The girl didn't respond and kept looking at him with annoyance flashing on her face.
"Sorry, blame me for being so powerful!" Young Nicholas tried to appease her, but it couldn't hide his narcissism.
"Ah! You call yourself strong? Last time, you couldn't even blow out my small flame!" Young Arella did not give him any face.
"That was all in the past! I am stronger now. I bet you won't stand a chance today!" Young Nicholas puffed up his chest and spoke confidently.
"Don't cry when you lose!" A flash of defiance crossed young Arella's mind.
As soon as she spoke, she extended her hand, and a palm sized flame appeared on it. The flame flicked gently, burning warmly.
Arella, who watched it with her own eyes, couldn't even believe it! The girl didn't take even a second before conjuring the flame. Was it really her? Was she so capable when she was younger? A plethora of questions attacked her.
As she watched the children play with dazed eyes, young Nicholas took a few steps back and then, turned into a Hawk! The Hawk was as tall as the young Arella.
The perplexed Arella became more confused. Was this real? Or a part of her dream? But she certainly didn't have the habit of weaving such weird dreams! Then, what was this? She forced her mind to think of what had happened before finding herself herself in this unfamiliar landscape.
A few moments later, she remembered that she was with the soothsayers, and they said her Beast knew. So, was this the memory of her Beast? Was it awake when she was younger?
The Hawk flipped its wings, and a small tornado of wind appeared. It reached up to the flame and tried to gobble the flame up. But just like a firefly, the flame kept burning. It swayed and trembled but never blew out.
The Hawk increased the force. The trees, clothes, hair, flowers, and grasses, everything around them fluttered, except for the flame. After trying a few more times, the Hawk dejectedly flew away.
"Even such a small flame could beat your Beast. Think what will happen if I change into mine?" A semblance of a smile appeared on young Arella's face.
"Don't be so overconfident, fiery. One day, I will beat you for sure!" Young Nicholas, fully dressed, emerged from behind the trees and joined her silently.
Both walked out of the trees bantering with each other all the way.
Arella followed them quietly. Her mind was in a mess. She was friends with Nicholas, that is why, he acted so familiarly with her. And by the looks of it, she was stronger than him.
But what was she? Such a resilient flame was called forth by a young child. Even on their planet, it was an almost impossible feat! So what exactly was her Beast and also, where was she?
"Brother, tomorrow is Red Moon Eclipse, do you have any plans?" Young Arella chimed in a childish voice.
"Red Moon Eclipse? What does it have to do with me?" Young Nicholas pointed at himself and asked incredulously.
"Only those having friends and relatives in the outer world would be excited about it! I don't have any family there. What about you?" Young Nicholas asked nonchalantly.
"I don't have any family in the outer world either, but my Beast is a little restless these days." Young Arella spoke in a small voice.
"Oh! Why won't it? You let it cooped up inside you! Why don't you set it free every now and then?" Young Nicholas questioned innocently.
"I can't control it yet. Mom said I would have to wait a little longer. Once I become synchronous with my Beast, I will be able to set it free." Young Arella looked forlorn.
"Tsk! You are so powerful with only partial control over your Beast, once you fully master it...tsk, I can't even imagine it!" Young Nicholas spat with a hint of jealousy.
"The Red Moon Eclipse is a joyous moment for a lot of people." Young Arella quickly diverted the topic.
"And why not? The monotony of the inner world is only broken twice. Once during the Red Moon Eclipse, when insiders go out, and second, during the Blue Moon Eclipse, when outsiders come in. For us, who have no family outside, Star Alliance is our only home!" Young Nicholas added happily.
Invisible Arella, who was walking behind the pair, stopped in her tracks with the influx of the information. What did he say? Star Alliance? Were they in Star Alliance? If that is the inner world, then the outer world should be the place where Arella grew up, right?
And the Blue Moon…he said that during that outsiders could get in. It really coincided with her knowledge because it was always on a Blue Moon Eclipse when the Star Alliance accepted S and above ranked members!
So, that meant, during the Red Moon Eclipse, the members of Star Alliance could go out! And young Arella…was she thinking of sneaking out during this time? Arella's mood became complicated.
"Yes, Star Alliance is our home," Young Arella repeated the words. Both of them kept walking until a row of luxurious villas came into their sight.
"Bye brother, see you tomorrow." Young Arella waved at her companion flashing a sweet smile and ran off to one of the villas. Young Nicholas looked at her back helplessly and waved back, eventually moving to another villa.
Invisible Arella looked at the back of departing children as she pursed her lips. After a while, she too, entered the villa, following young Arella's tracks.
The cold and dimly lit inside, took Arella by surprise. But to young Arella, it was a common sight.
"Looks like Mom and Dad are out again." Young Arella mumbled slowly and climbed the stairs without any emotions. She opened the first door with familiarity, went in nimbly, and skillfully started the fire in the fireplace.
The room became warmer. She didn't eat anything and went to bed. While the young Arella slept soundly, the older Arella looked around curiously. The room looked big and comfortable. It had a few artistic photos and artifacts but no personal photos.
It had a rack filled with books and other than that and a few essential things like a bed and dressing table, the room looked bare. Arella was immersed in scrutinizing the things when a small voice attracted her.
The young Arella was twitching in her bed with sweat covering her entire form. A frown appeared on her forehead and she gritted her teeth as if trying to stop herself from calling out in pain.
She clutched her blanket tightly and her eyeballs moved quickly under her covered eyelids. Thinking that she might be having a nightmare, the older Arella wanted to shake her, but like always, her hands passed through the sleepy girl.
Just when Arella thought that she couldn't do anything, the sleepy girl became still. The furrowed eyebrows relaxed and her clenched fists opened. When everything became calm, the young Arella opened her eyes.
When the older Arella saw her eyes, she became still like a statue, because the eyes of the young Arella were blazing like a bright red fire!
And most importantly, unlike her older self, there wasn't any hint of blue in her eyes!
Those eyes were as red as molten lava! It wasn't young Arella. The Beast had taken over her consciousness!