As any other day, the sunlight begins to envelop everything... People get out of their beds to start their day, heading directly to work, others having breakfast, but always moving forward. The cars pass in the designated areas; people walk on the sidewalks, buy food, utensils, magical and mechanical objects. The advanced blacksmithing with sophisticated tools and the advanced mechanics with magic help in great things for this kingdom, but... There are certain things that have been lost... What happened? Why don't they know some words, objects, or food? An answer that will be discovered in the future, if you’re willing to stay here, of course.

Life is about not giving up and always moving forward, no matter what... Change comes, and we must accept it, for it is part of life. We decide whether to change for the better or the worse by living the events of our lives... Everything happens for a reason, and so it must be.

We continue our story with Louis waking up in the morning, preparing for today's mission. While doing his exercise routine on the roof of the house, an idea crossed his mind.

"That's it! Maybe she’ll forgive me and be happy," Louis said, climbing down from the roof and entering through his bedroom window, taking a shower, getting dressed, and preparing his bag with a large amount of ystires. He then left his room to meet Professor Maxwell, who was holding a cup of coffee, as he came down the stairs.

"Good morning, Louis, I see you're ready," he said after taking a sip from his cup.

"Yes... Are you sure there are no packages for today?" Louis asked with concern.

"Of course! Go and fulfill Mei's mission, and you'll earn more trust," he replied, lightly tapping his head.

"Alright..." Louis said, staying silent for a moment and then, surprisingly, hugged the professor and left. "I'll be back soon!"

"Remember to eat something!" the professor called out as he watched Louis leave, taking another sip from his cup.

Upon arriving at the agency, Louis found Canbel, who was cleaning the jewelry displays.

"Good morning, Canbel, how’s it going?" Louis said kindly as he entered the place.

"Good morning. Very well, thanks for asking, Paladin Louis," Canbel replied, bowing his head and stopping his cleaning for a moment.

"I'm glad to hear that... I always see you stressed. Oh, and just Louis, please," Louis mentioned before entering the door next to the cash register.

"Louis, come!" Mei called as he passed by the door of the research room.

"Good morning, Miss Mei, I’m glad to see you. I'd like to talk to you before Xitlari arrives," Louis said, entering the room without noticing the person standing a little beside the door. They were holding their bag tightly, and their face showed determination.

"Well... Let's go to my office. I already have the jewel to deliver. By the way, let me introduce you to Mern," Mei said, showing a man with short silver-gray hair, slightly disheveled, with bangs falling over his forehead. His eyes were yellow, and he stood 182 cm tall. He wore a long grayish coat with golden details, buttons, edges, and decorations. Beneath the coat, he wore a tight black shirt that emphasized his physique. He had a golden belt with a circle in the center, black pants, and shoes, as well as a golden chain around his neck and a golden bracelet on his right hand. But what stood out the most was that, on the left side of his chest, he had a rune that looked like a yellow black hole protected by a glass casing with gold around it.

"Nice to meet you! So, you're the guy they've been talking about. I’m Mern Makes, and... this is Mark," he said with a slight smile on his face, a deep, refined, and mature voice, with a tone of confidence and calmness. He created with his hand a being of the same size as himself, made of a white material with several golden lines.

"Hello! You're the guy with the lava. I'd like to know your intentions with this kingdom..." Mark said with a slightly robotic voice, full of energy and passion, approaching Louis a little and lightly touching his red hair with his fingers.

"My... intentions? They’re not bad at all, I assure you!" Louis replied, surprised by Mark, who kept touching his hair. He then shifted his attention to Mern's chest.

"You said you wouldn't mention that, Mark," Mei said, slightly annoyed, crossing her arms.

"Sorry, I had to do it..." Mark replied, a little regretful, touching his head.

"What kind of material is this and also...? How is it fine? The rune is on the part of his heart," Louis asked, curious, touching Mark’s arm and then looking back at Mern's chest.

"Just as reckless as Mark, ha ha ha. This material is called Golden Gyverna, an ancient material that was used before the ancient age. My heart is on the right side, that's why I'm still alive," Mern responded calmly, with a playful tone.

"Incredible... I don't remember reading about that material either," Louis said, trying to remember something while touching his chin.

"Normal, those books are only in the Great Library," Mern replied.

"The Great Library?"

"It’s located next to the church and the magical observatory, to the west of Lyran," Mei answered, touching Louis’s shoulder and heading for the door. "Shall we go?"

The four of them headed to Mei's office.

"Alright, this is... It’s very heavy, but I imagine you can carry it," Mei said as she placed an object on the table after taking it out of a safe beneath her desk. It was a black box with a large Y letter.

"Of course, it’s not that heavy... And here I bring... to pay for the damages from yesterday," Louis said, lifting it for a moment and taking off his bag to hand over a large amount of money to Mei.

Mei looked at Louis's bag, feeling a little guilty. "I don’t want to be mean to you, Louis, just leave it like this. I’ll pay for everything."

"No... It's my responsibility. I must... answer for my mistakes," Louis immediately responded, determined, while Mern and Mark watched them from the sofa. "Also, here’s Xitlari’s part."

"Xitlari’s part? Why?" Mei said, surprised.

"The truth is, I feel like I’m entirely to blame for what happened yesterday, and I didn’t want to involve her in this. I thought she’d like it," Louis replied with a hint of regret in his words, keeping his gaze down.

"That’s very nice of you, but I need her to learn how to work in a team, so..." Mei was surprised by Louis’s decision. She sat down and, adopting a serious tone, continued: "At least accept what I brought, please," Louis insisted firmly. While they were talking, Mern noticed a shadow behind the door.

For a moment, Mei thought about it and responded: "To get that weight off your shoulders, I’ll let you do it, but I can’t let you go alone. I heard yesterday, from Ririam, that the people who tried to rob the bank were from the *Maber Thief* group, so I’ll send you with Kassie. She won’t mind going with you." Mei pulled out her communicator to call Kassie, and instantly the door opened, hitting the wall with force.

"Of course not! I won’t let you involve Kassie," Xitlari said, angry.

Mei brought her hands together, rested her face on them, and stared at the door for a moment before saying: "It's not good to eavesdrop, Xitlari..."

Xitlari turned her gaze for a moment. "And... I won’t accept your charity work. It’s my problem, and I’ll solve my problems," she said, walking up to Louis and leaning on the desk with one hand. Louis was surprised by the attitude and didn’t respond, just lowered his head.

"You need to calm down! You’re acting like an ogre!" the spiritual owl replied.

"Fine, Xitlari, calm down and take a seat," Mei said, noticing Louis’s reaction and trying to calm things down.

Xitlari grabbed the box and left through the door. "If you want to come, just come already!"

"She never changes..." Mern said with a somewhat sarcastic tone.

"Yeah, always the same with her," Mark added.

"*Sigh* Go with her, I’ll send the coordinates to Donquichua’s house, and Louis... don’t let her treat you badly. Remember you’re her superior," Mei said with frustration while using her device.

"Sure..." Louis replied, a little dejected, walking out and leaving his bag on the desk.

"Do you think it’s a good idea?" Mern asked, doubtful after what had happened.

"Xitlari needs to learn how to work as a team, and I want to see how far this goes. I won’t let her become a paladin with that attitude," Mei replied, getting up and closing the door.

"Alright... Hey, wanna go out to eat?" Mern said, standing up with excitement, while Mark made a heart with his hands behind him.

"I’d like to, but I already had breakfast and I need to organize some things." Mei sat down again in her desk chair and turned on the holographic screen to start writing.

Mern made a slight noise of annoyance and sat down, staring at the ceiling, while Mark spread his hands showing a broken heart. "We never do anything..."

"Don't act like that, we can have lunch together. I'm busy right now. You'll see that God will take away all these problems and we can go back to how we were before," Mei said understandingly, looking at him for a moment.

Outside, on the sidewalk, there were many people blocking Louis' way, but no one passed near Xitlari.

"Wait, Xitlari! Wait!" Louis shouted as he tried to catch up with her.

"Seriously, there's a lot to deal with you," the spiritual owl said with frustration as Xitlari walked angrily, hiding her hands in her jacket along with the box.

"Xitlari...!" Louis managed to catch up with her, but she kept ignoring him and simply walked on. "Do you want to take a car to the exit?"

"I want to walk..." she replied, without further words, walking faster.

"They don't look good... And they just started the mission..." Ann said regretfully, watching them with the beetle camera from the roof of a house.

"Poor Louis... Should we do something?" Kassie asked, worried as she watched them.

"The best thing is to leave them alone and hope things go well, though I think Xitlari is really harsh..." Ann said while controlling the camera with a remote in her hands.

"Don't say that... She's just suffered a lot and became tough because of how they've treated her here," Kassie said, knowing more about Xitlari.

"But she shouldn't treat others badly just because of that..." Ann was quite sad about the situation; it was rare to see her like this.

"I hope she manages to understand that," Kassie said while continuing to watch through the camera.

Xitlari left Louis behind again.

"If you keep this up, you'll end up completely alone!" the spiritual owl said.

"What do you know...?"

"Plenty... Always solitary everywhere. And at home, you seem sad when you're not training!" it replied.

"I don't have to listen to you..."

"Of course, you do! I'm your spirit!" Xitlari just kept walking without saying anything. "*Sigh*... Xitlari... I understand your way of being because of how these people treated you, but he didn't do that. Look at you: despite how they treat you, you still help them instead of leaving this place."

"I stay here because I was born here. For my father, for Lily... for the kids... for Mei... for the people who like me..." she said angrily, but eased her anger as she kept speaking. Eventually, she stopped walking.

"Yes, and he likes you. If not, he wouldn't have tried to pay your part and wouldn't have said he liked your arms," the spiritual owl mentioned, flying alongside her.

"That has nothing to do with this!" she retorted.

"Of course it does..."

"Xitlari... I didn't mean to make you angry. I... thought that would make you a little happy, since you weren't going to work as a team," Louis said regretfully, interrupting the spiritual owl's words, although Louis couldn't see or hear the owl.

"What do you know about me... I barely met you two days ago!" she said, getting closer to him and tapping him lightly with a finger.

"I'm sorry... for that too... I was wrong," he replied nervously and guilty.

"Why are you acting like this? You're different with others, but with me... I don't like others carrying my mistakes, they're my mistakes for a reason. And I'm not someone you can buy with money!" she said angrily, noticing Louis' attitude and calling him out.

"Buy?" Louis said, clenching his fists. "Do you think I'm buying your kindness?! I... just wanted to get closer to you!" he responded, getting upset and causing Xitlari to step back with his words. "You're so annoying... I don't understand how I..." he lowered his voice at the end of his sentence and moved ahead while Xitlari watched him walk.

"Did you hear that? You were really harsh with him! You'd better do something," the spiritual owl said, landing on her shoulder again.

"But... why?" Xitlari said, confused.

"What are you talking about, girl?" the owl asked as Xitlari caught up with it.

"I... *sigh* I'm sorry, but... what do you mean? Why would you get close to me? Look at me...! Nobody does that, you're the only one on this sidewalk," she said, standing in front of him and showing her other hands, while across the street, many people walked on the sidewalk. "Barely and I have people who like me, but I haven't met anyone else in two years... Look at how I am, I'm not worth it!" she said with sadness and regret.

"Look at me... I might look like a human, but I'm not! I'm a hybrid with demon blood. When they find out, I'll be just like you... And I know it well, I've gotten used to it. We're alike. I don't know much about you, but... I want to know more. You... pique my interest a lot," he expressed with great sincerity and warmth in his words, with a compassionate and sad tone.

"Wow! We've connected! I can see your aura... A warm and pleasant aura, but also innocent, with fear and a lot of weight... Also with a... hmm, I can't quite distinguish this, it's like you're hiding it. Typical of young ones, you still have a lot to learn," the spiritual owl said while Xitlari was stunned by Louis' response. "The best thing will be to keep going, and try to open up to him, it'll be a good step for you to change and improve," the owl tried to make her react by lightly tapping her neck.

"Do you think so?" Xitlari asked the spiritual owl, feeling guilty and noticing some emotion inside her.

"Of course, I think so," Louis replied, thinking she was talking to him.

Trying to think of what to say, she began to move her gaze from side to side.

"I'm sorry... I didn't know what you were feeling... It's just that... I thought many things, your attitude with me and everything that happened yesterday and what just occurred. I... get angry very easily," Xitlari tried to be honest with a bit of difficulty, touching her neck with one of her arms while continuing to avoid eye contact.

"It's okay... at least now you understand that my intentions weren't bad, and... now I know you better. I'll try not to bother you too much," he said, looking for the right words to continue, with a small relieved smile.

"If what you're saying is true... I don't want you to see me as a bad person. I appreciate the intention, but yes, please ask first," Xitlari felt better seeing that things had eased between them, but still felt a little bad about her behavior. "Come on, let's deliver this jewel," Xitlari took Louis' hand with one of hers. He felt a slight sensation and started running alongside her.

"Yes! They're finally calm," Ann said happily, watching them run with the beetle camera.

"Such a relief... I hope they stay like this the whole mission," Kassie felt relieved seeing them on the screen Ann was holding.

"I think that's enough!" Ann pressed a button on the remote that made the beetle camera return to where they were.

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"Huh? Are you sure?" Kassie said, wanting to keep watching them.

"Yep, we don't want her to notice and get upset again," Ann said, turning off the screen and taking the device.

"If you say so..."

Louis and Xitlari were running until they reached the eastern exit.

"Come on! You're supposed to be a paladin!" Xitlari shouted with a smile on her face as she ran.

Louis, hearing her words, managed to catch up and said, "Now we're even."

Xitlari, seeing him, started to make a hand pose, and the owl disappeared to make way for the spiritual rhinoceros. Thanks to this, Xitlari began running faster. Seeing them, some people stepped aside on the sidewalk while others tried to dodge them.

"Hey!" Louis said, surprised to see her pull ahead so much. "You're using your magic, this was supposed to be a normal race!" he said, speeding up and falling behind her.

"This is normal for us!" she said excitedly as she dodged some people.

The wind blew, and people were surprised to see them running; others whispered, but they didn't care, they just kept going until they reached the eastern exit.

"What happened...? A woman who isn't a paladin beat you, hahaha," Xitlari said, tired but smiling, seeing Louis catching his breath.

"Heh, heh. I... don't have a support magic," Louis said, resting his hands on his knees.

"Ha... Then let's call it a tie. I doubt anyone would want to take me... It doesn't matter if we walk there, right?" Xitlari observed the carriages at the kingdom's exit, next to the wall with the wooden bridge in front of her. The sunlight illuminated the grass along the road, and the wind moved it gently.

"I have a friend who won't mind," Louis went to search among all the carriages until he found an old friend. "Martí!"

"Young Louis! I'm glad to see you, hahaha!" Martí said, approaching him and hugging him. "And it seems you're bringing company... Eh...! Although... she's not..." he said jokingly, recognizing Xitlari as she made a hand pose with her four arms.

"We need you to take us..." Louis tried to look at his communication device but still couldn't figure out how to use it properly.

"It's east, near Lake Chifumi, at the top of the Quichua Spiral Mountain," Xitlari said, stepping closer when she saw Louis struggling with the device.

"Eh... well, I could take you to the lake, but not to the hill. It's very dangerous, there are too many rocks, and we could overturn," Martí said, a bit nervous because of Xitlari's presence.

"It will be fine..." Xitlari noticed Martí's nervousness and took a small step back.

"Perfect, then... please get in," Martí said as he climbed into his cabin while Louis opened the door for Xitlari to get in.

"Thanks. Oh! By the way, you press here to see the received coordinates," Xitlari mentioned, grateful for the gesture, and after showing him a bit of the device, she climbed into the carriage. Then he climbed in as well.

"I knew he was a good guy. Xitlari! You should have bought a mobile piano!" the spiritual owl commented with a slight smile as the carriage started to move.

"For what?" Xitlari whispered, confused, briefly looking at the owl.

"For what else?! So Louis could play it," the owl responded, flapping its wings impatiently, as if the answer were obvious.

"You're crazy!" she whispered, but loud enough for Louis to hear.

"Who are you talking to?" Louis asked, noticing her whispering to her shoulder.

"To no one, just practicing what to say to Donquichua," she said nervously with a slight awkward smile. "I told you not to talk to me when I'm with someone," she whispered again, but without Louis noticing.

"Sure... Sorry," the spiritual owl said, a little discouraged.

"*Sigh* Hey, Louis... Who taught you to play the piano so well?" she asked to make the owl feel better.

"Did you hear me...?" Louis asked, a bit shy.

"Yes... I was passing by when I heard you and Ann. You play beautifully," she exclaimed sincerely.

"Thanks... My teacher taught me everything I know," Louis replied, trying to ignore the nervousness he felt with Xitlari staring at him so much.

"Your teacher... Rei Fordesthmans, right? How strong is he?" Xitlari asked curiously while the spiritual owl started thinking about the name.

"He's very strong and powerful... I've seen a few times when he used a lot of magic, and... it was incredible everything he could do," Louis answered with admiration and pride, feeling more comfortable.

"I see... I would like to meet him someday," she said with a slight smile, noticing Louis' feelings.

"I'll introduce you. I'm sure he'll like you," he added, smiling as he saw her slight smile.

"Yes, you're right. If he trained a half-demon boy, it shouldn't be a problem to meet me. Though you look very human for a half-demon, the only thing different are your eyes, but they're nice too," Xitlari said sincerely while putting the box with the gem aside on the seat, while Louis looked out the window to avoid her noticing his blush.

"Hmm, this is what you needed, Xitlari... Someone who knows what it feels like to be different and has lived what you've lived, but still... I think he suffered much more, but... He has a pretty good attitude, they must've helped him a lot after what happened to him," the spiritual owl thought, staying silent while listening to their conversation.

After a long journey, they arrived at Lake Chifumi, near the hill.

"This is as far as I can take you, sorry about that," Martí said, stopping the carriage.

"Don't worry!" Louis said, getting out of the carriage. "How much is it?"

"650 ystires. I appreciate that you always look for me to take you wherever you need," Martí said while taking the money Louis pulled from his coat, while Xitlari got out of the carriage and hid the gem, covering her hands from below with her jacket and looking around.

"Ahh... Look what we have here, a very large piece of diamond! We have to get it," said a masked figure in a brown cloak that revealed his orange shirt and black pants. He wore metal boots and leather gloves. He was watching them with some sort of advanced spyglass from far away, atop a very large vehicle with a container behind.

"Are you sure, Jamek? I don't want any trouble," said a guy with orange hair wearing a gray jacket and an orange shirt.

"Of course! I saw it through the spyglass; he's carrying it on his waist," Jamek replied, putting it away. "Activate invisibility and take us to them. The rest, prepare the cell; it's time for a real heist!" he said with authority and excitement as he stretched and the others prepared for the robbery.

"Let's go. The worst part will be the return to the kingdom," he said as he started walking toward the hill.

"Of course..." Louis, after saying goodbye to Martí, followed Xitlari, and Martí went back in his carriage to the kingdom.

The place still had a road with a large grassy field on their right, and on the left, a small field led to Lake Chifumi. Further ahead, a small mountain could be seen in the distance. The sky was full of clouds that partially covered the sunlight.

"Hey, Louis, how long did it take you to become a paladin?" Xitlari asked curiously while continuing to walk with her gaze ahead.

"It took a long time. I studied since I was little, but... my real training started... when my magic appeared. Six years, to be exact," he replied with some sorrow as he remembered that day.

"I see, that's quite a lot... I studied a little as a child, but I had to leave because no one accepted me. My father taught me everything he could. At 16, I started training to be a paladin. This year was the last, but the King died... And you know the rest," she said calmly, but when she mentioned her father, her tone turned sad. Then it shifted to a determined one, ending with one of sorrow.

"How does your magic work? I'm asking because I know blue magic, and it's not like yours," he asked curiously, trying to change the subject while touching his katana on his waist.

"Whoa! Be careful; you have to be very careful with your one interaction with estritual magic," the spiritual owl warned, giving a rule.

"I'm not allowed to talk about my magic. My father made me swear not to tell anyone about it. I'm sorry," she replied cautiously after hearing the owl.

"Oh... I understand, no problem. I also swore things to my father, I understand that very well," he said with understanding while continuing to walk next to Xitlari.

"Hey... What happ—" Xitlari was interrupted as she was caught by a steel box.

"Xitlari!" Louis was also captured. Inside, his arms were trapped by shackles. Additionally, another shackle was created inside the steel box, trapping his abdomen.

"We've got them!" Jamek exclaimed excitedly, lifting the boxes with his magic while speeding in the car, which had removed its invisibility camouflage.

"Reinforced steel with magic... And of good quality... Even covering my arms with the estritual magic, it won't let me remove the shackles," said Xitlari, trying to pull out the two hands that had trapped him.

"What an inconvenient situation, we need to switch to Rhyno," the spiritual owl mentioned.

"I know, but switching spirits is very hard with two hands," Xitlari said, dropping the package to the ground.

"That's why I told you to practice," replied the owl.

Louis used his magic and melted the shackles. Then he started melting the wall of the box, and Jamek, seeing how the steel box was turning redder, let it go and only carried Xitlari's box. The box reached the vehicle and entered the large container.

"Let's go, quickly!" shouted Jamek, and the car started speeding.

Louis got out of the box and was going to throw lava from his hand to stop the car.

"Go ahead!" shouted Dark with his voice echoing in Louis' head.

He quickly stopped his hand with the other when he heard Dark's voice. The car began to distance itself and disappeared from view.

"You... what are you doing here again?" he said angrily, clenching his fists.

"Did you think I had left? I just started exploring our mind a little," Dark replied while walking around Louis.

"You mean my mind!" he said irritably while running, seeing the tire tracks the car had left on the road.

"Our mind! I am Louis too," Dark answered furiously, standing in front of him, his helmet faintly glowing from the lava inside it.

"I don't... CARE! I don't have time to waste with you," he shouted angrily while taking out his communicator.

"Heh... Don't think you're that important. Today is... your last chance!" Dark said as he disappeared. Louis didn't pay attention and continued forward.

Meanwhile, the vehicle was heading to a remote area of the Quichua spiral mountain at high speed.

"These must be Maber's men," said Xitlari, managing to finish the hand pose.

"Good luck!" said the spiritual owl before its form changed into a rhinoceros.

"And now what happened to you?" the spiritual rhinoceros said, seeing where they were stuck.

"A little mishap," Xitlari responded, destroying the shackles after covering her hands with her blue magic. "I'll be out in a moment."

"We have a good reward; this girl was carrying a large piece of diamond on her waist," said Jamek, going to the steel box. "You go and tell Quitsu to go faster and change the wheels to ones that don't leave tracks on the road."

"Yes, sir, right away," one of his men replied.

"Now..." Jamek was interrupted by the loud impact as the door of the box tore off and crashed into the wall of the container. "Impossible? How did she do that...? It's a reinforced steel box... What the hell is that?" he thought, surprised, watching her come out of the box. "Catch that thing, but keep your distance!"

Everyone started shooting, and Xitlari blocked the bullets with two of her hands. She ran toward one of them to slam his head into the wall of the container and then used him as a shield. She quickly charged at the others, knocking them unconscious.

"Damn! Useless!" Jamek removed his cloak, used his magic, and threw many blades at Xitlari. She covered her four arms with her magic and destroyed all the blades. Then she was going to approach, but he removed all the floor using his magic and launched the pieces toward her.

"He won't let me get close... Then I'll do this," she thought as she struck with two of her hands the pieces of the container Jamek threw at her, and with the others, she started charging her magic.

Jamek tore Xitlari's jacket and took the box from her waist with a piece of the container. Then he covered her with the entire wall that was behind him.

"Haha, it's mine!" he said in a mocking tone, stepping out of the container. "Take care of this!" he added, throwing the box onto the seat next to Quitsu.

"What's going on?!" Quitsu asked in desperation.

"Just drive!" Jamek replied while he began to detach the container from the car, struggling a lot in the process.

Xitlari freed herself, concentrated all her magic into one hand, and struck the floor of the container. Half of a rhinoceros appeared, lifting the entire car and destroying the floor in the process. The car flipped over, causing the container to separate, and they finally crashed into a large rock.

Xitlari got out of the container, pulled out all the unconscious people, and, seeing two people running with the box, she followed them.

"They won't escape!" she shouted as she ran at high speed toward them.

"Damn it! Take the box and run, Quitsu!" Jamek said desperately, handing her the box and stopping to lift the container with his magic to strike Xitlari. But she stopped the container with her four hands and threw it toward Quitsu, using her magic to make it move at great speed. Jamek managed to stop the container, but Xitlari tackled him, knocking him unconscious.

Quitsu kept running toward a hill. Xitlari grabbed a stone from the ground and threw it toward Quitsu, making him lose balance and fall. However, due to the slight push, Quitsu disappeared after passing through something. Xitlari, confused, approached. "Do you see anything, Rhyno?" Xitlari asked, stopping exactly at the point where Quitsu disappeared.

"Sure, don't you see? There are many guys coming toward us, and the one with the box is crawling toward them," Rhyno replied, confused because Xitlari had stopped.

"A holographic shield... Very good for camouflage," Xitlari said, pulling out her communicator from her pants pocket.

"Done... Now I must recover the jewel," she murmured as she sent her coordinates to Louis through the communicator. Then she removed her torn jacket, took several objects she had hidden, and placed them on a silver beltthat helped her hold the box. "Too bad, I really liked this jacket," she added, and passed through the holographic shield.

On the other side, she saw how some people took the box and helped Quitsu walk. The place was a base with a lot of space, wheelbarrows, shovels, and some machines scattered around. There were also several cars and a black four-wheeled motorcycle. The hill was quite excavated, and in the distance, two medium-sized buildings connected by an elevated metal bridge could be seen.

"It's her! Stop her!" shouted Quitsu as those helping him turned to look at her.

"You'd better give me the box if you don't want any problems," warned Xitlari, adopting a combat stance.

The man carrying the box ran toward the building that connected with the elevated metal bridge. The others ran toward Xitlari with weapons in hand. She neutralized them one by one with great ease, breaking their weapons and knocking them out with a single blow. Others appeared, shooting at her with machine guns, but she used one of her companions as a shield. Then she spun around and threw several electric darts at them, making them fall to the ground writhing from the shock.

"What's going on here?" asked a man with orange hair and eyes from the elevated bridge. He was wearing orange armor with wide, ornate shoulder pads, brown pants, orange boots, and a belt full of pockets.

"Mr. Maber, that girl, or whatever she is, entered the shield. It seems she wants to recover a box that Quitsu stole from her," replied one of the men as Xitlari continued fighting the others.

"And where's the box? I don't see it..." Maber said in an authoritative tone.

"They've got it, sir," the man reported, before joining the fight with Xitlari. She punched him in the face, making him crash into a wheelbarrow.

"Mr. Maber! I've brought this..." said the man carrying the box, handing it to him.

"It's a bit heavy, let's see," Maber commented, surprised as he took it, and then started to open it.

"Maber Thief, you'd... better... give me back the box!" demanded Xitlari, while still fighting Maber's men.

"Hmm..." murmured Maber, looking at Xitlari with some disgust. As he opened the box, his face showed great surprise upon seeing the diamond piece inside. "Hahahaha! Do you think I'm going to give this back to you? Are you crazy? Woman or... whatever you are, I don't know what the hell you are, but not even in your dreams," he said mockingly and with an air of superiority.

"So be it..." replied Xitlari, punching the last of Maber's men and sending him flying.

Maber frowned, took small pieces of amber from his belt, and created a two-meter-tall amber minotaur. It charged toward Xitlari and punched her, but she easily stopped it. She then pushed it, making it fall. Maber created many flying creatures called Plirias, which attacked Xitlari with their large claws. Some also carried Maber's men away to keep them out of the fight.

Xitlari dodged and destroyed some of the Plirias while trying to get closer to Maber. "I need to do something... These birds won't let me reach him."

"Xitlari! The owl can get you close to him," mentioned the spiritual rhinoceros.

The minotaur got back up and attacked again, but Xitlari dodged, jumped, and struck it in the chest with her four arms, smashing it. The birds kept attacking her; she tried to dodge them while, with her four hands, she changed spirits using her hand stance.

"Start charging your magic!" mentioned the spiritual owl as it appeared.

"I'm on it!" she replied, dodging the birds and charging magic with her four hands while running toward Maber.

"The girl knows what she's doing... Could she be a paladin? Though I’ve never heard of a four-armed paladin, jeh! The ones below will always be below, and the ones above, like me... will always be above," Maber said unconcerned, watching with great confidence from the elevated bridge, creating an amber holder on his belt to place the box with the diamond.

Xitlari made the spiritual owl larger, and it carried her at great speed toward Maber, who, just as she arrived, jumped toward the elevated bridge, launching a kick.

"You bitch!" he said as he saw her approach, managing to dodge her kick, which bent the bridge's railing. Then, Xitlari threw two punches at him, which he tried to block by creating an amber shield with both arms, but the shield broke. She managed to hit him in the abdomen and chest, causing him to crash into his pawn and also into the railing, bending it slightly from the impact.

"Serve for something!" shouted Maber angrily, pushing his pawn toward Xitlari, who knocked it away, throwing it down. Maber took advantage of the distraction and used his magic, creating a large amber pillar that pushed Xitlari away, making her crash into the ground.

"Are you okay?" asked the spiritual owl, getting closer to her and trying to help.

"Yeah... I just need to get this off me..." said Xitlari, hurt, trying to remove the pillar from on top of her.

"You surprise me, phenomenon, but... it's over! Amber magic... Great Marfron horn!" Maber created a large Marfron horn that aimed at Xitlari. The spiritual owl stood in front of her and created a barrier that stopped the horn.

Xitlari managed to remove the pillar from on top of her, but Maber created another horn that was going to fall on her. However, the spiritual owl fully surrounded her, protecting her from any harm.

"A little support!" mentioned the spiritual owl, seeing that the barrier was cracking. Xitlari stood up and placed her four hands on the spiritual owl, transferring magic to help maintain the shield.

"Just 20 seconds and I’ll smash those two things," Xitlari said, struggling to concentrate the magic. But another horn was attacking them from behind.

"I love seeing this," Maber said with a mocking smile, resting his face in his hand and creating an amber wall around Xitlari’s shield so she couldn't escape in any way.

"I won't be able to hold it while you do the hand poses... Sorry, Xitlari," said the spiritual owl sadly, holding on as much as it could while the shield was very close to breaking.

"Don't worry, if I had had more time to practice, you could stop all those attacks," said Xitlari while smiling and continuing to give all the magic she could. The owl turned around and saw Xitlari's smile. "Damn... I failed...!" thought Xitlari in frustration.

Suddenly, the three horns split in half and fell beside the owl’s shield, creating a loud noise.

"And now?" said Maber, confused by what had happened.

Louis struck the other halves of the horns, knocking them off the owl's shield. The owl removed the shield, and then Louis smashed the amber wall and took Xitlari in his arms, as Maber launched another horn that collided with all the other pieces of amber and with the spiritual owl, making it disappear and reappear on Xitlari's shoulder.

"Are you okay?" asked Louis seriously and with concern as he ran out of Maber’s sight.

"Yeah... You can put me down now," said Xitlari, a little surprised and blushing from being carried. Instantly, Louis set her down properly, blushing as he realized his action.

"Thanks, I thought it was over..." she said gratefully, falling to her knees.

"Is something wrong?" Louis crouched to help her, but she refused.

"It's fine... I just used too much magic. You have to take the box from him," she replied, feeling dizzy.

"Alright, move back a bit more. I don’t want you to get hurt," Louis said seriously, heading toward Maber.

"Ugh, what was that?" Xitlari asked, a bit confused.

"What thing? That I didn't die? Don't worry, even if they destroy me, I always come back to your shoulder," said the spiritual owl.

"Not that... I felt... something else," she said, trying to stand up.

"Hmm... I’m seeing your memories... Ah! You were about to die. It's obvious you feel that pressure in your body," replied the owl after reviewing Xitlari's memories. "Change spirit and start gathering magic. This guy is very clever and has a huge arsenal of things."

"I’ve used too much magic," she said with concern.

"Don’t worry. All the magic you used to stop the horns is managed by me, and half of it returns to you. You’ll be fine," said the owl, trying to calm her down.

"Alright, you're powerful..." she said, a bit surprised, starting to make the hand poses.

"Nah, each spirit has its advantages and disadvantages. I don’t physically increase like Rhyno and another thing... I have to congratulate you, that estritual magic control you did was incredible." replied the spiritual owl.

Meanwhile, Louis was in Maber's sight. "So you interrupted my fun... Ohhh! You are indeed a paladin, I see your badge on your belt. Tell me, what is that thing you helped? A mutant, demon, or some new race?" Maber expressed arrogantly, showing little interest in the situation.

"She is a woman, and she is worth much more than you can ever be," Louis replied angrily.

"How dare you speak to me like that and compare me to that disgrace of nature?" Maber retorted angrily, pressing the railing of the bridge. "Damn!" Maber created three amber mammoths that charged directly at Louis.

Louis ran towards them while creating two lava wolves the size of the mammoths. They collided with two of them, starting to melt with them. Louis jumped on the last one, and as he drew his sword, he decapitated the mammoth before continuing his way towards Maber.

"What the hell...?" Maber said in fear, starting to throw amber spheres.

Louis kept running towards him, smashing all the spheres with his sword. One of them he hit with his fist, causing it to impact Maber's face. Desperately, Maber created a pack of Plirias. Louis jumped on one, then propelled himself with another, hitting them until he reached Maber. He created a large pillar to push Louis away, but Louis turned right and fell onto the bridge, easily cutting the pillar. Maber made an amber sword and exchanged several blows with Louis, though the latter had the advantage.

"What kind of beings... are you?" Maber said, annoyed and fearful of Louis as their swords continued to clash.

"Beings... better than you!" Louis shouted, cutting the amber sword in half. Then he aimed his next attack at Maber's neck, but Maber stopped his right arm with his left and started hyperventilating, feeling confused.

Maber took advantage, created an amber glove, and punched Louis in the left cheek, then made another pillar that threw him far away, crashing him onto the ground.

"I think... if I kill you... many will thank me," Maber said, throwing a pillar with a large stake towards Louis.

Xitlari destroyed the pillar with one blow and then broke the one on top of Louis as well.

"Louis... Are you okay? Well, you're a demon, I imagine you're..." she said worriedly, with the rhinoceros spirit on her shoulder. However, remembering that he was half demon, she noticed his face full of fear and despair. "Wait for me, just let me finish this."

"I wasn't going to do it... I wasn't going to do it, I'm sorry," Louis said, crying with his head on the ground and his hands over it.

"What do you think you're doing? That boy has lava magic! He's a danger to the human race. If you have any sense, let me kill him!" Maber was very scared and upset with the situation, hitting the bridge's railing.

"The only danger here... is you," Xitlari replied firmly, as her four arms began to glow.

Maber yelled in fury: "Stupid... Well, you both will fall! Amber magic... Great tyrannosaurus!" He took all the amber pieces from his belt pockets, creating the tyrannosaurus, which began running towards them, roaring and crushing everything in its path.

Xitlari gathered her four hands, creating a large blue sphere. "Estritual magic... Great spiritual rhinoceros!" The sphere turned into a large rhinoceros that ran towards the tyrannosaurus at great speed.

Both beasts collided, but the tyrannosaurus shattered before the spirit's strength. The rhinoceros charged at Maber, destroying the bridge and crushing him against the hill.

"Louis, wake up!" Xitlari knelt beside Louis, who was lying on his back, and tried to wake him up by moving his body and lightly hitting his face with great concern as she saw him breathing with difficulty while pressing his hands and teeth as if enduring something. "What's wrong with him? Rhyno?!"

"What's happening?!" the Spiritual rhinoceros shouted, approaching them quickly. "Absorb me and channel the estritual magic on his head and the area around his heart."

"Alright!" Xitlari placed one of her hands on the spiritual rhinoceros, causing it to lose its giant form, becoming small and appearing on Xitlari's shoulder.

"Come on, you can do it, Xitlari! Estritual magic is meant to combat evil and curses," the rhinoceros commented while Xitlari used her four arms to channel the estritual magic over Louis' chest and head.

We transition to a recognizable place... Full of total darkness with a being that lit up the place with the glow from its helmet, thanks to the lava inside.

"I... didn't want to kill him... I didn't want to! I didn't want to... I'm sorry, I'm not a killer..." Louis was kneeling on the ground, with his head down, pressing his hands.

"You are disappointing... It's already clear that human emotions have corrupted you. Weak... useless and emotional," Dark was standing in front of Louis, with his head down, observing his despair. "There are no more chances... I told you I was yours, and now I will take what is mine too!" he said, bending down and lifting Louis' head by his hair before snapping his fingers in his face. For Louis' eyes, the whole place turned into a castle on fire surrounded by blue lava, and many screams of despair and suffering could be heard from afar.

"No... Not here..." Louis said desperately as he observed the place, a room that was slowly being consumed by the surrounding lava.

"Son... Don't be afraid... Close your eyes," said a figure who didn't show its face.

"Dad..." Louis tried to close his eyes, but they opened again against his will.

Elio tried to touch his son's face, but his hand couldn't hold, and it turned to dust like powder from the lava on top of it, becoming nothing. With a lament filled with agony and showing despair on his face, Louis watched as his father's body turned to dust, how his whole face was burned away fiber by fiber. Soon, his father's face and body turned into nothing in front of him while he continued hearing screams of suffering.

"And thus... I gain control of everything!" Dark buried his hands in Louis' heart and head. Suddenly, a blue light began to crack the darkness of the place. "What's happening?" he said confusedly, then looked through Louis at Xitlari. "Noooo! What magic is this?!" he screamed angrily, before being separated from Louis. The darkness began to disappear, and the place filled with blue light and animal tattoos. Dark's body was breaking apart... "Damn woman!... I swear! When I take my body! You... will be the first... TO DIEEEE!" Dark's body exploded as it was consumed by the blue light.

With a great sigh, Louis woke up, and many tears fell from his eyes. He looked at Xitlari and, without thinking, hugged her, which greatly surprised Xitlari. "Th... thanks," Louis said with a trembling voice as the tears fell from his face.

"Louis..." Xitlari, trying to calm him, responded to the hug, surrounding him with her four arms and resting her face on Louis' shoulder. "Are you... better?"

"Yes..." he replied, then realized his action and pulled away from her. "I'm sorry, I must have made you uncomfortable."

"Not at all... What happened to you?" she asked with concern while looking at him intently.

"I don't know..." he replied confused and with a sad, dull voice, lowering his gaze slightly.

"I'll go look for the jewel, stay here." Xitlari stood up from the ground and ran towards where the spiritual rhinoceros had charged at Maber. Louis looked at the place as it had been left, then stood up and found his katana. Before taking it, he felt a slight doubt, then put it back in its sheath at his waist. Xitlari had found the box and ran to it to take it, also noticing that Maber was on the floor, crawling to take it.

"Your greed won't stop you..." Xitlari mentioned before taking the box and checking if the jewel was inside.

"Hehehe... There's a reason I'm where I am... The weak stay below, and the strong... We stay on top," Maber replied after she took the box.

"Do you think you're on top? You're an idiot... You're at the very bottom... along with the other criminals of Lyran," Xitlari said seriously, closing the box before walking away from him, heading towards Louis as Maber watched her leave, thinking about what he had heard.

"Louis! I found it!" she shouted from afar as she approached him.

"That's great... I... I'm sorry I couldn't help you more," he mentioned with regret and the same low, dull voice when she was almost in front of him.

"What are you talking about? You saved my life! I was going to be crushed... I'm really grateful," she replied with gratitude and a slight smile on her face while holding the box with two of her hands from below, and with the other two, she placed her hand on the elbow of her other arm. Louis felt a bit of relief hearing her words.

"Hey... Have you ridden a motorcycle before?" she said with a slight excitement as she saw the motorcycle in the distance.

"Motorcycle?" Louis said confused, as he had never heard the word.

Then, Xitlari got on the four-wheeled motorcycle. "Get on! We'll get there faster, we're already very delayed," she said when she saw Louis had some doubts and was looking at the motorcycle a little, before getting on. "Hold on to me or you'll fall..." she said as she started the motorcycle while holding the box with her other two hands.

"Are you... Sure?" he asked timidly, with the same sad and dull voice.

"Of course!" After Xitlari responded, Louis held on to her, wrapping his arms around her a bit unsure. Then, Xitlari moved one of her hands to the accelerator, and the motorcycle started moving, leaving the holographic shield and heading toward the Quichua mountain while the sun continued shining over the field.

End of the chapter.