Love is just as powerful as it is dangerous. My mother often reminded me of this concept.

"You're a beautiful girl, Argenta. That is why people will try to get to you."

And she would also tell me how it could be a formidable tool.

"And that is exactly why I want you to learn how to use your beauty and charm in your favor."

Of course, I had my doubts at first. Love always sounded like a fairy tale to me, something distant and idealized. My mother often spoke of it just the way a mother would to her beloved daughter.

"Mom... is it better to kill or to be killed out of love?" I asked her out of curiosity.

"To kill, of course," she replied right away, without a crumb of hesitation.

I tilted my head. "Why is that?"

"When two people truly love each other, the other one would be sad to see the one they love die. So, it's better to stay both alive," she explained.

It made sense...

"I wonder if I'll ever be able to love someone..."

"You will, sweetie. One day you shall meet someone who you can truly trust, without the need to keep secrets. True love exists, I am certain of it. But the world is a nasty place, not meant for a woman's heart, and you are a beautiful creature. People do not like that... Many will try to ruin you, to break you. And you mustn't allow that. Love is good, but it's also dangerous. So, I shall teach you how to utilize it."

At the same time, she also spoke of it just as an incredible and treacherous weapon. People are able to kill for love, and at the same time, to sacrifice themselves for the sake of it. So, I had to learn how to use it for myself...

"How do I do that?" I asked her.

"Lie," she confessed as if it were the most natural thing in the world, just as naturally as she breathed. "Make them believe they are in charge. Manipulate them. Deceive them. Use them... Do so, and you shall never fear love."

"But... then, how will I ever meet true love? I shouldn't lie to who I love, isn't that right?" I asked her, confused.

"You mustn't worry, sweetie. Once you meet your true love, you will eventually know. And a lie can always be transformed into a truth," she warmly explained.

"Will I really be able to do all this...?" I asked, questioning my abilities.

"Of course you will. You're my daughter, after all."

...

"Second Inferno!"

I leaped across the area to evade Crimson's fire attacks. She sat on her main orb, floating high in the air, surrounded by two more circling orbs summoned thanks to one of her spells.

"Third Inferno!"

Her laughter filled the air. Pillars of fire were manifesting right beneath my feet, one after another. I narrowly dodged each one.

"That bitch!" I cursed internally. "Had my leg not been injured, I could easily reach that high!"

I couldn't attack her from the distance, and I couldn't use my second spell; I didn't want to kill her, and I didn't know how my demon would've reacted. My new, third spell, was out of the question; I had no idea what it could've done.

"What's wrong, Snowflake? Feeling tired? Does that leg of yours hurt?" she taunted, looking down on me from above.

"You..."

"Fifth Inferno."

"What happened to the fourth?!" I dashed forward to avoid the next fire pillar, falling to the ground.

"Emarginferno."

Three small fire spheres appeared around me. I rolled to my feet and leaped backward. The fire spheres collided with each other, creating a massive explosion. I shielded myself with my arms, but I was inevitably sent flying into the waterfall's pool. I immediately resurfaced, gasping for air.

"Are you trying to kill me?!" I accused.

"You threatened to break my hand, so it's only fair I break your neck. Don't you think?" she sarcastically replied.

"The way you reason makes no sense... Ah, I think Elizabeth once mentioned it."

Crimson's smile completely vanished; she looked at me with an irritated glare. It would seem I struck a nerve. Good, exactly the reaction I was hoping for.

"You seem to enjoy talking about her... Fuoco Fatuo."

Behind Crimson's back, a swarm of blue flames materialized. Had she launched them at me, I would've certainly died... but they hovered in place, suspended in the air. So, until that point, she was holding back, just playing around...

"Let me give you another lesson..." she continued. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to maintain an attack spell, keeping it still and stable in place? You should know by now... once a libromancer casts a spell, the spell remains in function until its expiration, or until its effect is fulfilled. Libromancers must have a hard time controlling them... Yet, I have no problems doing so. In fact, I don't even have to wait for its expiration; I can make it vanish at will. Something Elizabeth could never do..."

She slowly approached me. I was still in the water, droplets dripping down my bangs, partially obscuring my view.

"The will o' the wisp... It would be such a shame to release them against you, Snowflake. What do you think?" she said with an exaggeratedly sympathetic voice.

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"You don't strike me as the kind of person to hold back against someone who offended you. What's stopping you now?" I asked.

She suddenly came closer. "You are," she soothingly whispered, brushing her fingers along my cheek as I flinched backward. "You're fascinating, Snowflake... I've heard the reports of the dungeon this morning. A girl without a divine weapon; it's as if the Deities made fun of you. Yet, you survived, you made it this far... You have skills no one else possesses in this world, and your mana is one of a kind, too. You're so intriguing, and such a beauty... It would be a shame to get rid of you, wouldn't it?. So... why don't we just get along? Forget what that stupid girl said, and follow me. As soon as your leg heals, I'll bring you to a wonderful place. You won't regret it..."

I considered my words carefully as she kept caressing my face, toying with my hair, twirling it between her fingers.

"My goal is to become strong..." I thought to myself. "And understand my spells... understand my mother, myself... Crimson is strong, without a doubt; I could learn from her. But would my mother do something like this?"

I pondered heavily about the answer... My mother had always been an example for me, she would choose the best course of action. So, I had to do the same. A perfect being, a perfect woman who always took the right path to achieve her ultimate goal.

"Perhaps we got off on the wrong foot," I replied.

"Yes, we sure have. But since you entertained me with your dodging skills, just for you, I shall consider our payment fulfilled. What do you think? Why don't we start over?" she proposed, extending her hand to me.

I stared at the hand, still partially unsure about what to do. I could've grabbed her and broken her neck on the spot if I wanted. But that would've created some problems... So, the answer seemed clear, and I couldn't afford to show my hesitation... therefore, I grabbed it. "Yes, let us."

As she helped me up from the water, the blue flames behind her vanished...

----------------------------------------

... With Crimson now out of the way, and with the dawn of a new day, it was time to test my new spell.

In the early morning, armed with calm and patience, I went straight out of the city's walls, searching for a secluded spot where I could cast it.

"This... this is good enough."

No people around me, just grass and an enjoyable gentle breeze that ruffled my hair. From the distance, I still could see the city, but it was safe to cast it; I was far enough away to avoid prying eyes or accidental harm.

I opened my codex; this spell seemed similar to the first one, or so suggested its name.

"Okay... Felincloak."

As I pronounced the spell, my eyes widened. A sudden, sharp pain stabbed simultaneously through my chest and skull, blurring my vision.

"Wha...?"

My breath grew shallow, and my legs wobbled, staggering in vain trying to steady myself. I fell, crashing to the ground, and all I could see was darkness...

... I slowly reopened my eyes. I had fainted? My head was pounding, I pressed my hand against my forehead, trying to ease the pain as I slowly pushed myself away from the ground.

"Ow... Wow, what a nice joke, Deities... a spell that knocks me out. Really greAH!" I shouted in fear as I turned to the side. "You!... You fucking piece of shit!"

The demon had reappeared, almost giving me a heart attack. And why did it reappear? Hours of theories gone straight to the trash can... I thought it would only appear every time I learned a new spell, but I hadn't learned a new spell... did I?

I quickly flipped through my codex. No, no new spells... I sighed.

"Why did you reappear... what do you want?"

Once again, it showed me six of its claws. Nothing new, nothing else.

"What does it mean?!" I groaned, frustrated.

The demon stood still.

"What a waste of time..." I sighed as I flopped back onto the grass, staring at the sky. "Wait... perhaps I need to cast my first spell before using this one," I pondered, considering their similar names.

The spell had already finished its cooldown, so... I sat on the grass, and gave it a try.

"Felinchant," and my first spell enshrouded my body in dim purple aura. "Now... Felincloak."

Aaand face into the grass once again... At least this time I was already on the ground.

As I regained consciousness, my head hurt even more. "I guess... I can't cheat my way out of this enigma, can I? I can't use this spell unless I figure out what this demon wants, I suppose..."

Letting out another sigh, I closed my eyes, allowing the breeze to wash over me. The soft wind against my skin was pleasing... It felt like I hadn't stopped to enjoy such tranquility in a long time. Yet, could I even enjoy it? Could I really allow myself to relax? I still hadn't recovered my mother's dagger, and I still felt horrible for losing it...

"Ah, now I see... the moment I stop thinking, my mind gets flooded with my own delusions... I can't afford peace, can I...?"

I slowly reopened my eyes. Whether I wanted it or not, I had to face reality. My mind couldn't help but drag me back to it, unfortunately...

"Wait... now that I can, let's see what happens... Bianca."

What would the answer be? Would the demon appear behind me, or would another one be summoned? Or would it just transform and appear bigger and more defined, just like what I summoned when I first cast this spell?

The answer seemed to be the latter. The demon evolved right in front of me; it grew, it became larger and its form more defined.

"Can you speak?" I tried asking to this evolution, but it did nothing. It just stood in place. "Well, whatever. What now, though? Will you disappear in a minute, or..."

I waited for the expiration; as soon as the minute passed, the demon reverted back to its original state.

"Hmm... good to know, I guess."

Well, it was time to head back... No point in standing there any longer since there was nothing more to learn. And so, I stood up, brushing the grass from my clothes, and started walking.

I made my way back into the city's walls, just strolling around, while my demon trailed behind me. As usual, It was invisible and non-existent to everyone but me; no one even flinched as it moved among them

"So people can't see this form, even after I cast the spell. It's only visible and tangible to the others during that single minute of the spell..." I thought as I observed it.

As I walked back to my guild, the demon would occasionally go near other people, extending its claw to point at them, twice, before pointing back at itself.

"... I don't get it."

What was it trying to say? Never mind... I had to think about what to do. My leg was healing; soon, Crimson would've taken me somewhere unknown to me, and I still didn't have a weapon with me.

"I should buy a new dagger," I pondered as I directed myself in search for vendors.

But the truth is, I didn't want a new dagger. All I wanted was my mother's. Even without having a personal weapon, being an anomaly, I've always considered her dagger to be it. But without it, all I felt was... a deep sense of incompleteness. Just a puzzle missing a key piece.

I stopped in my track, letting out a deep sigh as I tasted the void in my soul left by my own incompetence. Even this lively city could do nothing to alleviate the hollowness I felt.

"I can't go on like this... If I don't find a way to keep myself busy, this will only get worse..." I murmured to myself.

Once again, I changed my route. Trying not to drown in my own thoughts, I was heading back to my guild, this time for real, casting aside the need for a weapon.

On my way to the guild, I spotted Joey and Elizabeth walking side by side in the distance. Joey held Elizabeth's staff, while she snacked on something from a little container. They noticed me, too.

"Good morning," greeted Elizabeth, along with Joey.

"Good morning," I reciprocated. Then, I glanced at the container; It was filled with oddly-shaped, strange fried food. It didn't look so appetizing... "What are you eating, Elizabeth?"

"It's chocobo fingers. They're good, want to try some?" she asked, pointing at them with her index finger, twice, before grabbing another one, directing it into her mouth.

My heart skipped a beat, its sound followed by a cold sweat suddenly dripping down my entire spine. I turned my eyes to the demon; it was once again near a random person on the street. The demon pointed at it with its claw, twice, once again. Then... it pointed back at itself.

"Argenta?" Elizabeth called out, snapping me back to reality.

I redirected my attention to her. "Ah, no... It's alright, I'm not hungry," I gulped, trying to mask my nervousness, shaking off my momentary tension.

"You look pale, are you alright?" Joey asked me. Damned he and his observation skills.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm just not getting a lot of sleep," I said with a reassuring smile.

"You should take it easy, you're still injured," Joey advised with his concerned voice.

"Yes, you're right. I will lay down on my bed a little," I said, dismissing them with a friendly wave.

After dismissing the two, with that excuse, I finally hurried to my guild, heading straight to my room to collect my thoughts.

"The demon... it wants human beings!"