The weak hinges of his door creaked, and the sound echoed back as he walked into his quiet room. The fire stones on the wall then lit up the room once he removed his black shoes and stretched with a loud yawn.
The night had finally swept in after spending the last hours reading and completing his assignments—right now, he needed nothing more but a good night's sleep. He was so exhausted that he didn't bother going for dinner.
Sluggishly, he walked to his tiny but comfortable bed and threw his body on the surface without bothering to take off his uniform. Most days felt like this, especially when he had no practical lessons that always sent a rush down his veins.
Also, he couldn't have fun like the other students because of his terrible financial status. The academy only gave him an allowance of ten thousand zeni—and the damn fire stones cost him a lot, about half of his allowance.
He groaned, regretting his purchase. He could have been touring the city at night. But here he was, lonely and bored.
While looking for some sleep, the air suddenly turned eerie before the shadows in his room merged into a humanoid figure in the background.
Arthur didn't try flinching or reacting because he already knew who it was.
The figure transformed into Claudia.
She was in a long-sleeved white shirt, a short black and white checked skirt with pair of leggings to cover her slender legs. She wasn't wearing her "disguise" glasses and her hair was free, giving him a hint of her original form.
"You reek of dragon," she snorted.
"Well, duh…I have a friend who is a dragon, after all," Arthur muffled, his face still stuffed into the pillow.
She settled on the bedside and rolled him over to face her. "I'm still against a demon lord candidate hanging out with a dragon, those creatures are disgusting and annoying. They claim to be so wise and righteous, yet they even despise their own for being weaker."
As she argued, she helped remove his coat and unbuttoned his shirt halfway since he was too lazy to do it.
"Why are demons after her power?"
"We're not. This isn't the first time a dragon has acquired a divine blessing like hers. The demon hunting her is known as a divine hunter; it is blessed with the ability to track down those with divine blessings. And If it's offered a contract, it can be more dangerous because they are strong enough to go against two Class S magic," she explained.
Arthur then hoisted himself from the bed and sat close to her—they were like lovers.
"By divine blessing you mean?"
"A Will inherited directly from a dead god."
Arthur's eyes widened from the shock of hearing this. Could gods even die? Weren't they immortal?
"A Will…from a dead god?"
Claudia nodded. Her violet eyes sparkled in the light—and they were hypnotizing if you were to stare into them for long. "Yes, by now, you should know that gods are not as powerful as they are in the books. Every living thing dies at some point, there is no such thing as eternity."
"So the demon that attacked Eshelem is in a contract with someone. Do you think that someone is the same person who put the ogre in the dungeon…?"
"Maybe, but those two are completely different cases. If you're right, then that's an ever-better reason for you to stay away from the dragon girl," she snarled.
"Her name is Eris, and I can't stay away from her. As my servant, I need you to keep your questions to youself."
His tone had dropped significantly, and in response, Claudia smirked after sensing a change in his aura.
'The fraction of the demon god's power is reacting to his mood. My Master has grown so fast in such a short time. I knew he was amazing.'
She thought.
"Fine. I won't, but if that demon enters the human domain, you will have to be strong enough to fight against it. The boundary that separates the human domain is weak, all that demon needs is a vessel, and it will step into this domain and cause chaos. And that brings us to why I am here; I am going to teach you how to use cursed energy. I believe you are ready."
Arthur suddenly sprung from his bed, shocked by what she had just said. From what he had learned, humans could control the life energy of this world known as mana, whereas demons had this form of power that was the complete opposite and even more superior in some ways. This power was called cursed energy, and it could only be wielded by those who could summon power from where demons come from. That's all he knew about cursed energy because he needed to be a second year or higher to gain access to more demonology books that centered around demons and their abilities.
"What makes you think so?"
"You established a link with the dark sister; I can feel it. That connection alone is enough to connect you to the dark realm."
'So that's how it works.'
"…on the topic of the sword, what do the runes on the sword mean?" he was candid when he chose to bring about the sword during their conversation.
She blinked. "Oh, those runes were placed there a long time ago. Only a few in this realm can translate them, and I can't."
'Should I tell her about Miss Catherine? No, she might kill her to protect me.'
"I see. When do we start acquiring cursed energy?"
She smirked at his question. "Now, of course."
Then, using the element of surprise, she grasped his hand with force, and they were both swallowed by shadows instantly.
.
.
.
Moments later, they reappeared in an empty arena. Arthur yanked his hand out of her grip and panicked once he sensed no life in the air. Instead, it was calm and dense as it flowed into his lungs. Similar to the space she had transported him to on the day of the exam, the sky was unnaturally black with no stars in the sky, yet he could clearly as if it was daylight. No wind howled in this place, and the ground was made of a crystalline substance that resembled sand. When he crouched down and grabbed some of it, it was irritating, like a hot rock--and he immediately released it.
"What the hell is going on? What is this place?" he demanded.
"This is the Shadow realm, or as others call it, the Realm of Despair. The last time you were here, I protected you from its power. But since we are now training, you have to feel the darkness of the realm and learn how to tap into cursed energy."
Her reply came from behind. And quickly, Arthur turned, following the origin of her voice.
She had acquired a new form— and had grown a large pair of black feathered wings that stretched majestically from her back like an angel. Her presence had also changed, and it felt eerie and terrifying enough to make the hairs on his body raise.
'Is that her real form?'
Arthur could feel the strength of her presence resisting the overall aura of this realm; this was the true power of a primordial demon.
"How do I learn?" he asked softly while trying to hide the weakness in his voice.
She smiled, then waved her hand, and dark sister appeared in his right hand.
'Huh?'
"That sword contains about three days' worth of mana. She will protect you with that mana for the time being against the shadow beasts of this realm," she said.
"B-Beasts…! I am not strong enough to face any beasts!" he stuttered. Without magic, his body wouldn't last a single attack from any of the monsters of this realm.
"Death should be the least of your worries in this place. You have my protection, after all," she chuckled as she set herself off the ground. "You have been training for the past weeks with the Vermilion girl, so you can't be that bad. You also can't fight a divine hunter at your current level of strength. You need to upgrade…"
She clapped and a magic cage fell from the black sky and landed about ten meters away from him.
Whether it was instinct or now, Arthur felt the creature's killing intent coming from within the magic cage—and seeing how much it rattled viciously, he could tell that this monster was big. It was a four-sided sealed cage with iron doors marked with magic runes that glowed each time the cage rattled. It reinforced itself each time the cage rattled—the power of magecraft.
Slowly, he backed away. But then, his foot landed on an unnoticed magic circle that had appeared out of nowhere.
"W—What is the meaning of this…?!" his eyes screamed terror as the magic circle activated with a bright purple light.
Then, the incredible sound of chiming bells sounded through his ears.
"Claudia, what is going on?" he gasped.
"You have activated the first battle, Arthur; you will fight a shadow beast known as the silver tiger until you win. Be warned, it can use shadow magic, and it has not been fed for the past three weeks since I captured it. Defeat it so we can move on to the next!"
'A silver tiger? I've never heard of it. Aren't they extinct?'
After her brief explanation, she snapped her fingers and the cage's doors slowly opened to let out the monster.
Arthur gritted his teeth; he had no choice but to fight for his life this time. He was shaking and could barely stand; this was so sudden, and the lack of magic only made it worse.
But in the moment of fear, he thought of how powerful he would be if he acquired the cursed energy he failed to hundreds of years ago because he was part human. That's it, this was the beginning of his journey—he was the demon candidate.
'Yes, I shouldn't be afraid of death.'
With that thought, Arthur let go of his nerves and filled his heart with ambition. He narrowed his eyebrows, gripped harder on the sword's handle, and waited for his monstrous opponent.