"Training?" Esteria's heart jumped to her mouth. She was not prepared! She had just arrived in this world yesterday, and so much had happened: first, she got mated to him; next, she had an intense moment with him; and now, training—all in less than 48 hours?
"Yes, and it begins NOW," he repeated, making the "now" louder.
"Training?" One of the men suddenly flared up. Esteria turned to see it was the demon who had brought her here.
"I thought she was only your mistress. Why would a human like her train with us? Lord El, she is a human!" he exclaimed, confused about why his boss would suddenly bring a human into their midst and say she would train with them.
"Shut up, Levy. I don't think she has our scent, even if it's a little different," another voice among the four demons was heard.
"No, you shut up! Lord El must have probably rubbed his scent all over her," Levy grunted back.
El-Kharis watched as his men shouted at each other, debating whether she was human or should train with them. Normally, he would have snapped their heads off for daring to raise their voices in front of him, but he understood them—a human in their land, on their training ground!
"Enough!" El-Kharis's voice jolted them, sending shivers down their spines, causing them all to keep quiet and turn their faces down. No one dared to look at his face after completely forgetting his presence and fighting over an unknown creature.
"Yes, she is human," El said, turning to Levy to see his reaction, but the demon kept his face down. "But she is more than that." A sudden smirk appeared on his face as he walked towards Esteria.
Esteria flinched as he touched her from behind, his cold hands gently removing some strands of hair from her neck, revealing their mating mark.
"She is my mate," he said, his hand caressing the mating mark on her neck.
Surprise, awe, disbelief, and shock danced on all four of their faces. Their mouths hung open, unable to find the perfect words or reactions to display.
"Whoever talks badly or treats her badly is in trouble, or worse, whoever lays their hands on her will..." He left his sentence incomplete but finished it with his facial expression.
They were all aware of what their boss could do and undo, so they knew better.
His face softened, shifting from a cold expression to a normal one. "Let's start the training. Get prepared," he said, causing all four of them to reach for their swords and put on their training equipment.
Esteria turned to him, her face puzzled. She wanted to talk, but he stopped her by placing his finger on her soft, rosy lips.
"I know it's too early, but here, we don't do things the same way humans do. We do things fast and give no time to pause and relax. In no time, you will get used to it."
Esteria could only nod, as her head was too heavy to even think of a reply.
"Good!" he nodded, covering the mating mark with her hair. "First, let's determine the type of demon you are," he said, adding more to her headache.
"What do you mean by 'what type'?" she asked, her voice rigid and stable this time.
"There are five types of demons, Esteria," he said, calling her name for the first time.
"Fi...ve," she stammered.
"Yes, there are fire demons, water demons, earth demons, air demons, and thunder demons. Each demon clan has its own god, and yes, I am the Demon God of Thunder," he said with a hint of a smile on his lips.
"So they are not the same type of demons," she said, pointing to Levy and the rest, who were wearing their training gear.
"They are; they all wield thunder, Esteria," he said. "So we need to know if you are with us or if you will have another master," he added, and a hint of anger showcased in his last statement.
"So there is a chance I will not be here with you but in another place," she said, recollecting the five castles she saw when he was bringing her in. Fear crept into her heart at the thought of being with another set of demons. Not that these ones were better, but she felt safer around El-Kharis and felt she could trust him.
"Yes, if you are not a demon of thunder, I will have no other choice but to entrust you to another," he said, adding to her fear.
"No... I don't," she was saying before he cut her off.
"Don't worry. No one will dare touch you. You are now my mate. Anyone who troubles you will face death," he said, sensing and soothing her fear.
Soon, the demons joined the couple, all with swords and other battle equipment. Their bodies were covered in iron guards to prevent any bruises.
El-Kharis walked up to Levy and whispered something in his ear, causing him to leave and return with a lantern in his hands. The lantern was ancient-looking and had a pin on top of it.
"Bring your hand, darling," he said, stretching out his hand to her. She hesitated a little but gave it to him after his gaze reassured her.
He slightly pierced her hand with the edge of the lantern, making blood drop out, followed by a sharp pain. As blood dripped out a little, he placed his hands on her bleeding hand, and some green energy burst out. When he removed his hand, her hand was completely healed, and the pain slowly subsided.
He nodded at Levy, who put the blood-stained pin into the lantern. The lantern started changing colors like a chameleon.
El-Kharis's face turned pale, as did the faces of all the demons. Fear ate at Esteria again.
"What type of demon am I?" she asked slowly, looking at all five of them, puzzled by their reaction to the lantern changing colors.
"The thing is, it is supposed to be only one color, but it is showing five different colors," El said before removing the pin and trying again, but the result was the same—five different colors.
"Maybe the lantern is broken," one of the men spoke, and they all agreed.
El-Kharis sent Levy to bring another one, and when they did the process again, the result was still the same.
El-Kharis carried the lantern, staring at it intently. He then turned to Esteria, confusion evident in his eyes. "I will be back," he said, leaving Esteria more puzzled. Why was the lantern showing five different colors instead of one, as they had said? Was it because she was human?
"Levy, Adrian, take her back to her room and stay there with her. Protect her with your life and make sure no harm befalls her," he commanded. Turning to the other two men, he continued, "Rowland, Leon, guard the castle walls. Ensure no other demons enter this place like last time." They nodded in acknowledgment. "We will continue our training later."
He stepped back, summoning his majestic black wings from his back, then took to the sky, flying away. One of the demons assigned to her gestured towards the huge door. "Let's go, milady."
...
In the grand meeting hall, important demon officials were gathered. Lord El-Kharis, the Demon God of Thunder, had called for an urgent meeting regarding the strange occurrence with his mate. In the middle of the large table, the ancient lantern glowed with multiple colors, leaving everyone in a state of confusion.
"So, are you saying your human mate did this?" Gladious, the Demon God of Fire, asked, completely stunned by the lantern's reaction.
"She is no longer human," El-Kharis grunted, clenching his teeth.
"But this has never happened before in the history of demons. It must have something to do with the fact that she was human," Azazel, the only female present, spoke with a rigid and cold tone. She was the strongest demoness in the land, trained by the Demon God of Fire and the Queen Mother herself.
"She was never truly human. She is an orb—a human orb. She is different from the others. Her heart was pure, but now it is tainted with my blood flowing through her veins," El-Kharis explained, tired of defending his mate.
"That does not matter, El-Kharis. Whether she is a human orb or not, she is a potential danger to us, and we need her to leave," Zareon, an earth demon, said angrily.
"Zareon, you better know your place. Don't forget you are just a representative of your god here," El-Kharis snapped back, standing up angrily to leave.
"She is a demoness of all five elements, El-Kharis," Lilith finally spoke, her terrifying yet calm and alluring voice echoing across the room, prompting El-Kharis to sit down again.
"What do you say, Mother?" he asked calmly, turning to Lilith, the mother of all demons despite not being a demon herself.
"Like you said, she was an orb before you brought her here and mated with her, causing her pure heart to be tainted and turn into a demon's heart. That change enabled her to wield all five elements," Lilith explained, adding to their confusion.
"I don't quite understand, Mother," El-Kharis admitted, still perplexed.
Lilith sighed and then turned to Taruis, the Demon God of Water, who had been silent throughout the discussion. He sighed and then addressed El-Kharis, "What she was trying to say is her former heart possessed power before it was tainted."
"But that heart died; it was stabbed, and then I healed it by mating with her and making her one of us," El-Kharis interrupted.
"Will you be quiet, you fool? Like you said, the heart was stabbed and then healed because it became a demon's heart. But the power the original heart possessed made it possible for her to wield all five elements," Taruis clarified. "I hope your question has been answered."
"Maybe that's why humans who were mated to demons in the past were not able to wield all five elements like her," Zareon suggested.
"The humans no longer have an orb. I wonder why she was stabbed," Azazel mused.
"Thanks for clarifying," El-Kharis said, standing up and looking to Lilith for permission. When she nodded, he strode out.
"Are you leaving just like that?" Gladious asked angrily. "Then why did you summon us?"
El-Kharis did not reply. He simply walked away, stopping only when he heard Lilith's voice.
"Bring her for the next meeting," she commanded.
He nodded, and with a fluid motion, his wings unfurled from his back. The officials watched quietly as he stepped towards the open window. With a few powerful flaps, he lifted off the ground, his wings carrying him smoothly into the sky. The officials continued to watch through the window as he soared away.