"Wow, to think Gumura is that strong. He seemed like a silly slime man," Aurianna gasped, clearly surprised.

Leila, equally intrigued, furrowed her brows. "Wait, who's number 2 again?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.

Eva, taking a deep breath, began to explain. "Vivian. She's a Regal. I captured her and I'm trying to learn as much information as I can about Regals. But Vivian doesn't like to speak much, and forcing her won't do much good." Eva shook her head, and Aurianna and Leila stared at her in shock.

“What?! All this time you had a Regal captured?!” Aurianna exclaimed, moving closer to Eva in disbelief.

Leila, calmer but no less surprised, added, "Well, Eva did say she killed Regals and Carol mentioned that Eva used to work for them."

"Well, someone listens," Eva snorted, crossing her arms. "Unlike others," she added pointedly.

"Why are you all looking at me?" Aurianna wondered, noticing the stares before huffing. "So what Regal rank is Vivian anyway?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Rank 8 Regal. And don't underestimate her," Eva warned. "A mere Rank 8 is enough to kill both of you."

Leila's eyes sparkled with excitement. "I want to meet her!" she said eagerly.

"Same! I'm quite interested in seeing what an actual Regal looks like!" Aurianna added, staring at Neil.

"Ask Eva, not me," Neil shrugged, washing his hands of the matter.

"Eva, can we pretty please?!" Aurianna and Leila asked in unison, clasping their hands together and giving her puppy eyes.

"Alright," Eva sighed reluctantly, "but I'll have to teleport you two. Meanwhile, I believe Kiana and Boara should focus on what they came here to do and not waste their time like you two since they seem utterly confused," she said, referring to the two women who had been sitting down and quietly eating.

"Carol can handle that," Neil suggested.

"Hey, don't just dump that on me!" Carol yelled angrily.

"Take care of them, Carol. I'm off with Aurianna and Leila," Eva stated before slowly disappearing with Aurianna and Leila.

"Neil, please! I'll come for my stock of food later, so make sure it's ready and write down the recipes for me, please!" Aurianna yelled before they fully vanished.

"Alright, alright," Neil smiled, waving them off.

_________

"Hmm, as I thought, I felt two Gemaris. So, it was you both," a crackly voice spoke with displeasure as they arrived. The source of the voice sat in a large cage, surrounded by various high-tech security devices and floating sci-fi guns.

"So, that's Vivian," Aurianna muttered, her eyes widening. Before them stood up an extremely tall, beautiful yet strange-looking woman with a rainbow-colored body. She had butterfly-like crystal wings on her head in place of hair. Red eyes floated around her and the place where her eyes should be were covered by flesh and scales. She wore a beautiful long brown dress, adding to her appearance.

Vivian sat on a chair behind a sturdy table, and what confused Aurianna and Leila the most was that Vivian wore glasses despite not having eyes on her face.

Leila could barely contain her excitement. "Wow, she looks different! I've never seen anything like her. So this is what a Regal looks like."

Eva crossed her arms, watching Vivian warily. "Remember, she's dangerous. Don't let her appearance fool you because not all Regals look like her."

Vivian's expression was unreadable, her voice tinged with sarcasm. "So, you're fond of these little things, Eva? They look... unimpressive. I can't believe you became their Jewel."

“I don't care much,” Eva said with a smile which irked Vivian.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Well, she's pretty. I assumed she'd be ugly,” Aurianna remarked, nodding thoughtfully.

"Watch your mouth, mortal!" Vivian's voice turned cold, and the entire prison around her trembled. Aurianna and Leila felt a slight shiver, but they were not intimidated by her.

"Says the prisoner," Aurianna scoffed, rolling her eyes, which only angered Vivian more.

“Eva, let me go already!” Vivian whined, coming up to the bars and gripping them tightly, but they didn't budge.

“No,” Eva replied bluntly.

“Tch, annoying mecha,” Vivian scoffed, turning her head away.

Leila, who was curious, asked, “And why do you wear glasses if you don't have eyes?”

“I'm blind, but I can somehow see as well with my floating eyes,” Vivian replied with a nonchalant shrug.

“Then what's the point of glasses?” Aurianna asked, her expression blank.

“Fashion purposes, of course!” Vivian stated proudly, flicking her glasses.

“Strange lady,” Aurianna muttered under her breath.

Eva stepped forward with a proposition. “Vivian, would you mind training both of them for me?” she asked with a forced smile.

“I refuse. They are the enemy!” Vivian spat, huffing and turning her nose up at them.

Aurianna, undeterred, stepped closer. “Hey Vivian, I want you to tell me more about Regals,” she asked, her hands behind her back. She looked deeply into Vivian’s floating eyes, briefly placing her in a trance.

“Get away from me! What did you do?!” Vivian snapped, causing the ground to tremble. Aurianna stumbled and fell.

“Seems she's strong like you said, Eva. She could resist my charm,” Aurianna sighed, sitting on the ground.

“That unsettling feeling was charm magic? How unpleasant!” Vivian growled, glaring at Aurianna.

Vivian crossed her arms, her expression unreadable. “What do you want, Eva? You’ve stopped coming to see me for your experiments. Are you satisfied?” Vivian asked with a cold smirk.

“I definitely am,” Eva replied with an equally cocky grin, further irritating Vivian.

“Why not kill me already rather than leaving me in this endless prison?” Vivian asked, pouting.

“I could do more research. Who knows what I might find?” Eva shrugged.

“You...,” Vivian seethed, her frustration palpable.

Eva stood with a calm expression, addressing Vivian. "Well, my two masters wished to see you," she stated.

Vivian's eyes flicked to Aurianna and Leila, and she pointed at them with a mocking tone. "They are actually your masters?"

Eva nodded without a hint of annoyance. "These two babies? You've really fallen from grace," Vivian laughed hysterically, whiles rolling on the floor. But Eva merely rolled her eyes, unfazed by the mockery.

"I'm happy to be their Jewel. And I'm more like a teacher to them," Eva responded with a smirk.

Aurianna and Leila exchanged a glance, their thoughts aligned: ‘She didn't say proud.’

"Hey, can we fight you? We're half Regals, so isn't it best we learn techniques from a Regal?" Aurianna asked excitedly, her eyes fixed on Vivian.

Vivian snorted dismissively. "I refuse. Even if we Regals hate each other, I shall not stoop so low as to help an enemy."

Eva, however, had a different plan. She held up a scifi tablet, and she suggested. "I'll set you free and give you videogames from all around the universe."

Vivian's eyes lit up, her earlier disdain vanishing. "I shall accept!" she yelled eagerly, making the tablet float to her. She held it tenderly and kissed it, a look of pure joy on her face.

Aurianna and Leila gasped in unison. "So shameless!"

Vivian scoffed, unbothered. "What's shameless? This place is boring. I need some entertainment!"

Leila couldn't help but admire Vivian's straightforwardness. "Well, she has her priorities."

Vivian gripped her prison bars, her expression eager. "You'll have to set me free, though."

Eva sighed and snapped her fingers. The cage around Vivian vanished. "Fine."

Vivian stepped out, stretching her limbs. She eyed Aurianna and Leila with a wicked smile. "Don't you fear I'll kill them and eat their souls?"

Eva shook her head confidently. "Not possible in my space."

"Tch, smartass," Vivian muttered, but there was a hint of respect in her tone. "I guess from now on I'll be teaching you two how to use your Regal powers. You should be grateful," she added, pouting slightly.

Aurianna grinned. "Well, that was easy."

"We look forward to learning from you, Vivian!" Aurianna and Leila said in unison, their voices polite and eager.

_______

Kiana read aloud nervously, "Sixth trial: Merman Eater," before she, Aurianna, and Boara entered the next trial.

After swimming through the water for some time, they stumbled upon an underwater swamp teeming with gruesome monsters. These creatures were fat, rotten, and adorned with snake tails on their backs, resembling the undead.

"Hmm, Kiana, I'll let you handle this one. I'll aid you if needed. So just try attacking it," Aurianna instructed. Kiana looked horrified.

"You're making me fight it alone?" Kiana asked, her eyes filling with tears.

"I'll support you, so stop whining and go!" Aurianna yelled, picking up Kiana and hurtling her towards the Merman Eater.

"Aurianna, fuck you!" Kiana yelled as her voice, amplified by her headphones, blew the group of Merman Eaters away but didn't do much damage.

‘They swim very fast,’ Kiana thought, watching the Merman Eaters circle her, preparing to attack.

"Smash its head first as it comes in to bite you," Aurianna instructed. Kiana nodded, watching a Merman Eater rush towards her, aiming to chomp at her body. She stopped its attack with her spear but was then bitten on the back by the snake tail of the same Merman Eater she was struggling against.

"So it uses its snake tail as poison," she grumbled, feeling her vision slowly blur.

"It seems this was too much for her to handle. I might as well help her out," Aurianna sighed before rushing towards Kiana.

Aurianna swiftly reached Kiana and she struck the Merman Eater with a forceful kick, causing it to explode upon impact. "Don't worry you won't die I'll just heal you up."