'Hey, what are we going to do? That cursed child is here again. What if it curses some of our children into becoming like it?'
'Don't worry. I warned all the children to stay away. We don't have to worry about 'our' children. But that cursed child is a different matter. We ended up killing it as soon as possible.'
'Go away, you cursed child! We do not want you here!
It was the same nightmare again and again. The more Maria dreamed, the more she remembered memories of her past. It had been filled with pain and rejection.
And Maria believed she deserved most of this criticism for being born a mutant.
Occasionally, a human child was born with unnatural conditions that made their physical features look like a monster. When these children did not awaken a corresponding power, they were called as mutants or cursed ones.
In Maria's case, she had no ability when she turned 13. That, combined with her long blond hair and pointed ears, made her look like an elf. She was an easy target for people who feared the abyss and wanted something to curse.
It did not help that Maria lived just outside the city and in the rift-infected region when she was young.
The criticism and the complaints from her childhood stuck with her, causing her to become bitter and guarded.
'Don't worry. Your beauty and your powers are not a curse. I like you as you are, Maria. To me, you are the most beautiful person in the world.'
These words echoed inside Maria's mind at the same time the curses did. But this voice was much stronger than the others around her.
This had belonged to a young guide Maria had fancied. This was the person Maria wanted to spend her life with and grow old with.
But that opportunity had been shipped out of her hand by the demon before her. And for that, Marian would never forgive her.
Maria might not remember much of her childhood or even know the name of the person she loved. But she recognised his voice and how his hands felt when he touched Maria.
That memory was all she needed to keep on going and hating Lea.
A hand reached out toward Maria, and she flinched before backing away. She did not want to be touched by a stranger.
"Do not touch me or else…."
Maria snapped and smacked the hand away from her face. She opened her eyes (she did not remember closing them) and looked at the old face before her.
"Oh dear. Looks like your body is not in a good condition. You need to take care of yourself, or you will collapse. Do you understand?"
The old lady asked, but Maria only looked at her with an uneasy expression. She did not like older adults since they had tormented her for so long.
They were the ones who were the most superstitious, and they also liked to curse her out.
"So, is she alright, granny? Can she be discharged from the hospital?"
Lea asked, and Maria's attention turned toward Lea. She was staring at Lea with an attentive look on her face.
The distrust and disgust on Maria's face was clear, and it forced Lea to react. The old granny looked between them and realised they had bad blood.
"These old bones are not what they used to be. I can't take the excitement that comes with your presence, Lea. Would you be kind enough to head out now?"
Lea pouted as she looked at the old lady. She wanted to stay in since it would mean losing precious time interrogating Maria. But she also had no choice in this matter.
The doctor's orders were ultimate in the hospital wing, and Lea had to follow them.
"Fine, I understand. You do not want me here and are driving me out now. I see how things are with you. But I promise that I will come back to haunt you soon. You will not get rid of me so easily."
The door finally closed and broke off Lea's passionate speech. Maria continued to look at the doorway after Lea had left.
Her paranoia caused her to not believe that the other had left her alone.
"How do you even relax with a monster like her around you? Don't you feel afraid that you will all be killed in your sleep? I don't think I can relax with her around."
Maria confessed while looking at the old lady in front of her. The doctor looked back at Maria with a look of understanding.
"Lea can come off as a bit strong, but she has a good heart underneath all that. And Lea might come across as dangerous if you meet her in the wrong circumstances, but she will not harm you without a reason."
Maria looked at the old lady as if she did not believe her words. She did not know what magic Lea had woven over this place, but she would not fall for it.
Lea might have fooled everyone into thinking she was harmless, but Maria knew the truth. And because she knew the truth, she refused to let her guard down.
......
"Lea, are you alright? I heard that an assassin tried to kill you when you came out of the commander's office. You did not kill anyone because you were triggered, right?"
Sara was the first to break into Lea's room and ask these questions. The only reason she was the first was because Emily did not know where Lea's room was.
But it did not take long for Emily to find the ancient-looking room and slam the door open.
"Lea, are you alright? I heard what happened. Do you think you can stand up? Or are you injured?"
Sara and Emily had opposite reactions after hearing what happened to Lea. But there was no need for them to be worried.
Lea would be the first to admit she was not the most trustworthy person in the group, but she was the strongest and knew how to control herself. There was no real reason to be worried about her.
"Hmm, I am alright. I am not weak enough to be hurt by such small-scale attacks. And Sara, stop doubting me. If I wanted to kill someone in this place, then no one would know. Public killing is not my style."
Lea reminded Sara, and the girl flushed red before looking away.
"So, what are you going to do with your prisoner? Who was it? People are telling all types of gossip because there has been no official announcement yet."
Emily asked while trying to divert Lea's attention to herself. She felt jealous to see Sara getting all of Lea's attention. She wanted Lea to look at her and not at Sara.
And her plan worked. As soon as she asked this question, Lea turned to look at her with an amused expression.
"Well, I don't know who attacked me and what they wanted. She refused to tell me her name, but she was an elf, so I can understand where her desire to remain quiet comes from. All I can say is that she's amusing and piqued my interest."
Emily felt worried, and she bit her lip while Sara groaned. Lee's curiosity was dangerous, and Emily knew this from experience. She never wanted to experience the hell she had the first time she had seen Lea be interested in something.
It was back when Sara was still a naive teenager and hoped to make Lea look at her as a potential partner.
Sara had tried everything she could to make Lea lose interest in the other person. But she had yet to be successful.
And just when she was sure that Lea had fallen in love for certain, Lea lost interest in her new test subject.
This cycle repeats a few times before Sara gets the message.
"I see. Now that we know you are alright, we should head out. We have class tomorrow, and there are too many assignments due. You should try to get some of them done as well."
Sara advised before she dragged Emily out of the room as well. Emily looked annoyed to be dragged out, and she looked at Sara with a look of betrayal.
"Hey, what do you think you are doing? I thought you liked Lea as well. Don't you need to stop Lea from being interested in someone else? Being passive like this will not help."
Emily roared with her expression, and Sara just shook her head.
She understood all the emotions Emily felt at that moment, and she felt sympathetic toward her as well. So, she decided to tell Emily what she knew.
"Let Lea be for now. She gains and loses interest in people too quickly. She will also be over this new interest of hers in a week. Just give it some time, and things will go back to normal."
That was what Sara said, but Emily did not feel the same.