On the other end of the spatial rift, Aella glanced at her Status casually.
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Aella Rossi | Foxin | Adolescent Dragon
Title: Speedrunner | Achievement Points: 2200
EXP: 214,027 | Level: 55 | Stat Points: 10 | Skill Points 19
Dragon Slots: 1 used, 1 remaining
Dragon Core: Auilanthros Stormweaver | Rank: 3
Health: 66,123/79,500 | Mana: 106,433/155,000 | Stamina 13,714/18,999
Traits: 3 Tails | Whirlwind Maestra
Dragon Skills: [Dragon’s Breath] | [Electricity Manipulation] | [Water Manipulation] | [Wrath] | [Infusion]
Personal Skills: [Foxfire LV 3] | [Transformation LV 3] | [Charm LV 2] | [Blessing LV 1] | [Curse LV 1] | [Appraisal LV 1] | [Whirlwind Maestra LV 2] | [Advent Compass LV 1] | [Shared Consciousness LV 1] | [Mana Synthesis LV 1] | [Meister of Mana LV 1]
STR: 265 | DEX: 230 | SPI: 310 | AGI: 250 | MND: 85 | CHA: 160
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‘It’s dense. The Mana here is similar to the second trial.’ That was her first thought.
Her second was about the area she found herself in. As she looked around, everything seemed entirely normal, but it gave her such an uncanny feeling.
It was a bedroom. One that seemed to blur the bounds of reality with how it looked. An exquisite sanctuary, it was bathed in a soft, iridescent glow reminiscent of a twilight sky. The walls are adorned with a pearlescent wallpaper that shimmers with a subtle, magical luminescence, changing hues ever so slightly with the viewer’s angle, from the soft blues of a serene ocean to the gentle pinks of a dawning sky.
“You’re awfully calm for someone who was just forcibly teleported.” A voice said.
It came from in front of Aella in a chair near a grand window draped with diaphanous curtains, yet nobody was there… Until she blinked.
Upon opening her eyes again, a young girl no older than herself sat with a melancholy smile while sipping tea.
`There’s no Mana around her. This isn’t a disguise or transformation, much less any use of Spatial Magic. What the fuck did she just do?’
“It’s not my first time. So, who might you be… Miss…”
“I am Luminastra Vespera of the [Gluttony.] Please, call me Lumi. It’s truly a pleasure to meet you, Echo. Or perhaps I should call you [Wrath] since Echo isn’t your actual name. Regardless, welcome to The Chamber of Eclipsed Aurora.”
‘Oh my… She’s so unbelievably extra… If she’s from the cult… Maybe I can get her to defect? Having a Spatial Magic wielder as my close would grant me some amazing benefits.’
“[Gluttony?] It’s a skill similar to my [Wrath?] Fascinating. Well then. Miss Lumi, might I ask why you brought this lil’ fox to your wonderful abode?”
Luminastra chuckled, but it was evident to Aella, at least, that it was hollow. There wasn’t any joy or amusement behind it. She chuckled because it seemed like the right thing to do to fill the silence and continue the conversation.
It was much in the same way that Aella herself acts. Every movement or word that she utters is calculated to an ungodly degree.
“I beg of you to drop the honorifics. As I’m only the second in command, someone as great as yourself would naturally outrank me.”
“So you just admit that you’re part of the cult? Jeez, I don’t hide myself, but even I’m not that careless.”
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The two young girls looked at each other, their eyes meeting, and a weird feeling shot through both of them. One of familiarity. Both their eyes gave a feeling of incomparable distress.
‘This girl… She’s just like me… But how? Is she a Reincarnator as well?’
Her eyes showed helplessness from an event that she couldn’t stop no matter how hard she tried, just like Aella for thousands of years.
“Calling us a cult is… Not only wrong but also quite crude. If you wish for the correct terminology, we're a Cabal, but I prefer the word Coalition. Come have a seat and make yourself comfortable. I’ve made tea. I can also fetch you some juice if that’s more your style.”
Luminastra offered Aella a chair, which she accepted gladly. The closer she was to this girl, the easier it would be to summon a sword straight through her neck. It wasn’t time yet, however. The mana in this place was extremely dense and would allow her to recover her Mana quickly. Patience would need to be exercised if she was going to fight her way out of wherever they were.
As she poured the tea, Aella looked at the girl.
Her hair and eyes were like crystals, blue in color but reflecting light in such a way that they seemed like multi-colored gemstones. Her hair flowed like water as if it didn’t have a solid form, and her skin was peachy.
“Your existence. For some reason, my foresight can’t detect it. For that matter, it’s also incorrect against that winged girl.”
‘So she’s the source of the prophecy? What’s her game? Is she stalling for reinforcements? Surely, she didn’t bring me here without preparations. No, if she’s also a reincarnation, she could be trying to negotiate with me. Well, take as much time as you want to convince me, little girl.’’
“As a fox, naturally, I must have a few tricks up my sleeve, right?” Aella answered half-assedily while taking a sip of the tea. “While questions are being asked, why did you attack that Japanese girl? She’s not a Demon Lord Candidate. And how did you find me if you’re willing to answer?”
‘It’s not poisoned. This is so bizarre.’
Aella knew that foresight wouldn’t work on her. [Scrying] was a weird ability. Instead of being genuinely unique or from a particular affinity, it's just something you’re born with. Unless you're stronger than them, it doesn’t work on people who have broken their [Chains of Fate].
As for why it didn’t work on Seraphina, Aella had to guess it was related to her platinum-colored chains, but more research into that would need to be done for a concrete answer.
“You don’t know?” Lumiastra asked, “Hmm, I see. You only just became the inheritor of [Satan], so it makes sense. We sins… we can sense each other’s general location.”
“You found my general location and used [Scrying] to find the others, assuming I’d be with them. Gods, you’re clever.” Aella said.
It seemed it was time for her to set up countermeasures against getting affected by foresight. She was really hoping the Demon Lord situation was some ancient prophecy and whoever scryed it was long dead, but oh well.
“Now, shall we get onto the main topic? You wouldn’t understand why we were hunting Nakamura Aimi anyway and letting those girls wait so long… it’d be a shame if something happened to them.”
“Indeed. It would be a shame. I’d need to find a new Demon Lord to nurture.”
The two continued looking at each other, dancing around, trying to find a point to take the lead in this conversation. With Aetherion and Stormy there, she wasn’t worried about them getting ambushed unless it was Magnus. If he was part of the cult, then it was just a sheer miscalculation on her part.
“Do you know our [Children of the Lost Sun’s] goal, Miss Echo?”
Aella pretended to think about it for a while before shrugging, “Something to do with awakening a Demon Lord. You’re reasoning for that aside for a moment: if 13 demon lords truly exist, this world is doomed, plain and simple. You don’t have to awaken them forcibly if your goal is annihilation.”
Putting her tea down, Luminastra looked at Aella with a pensive look.
“Exactly. This world is doomed, and we wish to save it. That is why I wish to ask you to join our cause formally. Even if you refuse to join the Children after what we’ve done, I hope someone as strong as you won’t make an enemy of us when the world's fate is at stake.”
“Okay, let’s get a few things straight first. Firstly, I’m the aggressor here? Why are you apologizing? The Demon Lord Candidate, I didn’t know her before I saved her. I saved her because I felt like it. Over in Japan, I saved the girl because I felt like it. These people don’t mean anything to me.”
At least, they didn’t mean anything to her at first.
“Secondly, I don’t actually dislike you guys. You are just going after people I want. Thirdly, I really don’t care about the fate of this world. That being said, it is a nice place. So, if you tell me your plan, I’ll be completely willing to assist you if it’s plausible.” Aella continued.
Not a word she spoke was a lie. Aside from her not caring about Seraphina, perhaps, even that was a half-truth at worst. 13 Demon Lords, though. Even in her prime, she wouldn’t be confident weathering that threat alone.
“We wish to take control of an awakened Demon Lord.”