Yellow lightning with loud thunders... Lots of them are slashing now the sky above the large Killerspring Mansion, located on the opposite side of Nebelver.
At the same time, a black limousine passes through the big, metallic gate and drives around the square, where in the middle is a fountain with a statue of three people made from marble...
Dense rain sprinkles those three statues, with Marcus Cornelius Killerspring at the left, Anna Meredith Killerspring on the right, and Eva Celeste Killerspring in the middle who were the heads of the Killerspring family in the medieval era.
Their name tags, which are under the statues and show who was who, cover emerald-green moss with the name of the most important woman in the middle being almost completely hidden under it...
Because this very name, Eva, became the sun around which the curse gravitates, the curse of this, in the past, pretty happy family...
She, Eva Celeste Killerspring, was the unfortunate woman who experimented with the fallen star on that fateful night and brought the curse to the Killerspring family.
Therefore, she was cast out of the family, tossed away from her two beloved siblings, abandoned by her parents, and blossomed into an independent woman who became the founder of this mansion.
A thing that the journal David owns, a journal about the Killerspring family's past, a journal Michael stole from the mansion and brought to him, for some reason, didn't mention.
She had a daughter, also named Eva, and as the journal says, her name is given to each upcoming daughter of the new generation.
For some reason, the parasite targets only women without any magical talent, helping them out of their situation.
But how high is the prize you ask?
The same question lingers in the head of the youngest Eva of the Killerspring family...
She already told her mother, also sharing the same name, what happened with Michael, the only friend she considered true, and now, the flowing image sees her standing in a dark hallway, where at the end is a large window, from where she's looking down to the front door.
From the window, she can pretty clearly see the black limousine suddenly parks at the front of her so-called home.
A woman in her thirties comes out from the mansion, holding a black umbrella, as well as the driver comes out from the limousine.
Their expressions carry only seriousness and maximal professionality.
They start talking together, yet Eva can't hear anything due to the raindrops crashing with the cold glass.
She is dressed in her Nebelver Academy uniform, touching the cold glass with her warm hand while her dark hair, resembling an ebony wood, is tied by a red ribbon forming a ponytail reaching down to her waist.
The ribbon perfectly matches her red, checked skirt, as well as the color of the sign of the Academy on her blouse.
She wears a sad expression because she knows, she knows she is weak, and doesn't stand a chance against the Elementals lurking behind the bars of the Mansion's gate, craving her mana.
Even when each newborn of Eva Celeste Killerspring is considered stronger than their mothers, and at the age of sixteen already trained to the point of preparation for a sudden war, if any will come, for some reason the Killerspring family can't help the youngest Eva.
It's as if she went through a mutation or something, and the methods that worked for countless generations are not working on her.
She possesses an ultimate, pure power that the Killerspring family never came across.
Therefore, the family decided that the best possible solution is to send Eva to the strongest, most experienced mages, located at the Nebelver's Academy.
"Michael... I'm sorry! " Eva screams, her tears rolling down the large window as she presses her forehead against the cold glass, and her hand slides down, leaving a handprint on the window.
She gave Michael a promise, a promise that she would never enter the Academy, due to the mages desiring her power for war purposes.
But now? She has no other choice... Even her family abandoned her now, just like Michael did.
"No, it was me... I left him... I abandoned him, leaving him to die, alone... He was my only, true friend, always caring about me, loving me, hugging me... Things, except my mother, no one ever did..." Eva says, tears rolling down her pink cheeks, wetting the collar of her white blouse.
"Everyone always fears me, yet, you were brave, you always visited me, ignoring my powers that countless times hurt you." She continues as a gentle smile slowly forms on her face.
"We always played together, studied together, and... every time you hugged me and something happened, you just shrugged,... ignored the pain my body did to you, and hugged me two, three, ten times more just to make me feel normal again..."
But then, her expression suddenly changes into a serious one.
"If I were stronger, I could fight them. I was supposed to fight them! ... I was supposed to protect you... But now you're gone... And I'll never see you again..."
She wanted to say more when suddenly...
"Lady Eva..." A male steps with the voice of her butler, dressed in a casual suit reaches her ears as she turns and clears her tears.
"Ah... Y-yes? " She stammers as the butler sighs, feeling as if his heart is about to tear from the pain.
"It's time, lady Eva... Follow me, please..." The butler announces as he turns and Eva follows him.
"James? " While asking, Eva reaches toward the butler's hand and pulls him slightly.
The butler stops in his tracks and turns, his face having a hard time maintaining the stoic expression he usually wears.
"Can you tell me more about the Elementals... My mom says that I should not worry, that I will be protected by the mages in the Academy, but we both know it's a lie... They will catch me. I can feel it... So, I thought, your knowledge might help me stay alive... at least for some time until I find a way to kick their asses..."
Telling these words, for the first time in her twenty years, Eva sees that the butler James finally lets go of his stoicism and smiles gently at the girl.
"Lady Eva, across my entire servitude here, through all my years spent serving here, in the Killerspring family, your mother and you became my favorite ones... Therefore, I'll tell you one thing... It's a riddle, but with your little smart brain, I know you can decypher it..." James says, making Eva narrow her eyes and ask.
"Can't you tell me normally? "
James smiles slightly, but then his face changes into a serious one.
"I can't... Some things should remain hidden..." As he says those words, the wall they are facing releases a cracking sound as if something stands behind it...
With a knowing smile, he then continues, whispering.
"...Yet across the years, this house became corrupted, and the walls grew ears... And it's only a question of time when I'll die because of telling you this... So be quiet and hear me out..."
"Ohhh..." Eva sighs rather sadly.
Hearing that someone else she loves will die because of her makes her feel sick, but she can't let go of the chance to learn more...
"Okay..." She nods so James nods as well and begins to reveal his riddle.
"Above the lake of the four swords, the Lake Queen's spirit flies... Under the waves, deep down, a treasure she hides... While hunting the souls of those who near her lake dies... You have a chance to find what deep down lies..."
"Huh," Eva stops him, asking: "But James? "
But James places his index finger on his lips.
"Shhh, we don't have much time... Listen... This is a second part..."
"Quickly, you need to run before she finds your soul's gleams... Because if she does, she'll hunt you, thirsty for your dreams... She will abandon everything, just to hear your sweet screams... She will bring her daughters as well, destroying your escape schemes..."
"Here, take this, and mark my words... The words of the hunter... She will never give up, nor allow herself to lose you... She's a monster... You need to kill her, and consume her soul... Or she'll do it for you, and devour you whole..."
"How should I decipher this, James?! " Eva looks puzzled at her butler who just smiles and pets her head while sneakily putting something into her hand.
"I trust you, you are a competent, smart girl, and you have everything you need to understand... Now, please, follow me... We can't make Madam Eva wait any longer..." James says, his face turning back into his notorious stoicism as the pair walks through the dark hallway together...
...
The black limousine drives away from the mansion through the large, open gate as the storm seems to follow it.
Riding through the city, the traffic seems fine as Eva, sitting in the back seat, looks out of the window when suddenly, the limousine reaches a crossroad.
Pulling out that something, her eyes open wide...
It's the same silver necklace with a pendant in the shape of a heart as her mother owns.
One side of the pendant has decorative holes in it through which an emerald-green gemstone can be seen.
Putting it on while waiting for the green to flip on the traffic light, all of a sudden, a large ball of hot flames hits the car's hood, making the driver unconsciously hit the gas.
This resolves with the limousine crashing into another oncoming car, driven by an unknown individual.
The only thing Eva remembers before they crashed and she fell unconscious is that the driver wore a mad, wide smile and his eyes were pure black.
...
"Hmm...That was easier than I thought..." The Fire demon says while landing from the sky, right next to the Air demon.
"Yeah... Too easy... Something's not right..." The Air demon, wearing a confused and serious expression at the same time, says.
"Come on... We have her right there... On the silver platter... Let's take her and leave before someone comes..." The Fire demon says, looking around but when he takes a step forward, the Air demon puts his hand on the Fire demon's chest, stopping him.
"What you doin'? " The Fire demon asks, confused.
"I don't like this, smells like a trap..." The Air demon says as the Water demoness and the Earth demon appear behind him.
"What are we waitin' for? Let's get her, I can't stand the scent of her body anymore..." The Water demoness says, taking deep erratic breaths as if she ran across the entire planet making the Fire demon, who shakes his head, reply.
"We can't 'cause someone here smells shit... Come on brother... We waited for this moment for too long! First, we hunted that bitch in the cosmos before she landed here and hid among the population, and now when is the best possible situation to score, you are scared?! Why don't you wanna admit that we won? "
"Because you didn't..." A deep male voice reaches the ears of the four Elemental demons as, out of the blue, a flock of crows, black as darkness itself, with feathers moving as if made from shadows begin to fall down from the sky, right between the demons and the crashed car.
From the dead, motionless bodies of the crows, a puddle of black liquid starts to form until the last crow lands, and a slender, pure black hand with sharp claws starts to come out of the puddle.
Getting up, a slender creature of two meters high, without a face, with only a smile as if made from a thick, white thread forming a "VVV" pattern can be seen in the empty, dark space where his face should be.
Around its neck, a silver brooch with a blood-red gemstone inserted into it which has also a white G sign on it, written in ancient Latin-type handwriting, is spotted by the Air demon who clearly recognizes the sign.
The creature bows in respect and speaks.
"Remaining Lords of Darkness, I, a servant of the fifth Prince, came for what rightfully belongs to my master..."
"Huh? Who's your master, fucker?! " The Fire demon curses, pointing his finger at the creature who is about to speak, when the Air demon suddenly wields his hand and says.
"Who do you think it could be? "
"My master is no one else than Castiel Raphael Gremory... And he wishes to have his girlfriend close to him... " Speaks the shadowy being.
"What? A girlfriend? " The Air demon's eyes narrow as he somehow doesn't trust the shadow individual's words.
"Huh? That Gremory fucker?! " The Fire demon suddenly explodes, making the Shadow creature narrow its dark eyes, eyes which can't be seen, yet the demons can see his smile, which turns into a wide grin.
"You idiot..." Sighs the Earth demon while he facepalms...
"You insulted my master in front of me... That will not remain unpunished..." The Shadow Creature.
"Really? Heh, let's see..." Fire demon.
...
... ... ... ... ...
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