The soft rustle of leaves in the gentle breeze and the sweet scent of blooming flowers filled the air as I poured another cup of tea for Ariana. We sat beneath the sprawling oak tree in the garden, the dappled sunlight filtering through its branches casting playful patterns on the table between us.
"I made something for you," I said, reaching into my satchel.
Her blue eyes lit up with excitement. "Really? What is it?"
Carefully, I pulled out a small tin, opening it to reveal a stack of neatly arranged cookies. They weren't just any cookies—they were Earth-style butter cookies, a simple yet delightful treat I remembered from my previous life.
"What are these?" she asked, her voice brimming with curiosity.
"Something special," I replied with a smile. "Try one."
She didn't need to be told twice. Taking a bite, her eyes widened as the buttery sweetness melted in her mouth. "This is amazing, Lloyd!" she exclaimed, her hands clasping the tin protectively.
I chuckled. "I'm glad you like them. It took a few tries to get the recipe right."
"You're incredible," she said between bites. "Why don't you make things like this more often?"
"Well," I said, leaning back in my chair, "I don't think Father or Damien would appreciate them as much as you do."
At the mention of Damien, her expression soured, but before she could say anything, the devil himself appeared.
"Well, isn't this sweet," Damien sneered, striding into the garden. His polished armor glinted in the sunlight, and his sword hung at his hip like a badge of honor. "Playing house with your worthless brother again, Ariana?"
Her cheerful demeanor vanished, replaced by a glare. "Go away, Damien. You're not welcome here."
He smirked, unfazed by her words. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I interrupt your little tea party? Don't waste your time with him, Ariana. You'd be better off learning from someone with real talent."
I stayed quiet, sipping my tea as he continued his tirade. I'd long since learned that engaging with Damien only encouraged him.
"I came to tell you something important," he said, puffing out his chest. "Father and I are going hunting in the woods. Real men's work, you know? Something you'd never understand, Lloyd."
Ariana crossed her arms. "Is that supposed to impress us?"
"Why, yes," Damien said, his smirk widening. "Father said it's a hunt to test my skills as a Magic Swordsman. Unlike Lloyd here, I actually have a future."
He turned to me, his tone dripping with mockery. "You should come along, Lloyd. See what real talent looks like. Maybe you'll even learn something, though I doubt it'll do you any good."
I raised an eyebrow, amused by his attempt to provoke me. "Why not?" I said, setting down my cup. "It might be fun to watch you show off."
Damien's smirk faltered for a moment, but he quickly recovered. "Good. Just don't cry when you realize how outclassed you are."
+
The group set out later that afternoon. It was a small hunting party—Father, Damien, a few guards, and me.
The forest was alive with the sounds of rustling leaves and chirping birds, the sunlight filtering through the canopy above. Father led the group with a commanding presence, his eyes scanning the surroundings for signs of prey. Damien, of course, took every opportunity to boast about his skill with a blade, much to the guards' amusement.
I followed quietly, staying at the back of the group. My [Silent Step] was active, masking the sound of my movements.
The hunt went smoothly at first. Damien managed to take down a few low-ranked beasts with flashy swordplay, each kill earning him exaggerated praise from the guards. Father watched with a mixture of approval and indifference, his attention more focused on the hunt itself.
But then, Damien got cocky.
"Stay close," Father warned as the group ventured deeper into the forest. "This part of the woods is less forgiving."
Damien scoffed. "I can handle myself, Father. Watch and learn."
Before anyone could stop him, he charged ahead, disappearing into the underbrush.
"Damien!" Father barked, his voice sharp.
The guards hesitated, looking to Father for direction.
"Stay here," he ordered. "I'll go after him."
"No need," I said calmly. "I'll bring him back."
Father gave me a suspicious look but nodded reluctantly.
+
It didn't take long to find Damien. His loud footsteps and heavy breathing gave him away long before I saw him.
When I finally caught up, I found him frozen in place, his sword trembling in his hands.
Standing before him was a creature unlike any I'd ever seen.
The Eye was a VII-ranked demonic spirit, its form an amorphous mass of swirling darkness centered around a single, massive, glowing eye. That unblinking gaze radiated malice, its sickly red light illuminating the forest in a sinister glow. The air around it crackled with oppressive energy, making the hairs on my neck stand on end.
Damien's cocky demeanor had vanished entirely. His face was pale, his eyes wide with terror.
"I-I can't..." he stammered, his voice barely a whisper. "I can't hurt it..."
Of course, he couldn't. Physical weapons were useless against spirits like this. But he hadn't figured that out until it was too late.
The Eye let out a low, guttural sound—a warped, grating voice that echoed unnaturally.
"Another... soul... to torment..."
Its gaze locked onto Damien, and he let out a strangled cry as his body convulsed. The dark tendrils of its form lashed out, binding him in place as it began to close the distance.
"Step back, Damien," I said, my voice steady despite the tension in the air.
He turned to me, his expression a mixture of disbelief and desperation. "What are you going to do? You're—"
"Step. Back."
The authority in my tone must have snapped him out of his panic, because he stumbled backward, the tendrils loosening just enough for him to break free.
The Eye's massive pupil swiveled toward me, its malice intensifying.
"You... are different," it hissed, its voice dripping with disdain. "Your mana... it reeks of... infinity..."
That caught me off guard, but I didn't have time to dwell on its words. The tendrils surged toward me, each one crackling with dark energy.
I extended my hand, mana flowing freely as I summoned my newest spell.
"[Sunlight]."
The orb of fire materialized instantly, its surface glowing like a miniature sun. The tendrils recoiled as the light flared, their dark energy dissipating on contact.
The Eye screeched, its unholy wail reverberating through the forest. "Light... will not save you!"
The creature's form shifted, splitting into multiple smaller eyes that hovered around me, each one radiating malice. They darted forward in unison, forcing me to leap back as I directed the orb to intercept them.
The [Sunlight] orb incinerated one of the smaller eyes, but the others were relentless, weaving through the trees with unnatural speed.
"Persistent," I muttered, channeling more mana into the orb. It flared brighter, splitting into three smaller orbs that hovered around me like sentinels.
The new orbs launched forward, cutting through the remaining smaller eyes with precision. Each one let out a distorted scream as it disintegrated, leaving only the original Eye behind.
"You think... you can destroy me?" the Eye spat, its form growing larger, darker. Its glowing pupil seemed to pulse, and I felt an oppressive weight settle over my mind.
"Let me show you... despair."
A wave of pure malice surged toward me, and for a moment, the world blurred. My thoughts felt sluggish, and the edges of my vision darkened.
But I wasn't defenseless.
"Not today," I growled, forcing mana into my body. The runes in my [Analyze] eyes flared, cutting through the fog of the Eye's influence.
I saw it now—its core. A swirling mass of unstable mana at the very center of its form.
The [Sunlight] orbs responded to my will, converging on the core. The Eye screeched, lashing out with every ounce of its power, but the orbs burned through its defenses, their light growing brighter with each strike.
"No... this cannot..."
The final orb pierced its core, and the Eye's form imploded, consumed by a brilliant burst of light.
The forest fell silent.
+
Damien stared at me, his sword hanging limply at his side. "You... you killed it..."
I didn't respond. My breathing was heavy, and the runes in my eyes still glowed faintly from the mana I'd channeled.
Damien took a shaky step toward me, his expression torn between awe and disbelief. "How... how did you—"
I raised a hand, cutting him off as I cast [Sleep].
He collapsed instantly, his body hitting the ground with a thud.
I stood there for a moment, letting the adrenaline fade. The Eye's words lingered in my mind, but I pushed them aside for now.
Lifting Damien onto my shoulder, I made my way back to the group.
+
When I returned to the group, carrying Damien over my shoulder, Father's gaze hardened.
"What happened?" he demanded.
"We ran into an Eye," I said simply, lowering Damien to the ground.
Father's eyes narrowed. "And who killed it?"
I shrugged. "It must have been scared off. We're lucky it didn't stick around."
His suspicion was palpable, but he didn't press further. "We're heading back," he said curtly, motioning for the guards to pick up Damien.