In the desolate training yard behind the Dalma mansion, Fray stood with a composed demeanour, positioned at one end, while across from him, Casper sported a gleeful smile. The air hung heavy with anticipation.
"The dark Iffrit of Hallucination, Axelius, wake up!" Casper shouted in a loud, crazy voice.
A chilling sensation ran through that air, as suddenly Casper's shadow seemed to come to life, moving and twisting, before two creepy, dark, and very long skinny arms with dark claws reached out, gripping into the ground. Then slowly, a terrifying creature started emerging.
A tall, dark creature stood behind Casper, with long arms dragging on the ground and a figure twice the size of Casper's body. Its terrifying face resembled that of a human with stitched-closed eyes and mouth, and dark and twisted skin.
(As anticipated, this spirit must be in the seventh rank. Despite the spirits of Elisa and Rafael, this entity may well be the most potent in the entire family.) Fray contemplated, scrutinizing the dark creature with unwavering focus.
Meanwhile, with a swift motion, Casper commanded his spirit to advance. The creature, still connected to its shadow, propelled itself toward Fray with supernatural speed, claws poised for an attack.
Swung!!
As the creature reached its target, it swung its claws at Fray, and Casper's grin widened with confidence.
However, his expression soon froze as Fray effortlessly caught the creature's claws. In a mesmerizing display, Fray's body expanded, growing taller and more imposing. " Hahaha, It seems that your confidence was well-founded "Casper laughing crazy, acknowledged Fray's power.
With one hand firmly gripping the creature, Fray raised the other, readying for a punch. But suddenly, a low murmur from Casper reached Fray's ears "Axelius, open your left eye."
Before Fray could react, the creature's left eye burst open, revealing three disturbing purple pupils inside, all of them reflecting Fray's stoic face.
Suddenly in the blink of an eye, Casper and the creature vanished from Fray's view, and he found himself thrust into a nightmarish hallucination. The tranquil training yard transformed into a scorching landscape, surrounded by towering flames and rivers of molten lava that seemed to dance with an otherworldly glow.
The air quivered with intense heat, and the oppressive warmth pressed against Fray's skin. The ground beneath him radiated with a searing intensity and the flames roared like a relentless beast, their fiery tongues reaching out to lick the air.
( I can even feel the heat, I never thought just a hallucination could be this realistic) Fray standing in this surreal hellscape, thought ( most people will find it impossible to escape it, but unfortunately for him, I have a golden soul )
In an unforeseen turn of events, the nightmarish hallucination that ensnared Fray crumbled before the might of his legendary soul.
Thus, as reality regained its hold, Fray found himself mere centimetres away from a devastating punch, unleashed by Casper with unparalleled speed.
As Fray's vision returned to normal, his movements were guided by a prowess that transcended ordinary limits. In a heartbeat, he intercepted Casper's punch, seizing it with an otherworldly finesse.
"!!?"Casper opened his eyes in shock as a moment of stunned silence hung in the air, shattered only by the sudden thunderous impact of Fray's blurred punch colliding with Casper's midsection.
Punch!
" Huue...." The sudden punch left Casper gasping for breath as a crimson tide spilled from his lips. The force of Fray's strike propelled Casper backward, his body sailing through the air before crashing onto the unforgiving ground.
Casper's battered body lay sprawled on the ground, while the smoky silhouette of Axelius, seemingly untouched by the ordeal, lingered nearby, casting an eerie contrast against the training yard's muted backdrop.
Fray, undeterred, approached Casper's side, his eyes fixed on the fallen adversary. A calm yet determined aura surrounded Fray as he inquired "Are you ready to surrender?"
"Hahaha" However, to Fray's surprise, Casper, despite the evident pain, erupted into mad laughter, finding amusement in the chaos that unfolded.
HA-HA -HA-HA
Struggling to maintain his composure, Casper, clutching his stomach, managed to kneel on one knee. His laughter echoed through the air, creating an unsettling harmony with the tension that permeated the scene.
"..." Fray, with a cautious expression, continued to observe, sensing there was more to this man than met the eye.
"Haha! This is interesting! Haven't had this much fun in ages," In a bizarre display, Casper shouted as he covered his face with one hand, his eyes trembling with manic energy.
Then, with an abrupt shout, Casper called upon his spirit "Axelius, open your mouth!" he shrieked, his voice a blend of desperation and twisted delight.
As the unexpected order escaped Casper's lips, a disconcerting ripple of caution swept through Fray, shrouding the scene in an ominous air. He instinctively shifted into a defensive stance, sensing that something unnerving was unfolding.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the grotesque creature began the unsettling task of pulling on its stretched mouth. Yet, in a grim twist, as the creature's face started to unravel under Casper's command, an otherworldly force materialized from the depths of shadows. An ethereal arrow emerged and surged forward with relentless might.
As the spectral arrow passed through, the smoky manifestation slowly dissipated into nothingness, leaving an eerie stillness in its wake.
Amidst the lingering echoes of the dissipating shadows, Fray and Casper turned towards the source of the ethereal arrow, revealing a middle-aged figure with steely grey hair framing sharp features. The man, nonchalantly slinging a bow over his back, emerged to confront the unfolding scene.
"What in the abyss are you doing, Casper?" he bellowed at the young servant, a mixture of admonishment and concern etched on his face. With a slight bow of acknowledgment, he shifted his attention to Fray. "I apologize for his actions, Sir."
(Leader!? So this is Norman, the leader of the Elite Servants Unit.) As Fray thought, he turned to Norman before stating, "No need for apologies; it was a simple duel," his tone measured. He proceeded to elucidate the terms of the duel to the elder servant.
(I knew that the meeting of those two wouldn't end well,) Norman thought as he wasn't present when Casper left to meet Fray. However, as soon as he heard about the encounter between Casper and Fray, the two most dangerous individuals in the Dalma family in his opinion, he dashed here as fast as he could.
With a mix of curiosity and shock, Norman said, "I apologize for disrupting your duel. But, Casper still can't control his spirit. I wish you'd let the idea of the duel go."
"No, Captain, I have lost," Casper, with a solemn gaze, said. "I accepted to become a servant for the young master."
An air of seriousness enveloped Norman as he turned to Casper. "Casper, do you understand what you're saying?"
"Yes, I understand," Casper's resolute affirmation echoed in the tense atmosphere.
"I don't want you to follow me just because you lost," Fray's voice resonated. "I will send you the details for a meeting where I will explain my future plans. If you agree with my vision, then I will accept you as a member of my guild."
Casper, surprised by Fray's answer, a sudden grin drawing on his face, responded, "Alright, young master."
"And please keep what happened today between us," Fray said, looking at Casper.
(So he doesn't want me to tell Norman that he knows about the elite servants,) Casper thought before he answered, "Understood, I won't tell anyone."
(This child is interesting,) Norman, observing the interaction between the two, couldn't help but be impressed by how Fray handled the situation. (If he can really get Casper to his side, he will become a real threat to the other children.)