-- Sora’s Perspective --

 

Midnight. The four of us delve deeper into the cave. Bell-san was leading the way. Hachiro and Nanatsu are just behind me. A wisp of light, light our path. Bell-san usually removes his mask whenever Freya is not around. 

I would love to ask him to remove his clothes as well. Oohh, how I wish to see it again, but I’d like to keep his blindfold on and lock him up here in the cave. Hehe~ hehehe~ heee~. Oh god, I’m drooling. I whipped my lips before these two commented something embarrassing in front of Bell-san. 

 

“Are you really sure this will unlock my powers, Bell-san?”

“Just follow through, idiot.” Nanatsu Intervened.

“Oh shut up! I’m not even talking to you.”

“No need to be harsh, Nanatsu… Yes, I’m sure this will unlock your powers, Princess.”

 

I’ve been wondering why we have to find a deep cave. I’ve asked Bell-san a lot of times already as to why, but he never mentioned it to me. I hope his idea will work. 

Bell-san claimed that I possessed the same mana my parents possessed which is Kahelian. It’s a mana powerful enough to withstand against all odds. Is it really that powerful? No, I don’t think so. But it’s users can boost their morale to the bitter end. Nullifying every damage like some kind of drug. It even gives its user some superhuman strength if they’re deemed worthy. In return it sucks out its user’s sanity the longer they use it to the point that they could go berserk, but it’s not permanent. Their sanity returns overtime once they’ve exhausted everything. By everything I mean until you can’t even lift your finger. 

Although Kahelian mana is inheritable, there's still one problem. The user must be put under pressure to the point that they start to lose their sanity. I already told my stories to Bell-san where I almost lost my sanity, but it never reached the threshold to unlock my powers. 

After a long minute walk traversing the caves we have finally arrived.

 

“We’re here.” Bell-san said while facing us.

“So what now?”

“Come here.”

 

Bell-san put his palm on my shoulder. He faintly smiled at me. 

 

“Are you ready?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Are you really sure?”

“Yes.”

“No regrets?”

“No re-… Wait, your question is starting to scare me.”

“Just answer me honestly.”

 

I looked around me. Nanatsu was crossing his arms watching us. While Hachiro is curious as well, though his focus right now is on his backpack. 

 

“Yes, no regrets.”

“Breath in.”

 

I Inhaled. I don’t know what’s going on, but my chest feels heavy just from the pressure of what’s about to happen. 

 

“Close your eyes.”

“...”

 

Nothing has begun yet. None of us dare to make a noise. Deep in the cave the noise of silence is starting to deafen my ears. Until…

 

** snap **

** [WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH] **

 

The screams of death echoed to my ears. The pressure of its appearance alone forces my body to kneel down. I haven’t opened my eyes, yet I could clearly see the unrecognizable monster in front of me. A demon beyond recognition. My body began to shake uncontrollably. I wanted to run away but someone’s holding my shoulder… I can’t move. 

I’m too scared to open my eyes. My lips are quivering endlessly that I bit my tongue several times causing my blood to pour out of my mouth. My chest feels so heavy that I can no longer breathe. My stomach curled up and vomited out the food I ate a while ago. 

This sensation. The sense of fear, despair, terror, distress and panic all at the same time. The feeling of the Demon King getting closer to me. He's literally in front of me right now. I’m scared. I’m scared. !! He’s going to kill me this time. He’s going to kill me… 

I’ve heard the Demon King doesn’t kill his prey instantly. Freya says he’ll torture them first. Pluck their limbs one by one and sew them back again, and again, and again, and again, and again until there’s nothing left to sew them back. I’m scared. I’m scared. I’m scared. I’m scared. I’m scared. Please have some mercy… 

Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. Just end me. 

 

– End of Sora’s Perspective. –

 

Sora’s body begins to radiate an orange light but it quickly fades away. Her body falls like a ragdoll after Bell lets go of his hand. She already lost consciousness. Her eyes turned white. Her muscles are twitching uncontrollably. Foam is coming out of her mouth. 

 

“Eww! She peed and pooped!” Nanatsu screamed in disgust.

“What happened, Bell-sama?” Hachiro asked.

“I only showed her something scary.”

“Scary? But we didn’t see you doing anything.” Hachiro said while tilting his head.

“I only showed it to her.”

“Oooooh! I see, I see. As expected of Bell-sama!… Mmmmhh. But… is she dead?”

“Don’t worry about it. She’ll recover soon enough. Though she would have died already if she was just a normal human.” 

 

** clap, clap **

 

“Alright, it’s time to clean up.”

“Wait, we're going to clean her up?!”

“Yes.”

“Yuck! I think I’ll pass.” Nanatsu uncontrollably shook his body in disgust. 

“You’re free to go as you please.”

“Bell-sama, she’s still twitching.” Hachiro said while trying to carry her. 

“Looks like I have to calm her down.”

 

Bell put his two fingers on Sora’s forehead but it only made it worse. Sora’s vomit spewed around the two. She fights back uncontrollably. The fear of death is etched on her face. 

 

“JUSH ENF E. JUSH ENF E. JUSH ENF E. JUSH ENF E. JUSH ENF E. JUSH ENF E. JUSH ENF E. JUSH ENF E.” 

“Bell-sama!” Hachiro screams for help as he starts to panic.

“My bad. I forgot to use my staff instead.”

 

Bell abruptly locked her down to the ground and put the end of his staff on her forehead before casting a spell.

 

“JUSH ENF E. JUSH ENF E. JUSH ENF E. JUSH ENF E… jush enf… jus… e.. jush… mmmmm.” 

“She has calmed down, Bell-sama.”

“Good. Let’s clean her up before we bring her back to Freya.”

“Yes, Bell-sama.”

 

– Sora’s Perspective –

 

I woke up. Was that just a dream? The Demon King coming after me… I… I-I couldn’t imagine his presence in front of me. My body turns cold as soon as I think about it. 

My brows furrowed as I noticed something unusual. Lately it's starting to get difficult to breathe. What the! Someone buried me alive! I wiggled my body as I pierce out of the ground with my bare hands. I came out in an open field. It’s still dark though it seems it has rained lately judging from the grass being wet. 

 

“Aaaaggggghhhhhhhhhhh!” 

 

Under the shelter of the campfire. Hachiro screamed for his life as soon as I got out of my grave. He accidentally threw his pencil and drawing book at me. It’s only me and him right now. 

 

“You mother f*cker! I’m coming for yo ass, Hachiro!”

“Please don’t eat my ass!” 

 

Hachiro tucked his head underground while his butt is clearly exposed for ass whoopin’. He’s shaking uncontrollably. 

 

“Help! Aniki! Sora’s going to eat my ass!”

“Woah woah woah! Calm your t*ts down! Stop the Dere-Dere act right there!” Nanatsu came out of the darkness, it seems he just arrived.

“?! Are you guys insane?! Really?! You just buried me alive! And you want me to calm down?!” 

“If we’re talking about who’s insane, it’s actually you.”

“You-”

“Just who in their right mind would stick their scabbard to someone’s ass?”

“...”

“That’s just plain crazy right there.”

“I’m not sticking it to his ass, I’m using it to whoop his ass!”

“Classic Dere-Dere act right there.”

“What the f*ck is Dere-Dere anyway.”

“Hah! Feign ignorance huh.”

“!! F*ck you!”

“Okay that’s enough… She’s still tired. Give her some rest.” 

 

Bell-san intervened. He came out of the darkness and sat on the log near the campfire. He’s right. I might even start to lose some brain cells if I try to argue with these two. 

 

“Is it safe now, Aniki?” Hachiro asked while his voice was muffled underground.

“Yes.”

“Will she really no longer eat my ass?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

 

** plop **

 

Hachiro plucked his head out of the ground. I was sitting in front of him next to Bell-san. 

 

“Hiik!”

“Rawr!” 

“Waaaahh! Ass eater!”

“Like hell I would eat yours.”

 

Hachiro fearfully backed away and carried his backpack. He ran away from us while grabbing his butt. He’s the very definition of running away for his ass not for his life. Damn his innocent words could hurt sometimes.

 

“Pfffttt. Hahahahahahaha!”

 

Bell-san burst into laughter after Hachiro ran away. He claps as he laughs. His usual faint smile has been dyed with joy and laughter. 

 

“Oh my, I haven’t laughed this much since ages.”   

“...”

“Oh, sorry about that, Princess. I didn’t mean to insult you. I just find it interesting how you still manage to turn out fine after what happened yesterday.” 

“?! Yesterday?”

“Well it’s not surprising if you haven’t realized it yet since you passed out after you got it.”

“What are you talking about? What happened yesterday?”

“What happened yesterday doesn’t matter, what matters now is you have finally unlocked your powers.”

“!! Really?! So I finally got it?!” 

“Yes.”

 

I raised my hands, looking at it. I flip them up again and again. My brows furrowed. I don’t sense anything that has changed within me. Bell-san looked me in the eye. His laughter from before was already gone. It was replaced by a faint smile. He sat closer to me. He raised out his palm to hold onto the back of my right palm. It soothes me when his gentle fingers touch my skin. I wonder what his hand feels like without gloves.  

 

“Close your eyes and feel out the mana coursing through your veins.”

“...”

“When casting a spell, always remember to tense up your muscles to control its release. The stronger it is, the tenser your muscles should be.” 

 

!! He’s too close! I may not be able to hold back like the last time!

 

“Now, repeat after me. Inflaramaare.”

“[Inflaramaare]”

 

A violet flame appeared right in my palm. 

 

“Violet? Isn't it supposed to be yellowish or reddish?” 

“...” Bell-san was a bit surprised as well. 

“Am I abnormal?” I embarrassingly asked. 

“No, it seems you have inherited my… Mh, mm.. You have inherited someone's mana aside from Kahelian.” Bell-san coughs halfway through his statement.

“I’ve never seen someone using a violet flame before.”

“It’s rare though.”

“Maybe because I got it from the Demon Ki-” !! My tongue slipped 

“I still doubt you’d be able to get it just by… Mmmmhh.”

 

Bell-san wasn’t surprised at all. He removed his hand from me and grabbed his chin. He began to delve into his own thoughts, wondering how it went that way. 

 

“Do you have relatives who are somewhat immortal, Princess?”

“That’s an odd question… Mmmm. No, I don’t think so.”

“Your father, where did he come from?”

“He’s pure Arcadian. And if you’re also wondering about my mother, she came from the Biringan Empire.”

“Biringan Empire?”

“Yeah. You haven’t heard of it before?”

 

Bell-san seems to be puzzled. 

 

“It’s an Empire ruling the south. However, they only rule underground since dragons rule the sky. Their empire has been standing strong since 2500 years ago. And who knows how deep they’ve been digging to expand their empire underground.”

“What do they look like?”

“They have pale skin that they almost look like demons themselves, but they’re humans.”

“...”

“And, andddd… Most of the people living there are women and they’re all friendly! You should visit it sometime.”

“Don’t be fooled, Bell-sama, She’s a Dere-Dere!” Nanatsu intervened.

“Shut up, you’re not even part of the conversation.”

“You’re having a blast when you talk about it.” Bell-san continued our conversation ignoring Nanatsu.

“Yes, because I’ve been there before. Even the Queen ruling the Empire is friendly towards me.”

“What does she look like?”

“She has silver hair and silver brows, just like yours!” 

“Really?”

“Yeah, I almost thought she’s one of your relatives since you almost look like her.”

“Does she have a relative who is immortal?” 

“No, I don’t think she has one. If she had, there wouldn't be a 127th ruler of the Biringan Empire.” 

“Is there something odd about her? About her mana, her lifespan?”

“About her mana, mmhhh, there isn’t anything odd about it. She has primal mana as far as I’ve remembered.”

“...”

“And her lifespan is double that of a normal human.”

“That’s odd.”

“But I don’t think it's odd since most of them have it as well.”

“So that means you have inherited their lifespan?”

“I don’t know it yet, but I do hope so.”

“I see.”

 

Bell-san knows a lot of things yet at the same time he becomes dumbfounded about the things that I’ve shared with him. The nations and stories that are well known all over the world are somewhat unrecognizable to him. It’s like he’s both a newborn child and an adult. 

Just like Hachiro and Nanatsu. Though the line between those two is clearly different. Hachiro is literally acting like a child and a little brother to Nanatsu. Nanatsu, on the other hand, acts like a big brother to Hachiro. but he’s surprisingly annoying. He’s a demon incarnate that influences everyone around him. He’s a madlad. Spewing made up words at me like they’re some kind of insult and it hurts me sometimes. 

I looked at Bell-san who had been staring at my violet flame. I can’t fully see his entire face right now with his blindfold on but I could tell he’s been thinking a lot about it. He soon noticed my eyes and faintly smiled.

 

“Hm, it seems we have drifted away from our actual topic.”

“Oh, It’s okay, Bell-san.”

“Thank you, Princess.”

“...” Don’t blush, don’t blush… Don’t blush!! I made a poker face while staring at him.

“Moving on. Try to relax your muscles.”

 

The flame grew even larger than before.

 

“Hold it. Don’t relax it too much or else it will burn you.”

“Sorry.”

“Now tense your muscles again.”

 

The flame grew smaller. But how do I stop it? Should I tense it up even more? I tried out my idea but it didn’t work. It simply turned dim and it’s still there. Bell-san faintly smiled at me again. 

 

“I know what you’re thinking, Princess. This time, try to cut your mana flowing in your palms.”

“But how do I-”

“Close your eyes and sense it.”

 

I once again sense the mana coursing through my veins. He never mentioned how I’d be able to cut it. It might be a test for me to figure it out on my own. After a minute I’m starting to figure out what he’s trying to say. But how should I be able to do it? It’s like stopping my blood flowing in my palms. Think, think… 

I tense out my muscles in my hand. The flame dimmed and I quickly clenched my fist. The flame diminished and a smoke came out instead. 

 

“Well that would work too.” 

 

Bell-san said. I guess it's not the right answer. At least it works.