The question only made Skylar feel even more bewildered.
After all, the girl in front of him had just slapped and hit him multiple times, and only her whims gave him a chance to explain himself. Not to mention, she had minimal combat abilities at best. Bringing someone else would be a liability, not to mention the inherent risks from the endless light rain risking her turning into the zombie-like state again.
"Sorry, no can do," Skylar said while sighing, resisting the urge to berate the woman. "Find a shelter. Just don't get hit by the light rain and you'll be fine. Hole up somewhere or something,"
"But…" Rachel started to speak.
"No buts. I have my own objective, you have yours. No reason to get all begging with me. One thing is important, whatever happens, just survive."
Without listening to another word, Skylar left, with his system avatar snickering behind him.
"Well, someone is a prince charming," Agrippina said in a sing-song tone. "I bet more women will fawn over you later, bad boy."
"If they can stop me from hearing you constantly, then sure," Skylar smirked as he fired the barb. "Okay, with that done, now what?"
"Get stronger, of course, and save the world. Your title isn't just for show, you know~"
When he was about to turn and walk into an alleyway, her expression suddenly changed, prompting her to float in front of him.
"Don't take another step. I sense something."
Skylar took a leap and hid near a pile of scrap metal, straining his ears in silent alert. From within the darkness, footsteps could be heard, along with whispers of a conversation. Then, another noise, similar of a whoosh, echoed from within the darkness, leaving only one voice.
"If you ever betrayed him, I will discard you,"
Although the words were spoken with such an air of authority, the voice was not. It was kind of shrill, sounding as if it belonged to a boy no older than ten. As Skylar hid deeper into the pile of metal, he saw a glimpse of the boy emerging from the darkness.
His hair looked messy and disheveled, and his glowing blue eyes gazed at the filthy clothes he wore with such a palpable disdain. It was like the eyes of a noble child was narrowed at a peasant begging for scraps of food.
"Skylar, hide."
Right as Agrippina said the warning, the boy's head snapped to look at the direction Skylar hid in. Now that he was the target, Skylar could feel the malice swirling behind the boy's blue eyes, clear as the gray clouds marking the summer rain. The boy seemed to be unperturbed even as the constant light rain hit his skin, and upon closer look, the motes of light falling from the sky simply slid away from his skin, to disappear after it fell onto the ground.
"I know you are there. If you do not come out, I will make you."
The boy spoke again.
"This energy… Skylar, this is not good," his system avatar warned, "I'm certainly fine with getting more control of your body, but—"
Whoosh!
Before she could finish, a wave of blue energy surrounded them, tossing all the piles of refuse hiding them from sight.
Skylar reacted first, as he pulled out his scythe, ready to retaliate. At the moment the blue energy destroyed their hiding place, he managed to jump away, far enough to see the blue energy crushing the metal piles into smithereens.
"Oh, interesting, so you are another owner of the Divina System," the boy spoke with an almost lip-splitting grin. It looked far too wide and toothy to be on a boy no older than ten. "Then, will you be my friend?"
As the boy spoke, he walked closer and closer. Meanwhile, Skylar felt like his limbs were chained in place by the boy's stare. Even lifting the tip of a finger felt like he was trying to lift an entire building.
"Give me control."
Without waiting for an answer, Agrippina enveloped Skylar's arms with both of her arms. Almost immediately, the sleeves turned white, a sign announcing her presence.
Right as the boy's small hand touched Skylar's, the crackling of energy could be heard, and icicles formed around them, as Agrippina's touch froze both of the boy's arms.
Shocked, the little boy stepped back, cradling his frozen, useless arms together with what movements he could muster. Ice colder than everything has enveloped his arms up to half his upper arm. On the tip of the boy's fingers, frost has settled in, turning them stiff and no longer usable.
"You—"
Almost immediately, Agrippina gave control back, and the wave of white that enveloped Skylar's arms receded away. She floated close behind, her white cloak enveloping Skylar in an almost protective embrace.
"Do not touch my lovely soulmate, Evelyn Morphora. I know it is you, you insane hag."
The boy did not answer, the only reaction he gave was a glare full of hatred and malice.
"Now, Skylar! What are you waiting for?!"
Skylar immediately snapped out of his reverie the moment he heard the command. While gripping his scythe, he dashed forward.
SLASH!
He made a wide, crescent slash to the side, separating the boy's upper and lower body by the torso. Blood gushed from the wound as the boy fell to the ground.
However, the tell-tale blue glow of the boy's eyes was still there.
Upon closer look, the boy did not only possess glowing eyes, but he was also surrounded by thin, almost imperceptible strings that propped his body and limbs up despite the grievous wound. Through gritted teeth, the boy spoke, each word dripping with anger.
"Then, see you, Sixth."
As the last of the words left the boy's mouth, blue energy started to spill out from all the boy's orifices and veins. Even the blood pooling beneath the boy had turned blue, bubbling and twisting with mysterious energy.
"Skylar!" Agrippina warned.
Boom!
The boy's eyes turned lifeless, right as an explosion of strings surrounded them. Like a cocoon, the strings did not allow even the slightest opening for them to escape.
Growl!
Before the strings touched them entirely, animalistic growls from a horde could be heard. In front of their eyes, purplish claws tore the strings into shreds, causing them to fade away in front of their eyes.
"Heh, glad you are alright."
Their rescuer was a woman. She wore a crimson cape, and behind her, there was an elegant woman wearing flowing, silken gown resembling swirling blood. Around the two of them, a horde of dogs with fur gleaming like stars in the night sky could be seen, surrounding them in a protective circle.
As the blue strings fully faded away, they saw the boy's corpse have disappeared, only leaving bits of splintered wood wrapped in faded white strings.
"Greetings, Sixth. I am the Seventeenth Divina, Designation Sirius."