Sunlight cascaded in from the high windows, lighting up the space on the dais where Amelia was standing. A female mage with a staff in her hand, dressed in black and dark blue ceremonial robes, greeted Amelia. With a warm smile, she lifted her staff and chanted a spell. Soon, a dark swirl of cloud appeared at the tip of the staff and wound around Amelia.
Amelia fell on her right knee as she broke into a cold sweat. She couldn't understand what was happening, but it felt like her head was about to split. No wonder the previous maidens passed out as soon as the dark cloud touched them. Something about this magic was intrusive.
As Amelia struggled to stay conscious, Yuri Alistair's eyes remained on her. He looked at her with interest, but his face remained expressionless.
He had known that aside from the human magus, Iris, Amelia almost managed to keep her consciousness when they entered the portal that bordered Silver City. It wasn't the first time that a human tribute was able to resist the power of the portal, but for Amelia - a mortal human with no magical powers - she instantly became an anomaly in Yuri's eyes.
Meanwhile, Iris could only look at Amelia helplessly. It was obvious that her friend was feeling some discomfort due to the magic being used on her. She had regretted not asking Ricci about how this ritual was carried out earlier.
The mage stepped back, and finally the dark cloud dissipated into thin air, leaving Amelia panting for breath on the dais. Chrysanthe rushed forward without thinking, helping their friend back on her feet.
"Are you alright, Amelia?" She asked as she checked their friend for any injury she might have sustained from the dark cloud, but there was none.
"Just a little tired." Amelia forced a smile to her face. "It's nothing to be worried about."
As soon as Amelia came down from the dais, Chysanthe's name was called. She didn't want to go there for the testing, but she would have to. Seeing what happened to the maidens and Amelia, who got tested before them, she had an idea what the dark cloud was trying to do with them.
The mage dipped her head and called Chrysanthe's name again, and this time, she had no choice but to step forward. Although her mind was telling her to flee, she couldn't stop her body from striding forward, taking the position where Amelia had previously occupied.
The same thing happened to her. The mage chanted the same spell and the dark cloud emerged once again, winding around Chrysanthe. It didn't take long, and she ended up unconscious on the floor, making Iris panic. Amelia was able to resist the spell, but Chrysanthe was like the rest of the maidens, powerless and magicless.
When the faeries moved Chrysanthe's unconscious body from the dais, Iris was frozen in place when Junifer's name was called instead of her.
"Lady Junifer?" The mage called, but Iris didn't step forward.
"I…" Iris hesitated, but she didn't want to deceive these darklings by pretending she was her younger sister. She was confused why Junifer's name was still on the list, despite the fact that she had volunteered to replace her sister instead.
"I'm Iris Scarborough. Junifer Scarborough is my sister."
A grunt could be heard from one of the thirteen demon lords.
"What's the meaning of this, Remus? I thought that we would be able to find a lead when you asked for the oracle's interpretation of the prophecy?" A female voice asked.
"The oracle's interpretations were ambiguous. It only says that what we are looking for is right under our nose. Surely, that thing isn't here in Asnar, but what else is close to us other than Calaren Town and its neighboring villages?" The demon lord called Remus replied.
Iris dared to look up again. Unlike the other maidens, her eyesight was not disrupted by the magic that was hiding the demon lords in sight. The demon lord Remus had golden hair that reached his shoulders and a face that could be considered beautiful and ethereal at the same time. He was wearing a white tunic and a red cloak over it. He looked bored as he kept his eyes on the dais and the maidens.
His eyes then met hers, and she immediately lowered her head.
"Interesting. I could sense magic from this mortal, and it seems like she could see us clearly."
"Lady Iris, do you know that you've just practically ruined the ritual by replacing your sister and coming here instead of her?" The woman seated next to one of the demon lords, Xanaros, asked. She had long midnight hair and had a golden crown on top of her head. A long white veil flowed from the tip of her crown down to her back.
She had a pair of big, captivating and beautiful eyes and soft white skin. Iris had never seen a woman as beautiful, tall, modest and elegant as this demon lord. She was almost as beautiful as demon lord Caelea who spoke earlier.
"My dearest Queen, does it really matter?" The Red King intervened. "Since she's already here, let's get her tested." He said, his eyes glancing in Lord Kieran's direction.
The demon lord Aleera, the Red King's wife, could only scowl and let the ritual proceed.
Iris had no other choice but to stand on the dais and allow the mage to test her. As soon as the dark cloud appeared, threatening to engulf her, Iris felt something resisted inside of her. She hissed in pain as her mana flowed restlessly inside her. She staggered from where she was standing until her mana pushed away the dark cloud from her, a golden band appearing around her head.
A sound of clattering took everyone's attention from Iris as the staff that the mage was using broke into two and the mage herself fell on the cold floor with a loud thud, cold and dead.