"What kind of problem?" Esdeath asked immediately, her curiosity piqued.
Maruti didn't answer right away. Instead, she stepped into the room, closed the door behind her, and began to explain. She recounted her walk around the village, where she had bumped into her elder sister, Sasha. Sasha had given her the news of an upcoming battle with Ujjain, Maruti's future husband, who was set to challenge them.
Maruti went over the rules of their tribe, though Esdeath already had some idea of the challenges they might face.
"So… we only have tonight to prepare for tomorrow's battle," Maruti said with a sigh, her frustration clear. "And my so-called elder sister is waiting outside, ready to take us to a low-tier treasure room. We can use any essence stone we find and refine it ourselves, as much as we're able. But that's the issue… there's no telling if we'll be able to do it in time or not."
Esdeath's eyes lit up with a different reaction. "We can take as much as we want?" she mused, thinking of the possibilities. "That might actually be helpful. But going up against a D-rank while we're both just E-rank… even together, our chances are maybe fifty-fifty."
A seasoned D-rank could handle multiple E-ranks with ease. Forget about Ujjain, Who is a mid-upper tiersomee
"Do you have any essence stones you've already refined?" Esdeath asked, her gaze sharp as she looked at Maruti. Every advantage counted, and she knew they'd need it.
"Well… at first, I didn't realize it," Maruti admitted, scratching her head. "But then I found a diary left by this girl, and it turns out she had refined a few essence stones. I guess I got lucky, but do you think you can actually refine one in such a short time?" she asked with genuine concern.
Refining essence stones wasn't simple; it required intense focus, not only to activate the stone's power but also to link it to one's mind. Some stones, like the "Boar Strength" essence stone, offered permanent boosts. But for stones that needed mana activation, just knowing you possessed them was critical.
Maruti had lucked out by finding a note detailing which stones were refined by the previous owner of her body. Through practice, she managed to access some of their powers. However, without if a person has lost his melodies and didn't left any notes or diary, Then He would need a complete "Appraisal" from an expert to identify their refined stones. But that carried risks—rare stones,Specially Rank A, can intimate their greed and they end up killing him and take those essence stone for themselves.
Esdeath's eyes gleamed as she took all this in, a smirk crossing her face. "Guess it's time I show you why I'm the world's greatest hitman and why you're just a rival. Now, where's your so-called sister?"
"Oh, getting bold now, huh?" Maruti grinned, standing up from the bed. "She's right outside, waiting for us."
They stepped out to find Sasha waiting impatiently.
Sasha was waiting outside, When she saw esdeath, She didn't say anything but her face was saying that she didn't like esdeath much, She just turned back and started walking while Esdeath and Maruti followed her from behind.
As they began walking, it seemed like they'd reach the destination in just a few minutes. However, more than ten minutes had passed, and Sasha showed no signs of stopping. They walked through winding paths, passing by small houses, while villagers greeted Sasha and Maruti with warmth and respect.
Maruti was already losing patience. "Ugh! Isn't this supposed to be a small village? Why's it taking forever?" she muttered in an exhausted tone. It wasn't the walking that wore her out; it was the boredom.
Esdeath smirked, glancing at her. "Did you think the village is just an illusion from the outside? This place is much larger than it looks. If you're not a native, you'd get lost easily—and escaping is nearly impossible. The village's boundaries have illusions that loop back to the starting point."
"Seriously? I never thought barbarians could be this clever!" Maruti sighed, momentarily forgetting she was one herself.
Bored, Maruti decided to dig deeper. "How about you finish that story you were telling? So, was she the first of the Star Constellations? Are they all human, or could some be other mortal species, like barbarians, elves, or dwarves?"
Maruti's constant questions started to wear on Esdeath's nerves. "No! Not all mortals become Star Constellations. Some are born as constellations!" she replied, irritated.
Maruti blinked. "Born as one?"
"Yeah. There are two types," Esdeath explained. "First, there are those born by nature's will, like the goddesses of water, Ganga and Narmada, or Agni, the god of fire. They exist to preserve life. Second, there are those created by the faith and desperation of mortals."
She paused, glancing at Maruti's curious expression. "In ancient times, people were desperate for survival. When it rained endlessly, destroying their crops, they'd beg the sun to return. Or when there was drought, they'd offer prayers and sacrifices for rain, hoping some unseen god would hear them."
"And…?" Maruti urged her to continue.
"Eventually, these wishes gave birth to beings like Surya, the Sun God. And later, other gods of rain, like Indra and Zeus, were born from similar beliefs. Some gods became powerful, like Indra and Zeus, while others, like Freyr and Alyta, remained lesser deities of rain."
Esdeath's voice grew serious as she finished, "It's not just nature that shapes this world. People's beliefs, their hopes and fears—they make things real, even gods. Like Yama, the god of death, born from humanity's understanding of mortality."
Maruti fell silent, absorbing the weight of Esdeath's words as they continued to follow Sasha's silent figure through the maze-like village.
But not just after after few more seconds, As they passed by another house, Maruti's face grew puzzled. She slowed down, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the walls of the nearby home. It was like something was clicking together in her mind, but she couldn't quite figure it out.
She finally turned to Esdeath. "Fable, I've been noticing this for a while now. Almost every house in this village has these… paintings? Or designs, maybe?" She pointed toward the front wall of the house they'd just passed.
On the wall, there was a rough, almost childlike painting of a monkey-like figure with a long tail. The figure looked young, maybe around three or four years old. What caught Maruti's attention was that the monkey child was drawn as if floating, with one hand reaching up toward an orange, glowing ball hovering above him.
Esdeath followed Maruti's gaze and let out a deep sigh, her own impatience with the endless walk making her shoulders droop. She was just as tired of the slow pace, and this little discovery offered the perfect excuse to break up the monotony. With another sigh, she shrugged and glanced at Maruti with a smirk.
"Alright," she said, her voice a touch dramatic. "Looks like it's time for the next part of the story."
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Seraphine gave birth to three male childs.
The third and final child had the most chilling presence of all. His hair was as black as night, and his red eyes were far darker than those of his brothers. His aura was filled with an overwhelming sense of gloom, as if he carried a shadow with him wherever he went. His sclera—the whites of his eyes—were pitch black, and beneath his crimson gaze, his pupils bore strange, multiple ring-like shapes that seemed to spin in a hypnotic, eerie manner. This child was unlike anything the world had ever seen; he was the first true demon, destined to become the **Demon King, Aurora**.
The three children of Savitri Seraphine were being held by three maids, each carefully cradling a child. Aurora, the third child, was in the arms of an elderly maid whose eyes widened in horror as she looked down at him. Something in his appearance stirred fear deep within her, making her whole body tremble. Her face went pale, and panic overtook her as she shouted desperately, her voice filled with terror, "T-this… this child must not live. He has to die, he must die!"
Her hand rose, trembling but determined, as if she was about to hurl Aurora to the ground, intending to end his life right then and there. Gasps filled the room as the other maids froze in shock, horror plastered across their faces. "Someone stop her!" one maid shouted, her voice strained with urgency.
But before the old maid could follow through, a nearby soldier, noticing the commotion, reacted quickly. He threw his sword, and with deadly accuracy, it pierced through the old maid's belly. Blood splattered as she staggered, her face twisted in pain. She crumpled to her knees, her grip on Aurora loosening. A maid rushed over to pull the baby safely from her trembling hands.
The old maid's body slumped to the ground, her life slipping away. Even with her last, fading breaths, she clung to her fear, whispering weakly, "Kill him… please, someone… kill that child…"