After the scroll accident and Mei's punishment, Xitlari was walking toward the southwest area on the sidewalk.

"If I had never arrived, none of this would have happened... What a hassle!" she said in great frustration, clenching her fists. "I’m never wrong when I do things alone..."

"Hey, freak! Go walk in front of someone else..." shouted a bearded man, stepping out of his shop. As she passed by, Xitlari quickly punched him, breaking his nose, causing him to fall to the ground, covering his face and complaining about the pain. Meanwhile, Xitlari kept walking.

"I needed that..." she mumbled as she walked away with a sigh of frustration. "I won’t do the mission with him. I’ll ask Mei to let me do it alone and for him to do something else. I don’t care," she muttered angrily, reaching a two-story building at the corner with a long blue window. The walls were beautiful, decorated with some adornments. The entrance had a small blue canopy, and above, on the second floor, there was another long window that illuminated the upper room.

"Lily! Hello!" she exclaimed upon entering the very quiet place.

"Xitlari!" several children shouted in unison, running toward her and giving her a hug.

"Hi! How is everyone?!" Xitlari was very happy, hugging the children.

"Very well!" they answered. "Pick us up!" said one girl. "Yes, please," added another.

"Or can’t you anymore?" said a boy, challenging her.

"Ha, ha... Do you think I can’t? Of course I can!" she said, accepting the challenge with a smile, lifting all the children with her four arms, who started laughing and getting excited.

"Dahlia! I mean, Xitlari! It’s good to see you. Did something happen?" said a woman with a kind and calm voice. She wore a white dress and a yellow robe. Her hair was brown, and her eyes were green. She wore black slippers with white knee-high socks and an advanced watch on her left arm.

"I was just passing by, also to distract myself and shake off some anger," Xitlari replied, lowering the children and approaching Lily to give her a hug.

"Anger? Are people still insulting you? So... hiding your arms doesn't work?" Lily asked with concern, returning Xitlari’s hug.

"It works a little. Some recognize me, but I’m angry about something else," she responded, remembering why she was there.

"I see... Kids! It’s almost lunchtime. Go get your plates so Julia can serve you," Lily said, bending down with a slight smile on her face.

"Yes!" the kids shouted excitedly, running to get their plates.

"Tell me, what happened?" Lily sat in a chair and offered Xitlari another one next to her.

"There’s this new guy. Because of him, I now have to leave the kingdom with him to deliver a package," she responded with a slight sigh, sitting in the chair with annoyance.

"But you like traveling, what's the problem?" Lily said, confused.

"I don’t want to go with him. Because of him, a very dangerous object opened, and I got blamed too. And if I go with him on the mission, he’ll probably do something else and get me into more trouble," she said, clenching her four hands.

"Why don’t you talk to Mei about doing it alone? You can also ask her to send you with Kassie," Lily suggested, trying to find a solution.

"I was going to do that, but thinking about it, I don’t want to bother her... Taking care of this kingdom with the resources she has is not easy at all, and she fully supports teamwork. Plus, I couldn’t get Kassie into my mess," she responded with understanding and stood up, looking at and touching the blue window with two of her hands.

"But you would help her with her problems, wouldn’t you? Ha, ha, ha. You’re just like your father," she said with a light laugh and a touch of melancholy.

"Do you think so...? *Sigh.* I wish I could do everything perfectly. The truth is, I felt a little embarrassed. He came in and I hid my hands, and that’s why... I couldn’t stop him. Actually, when I tried, my hands hit the table, but he still pressed the scroll! And if he hadn’t come in, the scroll would have never opened!" Xitlari tried to reflect, but reached the same conclusion, getting more frustrated in the process.

"Then... Go ask Mei. If you want to do it alone, do it alone. But maybe the guy didn’t have those intentions. I’ve noticed you behave like them. You shouldn’t be like them... Not everyone is going to despise you, Xitlari. If you keep acting like this, they will..." Lily said, understanding what Xitlari was feeling and deeply concerned about her attitude.

Lily’s words made her remember something: "Actually, I think your arms are amazing..." Her lips tightened slightly, showing a touch of guilt, as if she had just realized her mistake. "I think you’re right... But I don’t know... What if he gets me into more trouble?" she said, accepting it all and heading toward the exit.

"You’ll figure it out," Lily replied.

"It’s easy to say. Anyway, thanks for listening to me," she said with gratitude.

"It’s nothing... Do you want to eat something before you leave?" she said, happy that Xitlari understood her message.

"No, I’m not hungry. I think I’ll go back to the agency. Goodbye, and please say hi to the kids for me," she said calmly, giving a slight smile as she said goodbye and left.

Lily stood up and waved with a slight smile. "I hope everything goes well, my girl."

After a long walk back, Xitlari found a big surprise before entering the agency... She heard a melody that caught her attention.

"That’s... Louis!" Xitlari noticed Louis’s red hair, and as she got a little closer to the restaurant, she recognized him. "And that’s Ann," she mentioned upon hearing Ann’s beautiful voice. "Lily is right... I’ve been acting like those who despise me, afraid they’ll despise me... and that has made me be alone most of the time," she thought, feeling a little bad and remembering Lily’s recent words. Xitlari sat at the agency entrance to listen to the song. "Heh, this must be for Ririam... How does he manage to keep up with Ann’s rhythm? No... Ann is adapting to Louis’s rhythm. Ha! No wonder she’s a professional singer..." she thought as she continued listening to the song.

On Xitlari’s shoulder, a blue energy was slowly gathering. Then, as she heard the end, the energy transformed into a blue owl.

"Aww, what a beautiful piano! Where’s the pianist?!" the owl exclaimed, feeling great passion and emotion.

Xitlari was surprised by the appearance of the owl, letting out a surprised sigh. "A new spirit..." she said, thinking.

"I’m glad I decided to enter your life. My name is Buh. Tell me, where is...? Oh... how sad..." said Buh with great emotion, disappearing at the end of his words.

"What are you talking about?" Xitlari said, standing up and noticing many people were approaching.

"I’m seeing your past... I’m sorry I didn’t enter your life earlier... I see... So that’s what happened to Lum..." he responded with sadness upon seeing Xitlari’s memories.

Xitlari quickly entered the agency and headed toward the waiting room.

"Hey, where are we going? I want to meet the pianist and the singer of that song," the owl replied, unable to separate himself from Xitlari.

"I don’t want anyone seeing me talking to myself, I’ve had enough with the issue of my arms," she responded firmly, opening the door. "What’s your hand position?" she asked, sitting on the sofa.

"Eight circalitas, four mirias, and six linneas. Though I suggest you practice with two hands. I see you only know how to do the rhino spirit with your four hands," the spiritual owl responded while continuing to observe Xitlari’s life.

"Eight, four, and six... I got it! Earlier, you mentioned my father’s name, do you know him?" she said, memorizing the order and feeling curious about what the owl was saying.

"Lum is well known in the spiritual world. Many spirits wanted to be one of the three chosen to enter his life, including me. But I realized he didn’t need me... His life was already good, and I... am the type of spirit that advises. I couldn’t be with him. I’m one of those who must go with people who need more help to improve their lives. Maybe I didn’t enter Lum’s life, but I did enter his adopted daughter’s life," he answered, remembering when all the spirits talked about Lum and when he got the chance to enter his life.

The owl’s last comment slightly irritated Xitlari. "What kind of abilities do you have?" she asked directly.

"Hmm, how direct. I have the ability to see the auras of others if you connect with them. Also, you can summon me to fly, create a shield, and I’ll give you lots of advice. I’m wise, girl," he replied, flying around Xitlari's head. "Aha! His name is Louis the pianist, and Ann the singer, but I liked the piano more. It reminded me of something from my past life," he said instantly, landing on Xitlari's shoulder.

"Are you done seeing my memories?" Xitlari said sarcastically.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Almost... I see you're on a bad path, you even realized that yourself. Don’t worry; with me, you’ll change, improve, and reach your best version. Obviously, it won’t be easy, but I’ll work hard to make it happen before you become an old woman, I swear," he said confidently, raising his wing as he swore.

"I'm not on a bad path," Xitlari replied, staring at the owl.

"Yes, you are. Being rude to most people, unkind, lonely, and closed off isn’t right," insisted the owl, emphasizing it as if he knew her completely.

"My father told me to be myself..." she said, refusing to accept what the owl was saying.

"See? You're closed off! Lum was right, but you need to change and improve to become your best version and get rid of the bad things in yourself," he said wisely, flying around Xitlari's head again.

Xitlari crossed her four arms, showing frustration at the truths the spiritual owl was saying to her. Then, the door opened, and Mei entered the room.

"Xitlari! I’ve been looking for you, I want to talk to you," Mei said with her sweet, soft voice, sitting beside her. "I know you like doing things on your own, but you need to learn to work as a team."

"Yes! Mei knows what I’m talking about," the spiritual owl mentioned.

Xitlari listened to the owl and rolled her eyes.

"Stop rolling your eyes at me," Mei said with mild annoyance, pinching her cheek.

"Ouch! It wasn’t for you. Don’t worry, I had already decided to go with him, but I’ll carry the jewel," she said while rubbing her cheek.

"You changed your mind? It’s rare to see that in you, but I’m happy to hear it. Louis is a good guy, you can make peace while traveling, and he’s different, just like you, and... you like different people," Mei said cheerfully, trying to convince her even more.

"Yes, I understand, I’ll try to make peace..." Xitlari responded to calm her down.

"I’m glad! Oh! One more thing, I won’t let you touch the scroll unless you work with the others, understood?" she said, standing up and about to leave the room.

"Understood..." Xitlari responded reluctantly.

"Well, will you let me meet Louis?" asked the spiritual owl as soon as Mei left the room.

"For what? He can’t see you... and you already know him through my memories," Xitlari replied, getting up from the couch.

"I’d like to meet him in person, and Ann too," the owl said.

"Tomorrow," Xitlari responded quickly, heading to the research room.

"Why tomorrow? It can be today!" the spiritual owl insisted.

"Because yes. I ask that you don’t talk to me too much, I don’t want them to see me talking to myself suddenly," she said before entering the research room.

"Fine, but I’ll still talk..." the owl replied.

Everyone watched Xitlari as she entered, and she froze from all the stares.

"I came to... help," she said nervously, trying to keep walking. After hearing that, everyone went back to tidying up. Xitlari approached and picked up several items from the floor, carrying a large amount thanks to her arms. The researchers noticed this, but continued working. In an hour, everything was organized, and the architects fixed the broken wall.

"Now what? I should try to help them, I don’t want to touch the scroll... Now I’m panicking because of him," she thought, standing still watching how the others worked.

"Why don’t you start by approaching and not being afraid? Just inform them about what you discovered about the scroll," the spiritual owl suggested.

"How nice it is to read my mind, huh?!" she whispered, annoyed by the comment.

Xitlari approached the table. "I wanted to tell you... that needles 2 and 3 work correctly, also, the top part is the thinnest and the most fragile, easy to remove. Also, the ends on both sides should not be touched when removing the fourth layer. I couldn’t remove the fifth one," she said calmly and professionally.

"When it comes to that, it’s easier for you. Go help the others," said the owl, urging her.

"I’ve already helped them... that’s enough," Xitlari whispered, refusing the idea.

"Go help them!" the owl said angrily.

"Fine!" she responded, annoyed, approaching a man at a holographic screen.

"If you use this code, it will be easier to save the files, and they’ll be more protected," Xitlari said, showing him an encryption code.

"Oh... That’s true, thank you," the man replied.

Xitlari realized she enjoyed this and went to help a woman with a full-body shield. Then she helped another with wiring a communication device, and lastly, forgetting the panic she felt, she dismantled the entire seal of the scroll with the help of the others. In the end, Mei was passing to her office with a bag and noticed Xitlari working with the others, a proud smile escaping her.

"See? It wasn’t that bad," said the spiritual owl after they left the research room.

"Yes... You were right, but... I remember that in the past..." she said, feeling great happiness inside, but remembering the past.

"No... Now, leave the past and walk in the present," the owl said, raising his wing to stop her.

"Okay, I have to inform Mei about what we found," she said, heading to Mei’s office.

We switch to the others who were in the El Dorado restaurant. They had all finished eating and were chatting.

"So, Ann is 25 and Ririam 26," Louis said, trying to confirm the information.

"That’s right, we met at the children’s school. I still remember how cute he looked," Ann said with a touch of nostalgia and a smile on her lips.

"Enough with the unnecessary information. Hey, Louis, have they told you how long you’ll live in your kingdom?" Ririam asked seriously and curiously about the answer.

"Huh? No, why?" Louis said, confused by the question.

"I’m asking because of your hybrid blood. Humans live to 130 years and age slightly at 60, and at 90, we age faster. But how does it work for you?" Ririam explained.

"I remember reading that. And to answer your question... well, they never told me anything, but as I recall, demons live 180 years and age slightly at 80, and by 130, they start aging faster... But for me, I have no idea how long I’ll live," he said, trying to answer the question.

"You’ll probably live longer than a human, that’s for sure," Ririam said seriously.

"Folks, before you leave, I’d like to inform you that we’ve received juice from the new fruit that was discovered, the melon. Would you like to try a glass?" George asked kindly, approaching the table.

"Really?! Bring us four glasses, please. I’ll treat you," Ririam responded with slight surprise.

"Hey! How nice," Kassie said sarcastically.

"Silence..." Ririam immediately responded.

"Hey, Louis! Does it take a lot of magic to create lava?" Ann asked with great joy and curiosity.

"Good question, Ann, I want to hear the answer," Ririam said, pressing a button on his glasses.

Louis frowned at what Ririam said and answered, "Yes, quite a bit, but thanks to my master, I was able to concentrate the magic I have and use the right amount for long-term fighting."

"You're talking about Lion Fordesthmans' son, right?" Ririam said, pressing the button on his glasses again.

"Lion? My master is his son?!" Louis asked, surprised, getting up from his seat.

"Didn't you know?!" Ririam and Kassie commented, both surprised.

"Well... he never mentioned it," Louis replied, sitting back down.

"Here’s the juice," George said, arriving with a tray carrying four glasses.

Immediately, everyone took their glasses and tried it, except Louis, who was surprised to see how everyone grabbed a glass instantly.

"Mmm, it's so delicious!" Ann expressed with joy as she tasted it.

"Ah... Yes, it's very tasty," Kassie commented, fascinated, touching her cheek.

"It's good..." Ririam mentioned, without saying much more.

"What do you mean by ‘good’? Say something else," Kassie retorted.

Louis took his glass and tried it, and instantly he was surprised by the flavor. "It’s... incredible! Where did you find this fruit?"

"They say it was found in the eastern zone of Lyran," Kassie replied after taking a big sip.

"I see..." Louis said, taking another sip.

Suddenly, Ann's communicator went off, and she pulled it out of her jacket.

"Hello, Mei! Did you finish your call with Mern?" she said cheerfully when answering.

"What are you saying, Ann?! The bank is being robbed! You have to go immediately!" Mei expressed, a bit nervously at Ann’s comment.

"Got it!" Ann responded, standing up and heading to the exit with Kassie and Louis, while Ririam left the payment for the drinks on the table.

"Alright, time to go!" Ann said excitedly, making everyone fly and creating a square cloud that covered Kassie’s view.

"Wait! I’m coming too!" Xitlari said, leaving the agency.

Ann, surprised and letting out a sigh of astonishment, approached Xitlari to give her a hug. "No way! I’ll do two missions with you in one week!" Ann said with great excitement and enthusiasm.

"No hugs, Ann..." Xitlari said, stopping her with one of her arms.

"I think I’ll try not to talk to her. She must still be upset..." Louis thought while glancing at her.

Ann quickly took everyone to the eastern zone, where the bank was.

"Why is Kassie like that?" Louis asked, seeing the square cloud.

"She’s afraid of heights! But she knows my magic is the best way to travel," Ann replied, smiling proudly.

"That explains why she froze up yesterday..." Louis thought, remembering when Ann took them out of the portal.

After flying at great speed, they arrived at the location just before the robbers could escape.

"Shit, we’re done for! The paladins are coming!" one of the robbers said in fear. His hair was yellow, shaved on the sides and back. He wore a black vest, an amber-colored shirt, amber shoes, and black pants. Inside the bank, the place was empty, and some people were running from the back.

"Didn’t they say there were no more paladins in this kingdom?! Jomak tricked us!" another robber said angrily, wearing the same outfit, but this one was bald.

"What do we do?" asked a girl with bags in her hands. She wore the same outfit, but her face was covered with a scarf, and her hair was shorter on one side.

"Get ready... because I’m not going down without a fight," said a man, cracking his fists. He was tall and muscular, wearing a gas mask on his face.

"I’ll go look for a hostage from the ones we locked up," added another man with long hair.

"I see six in total. Judging by their clothes, they seem to be from Maber’s gang. That means he’s close to the kingdom," Ririam said, watching them from a distance through his glasses.

"I’ll handle them," Xitlari said with determination.

"Of course not. We need to work together! Remember?!" Ririam retorted.

"Leave it to me, please. This will be the last time I work alone," Xitlari said, jumping out of the cloud that was about to land.

"Are you serious? Wait!" Ririam shouted, trying to stop her.

Xitlari’s descent was quick but controlled. Landing without a scratch, she began running towards the bank. The woman started firing with her weapon, and Xitlari dodged the shots nimbly until she got close, twisted the barrel of the weapon, and punched her in the face. Then, the tall and robust man threw a punch that Xitlari blocked with her left arm and then struck him with both of her right arms simultaneously. This caused the man to crash into the sidewalk, knocking him unconscious.

The others arrived and watched as Xitlari dealt with them.

“Should we help her? I’d like to help her…” asked Ann sadly, unable to work as a team with Xitlari.

“Let her be. She said this was her last time working alone,” replied Ririam, putting his arm in front of Ann to prevent her from getting closer.

Louis watched in amazement at Xitlari’s fighting style. One of the thieves fired several times with a pistol, but Xitlari blocked all the bullets with her right hands, covering them with her blue magic. Another tried to strike her with a sword, but she stopped it with one arm and punched him in the jaw with the other, took the sword, and threw it at the one with the pistol, disarming him. Then she approached him and kicked him in the chest, sending him flying through the wall. Another woman, who appeared to be a bit older, tried to attack her with a scimitar, but Xitlari dodged all her attacks until she grabbed the blade with both hands from the top and punched her twice in the stomach with her lower arms, knocking her out.

“Stop! Or you die!” said the long-haired man, holding an older woman who was...

“Please!” he shouted, throwing a dart from his jacket, shocking the man and making him release the woman.

“Thank you so much,” said the woman, falling to her knees in great relief, though still trembling.

Louis was impressed, blushing and beginning to emit a warm aura, which Ririam immediately noticed and pulled out an object that sprayed Louis with water. Kassie quickly moved aside as Louis fell to the ground.

“What did I do?” Louis asked, surprised.

“You scared me! Why were you emitting heat?” asked Ririam, pointing the object at him.

“I don’t know… I think…” Louis responded, getting up from the ground and thinking it was because of seeing Xitlari.

“Be more careful! You almost got me wet!” Kassie said angrily, wiping the water off Louis and splashing it on Ririam’s face.

“How dare you?! I’m your superior! I deserve respect!” Ririam said angrily while Ann held him back from arguing with Kassie.

“When you earn my respect, I’ll give it to you!” Kassie snapped, while Louis tried to stop her.

“What’s going on with them…?” Xitlari thought from a distance as she helped the woman sit up.

“I want to tell you something… Actually, two things. First, don’t think that just because today you managed to work as a team, it will always be that way… People aren’t perfect, Xitlari,” said the spiritual owl as Xitlari handcuffed the thieves.

“I expected that!” she said angrily, scaring the woman. “Sorry…”

“It’s always the same! They fail, and even though it wasn’t your fault, most of the punishment falls on YOU!” she expressed angrily but in a quiet voice to avoid scaring the woman, while continuing to handcuff the men.

“Now, here’s the second thing… We don’t seek perfection because we learn from mistakes; we seek the best version of you,” the spiritual owl said, placing itself in front of Xitlari.

“I understand… But still…!” she said, being interrupted by the arrival of the palace knights.

The knights got out of a square car and began taking the thieves away.

“Hey! Remember we had nothing to do with this!” Ririam said to the knights, calming down because of what Kassie did.

“Of course, paladin Ririam,” one of the knights responded.

“Xitlari! We need to go,” Ririam said while drying his face with his coat.

“Thank you so much for saving me…” the woman said in a trembling but sweet voice, clasping her hands in gratitude.

“No problem, ma’am,” Xitlari replied, happy for the woman’s gesture.

After the trip and returning to the agency, Ririam informed Mei in her office.

*Sigh* “And here I thought I’d be working as a team… Where is she?” Mei expressed, a bit disappointed.

“I don’t know, but she did say this was her last time working alone,” Ririam responded with his usual seriousness.

“Let’s hope that’s true… Jah, Jens sent knights only for the money I'm sure” Mei said with concern.

"It's pretty obvious, you already have a plan to remove him from the throne?" Ririam asked taking a seat.

"I'll tell you a little...".

Meanwhile, Kassie and Ann were talking to Louis.

“Remember to be yourself!” Kassie said.

“Don’t let the nerves get to you!” Ann mentioned determinedly.

“Don’t let her notice that you like her!” Kassie commented.

“Think carefully before you act,” Ann added.

“Too much information…” Louis thought, overwhelmed while still listening to them.

After the long day, Louis headed home.

“I’m back!” he said as he entered the house. “Hanks?! Professor?!” he shouted, looking for them in their usual spots. “Hmm… Maybe they went out.”

Louis took off his coat and shoes, lay down on his bed, and stared at the ceiling, thinking: “I wonder if I can do something so she doesn’t have to go? With everything Ann and Kassie told me… *sigh* now I feel stressed, maybe a little rest won’t hurt…” he thought, closing his eyes and falling asleep.

In a plane filled with darkness lay a tall figure with a helmet on its head that glowed.

“This must be a joke…” it said angrily in a deep, resonant voice, causing the lava inside the helmet to bubble.

“Love?! That’s it! What you FEEL!” it shouted, shaking the place and making the lava inside the helmet glow even more.

“Don’t think you’re rid of me… By tomorrow, I’ll have what I’ve been searching for… Your greatest fear, HA, HA, HA, hahahaha…” as its presence slowly faded away.

End of chapter.