Pithos frantically ran down the corridor in search of the silver-eyed butler. He ran past a couple of maids that screeched when he passed under their legs. Others yelled that the sleek, black cat that Asher had adopted had gone crazy and that they must eliminate it to defend their masters.
Look at these useless pieces of trash! How could they speak of exterminating him?! The sole pillar of hope Asher, his little human, has left!
The black cat hissed at the group of workers that obstructed his path. It was a small group consisting of two young maids, a window cleaner, and a mature and frail-looking butler. They stared fiercely at Pithos with eyes brimming with caution. The two maids stood in front of the male workers as they utilized their powers to conjure two small spheres of water. They intended to drown the 'harmless' cat to prevent any damage to the estate.
Pithos scoffed at the maids' weakness. Working together, the two of them could barely manage to hold the water sphere together. Despite wanting to exert his body after countless days of him lounging around with Asher, he had no time for such trivial matters. Nonetheless, he didn't wish to reveal his god-like panther body. He decided to manipulate his own powers against the meek workers.
Pithos' ruby eyes turned completely black as the area surrounding him turned dark. Any and every worker that was close by during this time had their vision completely darkened. Three of the workers that were obstructing the way lost sight of the black cat as he blended well with the current darkness. Only one of them was able to catch onto the cat's trick.
Whenever someone used magic, their aura gets multiplied. Only experienced mages could see the auras others exude. Because of this, the mature butler quickly caught sight of Pithos' bright and overbearing aura.
The butler chocked on his own saliva. How could this cat hold such power?! While his companions were frantically searching for something to hold on to, the mature butler's eyes widened as he observes how, surrounding the cat, was a red silhouette of a panther. The display of power caused him to get on his knees as sweat ran down his back. Why weren't they informed that the estate accommodated such a supreme being?
Everything then went back to normal. The sun's rays warmed up the mature butler's frozen body as the other workers sighed in relief. However, when they saw the butler on the ground wheezing, relief flew out the window. The young maids immediately assisted the butler up as they admonished the other worker.
"You did nothing to support this poor butler! Shame on you!"
Soft paws hit the floor in a hurried manner as Pithos never stopped rushing to track down Archer. He hoped that the workers spread the news of the incident so that Archer would find him first. Just as he had desperately hoped, his wish was granted.
"Why are you causing so much trouble?"
Finally, the man he had been expecting! Wasting no time, Pithos spoke in a deep voice that didn't match his diminutive stature.
"It's Asher. If you don't help him, he'll die."
Archer's eyes narrowed in suspicion. However, knowing how Pithos had gotten so attached to the young master, he has no choice but to listen.
Sighing, he said, "Fine, but remember that if you make a fool out of me your life will not be spared."
The cat nodded frantically as they both ran back to Asher's room. In comparison to Pithos' pace, Archer was much more relaxed. Naturally, he believed that this was all an orchestrated joke.
Nothing could be detected from the inside of the room. To Archer, it was as if the young master was only silently sleeping.
Archer's eyes twitched in annoyance. "The young master is sleeping. Are you going to interrupt his rest?"
Pithos glared at Archer. How dare he say such a thing?
Suddenly, a loud yell was heard from inside the room. Archer's eyes widened as he quickly opened the door to find Young Master Asher writhing on the floor in intense pain. His usual glowing pale skin had turned several shades whiter. His jet-black hair was stuck onto his skin as sweat kept pouring from his pores.
Archer immediately knelt down beside Asher as he observed if any physical injury was causing such intense pain. Seeing no such injury, he gripped Asher against his chest as he turned to look at Pithos, his body shaking ever so slightly.
"What caused this?"
Archer's eyes narrowed. The feline rolled his eyes before jumping on top of the bed and nudging the wooden box with his nose.
"Long story short, he began reading these letters before screaming in pain. We did fuse our magical prowess to find the box, but I highly doubt that this was the catalyst."
The butler's eyes widened in shock before furiously glaring towards the black cat. "You did what?! Don't you know that a Young Master Asher has never used magic before?! What were you thinking?!"
Having realized this, Pithos lowered his head in shame. He has never been given any information about the human he was supposed to observe. The only information that was given to him was that he is the youngest master of the Pierce household and that it was imperative that they got along well.
"I admit my mistake. However, what is causing him this pain isn't the sudden use of magic or the like. It is something deeper. So quit your jabbering and let's please begin to help Asher," said the black cat as he glanced worriedly towards the pale boy. Then, he looked at Archer his gaze hardening.
"Let's not waste any more time."
As if on cue, Asher began to yell in pain. His hands tightly tugged at his hair. Various strands of hair were removed from his scalp, creating a burning sensation. He desperately hoped that this superficial pain would take his mind off of what he felt inside.
It burned. Everything burned. From the strands of his hair to the tips of his toes. It was too much pain. He has been hurt far too much. The past Asher... just what has he gone through?
Archer stared at the tiny body that was shaking non-stop. His eyes narrowed as he thought to himself. Could this child really be a threat? Looking at his weak disposition and naive personality, there was no doubt that such a feeble person couldn't be involved in anything dangerous.
Asher jerked away from Archer's hands as he placed his hands on the small one's back. Frowning, Archer forcefully placed a hand against Asher's back as his other arm firmly held him in place. As he did this, Pithos placed his front paws against Asher's forehead.
The small boy yelled out in pain as Archer scoffed in annoyance. How could it be that not a single person here went to check on the youngest master? Such a glorious and supreme estate yet they possessed incredibly incompetent servants.
Archer looks at Pithos who had already closed his eyes and began pouring his magical energy inside of Asher.
"Guide me, Pithos. You are certainly much more knowledgeable than me regarding this subject."
The black cat nodded. Together with Pithos, Archer poured small quantities of his magical essence into the young child, not wanting to overwhelm the young master with his magic. As time passed, he gained enough confidence to gradually increase the amount of magic he gave to Asher.
Magic is truly a powerful thing. It is something with a set meaning and purpose. However, magic is also flexible and allows you to create both exquisite things and devastating tragedies. You can manipulate the wind to generate a peaceful breeze. One that gently carries the flower's pollen while brushing the hair away from your face. In contrast to the picturesque and blissful breeze, you can utilize the wind as a mighty weapon. One that can cleanly cut through any surface no matter how thick or how hard its outer exterior is. In other words, magic is like a coin, possessing two different outcomes.
The magic Pithos poured into Asher was as dark as night. Or perhaps even darker. It was one that, if you stared at it too long, you would start to recognize your inner demons. Your pain, your traumas, your fears... it will slowly consume you whole. However, magic is like a coin. Instead of designating such a cruel and non-forgiving darkness to his beloved human, Pithos instead created a much safer and comfortable blackness. What Pithos intended for Asher to receive was like a warm blanket or a comfortable space. A blanket to shelter him from whatever he was about to discover and space for him to find what was missing.
On the other hand, Archer's magic was much more colorful yet not as vivid as one would expect. It was a clear depiction of the type of person he was. Two different shades of green were circulating inside of Archer before being released into Asher's body. First came a deep shade of green. One that helped carve a straight path towards Asher's goal and expressed a vast amount of determination. The other, a delicate, pale green. This color represented a combination of bliss, calmness, and happiness. A soft yet never-ending breeze that carried a hint of innocent laughter and playfulness.
Both mystical energies were traveling across Asher's body through small and almost non-existent magical veins. These veins were something unique people with magical prowess possessed since it is meant to channel and connect someone's power with the rest of his or her body. It was all a complicated yet simple system.
The magic people possessed all came from a special part of the body: the magic core. This is were magic is produced and stored in. The amount of magic one was able to control heavily depended on the size, color, and value of the core. One could also train to increase the amount of magic the core can hold.
"He is calming down now. What do we do next?"
Archer's voice sounded out throughout the still room. His magic kept circulating around Asher's body while completely evading his magic core. Archer could feel the power emanating from the small boy's magical core. As is responding to his own magic, the magic core released its own pulses of magic, intertwining with his and Pitho's magical essence.
"I know you won't like this, but we have no choice. We have to reach his magic core."
"Are you insane?!" Archer exclaimed, almost losing his concentration. The action caused Asher to groan uncomfortably. "Don't you know the damage we could cause?! I'd rather not take away a young boy's only mean of survival."
Pithos shook his head. They had to take the risk. "It is either that or let him die. This is the only entrance that will allow us to get inside of him."
"Get inside of him?"
Opening his eyes, Archer looked towards Pithos in a puzzled manner. Unlike last time, he kept control of his magic and caused no disturbances.
The black cat nodded, his eyes closed tightly. "Whenever powerful beasts such as myself evolve, we go through a painful and terrifying process. This process occurs because both our core and our subconsciousness demands it after we undergo a physical and mental change. Why this occurs, I don't have the answer to that,"
"But I do know that he is experiencing this process. We need to get inside of him, inside of his subconsciousness and provide support. Otherwise, he is as good as dead."