"What am I? The 'Lord of the Night' maybe?"

After Orion spoke those words, he grabbed his hands in pain, and laid down on the grass lifelessly.

A puddle of darkness formed under him, letting out arcs of dark matter around him that dissipated after being formed.

Inside the bracelet's seal, a certain mother quietly stared at the screen.

"Orianne. Say something. You haven't talked since Orion fell unconscious."

A dark veil covered her eyes, while she bit her lower lips.

"What is happening to him? Looking at your reaction, you definitely know something."

"..."

She entirely ignored Reon, deep in her thoughts.

'Why did you spoke those words, Orion? It's too early for you.'

'You should've been content with your angel blood for a while, so why are you trying to awaken your demon blood?'

The usual cheerful Orianne was no more. Instead, a concerned and anxious mother was watching her son endure what she herself had to go through.

(I will pray for your success, Orion, even if I think that it is too soon.)

Whispering those words, her eyes stayed anchored on her son. Unless she saw him open his eyes, she would not relax.

'Diramoi... I swear, if anything happens to him, I'll come and kill you, even if I have to cross the afterlife to find you.'

Her pupils changed to their reptilians form, as she glared at the ghost of a being covered in flames.

While she was cursing a being she knew well, something happened around Orion. A part of the darkness surrounding Orion's body merged into his body.

A small ring of dark matter enveloped his left leg, which made Orianne shudder.

(The first trial. So you've succeeded.)

While mumbling quietly, she closed her eyes, and remembered her trials. Those weren't originally coming from the demons, as no others than Orianne ever went through these, for a simple reason only known to her and a few others.

Orianne hid an incredible secret. It was the source of her unbelievable magic power, and just like Reon hid his relation with the fairies, a part of her life was dedicated to this secret.

It wasn't the time to reveal everything. Unless Orion made it through the five trials, she would keep it out of her mouth, even to her husband.

'Acceptance, Judgment, Willpower, Reverence, and finally...'

She opened her eyes.

'Ascension.'

With concern, Reon could only watch his son bathed in dark matter, while Orianne prayed for his success.

Suddenly, something shocking happened on screen. The screen, which was viewing Orion from above, captured a white dog stepping on the dark matter, before it licked Orion's face.

Sirius sat next to him, before he laid his body close to his right arm. Moments later, dark tendrils began to cover the dog, similar to his master.

"Shit! What are you doing, Sirius?"

Orianne slammed her hands on the table and stood up, panicked.

"..."

Reon observed her expression, until she sat down, her head between her hands.

(What am I going to tell him?)

Her shoulders began to tremble, until Reon couldn't bear to watch her suffer alone.

"It's fine if you would rather not tell me, but don't push me away. We've been through so much together, and it won't ever change."

He placed his hand on her shoulders, and pulled her toward his chest. While holding her feelings back, she kept her gaze on the screen, while being hugged by her husband.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

Orion's trial continued, while his parents carefully monitored his situation.

~

Thrown into the second trial unexpectedly, Orion sighed.

He looked around him, and noticed that he was in some sort of stadium, in the stands part. Sitting in a random seat, he noticed that he was the sole spectator.

On each side of the arena, which looked too technologically advanced for something like a trial, two portals opened on two elevated platforms, before two individuals walked out of them.

A prince with dark hair and a stare devoid of life, wearing a simple suit the same color as his hair, standing on the left side.

And a priestess with long silver hair, wearing a white dress with silver accents, bringing her purity in full display.

Ten wings appeared behind the man, while the same happened for the woman.

Orion stared at them with confusion.

'Isn't it supposed to be my trial? Why am I watching people fight?'

Still, he ended up being curious.

(Who are they?)

Recognizing that the man was a demon, and the woman an angel, wasn't difficult. It was their identity that intrigued him.

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Ten wings. Even his parents hadn't that many. How strong were they to have physical wings attached to their back?

He questioned the situation, before the match suddenly began.

A monotonous voice, similar to the one Orion heard in his previous trial, echoed through the stadium.

"The goal of this match is to guess who will become the winner. You will watch three matches, and will have to guess them all correctly before the end of each fight."

"A bonus will be attributed if you can find the anomaly brought into the arena. Once each of the matches has been guessed correctly, and the anomaly found, the observer will be authorized a single question."

"The intensity, duration, and winner of the fight will be attributes at random. May your judgment be precise."

When the voice died down, the battle immediately began. Orion couldn't blink before a blast of intense magic energy pushed him in his seat.

The woman pointed at her opponent with her index finger. A beam of light condensed into a small laser flew straight toward the man, while a wave of dark magic covered his side of the arena.

Seeing that a force field had stopped their attacks from leaving the area, Orion took a deep breath and focused on the fight.

He had to guess correctly before the end of the round, or he would automatically fail the trial.

The laser ripped the darkness in bits, but ultimately stopped without touching her target. In retaliation, the man sent a wave of dark matter toward the priestess, before lifting his hand.

Large spikes of dark matter formed under her, trying to impale her.

She calmly and beautifully twisted her body to avoid the spikes, before kicking them with her leg, covered in light.

Like a dancer, she avoided each attacks and turned them into a puddle of dark matter that vanished after being bathed in her light.

(That woman is terrifyingly calm. The darkness is creeping rapidly toward her, but she isn't making any harsh decisions.)

Orion analyzed the fight, engrossed into their battle.

A dark spear appeared in the man's hands. He flapped his wings, before vanishing without a trace from his spot.

(He's fast!)

He could barely see the man fly in a straight line toward the priestess. The woman opened her hand in front of her, before a light shield protected her.

The dark spear stabbed into the shield, before both broke in pieces.

(The man is going to win...)

And just as Orion guessed it, the man grabbed the woman's throat. Without showing signs of thrashing around, she simply stared at the man with disdain, before he strengthened his grip.

She died helplessly. The man threw her body to the ground, formed another spear, and stabbed her in the stomach.

(Why? Is he making sure she died? Maybe because light magic can heal wounds?)

The fight stopped, everything returning to its previous state, as if nothing had happened.

"The first match has been guessed correctly by the observer. The second match will start right away."

Orion sighed. A bitter feeling emerged in his mind.

(Why did she lose so rapidly? Seeing her power, she had the potential to break through the man's defenses.)

He couldn't understand completely because these two fighters were unknown to him. Not only were they strong, but they weren't showing their full might.

It looked like these matches were displays of powerful people, but with numerous restrictions to them.

Time quickly went by, until the next fight begun. Once again, the same fighters appeared on each sides of the arena.

This time, it went differently.

The priestess, covered in light, walked forward from her platform, stepping on air. Under her feet, a step made of light magic supported her weight, and with each step, the surrounding light grew stronger.

A shield of light formed around her right arm, and a sword of light appeared in her left hand. She glared at the man, and crouched, before flying straight toward him at the same speed her opponent did in the previous match.

With his dark spear in hands, the man blocked the strike, and scornfully pushed her away.

She took a few steps back, before returning at high speed. An exchange of rapid strikes happened, blowing air on all sides afterward.

Orion couldn't believe what he was seeing. The fast exchanges were terrifying, but at the same time, incredible.

(I wish I could do that too...)

While wishfully thinking of one day doing the same, he focused his eyes on the fight, and gave his judgment.

(The woman is going to win this time. I'm sure of it.)

From behind the man, a light shone from his dark magic. The priestess let the spear pierce her shoulder deliberately, before she grabbed it and kicked the man's chest after twisting her body sideways.

She was a very flexible person, as shown by that impressive kick. A shockwave traveled as her foot impacted the man's chest, sending him flying backward.

(Yes, she won.)

He spat black blood, pierced by a light blade stuck on the wall behind him. His magic disappeared, a glaring hate in his eyes.

Her sword in hand, the priestess approached the man, and slashed at his neck. Seconds later, his head rolled on the ground, before she pierced it with her sword.

(This is violence I have never witnessed before. Why so much hate?)

Even Elliott, possessed by Miasma, did not take pleasure in killing like this. For some reason, Orion felt that there was some sort of relationship between these two that confirmed this hatred.

They both vanished once again, with the voice concluding the result of the match.

"The second match was guessed correctly by the observer. The third match will start right away."

Orion frowned.

'How does it know what I guessed? This place is a total mystery to me.'

This time, he patiently waited for the last match to begin. His eyes observed the arena until the fighters returned for one last showdown.

"The last match will now begin."

Appearing from their portal, the two glared at each other from their sides of the arena.

(This fight will be a violent one. I can feel it just by looking at them.)

He watched carefully their gestures. Compared to the first match, they were already armed.

(Are they retaining their memories of the previous fight? If so, I do understand their hatred.)

Both suddenly flapped their wings, and vanished from the platforms, meeting at the very center of the arena.

They both stopped, the light priestess looking at him from below, and the dark prince glaring at her from above.

Two explosions of magic happened from the platforms, covering the back of the arena in their respective magic.

A wave of light projectiles fired at the darkness, while a volley of dark bullets attacked the light.

The two met in the middle of the arena, standing in between those projectiles. When Orion blinked, they began their assault on one another.

They both met and broke away in a flash, causing the air to rip each time. Fast and precise strikes traveled through the air, threatening to meet their target.

The first one to strike was the priestess. With an upward slash, she ripped the prince's right arm from his body.

But the prince also took this opportunity to strike at her. He pierced her right leg with his spear, and twisted it until her leg was a mess.

Their exchanged continued, mutilating each other's with each attack, until finally, Orion closed his eyes.

(No winner. Their hatred consumed them.)

The priestess spat white blood, her chest pierced by the dark spear, while the dark prince vomited black blood, his throat pierced by her sword.

With their end approaching, the magic onslaught stopped completely, and both fell toward the ground.

*Flash*

Everything vanished from Orion's sigh, leaving him in complete darkness.

"The second trial has been completed. Your judgment was impartial, and precise. Congratulation."

Hearing the monotonous voice congratulate him felt like a joke.

-

"Now, have you found the anomaly?"

Diramoi's voice took over. The rough voice caught Orion by surprise, but he remained calm and answered.

(They knew each other. They also hated one another so strongly I could feel it.)

"That is correct. These fighters had a past together. But that is not the anomaly."

(The woman during the first match was pregnant.)

"Correct. Please continue."

(There were no signs of hatred in her eyes during the first match. Only after she had lost did she showed hate. Not only that, but the man specifically aimed for her stomach after strangling her.)

"Once again, you are correct."

Orion closed his eyes.

"Truly, this one smart."

A portal opened next to Orion, letting out two people he immediately recognized.

(...)

"Now, child. Please ask your question."

The light priestess approached him with a bright smile on her face. She had a very soothing and warming voice that erased his cautious instantly.

"I am in a good mood. I'll answer a second one as a gift."

While the dark prince had a darker tone to his voice, it wasn't particularly oppressing. In fact, Orion liked his voice. It was a powerful and dignified voice, worthy of a leader.

(In that case.)

Orion relaxed, and asked his questions.

(Who are you, and what is your relationship with me?)

"Heh. Really, you are a smart one."

By asking those questions, Orion would hear a story that was lost to time.