Aetherius heard the voice of who came to report. He couldn't see the person physically but he knew who it was. It was one of Clyde's closest friends, yet he betrayed his friend by revealing his secret.
Aetherius was angry, but he didn't show it.
"He... He has a huge bruise on his shoulder and it's getting redder and worse. Even the healer in our village can't cure him" he said.
"Hmm" was the only answer Aetherius gave. He knew about Clyde's bruised shoulder, he knew everything happening in the lost city. He has eyes and ears everywhere but, he's unable to keep an eye on just one person... The only human in the city.
Ever since she was here, he has never been able to tell what's happening to her or around her. He wanted to draw a conclusion, but he wasn't able to.
He only decided that she's special, and that's the real reason why he's not able to keep an eye on her.
"Well, you see, my lord, Clyde didn't want us to tell you so the human girl wouldn't be sent out of the lost city. But, I couldn't keep this away from you"
"Hmm. I see. What did you say your name is again?"
"My name is...."
"Good, you may leave"
"Yes, my lord" he stepped back and closed the door.
Aetherius shifted back into his human form and gently walked to the round table. He pulled out a chair and sat on it.
'I never knew there was a snitch in our midst. Such a person could reveal our secrets to humans. Should I have gotten rid of him? No, let me trust him and just keep an eye on him. But, that human girl... Celina. What do I do about her?'
"Aetherius!!!" He heard his name and turned his head slowly to see Lyra behind him.
"What are you doing back here Lyra?" He questioned. Lyra panted slowly as she pulled out a chair.
She sat on it and touched her chest.
"You're panting hard. Is there a problem?" Aetherius questioned.
"You should see it for yourself... It's about Celina" She mumbled.
A small frown appeared on his face. Again, it's about Celina. Everyone keeps talking about her everywhere, even Lyra who hated her. She would have called her names like a brat, human or anything that sounded bad, but, this time, she called her name.
Aetherius walked towards Lyra and put his hand on her head. He had the psychometry ability to see past information about someone.
Immediately, from Lyra's point of view, he saw Celina getting hit with Lyra's magic. She was even strong enough to dodge some of them.
'She's good'
He thought to himself, with an impressed look on his face.
It went on till she suddenly changed her expression and the air around her. A shocking expression appeared, clearing the impressed look on his face.
Almost as if he could sense what Lyra sensed when she was sparing with Celina. Fear.
Her dark powers were too strong. Way stronger than Lyra's.
She had to find a way to stop Celina by crashing her to the wall.
He took his hands off her head and gasped back to reality.
"Did you see it all, Aetherius?" She asked.
He stared at his trembling hands and clenched them.
"What kind of power was that?"
"I have no idea. I tried to absorb it, but it was just too much. How can a five-year-old child be so powerful? She's even a human!" Lyra cried out.
"I have no idea, Lyra. Just don't train her anymore on dark magic. Teach her something else like spatial magic or fire. It's a good thing that she's learning fast. She must be strong enough before those humans get their hands on THAT thing"
"I understand Aetherius. However, I came here to request something to deplete her dark magic" Lyra stood up, preparing to leave.
"I'll prepare something for you and send it immediately"
"Thank you Aetherius. Make sure you hurry; I don't want that monstrous human ruining my palace with such terrifying powers," she said and walked to the window.
Aetherius wore an assuring smile as Lyra flew out through the window. The smile on his face disappeared, and he looked down at his palm and, once again, clenched it.
"That human girl, just how strong will she be once we are done training her. I hope this isn't a mistake" He mumbled to himself.
.
.
Lyra returned to her palace and went straight to the sixth room. She saw Celina still asleep on the bed with a peaceful look on her face.
Lyra still couldn't imagine this tiny human almost killed her during a little training.
The door opened and Kali stepped in.
"You were here, your majesty. This came for you, from the lord" she said, handing her a choker necklace with a red diamond on it.
Lyra could feel the weird energy from the diamond and immediately knew it belonged to Celina.
Lyra sat on the bed and wore the necklace around her neck. It was designed to fit the wearer, so it fitted her neck perfectly.
"Your majesty, why do you care about this weak human?"
"Weak human?" Lyra turned her head to stare at Kali. Kali was more like a younger sister to her. She's the younger sister of the demon king, who was killed by the person the humans tagged as the hero.
"She's not weak, Kali. Once she wakes up, she might not remember what she did, so don't bring anything up. You'll be responsible for her in the meantime. Teach her how to use fire and spatial magic"
"Your majesty..." Kali frowned.
"Please, Kali. Do it for me. I know how much you hate humans since they killed your brother, but... Celina is different. She's going to be one of us soon" Celina touched her hair.
Celina moved on the bed and slowly opened her eyes. She immediately sat up, staring at Lyra and the stranger in the room.
"Did I die?"
"Not yet" Lyra replied to her silly question. Celina heaved a breath of relief and looked at Kali who didn't have a friendly look on her face. She touched her neck and felt the necklace before giving Lyra a confused look.
"It's a gift from Aetherius. Always keep it on. It'll help you regulate your dark magic" Lyra spoke to her gently. She doesn't want to mention the truth about the necklace.
"Regulate?" Celina tilted her head. She doesn't understand. She doesn't have any memory of what happened when she awakened her dark magic.
"Yes, you've unlocked your dark magic. However, you can't control it since you're still little. Don't take it off, do you understand?" She nodded and touched the diamond on the necklace. Celina had one thing on her mind.
'I wonder how much this diamond would cost if I sell it. One gold coin? Ten gold coins?'
"So, did I win?"
"Yes, you won. You fought well" Lyra stood up from the bed.
Celina knew that already. She could tell how well she fought, just by looking at her stats.
Name: Celina Sawyer
Level: Level 16
Title: Enemy of humans
Race: Human
HP: 99/100
MP: 100/100
Job Class: None
Sub Class: None
Aura: 52 (+10)
Strength: 35 (+4)
Agility: 28 (+6)
Vitality: 15 (+4)
Intelligence: 51 (+2)
Sense: 80
Skills: None
[Affinity]
Earth: High
Fire: High
Water: High
Wind: High
[Elements]
Dark: (low) (cursed)
Light: Locked
Unlucky Point: Max (+10,000)
Her eyes widened in shock, seeing how much her stats increased after a single spar with Lyra.
'Why is the dark magic cursed? Is it because of the necklace? My level also increased by one. TEN THOUSAND UNLUCKY POINTS? How?'
She touched Lyra.
"Since I've woken up, can we spar again?"
"No, Celina. Kali will teach you how to use spatial magic and also fire. Make sure you learn from her"
"What? But, I still need to learn dark magic. Just one more time, I'll go easy on you" she said.
Angry veins popped at the corner of Lyra's head. She knew Celina was saying it with pure intentions but, she could only sense it as a joke. She doesn't want to face her terrifying powers anymore.
"Kali, make sure you do your job well. She's a fast learner, so don't be surprised if she learns everything within a day. Good luck, Celina" Lyra walked away and slammed the door behind her.
The room became silent. Celina took her eyes off her stats and stared at the person that's now in charge of her.
"You must be Kali, I'm Celina," she said with a peaceful smile.
Kali frowned, glaring at her tiny hand waving at her.
"You puny human! How dare you mention my name so carelessly?"
"Puny? But, I'm strong" Celina tilted her head.
Kali gritted her teeth angrily. As Celina was close to her, she held herself back from trying to hurt her. The look on her face is so peaceful and innocent. It doesn't change the fact that she's one of those humans that killed her brother.
"Make sure you have a lot of sleep today. We'll start our training tomorrow. If you aren't ready before dawn, the room will automatically teleport you to the training ground" She said and walked away.
Celina wiped off the look on her face and leaned back on the bed. She stared at the ceiling and folded her legs.
"I think that demon hates me"
Ding!
{I think so too!}
"Even the blue box is aware of it, too - Hold on, did.. did that blue box just respond to me?"
Ding!
{Yes I did, you unlucky human. I'm a system, not a blue box!}
Celina's jaw fell.