Aron led Sera to a narrow set of stairs that was hidden in between two patches of well-trimmed flower bushes. They seemed to lead down to the basement, where she assumed various storage rooms were located.

 

"Follow me," he demanded after he had opened the heavy wooden door that had sealed off the entrance.

"Basement?"

"It has anything you need for working here."

"Like tools?"

"You will see soon enough."

 

Sera wasn't the least interested. She didn't know yet what her work here would look like aside from it somehow being connected to Lord Parron's son and daughter. Maybe she would need nothing but a butler's uniform, maybe not even that. Why should she get psyched up about something she didn't know whether it would be connected to her in any way or not?

Even though she couldn't feel excited at all, Sera had no choice but to follow her roommate into the building where a corridor shrouded in dust and darkness awaited her. She stepped through the doorframe only to immediately be told to stop again.

 

"Wait a second. I will turn on the lights."

 

Before he had even finished talking, his right hand had already wandered to a rectangular slab that slightly protruded out of the wall. Sera didn't see much of it, as most of the daylight didn't find its way into the basement. It was only when Aron had placed his hand flat onto the slab and took a few deep breaths, that it became visible. Runes began to glow all over the stone's surface.

 

"Magic circle," she asked.

 

Aron answered her with a short sigh before he began concentrating again. Activating this was easy, but you needed to focus on doing so and not let yourself get distracted by anything unnecessary.

Little by little the room grew brighter, thanks to a series of small orbs that began to glow in a slightly yellowish light. Each of them had been installed in the ceiling, with only a few steps each separating them.

 

"We have to hurry a little," Aron explained with a trace of shame in his voice. "My mana is pretty weak."

"Weak?"

"It can only light this up for five or six minutes. Maybe seven."

"How long can mother make it glow?"

"A few hours, I guess. She has to cancel the magic so the light won't burn through half of the night. The orbs are expensive, after all."

"Why not use candles?"

"I guess they aren't bright enough. To be honest I never thought too much about it."

"Even though you are so weak?"

 

Something in Aron's face changed. Sera could have sworn she had seen him turning red, but she chose not to ask him about it. Whenever her mother was the same, it had been nearly impossible to get the truth out of her after all. It was only when his answer came, after a few long moments, that she understood he indeed felt ashamed - and angry.

 

"Small kids like you won't even manage a minute!"

 

Sera couldn't refute anything to this. She didn't know how strong or weak her own magic capabilities were, as she had never been able to test it. Her mother hadn't allowed her to get close to any magical device, as she feared they could loosen the seal placed on her and thus reveal the demonic aura it hid.

The concealment item Mira had gotten from her former master prior to the hunt had been that way. As soon as she would use any form of magic, the effect would temporarly wear off and allow others to again percieve her magical aura.

 

"Don't know," Sera answered after a moment of thinking about it.

"If there is any potential in you, it won't be revealed before you turn old enough. Until then, you have to ask me or somebody else to do it for you."

"Yes."

 

He was wrong about this. Mira had told her that the magic of humans was strongly connected to them growing up from being a child to a young adult, but it was, in fact, quite the opposite for herself.

Like any other demon, Sera was born with a part of her magic capabilities already active, as it was required for her body to grow into a healthy and strong woman that would be able to handle the whole extent of it later on. Naturally, this would allow her to grow far stronger than a human - if she had the potential.

 

Sera looked at the young man that seemed to have sunk into deep thoughts. "Continue?"

"... yes."

 

Aron slowly walked down the corridor. His steps looked wobbly now, and even his breathing seemed to go a little faster, making it look as if he was exhausted.

 

«Did he use that much mana,» Sera couldn't help but ask herself.

 

She didn't get to ask her question out aloud, as her roommate suddenly stopped in front of a door. He opened it and once again placed his hand on a second slab attached to the wall right behind the doorframe. The murky room slowly lighted up.

 

"This is the tool storage."

"..."

"It has everything you need for the garden or cleaning the house. There are even tools for-"

"Hammer and nails?"

"... we will grab them later!"

"Why?"

"I can't let you run through the whole house with a hammer and nails! People will think you are crazy!"

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"They will think I want to repair something."

"It is your first day here!"

"I can repair."

"Fiiine!"

 

Arno finally gave in. It wasn't Sera's 'logic' that has won over his patience, but rather did he feel annoyed and just wanted to get their 'introduction tour' over with.

 

«At least he will be silent for a while if I give him his stupid hammer.»

 

He took a few steps into the room and let his gaze wander over the shelves attached to each of the walls. The tools had been sorted neatly, but there had never been the need for him to use a hammer, at least not in Lord Parron's house. A man so powerful and rich could easily call far more experienced men to do repair works. There was no need for a mere kitchen helper to ever touch such tools.

 

"There it is," he finally announced after searching for a few minutes.

 

When Aron turned around, he had both a hammer and a few nails in his hand, which he wordlessly placed into her hands.

 

"Thank you."

"It's no issue. Are ten nails enough?"

"Yes."

"So let's leave then. I will show you the other rooms."

 

As soon as Aron had stepped out of the room and back into the hallway, he was stopped by a voice that sounded like something in between monotone and disinterested.

 

"Will you give me a blanket too," Sera wanted to know.

"A blanket?"

"For the curtain."

"You really want that curtain, do you?"

"I want it!"

"Are you afraid I would peep at you?"

"Yes."

"Can't you at least deny it?! What's with that fast answer?! I'm not a pervert!"

"I sleep better with curtains."

"... too late."

 

Seeing that she didn't plan to answer anything to his complaint, Aron led his steps towards the next door. He had barely touched it when suddenly the light turned a lot darker. The mana he had forced into the magic circle had already run out. He couldn't help but curse out loud.

 

"Damn it!"

"No mana?"

"It is because you have wasted so much time!"

"Will you do it again?"

"I already told you it costs too much mana." He sighed. "It can't be helped. I will show you the rest of the mansion for now."

"But the blanket..."

"If you want that blanket so much then you should turn on those lights! I can't do it again!"

"I will try."

"Don't bother trying before you get at least three years older ..."

 

An almost inaudible sound resounded in Aron's ears. He turned around, towards the boy who had just placed his small hand onto the magic circle.

 

"Push?"

"You have to imagine your mana flowing into it. But as I said: don't bother trying! You are too young to-"

 

His words suddenly cut off. Aron was petrified. Right in front of his eyes, the runes surrounding Sera's hand began glowing, not in a faint color, but bright as the sun instead. Tears rolled down her skin as the light burned in her eyes.

 

Aron's panicked voice echoed through the basement "What are you doing?! Stop it!"

"It's different?"

"STOP IT AT ONCE!"

"Why-"

 

Suddenly, blindingly bright light flooded the basement. Not only the hallway, even the orbs in the tool storage shined so intense Aron couldn't help but close his eyes and hide them behind both of his arms. It was still too bright, so bright in fact that he could see the light shining even through his flesh!

 

"NOOO!!"

 

Just as the orbs shone the brightest, a series of explosions filled the basement, each of them destroying one of the tens of orbs installed to the ceiling. Where there had been nothing but hot, white light only seconds before, now darkness and dust spread and buried everything and anybody under them.

 

"Wha- where are you?! Sera?! SERA!"

 

The boy didn't answer him. It was ghastly silent, except for the debris of the magical orbs and the surrounding stone falling from the ceiling. Aron searched for the small silhouette, but it couldn't be found anywhere in the cloud of dust that had filled the basement.

 

"Damn it! Damn it all!"

 

Aron slowly walked forward, using both of his hands and feet to search for a way out. He didn't come more than a few steps as he suddenly hit something soft.

He locked down, onto the floor that seemed to be covered by black and grew powder. In the midst of it, there a dusty something laid - the battered body of a child.

 

"Sera?! Is that you? Answer me?! Why aren't you answering! Say something! Please!"

 

She didn't answer, nobody did. Aron screamed at her, he shook her and even pulled her up, but she didn't react to anything he did. The sole answer to his screams was a series of approaching steps. They probably belonged to the guards or the maids, anyone who was near enough to have heard the explosions.

Before Aron could find a chance to prepare himself, a familiar man appeared on the stairs just outside of the entrance. He stared into the basement, his face changing its expression and color over and over again. There was panic, anger and many other feelings to be found, but all of those vanished when the man spotted the motionless body in his servant's arms.

 

"WHAT DID YOU DO?! WHAT HAPPENED HERE?!"