "What is that? I don''t remember seeing it in any race book," Louis asked, surprised by the being, while holding his katana, already drawn, with his right hand.

    "That''s a robot... You won''t find them in history books," Xitlari responded, getting ready to fight.

    "Intruders! Intruders! Intruders!" shouted several robots that arrived from both the front and behind, sealing off their exits.

    The robots lunged at them. From behind, Louis broke all of his blades, then punched all the ones he could, making them fall to the ground. Xitlari grabbed one of the robot''s arms and, with two punches, removed it from the body and used it to strike.

    "Oh God! What''s happening?!" an altered man''s voice was heard not far away. "Hey! Stop!" the man said, arriving at the scene. Everyone turned to stop their fight, but didn''t move from their positions. The man, about 190 cm tall, had an obese build, very short bright green hair, green eyes, and wore a dark formal suit with a green tie and yellow stripes. He had polished black shoes.

    "He''s really big," the spiritual owl said sarcastically.

    The man carefully observed Xitlari and Louis before saying, "Can''t you see?! A red-haired boy! And...! A woman with four arms!" The man was upset as he raised his right hand, pressing it firmly.

    "Sir... They are thieves!" one of the robots said, only to be struck by Xitlari, sending it crashing into a rock.

    "Didn''t... Willy tell you about the people waiting?" he asked after seeing the robot crash into the rock.

    "No... He told us nothing... He only mentioned that we should guard the entrance because... Maber was nearby," replied the same robot that Xitlari had struck, struggling to get up.

    "Damn... Well, step aside. They don''t work with Maber, they just brought me a package," the man said, hitting his forehead in frustration. Then, he gestured for the robots to leave. One of the robots approached Xitlari and took the arm she had torn off, then retreated with the others.

    " ''Sigh'' I apo...", suddenly, the robot that had been embedded in the rock fell to the ground, interrupting the man, before also retreating. "I apologize for the reception. My... Right hand is in its final years, so mistakes like that can happen. I apologize again," the man said respectfully, placing his right hand on his chest and bowing his head slightly.

    "Don''t worry... You must be Donquichua, right?" Xitlari took out her communicator to check the data Mei had sent.

    "Of course! It''s a pleasure to meet you. Please, follow me," Donquichua responded a bit anxiously, showing them the way.

    Before following him, Xitlari stopped Louis to confirm Donquichua''s appearance. Then, she made a gesture with her face indicating they could follow him. Donquichua led them down a path until they reached the entrance of a cave. Inside the cave were many pieces of furniture; the place was very well furnished, with a kitchen to their right, and two doors on the left and right at the end of the room that led to other rooms as luxurious as the first.

    "Please, have a seat," he said after pressing a button that rotated the floor, causing a table to appear between two facing sofas. Both Louis and Xitlari sat down. Xitlari took the box from her belt and placed it on the table. With a sigh of excitement, Donquichua took the box and opened it.

    "It¡¯s... beautiful... I¡¯ve been waiting for this," he said as he lifted it and admired it greatly, then took a bite from one corner. Louis, Xitlari, and the spiritual owl were stunned.

    "How... is it...?" Xitlari said, surprised to see him chewing a piece of the diamond.

    "Is... is that a real diamond?" Louis asked, as surprised as Xitlari.

    "Of course it¡¯s real! Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t know it tasted this good..." he commented, puzzled by their reactions while savoring the taste of the diamond.

    "But..." murmured Louis, at a loss for words.

    "You... are you a chameleon?" Xitlari asked, thinking that was the only explanation for what she was seeing.

    "Of course! Half, actually. Didn¡¯t Mei tell you about me?" Donquichua placed the diamond back in the box.

    "I see... Sorry, there was a little mishap and she didn¡¯t tell us much, or rather, nothing about you," Xitlari replied, feeling guilty about what had happened at the agency and making it more evident by touching her two right arms with her left hands.

    "I understand... Don¡¯t worry, and... Here¡¯s your payment!" Donquichua said, placing a tiny gold cube on the table.

    "But... that¡¯s nothing..." Louis replied, looking at the cube.

    "Hahaha, that confirms Mei didn¡¯t tell you anything about me. This tiny cube is much heavier than you and I combined, about 37,000 tons to be exact," he assured while getting up from the sofa and pulling out a jar of light blue liquid from his pocket. "With my technology, I can make huge and heavy things become small and light. For example, look at this shelf: if I drop a little of my formula..." Donquichua dropped a drop of liquid onto the shelf, and gradually, it became tiny.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    "Incredible!" Louis exclaimed, standing up to examine the shelf. "How is this possible? I¡¯ve never seen this kind of magic," he said excitedly, crouching down to observe the shelf.

    "Haha, I¡¯m glad to see your reaction. That means people will love it! Of course, all the kingdoms will ask me for a lot of it!" Donquichua shouted with excitement upon seeing Louis¡¯s reaction, while Xitlari looked surprised. However, her face showed concern. She took out her communicator and checked the information Mei had sent them, confirming everything she saw, which made her feel guilty.

    "Well... I thank you for bringing me my precious diamond. I hope you didn¡¯t have any difficulties," Donquichua said, very grateful, taking a jug of water from the kitchen.

    "Well... we did. The diamond was stolen from us," Louis said, standing up.

    "What?! Hmm... Let me guess... Maber Thief, right?" Donquichua asked, surprised as he approached Louis.

    "Yes, sir, but as you can see, we managed to get it back," Louis replied while Xitlari took the gold cube and examined it.

    "I see... Did you fight him?" Donquichua asked curiously.

    "Yes, Xitlari defeated him," he replied, lowering his head slightly.

    "Incredible... The bad part is that no one will pay attention if you send a message for his capture," he said, pouring the water from the jug onto the shelf, causing it to return to its original size.

    "Whoa! That¡¯s how it regains its size!" Louis said, amazed as he watched the shelf return to its normal size.

    "Yes, be careful. Keep the gold cube in this little bag; it¡¯s impossible for water to get to it," Donquichua explained, pulling out a transparent bag from his pocket. Xitlari stood up to take it and store the gold cube.

    "Thank you very much, Donquichua, and don¡¯t worry about Maber. Louis is a paladin of Alahead, and his capture messages will definitely be taken seriously," Xitlari said, putting the cube in her pants pocket.

    "Alahead! I¡¯ve heard of that kingdom... Paladin Louis!" Donquichua pulled out the jar he had and placed it in Louis¡¯s hands along with a card. "Could you recommend me in your kingdom? I¡¯d really appreciate it, even with a sum," he asked excitedly.

    "Huh? Sure... I could speak to the king about your technology," Louis responded in surprise, looking at the jar, then putting it in his coat pocket.

    "Thank you so much. And well, how do you plan to get back to the kingdom?" Donquichua asked, sitting on the sofa.

    "We have transportation, don¡¯t worry. I appreciate your hospitality, but we have to leave now," Xitlari replied, heading for the exit while grabbing Louis¡¯s arm.

    "Huh...? Wait! I won¡¯t let you walk all the way down the hill. I didn¡¯t wait at the bottom for Maber, but I can save you the walk," Donquichua said, quickly getting up and pressing a button that opened a secret room. "Do you really think I go down the hill every time I want to leave?" he added with a smile, lightly patting his stomach with his right hand. Donquichua led Louis and Xitlari to a spacious capsule that began to descend.

    "Incredible... What¡¯s this called?" Louis asked, amazed by the technology as he saw the elevator quickly descend.

    "It¡¯s called an elevator... You¡¯ve never ridden one?" Donquichua said, surprised by Louis¡¯s reaction.

    "Not at all..." Louis replied while closely watching the capsule.

    "It¡¯s true what they say... The kingdom of Alahead doesn¡¯t have advanced technology..." Donquichua thought, looking at Louis with curiosity before turning his gaze to Xitlari, who had her arms crossed.

    Finally, the elevator stopped and opened its doors.

    "This is where we say goodbye. I hope to see you again," Donquichua said, watching them exit the elevator.

    "Goodbye," Louis said, turning around and raising his hand, then following Xitlari. She headed to where she had hidden the motorcycle (among some rocks) and pulled it out, lifting it with her arms.

    "Is something wrong? You¡¯re quiet..." Louis commented.

    "I¡¯m fine..." Xitlari replied, getting on the motorcycle.

    "No, you¡¯re not..." the spiritual owl said. Xitlari looked at the owl for a moment and then started the motorcycle.

    "Are you coming?" she said, turning around to face Louis.

    "Sure..." Louis replied, getting on the motorcycle with a little doubt. This time, he held on only to Xitlari¡¯s upper shoulders.

    "Don¡¯t fall this time!" Xitlari commented when she felt Louis grab on, then accelerated and sped back to the kingdom.

    After a long journey back to the kingdom of Ystir, an idea crossed Louis¡¯s mind as he saw a cave somewhat near the kingdom.

    "Xitlari! Could you drop me off here?" Louis shouted due to the speed and noise of the motorcycle.

    "What?" Xitlari exclaimed as she braked, stopping on the road. "Why? Aren¡¯t you coming back?" she asked, showing concern on her face.

    "Of course... I just need to do something first," he replied as he got off the motorcycle. "Hey... Are you sure you''re okay? You look worried..." he asked as he observed her.

    Xitlari avoided answering, looking away.

    "Answer...!" said the spiritual owl, flying in front of her.

    "For what?" Xitlari whispered, annoyed.

    "To confirm the good friendship you''ve made today," the spiritual owl responded, landing back on her shoulder.

    "Louis... I... I feel guilty about what happened this morning. We arrived with Donquichua and... We didn¡¯t know anything about him. I feel like I didn¡¯t fulfill the mission well. I let them capture me, I let them take the diamond! I tried to ignore it, but I can''t anymore..." Xitlari expressed, sadness reflected on her face. The more she spoke, the more upset and frustrated she became.

    "It''s okay... I enjoyed being with you on this mission, but I also caused problems and inconvenience. Even so... You understood me; thanks for the support and for being yourself with me," Louis said sincerely, with a slight smile, remembering what had happened throughout the day.

    Xitlari felt a little relieved by his words and said, "Heh... Thanks for showing me that there are still people who will accept me, no matter how different I am. I''ll see you later." After these sincere words, she sped away on the motorcycle.

    Louis headed to the cave. Upon arriving, he noticed how spacious it was. There were several spikes on the floor, and the rock had a slight bluish tint. Additionally, the cave was quite deep.

    "If I want to get stronger... I must train! And this place is the only one I have to do it... I won¡¯t let my magic destroy what I have now!" he said with inspiration and determination as he removed his coat and left it outside the cave. This revealed his long-sleeve blue compression shirt.

    He descended into the cave, stretching and unsheathing his katana, then began cutting each spike around him. He then filled the whole cave with red lava that reached his knees. "You can do this... You can do this," he repeated nervously and with some fear, trying to lower the temperature of the lava at a specific point.

    "It doesn''t matter how long it takes... I must gain total control of this magic... For my father... For my mother... For my master... For her... For everyone..." he thought as he remembered each important person in his life. This helped him turn a small portion of the lava into solid rock, then back into liquid again.

    *Kingdom of Ystir - PT Agency*

    "I wonder how their mission went..." Kassie said, lying on the couch in the waiting room.

    "I hope Xitlari isn¡¯t any angrier. I would have been really happy if I had been paid a personal account," Ann said with a smile on her face, playing with her communicator.

    "We''re not all the same..." Kassie replied, then heard the sound of her communicator. She got up and checked it. "They¡¯re back! Let¡¯s go, Ann!" she said, leaving the room and taking Ann¡¯s arm.

    "That''s great! How did it go?" Ann asked, putting away her communicator as she followed Kassie out of the agency.

    "We¡¯ll ask them. Let¡¯s go to my house; Xitlari needs a jacket to cover her arms," she said as many people passed by her side.

    "Got it!" Ann said, wrapping Kassie in her yellow wind magic and then flying off at high speed.

    Ann arrived at Kassie''s house and waited outside while Kassie looked for something for Xitlari.

    "Awww, I hope those two got along! Huh?" Ann said anxiously, then saw a woman with short pink hair and a stack of papers in her hands. She was walking on the sidewalk across from the parking area. She looked in very bad condition, as if she might collapse at any moment. "Miss! Are you okay?" Ann called, flying across the sidewalk.

    "Yes..." she replied, turning her gaze toward Ann. The girl had dark circles under her eyes, her hair was messy, and her clothes were poorly put on. To Ann''s surprise, upon recognizing her, she shouted a little excitedly, "Ann! It can''t be... Now I have you right in front of me... I¡¯m so lucky..." she said, then collapsed into Ann¡¯s arms.

    "Oh my God! Are you okay?" Ann said, concerned, helping her sit on a nearby bench.

    "More or less... I¡¯ve been working a lot on the project of my life... It¡¯s going to make me famous... Heh, even you¡¯re in it..." she mentioned with difficulty while holding her papers, one of which contained a disc.

    "I understand, but... you shouldn''t push yourself so hard. It looks like you haven¡¯t slept in days..." Ann expressed, worried, while calling someone on her communicator.

    "It¡¯s fine, it will be worth it... He¡¯s going to make me famous and I¡¯ll make him famous... My head hurts a lot... Maybe I should sleep a little," the girl commented, touching her head with one of her hands.

    "Ann! Ann? What are you doing there?" Kassie shouted, stepping out of her house with a jacket in her arms.

    "This girl is really bad! I need to help her, tell me what happened later," Ann said, finally receiving the call.

    "Okay... I''ll tell you later then," Kassie replied, running toward the eastern exit. "Alright, I¡¯m almost there... What was wrong with that girl? She looked terrible," she thought while running down the sidewalk with the jacket in her arms.

    *East Gate*

    Xitlari was sitting on the ground, with the four-wheeled motorcycle to her left, helping her keep it out of sight.

    "Are you ready for the next full moon? It''s in two months. I wonder what it will tell you," the spiritual owl said, resting on Xitlari¡¯s shoulder.

    "Me too... By the way, how do the bracelets work? Is there something I don¡¯t know about them?" Xitlari asked, examining her bracelets with blue gems embedded in them.

    "Uhhhh! I thought you¡¯d never ask," the owl said sarcastically, then cleared its throat. "Right now, you can''t use the full power of the bracelets. They only help you concentrate estritual magic more quickly," it mentioned, settling on top of the bracelet. "But... when you get your third spirit, the bracelets will allow you to use two spirits at once! Amazing, right?" it emphasized at the end with excitement, gazing at the gem in the bracelet.

    "Really? That sounds incredible," Xitlari said, surprised by the revelation.

    "That¡¯s right... But you need to get a lot better at hand poses and... learn how to do it with two!" the owl said, getting close to her face with authority.

    "Yes, yes, you¡¯ve told me already. I need to practice with just two hands... ''sigh''," she muttered, resting her chin on her left hand.

    "Practice makes perfect! Just keep going. There are some who have gotten their third spirit in just one year, but those are the ones who have the least problems, like your father. You still have a long way to go... A 20-year-old human. Yes, they live the shortest of all races, but your life is just beginning. I can¡¯t wait to see you become a master of estritual magic... Ah! And to see you find that special person," the spiritual owl was very excited and eager about the future. After finishing its words, it returned to Xitlari¡¯s right shoulder.

    "Please... That won¡¯t happen," Xitlari responded with discouragement, looking at the ground.

    "Why do you say that?" The owl asked. Xitlari raised her four arms upon hearing the question. "Come on! You¡¯ll see that a man will fall in love with you," it said, trying to cheer her up.

    "I doubt it... It doesn''t matter anymore... I gave up on that dream since I was a child," she mentioned, then pulled her legs to her chest and wrapped them with her four arms.

    "How pessimistic... The experiences of the past won¡¯t repeat forever, I assure you," the owl said.

    Then Kassie arrived at the entrance.

    "Xitlari! Where are you?" she shouted, not realizing that Xitlari was behind the four-wheeled motorcycle.

    "I¡¯m here!" Xitlari said, getting up from the ground and walking over to Kassie while brushing the dust off her pants.

    "Great! Haven¡¯t they told you anything? What happened? Don¡¯t tell me you fought," Kassie said, approaching to give her the jacket while looking at the carriage drivers and then inspecting her clothes.

    "What? Do you think I fought with Louis? Hahahaha, no. We fought with Maber," she replied, putting on the black jacket and then hiding her two extra arms.

    "Maber... And Louis?" she said, shaking her head from side to side, unable to find him.

    "He said he had something to do before coming back. Hey, Kassie... do you know where I can hide this motorcycle? I really like it and don¡¯t want to lose it," Xitlari pointed to the four-wheeled motorcycle.

    "No. They¡¯re illegal here, remember?" Kassie responded, seeing the motorcycle.

    "Too bad... Hmm... Hey you! You¡¯re Marti, right?" Xitlari was thinking of a solution when she recognized Marti inside his carriage.

    "Uhhh... Yeah, it''s me..." Marti responded a bit awkwardly.

    "Come!" Xitlari said, while Kassie turned to look at him.

    "Oh! I remember you, you¡¯re the one who took Louis and me to the harvest area," Kassie mentioned, recognizing him as he approached them with doubt.

    "Right, I remember... So... why do you want me?" Marti asked, a little fearful at the end of his words.

    "Could you help me store this motorcycle in the carriage warehouse " Xitlari responded, showing him the motorcycle.

    "But they¡¯re illegal..." he replied upon seeing it.

    "Using them inside the kingdom is illegal, but storing or using them outside the kingdom isn¡¯t. I know it¡¯s a lot to ask, and you probably don¡¯t even want to talk to me, I just need you to help me store it... Please," Xitlari said, trying to be as respectful and kind as possible.

    "Alright... Follow me," Marti said after thinking for a moment. Marti guided Xitlari to the warehouse to store the motorcycle.

    "Thank you so much, sorry for bothering you," Xitlari expressed after storing the motorcycle and leaving the warehouse to go with Kassie.

    "How bad... I feel guilty," Marti said as he watched her leave with Kassie.

    *PT Agency - Mei''s Office*

    Mei was sitting at the desk, and Xitlari was in front of her, a bit confused because Mei was just staring at her without saying a word... Until... "Did you fight?"

    "Are you serious?! ''Sigh'' We didn¡¯t fight. The men from Maber attacked us and... I lost the diamond..." she said angrily, pulling the gold cube out of her pant pocket.

    "And Louis?"

    "He said he had something to do before returning to the kingdom," she replied, placing the gold cube on the desk.

    "I see... Did you escape or did you call someone to capture him?" she asked while looking at the gold cube in the transparent bag.

    "I sent a message creating a profile for Louis on the church platform," she replied, still feeling guilty as she sat down on the sofa.

    "Don''t feel guilty..." the spiritual owl commented.

    "Great! And that means you¡¯ve made up, right? What do you think of Louis now that you know him better?" Mei said happily, trying to gather information.

    Xitlari began to remember the day she spent with Louis, showing a small smile on her face, and said: "I like him. He¡¯s a good guy."

    "Oh... I see. I''m glad everything worked out," Mei said cheerfully, putting the gold cube in her safe under the desk. "Tell me more, I want to know how things went with Maber."

    "Don¡¯t talk about what Louis told you. That¡¯s personal," said the spiritual owl.

    "Alright... I¡¯ll tell you," Xitlari said after hearing the spiritual owl.

    Then we moved away from Mei''s office, the PT agency, and the kingdom of Ystir... to go back to where Maber was, sitting in a chair while his men tried to fix the mess caused by Xitlari and Louis.

    "Why can¡¯t I get that... phenomenon''s words out of my head?!" Maber said furiously, clenching his fists.

    Suddenly, a man in a black hooded cloak passed through the holographic shield, along with another man in a white hooded cloak.

    "Damn it... Are they knights? Get ready, everyone!" Maber said as he stood up, and upon hearing his voice, all his men prepared to fight... despite being injured.

    "Calm down! We¡¯re not here to capture you..." shouted the man in the black cloak; his voice was deep and calm, but with a robotic sound.

    "Who are you?!" Maber said, taking some amber out of his pant pocket.

    "I am the Dark Lord, and he is Yeynos, the swordsman of the White Mist," the man replied as Yeynos lowered his hood.

    "It can¡¯t be... What are they doing here? Damn..." Maber thought, pressing the amber tightly in his hand.

    "I see you were attacked... If we had arrived earlier, we might have helped," said the Dark Lord, looking at the state of the place.

    "What do you want...? Get to the point," Maber asked, wanting to finish this.

    "I want to recruit you, and your men," the Dark Lord responded flatly, his robotic voice continuing.

    "What...?" Maber said, surprised by the response.

    "As you heard... Don¡¯t you want to be stronger? To have the chance to become something more?" As he continued speaking, the Dark Lord and Yeynos moved closer to Maber.

    "I... I don¡¯t..." Maber said, with many doubts in his mind.

    "Come on... I expect more from you than from that werewolf I found by the river... Apparently, he already had his plans, but you are different," the Dark Lord said, trying to convince him.

    "But your leader, Zthur... he¡¯s a..." Maber said, scared.

    "Don¡¯t pay attention to that... Zthur supports us because he knows what we¡¯ve felt," the Dark Lord replied, stepping in front of him. "We will make everything disappear, dominate each kingdom... We will make people like us rise to the top, and everyone else will become what we were: no more contempt, no more persecutions. We will have the glory we¡¯ve always desired... What do you think?" he said with unwavering conviction, revealing his face, covered by a black iron mask. His eyes could be seen through the mask, reflecting strength, conviction, and great power.

    Remembering the humiliation he had gone through that day, Maber responded: "I accept!" His eyes reflected a desire for revenge and fury.

    "Perfect!" said the Dark Lord, shaking his hand after Maber threw the amber he had.

    Suddenly, two people in silver armor crossed the holographic shield. They were chatting, and everyone turned to look at them.

    "Of course, buddy... Wait! It can¡¯t be... Yeynos! Let¡¯s go!" one of the knights shouted, rushing out of the place.

    "Wow... Looks like they came to capture you. Yeynos... could you handle this?" said the Dark Lord calmly, firing a device into the air with his right arm.

    "Sure..." Yeynos replied serenely, unsheathing his sword and moving toward the holographic shield.

    "Don¡¯t kill them! We don¡¯t want the church to get alerted. Make them swear and that¡¯s it," the Dark Lord said before Yeynos leaped out of the place at great speed.

    "Go! You report through the communicator!" one of the knights said, getting into a car.

    "Damn it... It''s not responding!" the other one said in desperation.

    "How is it not?!" he asked frantically, starting the car and speeding off. A huge crash stopped the car... Yeynos removed the car''s roof, cutting it with his katana, then stood on top of the car, placing the blade of his katana on the neck of both knights.

    "Do you want to live?" Yeynos asked, completely calm in the situation.

    "Y-y-yes," one of the knights answered.

    "Good... Then swear to me you won¡¯t tell anyone what you saw, and I promise I won¡¯t kill you," Yeynos said, making black mist surround them and him.

    Both knights hesitated. They weren¡¯t sure, they were terrified.

    "It¡¯s a good offer, guys... If you swear not to say anything, you¡¯ll see your loved ones once more. But if you refuse... I¡¯ll make you suffer before I kill you," he said, moving his face closer to theirs.

    "Okay... I... accept," said one of the knights, tears in his eyes.

    "I too..." the other added.

    "Good choice..." said Yeynos, as the mist around them turned white.

    End of chapter

 The Past #11

    In a quiet room, the sunlight filtered through the window, gently bathing the bed where Xitlari rested. Her four arms, an uncommon feature, made her stand out among the crowd, but it was her inner beauty and strength of spirit that truly made her special.

    As the sun continued to rise in the sky, Xitlari remained unaware of the world around her, deep in a peaceful, restorative sleep, wrapped in a light blue sheet. The golden light flooded the room, creating an atmosphere of peace and harmony that seemed to envelop her completely. When the sunlight reached her face, she slowly opened her eyes, and thus began a new day for her.

    Upon entering Xitlari''s house, there was a staircase leading to the second floor and a door to the left that led to the kitchen, which had a small dining area and several pieces of furniture. To the right was a living room with a large sofa and some training equipment. On the second floor, there was her bedroom, a bathroom, and another room. After a good session of exercise and practicing handstands, Xitlari prepared to go to the agency; she took a shower and had breakfast in a blue bowl before leaving her house. From the beautiful sunlight that illuminated everything, we moved to rain that blocked the light, bringing freedom, sadness, melancholy, and the rebirth of light.

    Raindrops fell steadily, soaking the streets and wrapping the city in a cloak of melancholy. Amidst this atmosphere, a solitary woman walked along the sidewalk. Her hair was brown, and her eyes were green; she wore rubber boots and a yellow dress, shielding herself with a blue umbrella.

    Her footsteps echoed on the wet pavement as she approached an old building that loomed before her, its stone walls weathered and its windows adorned with faded curtains. With a sigh of resignation, the woman stopped in front of the entrance door, where a small figure wrapped in blankets lay abandoned in a basket.

    Gently, the woman lifted the baby into her arms, shielding her from the rain with the cover of her umbrella. The little one''s eyes opened with curiosity and fear, reflecting the confusion of a life just begun, already filled with uncertainty.

    Without a word, the woman opened the door of the building, carrying the child who would now become her ward.

    "Who could have left you there all alone, little one?" said the woman as she placed the baby on a bed, taking her out of the basket she had been in.

    The woman removed the blankets that had wrapped the little one and was surprised, stepping back. The baby had four arms. She was laughing joyfully, moving around the bed with curiosity.

    "You have four arms... Hehehe," she said, surprised. "How is that possible?" The woman approached with a bit of awe, showing her hand. The baby touched the woman''s hand with the four small hands she had. The woman stared into Xitlari''s eyes and smiled.

    We moved away from the scene as they were seen through a window at the orphanage while the rain began to ease... The sun reigning once more. Xitlari was in the research room with Kassie.

    "I''m glad to see you both! We''ve had a little problem in the water zone. I need both of you to go to the city center and fetch a baby quirit¨¢nidas that caused a leak," Mei said, handing them a capsule of water, two meters tall.

    "A quirit¨¢nidas?! How the hell did it get there?!" Kassie exclaimed, a bit surprised.

    "Guess what... The water zone hasn''t been maintained for a month because of that idiot, so..." Mei said, annoyed but trying to stay calm.

    "Now we have to clean up the mess of an incompetent. Don''t you think it would be better to wait until he realizes?" Xitlari mentioned while checking the weight of the capsule.

    "I won''t let the people of the kingdom suffer because of him... Besides, we get more evidence to use against him when we talk to the priest. Well, go and catch that thing," Mei said, looking worried when she spoke about the kingdom, but her expression shifted to a more serious and firm one.

    Kassie and Xitlari left the agency and headed toward the city center.

    "Mei always looks sweet, but she must have a lot on her plate running a kingdom with a jewelry business, all so the money goes to that dwarf," Xitlari said, annoyed, while carrying the capsule on her right shoulder, holding it with three of her hands.

    "Yeah... Hey, isn''t it heavy? Want some help?" Kassie asked, feeling a bit guilty leaving all the work to Xitlari.

    "No, it''s fine, it''s good for exercise, and you''ll be the one going in to find the quirit¨¢nidas; I don''t have any experience with marine animals," she responded easily, walking with the capsule on her shoulder.

    "Okay, but don''t let anyone get too close," Kassie said with a smile.

    "Don''t worry, no one will, I promise," Xitlari said confidently.

    "Did you hear that the church is affiliating with all the kingdoms?" she commented, pulling out her communicator.

    "Really?! I thought they were only human?" Xitlari was shocked by the news, so much so that she slowed her pace for a moment.

    "Yes! Even my kingdom is already affiliated. Maybe they''ve changed their mind... Louis!" she said as she saw Louis coming out of a store.

    "Kassie, Xitlari! Huh? What''s that?" Louis asked when he saw the capsule Xitlari was carrying.

    "We''re going to catch a baby quirit¨¢nidas in the water zone, want to come? It''s to your benefit..." Kassie said, happy to see him, whispering her last words.

    "Huh... Sure! I just finished delivering the packages," Louis replied, blushing a little when he saw Xitlari after hearing Kassie.

    "Perfect! Let''s go then. *Sigh*, it''s been a while since I saw something surprising," Kassie mentioned, putting away her communicator and walking a little ahead of Xitlari and Louis.

    "You¡¯re talking about the quirit¨¢nidas, hahaha. If you had seen when Donquichua bit that diamond," Xitlari mentioned, vividly remembering Donquichua¡¯s expression at that moment.

    "Again with that... You two have been talking about the diamond for two weeks," Kassie said, tired of hearing the same thing.

    "It¡¯s true!" Xitlari and Louis insisted at the same time.

    "I believe you... Hmm, I wonder if Donquichua¡¯s teeth could break Mern¡¯s golden Gyverna," Kassie said, putting her arms behind her back while continuing to walk.

    "Good question... Pure golden Gyverna is harder than diamond, according to the book Mern gave me, but it''s not a gem, and chameleons only eat gems like emeralds, rubies, sapphires, but I never read that they could eat diamonds," Louis mentioned, remembering the things he had read in the past.

    "And how would you explain Donquichua, Louis, bookworm?" Kassie said sarcastically while continuing to walk without even looking back.

    "Hmmm... The chameleon¡¯s jaw gets stronger as they age... So the only way it could do that is if Donquichua is already in his last years of life," Louis answered after thinking for a moment.

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    "That makes sense to me. You really like reading, apparently," Xitlari mentioned, glancing at Louis for a moment.

    "Well, that worked out," thought Kassie as she listened to Xitlari. "Hey, Xitlari, don¡¯t you have any exciting stories to tell us? Something from the past?"

    "Past..." Xitlari murmured. For a moment, she lost herself in thought while continuing to walk with the capsule on her shoulder. That word resonated, and one single memory passed through her mind.

    "10 years ago"

    In the same building where a different girl was found, we see many boys and girls waking up with much energy, preparing to be accepted.

    But among them was Dahlia, a 10-year-old girl with brown hair and bright brown eyes. She stood out among the other children in the orphanage due to her four arms. Her shirt, with two extra holes, allowed her to fit her two extra arms. But unfortunately, what made her stand out the most were the teasing, rejection, disdain, and being alone all the time. Being different isn¡¯t easy, and even harder to find someone who understands who you are. Lily, the woman who had found her at the orphanage door, was the only one who cared for her all the time.

    "Dahlia! Come, look!" Lily said, who wore a black and white dress, hiding from the others, holding a blue shirt in her hands.

    "What¡¯s up?" Dahlia said, running toward her curiously. "No way! Where did you get one like this?" Dahlia was small, with long hair, and wore a shirt with holes so all her arms could fit. Additionally, her two extra arms were bandaged. Dahlia was surprised to see the blue shirt with four sleeves.

    "A friend. Try it on!" Lily responded with a smile when she saw Dahlia¡¯s reaction.

    Dahlia changed into the shirt and, excited, said, "Look! It fits perfectly!"

    "Yes... It looks really nice on you," Lily expressed, feeling both happiness and sadness as she adjusted the shirt slightly.

    "We won¡¯t have to make two extra holes in more shirts... Do you think someone will adopt me now?" Dahlia said joyfully.

    "Ah... Honey, don¡¯t get your hopes up. I bought it so you wouldn¡¯t have more trouble, but..." Lily said with sorrow, momentarily looking away, her voice softening at the end of her words. "Go play and don¡¯t pay attention to the others, okay?".

    "Understood... Thank you," she said, a little sad, giving Lily a hug before leaving.

    We now see an older woman with white hair and blue eyes. She wore a black dress, a blue robe, and a silver necklace around her neck. She was walking down a hallway until she reached a door, which she opened to find Lily frantically searching through many papers.

    "Lily? What are you doing here?" asked the older woman in her wise and worn voice, surprised to see her there. The room was small; it had several shelves full of folders and a small window through which the full moon could be seen.

    "Headmistress! I''ve... *sigh* I''ve been reviewing the adoption requests," Lily said, jumping slightly with surprise before showing her the documents.

    "For Dahlia... right?" she said with insight, a faint smile on her face.

    "Yes... I... I can''t stand seeing her sad. No one wants to adopt her. The children tease her, and from what Xavier told her yesterday, she... hurt her arms, and I imagine you¡¯ve already seen the bandages," Lily said, almost in tears, sitting down on a chair after placing the papers on a table full of folders and papers.

    "Do you think she will be accepted in other kingdoms?" the headmistress asked while reviewing the documents. "You''ve been at this all day, and you didn''t even realize it¡¯s already dark. I think it¡¯s time to rest," she mentioned, approaching her and placing a hand on her shoulder.

    "I can''t rest... I don''t want Dahlia to cry or hurt herself again... I don''t want her to be alone," Lily expressed, letting a tear escape.

    "I know..." The headmistress paused for a moment and said, "Listen, Lily, even though she feels alone, you must understand that everything in this vast universe is connected in some way. Just as the moon exerts its influence over the tides," she said, pointing to the moon with her finger through the window, "and the natural cycles, there are also invisible forces at play that guide our steps and lead us to where we need to be," she added while touching the cross around her neck. "She needs you, so go and comfort her," she said, smiling and helping Lily get up.

    "You''re right, Headmistress... Thank you," Lily said, standing up and hugging the headmistress before leaving the office.

    Dahlia... She was watching the full moon through the window downstairs, while watching some people walking far away on the sidewalk across the street.

    "Because of these arms, no one even wants to get close to me," Dahlia said, looking at her two bandaged arms. "Why was I born with them?" Dahlia lowered her gaze and pressed her bandaged arms with her other two arms.

    The moonlight began to shine, pointing to the window where Dahlia was.

    "Huh? It got brighter..." Dahlia focused her gaze on the moon, stood on a stool, and, with her four hands, touched the glass of the window, lost... staring at the beautiful moon that was turning blue.

    A silhouette approached. "Where are you taking me?" said a man with an energetic and carefree voice. He was 182 cm tall, with dark blue hair tied in a messy ponytail, with some loose strands framing his face. His eyes were blue, without pupils, and had small stars in them. He wore a light blue long-sleeve shirt with straps and golden details; his pants and boots were navy blue.

    The man walked up to the window where Xitlari was, and upon seeing her, he was surprised. He turned to look at the moon and asked: "Do you want me to be... a father!?" he asked, astonished, shouting in surprise at the end of his words. He turned again to look at Dahlia, quickly approaching the window with his face, scaring her and making her fall.

    "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to scare you... Oh, right, you can''t hear me. Hmm... Okay, you lead," he said, after glancing at the moon for a moment, heading to the orphanage entrance.

    "Dahlia, are you okay?" Lily asked, approaching Dahlia and checking her arms.

    "Yes, I''m fine, but there was a man at the window, he scared me," Dahlia mentioned, a little confused.

    "A man?" Lily helped Dahlia stand up, and then the entrance door was knocked. Lily approached and opened it, finding the man with dark blue hair. She was shocked to see his pupil-less eyes with small stars inside.

    "Do you... need something?" Lily asked, surprised and almost speechless.

    "Good evening, my name is Lum, and I would like to adopt the girl with four arms," he replied with a slight smile, adjusting his shirt.

    "What...? You... Eh..." Lily expressed, not knowing what to say after hearing his words. She took a deep breath and then said, "Are you... serious?"

    "Of course! It¡¯s my destiny, apparently," he responded confidently, full of excitement.

    Lily quickly ran off to find some documents, leaving Lum with Dahlia without presenting them.

    "Lily! What¡¯s going on?" asked the headmistress, worried as she saw her hurriedly pulling papers without care.

    "He wants to adopt! I have to hurry!" Lily exclaimed excitedly as she continued searching through the folders.

    "But it¡¯s too late! Tell him to come back tomorrow," the headmistress mentioned, trying to stop her, when she found what she was looking for.

    "I can¡¯t... I might miss the chance for Dahlia to have a home," Lily said through tears as she left the office.

    "Dahlia?" the headmistress commented in surprise, watching her rush out the door.

    "Come, don¡¯t be afraid... I¡¯m sorry I scared you," Lum knelt in front of Dahlia and extended his hand to her.

    "Doesn¡¯t it bother you that I¡¯m close to you?" she asked, approaching him with some doubt.

    "What? Of course not... What happened to your arms?" she asked, noticing the bandages on two of her four arms.

    "I... I did it," Dahlia whispered, lowering her gaze.

    "Why would you do something like that?" Lum asked with concern, moving closer to her.

    "Because of them... No one wants to adopt me, and... Xavier hates me," she said with sadness, unable to meet Lum''s eyes.

    "You won¡¯t have to worry anymore, I will take care of you now," he said, gently taking Dahlia''s bandaged arms.

    "Doesn¡¯t it... bother you?" Dahlia asked, surprised and a little unsure.

    "Of course not!" Lum responded sincerely and emotionally as he stood up.

    "Mr. Lum!" Lily shouted, running toward them. "I have the papers, come with me," she said, taking Lum to a room.

    "It looks like your day has come, Dahlia," the headmistress said as she arrived with Dahlia.

    "But... what if it''s a lie?" she said, a little insecure.

    "Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s not... Pray to God that it¡¯s not," the headmistress raised her collar again and closed her eyes.

    Lily led Lum to a room to begin the interview. She sat silently while Lum began observing how clean and well-organized the office was, with a large shelf next to the window filled with many books, and Lily sitting in the desk chair in front of him.

    "First, please hand me your identification," Lily said, trying to calm herself.

    "Of course!" he said, pulling out his identification and handing it over.

    Lily read all the information on the identification, becoming a little concerned. "He¡¯s not married... How do you plan to take care of her?"

    "Don¡¯t worry. If it¡¯s about money, I own the spiritual rice," he said confidently, tapping his chest lightly.

    "You own it? I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve never tried it," Lily felt a bit of distrust despite everything.

    "Do you have family? Do they know you¡¯re adopting? And what do they think? Will there be issues because of Dahlia¡¯s difference? And most importantly! Are you sure you can handle this responsibility?!" Each word from Lily was a torrent of concern, filled with anxiety. Her voice, though firm, trembled slightly.

    "Eh... I... I no longer have family," Lum felt the weight of each word from Lily. "But I¡¯m sure I can handle this, and also, Dahlia¡¯s difference doesn¡¯t bother me at all. As you can see, I¡¯m also different. I¡¯m sure I can handle this responsibility!" he said firmly and determinedly, opening his eyes wider so she could see that he had no pupils.

    "I had already noticed it... I need you to tell me about your past," she said while wiping her face.

    At first, Lum hesitated, but after seeing the moon through the window, he agreed to share his past. "I have to convince her" Lum thought. "I¡¯ll ask that you don¡¯t tell anyone what I¡¯ll show you here. Give me your hand," Lum raised his hand, which emitted a blue aura.

    Meanwhile, outside the office, the headmistress was talking to Dahlia.

    "What¡¯s wrong, Dahlia? Aren¡¯t you happy?" the headmistress asked, noticing Dahlia''s sad face.

    "Yes, but... what if he¡¯s faking it?" she said with a sad face. "I don¡¯t want them to make fun of me again like Mari did."

    "Don¡¯t worry, that won¡¯t happen again," the headmistress said with a smile while touching Dahlia¡¯s head.

    Suddenly, a blue light came out through the door. Dahlia and the headmistress were surprised, and the headmistress quickly entered the office, but before opening the door, the light disappeared.

    "Lily! Did something happen?" the headmistress asked, a little scared.

    "No, Headmistress... everything is fine," Lily said, teary-eyed and smiling. "Prepare Dahlia, Mr. Lum Xitlari will take her."

    " ''Sigh'' Alright, but... what was that blue light?" she said with concern and relief.

    "Don¡¯t worry, it was me," Lum said, showing his magic to the headmistress.

    "Ah! I see... So, will you take her?" The headmistress was a bit surprised upon seeing Lum''s magic.

    "Yes, I¡¯ll go prepare Dahlia." Lily left the office and took Dahlia to pack her things.

    "Is he a good man?" Dahlia asked while walking, holding Lily¡¯s hand.

    "You couldn''t be more fortunate, my girl," she replied, still with a few tears on her face.

    "That''s great! What is my mom like?" she said excitedly, running to gather her things in a small room that only had a bed with a window beside it and a dresser next to the bed, with a backpack hanging from a nail.

    "Uh... You''ll only have a dad, but he will take good care of you, I could see it..." she answered with a gentle smile, trying to convey assurance in her words.

    "And will I be able to see you again?" Dahlia approached Lily while gathering all her things.

    "Of course... You''ll always be able to see me!" she said, hugging Dahlia with affection, rubbing her hair.

    After packing her things into a pink backpack with little dolls stuck on it, Lily handed Dahlia over to Lum. He bent down and gave her a hug, and Dahlia cried... Someone else had finally accepted her. Lum took the backpack and gave Dahlia his hand, and they both left the orphanage.

    "Please take good care of her!" Lily said, happy and in tears as she watched her leave, recalling a bit of what she saw when she was alone with Lum, while the director comforted her.

    "Of course! You saw it yourself!" he replied with a smile on his lips, and then the door closed, leaving the headmistress and Lily embracing.

    End of the chapter.

 That day #12

    "Of course! You saw it yourself!" he replied with a smile on his lips, and then the door closed, leaving the principal and Lily sharing a hug.

    "Dahlia... Do you want to go to school?" Lum asked Dahlia while they walked along the sidewalk.

    "Yes! I''d love to!" Dahlia replied excitedly, raising both of her left hands.

    "Xitlari... Xitlari!" Kassie said, making Xitlari react.

    "Huh?! What... what happened?" Xitlari asked, a bit confused, stopping in her tracks.

    "You''ve been quiet for a while. Did something happen?" Kassie replied in front of her, with Louis by her side.

    "Do you want me to help?" Louis asked with a concerned face.

    "No, I''m fine, let''s continue!" Xitlari answered, giving a nod of her head and then continuing her walk.

    Kassie watched her as she kept walking toward the kingdom center. "Maybe I should change the subject," Kassie thought. "Hey, Louis, did you know this gem I have can exorcise spirits and curses?" she mentioned, touching the gem with her index finger, making a slight sound.

    "Really?! Have you used it before?" Louis was surprised by the revelation, also feeling curious.

    "Yes, it used to be blue, but I''ve exorcised so many that it only has one use left. When I use the last one, it will turn dark and must be destroyed," she said with a slight smile. "Also, it gives me a vision of the future to show me what the next target will be, but... for some reason, it hasn''t given the last vision. I''m actually happy about that because it was a gift from my brother and... it''s the reason I stayed here instead of going back to my kingdom." Remembering her brother made Kassie''s tone become a little sad and melancholic.

    "He must have been a great brother... I read about exorciser objects. They''re very powerful, but high-ranking ones come with a cost to use them," Louis mentioned, trying to ease the feeling he noticed in Kassie''s voice.

    "How do you know so much? And... when do you have time to read?" Kassie asked, surprised that Louis knew about that.

    "My teacher Rei, after that day... I didn''t want anything, I was sad and... honestly, I didn''t want to keep living," he said, feeling regretful. "But he encouraged me, and I started reading all the books he gave me. It was part of his training." Louis smiled as he remembered a small part of his training with Rei over the last six years while continuing to walk.

    "What was his training like?" Xitlari asked curiously, briefly directing her gaze at Louis.

    "Pretty tough, I''d say... In the fourth year, he made me carry a meteor that had fallen near the kingdom to the top of a volcano, and then he threw me off," Louis responded, a bit annoyed as he remembered that day.

    "What?! Oh my God! That''s crazy... Fortunately, you can withstand lava," Kassie exclaimed with great surprise, turning her gaze to Louis.

    "He''s the son of Lion Fordesthmans, but he''s still a bit crazy... I also want to tell you something. I think... about that day," Xitlari said while adjusting the capsule on her shoulder.

    For a moment, Kassie turned, showing her worried face at Xitlari''s comment. "Are you sure?"

    "Yes, I think a talkative bird would tell me to do it," Xitlari replied with a slight smile on her face. "The day I''m talking about... It was a very important day for me and my father... He had received a call from a sponsor who would take his food chain to other kingdoms, and I was going to participate in my second magical martial arts tournament, three years ago."

    "Dad, I''m ready!" Dahlia expressed excitedly, with a small smile on her face after finishing putting on a black compression shirt with long sleeves. She also wore white leggings with black shorts that covered up to her knees and black fighting gloves for the tournament. Her hair was much longer than it is now, and she looked younger, measuring 173 cm at that time. Dahlia''s room had an L-shaped space. In the longer part, there was a bed with a small piece of furniture beside it. On top of the furniture, there was a silver medal and a square alarm clock. In front of the bed was a medium-sized window decorated with a blue curtain, letting sunlight in, and a brown desk with some notebooks on top. In the shorter part of the L, there was a white two-door wardrobe with a long mirror on the right door, and in front of the wardrobe, the door to leave the room. Dahlia ran out of her room and down the stairs, jumping, reaching the front entrance of the house.

    "Dahlia..." Lum said, approaching her. He was wearing a white apron and had the kitchen on. This was a completely unusual kitchen: it had 8 burners and 4 ovens, as well as a large amount of ingredients on a rectangular table. "Today will be very important for both of us... I''m sorry I can''t be with you, but I''ll be watching you on the holographic broadcast and supporting you with all my being." Lum touched Dahlia''s cheek, feeling a little guilty for not being able to be with his daughter.

    "Don''t worry, you must follow your dream too!" Dahlia expressed with understanding and happiness on her face, taking Lum''s hand. Additionally, a car horn was heard waiting outside. "Thank you for everything, Dad," she said before leaving through the door and getting into a tall, rectangular car with several windows. It carried multiple passengers and was white with black.

    "Good luck," Lum expressed, smiling while raising his hand and watching his daughter leave.

    The car passed through the kingdom before reaching the city center, where the tournament would take place. On the car, a girl with white hair and blue eyes wore a button-up shirt with embroidery on the collar, under a dark skirt with golden lines on the edges, and black sneakers. She also had a brown hoop with golden lines in her hair. She was 165 cm tall. Next to her was her twin brother, Caspian, with the same clothing style, except he wore pants and his shirt had no embroidery on the collar.

    "Can''t be! But that''s Dahlia... You''re coming to the tournament to be my shadow for another two years," she said in a whimsical but refined voice. "Ha, ha, ha. Do you really still think someone like you can beat me?" she asked, touching her right extra arm.

    "Get out of here, Blanca. We''ll decide that in the final," Dahlia said, fixing her gaze on the bus window.

    "What?... Did you say my middle name... to annoy me!? Right?!" she expressed angrily, pressing her hands together. "Anyway, it didn''t work!" she said while retreating angrily to her seat, making a sound of contempt with her mouth.

    "Don''t think you can beat my sister," Caspian said with a serious and calm voice before following his sister.

    "We''ll see about that," Dahlia whispered after watching how the brother left with Blanca.

    The car finally reached the city center. Trumpets sounded to announce the magical martial arts tournament, while many wizards in royal gray coats with a star on their back prepared the venue using magic. The platform was made of a prefab material in a brown color, and the concrete bleachers had special wood seats. At high speed, the wizards assembled the entire stadium, setting up lights, connecting cables, placing seats, and finishing the platform, using wind and earth magic. The stadium also had a reserved section for the king and his son, with a large window to view every match of the tournament. Once finished, the people of the kingdom began to arrive and occupy every seat. The stadium filled up quickly.

    After finishing the preparations, a man in a red suit with a tail and black pants approached the platform. He was holding a silver case and also wore a black hat. The man opened the case and threw it away. "Hello everyone, friends! Are you ready for this wonderful tournament?" the man shouted through a triangular microphone that had a gem in its handle, which shone every time he spoke. The referee and the loudspeakers, placed high on the walls, shone from within as they also had the same gem inside them. Everyone in the stadium shouted with excitement.

    "Alright, this is your friend Rop, and I will be the referee for this tournament. LET''S BEGIN! This year, we have incredible participants and, of course, our beloved king Shane Ystir! And, of course, our dear prince Lue Ystir!" he said, and then the crowd''s cheers could be heard. The king waved from the booth, with his son by his side.

    A large virtual screen appeared with all the participants. The screen showed how it randomly selected one participant at a time, placing a reference image on each bracket. The total number of participants was 18.

    "There are more people in the bleachers than in the last tournament," Dahlia thought nervously, watching the broadcast through a hologram in the locker rooms. The place had several lockers for changing clothes and seats attached to the wall, plus a hologram of the broadcast in front of the seats.

    "Are you going to present yourself like that?... Ha, I thought you''d have something better. There are a lot more fans in this tournament than the last one, so... you should show off," Blanca said while looking at the participant bracket and stretching a bit. Blanca wore a light blue shirt with a collar that left her shoulders exposed. It also had pink petal drawings on her chest and abdomen. She wore grayish pants and combat boots. In addition to Blanca, there were eight other participants in the tournament in those locker rooms.

    "Wow! Looks like I''m first. See you, Dahlia. Good luck, you''ll need it," she said while heading out the door.

    "Wow! It looks like I¡¯m first. See you, Dahlia. Good luck, you¡¯ll need it," she said as she walked out the door. "Seriously, you¡¯re going to need it," she said mockingly, poking her face through the door.

    "Just go already!" Dahlia said, annoyed.

    "What a temper... Hahaha," she said in a mocking tone, then walked out the door.

    "Alright, everyone! The first match will be between Tim Marnie and the champion of the last tournament, Blan..." Rop said excitedly, until he noticed a furious presence in the distance: it was Blanca. She glared at Rop with crossed arms.

    "I mean... Jazm¨ªn Blirip!" he shouted after reviewing the participant list. Blanca''s expression changed and she smiled, preparing to head to the platform.

    "I thought I was going to die... Ah," Rop said, frightened, pulling the microphone away from his mouth.

    Blanca and her opponent Tim took their positions. The bell rang to start the first match.

    "Is that girl named Blanca still here in Ystir?" Louis asked, interrupting the story.

    "No, because the king died, her father took both her and her brother to the kingdom of Lynquia," Xitlari responded calmly.

    "I see. The king¡¯s death must have been hard on everyone... At least that¡¯s what I¡¯ve heard," he said, though deep inside, he knew no words could truly capture the weight of that loss.

    "It was... He was an incredible king... The battles in the tournament were very interesting, but the one I was most looking forward to was the final against Blanca," Xitlari said with slight sadness on her face, then continued the story.

    "The champion takes the victory!" Rop said energetically. "This fight was very humiliating for Tim!" A group of four people wearing light blue shirts and white pants carried Tim off on a stretcher.

    "Ladies and gentlemen, the next match will be between Yamada Sumi and the runner-up, Dahlia Xitlari!" he announced as two mages repaired the damage to the platform.

    "Go, Yamada, disqualify that phenomenon!" a man shouted. "You can do it!" said a boy sitting with Lily and several other children in the stands.

    "Hey, it¡¯s unfair that she uses her four arms!" a woman, who seemed to be Yamada''s mother, yelled. After her comment, many people began booing Dahlia.

    "Calm down, everyone! Just like in the previous tournament, Dahlia Xitlari will only use two of her hands. If she uses one more, she will be disqualified," the referee commented, somewhat irritated by the people''s behavior.

    Louis watched them for a moment, feeling a little bad seeing their attitude. "In the time I''ve been here... There¡¯s no doubt, if they find out I¡¯m half-demon, they¡¯ll hate me. Luckily, people don¡¯t have access to the paladins'' information," Louis thought as he kept walking. "People can be awful sometimes, at least not everyone hates you..." Louis said, a little sad, lowering his gaze.

    "You don¡¯t have to remember that if you don¡¯t want to, Xitlari. Some people in this kingdom... are a nuisance," he said, giving a serious look to the sidewalk after passing the car zone, where there were many more people walking than in the area they were in.

    "Hey, Xitlari, didn¡¯t you have any trouble with any fights?" Louis asked, trying to change the subject from the people.

    "In my first tournament, yes, but in this one... The only fight that was a bit... was the final," she replied, adjusting the capsule on her other shoulder.

    "Are you sure you..." Louis said, concerned.

    "Yes, don¡¯t worry... I¡¯ll tell you about the final match so we don¡¯t drag it on, we¡¯re almost at the center of the kingdom," Xitlari interrupted Louis while stretching one of her right arms. "In the final against Blanca, she..."

    "It seems like it¡¯s just you and me again, but you¡¯ll still be behind me," Blanca said confidently. "Although I was hoping to fight the fire magic guy you beat in your last match, he was more interesting," she added while stretching on the platform.

    "Sorry to disappoint you," Dahlia said, placing two of her hands behind her back after warming up a bit.

    "What are you doing? With me, you can fight with all your four arms, you know that!" Blanca expressed, annoyed and confused. "Referee!"

    "Eh?! Well, I can¡¯t do anything... It¡¯s not against the rules that she doesn¡¯t want to fight with all her arms," Rop replied, a bit scared of Blanca.

    "I''m sorry, but this is very unfair to you," Dahlia said seriously.

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    "The fight will start... NOW!" Rop shouted.

    "Fine... If that¡¯s what you want! I¡¯ll humiliate you for thinking you''re something," Blanca said, taking her fighting stance.

    Gaining momentum with her legs, Blanca rushed to land a punch to Dahlia¡¯s face, but Dahlia stopped the punch with one of her hands and then punched her in the stomach, making her stumble back and groan in pain. Everyone who supported Blanca was stunned and couldn¡¯t believe it.

    The only ones shouting were less than half of the people in the stadium. I would say about 20% of the entire stadium was supporting Dahlia.

    "When... did you get this strength?" Blanca asked, with slight difficulty breathing and one hand on her stomach.

    "This is my new self," Dahlia replied simply, then moved closer to kick her, which Blanca managed to dodge by crouching. Then, Dahlia continued throwing punches with two of her hands. Blanca barely managed to dodge them until one landed on her shoulder. Blanca tried to attack again, spinning and launching a kick to Dahlia¡¯s face. Dahlia stopped the kick with her hand and then grabbed Blanca by her leg to punch her in the face, sending her falling to the ground.

    "It can¡¯t... be," Blanca muttered on the ground, then looked up to see a hooded man watching the fight.

    ""No... Nooo! You Won''t Beat Me!" Blanca shouted getting out of the ground, furious. Suddenly, his body began to become larger and covered with a white fur with black lines. His hands opened, getting bigger. Then he closed his hand and began to grow white fur in his hand, and then open his whole hand, coming out large claws like those of a tiger. A tail left behind his back, in the lower part, making a hole in his clothes. The human feet stretched and curved, extending the bones and muscles to take a more bestial form, destroying their shoes on the act. His face became that of a tiger, lengthening his jaw and his nose turning black. His ears became above his head. His eyes were still blue, but now like a feline''s. He was now 175 cm tall, and the only thing that didn''t change was his hair. Everyone in the stands was speechless at such a revelation.

    "That¡¯s right, daughter! Don¡¯t be afraid of who you are, show the world your true self!" shouted a tiger man with white fur and black stripes after taking off his hood, raising his hands with joy and pride.

    "Ahhh! A monster!" a woman screamed, pointing at Blanca''s father.

    "I¡¯m not a monster, ma¡¯am!" he replied, offended, pointing back at her.

    "What the hell is this?! Only freaks!" shouted a man, disgusted. "Yeah, I want my refund!" said another. "They¡¯re a nuisance!" added another. Many were booing Dahlia and Blanca, throwing cups and things at them, and then the sound of glass breaking could be heard.

    "All of you! Throughout the tournament, all I¡¯ve heard are stupid comments!" shouted the king of Ystir furiously from the booth. Apparently, he broke the booth¡¯s window to speak. "My own kingdom discriminates against others for their appearance... What a shame! Your problem is that you don¡¯t know how to tell what¡¯s good and what¡¯s bad. Enjoy the fight, those who want to stay. The rest can leave," he said firmly and with disappointment, then sat back down to watch the fight. Most of the spectators were leaving in silence after hearing the king.

    "Pathetic!" shouted Blanca''s father, upset seeing how most people were leaving the place.

    "We¡¯re not leaving, Blanca!" shouted a woman. "We support you!" said a man. "You can do it!" added a little girl. Despite most people leaving, a good number stayed to keep watching the fight, and those supporting Dahlia also started cheering.

    "You can do it, daughter!" shouted Blanca¡¯s father.

    "I didn¡¯t expect you to be a tiger woman," Dahlia commented, preparing to continue.

    "Ha! Now things are going to get rough for you," Blanca said in a deeper voice, taking her fighting stance.

    Blanca rushed with great speed, landing a kick on Dahlia that made her stumble back, then attacked with her claws at great speed. With great effort, Dahlia managed to dodge the attacks.

    "Still underestimating me? Use your four arms!" Blanca said impatiently as she kept attacking with her claws, until she managed to cut one of Dahlia''s arms. Dahlia tried to defend herself, but even her gloves were torn apart by Blanca¡¯s claws. Quickly, Dahlia used her other two arms and punched the sides of Blanca¡¯s head simultaneously, then kicked her, sending her flying to the other side of the platform.

    "Finally... you take it... seriously!" Blanca exclaimed, then let out a huge roar before charging toward Dahlia. The two quickly closed in, throwing countless punches... some were blocked, others dodged, and others landed. They moved at incredible speeds without stopping.

    "My God... This fight is amazing!" Rop exclaimed, able to see it up close.

    "This time, no..." Dahlia said as she kept throwing punches and dodging.

    "What?" Blanca said, confused, as she heard Dahlia.

    "This time, NO!" Dahlia shouted, using her two right arms covered in estritual magic to strike Blanca''s chest and stomach at the same time! The incredible attack sent her flying off the platform, leaving a moment of silence in the air.

    "It''s over! The victory goes to... Dahlia Xitlari!" Rop said with excitement and People started screaming with excitement.

    "Not... yet... over," Blanca said with difficulty as she tried to get up. Dahlia quickly rushed to attack Blanca... Seeing this, Blanca tried to stand quickly, but failed and just closed her eyes... When she opened them again, she saw Dahlia''s fist right in front of her face.

    "This... is over," Dahlia said while offering her hand to help Blanca up. "Good fight," she said with a smile on her face.

    Blanca rejected Dahlia''s hand and, with difficulty, got up and began walking toward the locker room, only to hear loud applause and whistles coming from the stands.

    "Well done, Dahlia!" shouted many children, while many men and women clapped. "Well done!... You did it," Lily shouted with pride, showing a great happiness on her face.

    "Does she... have a lot of people supporting her?" Blanca said, feeling bad while looking at the spectators.

    "You did your best," said a dark-skinned girl with brown hair, watching Blanca from the stands with her parents.

    "We support you! It doesn''t matter if you''re different. By the way, if you need clothes, I¡¯m a great designer and my wife is the best tailor in the kingdom," said the girl''s father.

    "Don¡¯t exaggerate!" the woman said, giving him a light nudge.

    Surprised, Blanca replied, "I appreciate the offer... What¡¯s your name?" she asked with a smile.

    "My name is Yina, and my dad¡¯s name is Lowin, and my mom¡¯s is Lara. And this is... ?in," Yina replied with a smile, showing a boomerang-shaped being floating next to her.

    "Nice to meet you... I¡¯m sorry I disappointed you," Blanca said, looking down at the ground.

    "Disappointed? I¡¯m excited! I¡¯ll be able to design..." Lowin said, but was interrupted by Lara giving him another nudge. "I mean... Look for yourself!" Lowin gestured with his hand for her to look around and see how the people who stayed behind were holding up signs and their hands, also starting to clap and whistle to cheer Blanca on.

    "Sweetheart! You did so well," she expressed, crying and hugging Blanca.

    "Dad, it hurts..." Blanca said, enduring the pain.

    "I¡¯m sorry!" Blanca''s father immediately stopped hugging her and stepped back a bit.

    "Are you okay, sis?!" Caspian asked, running from the locker room to give her a round bottle.

    "Yeah, I¡¯m fine, thanks," Blanca replied, taking the bottle, then unscrewing the cap and drinking it.

    "I¡¯m glad you accepted who you are, daughter... I¡¯m proud of you," he said, placing his hand on her shoulder.

    "Thanks, Dad," she thanked after drinking all the liquid in the bottle.

    "Great fight!" some people in the stands shouted. "We support you, Blanca!"

    "Thanks... but don¡¯t say my first name," she said, annoyed, trying to force a smile.

    "You¡¯ll have to put up with it," Caspian added, taking the bottle he gave Blanca.

    "Just like the defeat..." he said, then turned around and saw Dahlia sitting at the edge of the platform, watching Blanca with a smile on her face, then raising her thumbs. "Jah... you weren¡¯t so different after all."

    "Ladies and... gentlemen! The champion of the sixth magical fighting tournament... Dahlia Xitlari!" Rop shouted, then pulled out a remote from his pocket and made all the speakers around the tournament venue sound.

    The king had come down from his booth to present the medal and a golden trophy. He was accompanied by Mei, with Clara on her shoulder, and six knights. He wore silver armor and a pink cape, and had a smile on his lips. King Shane had blue eyes, and his hair was silver-blue, short with two strands in front. He wore a purple tunic with blue details, grayish-tight pants, and blue shoes. He was 185 cm tall and had a golden bracelet on his right hand.

    "It¡¯s been a pleasure to see you again in this tournament, Dahlia... I hope this time you¡¯ll accept my offer to become a paladin," he said with a firm, deep voice full of kindness while placing the medal on her.

    "I really appreciate your offer, I¡¯ll think about it more seriously this time," Dahlia replied with gratitude and respect.

    "I''m glad to hear that," the king handed her the trophy, and then Dahlia lifted it so that only the applause and cheers from the people in the stands could be heard.

    "After that... Lily and the kids came with me to the locker room to congratulate me, and then I returned home... And..." Xitlari said, lowering her voice as she spoke, showing pain on her face as she thought about what was coming.

    "We¡¯re here! Could you take that lid off, Louis? I think that¡¯s enough... You don¡¯t have to remember that, friend," Kassie said, worried, approaching her as Louis removed a lid from the ground.

    The city center was very large and spacious; its shape was like a circle, with some benches and flower zones. A lot of people were walking around, and it had a car zone going in circles connecting to all the areas: east, west, north, south, etc. And of course, it also had houses around it, after the car zone and sidewalk.

    "Do you think...?" Xitlari lowered the capsule and stretched her arms and shoulders.

    "Alright, Louis, could you move a little further just in case the quirit¨¢nidas tries to escape?" Kassie said, approaching the hole in the ground.

    "Yeah, sure," Louis replied, stepping away.

    "Didn¡¯t you already tell him?" Xitlari whispered to Kassie.

    "Yeah, but don¡¯t let anyone see me, okay?" Kassie said, a little nervous.

    "Don¡¯t worry, no one will come close with me here," Xitlari replied, then Kassie entered the hole.

    Louis approached Xitlari to ask her, "What happened to your father?"

    "Do you... want to know? Sit here," Xitlari sat on the ground and, with one of her hands, pointed to Louis for him to sit next to her. Louis sat next to her and, realizing how close he was to her, blushed slightly.

    "I was so excited to tell my father... after the car dropped me off at home, I... "

    "Dad! I¡¯m home! I... did it..." she expressed with a smile as she entered the house. That smile disappeared as she dropped her medal and trophy, seeing her father on the floor with a man having a foot on him, and he was tied up with roots. The man wore a black coat with a hood that hid his eyes, decorated with golden chains crossing his torso. Under the coat, he wore a black suit with a golden tie, and had golden metallic details on his shoulder pads. He wore black gloves, entirely golden on the palm side. He wore a black belt with golden details and a dark cape that was very worn and torn.

    "Hmm... Lum? Didn''t you say you lived alone?" asked the man in a loud, calm voice, bending down slightly.

    "Do you want me to take care of it?" said a being whose body was made entirely of wood, with a very deep and grave voice. He was 190 cm tall, and his eyes were greenish.

    "Let me handle it..." said another man with an arrogant but subtle voice. His eyes were a deep green, and his semi-long hair was also green, with lighter green strands. He wore a white vest with black details and a dark brown cape that wrapped around his neck. His pants and shoes were black with silver lines. He was about 176 cm tall.

    "Don''t hurt her! SHE DOESN''T KNOW ANYTHING!" yelled Lum in desperation, unable to do anything.

    "Hmm, maybe with her, you''ll tell us where the bracelets are... Jeff, take the... whatever it is," said the man in the dark purple suit.

    "With pleasure," said Jeff as he approached Dahlia, cracking his hands and neck.

    "Dahlia... Run!" yelled Lum.

    Dahlia wanted to stay and fight, but she saw things around Jeff when she looked into his eyes, and she ran out of the room. As she was about to leave the house, Jeff was in front of the door. "Where are you going?"

    Dahlia punched Jeff, and when she touched him, he disappeared and appeared behind her. He struck her from behind, sending her flying out of the house, destroying the entrance, and landing on the pavement.

    "What the hell are you?" asked Jeff as he walked out of the house and watched Dahlia get back up.

    " Don''t You Dare! TO TOUCH MY DAUGHTER!" yelled Lum in fury, creating a large blue rhinoceros that charged out of the house, destroying part of it, and then rammed Jeff, slamming him to the ground. The other man was thrown off the roof of the house while Lum followed him as an eagle.

    The wooden creature removed the rhinoceros from Jeff, To then absorb the rhinoceros and then Jeff appeared behind Dahlia. He grabbed one of her arms and tried to immobilize her, but Dahlia spun around and this time managed to strike Jeff in the face with all her might, using her estritual magic, making him stagger back from the impact, crashing into the ground and cracking it.

    Dahlia looked for her father, and a great blue light appeared in the sky for a moment. After that, her father shot down from the sky, crashing into the ground, creating a large smoke screen and destroying much of the ground.

    "Father!" Dahlia said desperately as she covered her face from the dust.

    "That blow..." he said while crushing Lum''s head with his left foot and holding a watch in his right hand. "It was so powerful... Good thing I had this." The watch in his hand shattered. "Whoa... That was my best watch, no beating around the bush, huh?" he said in surprise.

    "Dad!" she cried out desperately, rushing to help her father.

    Jeff stood in her way, halting her steps. "Hahaha... Hahahaha! Magnificent! That was incredible... What a marvelous punch!" he said sadistically as blood dripped from his mouth and his eyes turned black.

    "Impossible... He withstood one of my blows and I used all my strength..." Dahlia thought with fear as she saw his reaction. "Who the hell are you?!". Determined, forgetting her fear, Dahlia assumed her fighting stance and filled her fists with estritual magic.

    "Dahlia! Run!" said Lum with great effort, after moving his head, which was being crushed by the other man.

    "Father..." Dahlia stood firm to fight and not lose her father.

    "Go! Go, Xitlari! Go! Remember what I told you! One day you¡¯ll leave this world behind," said Lum with great effort.

    "So live a life you''ll remember..." replied Dahlia, almost in tears, following her father''s words.

    "You haven¡¯t lived enough!" exclaimed Lum as tears ran down his battered face.

    "I won¡¯t go! I¡¯ll fight... For you. You did so much for me!" Dahlia said as tears began to fall from her face.

    "Enough whining... It''s time to fight!" yelled Jeff, jumping on her to disappear before she could hit him. Then he appeared behind her and, when he tried to elbow her, he disappeared again, reappearing in front of her. Upon touching her hand, he gave her a smile that revealed his sharp teeth.

    "Nooo...! Please!" screamed Lum, unable to do anything but watch.

    Dahlia tried to hit him with both of her hands, but he stopped them with his own, their hands interlocking. The muscles in their arms tensed in a strength duel.

    "Your punches lack light! Hahaha!" he said mockingly, pushing harder and making Dahlia move back. With all her strength, she struck Jeff¡¯s stomach with her other two fists full of ritual magic, but he, receiving the blow, only laughed sadistically as more blood flowed from his mouth. Jeff pushed Dahlia, winning the strength battle, and sent her flying, making her tumble and hit the ground. Then he appeared behind her, and with his hands, he created dark whips that caught all of Dahlia''s arms and began pulling them. She tried to resist, but her strength wasn¡¯t enough, surrendering to the pain.

    "Enough! Please... Let her go!" expressed Lum in desperation and pain, hearing his daughter¡¯s screams.

    "I¡¯ll do it if you tell me where the bracelets are! Come on... You don¡¯t want me to break her arms, do you?" shouted Jeff, smiling as he pulled harder. Dahlia, unable to do more, was losing consciousness.

    "Kill her!" said the man, crushing Lum¡¯s head with more force.

    "NOOO!" screamed Lum, extending his hand across the ground and tearing part of his skin. His face filled with blue cracks and stars, and suddenly, a huge blue dragon emerged from his hand, tearing apart part of the ground and throwing the man off. The dragon sped towards Jeff, trapping him with its mouth and pressing hard before slamming him into the ground. It then took Dahlia and carried her away.

    "No... I must save him..." murmured Dahlia, enduring the pain as she saw him being taken away atop the dragon.

    "You can''t, Dahlia... I must take you to a safe place," said the dragon as it continued flying away.

    "No..." she replied, remembering every moment from the night Lum adopted her. "I won¡¯t lose my father!" Dahlia kicked the dragon with her legs, making it head toward the ground. Then she jumped and covered her legs with ritual magic to cushion the fall, starting to run with all her might toward her father. Behind her, the dragon crashed to the ground. "I can''t... I can¡¯t lose him... He gave everything for me. Now it¡¯s my turn," she said determinedly, as tears ran down her face, evaporating in the air due to her speed. "Father... Dad... Dad..."

    Dahlia reached the place, and her tears stopped. Gradually, she slowed down. In front of her was Lum, who had been pierced in the chest by the wooden creature. The creature lifted him, and thousands of roots pierced Lum¡¯s body. In Dahlia¡¯s eyes, she could see how the roots disappeared, taking Lum¡¯s body with them, making him vanish completely. It seemed that his entire body had been absorbed by the creature. Dahlia fell to her knees, speechless, with a stunned expression, as if she had lost her life.

    "Xitlari..." said Louis, seeing how tears fell from Xitlari¡¯s face.

    She turned away and wiped her tears. "Don¡¯t look at me..."

    "I shouldn¡¯t have asked. I¡¯m so sorry..." Louis expressed, feeling guilty and sad for Xitlari. "I completely understand what it must have been... To see and not be able to do anything."

    "I must be strong... It''s what he would have wanted," she said, turning around with a calmer face and no tears.

    "I think in our lives, we can¡¯t always be happy. At some point, bad things will happen, and we¡¯ll decide whether that changes us for better or for worse," said Louis, his eyes fixed on Xitlari, as if speaking from the depths of his heart.

    "You may be right... Not always can we be happy... After what happened..." Xitlari understood what Louis was saying, feeling his pain.

    "Well, well! Look who¡¯s back, hahaha," said Jeff with his sadistic grin.

    "She has estritual magic. Absorb it, Tohn. It will help you have more magic," said the man in the dark coat with a hood.

    "Yes," replied the creature, approaching Dahlia.

    "Wait! I want to have fun!" said Jeff, smiling and approaching Dahlia first. When he was about to put his hand on her, his arm was severed.

    "And this?" he said, unfazed, looking at his severed arm.

    With a quick movement, Mei aimed her scimitar horizontally at Jeff. "Great butterfly!" A giant golden butterfly with pink accents flew out of the scimitar, crashing into Jeff and sending him flying, while the ground shattered after the butterfly''s path, which kept advancing until it exploded.

    "Are you okay?" said Mei with concern, approaching Dahlia. The creature was about to attack them, but Mern created a large block of golden gyverna that stopped it. The creature tried to resist the weight, but Mern kept pushing with his outstretched hand toward it.

    The man in the coat appeared behind Mei, taking advantage of her vulnerability after a dark purple vortex. "Eternal prison." A sphere of the same color surrounded Mei. Before she was fully trapped, Mei pushed Dahlia to safety.

    "I knew the paladins of this kingdom would take less time to arrive," said the man. The sphere started to crack, letting out golden light.

    "It¡¯s not light magic...! It¡¯s fairy magic!" she exclaimed in a worried and fearful voice before disappearing into the vortex. She appeared next to the pillar that contained the creature, touching it, and both disappeared into the vortex.

    "Mei managed to get out of the sphere and then came to me to see how I was..." Xitlari mentioned, her gaze fixed on the ground, while in the background, the traffic and people passing by not too far from them could be heard.

    "They escaped. Could it be... the bracelets they were looking for are the ones you''re wearing?" Louis asked, realizing when he saw the bracelets on two of her hands.

    With a small smile, Xitlari replied, "I''m glad you paid attention. My father had them hidden with a legal agent... I inherited them after his death, along with everything he had..." Xitlari raised the arms with the bracelets on them. "When I received them, there was a note with them. It said I must protect them with my life and that they must not fall into the wrong hands." Xitlari finished speaking and hid her arms back inside her jacket. "And that day, I also got my first spirit," Xitlari thought.

    "It¡¯s a great responsibility... Estritual magic is very interesting. Too bad you can''t tell me about it," Louis mentioned, remembering that a week ago, Xitlari told him she was not allowed to talk much about spiritual magic. "I have a question... Why, when telling the story, did you refer to yourself as Dahlia and not Xitlari? You spoke as if you weren¡¯t you."

    "Because Dahlia left that day... Now I¡¯m just Xitlari, because that¡¯s the name my father gave me," Xitlari replied, standing up from the ground and brushing off the dust.

    "Name?" Louis thought, confused, tilting his head to one side, after standing up from the ground and dusting himself off.

    "Xitlari! I¡¯ve got it!" Kassie shouted from inside the water area hole.

    "I''m coming!" Xitlari ran to open the capsule and bring it closer to the hole. "Go ahead, a little higher." The quiritanidas was a long creature with a slightly large head, large tusks, and thick skin.

    "I should help them, but Kassie doesn''t want me to look at her like that," Louis thought as a girl with a small holographic device (similar to a cell phone) approached him.

    "Paladin Louis..." the girl said, a bit worried with a sad face.

    "Eh? Hello, little one! What¡¯s wrong? Did you get lost?" he said, surprised when he saw the girl, then crouching down to look around to see if the girl''s mother was nearby, but instead, he noticed people starting to look at him strangely.

    "No... But... Is this true?" the girl said, showing him the device. It was a video where Louis was fighting with Kein and his brothers. Louis was speechless upon seeing the video. "In the video, the lady says you''re half demon and that you control lava magic... Is that true?"

    Louis stood up and saw how all the people in the kingdom center were looking at him in terror, while others simply started running.

    "Get away, demon!" shouted a man. "Get out, monster!" others said. "Disgusting being!" People began throwing things at Louis.

    "It¡¯s done, Kassie. Huh? What¡¯s happening? Louis?" said Xitlari when she saw what was going on, after placing the quiritanidas in the capsule. Louis had left without saying anything, leaving the girl behind as people continued shouting.

    "Yeah, go away, monster!" the people said.

    "What¡¯s going on?!" asked Kassie, as she came out of the water area hole.

    "I don¡¯t know. Louis left... I think the people found out he¡¯s half demon," Xitlari replied, closing the capsule. "Damn... I¡¯ll take this to the agency. Go look for him." Xitlari quickly made hand gestures, and the rhino spirit appeared on her shoulder. She started running at great speed with the capsule in her arms while Kassie went to find Louis.

    *West of Lyran - Church - Priest''s Office*

    In the priest''s office, the video was playing through a holographic screen. "As you can see, here, Paladin Louis faced the Schulz trio of brothers, and the big revelation was that Paladin Louis, in addition to being half demon, controls lava magic!" said a woman as the video continued. After the last comment, the device creating the holographic screen was destroyed by a small explosion.

    "Lava magic... Damn bastard... Edgar!" the priest said furiously beside his desk.

    "What happened, sir?" Edgar asked, arriving at the office.

    "Announce a meeting with all the leaders! And cancel anything i have to do tomorrow! We¡¯re going to Ystir immediately," the priest replied, taking his golden staff and grabbing Edgar by the shirt.

    End of the chapter.

 Priest Krief #13

    At full speed, many people moved out of the way, others screamed and even insulted, while Xitlari continued running along the sidewalk. Additionally, she was carrying the capsule with the quiritanidas, who was somewhat scared by Xitlari¡¯s speed.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?! Why are you running?¡± asked the spiritual rhinoceros.

    ¡°It seems a video of Louis using his lava magic was uploaded, and they mentioned that he¡¯s half-demon. People have already started acting up, and the priest will likely send someone to look for him,¡± Xitlari responded, then jumped onto a rooftop and continued running over the houses.

    ¡°You¡¯re planning something, I see¡­ And the boy, where is he?¡± said the spiritual rhinoceros, watching as the quiritanidas got dizzy from all of Xitlari¡¯s movements.

    ¡°He disappeared, but I have to find him and help him with this. He would¡¯ve done the same,¡± Xitlari said, showing empathy toward Louis¡¯ situation.

    ¡°Nice character, you surprise me. In the past, I doubt you would¡¯ve said something like that¡­ After all, the owl is helping a lot,¡± commented the rhinoceros.

    ¡°Maybe¡­ I don¡¯t know. Being different is hard, and I think I would help anyone going through something like this¡­ Rejection, insults, and all the evil some people have¡­ it¡¯s painful,¡± Xitlari said with sincerity and concern.

    ¡°I want to see how much more you can improve¡­¡± thought the spiritual rhinoceros.

    Finally, Xitlari arrived at the agency and delivered the capsule to the research room before heading to Mei¡¯s office.

    ¡°Mei!¡± she said as soon as she opened the door.

    ¡°Xitlari! Did you bring the quiritanidas already?¡± Mei asked in her sweet voice while looking at her communicator.

    ¡°Yes! But there¡¯s a problem¡­¡± Xitlari said, slightly out of breath, as she entered the office and closed the door. Mern watched her from the couch, holding a cup of coffee, while Mark played with a device.

    ¡°If it¡¯s about Louis, don¡¯t worry. He texted me and said he¡¯s fine, that they shouldn¡¯t send anyone after him, he just needs some time alone to think,¡± Mei said with concern while waiting for a response on her communicator. ¡°The person who posted that was a rookie reporter who probably thought it was a good idea. I¡¯m more worried about the church, but this could be a good opportunity to talk to the priest¨Cif he dares to come himself and doesn¡¯t just send paladins to take Louis to the church,¡± she continued without stopping her communicator use.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to do anything? They might kill him,¡± Xitlari asked, worried.

    ¡°I have no influence anymore¡­ I¡¯m not a paladin, and his master is Rei Fordesthmans; he surely has a plan. All I can do is recommend him and find the person responsible for this,¡± Mei responded, crossing her arms in frustration.

    ¡°You could tell Reck,¡± Mern said, making his cup disappear after taking a sip.

    ¡°Of course! He could help ensure they don¡¯t take him. I¡¯ll tell Louis not to delay¡­ Well, you may leave now. Let¡¯s just hope that trash Jens doesn¡¯t find out, or he¡¯ll try to expel him from the kingdom,¡± Mei mentioned as she sent a message on her communicator.

    ¡°Are you worried about him?! That¡¯s new,¡± Mark said sarcastically.

    ¡°I¡­! I just wanted to help him because I go through the same thing in this kingdom,¡± she exclaimed, trying not to get angry at Mark¡¯s comment, then left the office.

    ¡°You just had to say something¡­¡± Mei and Mern said at the same time, staring at Mark.

    ¡°Ehmm¡­ Sorry,¡± Mark said regretfully, lowering his head.

    ¡°So? What¡¯s first? Want to train your hand pose?¡± asked the spiritual rhinoceros.

    ¡°Maybe Professor Maxwell knows where he might be,¡± Xitlari said while leaving the agency toward the Professor¡¯s house. In the distance, Canbel could be seen showing some jewelry to a customer.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to look for him? What for?¡± the rhinoceros asked, puzzled.

    ¡°Maybe for the same reason I told you¡­ I¡¯d like people to be more understanding of those who are different,¡± she responded, then heard a chime from her pocket and took out her communicator.

    ¡°Xitlari, I found Louis, he¡­¡± Kassie said as soon as Xitlari answered the call.

    ¡°Really?! Where are you?¡± she asked instantly, interrupting Kassie.

    ¡°Eh? Hmm¡­ He already left. He said he¡¯s going to train and think for a while,¡± Kassie responded, surprised by Xitlari¡¯s reaction.

    ¡°I see¡­ Do you know where he trains?¡± Xitlari asked, stopping as cars passed by and a few people walked beside her.

    ¡°Xitlari¡­ Is she interested in him?! Maybe I should give her a hint¡­ Louis went toward the eastern exit,¡± Kassie thought with great excitement.

    ¡°Kassie? Are you there?¡± Xitlari said after not hearing a response.

    ¡°Eh! Yes! I¡¯m here. Well¡­ He was heading east; he says there¡¯s a perfect place to train his magic,¡± Kassie responded, smiling as she gave that information.

    ¡°Thank you, Kassie. See you later,¡± Xitlari said, ending the call and putting away her communicator.

    Kassie put away her communicator and then placed her right hand on her chin. ¡°I am great at bringing hearts together,¡± she said proudly with a smile as someone approached.

    ¡°Weirdo,¡± said the stranger before continuing on their way.

    Kassie stood still for a moment, not moving a single muscle, then, with great speed, threw a water ball at the stranger before running away while people watched.

    ¡°Hey! You¡¯ll pay for that!¡± the man shouted, trying to catch up to her, but Kassie started running over the rooftops, leaving him behind.

    ¡°Well, now I need to go watch a show,¡± she thought as she ran across the rooftops of the houses.

    *West of Lyran ¨C Church ¨C Leaders¡¯ Hallways*

    ¡°Sir, you can¡¯t just cancel meetings like this. The Kingdom of Mordigan is about to cut ties,¡± Edgar tried to convince the priest. They walked together through a gleaming hallway, with white walls and some doors adorned with figures and plaques with names.

    ¡°I¡¯m sick of these brats. If they want to cut ties so badly, let them! Addressing the issue of that demon in Ystir is more crucial,¡± the priest said angrily, walking quickly down the hall with his golden cane in his right hand.

    ¡°But sir, he¡¯s the son of Paladin Lin Keeper! He belongs to the Keeper clan!¡± Edgar said as they began descending a flight of polished oak stairs.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s another reason I want to get him out of Ystir immediately¡­ If he returns to his kingdom, we won¡¯t have a chance to remove him peacefully¡­ So, to prevent a war, I¡¯m getting ahead of things,¡± the priest replied as they reached a white door with a golden plaque at its center. Its corners were gold, and it had the figure of a woman at the top.

    ¡°You! Where is the priestess?¡± he asked upon entering the room and seeing the seat behind the desk empty. The room had two bookshelves filled with books behind the desk, two windows on the left, and two on the right. Next to the door where the priest entered was another desk, where a woman with glasses and pink hair tied in a lilac ponytail sat. She wore a button-up white shirt, a lilac-sleeved vest, a white skirt, white embroidered gloves, and white heeled shoes.

    ¡°She is in a meeting with paladins from the Kingdom of Centarion, sir,¡± the woman responded respectfully with a calm, moderate voice.

    ¡°Right¡­¡± The priest, irritated, clenched his teeth slightly. ¡°Tell her to hold a meeting about the half-demon boy. Apparently, another one of Rei Fordesthmans lies has been exposed, and if she doesn¡¯t believe it, tell her to check Ystir¡¯s front page.¡± After saying this, the priest turned around, leaving Edgar and the woman behind. The two exchanged a quick gesture: touching two fingers to their eyes and then pointing at each other.

    Edgar left and closed the door, following the priest. ¡°Sir, wouldn¡¯t it be better to send paladins to retrieve the boy?¡± Edgar asked, watching the priest, who was biting his index fingernail angrily.

    ¡°Demon. And I¡¯d rather do it myself. You¡¯re coming with me,¡± the priest responded, emphasizing how to refer to Louis and stopping his nail-biting.

    ¡°U-understood, sir,¡± Edgar replied, hesitant but knowing he had no choice but to obey.

    The priest was about to reach two large doors made of oak with many golden details. "Open the door... It¡¯s time to leave."

    After Edgar opened the door, a white carriage with golden edges and silver wheels, with a red crystal in the middle of each wheel, awaited them outside. This carriage was powered by an engine and two propellers on the back. It didn¡¯t have a single metallic horse; it was like a combination of a car and a carriage, capable of carrying eight people.

    *Kingdom of Ystir - Eastern Gate*

    "Where will I find him?" said Xitlari, looking around at the eastern exit, with two of her jackets on top of each other. The one she wore on top had a hood.

    "Maybe you need the owl. Change," said the spiritual rhinoceros, lightly tapping Xitlari¡¯s cheek with its horn.

    "Good idea." Xitlari made several hand gestures rapidly, and the rhinoceros transformed into the spiritual owl.

    "Hello again! Let¡¯s see... If you¡¯re going to look for Louis, you could ask a man named Marti. He might know something," said the spiritual owl with joy and confidence in its words.

    "Sure... You¡¯re right, but I don¡¯t really get along with people," Xitlari said, trying to guess.

    "The last time you talked to Marti, you were fine... You were the one who wanted to find him, right?" The owl flew above Xitlari¡¯s head and then settled a little in her hair.

    "Hey... get off my head," Xitlari exclaimed, a bit uncomfortable with the owl perched there.

    "Don¡¯t you like it? Sorry then, but I deserve to be here. I¡¯m helping you find him," the owl replied, determined not to get down.

    "Fine... Marti! Are you here?!" she shouted while approaching the carriages.

    The drivers stepped back a bit, except one, who approached Xitlari.

    "Hello... Eh... What do you need me for this time?" asked Marti, a little uncomfortable but more confident.

    "Did you take Louis anywhere?" she replied, noticing the looks from the others.

    "Ah... Yes, to a cave that¡¯s a bit far from here, heading northwest. Do you need me to take you there?" he said, somewhat relieved, though his discomfort was still noticeable.

    "No, I¡¯ll go by motorcycle... Have you seen Louis¡¯s video?" she mentioned, heading toward the warehouse but turning back to ask the question.

    "Of course... In fact, I was present when he fought those three guys... If you¡¯re asking about the other thing, honestly, I don¡¯t think so. And if it¡¯s true... It doesn¡¯t matter what others say, he seems like a really good guy, young to be a paladin, but good." Marti touched his head with his right hand. His words were sincere and to the point.

    "Got it," Xitlari said, raising her thumb with her right hand. Then, she took the four-wheeled motorcycle from the warehouse and headed toward the cave.

    "You¡¯re getting better, but you seem very cold when you speak," said the spiritual owl without difficulty, even though the motorcycle was going at high speed.

    "I still think I like being who I am... With few friends, there¡¯s no need to worry or do things like what I¡¯m doing," Xitlari said sincerely while driving toward the cave.

    Surprised by her words, the owl said: "Do you feel like you¡¯re forced to do this?"

    "No, not at all... I feel it¡¯s the right thing, and if I want to be better, I need to change, but part of me doesn¡¯t want to, maybe out of fear," she responded, with a flicker of fear in her eyes, but also with the spark of someone wanting to improve.

    The owl stayed thinking about Xitlari¡¯s words... After that small conversation and a few kilometers traveled, Xitlari found the cave Marti mentioned.

    "Do you see him?" Xitlari stopped near the cave to confirm he was there.

    "Yes, I see his aura inside. It seems like he¡¯s training, just as he said," said the spiritual owl after taking a moment to use its vision.

    "Good." Xitlari got off the motorcycle and headed toward the cave entrance. Before entering, she felt a sudden increase in heat. She took off the extra jacket she had on and carried it in her left arm. Upon entering the cave, she stopped when she saw Louis surrounded by lava as he lowered his temperature at will, creating some hot stone pillars and then smashing them with a single blow.

    "Incredible..." she murmured, then noticed her hands trembling a little. "He won¡¯t hurt me, don¡¯t be afraid!" she thought, then said:

    "Louis!".

    "Xi... Xitlari... What are you doing here?" Louis expressed, surprised to see her, immediately absorbing all the lava with his hands.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    "I wanted... to see you... Are you okay?" Xitlari said, a little nervous.

    "See me? Me?" Louis thought, even more surprised. "Eh, yeah, I¡¯m fine. How did you find me?".

    "Kassie told me you were going east, and your friend Marti gave me the directions to... your training cave," she replied, approaching after Louis absorbed all the lava.

    "Kassie... Jeh..." Louis murmured with a slight smile.

    "Honestly... You worried me a little. I thought you¡¯d leave the kingdom because some people wouldn¡¯t accept you... or most of them. So... I wanted to help you because I know what it¡¯s like to be rejected by everyone," she said sincerely, with a bit of difficulty getting the words out, glancing away slightly.

    "I understand... If there¡¯s a next time, I¡¯ll write to you too so you don¡¯t worry," Louis mentioned, accepting that it was only about that matter. "Though it¡¯s a bit hard to write to her," he thought. "You shouldn¡¯t have worried. I already have experience with this and... knew this would happen sooner or later."

    "Sure, that¡¯s true... Will you keep training?" she asked, remembering Louis¡¯s story and heading toward the cave exit.

    "No, I think that¡¯s enough. I need to go back and talk to the professor about what I could do. He might give me ideas or a solution," Louis replied, following her.

    "Hmmm... I think there¡¯s a place I want you to know. Will you come?" she said, turning around to then leave the cave and get on the motorcycle.

    "Sure, that sounds amazing... Hey, you parked the motorcycle," he said as he exited the cave.

    "I liked it a lot. Get on and don¡¯t fall," Xitlari joked, starting the motorcycle and waiting for him.

    "Haha, of course not..." Louis got on the motorcycle and held onto Xitlari¡¯s shoulders. Then, they began their journey back to the Kingdom of Ystir.

    Upon reaching the eastern gate, Xitlari had Louis enter with her to store the motorcycle in the warehouse.

    "Take off your coat and put on this jacket. I brought it for you so no one would recognize you. It might be a little big," she said, handing him the jacket after placing a tarp over the motorcycle.

    "Thanks." Louis took off his coat, leaving only his blue compression shirt, which was long-sleeved. "Could you hold it?" he said, handing her the coat to put on the jacket. Xitlari, without saying a word, took it and gave him the jacket.

    "Done. Do you think no one will recognize me?" he asked after finishing putting it on.

    "I think it¡¯s fine," commented the spiritual owl.

    "Yeah. Lower your head a bit so no one sees your face, and that¡¯s it. *Sigh* It would be easier if Ann were here, she could take you without anyone seeing you," she replied, lowering his head a bit.

    "She¡¯s checking Mei¡¯s mine with Ririam, right? We could run across the rooftops," Louis suggested while looking outside through the warehouse door.

    "Yeah, we could do that... Jeh, you know? When I used to get mad, my father always raced with me to make me forget everything. I think that¡¯s why I raced with you when... I judged you wrongly," she mentioned with affection for the memory that came to mind, but feeling a bit bad about her last words.

    "My father was always teaching me things. I wish I had spent more time with him, but you know... Well, let¡¯s try it. Maybe no one will recognize me," he said, trying to share something that turned sad, then preparing to leave the warehouse.

    They both headed for the exit. Louis was perfectly camouflaged thanks to the jacket, and Xitlari carried the folded coat hidden in her jacket. They walked slowly, trying not to be noticed. It seemed that no one had recognized them.

    "It looks like it worked," Louis whispered.

    "Wow! I see you found Paladin Louis!" said Marti upon seeing them. Immediately, Xitlari lunged at him and covered his mouth, hiding from the carriage drivers passing by the eastern gate.

    "Why are you talking? Everything was fine! No one had recognized us!" Xitlari replied, lowering her voice and lifting Marti by his shirt.

    "Sorry! I just wanted to say hi! Don¡¯t kill me, please!" he exclaimed, almost in tears.

    "Don¡¯t hit him, Xitlari," the spiritual owl added.

    "No one¡¯s going to do that, Marti... Hurry, pretend you were talking on a communicator and confused the names," Louis commented, trying to hide his face and lowering his voice when he saw a driver approaching.

    "Hello, sorry, I meant Lotis, not Louis, hahaha. I''m glad you found him!... Huh? What''s wrong, buddy?" Marti tried to do what Louis told him, convincing the approaching driver.

    "Nothing, I thought something happened to you," the driver hinted, stepping away from Marti.

    "It worked! Now we just need to..." Louis said before realizing they had many people to their right. Instantly, both of them ran and jumped onto the roof of a house, starting to run without looking back.

    "Was that the paladin Louis?" a woman asked. "Looks like it," a man answered. "What was he doing with the four-armed girl?" another asked (they still hadn''t seen the news).

    "We made it inside! Now follow me," Xitlari exclaimed as she kept running across the rooftops of the houses, sometimes jumping to get to the next one.

    "Okay," Louis said, matching Xitlari''s pace while holding the hood of his jacket to keep the wind from blowing it back.

    As they ran, some people watched them curiously when they saw two others running across the rooftops. "I guess running on rooftops is in fashion now," a lady said.

    After a long run, they finally arrived, stopping on the roof of a two-story building.

    "Hey, how far did we run? This is the southwest area, right?" Louis asked, a little out of breath.

    "Right here, it''s the place. You coming down?" Xitlari answered, a bit tired as well, then climbed down from the roof. Louis followed her, and Xitlari entered the place. "Come on in".

    Louis entered the place, a little confused, observing how well-kept it was.

    "Hello! Is anyone here?" Xitlari said cheerfully, a smile on her face.

    "Xitlari!" the children yelled, running toward her with excitement, laughter, and enthusiasm.

    Xitlari crouched down and placed Louis'' folded coat on her right leg. "Hello, everyone! I''m so happy to see you! How have you all been?" Xitlari hugged all the children she could with her four arms.

    "Very well," answered a boy with black hair, wearing a red long-sleeve shirt, black shorts, and sandals. "Why didn''t you visit us last week?" replied a girl with a white ribbon in her brown hair. She wore a pink dress and pink shoes with a star decoration. She crossed her arms in disappointment.

    Louis watched them with a smile on his face. "It''s the first time I''ve seen her this happy... She''s so beautiful," Louis thought, blushing a little.

    "I''ve been very busy. Mei had some missions for me. Want me to tell you one?" Xitlari answered, patting the girl''s head.

    "Who''s he?" asked a blonde boy. He was wearing a green shirt with a cat design, gray shorts, and reddish shoes.

    "His eye is blue!" one said in surprise.

    "And red! Just like his hair," another added.

    "Is he your boyfriend?" asked the girl with the white ribbon.

    "Uh! I..." Louis said nervously, blushing, almost unable to say anything.

    "No, he''s my partner. In fact, he''s a paladin," Xitlari answered calmly, while the owl focused on thinking.

    "A paladin! Let''s go!" shouted the girl, and instantly, all the children rushed to Louis.

    "O... hey, wait!" Louis didn''t know what to do as the children completely surrounded him.

    "Hey, have you fought a criminal?" asked the blonde boy. "Do you use a sword?" asked another with enthusiasm. "Can you use magic?" commented another.

    "Xitlari! Back again, but this time not alone, huh? That''s not your jacket," said Lily, appearing and hugging Xitlari, while the children continued asking Louis questions, and he tried to answer what he could.

    "We have a problem. Someone posted a video of him using his lava magic and mentioning he''s half demon," Xitlari said after returning the hug.

    "Oh, no... Are you hiding him?" Lily was surprised and worried about the details.

    "No, we arrived without being recognized. I just wanted to show him a place where no one would judge him... and where he would get a lot of attention," Xitlari replied, then saw the children had surrounded Louis and couldn''t help but smile.

    "Oh... then he''ll be fine here," she said, holding back laughter as she looked at him too.

    "Now that I think about it, I''ll tell Mei we''re here so she can let Reck know," she said, taking out her communicator.

    Meanwhile, in the west of Lyran, the carriage the priest and Edgar were in was speeding toward Ystir, apparently on autopilot, as no one was driving.

    "We''re almost at Ystir, sir," Edgar was keeping an eye on the road, while the priest was deep in thought, not paying much attention to what Edgar was saying.

    "If the kid refuses, I might have the chance to kill him. The important thing is to find him alone. It would be best if he accepted, then I could kill him on the way... I''ll take the opportunity to get rid of Edgar too. He knows too much. I''ll just blame the demon, say it tried to attack me and Edgar jumped in to save me. Simple and easy. The lands of Ystir... must be kept in order!" the priest thought, emotionless, glancing at Edgar while planning to kill him too. "I hope there are no inconveniences...".

    Back at the orphanage, Louis was looking out the window as Xitlari told the children a story.

    "Hello, I didn¡¯t introduce myself. My name is Lily," she said, approaching Louis from behind.

    "Nice to meet you, Louis A. Keeper," Louis responded respectfully, turning around and slightly bowing his head.

    "Oh, no need for formalities. Come, sit down," Lily sat down and offered Louis a seat next to her.

    "You¡­ know about me, right?" Louis asked after sitting down and thinking for a moment whether to ask or not.

    "Of course, enough," she replied, without elaborating.

    "Aren¡¯t you afraid or concerned? I want to know... what do you think?" Louis seemed worried and doubtful.

    "What do I think? Hmm... Well, I trust Xitlari, and if she trusts you, I will too. Besides, you''re a paladin. You were trained for a reason, and not by just anyone," she responded, placing her index finger on her chin to think a little before answering sincerely.

    "So, if Xitlari didn¡¯t trust me..." Louis said, a bit downcast and thoughtful.

    "Listen, people struggle to accept what¡¯s new. Sometimes new things are bad, but to me, you¡¯re not bad. Xitlari told me your whole story. Something like that shouldn¡¯t happen to people like you, but life isn¡¯t easy. Still, you got up and moved on. And look at you now, your father would be proud. Oh! I sounded like that one time, haha," Lily tried to answer calmly and cheerfully, with words full of support and truth.

    "Apparently, they told you everything... You know... Sometimes I wish I didn¡¯t feel like this, so vulnerable and weak." Louis looked at her for a moment and then directed his gaze at Xitlari.

    "I think what you see as vulnerable and weak is your humanity," Lily said, giving Louis a few light pats on the shoulder.

    "Yes, I¡¯ve been told that before... but I feel like I must be strong and that nothing should affect me," Louis said, bringing his hands together and pressing them tightly.

    "It¡¯s okay to want to be stronger, but don¡¯t let it overwhelm you and don¡¯t punish yourself if you fail. Do what you think is right, what your heart wants, and that will be enough," Lily said with a hint of melancholy and a smile on her lips, as if those words had been said to her a long time ago.

    "It sounds just like my mother, maybe because she¡¯s a mother too," Louis commented with a slight memory of his mother in his mind. Lily responded with a kind smile to show gratitude for the comment.

    A bell rang in the distance, and all the children who had been listening to Xitlari¡¯s story got up and ran down the hall.

    "Kids, remember to line up!" Lily shouted as she stood up from the chair, then followed the children.

    "I think... it¡¯s time for me to leave," Louis mentioned, smiling as he looked at the children, also getting up to leave.

    "Did you find this helpful?" Xitlari asked, approaching Louis.

    "I really liked it, the kids bring so much peace... Thank you very much," Louis responded, much happier and calmer, heading to the exit.

    "I¡¯ll go with you. I need to take you to Reck, he¡¯ll help you settle in the kingdom. Lily, we¡¯re leaving!" she said determinedly, following him behind.

    "Good luck! Be careful!" Lily shouted from the other room, where the children were having a snack.

    "With Reck? For what?" Louis said, confused, letting Xitlari exit the orphanage first.

    "Haven¡¯t you read your communicator?" Xitlari peeked through the door to let Louis know when to leave.

    "I think I left it in the cave..." Louis said, trying to remember where he had left it.

    "I¡¯ll tell you on the way. Let¡¯s go!" she said, signaling him, and both quickly went to climb onto the rooftops of the houses.

    *West Gate*

    The luxurious and impressive carriage of the priest had arrived at the kingdom of Ystir. People looked at it with surprise and relief, as some didn¡¯t want Louis in the kingdom; they thought he had come to take him out of there, and they were right.

    The carriage parked, and the priest got off along with Edgar to ask the citizens.

    "Hello everyone! Sorry for coming without notice, I won¡¯t be here long... If anyone knows where Louis A. Keeper is, I need you to tell me right now!" The priest began his little speech in a calm and friendly manner, only to become almost a threat.

    "But he¡¯s a paladin! He always delivers my packages!" said a man with long hair, wearing glasses, a gray cap, a buttoned shirt, dark pants, and sneakers.

    "What paladin?! He¡¯s a demon! He¡¯s probably already brainwashed you!" retorted a man with white hair, wearing an elegant suit and holding a golden cane.

    "Shut your mouth! You have to get that thing out of this kingdom!" shouted another man, furious.

    "Of course! We don¡¯t want creatures like that in our kingdom!" several of the attendees shouted, furious.

    "You should also get rid of that four-armed freak. He broke my nose!" said a bearded man carrying two boxes on his shoulders.

    "Silence! I asked for his whereabouts. I want to know where he lives, tell me, and I¡¯ll do what you ask," said the priest, annoyed at not receiving an answer, raising his golden cane and striking it against the ground, cracking it slightly.

    "He lives... in that scientist¡¯s house, Maxwell," replied the man with white hair, feeling a bit fearful.

    "That¡¯s what I wanted to hear," the priest whispered, then got back into the carriage with Edgar. "Full speed ahead to Professor Maxwell¡¯s address".

    [Understood... Searching for Professor Maxwell¡¯s address...]

    [Found! West zone of the kingdom of Ystir, Professor Maxwell Ziens, renowned scientist and...] said the carriage¡¯s panel.

    "Save the details, just take me there," said the priest seriously, and the carriage began moving toward Professor Maxwell¡¯s house.

    Meanwhile, Louis and Xitlari had arrived at the PT agency.

    "There are a lot of people on the way," Louis said, observing from the rooftop with Xitlari.

    "Cover your face well. We¡¯ll enter the agency as quickly as possible. Canbel is at the door," said Xitlari, preparing to descend.

    Louis covered himself well with the jacket, and both descended from the roof, passing through the crowd. With great caution, they managed to enter without a sound.

    "Hey! It¡¯s the demon paladin!" shouted a man who recognized Louis as he passed by and caught a glimpse of his eyes.

    Quickly, Xitlari and Louis entered the agency, and Canbel closed the door. They both headed to Mei¡¯s office, finding her along with a short-haired, pink-haired woman who was kneeling on the floor.

    "I¡¯m so sorry... I didn¡¯t want this to happen," the woman said, crying uncontrollably.

    "Look, Louis is here. Instead of apologizing to me, apologize to him," Mei said, already seeming tired of hearing the girl.

    "I... I¡¯m so sorry!" the girl said, slowly approaching Louis and then grabbing his feet.

    "Hey! Wait!" Louis said in surprise, feeling a little sorry for her.

    "I just wanted... to make us famous," the girl couldn¡¯t stop crying, her voice trembling with genuine remorse.

    "It¡¯s okay, don¡¯t cry. It¡¯s not your fault, you did it with good intentions, and you probably worked hard to make that video about me look great, in fact, I saw it, it was very well made," Louis bent down and helped her up, then took her to the couch where she could sit.

    "Of course it¡¯s my fault... If I hadn¡¯t posted anything, you¡¯d be living peacefully," she replied, wiping some tears from her face.

    "No, the fault lies with this world, that can¡¯t accept people who are different," Xitlari said, crossing one of her right arms and showing her other three arms.

    "Y-You¡¯re Dahlia Xitlari," the girl said in awe, sniffing. "The winner of the last King Shane¡¯s tournament," she wiped her face with her shirt sleeves.

    "Were you there?" Xitlari asked, a little surprised.

    "Yes, I... I was making a report for school," the girl responded, now calmer.

    "Could you delete the video?" Louis asked, pulling down his hood and staring at her intently.

    "I already did, but... the damage is done," she said, regretfully, looking down at the floor.

    "But you could fix it. You just need to say you were wrong, make a video apologizing, and that¡¯s it," Mei suggested, sitting next to the girl.

    "That¡¯s a good idea, I could...!" the girl said, brightening up, but was interrupted.

    "No... People need to know... I have a better idea. I¡¯ll speak, I¡¯ll introduce myself to everyone and... I¡¯ll tell the whole truth honestly, without hiding anything. I¡¯m tired of hiding, I want to live without having to think about it," Louis said with seriousness and determination in his words.

    "Sounds good! That¡¯ll be enough, but... the church is another matter... Do you think Rei will do something?" Mei insinuated with her sweet and slightly serious voice at the situation.

    "Of course, he surely knew this would happen, and there¡¯s no doubt he¡¯ll do something," Louis responded with confidence.

    "Alright, Reck will be here soon. For now, you should stay here," Mei said, sitting at her desk.

    Suddenly, Canbel entered the office, quickly opening the door.

    "Boss! The priest... is outside, and he says if he¡¯ll hand over Louis willingly or by force," his face showed concern and fear.

    "What? Is he here already?!" Mei, surprised, stood up from her desk and left her office with Xitlari.

    "Stay here, Louis," Xitlari said before leaving the office.

    "No, I must go too," Louis responded determinedly, following Mei.

    Xitlari looked at the pink-haired girl staring at the floor and then turned her gaze to Xitlari. "I¡¯m sorry," the girl said, and Xitlari, without a word, closed the office door and followed Louis.

    "Canbel, prepare all the files from the silver box!" Mei said as she was about to pass through the door to the area where all the jewels were.

    "Yes, ma¡¯am, I¡¯ll go right away," Canbel ran to the research room after placing his right hand on his forehead.

    Mei walked through the door and there stood Priest Krief, who had entered the jewelry store as Edgar closed the door behind him.

    "I apologize for the intrusion, I didn''t want anyone to interrupt," the priest said with a smile, holding his staff against his body, his hands clasped together. "So you''re the demon... I thought you''d look more like one... Come on, I don¡¯t have all day," the priest immediately turned around with confidence after his words.

    "He¡¯s not going with you. And how did you know he was here?" Mei asked firmly and seriously.

    "Cover everything, Edgar," he said without further explanation.

    "Yes, sir," Edgar covered all the windows with earth magic.

    The priest turned back, but now his expression was serious. "I was told you¡¯d be with Professor Maxwell, but I heard someone shouting that the demon was in the jewelry store of... Expaladin Mei! Don¡¯t waste my time, Mei, let¡¯s make a deal... Give me the boy and I¡¯ll listen to whatever you¡¯ve been wanting to tell me or inform me about, or whatever it is. But I¡¯m bored with your letters about there being a living nerosma. I suggest it be something important."

    Mei hesitated at the priest''s offer, but in the end, the answer was the same. "I still won¡¯t give him to you...".

    "Fine! I¡¯ll go with you, but you¡¯ll listen to everything Miss Mei has to say!" Louis said, stepping forward, knowing he was helping the kingdom of Ystir.

    "Perfect!" the priest said, smiling again, his eyes lighting up in a sadistic way.

    "No! Louis, no! He won¡¯t blackmail me like that, no matter who he is," Mei said, raising her right hand to stop Louis from approaching the priest.

    "He¡¯s already made his decision! We¡¯re leaving!" The priest moved to grab Louis by the arm. Mei was about to stop him, but Xitlari stepped in front of Louis, raising all four of her arms.

    "Stay away from him! Don¡¯t think we don¡¯t know what you¡¯re capable of. I¡¯ve investigated you in the past and I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not for you that the kingdoms of different races are affiliating. You don¡¯t care at all about people like Louis... or me. You just think we¡¯re trash!" Xitlari said seriously, Looking at him with a face full of hate and Louis was surprised seeing Xitlari in front of him.

    "You¡¯re the... Hmm... Just because you¡¯re tall doesn¡¯t intimidate me, and yes, I¡¯m not responsible for such an atrocity," the priest said, taking a few steps back. "He made his decision, you can¡¯t force him... right! He¡¯s a paladin, so he has to come with me if I want him to. You don¡¯t have an ounce of power, but I do".

    "He was going to say something... But what? Hmm..." the spiritual owl above Xitlari¡¯s head thought.

    "Miss Mei, I have them..." Canbel said quietly, approaching from behind Mei.

    "Keep them... You won¡¯t see anything," Mei responded without further explanation. "You never should¡¯ve had all that power... You made Count Jens a king. Zthur threatened this kingdom! And you...!" Mei, furious and frowning, stepped forward firmly.

    The priest snapped his fingers, interrupting Mei and creating a shockwave that cracked all the glass in the display cases and the earth that Edgar had placed on the windows, Making everyone ready for anything. "Watch your tone... Expaladin," the priest said, staring at her with an expression of authority and fury. "You are nothing... I am everything, you can¡¯t stop me from taking him, so... don¡¯t get in my way," the priest smiled again, this time in a sadistic way, and Edgar was ready for whatever happened in this small shop.

    Suddenly, the door opened, and Reck entered with his imposing size and build. He was wearing his armor, but this time with large golden pauldrons on his shoulders. "Priest Krief, glad to see you," Reck said with his deep, strong voice.

    The priest turned his gaze back, and upon seeing Reck¡¯s imposing presence, he lost his smile and returned to a serious expression. "Reck... What are you doing here? Shouldn¡¯t you be with the king?".

    "You can¡¯t take Louis. If you want to do that, you¡¯ll have to ask the king of Alahead, and you know it," Reck responded, not paying attention to the priest¡¯s questions.

    "Are you going to question me too?" the priest asked angrily, pressing his staff with his right hand.

    "I don¡¯t think it¡¯s wise for you to do anything illegal or anything beyond that," Reck responded, looking down coldly.

    "I see... The demon already made his den," the priest thought, looking at each of the present people. "Alright... You¡¯ve won for now. Let¡¯s go, Edgar," he said, directing his gaze toward Louis.

    Reck moved aside to let the priest pass through the door.

    "Sir..." Edgar said, seeing the priest open the door to leave.

    "What did I say?" the priest said before leaving, and Edgar followed him without saying a word.

    Outside, Mern was standing with his arms crossed, and Mark was to his left, waiting for anything. The priest exchanged a serious glance with him and then continued his way toward his carriage.

    "Sir, are you sure? They were willing to kill you over that demon," Edgar said after entering the carriage with the priest.

    "Maybe... We had no options, they were more than us. To the church!" the priest responded, trying to stay calm.

    [Understood], said the car¡¯s console.

    "I didn¡¯t expect him to have so much influence... It wouldn¡¯t have been easy to go against Mei, but Reck... The two strongest paladins in this kingdom, not to mention Mern was outside. Also, bringing support wasn¡¯t an option due to the plans I had," the priest thought as the carriage began to turn westward.

    "I could talk to the king so they can remove him from the kingdom and bring him with us," Edgar mentioned, and the carriage began to move quickly toward the west.

    "No, they won¡¯t leave him alone, and from what I saw, Mei is capable of going with him to protect him. I imagine the girl with the yellow wind and the serious one with the technology are probably nearby," the priest took a bottle of water after pressing a button on a panel next to the carriage door. "Reck is right about something... It¡¯s not wise for me to get involved in anything illegal. So I¡¯ll wait for the meeting tomorrow with Rei and the leaders. If they want something legal, tomorrow there will be a trial and I¡¯ll have him killed. I noticed he doesn¡¯t know much about the technology in that video, so now I know who will be the right one".

    "And if... they decide not to kill him? The boy seems very calm and normal," Edgar asked.

    The priest took a large gulp of water and answered Edgar¡¯s question: "If the priestess speaks in his favor, I¡¯ll speak immediately. I won¡¯t stay silent if the protocol isn¡¯t followed. Rei mentioned that he¡¯s responsible for the boy since it was discovered he¡¯s half demon, but lava magic... Don¡¯t think Rei will get away with it. And yes, the boy seems normal... but lava magic is very dangerous, especially if a demon possesses it... If Mei and Reck want their kingdom to be reduced to ashes like Trownlian, fine, that won¡¯t be my problem. They¡¯ll just give me reason and Alahead won¡¯t interfere." The priest finished the bottle of water in one gulp, crushed it, and with his white hand, he made it disappear, creating a small white explosion that briefly blinded Edgar. "I want you to send the S agents to watch over Ystir in case that Louis... wants to escape to his kingdom. I don¡¯t want wars, we¡¯ve been without one for too long".

    *Kingdom of Alahead*

    Rei was using his green magic to carry many things he had on a table outside, placing them into a common wooden carriage of good quality.

    "Alright! It¡¯s time to go... Get ready, old man, it¡¯s time to reveal the truth about lava magic and your actions," Rei said, observing a device before flying out of the window with his magic and climbing into the carriage. He then created horses with his magic, which began moving the carriage toward the kingdom''s exit. While many people walked nearby, the kingdom¡¯s houses were made of polished stone, decorated with wood, and the ground was made of stone without any cracks. The kingdom also had a large wall around it (not as high as Ystir¡¯s). The sunlight illuminated this peaceful and less technological kingdom.

    End of Chapter.

 Judgment #14

    The West of Lyran... a peaceful land full of mountains... Also the place where the church, the magic observatory, and the great library are located. The most important places in the world are hidden by large and majestic mountains around them. The place was like a valley protected by those mountains, a place where not just anyone can enter. In one part, two mountains were very small to allow entry for those capable of reaching this majestic place. Furthermore, the valley was divided into sections: the first, the lowest part; the second, the middle part; and the third, the highest part.

    The observatory was the one located in the third. Its walls reflected the sky, and one could see how the clouds moved. It had its gigantic telescope, which used magic to float over the structure that had two openings at the top to allow its use.

    Lower down was the grand and beautiful church, which had four floors and was white with golden details on the outside, along with a large golden bell floating above it in a tower. The tower itself was a bright sky blue, almost transparent. The sun illuminated the beautiful grass of the place and the large colored windows it had. Behind it was a terrace with a glass door and two medium-sized trees. In front of it was an underground waterfall that gave life to a river flowing towards the library, which used the water to generate energy with a watermill floating to the right of the library.

    The library was the one at the very bottom. It was completely round, not including the watermill. The building had two floors, the second narrower than the first, made of oak wood with a large skylight in the center and windows all around the second floor.

    Above the underground waterfall, two quite large figures observed the horizon, where the two smaller mountains stood. Beyond them, the sky was filled with white clouds.

    "Rei is a bastard, how much longer will we wait...?" said a lion-man with a very deep and booming voice. He had a large mane, stood at two and a half meters tall, and had a robust build. His eyes were yellow, and he wore a long-tailed coat, blue with black, sleeveless, which revealed his large, muscular arms. He also wore pale golden armor on his chest and wide white pants with golden details. He had a burn scar on his face and on all his hands, and around his neck, a silver necklace with a golden insignia featuring the letter "L." Additionally, he didn''t wear shoes, revealing his feet, which resembled a lion''s with large claws.

    "Knowing him, he could probably be delayed even one more day," replied an octopus-man with a calm, strong, slow, and respectful voice, with a touch of softness and, at times, a bubbling sound due to his crystal-clear water mask that revealed his mouth with dark, somewhat elongated lips. He was 2 meters and 6 cm tall, with a robust build. He wore a red jacket with a hood, covering half of his arms and upper torso; the jacket had a medium hole with yellow lines on its back. He wore a black leather chest plate and black compression pants that highlighted his muscular legs. He had a yellow metal belt with an insignia featuring the letter "R." He wore red metallic boots. His sclerae were yellow, and he had no pupils; his irises were thin black circles, visible only by their edge. His skin was red with small black spots. In his right hand, he carried a wrist weapon adapted to his size, and in his left, he wore a long metal glove with a yellow gem on the palm.

    "Are you going too...? Pol? If not, I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re doing here..." The lion-man stared at Pol as he said these words.

    "Of course... I¡¯ll just be more discreet. You¡¯re impulsive, Rhorn. Strange you haven¡¯t gone to look for him already," replied Pol while continuing to look at the horizon, with some bubbles forming in his mask as he spoke.

    "Hahaha, I¡¯m trying to change..." Rhorn laughed as he remembered something.

    "I see... Oh no... Here he comes... with his weird things," he said, seeing Rei approaching from the horizon on a carriage while Rei played a piano created by his magic.

    The green carriage was lifted by Rei¡¯s green magic. "Greetings, everyone! Here comes the best magician of Alahead!" As he continued moving, he played a cheerful and catchy melody. He also created trumpets and violins around him with his magic to accompany his music.

    "I¡¯m coming over there...! To get you out of that... p... lace! You thought you¡¯d get away... with it... well, now a big... surprise...! You¡¯ll... see..." he sang confidently and slowly, resonating with every pause he made and changing the melody, making it deeper and somewhat mysterious, while continuing to approach the church.

    "This guy is crazy," Rhorn was stunned to see Rei doing such a thing.

    Finally, the carriage arrived, landing behind Pol and Rhorn. "Good... gentlemen, how are you?" Rei said excitedly as he got out of the carriage and approached them.

    "We¡¯ve been waiting for you for almost two days!" Rhorn said, annoyed, crossing his arms.

    "Well, now you don¡¯t have to wait! I¡¯m here..." Rei said, opening the carriage and pulling out a folder full of pages and a round object. Then he approached Pol. "How are you, Garden? I heard you¡¯re with someone, is she human?" Rei lightly nudged Pol with his elbow after asking.

    "Whatever, Rei... We need to go to the meeting room. Be glad they didn¡¯t send the kid to be killed yesterday because you didn¡¯t show up," Pol calmly avoided the question, moving away from Rei and heading towards the church.

    "When they give the verdict, I¡¯ll immediately go look for him. We¡¯ll see how strong your supposed disciple is," Rhorn said, smiling a little and stretching.

    "Don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t have to bother, no one will go to look for him," Rei expressed confidently as he entered the church with Pol and Rhorn.

    "That confidence tells me you¡¯re going to do something stupid," Rhorn stated, following them from behind.

    "Every time I enter this place, it feels so welcoming. The most impenetrable place in the world. Rhorn, be careful, maybe it won¡¯t let you in," Rei expressed with admiration as he looked at how large and majestic the church was and how the sunlight passed through the large windows, illuminating the place filled with benches made of beautiful, perfect wood. Inside, there were several white particles, and the altar was made of a precious golden Gyverna. The walls were completely white, with no trace of dust.

    "What are you talking about? I don¡¯t have bad intentions!" he said just before entering the church.

    Rei continued walking alongside Pol. The floor was covered with a red, silky carpet. "Hahaha, I know, it¡¯s a joke."

    "I always wanted to verify the rumor that magic can¡¯t be used inside here. Thanks to the priestess, I¡¯ve succeeded," commented Rhorn, admiring the place as he followed Rei and Pol.

    Rei gestured for Pol to crouch down and whispered, "Pol, stay alert and close to the meeting room."

    "Why?" Pol asked, confused by the comment.

    "The priest might destroy it all, since the meeting room is separate from the church, so he¡¯ll be able to use his magic," Rei responded, his gaze serious.

    "What will you do?".

    "I¡¯ll reveal some things that were hidden." Rei extended the arm holding the folder full of papers.

    "Look who finally decided to show up." Near the right door, at the end of the corridor and the benches, appeared a woman carrying a long line of books in her hands.

    "Gladys! It¡¯s been a while, you look good!" Rei said cheerfully with a smile.

    "I¡¯m glad to see you. Thank them for convincing them to wait for you," said Gladys with her deep, resonant voice and a warm, friendly tone as she approached them. She was a woman with dark skin and afro hair; her eyes were honey-colored, and she was 173 cm tall. She wore a short brown leather trench coat in a steampunk style, black jodhpur pants, thick-heeled leather shoes, and dark green gloves that covered her wrists. She had protective goggles in her hair with intricate lenses and internal mechanisms; she also had a mechanism with a small brown pearl on her neck that glowed slightly.

    "Thank you so much, Gladys, I appreciate the help, I¡¯ll go immediately!" Rei ran to the meeting room.

    Gladys stopped Rhorn before he could follow Rei. "Ah, no, you¡¯re coming with me, I need help."

    "What are you talking about? You don¡¯t give me orders!" Rhorn said a little annoyed, trying to pass, but Gladys looked at him for a moment and then took him with her, dragging him by his coat.

    "Pol! Tell me, why do I let a 45-year-old human give me orders?" he asked as he was dragged with his arms crossed.

    "Hmmm, maybe, because she¡¯s seven years older than you?" Pol replied after touching his head.

    "I can assure you that when she turns 60 and gets old, I won¡¯t follow her orders. I live longer than her and mature faster!" he said, crossing his arms while still being dragged.

    "Well, it doesn¡¯t show! And for your information, us humans don¡¯t age all of a sudden when we turn 60, it¡¯s pretty mild!" she mentioned, irritated at hearing his comment, easily carrying the line of books with one hand.

    Rei kept running down the hallway until he reached the entrance of the meeting room, but before entering, he heard a discussion between a woman and Priest Krief.

    "How dare you change my law! Now all the paladins will be lazy because they won''t have to do anything to maintain their rank," shouted Priest Krief.

    "They chose to be what they are, not just anyone can be one. Your law simply makes strong people not want to be paladins. You over-exploit them with this law, thinking they have to do millions of things wherever they are to not lose their rank," said the woman in a respectful tone, controlling her annoyance a bit.

    "Only the capable, responsible, strong, and those who know what it means to be one can be paladins. It''s not child''s play!" retorted the priest.

    "It has no justification! Being a paladin is already very difficult, and if you say that, why didn''t you create a law for the knights too?" she replied.

    "Your words are pure nonsense, you''re nothing but a girl, priestess! Reducing their quota will help nothing," the priest slammed what seemed to be a table.

    "The strongest waste their time doing things the knights could do, and the knights lose their lives fighting criminals they can''t defeat." After the priestess''s words, a loud sound of a table being struck was heard, stopping them both.

    "Calm down!" said a man. "The decision has been made, time will tell if we were wrong," added a woman.

    After hearing this, Rei took a deep breath and opened the door a bit forcefully, causing green ribbons to surround him with his magic. "Sorry to have kept you waiting! I have finally arrived," he said confidently, extending his hand and lowering his head.

    The place was quite spacious. To the right, left, and front of Rei were tall seats, as well as a tall white table that looked like a pillar. There was also a staircase at the back of the seats. To the left, there were three long windows with silver frames. On the left and right of Rei, six people were seated on each side, wearing a white tunic with a golden cross on the chest, and they stood (these were called leaders, who helped make decisions, as well as organizing and listing knights and future paladins).

    "You were late, Rei. We summoned you yesterday, not today," said the priestess with a loud, authoritative, and determined voice. Her hair was white and long, quite neat with some intertwined strands. Her eyes were orange; she was 188 cm tall and 26 years old. She wore a white tunic with black, leaving her shoulders exposed; she had a golden-orange bow that looked frosted at her waist and a black choker that covered her entire neck. She also wore a cape that, from the back, was white, but from the front, the cape was golden-orange frosted. She wore tall black boots fitted to the foot and leg with a golden-orange frosted sole. She also wore two earrings with a small cross. "Everyone may take a seat." She climbed to the seats in front of Rei. Above, Priest Krief was already there with Edgar to his right, and between this table, there was an empty seat between the priest and the priestess.

    "Hmm... And my... seat?" Rei asked, looking for his seat everywhere after absorbing the ribbons he had created. The room was quite large, with white walls and long windows on the right wall.

    "You don¡¯t have one, for being late," the priest quickly replied, giving Rei a smile while patting his head. He smiled too, but the priest immediately looked at her, and the priestess quickly covered her mouth with her fist and cleared her throat. "Let¡¯s begin with this. Paladin Rei Fordesthmans... tell me, why didn''t you tell the truth about Louis A. Keeper being a demon? And why did you hide that his magic is lava? Is he a dangerous person we need to keep under extreme surveillance?" she asked respectfully and directly, taking a sheet from the table.

    "One thing before everything... King Mathius wonders why he is affiliated with you, since he hasn''t received any benefits despite your paladins having provided their services. You yourself can go to the kingdom, and you¡¯ll see it¡¯s the same as when he wasn¡¯t affiliated," Rei said ironically, with his arms behind his head.

    The priestess turned her gaze toward the priest, who simply ignored her.

    "Priestess, first of all, Louis is a human half-demon, as you call that race. Now, I preferred not to tell his true race due to the obvious rejection that would arise from the priest. Secondly, I hid the truth about his magic for the same reason. The priest wouldn¡¯t have accepted it... In fact, I think... No, I¡¯m sure he would have ordered his death." Rei was interrupted by the priest when he heard his last words.

    "It seems you¡¯ll never change! You¡¯ll always be arrogant and conceited!" the priest expressed angrily, his voice deep and rough, with a slight tremor of cynicism.

    "Priest... don¡¯t interrupt me, please, and be careful with what you say to me," Rei responded seriously and confidently, snapping his fingers on his right hand with force.

    The priest jumped up from his seat furiously. "How dare you?! You disrespect me!"

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    "Priest! Sit down. And Rei... don¡¯t make any more comments like that and continue," said the priestess, who also stood up, putting order in the room while the leaders murmured.

    "Louis is a boy trained by me. I wasn¡¯t easy on him at all, despite his tragedy." Rei cracked each finger of the six he had on each hand as he continued speaking.

    "What tragedy are you talking about?" asked one of the leaders on the left.

    "Does it even matter?!" commented the priest, slamming the table.

    "Of course it matters. Tell us about this... tragedy." The priestess lightly hit the table, her gaze fixed on the priest.

    Rei created a table and a seat with his magic, placed the folder full of papers, and then pulled out an old round device from his bag, resembling an ancient communicator, as it looked quite worn. "You all think the first magical disaster was five years ago in the Mordigan kingdom... But no, the first magical disaster was six years ago in the Alahead kingdom. As you know, when a person doesn¡¯t awaken their magic by ten, it¡¯s either because they don¡¯t have any or because their magic is accumulating. Louis was the first victim of this phenomenon. At twelve, he awakened his lava magic, which caused a disaster in the Alahead kingdom. Many people died, including his father, who sacrificed himself to put the collar I made with the sky blue sword of my father on him. This collar prevented Louis¡¯s magic from going out of control and from taking his life. That was the method I used to stop something like this." After finishing, he sat down and began selecting papers from the folder.

    "Pure nonsense, none of it is relevant," thought the priest, looking at Rei with disdain from the high seat.

    "Incredible, could it be true?" asked one of the leaders, a woman with short red hair. Her eyes were brown, and she wore earrings shaped like a cross.

    "It¡¯s sky blue magic, it must be," replied another leader next to the woman. He wore a white hat and had gray eyes.

    "The boy could still be dangerous," added another, who was arguing with the other leaders to Rei¡¯s right. He wore black-framed glasses, had very neat brown hair, and brown eyes.

    "He hasn¡¯t caused anything so far. In fact, he helped capture many prisoners in Ystir, and he helped when the farmers'' shield fell. In the same video, we see him fighting three criminals, and he¡¯s been working as a courier in this kingdom," mentioned one of the leaders on Rei¡¯s left. His hair was long, slicked back, and yellow, with blue eyes.

    "Also, he could be a good asset in case... he returns. He has potential and must be used," replied a female leader with pink hair. Her nails were painted a grayish-pink color, and her eyes were dark.

    "But he could destroy an entire kingdom, just like Trownlian," added another, who also wore a white hat with a golden clasp, sitting to his right, as well as a white mask with golden lines that covered his mouth and made his voice more robotic. His eyes were pitch black.

    After the leaders finished their brief discussion, Rei continued: "When it all ended, I myself saw how his cheeks were covered in magical cracks, which, as you all know, happen when your magic runs out and you sacrifice your life to keep using it. I spent six years training him hard, helping him with his trauma, and teaching him how to be a true paladin."

    "And we¡¯re supposed to feel sorry for his story? You said it yourself, the boy is a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment. That collar won¡¯t last for years," the priest expressed, trying to hide the disgust he felt, with a worried look.

    "He talks about Lion''s sword. I think he underestimates sky blue magic a lot, don¡¯t you think?" said Rei, with a smile on his face, fully challenging.

    The priest ground his teeth, and the priestess said, "It could still stop working and cause a catastrophe."

    "I¡¯ll take care of him myself and take responsibility for whatever happens. I¡¯m fully responsible for anything he does, but I assure you, that won¡¯t happen. The collar is very powerful. I can guarantee that he will be a great paladin. He¡¯s more than aware of what improper use of his magic could cause, and he¡¯s well-prepared. He worked hard to get where he is," Rei responded confidently and seriously, winking at the priestess.

    "Yes, yes, I¡¯ll take responsibility, haha. Will that solve the death of several people? It¡¯s very dangerous for a demon like him to be roaming the kingdoms. We can¡¯t allow such a thing," the priest expressed, shifting his gaze to all the wise ones and the priestess.

    "I think you¡¯re wrong, and even you know it," Rei said, noticing the priest¡¯s trick.

    "Of course not. We know you started a war against Alahead for fun. Think about it! That race has caused too many problems," the priest said cunningly, standing up so everyone could see the gestures he made with his hands.

    "That war was the fault of their king. They killed him when they found out he was doing it for fun, and King Mathius forgave them," Rei shouted, mimicking the way the priest moved his hands, as mockery.

    The priest slammed the table with the palms of his hands, interrupting Rei to say, "But many of them supported the king. Don''t think we don''t have the whole story. These demons could take us back to having thousands of exorcists, like in the Dark Age!"

    "Both you and I know they aren''t really demons... Have any of you seen them possess anyone or cause catastrophes like Clency? I think you know very well who named them that and why he didn''t remove that decree," Rei replied, standing up and walking near all the leaders, finally stopping in front of the priest, looking up at him from the large table.

    "Are you accusing me again of something?" the priest asked angrily, making a displeased grimace with his lips.

    "What? Do you want proof?" Rei grabbed some papers that were left on the table, creating a hand with his magic. "Priest, you''re going to love this. Here, I have everything you and your father did against this race." Rei began handing out the documents, creating many hands with his magic, extending them so everyone in the room had a copy, including the priest.

    The priest read the document and was surprised, giving a slight smile. "Hahaha, please, no one would believe this. It''s obvious it''s fake."

    "Oh, do you want to go to the best part? How about we talk about how you shouldn''t even be holding the position of priest?" Rei said, smiling slightly and creating an image of a man with his magic. His face and body looked completely human, but he seemed to have some sort of shell covering his entire body, including his face. "Does this remind you of anything, Mr. Krei? Maybe... the incineration of an entire kingdom?" Rei said, adopting a serious and completely aggressive tone.

    "What are you talking about? Priest?!" asked the pink-haired leader, becoming a bit agitated.

    "This must be a joke," said the leader with the white hat.

    "Hey, answer! What are you talking about?!" shouted the leader with the white mask and golden lines.

    "This bastard... Where did he get all of this from?" thought the priest, not losing his composure, staring hard at Rei, who was smiling and staring right back at him. "Gentlemen, remember who I am... Rei, accusations like these will get me thrown into prison... (Or executed)."

    "I know... (But you''ll be the one going to prison). Want to talk about Darren, the first... lava mage?" Rei said, grabbing the round communicator from the table and playing a recording. "Listen... carefully."

    The recording started with some static, then a voice filled with sadness and fear, but determined, with moments of labored breathing. "Elio... I can''t take it anymore, I''m sorry... Tell your mother thank you for forgiving me and... I love you, son. Please take care of her."

    "Darren! Don''t hide, hahaha, give me your Power! Let me destroy this world!" shouted a deep, grave, and catastrophic voice, with such resonance that the room shook and the windows rattled. Pencils and objects on the leaders'' tables moved. It felt like a small earthquake, and the communicator began shaking violently. The leaders were stunned, speechless, not moving a muscle. And the priest... his eyes were wide open, filled with fear.

    "It''s... Mayestad..." said the priestess, frightened by the recording. "You weren''t joking when you told me about this," the priestess thought.

    "You won''t get anything!" After these last words, a great explosion was the last sound, and the recording ended.

    "Rei, tell me where you got this from?" asked the priestess, standing up when she saw that none of the leaders wanted to say anything.

    "Not until I finish! Remember Guelmy? Old bastard," Rei said, pulling out another communicator from his bag. It was white and a bit dirty.

    [Second recording of Guelmy Angel] said a voice from the communicator. Rei began to simulate everything happening in the recording using his magic, showing a younger version of Krei and Guelmy, a man with semi-long hair combed back. He wore a fur coat with sleeves that hid his hands, tight pants, and a badge on his right shoulder with the letter "M."

    "No, Guelmy. I was confirmed that Mayestad is still in the rift. We must go to the church to start planning with the others," said Priest Krei, but with a younger voice in the recording.

    "Are you sure?" asked Guelmy, who looked worried, scanning his surroundings.

    "Of course..."

    [Eighth recording of Guelmy Angel].

    "Krei, what have you done? You''re an idiot! You said you were confirmed that Mayestad was in the rift," shouted Guelmy, furious, grabbing Krei by the shirt.

    "I had to do it. That demon, Darren, will now die like the filthy trash he is!" replied Krei, breaking free from Guelmy''s grip.

    "Son of a bitch! We could''ve helped the kingdom of Trownlian! Don''t think I don''t know..." The recording ended after a loud crash sound.

    "Oh my God... Krei..." said the priestess, staring at Krei.

    "What are you seeing, stupid?! It''s obvious it''s manipulated. Think about it! He doesn''t have access to those recordings!" Krei shouted furiously, standing up from his seat. Edgar moved away from the priest, scared by what he''d just heard.

    "Of course it''s not manipulated, bastard! You''re the reason the kingdom of Trownlian turned to ashes. You didn''t report anything during Mayestad''s attack, and out of hatred for Darren''s race, the same race as Louis..." Rei dispelled the entire simulation he''d made with his magic.

    "You...! Bastard, piece of trash! How dare you!" Krei began to radiate a white aura, and all the leaders stood up from their chairs.

    "Call the paladins here! And inform the Supreme Leader!" said the leader with the white mask.

    "Because of you, my whole kingdom...! My entire family...! My friends!" Rei pressed his bag tightly. His gaze was full of fury, and tears fell from his eyes. "They''re dead!".

    The priest created a large shockwave that destroyed the windows, cracked the walls, and pushed all the leaders, causing them to fall to the ground. He shattered most of the table and, with his right hand, shot a white sphere at Rei. Rei stopped it by extending both hands and using his green magic, trying to prevent it from exploding, covering it with a shield.

    "Do you think you can come here and accuse me?! I am Authority! I AM EVERYTHING!" Krei shouted with fury, starting to levitate and approach Rei with his right hand extended, while continuing to create several shockwaves.

    "Edgar, do something!" shouted the priestess, who stood up and stayed behind the table, which was starting to crack severely. She extended her hand, and a frosted magic emerged from it, covering Edgar and coating him with black, red, and green frost.

    "Earth magic... Total imprisonment!" A huge amount of earth covered Krei, but it was all expelled at high speed, crashing into the walls and tables. "Demons!"

    "Hahaha, look! The great power I possess! There''s no one like me! Humanity''s abomination, disappear... FROM THIS WORLD!" Krei shouted. His face wore a huge grin, and several white cracks that glowed appeared on his face. The white sphere grew larger. Rei created several shields to protect the leaders, the priestess, and Edgar from injury. Even the floor and the ceiling of the room were covered by that green layer. "It won''t... Work!"

    Suddenly, the door was torn down, and Pol appeared. "What''s happening?!" said Pol, surprised to see what was going on, covering himself with his left arm from the shockwaves.

    "Pol... Show that your kingdom is worthy! Kill this disgusting creature, redeem your race!" shouted the priest sadistically, his gaze fixed on Pol.

    Pol frowned and raised his right hand, which emitted a pink and white aura. In an instant, an energy sphere shot from his weapon, and upon hitting Krei, it blasted him forcefully against the wall. The sphere became a ring that immobilized him, pinning him to the wall. Pol took a great leap toward him and kicked him in the stomach. The blow was so brutal that Krei coughed up a lot of blood before crashing through the entire wall. Then, Rei placed a shield to prevent Pol from being caught in the explosion.

    "Damn it, Rei!... Where''s the Supreme Leader?" Pol asked, seeing that he was nowhere to be found, while binding Krei with his magic.

    "He''s in a meeting with the paladins assigned at the rift of the world, but he was supposed to be here before the verdict!" replied the priestess, who looked very worried about Rei. Her hands trembled, just like her voice. "Rei! Stay away from that thing!"

    "It''ll be fine! Thank you!" Rei said with a slight smile. Then, he made the green shields around everyone thicker, making it impossible to see anything through them.

    "Rei!" screamed the priestess, extending her hand covered in multi-colored frosted magic, before her shield prevented her from seeing anything. A frosty green aura surrounded Rei, and all the shields filled with that same frost, including the one stopping the white magic sphere. Rei placed a large amount of frosted green magic around the white magic sphere and around himself. Then, he stopped extending his hands, covering his face with them and jumping backward. A massive explosion tore through the entrance to the room, and Rei was launched at high speed, crashing through the building''s walls and colliding with one of the mountains that surrounded the valley.

    From the great library, Gladys, Rhorn, and others emerged, shocked by the explosion.

    "It''s Rei! What happened?" Rhorn mentioned upon seeing him from a distance. Gladys climbed onto his back, and he ran at great speed on all fours toward Rei.

    In the church''s meeting room, all the shields were severely cracked and started to disappear, allowing everyone to leave the room.

    "Rei! Where are you!?" the priestess said, searching everywhere, only to realize Rei had flown out of the building. "It can''t be... Tell me he''s okay!" The priestess ran through the room to leave the building with Pol by her side. All the leaders began to leave the room with difficulty, greatly distressed by what had happened.

    "Hahaha... ''sigh'' I beat you, old man... I beat you," Rei said, looking at the sky, embedded in the mountain. He pulled out a badge from his bag with the letter "T". "Maybe with this, my kingdom, my family, and my friends... will forgive me for not being there. Also... I think I kept my promise to you, Elio... Your son will be fine, he''s too hard on himself, but he will be fine... He''ll learn, but he¡¯ll have to suffer the reality of this world." Rei got up with difficulty and launched himself off the mountain. He was diving, but with his magic, he managed to stop before touching the ground.

    "Rei! Are you okay? What happened?" Gladys asked, getting off Rhorn so he could stand on two legs.

    "I knew you''d cause trouble. What did you do now?" Rhorn added, crossing his arms and letting out a sigh of annoyance.

    "Everything''s fine... Don''t worry, now we can move on without any obstacles," Rei tried to act strong, but his body collapsed, and Rhorn and Gladys tried to help him back to the church.

    "What happened here!?" a man with a deep, calm, yet slightly disturbed voice asked. He wore a white hood with several golden lines. It appeared he had no face, as only a white aura was visible. His hands were transparent but emitted a faint white light, making them distinguishable. He wore golden Gyverna armor and was descending from a flying white carriage that had arrived at the location.

    "Supreme leader... Let''s just say I revealed something that would''ve interested him greatly. Hey, your mane itches a bit," Rei responded with his arms over Gladys'' and Rhorn''s shoulders.

    "You¡¯re ungrateful," Rhorn remarked, looking at him with anger.

    "Rei...! He''s back," the priestess shouted, running with Pol toward them. Upon seeing the supreme leader, she gasped in surprise.

    "Priestess, explain to me what happened, please," the supreme leader said, approaching the priestess before she reached Rei. Pol lowered his head and then approached Rei.

    "Yes, sir..." the priestess responded, looking at Rei worriedly, but more relieved now that he was talking and standing with the others by his side.

    After the commotion, all the leaders, the priestess, and the supreme leader gathered in another room on the fourth floor. It was completely closed, with a large round wooden table for about 16 people. There was a large crystal chandelier on the ceiling, and the floor had a white carpet. The only door in the room was dark brown wood, quite large, and above it was a large painting of a person.

    "I see no one has words for what happened... Priest Krief had many secrets that... Honestly, I don¡¯t even want to talk about it. Simply put, this man will be placed under complete magical confinement. We need recommendations for the next priest, I want to know who you have in mind," the supreme leader said with great disappointment. None of the leaders, not even the priestess, said a word. They were completely bewildered. "Definitely, this will be a very delicate matter. It must be kept in complete secrecy."

    "I suggest Exorcist Yang Angel as the new priest... The son of Guelmy Angel and the one who delivered his father''s record to me," Rei mentioned, entering the room with difficulty breathing and leaning against the door to avoid collapsing onto the floor. Everyone turned to look at him as they heard his voice.

    "Paladin Rei... You should be resting. You received the explosion of a white magic charge," the supreme leader said, clasping his hands.

    "Let¡¯s go, Rei!" Gladys whispered, who had come looking for him.

    "Wait... You should consider it. That guy is very capable... I''d say he''s more mature than me, even though he''s only 20... I assure you!" Rei added. Gladys took him away after seeing the supreme leader gesture for her to take him.

    "Alright... I want to hear names. Any suggestions, priestess?" the supreme leader said, and everyone turned their gaze to her.

    "I... think Yang Angel is a good candidate. He also possesses white magic and has practiced it a lot, plus he has an incredible sense of responsibility and... Rei is right, his maturity is impressive," the priestess tried to be very clear. She was a little nervous since everyone''s eyes were on her.

    "Hmm... Priestess, tell me you''re not recommending him just because your boyfriend suggested him," the supreme leader said sarcastically.

    "What!? He''s not my boyfriend! He''s way too old for me! And..." the priestess became even more nervous, and her cheeks turned bright red.

    "Hahaha, calm down, I was joking. I also heard about this guy named Yang... It benefits us a lot to have a leader with white magic... Well, what do you all think? Don¡¯t you have another suggestion?" the supreme leader reclined in his chair and stretched his arms.

    "It seems correct what you''re saying, sir. It¡¯s very fitting for one of the three leaders of the church to have white magic," the leader with the white mask mentioned.

    "I agree, but tests must be done. Each leader, including the chiefs, should conduct a test to see if he''s suitable," mentioned an older female leader. She wore round glasses, her white hair was rolled into a ball, and she wore a golden bracelet on her left hand.

    "Great idea, grandma! I mean... leader Yamile," the supreme leader sounded quite pleased. After saying "grandma," he cleared his throat and continued. "Now... let¡¯s talk about Louis A. Keeper... Do you think he¡¯ll cause problems? Is it a good idea to give him a chance?"

    "Sir... I think this kid is very capable, I¡¯ve been following him a lot since we found out about his race. He¡¯s had some achievements in the Ystir kingdom and is currently working as a distributor, plus I received recommendations from Reck Mortz and Mei Teews; paladin and ex-paladin from Ystir," mentioned the long-haired, yellow-haired leader.

    "After hearing what we did about Darren, I think we could give him a chance, since Darren was from the same race, and I even looked into it out of curiosity before this meeting, and Darren is Louis'' grandfather, sir... I think we owe him," mentioned a leader who covered his entire face with a white cloth mask, wore white gloves, and a white hat with a black ribbon.

    "I don¡¯t know... I¡¯m not very sure, what will we do if something happens due to his magic?" mentioned the white-masked leader.

    "Nothing will happen, Rei said his necklace keeps him under control, it¡¯s sky blue magic, not just anything," mentioned the leader with the white hat.

    The supreme leader took a holographic tablet from the middle of the table and began reading more details about what had been discussed during the trial. "Sky blue magic, huh... Uy... A magical disaster... Well, we could try it! I think the kid hasn¡¯t had it easy at all... but we¡¯ll take our precautions. Put some agents with water and ice magic to watch him for a month and inform Paladin Reck Mortz to stay prepared with plenty of devices, ice and water objects, preferably alocuar, or we could lend him the legendary mariorich object. Also, I want you to do those tests for Yang quickly, and of course, we need to see if he accepts. On the other hand, I received an illegal letter from Reck saying that Count Jens is stealing from the kingdom. If Krief was total trash, I need Yang to start working really hard to solve the problems caused by this man... Damn, it seems he really was trash, from what I see Alahead hasn¡¯t received any benefits, we need to hurry. Let¡¯s go!" the supreme leader said, spinning in his chair while reading the tablet rapidly and checking some things. In the end, he stopped, stood up, and lightly hit the table so everyone would go to work. The leaders and the priestess stood up and exited one by one.

    "Priestess... Stay alert with the kid and also... Make changes to the mail so that the letters from each kingdom... aren¡¯t taken lightly," the supreme leader said seriously, before the priestess left the room, and he sat back down in his chair. "One more thing... I think Rei and you make a good couple!" When he said this, the priestess turned red and released a large amount of frost magic from her hands that covered the entire room. Everything was bright there, including the supreme leader, who shone in a white and yellow color. Then the priestess left the room a little upset, but she smiled while still blushing. "Awww... Love is so beautiful... Hello, could someone come clean the fourth-floor meeting room?... Thank you," the supreme leader said, standing up from his chair and pulling out a communicator from his pocket.

    *Kingdom of Ystir - PT Agency - Waiting Room*

    "Please don''t move," the pink-haired girl mentioned while fixing Louis. The room had a large yellow painting behind Louis. He was sitting in a chair, and in front of him was a professional holographic camera.

    "I¡¯m really sorry... I thought it would be a good idea, so you would have regained your position as paladins by removing Jens from the throne," Louis said, trying not to move while being fixed.

    "Don''t worry, I understood the situation because I know him, but you don''t... He came alone, without any paladin, so there would be no witnesses... He was going to kill you," Mei said with concern, averting her gaze to the side.

    "Do you want to go out in that trench coat?" asked the pink-haired girl after finishing fixing Louis.

    "Yes, of course. But... now, how will he remove Jens from the throne?" Louis asked, with some doubts in his mind.

    "Sigh... The priest is in charge of this kingdom, but... The only option is the priestess, the problem is I don¡¯t know how to contact her without him noticing... Well, something will come to me. The important thing right now is that you make this video with Amy," Mei replied, opening the door to leave the room. "Well, I¡¯ll leave you now, and... be yourself, Louis." After these words, Mei left the room, and suddenly a sound came from a pocket in her pants. "Hello, did something happen?... What... Alright, I¡¯ll prepare everything." Mei answered the call and, with a slight surprise, a smile appeared on her face, then she hung up and sighed with relief.

    "Alright, Paladin Louis... Now!" said Amy, getting ready to start recording.

    After a deep sigh full of determination, Louis began with his words, a slight smile on his lips: "Hello everyone... Sorry for the fear or discomfort I caused you... I¡¯m Louis A. Keeper... I¡¯m a paladin from the kingdom of Alahead... And I¡¯m a half-demon human...".

    End of the chapter

 The arrival of change #15

    Of great and marvelous white clouds, we descend from this unmistakable sky to see... this world that once was another.

    "Ah! The lands of Lyran... A fascinating place full of life, many lives, in fact¡ªcountless species and races! Although many things have yet to be discovered... My name is Joap, in charge of the magical observatory, a pleasure to meet you! And I hope you enjoy my broadcast," mentioned a sharp, elderly voice, with a slightly trembling, wise, and emotional tone.

    "In this world, there are very strange creatures, some legendary, others dangerous, like ghosts, yorkens, and demons... ''sigh'' demons... Very wicked and rare beings. In the Dark Age, a massive number of exorcists was needed to eliminate most of them. Although, among all those exorcists, there was one in particular who caught my attention, named Velo Jim. It is said he had a family and decided to become an exorcist to protect them, though he never allowed a single picture to be taken of his face... But well, that was 120 years ago. I hope I''m not boring you with everything I''m saying... Scientists like me love to talk... Regardless, I''m sorry... Now I''ll tell you about the *paladins*! Incredible people with an extremely high level of magic and strength¡ªthey are very important! They capture criminals, prevent catastrophes, fight beings like the ones I told you about, who appear to destroy peace, and maintain order in the World Rift and the entrance to Sisifelia. Some paladins remain alone, others struggle to have a family, some cannot have one, and, of course, others lose them... Recently, I met a paladin from that low-tech kingdom; her name was Lin, the mother of the boy with lava magic. That woman has light magic! Incredible, right? I wonder what she is doing right now."

    After these last words, we passed through several clouds high in the sky, then descended at great speed until reaching the kingdom of Ystir.

    A woman with red eyes and yellow hair was arriving at the kingdom through the southern gate, in a carriage like those of Ystir, driven by a man in a black suit. "I wonder where you are, Louis..." she thought as she carefully analyzed the kingdom and the people in it.

    *PT Agency*

    "Come on, gentlemen! I want everything in complete order," Mei firmly expressed while carrying a box in her hands. In addition, Clara was floating on her right shoulder. The agency was bustling with activity, with all the scientists and other personnel preparing many things. Xitlari could also be seen carrying the capsule with the quiritanidas.

    Approaching Mei with excitement, Ann said, "We''ll finally be paladins again!"

    Then, Clara moved in front of Ann''s face, making her smile. Clara seemed very excited, spinning around.

    "I wish for that too... Let''s hope this new priest isn''t like the last one. Put it outside with the others, please," Mei commented, allowing Ann to carry the box with her yellow wind magic.

    "Yes, don''t worry." Ann headed outside while Mei returned to her office.

    "Are you ready?" Mei asked as she entered the office. Mern and Mark were preparing themselves. Kassie was sitting on the couch, looking down; she wore a high-collared white shirt with buttons at the neck, a black vest over it, and also wore shoulder pads and silver gloves.

    "I''m always ready!" Mern responded, stopping his warm-up.

    "Me too!" Mark added, standing up from the floor and placing his right hand on his forehead.

    "Kassie? Is something wrong?" Mei asked upon seeing her a bit down and nervous.

    "Do you really think I''m good for this mission? Xitlari would be more helpful... or Louis," Kassie responded with concern, nervously moving her hands.

    "Louis is a witness, and Xitlari isn''t good at fighting in closed spaces. You are perfect in case that place starts collapsing, thanks to your water and ice magic," Mei said, trying to convince her while sitting beside her.

    "But... I''m embarrassed for them to see me in my other form," Kassie whispered in Mei''s ear.

    "Don''t worry, just use ice magic," Mei replied with understanding, touching her head.

    "What if I mess up? I''m not a paladin like you all."

    "You won''t, you''ll see. Be more positive! You''ve exorcised many evil beings," Mei stood up from the couch and took her scimitar, which was on her desk. "This will be a piece of cake!" she added with a slight smile.

    Outside, in front of the agency, there were three cars (one silver and two black) with many stacked cardboard boxes, which seemed to contain only papers. Some of the researchers were perfectly arranging them. Xitlari could also be seen placing the capsule with the quiritanidas in the back seats of the black car. Then, a woman with glasses and black hair tied in a bun threw a cube onto the boxes, and within seconds, the cube covered all the boxes with a purple-colored material.

    "Perfect, thank you very much for your great work!" Mei mentioned, stepping out of the agency with Mern and Kassie behind her. Kassie still looked a bit insecure.

    "Now for this..." Mei threw a small vial filled with a light blue liquid that, upon breaking on top of the cube, shrank it significantly.

    "Here you go, Mei," the black-haired woman with a bun said, handing her a control device and the cube.

    "Thank you so much for everything your team has done, Nila," Mei expressed sweetly, taking the control and giving the woman a hug.

    "Thank you for choosing us, and I hope you choose us again," Nila replied, returning the hug.

    "Count on it. Friends! I deeply appreciate all your cooperation; let''s hope all this effort is worth it. Now, in my car will be Louis, Xitlari, Mari, and me. In the second car will be Ririam and Ann, carrying the quiritanidas capsule with them. And in the last car will be Mern, Mark, Kassie, and Marti," Mei stated while everyone listened attentively and Louis stepped out of the agency, helping Mari down the entrance stairs.

    "Remember, don''t get nervous. We have the truth... Let''s go!" With her last word, everyone got into the cars, preparing to head to the palace. "Canbel... I''m counting on you," Mei mentioned before getting into her car.

    "Yes, boss!" Canbel responded with determination.

    Then, they all left in the cars, leaving the researchers, Nila, and Canbel watching their departure.

    At the west gate, a white carriage with golden edges and silver wheels was arriving, with a red crystal in the center of each. This carriage was the same one used by Priest Krief when he came looking for Louis.

    Inside the carriage were four leaders: Paladin Gladys Maxxui, Edgar, and the new priest... Yang Angel, who wore a long, wide white tunic. Over this garment, he also wore a black kimono-like cape with golden lines. His eyes were an intense blue, and his hair was long, white, and wavy, falling in loose strands at the sides of his face. He wore a golden infinity-shaped necklace and golden beads around his neck, as well as a silver ring on his middle finger. Additionally, he had a white stole with golden details on the sleeves and shoulders.

    "Do you think we''ll be able to see that boy too? I''d like to meet him in person," Yang commented in a calm and moderate voice, with a carefree tone.

    "If you want, we can look for him after the meeting," responded the elderly leader, in a tranquil and sweet voice.

    "He''s probably with Mei; she was the one who gave the recommendation, after all," added the leader with long yellow hair, with a confident voice that seemed to contain excitement.

    "I''ll feel a bit uncomfortable if he''s there," Edgar thought as Yang continued talking with the leaders.

    "I''m curious to meet him too. I hope he''s the kind of person Rei described to me," said Gladys in her warm, deep, and resonant voice. "Besides... does Rei really know how to train? I want to see it for myself," she thought with a smile as she looked out the window at the people walking on the sidewalk.

    *Outside the King''s Palace*

    The three cars had arrived at the palace. At the entrance, two knights opened the gate without hesitation upon seeing Mei in the car. The three cars entered and were parked in an area with several golden lines that had various technological objects drawn on them. The front of the palace had a large wooden door with more technological embellishments. To the left and right of the door, there were several long and small trees. The castle''s color was lime green, with several cornices in a bluish-gray hue. There were both small and large windows. At the very top, in the middle of the palace, was a large circle covered with a metallic lid bearing a large letter "Y."

    Reck stood with his arms crossed, clad in his full armor, with a large sword at his side. The sword was black, with a pentagon-shaped emerald embedded near the hilt. He was waiting beside one of the trees near the entrance, and when he saw them arrive, he ran toward them, gripping his sword.

    "Is he still asleep?" Mei asked as she stepped out of the car while the others did the same.

    "Of course, we have to take advantage of the fact that Rays is sleeping too. He doesn¡¯t seem to have been sleeping well lately¡ªhe has huge dark circles under his eyes. I have no idea what''s wrong with him," Reck replied with a serious expression, resting his sword''s edge on the ground.

    "Have you seen Susana?" Mei added, suspecting what had happened.

    "Who is Susana?" Reck frowned, utterly confused by the question.

    "Could it be..." she thought. "Never mind, we¡¯ll talk to him later. Kassie... You can do this, don¡¯t be afraid." Mei approached Kassie and placed both hands on her shoulders, smiling at her gently.

    "Yes, I¡¯ll do my best," Kassie exclaimed, peeking out and managing to form a small smile.

    "Alright... Follow me, it''s time to end this," Mei said, heading toward the palace door. Everyone followed her, except for Reck, Mern, Mark, and Kassie.

    "We need to find the gold before the meeting ends... And from what I see, the new priest has already arrived. Quickly, come on!" Reck said as he circled the palace after spotting the church''s car, with Mern, Mark, and Kassie following behind him.

    *The King''s Chamber*

    Jens was snoring in bed, a bit of drool dripping from his mouth. Suddenly, with a loud bang, the door burst open and slammed against the wall. Rays appeared, panting, and as soon as he saw Jens in bed, he frowned, clenching his hands and teeth. He rushed to Jens, grabbed him by his shirt, and shook him violently to wake him up.

    "Wake up, you idiot! The new priest is here, it''s urgent!"

    "Huh, what?! What do you mean he''s here?! No one informed me! And stop shaking me!" Jens shouted, shocked and flustered by Rays¡¯ words, as he was still being shaken back and forth.

    "Get ready! Mei might be involved in this!" Rays stopped shaking Jens, pointed a finger at him, and then stormed out of the room.

    "Damn it! Knights! Knights?..." Jens yelled, but no one came... He had to search for his clothes himself and dress for the meeting. As he headed to the meeting hall, he adjusted his shirt. "Bastards... I¡¯ll strip them all of their ranks when this is over." Upon entering the meeting hall through double doors, everyone turned their gaze toward him. This made him freeze in place.

    The hall was very spacious, with two doors for entry and exit, as well as a large rectangular table with a holographic device in the center. The walls were red, with brown wooden paneling at the bottom. To the right of the table, there were six long windows with white frames, and the ceiling was brown.

    The table had seating for twelve people. Across from Jens sat Priest Yang, the leaders, and Gladys. At the other end, Mei was seated with Calara floating on her right shoulder. The others stood behind her, near the other double door of the hall. To Mei¡¯s right, a young man sat down after seeing Count Jens enter the room. His hair was dark blue, messy, and had disheveled strands. Additionally, he had three braids at the back of his head, one of which rested over his chest. He wore a dark blue capelet with gold trim, adorned with a thick golden chain that crossed his torso, fastened to metallic brooches. The collar had two high lapels, also trimmed in gold. Underneath the capelet, he wore a light blue and navy shirt. The right sleeve was light blue, while the left was navy. Beneath this shirt, he had a black high-collared vest with a silver button at the neck. On his abdomen, the vest''s buttons were aligned to the left, near his heart, instead of in the center. At his waist, on the right side, a flap extended from the vest. He also wore an ornate belt, and his pants were dark blue. Additionally, a chain extended from his belt and draped behind him. On his right hand, he wore a light blue bracelet with dark blue edges, and on his left hand, he wore a silver-blue technological glove.

    "Count Jens, please take a seat," the priest said, gesturing with his hand.

    "Uh... Yes... Of course, thank you," Jens took a seat at the large rectangular table, unable to look anyone directly in the eye.

    "Good afternoon, everyone," Rays expressed seriously as he entered the room, positioning himself beside Jens without glancing at anyone else.

    "How shameless..." Ririam whispered, furrowing her brow with a serious look.

    "Shh... We don¡¯t know what happened to him," Ann replied, making a silencing gesture with her finger.

    "What could have happened? He¡¯s a traitor," she murmured, covering her mouth.

    Louis entered the hall carrying a chair, which he placed nearby for Mari to sit on.

    "It''s him!" the long-haired leader whispered excitedly, standing up, only to be immediately restrained by the elder leader, who grabbed his arm to make him sit back down. "Wait until this is over, then you can talk to him."

    "That must be him... Different-colored eyes, red hair, and a blue coat. Heh, this will be interesting," Gladys thought, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

    "I¡¯ve been eager to meet you... After this, we will have a chat," Priest Yang thought, closing his eyes slightly as he observed Louis.

    Meanwhile, outside the palace, Reck, Mern, Mark, and Kassie had arrived at the location Reck had pointed out.

    Reck I take out his shoulder pads a purple rectangular object with a connected speaker. "Here it is, I''ll activate the silint and your cave right there," he said, pointing with his finger at the spot.

    "Alright... Let''s go, Mark." Mern touched Mark''s back, and both of his arms turned into drills.

    Reck activated the object, and a blue layer surrounded part of the area where they were. Then, Mark began drilling into the ground until reaching a passage with several torches lighting the place, which appeared to measure 30 square meters.

    "Hmm... The place doesn''t seem to have been here for long. Also, there are wooden frames and roots in the ceiling holding this place up. Surely Rays built it," Mark said, climbing down the hole.

    "That was expected... Be careful with the roots. I don¡¯t quite understand what happened to him, he¡¯s been acting very strange ever since Jens became king," Reck commented, descending into the hole and looking around.

    "It¡¯s very odd, he¡¯s not like this. Do you think they¡¯re blackmailing him with something?" Mern added after descending.

    Reck pressed and activated the object again, covering much of the passage with the blue layer. "Doesn''t matter, let''s go this way." He started running ahead, followed by Kassie, Mern, and Mark.

    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    Back in the meeting room, all the leaders and the priest were paying attention to Mei¡¯s words.

    "I''ve called this meeting for the complete dismissal of Count Jens as king. This man seems to have done something in this kingdom, but all he has brought are problems, including: loss of assets, poor response to direct threats, no maintenance to various parts of the kingdom, which caused deaths, in addition to allowing criminals and traitors to infiltrate the kingdom."

    "That''s not true! The kingdom is in good condition, I¡¯ve done an impeccable job. What she¡¯s saying is nonsense!" Jens shouted, standing up and slamming both hands on the table. "Priest, I don¡¯t think you should believe this woman. It seems she¡¯s gone crazy or something. I heard she says there¡¯s a..."

    Count Jens started whispering to the priest, covering his mouth and leaning slightly from his chair.

    "Count Jens... Be quiet, I didn¡¯t say it was your turn to speak. Now I¡¯ll take that as your defense," Yang replied, rolling his eyes at Jens¡¯ words.

    "I''m sorry..." he said, sitting back down.

    Suddenly, the door behind Mei opened, and a man in a white suit with a tray approached Mei.

    "Miss Mei... Here¡¯s your coffee and water glass. I¡¯ve left the sugar for you to add as you like. Are you sure you don¡¯t want anything? I have some delicious pastries."

    "No, don¡¯t worry. Please, start with the testimonies," Yang responded, waving his right hand to decline the offer.

    "Wait, I want..." Count Jens added.

    With a smile on his lips, the waiter said, "I wasn¡¯t asking you," before leaving the room. Meanwhile, Mei took a sip of coffee, and Jens had a stunned expression at the waiter¡¯s response.

    "Good... afternoon. A pleasure to meet you all! I mean... Ehmm..." Louis was the first to give his testimony, but, as you already read, nerves got the better of him.

    "Let someone else go while Paladin Louis calms down," the priest Yang said.

    Mei stood up from her chair and approached Louis.

    "No, he will be the first. Just give me a moment... You need to calm down, breathe deeply, and exhale. It¡¯s your first time doing this, but... you can do it!" she said, slapping him on the last word, which surprised everyone. Ann and Mart¨ª covered their mouths to hold back laughter.

    Louis, the most surprised, frowned, opened his eyes wide, and placed his right hand on his cheek. Then, Mei sat back down and added sugar to her coffee.

    "Okay, once more... Hello. You might already know me... Well, I think you do, it¡¯s impossible for you not to..." At Louis¡¯ words, Ririam put his hand on his face in disappointment, and Mart¨ª looked the other way while scratching near his left eye with his left index finger. Ann seemed to feel pity, and Xitlari had no reaction, as she understood his nerves since she had them too.

    "Since I came here, ehm... No, not like that..."

    "What kind of witness is this? He¡¯s not saying anything... Well, better for me," Jens thought, raising an eyebrow.

    "The reason I came... My master Rei told me that to be a good paladin, I had to see the world, I had to know what it was like to live... because being in my kingdom... wasn¡¯t life. Here, I learned many things and met incredible people. I felt new emotions and managed to change and become stronger." Louis¡¯ words were full of feelings, and his voice sounded warm and sincere. "During my first days, I fought against the Schulz brothers, a werewolf, men of the white mist, the very Yeynos and his daughter. Jeh, again against the Schulz brothers, after they escaped from prison. Oh! And I also helped catch several prisoners when... the explosion in the kingdom¡¯s prison happened. Then I joined Miss Mei, although I had already met her before... We fought against Yeynos¡¯ son... He had very strange magic, besides having creation magic, illusion magic, and white magic" At the end of his words, everyone reacted with surprise, especially Priest Yang.

    "Are you sure... about what you¡¯re saying? Did he have white magic?" Priest Yang asked with a serious and attentive expression.

    "Yes, sir. I was also present at the attempted robbery in the kingdom¡¯s bank and the capture of a creature in the water area in the city center. On my word, I assure you that Miss Mei is right here," Louis responded, taking on a completely serious attitude.

    The elderly leader "Yamile" began to say things only to Priest Yang.

    Jens looked at Rays, who was still standing to his left, and murmured, "Creature? What creature is he talking about?".

    "I have no idea. Maybe you should have paid more attention to what was happening in the kingdom," Rays said with no emotion on his face. Jens directed his gaze at Mei for a moment, and she gave him a slight smile.

    "Unfortunate..." Jens thought, trying not to let the mockery affect him.

    "This is no trivial matter. Priest Krief made very poor choices here. No matter how long it takes, we must know what they know. As much as he is a rookie paladin with many eyes on him and the other former paladins, his testimony counts fully," the leader Yamile whispered in Priest Yang¡¯s ear.

    "Alright... Let the next one come!" Priest Yang said after processing the words of leader Yamile.

    After Louis stepped back, Ann took a step forward, and with a slight smile of gratitude, she began her testimony.

    "I greatly appreciate the attention... I fully confirm everything Paladin Louis said earlier. Yeynos¡¯ son, who seems to be named Tai, has white magic. I know because I saved him and Kassie Matther, who helped him in the fight."

    "Kassie Matther... I¡¯ve heard of her. She¡¯s an exorcist with a good number... And tell me, where is she?" Priest Yang commented.

    "She... will present herself soon. Right now, she¡¯s... on a mission," Ann responded, carefully considering her answer.

    "Alright... Continue".

    Meanwhile, in the passage beneath the castle, Reck, Mern, Mark, and Kassie had arrived at a larger area, about 40 square meters.

    "Be careful, there could be traps...", Reck mentioned, still holding the magical object with one of his hands.

    "Now that I think about it... Why did you bring that jacket here? Aren''t you hot?" Kassie asked, a little confused, while continuing to walk.

    "This jacket is part of me! It''s part of my soul!" Mern replied proudly, looking up at the ceiling.

    "Right..." Kassie was even more confused, raising an eyebrow.

    Suddenly, a purple rune appeared from the ground, and a two-meter tall being was created piece by piece. It wore ancient bronze armor, and the rune was embedded in its chest. Both hands held black swords, and it had bracers with a two-barreled weapon.

    "Jens... Take this, Mark... run without hesitation. I''ll take care of him."

    After pressing the object once more, Reck handed it to Mark and got into position to begin the fight.

    "Understood, let''s go, Kassie," Mern grabbed Kassie''s arm, and they began running along with Mark toward the runic being. Immediately, it propelled itself to strike at Mern and Kassie.

    "Wait!" Kassie screamed in fear, closing her eyes... And a Sound of shockwave made her open them again... Seeing nothing around her, she looked back and saw how Reck clashed his sword with those of the runic being, creating powerful shocks that cracked the ground. "Will he be okay?"

    "Of course... He''s stronger than I am!" Mern expressed with a smile on his lips as they continued running.

    "It''s impossible for anything to happen to him, he''s one of the strongest paladins there is," Mark added while pressing the magical object.

    As they ran, Kassie stepped on a small stem that had grown on the ground... And instantly... Rays felt it. "Excuse me, I have something important to do." Rays walked out through the door behind him, and Mei stayed watching him as he left.

    "What? Where are you going?" Jens said with concern.

    "He already found out...", he thought, narrowing his eyes while staring at him.

    Ann''s turn had already passed, and now it was Ririam''s testimony.

    "He took the opportunity to interrupt me too...", Ririam thought, watching Rays leave, then clearing his throat. "As I was saying... You can see this kingdom in good condition, but not thanks to Count Jens, but thanks to us! We have kept this kingdom going for the last months during which we lost our ranks. We have plenty of evidence to support this."

    Priest Yang briefly looked at Jens. Jens looked a bit nervous but tried to remain calm. "I see it coming... How did they let this man rule? I know it could also be false, but they even have Prince Lue on their side... Did they threaten him? Impossible, why would a group of paladins do that?" he thought, then turned his gaze toward the boy next to Mei.

    "Alright... Bring that evidence and let''s end this."

    Saying this, Xitlari left the room.

    "Sir, do you really think I could do something like that? I¡¯m a Mortenez, you should trust me. I''ve given a lot for this kingdom over the years," hearing this, Mei frowned, annoyed, and slightly pressed the edge of the table with her right hand.

    "We''ll see, Count..." responded Priest Yang.

    Xitlari then returned with the quiritanid capsule and carefully placed it on the table.

    "Incredible..." said Leader Yamile, adjusting her glasses to see the creature better.

    "It''s a quiritanidas..." added the leader with the white mask.

    "Magnificent," commented the leader with pink hair.

    "How is it that...?" Edgar began, but was immediately interrupted by Count Jens.

    "Impossible! How was that thing in the water zone?" he expressed, upset and angry.

    "If I hadn''t fired everyone from maintenance, they would have captured it and also provided the answer," Mei responded, then took another sip of coffee.

    Jens muttered under his breath and looked away.

    "So, this is the creature..." said Priest Yang, leaning slightly in his chair to see the quiritanid better. "How did such a creature get into the kingdom''s water zone?" he thought.

    "Also, we have these witnesses to what happened," Mei mentioned, and then Marti and Mari stepped forward.

    "Priest... My husband and I were victims of this man''s incompetence. Because of him..." Mari tried to speak but stopped and began crying.

    Everyone on their side lowered their heads.

    "Calm down... Could your husband tell us what happened, please?" With this, Mari stopped crying.

    "Uh... It''s not me, priest," said Marti, a sad expression on his face, looking to the side.

    "My husband was killed by a werewolf that entered our crop field... That¡¯s the werewolf that Paladin Louis fought..." exclaimed Mari while wiping her tears and being helped to sit back down in the chair.

    "I led Paladin Louis to the eastern harvest. I saw an adult quiritanid in the kingdom''s lake, giant eagles! And I was there when Paladin Louis fought the werewolf! His fur was completely black!" While speaking, Marti tried to explain what he was saying, making various hand gestures and moving from side to side.

    The Count shrugged at this and didn¡¯t say a word.

    "Thank you for your testimony and... I''m sorry for your loss. The church will ensure that you have a good life with the child you are going to have," said Priest Yang, a bit affected by Mari''s story.

    "For the next part, I have this..." Mei stood up with a glass of water and moved the cube away from the table. She poured all the water out and took her real form again.

    Everyone from the church was surprised. Then, Mei pressed the button on a remote control, and the cube became small, revealing several boxes full of documents inside.

    "What kind of technology is this?" asked Gladys, fascinated by what she had seen.

    "It belongs to billionaire Donquichua. From what I know, he¡¯ll release it on the market soon," Mei responded, sitting down again.

    "This must be a joke... Yes, it must be. It''s impossible for them to take the time to read all of that," Jens thought, looking at Priest Yang.

    "Leader Yamile..." said Priest Yang. Leader Yamile stood up and approached the pile of boxes. She extended her hand, and a gray aura came from it, surrounding all the boxes. Through her eyes, one could see a flurry of words and numbers passing rapidly up and down. "This might take a while, but we''ll see everything they gathered without fail... (To give my final verdict)."

    Meanwhile, in the passage, Mern, Mark, and Kassie had arrived at a kind of door with a coffee-colored aura that blocked their way. The door had four insignias with an "M" on each one.

    "A runic door... Jeh, easy," he exclaimed confidently, stretching his arms and approaching the door, but many roots emerged in front of her, and from the roots, Rays appeared.

    "Rays, my friend! How have you been? You look a bit... Uh, did you sleep well?" Mern said excitedly, then noticing Rays'' tired face.

    "Don''t think I''ll let you pass... I just want peace, and with this, I can have it," Rays replied, ignoring Mern''s question.

    "Friend... you''re stealing from the kingdom. What the hell are you talking about?!"

    "You wouldn''t understand..." Rays extended his hand toward them, and several roots shot out of the ground. Instantly, Mern touched Mark, creating a sword on his right arm and two blades on his left arm that spun at high speed. Mark stopped all the roots, and then Mern extended his hand toward Rays; from his palm, a pillar of golden Gyverna shot out. Rays dodged it, but Mern was already in front of him and punched him in the face, making him crash into the wall.

    "Kassie, break the door!" Upon this, Kassie ran toward the door, but Mark stopped her.

    "I''ll boost you!" Mark released the sword and threw Kassie so she could reach the door.

    Mern placed his hand on the ground and created a platform that, with a motion of his hand, rose to trap Rays on the ground. However, two large roots emerged to the right and left of Rays, preventing the platform from falling on him. Then, other roots pushed him into the earth wall, making him reappear on the ceiling.

    "I won''t let you!" With his hand, he created a whip to grab Kassie, but Mark threw his sword, cutting the whip and leaving the sword embedded in the ceiling.

    Kassie managed to reach the door and created an ice shield to prevent any root attacks. Then she placed both hands on the door, causing the badges to start moving clockwise.

    "Damn!" Rays dropped to the ground, stomped hard, and several roots headed toward Kassie''s shield.

    "Of course not!" Mern also stomped on the ground and raised a large wall of golden Gyverna from the subsoil.

    Rays ground his teeth, and Mark punched him in the back, knocking him to the floor. Before he could strike another blow, a root grabbed Mark from the back, slammed him against the wall, and trapped him with several roots. These raised his left arm upwards so he couldn''t free himself with the blade.

    Rays got up and began spinning while throwing many vines toward Mern. He covered his entire body with golden Gyverna armor, with several blades protruding, and began cutting all the vines. Then, he threw several small blades, managing to cut them all until reaching Rays. Several of these blades pierced his left arm and back, stopping his spinning.

    "You... always with that... MAGIC!" he shouted, and the ceiling began to collapse.

    "Are you crazy!?" Mern covered the ceiling with Gyverna and placed several pillars to support it, but while doing this, Rays sent a large root that grabbed him and slammed him against the wall where Mark was. Then he trapped him with several roots that surrounded all his hands and fingers to prevent him from using his magic.

    "Haha, hey, we should celebrate, it''s your first victory against me," Mern said with a friendly smile.

    "Shut up... Here, I have the advantage. You can''t make Mark bigger or use your magic the way you do," he said before sending two large roots toward Kassie.

    "Kassie!" Mark shouted, and Rays immediately covered his mouth.

    Kassie turned around. She removed one hand from the door and, extending it backward, created several ice spikes on the shield. Then, Rays sent many more roots, destroying the ice with great blows from right to left.

    "Almost there..." The badges were about to complete a full turn, and the roots continued to destroy the ice shield.

    "Rays! What happened to you!? This isn''t like you!"

    "I don''t want to see anyone die anymore! This is the only way..." Rays kept sending more roots from the ground to destroy the shield faster.

    The badges made a full circle, the door vanished, and a bright golden light flooded Kassie''s eyes.

    "I did it." Then, a root pierced the shield and took Kassie, placing her next to Mern and Mark, also holding their hands and fingers.

    "Who is this? I don''t know her..." he asked while the roots kept destroying the shield.

    "She''s a new apprentice of Mei... Friend, what happened?" Mern responded, concern on his face.

    For a moment, Rays couldn''t answer and remained silent... until the entire ice shield shattered. "I don''t want to be a paladin anymore... I''ve lost everything for this... friends, family, love..."

    "Where is Susana?" Mern had a look of pity and sorrow for his friend, while Kassie began puffing up her cheeks.

    Rays walked to where the gold was and said, "That day... she told me not to worry so much about her... And when they brought the Nerosma to the prison, she was on guard..." Rays looked at the gold, and tears fell from his eyes.

    "Friend... why didn''t you say anything? Mei..." Mern said but was interrupted.

    "Mei wouldn''t have done anything... She''s not going to bring her back... To avoid suffering from the deaths of all of you, I want to leave here... I''ve had enough."

    After hearing this, Mern looked at Kassie, who had her cheeks puffed and glowing. Mern raised his chin, and a piece of golden Gyverna emerged from it, which connected to Mark. From his chest, a rune identical to the one on Mern''s chest appeared.

    Kassie spat out water from her mouth with great force toward Rays, and when it touched him, his whole body, except his head, froze. Then, Mark destroyed the roots, causing an explosion in his chest, and freed Kassie and Mern with his left hand.

    "I WON''T LET YOU!" Rays shouted as the ice on his body cracked, and several roots headed toward the others.

    "Create a lot of water!" Mern said, creating a golden Gyverna cube. Then he touched Mark''s shoulder, turning his arms into drills and putting a propeller on his back.

    "I can''t do it!" Kassie replied fearfully while the roots attacked the cube.

    "Of course you can... You can do it!" Mern approached her, placed his right hand on her shoulder with a confident face and a slight smile.

    "With one condition..."

    Rays managed to destroy the ice and sent many more roots toward the Gyverna cube. "It''s completely fair! I gave so much for this kingdom!"

    Suddenly, the cube opened, crushing the roots. Then, Mern, without his jacket, threw a chain with a hook from his hand, managing to hook Rays. With a pull, he attracted him to himself. Rays covered his arms with logs to hit Mern''s face, but Kassie, wearing Mern''s jacket, jumped on him, extended both hands, and a great amount of water poured out of them, filling the entire place.

    Meanwhile, in the meeting, the leader Yamile was finishing reading the documents with her magic.

    "Quite impressive... These documents have a lot of accounts. The most notable is the great record of the kingdom''s market and how the kingdom''s money has stagnated in one place and hasn''t moved forward; rather, it has lost a great part... Also, there are several accounts of payments for repairs in the kingdom made by a jewelry shop that claims to be Mei''s. There are several testimonies from other people confirming what was said earlier... There are... statements from knights who claim the king used them as employees... There are also several certificates from the people who did the analysis, supporting them, among many other things." Count Jens began to sweat a little and had a terrified look on his face after hearing Leader Yamile. "Hmm... There''s an interesting testimony... Maxwell Marks?" Leader Yamile thought, then returned to her chair.

    "And that''s not all." Mei placed a black rectangular object on the table. "Inside here are more data and evidence that, if you''d like, you can put on the holographic panel."

    "You... you''re just jealous!" Jens shouted angrily, slamming his hand on the table.

    "How?" Mei furrowed her brows and glared at Count Jens with fury.

    "You''re just jealous that I got the title of king. That''s why you set up this charade!" he said angrily, pointing at Mei with his hand.

    "Don''t be stupid! The evidence is completely clear!" she retorted, while Clara tried to approach Jens to hit him, but Prince Lue stopped her by grabbing her with both hands. "You¡¯ve made the kingdom unsafe!" Mei stood up and slammed both hands on the table.

    "What are you talking about?! I put up the great shield!" Jens also stood up and placed both of his open-palmed hands on the table.

    "You did nothing! That was the last project the late King Shane left behind!" As the others behind slowly approached Mei, Count Jens made a furious noise while pressing his hand down. "So young... and you already look like an old cursed woman!"

    "IGH...!" Immediately, Mei grabbed her scimitar from beside her chair. "That''s it. I''ll kill him!" At once, Prince Lue stopped her, grabbing her right arm, and the others (except for Marti and Mari) ran to stop her.

    "Wait, Mei!" Ririam said, grabbing her right arm. "You need to control yourself!" added Ann, holding her around the abdomen.

    "Let me go, I''ll cut off his tongue!" Mei screamed angrily, managing to unsheathe her scimitar.

    "Calm down! We''re winning!" Xitlari said, struggling to stop her.

    "You''re a lady, Mei, you''re not married!" Louis said, also struggling. "That doesn''t help, Louis!" Ririam replied.

    The leaders, the priest, Gladys, and Edgar were speechless and stunned at the fight between Count Jens and Mei.

    "Look at her! She''s crazy, you can''t trust her, priest." Suddenly, the ground began to shake as the count spoke. "I''ve taken great care of everyone! How could I steal from the kingdom?" Immediately, a large amount of water with many gold coins shot out like a geyser outside, in the palace courtyard. Some of the coins hit the windows of the room.

    All those from the church peeked through the windows, and after the water stopped, Mark flew out with his thruster. He was carrying Kassie and Mern in his arms, and Mern was holding Rays on his back (he was face down and unconscious).

    "Don¡¯t let them look at me," said Kassie, covering herself with Mern¡¯s jacket.

    "Calm down, they can¡¯t see you, get the water off you," Mern said after Mark released them and placed Rays on the ground.

    Then, everyone from the church (except Priest Yang) turned to look at Count Jens.

    "Um... Wow, they discovered a gold mine! Hehehe... Oh, no" he said nervously, chuckling a bit.

    "If you''ll excuse me..." Priest Yang placed one of his fingers (which had turned white) on the window through which he was looking outside, and it shattered. He flew through it towards the hole, with a faint white aura around him. As he descended, he noticed several coins embedded in the ground. Upon reaching the bottom, he saw a large amount of gold bars. "What a bastard."

    "Hello! You must be the new priest. Nice to meet you, Reck Mortz. Take this as proof too." Reck threw the purple rune, and the priest caught it, noticing the Mortenez insignia on it.

    Then, the priest helped Reck out of the hole and headed back to the room.

    "I think there''s no doubt now that everything Paladin Mei said is true. And considering everything... I doubt he''ll be leaving prison, he''ll remain there for the rest of his life. Edgar, take him to the knights to send him to Jankstan," said the priest, placing the purple rune on the table while Mark helped Mern and Kassie enter through the window Priest Yang had broken.

    "But... how did they discover it?" thought Jens, then looked at Mei, now calm, about to take a sip of her coffee. She noticed Jens'' gaze and looked at him for a moment, giving him a sweet smile, which to Jens, felt like mockery. "You damn...!" Instantly, his mouth was covered by a piece of golden Gyverna, making him fall to the ground.

    "Don¡¯t you dare talk to her like that!" Mern said, furious, with his hand extended.

    "Come here" Edgar lifted him up and handcuffed him with stone cuffs. Then, he left the room with him.

    "Well, since the prince is still a minor, the next in line to the count should take charge," Priest Yang commented as Reck entered through the window as well.

    "Wait, priest," said Prince Lue. "I can maintain the kingdom. I¡¯ve been learning everything necessary for it, and I feel ready." The prince¡¯s face showed determination and great confidence.

    "You''re still too young," he exclaimed, looking at Mei. "But with a counselor, it wouldn''t be bad."

    "Me!?" Mei asked. "Her!?" Mern added.

    "Of course. Despite your recent outburst, you kept the kingdom safe during the months that guy was here. I believe you¡¯re the best candidate for this, and you''re not a new paladin, you already have much experience. Does anyone object?" The priest waited for a response, but all the leaders remained silent, accepting the decision.

    "Then, it¡¯s decided." The priest stood up, placed his hands behind his back, and bowed his head. "My sincerest apologies for what has happened in the kingdom. Priest Krief made the worst decisions, but I will fix all his mistakes."

    "We thank you for listening to us," Mei said with her sweet voice, bowing her head. Then, all those not from the church left the room, jumping with joy. "We did it!"

    "Finally, we¡¯re paladins again!" Ann shouted happily, hugging Ririam, who embraced her with a slight smile.

    Taking Mei by the arm, Mern said, "Congratulations, now you¡¯re a counselor and paladin!" and gave her a hug after smiling proudly.

    "Thank you..." she said, returning the hug, then gently kissed him on the lips. "And thank you also for shutting him up."

    Mern blushed and placed his right hand behind his head, smiling while looking away. "It was nothing."

    "Now you''re king!" Reck said, messing up Prince Lue¡¯s hair.

    "Well, technically no, the coronation needs to be done," Mark added, raising his right hand with his index finger up.

    "We need to do it as soon as possible then," Reck said, with a smile full of pride.

    "Friends! It¡¯s not time to relax, there¡¯s something very important to do," Mei exclaimed, approaching the others along with Mern. "Go prepare the knights and evacuate the kingdom. We need to capture all the Zthur men around the kingdom. I¡¯ll talk to the priest about this, go ahead."

    "Do you want to go home?" Kassie asked Mari.

    "Louis!" Lin shouted from down the hallway with a Ystir knight by her side. Instantly, she started running towards him.

    "Mom?" Lin pounced on Louis, giving him a hug. "What are you doing here?"

    "A quick visit. How have you been, my boy? Have you brushed your teeth? Are you eating well? Have you been polite to the paladins of this kingdom? You haven¡¯t burned anything, right?" Lin asked many questions that only embarrassed and made Louis blush more. "Nice to meet you all! My name is Lin Keeper."

    "Nice to meet you..." everyone responded, laughing a bit and whispering things.

    "I''m fine, mom. I¡¯m fine, please... You''re embarrassing me," Louis responded, blushing, unable to look at the others.

    "Hey... I told you to do something!" Mei emphasized with a smile, and everyone left, except for Prince Lue, who reentered the room with Mei.

    "Did you see their eyes!? Both were red! And very bright," Ann could be heard saying while they continued walking.

    Then, the door to the room opened again. "Paladin Lin Keeper, what are you doing here? Weren''t you on a mission?" Priest Yang asked with surprise and confusion.

    "You must be the new priest, nice to meet you. I finished the mission and, before returning to Alahead, I wanted to visit my son," Lin replied, bowing her head slightly, then pinching Louis'' cheek lightly while smiling.

    "I see... I wanted to talk to your son as well, can you let him in? I want to discuss some things while Paladin Mei tells us something," the priest said respectfully.

    "Oh... Of course. I¡¯ll be waiting for you, son," Lin exclaimed, and then Louis entered the room with the priest. "Our boy is growing... I wish you could see him".

    In the room, after the priest sat down and offered Louis a seat, Mei took an even more serious expression than ever before. She crossed her arms and said, "Gentlemen... What I¡¯m about to tell you should not be taken lightly... The kingdom is in grave danger. Criminals like Yeynos are involved. On the day the king died, the kingdom was threatened... by a Nerosma, named Zthur." As she spoke, we could see various parts of the kingdom: the south area, with its smithies; the west area, with its food stalls and restaurants; the east area, with its magic shops, mechanical artifacts, and people like Lowin and his family; the north area, where people of greater wealth lived; the southwest area, with the orphanage and Lily taking care of the children; and lastly, the places where the criminals hid... And then, we see Tai on the roof of his large and beautiful house, with the sky filled with clouds and sunlight shining through them.

    End of Chapter.

 Total evacuation #16

    *King of Ystir¡¯s Palace - Meeting Room*

    "The day of the king¡¯s death, the kingdom was threatened... by a Nerosma named Zthur" Upon hearing these words, everyone was shocked, their eyes and mouths opening wide at the revelation.

    "Impossible! They... were all exterminated" insinuated Leader Yamile, staring at the table intently.

    "How is that possible...? Why didn¡¯t anyone warn us!?" added the pink-haired leader, while Gladys began to think about it and bit one of her nails.

    "We¡¯ve been reporting this for a long time, but Leader Jastify even called me crazy... It wasn¡¯t just me, Reck also warned about this many times, but even Krief ignored it" Mei replied, disappointment evident in her words.

    "Thank you, Paladin Mei, for this warning... We will inform the Supreme Leader and the Priestess as well. Do you need military support?" Priest Yang asked with a serious expression.

    "If possible, yes, but I know you¡¯ve had trouble containing the Macrous at the World¡¯s Rift. I¡¯ll understand if you can¡¯t provide support" Mei responded with understanding.

    Priest Yang looked toward the window, and after a few seconds... "I will do my best to send at least 2 paladins and 100 knights, but... you mentioned that Jens let those people in, correct?"

    "Yes, sir. There are men from Zthur in the kingdom, but don¡¯t worry... I have already ordered the evacuation of the people to capture them all" Mei replied with a serious and calm look.

    "Don¡¯t you need support?" Priest Yang and Gladys stood up from their seats, and the priest placed both hands on the table.

    "I wouldn¡¯t dare ask for it... Reck, Mern, Ann, Ririam, and Xitlari will take care of it. Now I must go organize this." Mei stood up from her chair and placed her hand on the prince¡¯s shoulder. "We¡¯ll leave you with Louis for whatever you wish to discuss with him. Let¡¯s go, Lue!" The prince followed her, and both left the room.

    "Uh, wait... Miss... Mei," Louis said, trying to stop her. After they left, everyone fixed their gaze on him.

    "Don¡¯t be nervous, Paladin Louis... this will be quick" the priest said as he retook his seat, followed by Gladys.

    Meanwhile, throughout the kingdom, groups formed by the paladins were evacuating the people as quickly as possible. Each paladin led a group under their command; Reck was in the southern zone, Mern and Mark in the eastern zone, Xitlari in the north, Ann in the kingdom¡¯s center, and Ririam in the west. The vehicle area, every store, restaurant, or any other place, was being evacuated... The people were confused about this; some refused, but in the end, they were convinced by the paladins.

    *Magic Portal - Tai¡¯s House*

    "This is so boring... how much longer do we have to wait?" Tai muttered, lying on the roof of the large house, looking up at the sky. "I wish I could bother Kumi..." sigh "Not even those two are here."

    A beeping sound went off, and Tai took out a round communicator. "What is it? This better be important."

    "Sir Tai, I believe something is happening in the kingdom of Ystir," replied the voice of a man through the communicator, completely devoid of emotion.

    "I¡¯m listening." Tai sat up and stretched a little.

    "About nine days ago, the kingdom received the church leaders for the usual inspection, but today they arrived again. Unlike last time, they have been in the palace for a long time, and the kingdom has begun to be evacuated by knights and paladins," the man responded concisely and clearly.

    "Really...? (Could they have reinstated them...?) Activate the security protocol and send a notice to the base.

    " Tai then ended the call, jumped down from the roof, and entered the house. He approached one of the walls, ran his hand over it, and a small compartment opened... Seeing that it was empty, his face perfectly reflected his concern and surprise. "No way... But no one has...! Those two... Damn it!" Immediately, Tai turned around and headed for the portal, flying with one of his swords. After passing through it, he took out a box that absorbed the portal and then emerged from his hideout, which seemed to be in another part of the kingdom.

    "If I¡¯m not mistaken, this was the tracking sign" he thought as he drew a symbol on his left palm, which turned white and emitted a faint white mist. After this, Tai headed west.

    Meanwhile, in the southern zone, Reck commanded his knights to protect and escort the people to the palace while he searched the entire southern area for a hideout. Every person escorted by the knights had received a round, blue object.

    "Alright, now that everyone¡¯s out, I can start the search" Reck said, placing his sword on his back. He then took a square object from his armor, which opened, releasing several arms with screens displaying a map of the kingdom, the kingdom¡¯s blueprints, and another that scanned every corner he passed through.

    The same thing was happening in the eastern, northern, and central areas of the kingdom, where Ann, Xitlari, Mern, and Mark were also searching for any hideouts of Zthur¡¯s men. After an extensive search and venturing into several alleys, Reck finally found something... An imperfection, something that didn¡¯t match the map and blueprints of the kingdom.

    "Boom, found them," Reck whispered, then put away the device, covered his right fist in a reddish-brown aura, and struck the ground, creating a massive impact that lifted the ground around him. Several chunks of earth flew into the air along with a huge cloud of dust.

    The ground trembled in the center, east, and south of the kingdom... Huge robots, approximately 4 meters tall, emerged; in the east, a spider-shaped robot; in the kingdom¡¯s center, far from the water zone, an ant-shaped one; and in the south, a mantis-shaped one, each accompanied by several soldiers who surrounded Reck, Ann, Mern, and Mark without hesitation.

    *Southern Zone of the Kingdom*

    "How brave... I don¡¯t know what kind of creature that is, but either way..." Reck took his sword in his left hand while his right was once again covered in magic. He took his combat stance, and with a determined gaze full of confidence, he shouted: "I¡¯ll tear it apart along with all of you!".

    *Center of the Kingdom*

    "Awww, what a cute robot!" Ann began to fly and placed both hands over her mouth, admiring the robot. Then, she extended them, and both arms were covered in yellow wind that swirled like a tornado around them. "Too bad I have to tear it to pieces" she insinuated with a determined look and a bright smile on her lips.

    *Eastern Zone of the Kingdom*

    "Poor guys, they really do have courage and confidence" Mark commented as he watched the men surrounding them.

    "They had to have something, otherwise..." Mern touched Mark, and he gained the size of the spider robot. His hands now bore two gauntlets with spikes on the knuckles. "It wouldn¡¯t be fun!" Mern exclaimed with excitement, then created a golden Gyverna sword and armor for himself.

    *Northern Zone of the Kingdom*

    "What a shame... everyone¡¯s already found the hideouts except me" Xitlari muttered in frustration as he continued searching, using the device in his upper right hand while his spiritual rhinoceros rested on his right shoulder. "I was looking forward to a fight".

    "Keep looking, maybe you¡¯ll find something," the spiritual rhinoceros added, moving its head in all directions to see if it spotted anything.

    "I don¡¯t think so..."

    *West Zone - PT Agency*

    Tai had finally arrived. He carefully checked to see if anyone was looking for him, but there was only a car parked near the agency. "Everything looks clear here. Good thing we didn''t set up any hideouts in this place... Speaking of which... Looks like they already found them. I hope I have enough time to leave the kingdom... What bad luck!" he thought as he entered the agency, making as little noise as possible.

    "Come on, gentlemen, hurry up! They¡¯ve already found Zthur¡¯s men!" Nila shouted from the other side of the door next to the counter. Tai hid behind one of the desks and peeked out in case someone passed by the door.

    "There are still people here... Well, this won''t take long" he thought. He moved toward the door and then entered the investigation room. "Hello, everyone! I''m glad to see you, even though this is our first time meeting... I believe you have something that belongs to me".

    Instantly, everyone reacted. They dropped the boxes they were carrying and hid behind the tables and desks in the room.

    "Don''t make me waste my time" Tai walked toward them, and several ice grenades were thrown at him. Tai jumped onto the wall to his right, pushed off it to get closer to one of them, and kicked him in the face. The ice grenades activated, sealing the exit. Several investigators aimed magic pistols and fired immediately... Tai formed a sword with his right hand and deflected all the bullets with it, managing to get close enough to knock each of them out.

    Nila was at the back of the room, also firing. Tai threw his sword, piercing Nila''s weapon... Now only she and Tai remained. "How adorable, the weak trying to defend themselves."

    "Bastard!" Nila pulled out an explosive grenade and threw it at Tai¡¯s face... He caught it with his right hand, which was covered in mist... The grenade formed a shield around Tai to absorb the explosion, but he simply crushed it, and it exploded in his hand, creating a loud blast. "How... That¡¯s not possible," she murmured, shocked to see him without a scratch.

    Tai walked toward Nila while dusting off his clothes. "Nice gadgets you manufacture here, but they lack..." In an instant, Tai stepped back as a massive crystal wall appeared in front of Nila. Then, large crystal spikes shot out from the wall, stopping just inches from Tai. "Clever" Tai formed another sword and shattered the spikes, then extended his hand and broke the crystal wall into pieces. He then multiplied his sword, placing each one at the investigators'' necks. "Here¡¯s how this works... You tell me where my scroll is, and I won¡¯t kill any of them".

    "Heh, you¡¯re an idiot" After saying that, Nila vanished like a hologram, leaving behind only a white robot¡ªjust like the other investigators.

    "What...?" Tai turned to look at the other robots, and each one expelled an ice grenade from their chest. Instantly, Tai pressed his hands together, covering his entire body in black mist... Then, he extended his hands to the left and right, releasing multiple spheres of that same black mist from his body, stopping all the ice explosions but leaving the place in ruins.

    "Sons of bitches." Tai looked at his left hand with the symbol on it and pointed around the place until, on one wall, the symbol released a much denser white mist. He then extended it and tore the wall apart, causing the scroll to levitate into his hand.

    "Perfect!" Tai crouched, then leaped, breaking through the agency¡¯s ceiling. But outside, three knights and Ririam were waiting for him.

    "Attack!" Ririam shouted, and the three knights extended their hands toward Tai. All three launched electric magic, which, upon impact with Tai, shattered part of the ceiling, creating a thick curtain of smoke. Then, a black marble fell to the ground beside them and released a black gas.

    Jumping from the roof, Tai sprinted toward the kingdom''s exit. "Hahaha, rookies!" But just before escaping, he was struck in the side by a staff, electrocuting him and knocking him to the ground, making him drop the scroll.

    Ririam picked up the scroll and tucked it into his coat. "I¡¯m keeping this." He wore a crystal gas mask that revealed his mouth; then, he pulled out another device that absorbed all the gas.

    "Sir Ririam, I think... we inhaled a little gas," said one of the knights, kneeling beside another.

    Without taking his eyes off Tai, Ririam said, "Withdraw to get treated. I''ll handle this."

    "I''m fine, sir," one of the knights said, preparing to fight.

    "No, go with them. The gas could be highly poisonous. Get out of here and call for backup," Ririam ordered as Tai stood up, dusting himself off.

    "Understood!" The knight helped his companions, and the three of them left the area.

    "Hmm... You''re one of the ex-paladins who broke into my hideout. Looks like they reinstated your rank... It would¡¯ve been better for you to fall to the ground from the gas!" Tai formed a sword and made a massive leap, clashing his blade against the staff. Ririam pressed a button on the staff, and electric magic surged through Tai''s sword. Quickly, Tai pushed his sword downward and then let go of it to form another, but Ririam pulled a device from his coat that pushed Tai back.

    "I don¡¯t have time to waste. Dark Mist!" Tai touched the ground, and a vast mist spread throughout the area. Without hesitation, Ririam pulled a cylinder-shaped object from his coat and threw it upward. The object floated, opened, and illuminated the entire place. "Ahhh... You¡¯re one of those types who fight in a very... I don¡¯t know... what would they call it...? Dirty? Nah, I just know that people fight like that to compensate for something they lack" he remarked with disdain and confidence, making annoyed gestures with his eyes.

    Ririam and Tai ran at each other, clashing weapons at high speed. Ririam spun the staff quickly to block Tai¡¯s rapid attacks. Suddenly, Tai covered his sword in dark mist and split the staff in half. It exploded like a flash grenade... Without hesitation, Ririam punched Tai in the face, sending him flying. Tai managed to stop himself by stabbing his sword into the ground. "He''s strong... but that¡¯s normal, he''s a paladin," Tai thought as he got back up.

    Ririam then pulled out a gun and fired a single bullet, which multiplied into a massive barrage. Tai threw his sword, which also multiplied, creating sparks as they clashed with the bullets. Ririam dodged all the swords and touched each one with a single finger. Each sword was covered in green slime, preventing them from moving.

    "Annoying" Tai threw another katana at the light-emitting cylinder, destroying it, but Ririam immediately threw another and then a grenade that exploded in a straight line. Tai leaped to the right and rushed toward Ririam, but Ririam threw another device that created two ice columns... With a slight movement, Tai sliced through both columns and continued advancing¡ªuntil Ririam leaped far back. As Tai passed through where Ririam had been, two devices emerged from the ground and trapped Tai, dousing him in slime.

    Ririam crouched and grabbed the rifle from his back. "ADI¨®S!" The bullet pierced Tai¡¯s stomach, but he vanished, leaving only a sword in the slime... Ririam quickly stood up, but he was impaled through the back, just beside his spine.

    "Why do you move? And... what¡¯s with that ADI¨®S? Is that a new language?" Tai asked with irritation, tilting his head to the left. Ririam pointed the barrel of his rifle backward, but Tai grabbed it with his left hand and bent it. "It¡¯s clear you prepared well, but you were still lacking... Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me" Tai extended his left hand, and the scroll flew out of Ririam¡¯s coat, landing in his grasp.

    Ririam grabbed small thunder-shaped objects and a round one with his left hand. "I¡¯m not done yet!" He then touched the sword that impaled him, and Tai¡¯s entire body¡ªexcept for his head¡ªwas covered in slime.

    "What an attack..." Inside the slime were the objects, electrocuting Tai as he gripped the scroll tightly to avoid losing it. Then, Ririam jumped back, pulled the katana from his body, and snapped it in two over his knee.

    Tai covered his entire body with dark mist, and all the slime was expelled. "I better keep this," he thought as he watched Ririam adjust the rifle''s cannon. He tucked the scroll into his clothes, but then all the dark mist was pushed aside by a great force. Ririam covered himself as he felt a strong gust of wind... Opening his eyes in surprise, he moved his body back, extending both arms, and Ann appeared with his right foot extended in front of him. Instantly, Tai created another sword to attack Ann, but the strong yellow wind current following her pushed him... Upon impact, Ann stomped on the ground, causing it to crack massively. Then, she created a tornado with the yellow wind, trapping Tai and making him spin at high speed. It also lifted and destroyed some house windows, the slime on the ground, various objects, bricks, and pieces of the ice columns.

    Tai, annoyed by the spinning, clenched his hands, covering his entire body with dark mist. "Enough... NOW!" He then extended them and launched a large number of dark mist spheres. In response, Ann created a rapidly spinning yellow wind shield, successfully stopping the spheres headed toward her. Meanwhile, Ririam ran while covering his wound toward the shield, skillfully avoiding the spheres despite his injury.

    Tai ran his left palm along the entire blade of his sword, covering it with white mist. "Phantom Dimension!" He descended quickly, gripping the hilt of his sword with both hands and stabbing it into the ground, creating a circle with various symbols; from it emerged several dark beings with rather strange and abnormal shapes.

    Stolen novel; please report.

    "That''s impossible to be real," Ririam calmly suggested while looking through his sniper scope.

    "Why don''t you put an patch instead?!" Ann expressed with concern, seeing him calm despite his wound. In a blink, one of the beings charged toward them, passing through the yellow wind shield without trouble... Ririam immediately struck it with the butt of his sniper rifle, knocking it down, then repeatedly hitting it with the weapon. "It seems they''re real!"

    "Heh! Well, I''m out of here" Tai turned to escape toward the west gate, but the giant mantis robot shot out, crashing near the west gate. "I need to get out of here immediately." Tai was lifted once again by the yellow wind, along with the shadows he had created.

    "Oh no... Not again!".

    Ann created another tornado, even stronger than the previous one. This time, it tore up the ground, poles, and doors from nearby houses. "You¡­ won''t escape!" she shouted. Her body began to float, enveloped in a yellow aura spinning like the wind itself. Yellow tattoos in the shape of wind gusts appeared on her face, glowing. Then, the tornado became even faster, tearing entire sections of houses around it.

    Inside the tornado, Tai spun at high speed, colliding with various objects sucked in by the storm. "Damn it!" One of the shadows hit his face. "Aah, get off!" He pulled it off and threw it away, but another one hit his face again.

    Ann spun her hands to maintain the tornado, then extended both hands upward, and the entire tornado turned into a massive gust of wind that shot upward. She, using her magic, rose higher... The gust was about to hit her, but with a 360¡ã spin, extending both hands, she redirected the entire blast back down, at even greater speed. "Great Yellow Gust!" The entire blast crashed into the vehicle area, shattering it... and leaving a massive crater; Ann used more magic to prevent her attack from further destroying the surrounding houses.

    Tai emerged weakly from the crater, but that wasn''t going to stop him. "I must... get out of here... I''ve never taken a hit like that before, maybe I should''ve used my illusion magic and left that guy immobilized" Golden Gyverna chains shot out from the dust curtain, trapping Tai. "What''s this?... I can''t break it!" Even though Tai covered his body with dark mist, he couldn''t escape.

    "Don''t bother, it''s 160% pure golden Gyverna. Good thing you got close enough to me, that way I could place the tracker on you," Ririam remarked, approaching Tai with Ann at his side.

    "What? How is that wound I gave you not affecting you?!" he shouted angrily, trying to escape.

    Ririam''s image disappeared, revealing that it was also a robot. "I''ve been far away the whole time. Did you think I''d let you go? From the moment you decided to come for the scroll... You had already fallen into my trap. But you know, it''s strange that you only just realized we had the scroll¡ªyou''re careless." Once again, the robot projected Ririam''s image.

    "You''re fascinating!" Ann expressed with a smile on her face, hugging him.

    "You think so?" Tai''s body emitted a white aura, and he managed to break free from the chains, then began levitating while creating a white sphere. His mask flew off, revealing white cracks on his cheeks. "They must''ve forgotten to tell you this!".

    "Ririam..." Ann took a step back, fearful upon seeing the white magic, but noticed Ririam showed no fear at all, nor any concern for her presence there.

    "Calm down, Ann, it must be illusion magic. Attack him, nothing will happen," Ririam mentioned calmly, remaining still with his arms crossed.

    In the distance, running at full speed toward the west, was Xitlari. "No! This has to be a joke... He actually has white magic!".

    "What are you talking about?... There''s no white magic over there," the spiritual rhinoceros replied.

    "What?".

    "You better cover yourself, bastard! Because wherever you are, this will affect you too!" Tai shouted with a crazed smile. "Let''s see how your little girlfriend turns out, hahaha!" The cracks on his face grew larger, and the entire ground trembled.

    "I... don''t know if I can stop white magic," Ann admitted, terrified, unsure whether to heed Ririam''s words.

    "It can''t be that he has magic like that... It has to be an illusion!" Ririam thought, but seeing the white sphere growing larger and Tai''s face covered in more cracks, he deactivated the robot. "Get out of here, Ann! We have to leave!" shouted the real one, emerging from his hiding spot in the distance. Before the two could flee, a voice from afar stopped them.

    "Wait, it''s an illusion!" Xitlari shouted, arriving at the scene and launching one of his electric needles at Tai, which, upon hitting him, caused all the supposed white magic to vanish... revealing only him, floating with a sword, still bound by the golden Gyverna chains. In his hand, he held the scroll, seemingly tying something to it. Around him, several swords were poised to attack.

    "It''s too late!" Tai threw the scroll, and it sped toward the west gate. At that moment, Tai sent all the swords toward Ann, Ririam, and Xitlari, but Ann easily stopped and destroyed them all by generating pressure with her magic. Ririam looked at the scroll through his sniper scope but simply did nothing and stepped down from the rooftop.

    Running at full speed... about to reach the scroll... there was Reck, who, with a great leap, caught the scroll effortlessly.

    "So many paladins for nothing. Don''t even think you can catch that thing... Hah! And don''t think you''ll get any information from me, not even if you break my legs!" he said confidently, turning to look at the scroll. His eyes widened in shock upon seeing that someone had managed to grab the scroll mid-flight. "No... No way."

    Xitlari grabbed the golden Gyverna chains and yanked them with all her strength. "Get... DOWN!" Tai crashed into the ground, leaving a deep mark from the impact, which raised more dust and debris.

    "That woman... is really... strong..." he thought as his eyes slowly closed. "I failed you... Father".

    *King''s Palace ¨C Meeting Room*

    Everyone from the church was leaving the room. The last to leave were Louis and the long-haired yellow-haired leader (Leader Llowe).

    "You have all my support. Don''t disappoint me, eh? I have high expectations. Keep going!" Leader Llowe commented before parting from Louis. "Oh, hello, Paladin Lin!" After his greeting, he left with the others.

    "Son! What happened? Did they forbid you from being here?" Lin asked with concern, approaching Louis.

    "Everything''s fine, Mother, but... from now on, I have to ask the church for permission if I want to travel to another kingdom. Also, it seems I''ll always have a paladin watching over me in every kingdom I visit, except Alahead," Louis replied, somewhat relieved that it was over.

    "Oh, son... I''m sorry it''s like this," she said lovingly, touching his cheek with her right hand.

    "It''s okay. If it reassures them, I''ll do it... I''ll show them I''m different and that I''ll be a great paladin," he expressed with determination, clenching his right fist.

    "That''s the spirit! Come, let''s talk outside, I want you to tell me how it''s been for you here" she exclaimed excitedly, heading toward the palace courtyard.

    "Sure, I''ll tell you," Louis followed his mother and began recounting everything since he arrived in Ystir. "As soon as I arrived, I was looking for a place to sleep, but no one wanted to accept my money".

    "Seriously?! Even gold?!".

    "Yes, even gold".

    *Shelter Hall*

    The shelter hall was a gigantic room. There was a massive number of rooms, each capable of housing up to eight people. These rooms were equipped with food, a kitchen, two bathrooms, and a room with eight beds. This area had been built years ago by King Shane as a method to prevent the deaths of Ystir¡¯s citizens during wars or other emergencies.

    Outside the palace, most of the people had been gathered after Tai had been captured.

    "Citizens! We are done. I ask you, please, to prepare yourselves. All of you will stay here in the palace while you wait for the war to end. You will be treated properly here. You will have a few days to remain in the kingdom, but then we will close all the entrances. I ask you to hurry and return here after gathering anything you may have forgotten at home or finishing any pending matters you need to handle," Mei spoke through a magical megaphone. It was cream-colored and had a gem inside. She stood beside Prince Lue and four knights.

    "We want to know where King Jens is!" one man shouted, as some others yelled in support.

    "Yeah! And why is there suddenly a war? With whom?!" another added, and the crowd supported him, demanding answers.

    "Is that why the church has come twice?!" a woman wearing a hat with a ribbon and a blue dress insinuated.

    "What are you talking about, woman?! The first time was to remove that demon from the kingdom," replied a man with white hair, dressed in an elegant suit and holding a golden cane.

    "Don¡¯t call him that! He is a paladin," Marti shouted angrily alongside his family.

    "You''re a sellout!" another person added.

    "You''re Mother!" Marti retorted even more angrily, being held back by his wife and son to prevent a fight.

    "What did you say, you bastard?!" The man was about to hit Marti, but the other citizens stopped him.

    "Enough! Count Jens brought nothing but trouble. For over a month, the kingdom had been threatened, but Count Jens didn¡¯t even realize it. Now I will be king as it should be, and I will have Paladin Mei Teews as my advisor," Prince Lue declared with authority and rigidity, his tone slightly aggressive.

    At the prince¡¯s words, everyone murmured non-stop, doubting whether he could handle this at such a young age.

    "How can someone so young manage this?". "This is madness." "The kingdom will fall into ruin," some commented.

    "If it didn¡¯t fall into ruin under Count Jens, it won¡¯t under us," the prince replied.

    The people still had doubts about everything that had been suddenly revealed. "What is he talking about?" "Count Jens did a great job." "How could you do better than him without his experience?".

    "Count Jens was a fraud!... He stole from the kingdom, and all the time he was on the throne, he did nothing¡­ As you may know, several paladins lost their status¡­ and the only reason was Count Jens, because he didn¡¯t like that we didn¡¯t follow his orders. Today, Priest Yang came along with several leaders and a paladin to confirm this, and now Count Jens will be taken to prison."

    Everyone was shocked by the revelation. Some didn¡¯t believe it and even looked angry.

    "This can¡¯t be true! He built the shield". "But it is true, the proof is in how some prices have risen". "I still can¡¯t believe it," others said. "It¡¯s pure nonsense!".

    In the distance, a person rose using earth magic. He crossed his arms, drawing everyone¡¯s attention. He wore a brown vest with golden embellishments, a long-sleeved bluish-gray shirt, and dark red pants. His eyes and hair were brown. "Enough about Count Jens! If he tried to steal from the kingdom, he¡¯s already been stopped. There¡¯s something more important to talk about, and that¡¯s how you allow a demon who could destroy the kingdom to roam free".

    "Yes, he¡¯s right. That thing could wipe out the kingdom". "We wouldn¡¯t even make it to war," others added.

    "Leave him alone! He delivers several things to my library. He¡¯s never done anything wrong, he¡¯s a great person¡ªI even consider him my friend!" Amelia shouted with her arms crossed as the people stepped aside to let her be seen.

    "That¡¯s right! He saved me and my son from a werewolf when the crop barriers stopped working," Mari shouted, holding her baby as everyone moved aside to hear and see her better.

    "Not only that! The boy helped when the prisoners escaped from the castle, surely because of Jens, whom you all praised in the past," mentioned a dark-skinned citizen wearing a blacksmith¡¯s outfit.

    "He¡¯s a good kid! He delivers the packages I order, he¡¯s very kind and gentle. He¡¯s not a bad person!" said a woman wearing a red cap, a button-up shirt, and black pants.

    "I completely confirm!" added a man with long hair, wearing glasses, a gray cap, and a button-up shirt.

    "It¡¯s true, the boy is very calm!" added a woman with six children and her earth magic being beside her.

    Mei fixed her gaze on the man who had risen with earth magic. "Sir, tell me! Have you ever seen Paladin Louis hurt anyone? Do anything illegal? Use his magic improperly? Destroy part of the kingdom? Or even approach you?" she exclaimed, a bit annoyed by the man¡¯s comment. He remained silent in response and stepped down from the earth column. "Don¡¯t be foolish, he is a paladin, he has only come to help this kingdom¡ªyou should be grateful." These words managed to calm the citizens regarding Louis, but there was still slight doubt and denial among them.

    "And what if he attacked the kingdom? Do you have measures to prevent a disaster?" mentioned a tall and sturdy man wearing a blacksmith¡¯s outfit.

    "Paladin Louis has the church¡¯s permission. Do you really think the church would allow someone with such magic to roam the kingdoms if they weren¡¯t sure? There are some things to clarify about Paladin Louis because it seems some have the wrong idea, and not just about him¡ªthere are others who will soon become paladins as well, but they are mistreated despite having been in this kingdom since childhood. Even so, they have remained steadfast in their goal of becoming paladins like me. It¡¯s time to leave the past behind. I know the war with the werewolves of a single fur color has kept you constantly worried about those who are different, but not everything different is bad. Even King Shane told you this, but you don¡¯t listen. Look at my fairy, Clara. Do you think she could harm this kingdom just because she is different?" Mei kept her voice sweet and soft to convince the people, showing them Clara, who began flying excitedly in front of her. Everyone looked at each other and commented on this. Some were more convinced, but others couldn¡¯t accept it and simply turned away to gather what they had forgotten at home.

    "We will trust your words, Paladin Mei! I hope you are right..." said the man with earth magic before everyone turned to fetch their belongings. Others entered the palace to settle into their temporary home.

    "That wasn¡¯t so bad¡­ I think," Mei hinted, moving the magical megaphone away from her mouth.

    "Let''s hope this will ease that rejection a little" The prince watched the people walking to their homes with slight concern. "I hope I don¡¯t disappoint you, Father," he thought, raising his gaze to the sky.

    "Mei!" Mern shouted, running alongside Mark toward her, while carrying something that looked like an arm in his right hand.

    "What happened? Is everything okay in the east?" Mei asked, approaching them along with the prince.

    "We''ve discovered something strange," Mark mentioned, raising his right hand with his index finger extended.

    "I wanted you to see it for yourself... It seems that all the men from Zthur were robots. Look, this is an arm from one of them," Mern replied, showing her the arm from top to bottom.

    After analyzing the arm, Mei was convinced of who was responsible. "Too real... Only one person could make a robot like this... Blackyn Renog, or... known as the Dark Lord, a robotics enthusiast."

    "If he''s with Zthur, the fight will be even more difficult. You should inform the priest before he leaves," Mern exclaimed. Then he threw the arm toward one of the knights standing at the palace entrance. "Hey! Take this to the research center, please."

    "Yes, sir!" the knight responded, leaving with the arm.

    "Hellooooo!" Ann shouted with a smile on her face as she brought the others in yellow clouds. "Mission accomplished!" Everyone descended from the clouds, landing on the ground without any trouble.

    "In the end, white magic really was an illusion," Ririam commented with seriousness and calmness.

    "I already suspected it. It was impossible for him to have magic like that; it would be in the records," Mei said with relief and a slight smile on her face.

    "Have they already told you that they were all robots?" Ann asked cheerfully.

    "Yes, I''m already informed," Mei replied.

    "I¡¯ll take this guy to magical confinement," Reck mentioned, heading toward the palace while carrying Tai on his shoulder.

    Ann took Ririam by the arm. "We¡¯ll go check out the palace and fix any mess the count made," she said excitedly with a smile, while Ririam only had an annoyed expression. "Don''t make that face."

    Xitlari approached Mei, doubts filling her mind. "Do I still... have to wait?"

    "Yes, still, but you already have a higher rank. One more month and you''ll be a paladin!" Mei replied, trying to encourage her.

    "I won''t disappoint you!" Xitlari struck her upper right fist against her chest and then headed toward the palace as well.

    Once Xitlari was far enough away, Mern said, "Do you think she''s ready?"

    Mei had a brief moment of silence as she watched Xitlari walking, quite a distance behind Ririam and Ann. "We''ll find out with what''s coming."

    *Palace Courtyard*

    "Aaaawww! Do you really like someone!? What¡¯s she like? Does she have long hair? Is she taller than me...? Remember, marriage comes first!" she expressed with excitement and seriousness in her last sentence.

    "Mom... keep your voice down. I think they¡¯re back from the mission. If she hears you say that, I think... she¡¯ll stop talking to me," Louis hinted cautiously, looking around in case someone was nearby.

    With a gasp of surprise, Lin grabbed Louis by the shoulders and shook him. "She''s a paladin! Don''t tell me it¡¯s the one with yellow hair! Or the one with reddish streaks?"

    "Mom, please!" Louis said, blushing and looking around even more cautiously and nervously.

    "Oooohh... It¡¯s the tall one, isn''t it? Oh, son, I didn¡¯t know you liked tall girls," she mentioned, covering her mouth with her right hand before lightly elbowing him in the chest.

    "Please, ENOUGH!" Louis shouted, blushing even more.

    "Oh, sorry, hehe..." Lin hugged Louis warmly. "I¡¯m glad you can be happy here... You don¡¯t have to go back if you don¡¯t want to."

    A little surprised, Louis hugged his mother tightly and replied, "Someday, I¡¯ll have to".

    "Louis!" In the distance stood Professor Maxwell, who approached them.

    Hearing his name, Louis turned. "Professor! Uh... This is my mother, Lin Keeper".

    "A pleasure, and thank you for being the first to accept my son." Lin shook Professor Maxwell¡¯s hand and lowered her head in respect.

    "It was a great pleasure. He''s a great boy, with great potential," he commented sincerely before letting go of Lin¡¯s hand. "I can see who taught him such good manners".

    Lin smiled at the compliment. "Thank you very much, I hope he hasn¡¯t been a burden".

    "Well... maybe a little," he replied, glancing at Louis while stroking his beard.

    "Huh? Really!?" Louis expressed in surprise.

    "Haha, no, I¡¯m joking".

    "Oh, right..." Suddenly, Louis remembered something he needed to do. "Ah! Now that I think about it... Did they bring all my stuff?".

    "Yes, it¡¯s in room number 6 on the third floor," he replied, pointing to the third floor with his robotic hand.

    "Great." Louis started running toward the third floor. "Stay here! I¡¯ll be back in a moment".

    "Don¡¯t run in someone else¡¯s palace!" Lin scolded as she watched him go and slow down.

    Lin narrowed her eyes and turned them to the professor; her gaze shone as if she had activated a hidden plan. "Tell me everything you know".

    "Everything... I know?" the professor repeated, surprised.

    Meanwhile, Mei had found Priest Yang and the others, who were already heading to their carriage.

    "Priest, wait!" Mei shouted, running toward them along with the prince, Mern, and Mark.

    "What is it?" Priest Yang stopped in his tracks and looked at her.

    Standing firm, Mei replied, "I must inform you. They''ve found the hideouts of the men from Zthur, but they were all robots, with an incredible amount of detail".

    "Detailed robots...?" The priest placed his right hand on his chin, thinking about who could have done it. "Blackyn, right?".

    "It¡¯s the most likely. The only human is Yeynos¡¯s son, who calls himself Tai. This is the person we told you about, the one with white magic, but in the end, it was just an illusion".

    As they spoke, Clara approached the leaders and Gladys, greeting them enthusiastically.

    "I¡¯m glad to hear that. Keep me informed of anything new you discover. Unfortunately, we must leave, as there are problems in the kingdom of Mordigan" After saying this, Priest Yang continued toward the carriage with the others.

    "Mordigan... What could be happening there?" Mei wondered with curiosity.

    "I imagine more things related to Priest Krief. Do you guys want to go eat something?" Mern commented, placing his hand on Prince Liu and Mei''s shoulders.

    "I¡¯d love to, and while we''re at it, you can tell me what you¡¯ve been doing all this time," the prince exclaimed with a smile.

    "Great idea!" said Mark, and they all headed toward the palace while the church''s carriage exited through the gate.

    Inside the palace, Louis was returning to the courtyard after finally finding his room, as he had gotten a bit lost.

    "Now I must get used to this palace too... It would be embarrassing if I got lost here as well. Good thing there were knights to show me where I was," thought Louis as he ran with a flask, a metal bottle, and a card in his hands.

    Reaching the courtyard, Louis slowed down and saw Professor Maxwell talking with his mother.

    "So you know all that... I hope it doesn''t unsettle you" These words could be heard as Louis approached them.

    "Mom, I want to show you this" Louis extended his arm, holding out the flask containing a light blue liquid.

    "What is that?" she asked, puzzled, tilting her head slightly to the right.

    "It''s a liquid that makes things smaller, developed by a man named Donquichua," answered Professor Maxwell as Louis removed his katana from his waist.

    "Really? Incredible... Is it a new kind of magic?" Lin approached Louis to get a better look at the effect.

    "It''s a magic potion, but it''s not a new kind of magic," added Professor Maxwell, also stepping closer.

    Louis poured a little of the liquid onto his katana, and it shrank.

    "Whoa! How did they create something like this?" she said in surprise, her eyes lighting up. "Everything keeps advancing," she thought.

    "Could you take it with you? Donquichua asked me to speak to the king about this. Could you do it for me? Please," Louis asked, sealing the flask and handing it to Lin along with the card.

    "Of course, no problem, but... How do things return to normal?" she replied, taking the flask and storing the card in her armor.

    Louis opened the metal bottle and let a few drops of water fall onto his katana, which returned to its original size.

    "With water? Incredible! Donquichua must be a genius," Lin remarked, bringing the flask closer to her eyes to examine the liquid.

    "Ahem... He''s a beginner. I could make that potion if I wanted to," the professor began making his mechanical arm perform various actions to get Lin''s attention.

    "How little humble..." Louis thought suspiciously, narrowing his eyes and fixing his gaze on the professor.

    "Seeing this reminds me of what we found in the kingdom. It''s a great energy source," Lin exclaimed.

    "Really? What kind of energy is it?" The professor stepped closer, touching his beard with his mechanical arm.

    "I don''t know much, but remembering that also reminds me that I must return to the kingdom. I have to go now," Lin looked at Louis with sorrow; she wanted to spend more time with her son.

    "It''s okay, Mom. I understand that you have to go... But don''t think I won''t return" Those words soothed Lin, making her shed a tear, which she quickly wiped away with her hand.

    At the palace entrance, Louis and Professor Maxwell bid farewell to Lin.

    "Take care of him, please," Lin said, bowing her head completely.

    "Mom..."

    "Hahaha, he''s not a child, Paladin Lin. He can take care of himself," the professor said with a laugh, crossing his arms.

    Louis approached her, giving her one last hug.

    "Remember to make your prayers... You must not stray from God," Lin whispered while holding Louis tighter.

    "I''ll try..." he replied with a sigh, without much conviction.

    "Goodbye" Lin moved away from Louis and climbed into her carriage, and the driver set the metallic horses in motion. "Say everything you feel when you confess your love!" Lin shouted, sticking her head out of the carriage window.

    Louis placed both hands over his blushing face. "No... Mom, why?"

    "Do you like someone? Why didn''t you tell me?" the professor asked with a smile on his lips.

    "I was ashamed to tell you... I told her by accident," he replied, still covering his face.

    "Hahaha, don''t be embarrassed, it''s natural. Come on, let''s go find Mei," he said cheerfully and naturally, turning to enter the palace again. Louis followed him, removing his hands from his face.

    "Did you know that next month a meteorite will be visible from Earth?" the professor commented, causing Louis to lose his blush, filling him with excitement.

    "Really?! And will we be able to see it from here?!" he exclaimed enthusiastically as they entered the palace.

    "Of course, we''ll be able to see it from here," the professor replied, pleased with Louis'' excitement.

    "Amazing! The last time I saw one, I had to carry it to a volcano".

    The professor fell silent as they continued walking through the palace. "Seriously?".

    "Yes, it was part of my training".

    *From the Lands of Lyran*

    Many kilometers away from the kingdom of Ystir... there was a well-guarded place; here, factories produced various black pieces of different sizes and shapes. This place also had an ancient castle made of stone, surrounded by a large number of giant warehouses.

    Inside the castle, in a room with an old table and several chairs, sat Yeynos and the Dark Lord... Both were observing a towering silhouette. His body appeared human but almost translucent, covered in a layer of dark and reddish energy, revealing his neck, abdomen, and part of his arms. His spiky dark hair rose backward, with flashes that seemed to mix with blue and reddish hues due to the energy emanating from his body. His face was merely a dark red layer; he had no eyes, mouth, or nose. He wore a war cloak that left his muscular abdomen exposed, and it seemed that his clothing had fused with him, as if made of a corroded material. He wore gauntlets covering his entire hands and half of his forearms. His legs appeared to be covered by black pants and his feet by matching black shoes. He wore a waist cape with a belt over it. His body generated dark-colored fragments that detached from him and then disappeared, like flames separating from a fire and instantly extinguishing.

    "Complications are beginning... Tai and all the machines in the kingdom were a good card, too bad we also lost the scroll," Zthur gazed outside the castle, standing before a balcony. His voice was deep, soft, and controlled, with a slight echo.

    "I''ll go find it, I assure you I''ll fix all of this," Yeynos said, rising from his chair.

    "Of course, he''s your son, I''m not going to forbid you, but be careful, losing your card as well... would be disastrous." Zthur sat down and shuffled some cards that seemed to have images of various people. "But I hope you now understand why I don''t want your men knowing anything about the plan. They are the weakest, and a little torture will make them talk".

    "Still... it''s as if you don''t trust them, they are... my people," Yeynos exclaimed.

    "I''ll give you credit that Tryl and Jori weren''t from your village, but... this is how Mortikal taught me to do things, and this is how I''ll execute them... go and save your son" With his final words, Yeynos left without another word.

    Yeynos lifted his head towards the Dark Lord, and even though the latter had no eyes, he knew he was being watched. "Renog, accompany Yeynos and help him in any way you can. Also, take the opportunity to visit the werewolf camp to see if they accept the offer".

    "Why me? Why are you pairing us together again? You know we don''t get along, and pretending to be calm doesn''t please me" the Dark Lord expressed, displeased, slouching in his chair.

    "I imagine it helps you get along better; don''t ruin it, control that temper of yours, please" Zthur commented respectfully while continuing to shuffle the cards.

    "I''ll try, but I promise nothing" The Dark Lord stood up and left the room to follow Yeynos.

    "Perfect... soon the kingdom of Ystir will be in ruins, and I''ll be one step closer to fulfilling my mission," Zthur said as he placed the cards in a specific order on the table. "These humans... need to see reality, they shouldn''t think any of them will be spared... sorry, Yeynos... I''ll do my best" After finishing arranging the cards, Zthur suddenly stood up, knocking over the chair and placing his hands firmly on the table. "The ones above will fall, and the ones below will rise! Mordigan... you will be the NEXT!".

    End of the chapter