"Why did you accept such a boring mission, dear?"A voice very similar to Elizabeth's echoed inside her...
Elizabeth had her eyes closed, enjoying the freshness that spread through her body. She slowly opened them and looked ahead: an exact copy of herself was wrapped in hundreds of chains that covered her entire body. She was more than ten meters tall. Her snow-white hair fell freely, her eyes were light blue, and a gentle smile graced her lips. The Seraph of Speech had nine massive wings that stretched into infinity—Elizabeth couldn't see where they ended. The feathers, pure white, occasionally released motes of radiant light. She wore a white robe that draped over her form.
Elizabeth shook her head for a moment.
"Orders from my father. What else could it be?" she replied with a smile.
"Come on, dear. Don't lie to me." The seraph let out a small laugh, raising her gaze."Red and purple are so close now..." She adopted a dreamy expression."I wish we could get along better." She shook her head gently."Tell me, dear, what you seek from the little queen of the glades... it's her essence, isn't it?"
Elizabeth gave a mischievous smile.
"If you already know, why ask?"
"I wanted to see if you were honest with me." The seraph looked directly at her."She won't give it to you, you know that, right? After all, she knows what you are."
"I know, I know... but I've got an idea!" Elizabeth stood up, her eyes gleaming.
"You'll use Arthur..." The seraph pursed her lips slightly."Well, actually, that's a brilliant idea. A very balanced trade!" She smiled playfully."But..."
"Woman's intuition, huh..." Elizabeth shook her head."It might be dangerous, but with Emilia around, there won't be a problem. I've got everything under control." She waved her hand nonchalantly.
The seraph remained silent for a few moments.
"Good luck, then." Her eyes glowed while her body trembled slightly. An ethereal light radiated from her form. She let out a soft laugh."It won't be easy."
"Don't say anything. That ability of yours is so annoying!" Elizabeth pouted as she sat down again."This feeling is so exciting!" she said as her body relaxed once more.
"These waters are quite mystical. After all, they were formed by the tears of the progenitor siren."The seraph closed her eyes, feeling the waters through her connection with Elizabeth."Very relaxing," she added, nodding with a soft smile.
Arthur had a bored expression as he played with the black crystal in his hands. He swayed his head from side to side, trying to distract himself. He was alone, sitting on the green grass. Professor Emilia had submerged herself in the crystal-clear waters a few hours ago, so he had no company. He couldn't do much except wait in silence. He lowered his gaze, and on the water's surface, he could see the siren's head. Her turquoise hair clung to her beautiful face. That was how she was. Every few minutes, she would rise to the surface and stare at him, as if making sure he wasn't doing anything strange.
The beautiful siren looked at the black crystal in Arthur's hands and pursed her lips, as if disgusted just by the sight of that pitch-black substance. Arthur said nothing. He actually felt the same way. The beautiful, pure white crystal had turned into a dull, ordinary stone the moment it touched his hands. He regretted it. The stone seemed to be quite valuable in other hands—like the siren's, for example. The stone Professor Emilia had given her remained in the siren's hands, still glowing with the light of stars, though its radiance was slowly fading. It seemed to be absorbing the energy within. Every time it did, her body glowed softly, like a firefly in the dark.
Arthur sighed and looked at the stone in his hands again. He had tried something similar once, but immediately regretted it. When he tried to draw something from it, his body reacted violently. That cursed thing had tried to devour him... With a dark look, he noticed how the siren continued to watch him in silence. Arthur thought that, maybe, she wanted to say something...
He had been sitting for over four hours without speaking to anyone, and his mood was sour. Seeing the siren hesitating, he broke the silence:
"If you've got something to say, just say it."
The siren opened her eyes slightly and approached, though she kept her distance.
"You're a strange monster," she said, her voice melodic, as if she were singing.
"Monster?" Arthur murmured to himself. While he wasn't particularly handsome, he considered himself decent. His body wasn't deformed or anything… He shook his head."What do you mean?" he decided to ignore the comment.
"You don't have horns, and you release that repulsive dark energy. You don't even have sharp teeth."She tilted her head a bit."Are you some kind of animal?" she asked innocently.
Arthur was sure she wasn't mocking him—she was simply curious. He considered her words. It was true: he had no horns or fangs. He was a demon in human form. The only real difference between him and others were the horns... well, and the powers. He shrugged.
"I'm a demon... but different, you could say."
He didn't know how, but high-blood beasts and progenitors could always see through him and recognize what he truly was. So, there was no point in denying it.
The siren's expression darkened.
"My mother told me that demons are cunning and twisted! They disguise themselves as humans to deceive them! You're doing the same now! You're evil and despicable!"With those words, the siren submerged once again after casting one last, much more cautious glance at Arthur.
Arthur remained silent, watching as she disappeared into the depths of the water. He thought about her words and frowned. In truth, even he didn't know what he was doing. In some way, what she said was true—he had been trying to corrupt Leslie, Evelyn, and Daniela… but he didn't know why. His true purpose remained unclear. The excuse of mere survival was starting to wear thin...
He looked down at the black crystal once more.
"What is my purpose?" Arthur asked himself in a low voice.