Cibylla held her swordspear and breathed deeply, calming her nerves. The voices of thousands resounded above her but none of them were that important when compared to a single one. She looked up toward an area decorated with luxurious cloth. Of course, Ira contradicted his surroundings as he wore plain black clothes.

“Keeper,” Cibylla whispered to herself.

Beside her were children of different races, Dark Elves, Lycanthropes, Beastkin, Half-Dragons, and Vampires who had yet to awaken.

Who were they to Cibylla? Obstacles. If she wanted to impress the Keeper she would need to display the utmost skill.

“Ready?!” A voice reverberated throughout the pit.

A chorus of shouts was given in response.

Across from where Cibylla stood was a huge iron door that was opened with some mechanism. Interlocked gears began to rotate together and the door was opened allowing the pitch black interior to be seen.

“Do not disappoint!” The voice that spoke was full of authority.

The crowd went silent and low growls could be heard from beyond the iron door. Then, something stepped out of the shadows and into the light. A humanoid creature with green skin sharp fangs was the first to emerge. Behind it was a tall orc-like monster with red skin and huge tusks. More and more began to crawl out of the darkness, each one looked more menacing than the last. The monsters that poured out of the opening were are test subjects for Charles’ experiments meaning that they were no doubt enhanced beyond ordinary. Since Charles couldn’t use living people to test all his theories, monsters were provided. Many of them failed which lead to a large number of unstable creatures with increased strength.

The Valkyries took an interest and it was needless to say they were the ones who decided to keep the subjects alive. It was the best possible way for the growing army to gain combat experience without starting a war with a different nation.

Cibylla raised her swordspear and shield while staring ahead.

The air was filled with tension as the monsters sized up their potential prey. The entire group that filled the pit was composed of close-ranged fighters. That wasn’t to say that there were none able to use the bow or talented with magic, but the swordspear was weapon chosen for everyone to use in their demonstration.

There was no one who panicked or grew fearful, in fact, some seemed ready to charge ahead but they weren’t able to. Cibylla was the first to step forward and her draconic features, as well as the threatening aura emanating from her, caused the intelligent monsters to become wary. Though most of the creatures were far more animalistic in their thinking and charged forward, spurring the rest of the horde on. Roars and growls intertwined as they charged forward but Cibylla didn’t wait. She led the charge and the group of adolescents moved to support her.

Cibylla put strength into her legs and a burst of wind propelled her into the air. She aimed her spear down and impaled a monster with reddish skin before swinging her swordspear in front of her and clearing some space. When the monsters sought to surround her, Cibylla jumped backward, leaving a dust cloud in her wake.

The source of her mobility was the bone engravings she received on her legs. It wasn’t some deadly ability but it offered her a range of movement that allowed her to attack and retreat with relative ease.

Cibylla weaved in and out of the skirmish while killing any monsters that ended up in her path. A one-sided bloodbath began but it wasn’t outside of anyone expectations. The rigorous training devised by the Valkyries showed its effects. Some received minor wounds but they grit their teeth and pushed through, cutting down their wild opponents. The monsters fought unpredictably and they quite literally tripped over each other in order to attack. It was beneficial yet problematic at the same time.

Cibylla smashed her shield into the skull of a large goblin with crazed eyes. She issued a short grunt and then thrust her swordspear forward, stabbing another creature in the head.

“Huaaah!” All of a sudden a loud shout was heard and a hefty creature full of muscle rammed into her and knocked her onto her backside. It’s was something between a troll and an Orc. Its hide was reinforced with an imperfect batch of Behemoth’s blood which prevents most weapons from getting through. In addition, it could heal quite quickly so it's endurance was quite high.

It raised its foot and stomped down in order to crush Cibylla but she rolled away before hopping to her feet. The creature didn’t waste any time and swung its bulky arms at her to which she narrowly avoided by ducking. She started her counter-attack by slicing its belly but the cut didn’t even go an inch deep.

The creature laughed tauntingly and then resumed its assault. All the while, Cibylla’s surroundings grew chaotic. Corpses of monsters obstructed her path and others who were busy fighting their own battles prevented her from moving too far. For a few moments, all Cibylla could do was dodge while waiting for any opportunity. Each punch thrown by the creature could easily cripple her and put her into a dangerous situation.

Cibylla’s concentration slipped as she stumbled over a corpse and a punch landed on her shield. She went backward a few feet but her shield arm throbbed painfully. She glanced up at Ira for but a moment and, though she may have been imagining it, he looked at her.

“Keeper,” Cibylla said piously. Another punch came flying toward her but her focus was renewed and she sidestepped it before moving closer and lunging forward. She drove her knee into the chin of the hybrid monster and a loud crack resounded sweetly in her ears. The monster groaned in agony but she didn’t relent. As soon as her feet touched the ground she unleashed a flurry of attacks. She began stabbing and cutting at the tendons of the beast as swiftly as she could.

“Haaa!” Cibylla shouted and she kicked the monster in the chest. Although she wouldn’t normally be able to knock it down, with its legs injured it couldn’t stay on its feet. When it fell she stabbed it between the eyes and ended the battle unceremoniously.

Something must’ve awoken inside of her as she let out a beastly growl and her eyes grew even more focused. Her surroundings seemed slower and quieter and the sound of her heartbeat rang in her ears.

“That’s it.” A whisper reached her ears. “Don’t pause. Don’t hesitate.”

It was a whisper that sounded familiar and it caused her to widen her eyes.

“Keeper.” She uttered once more. It was hard to tell if she was hallucinating or not but she believed that Ira was speaking directly to her.

“I want to see what you learned.”

Cibylla blood began to boil and she felt her instincts take over. She made use of the engravings in her legs and rushed forward in one swift leap. The swordspear took the life of an inattentive monster but she didn’t stop to see the results. Faint scales appeared on her arms as she moved even faster. She smashed her shield into the head of another creature and leaped toward the next one.

Within a few minutes, everyone began to take notice of her. It was hard not to, she fought as ferociously as the monsters but each one of her strikes was disciplined. If something survived her first three strikes it surely didn’t survive the fourth. She was unrelenting in her attacks and it didn’t seem she would stop for a second. At some point, her shield became too dented to use and she held the swordspear in one hand while she used her other to claw at her opponents.

Cibylla suddenly stopped moving and breathed deeply. She searched for another target but the only ones left alive were her allies. Silence filled the air and all eyes were stuck to her. A girl with blood staining her entire body who emanated a distinctive bloodlust. It was to the point where some mistook her for a monster until they looked closer.

“Take a breath! You’ve done well!” A Valkyrie shouted.

Healers made their way into the pit and tended to those with injuries while soldiers made sure all the monsters were dead. The crowd erupted into cheers of support and pride as the demonstration exceeded their expectations.

Maevyn approached Cibylla with a damp cloth and wiped the blood off of the girl’s face.

“That was something, Cibylla.” Maevyn was unexpectedly attentive when cleaning the blood from her student.

“...Do you think the Keeper noticed?” Cibylla asked tiredly.

“I’m sure he did,” Maevyn replied. She glanced toward Ira and could make out the grin on his face. Then again, he was usually smiling whenever she saw him.

…

Observing what was going on below, Raveria began speaking.

“What did you say to her, Dad?” Raveria asked curiously while eating mooncakes from a bowl.

“A few words of encouragement,” Ira responded.

Zephyr took a pastry from Raveria but she didn’t mind. Meanwhile, Valeryn watched on without much of a change in expression. If anything, the whole event made him frustrated until the very end where Cibylla surprised him.

“Something wrong, Ryn?” Ira asked. It was incredibly easy for him to feel the emotions of his children so he instantly picked up on Valeryn’s disposition.

“Why can’t they see it?” Valeryn felt like jumping down there and correcting each of them.

“See what?” Ira inquired.

“The way to cut things,” Valeryn answered with bewilderment. If someone were to see through his eyes, they’d know whenever he focused on cutting something apart, millions of thread-like lines appeared in his vision but they didn’t obstruct his sight. They were as fine as thin as silk from spiders but they were crystal clear.

“It’s because you’re special, Valeryn.” Ira ruffled his son’s neat hair.

“Hmm…” Valeryn still seemed unsatisfied.

“Don’t think about it so much,” Ira said.

Valeryn looked to his father and his vision changed and there wasn’t a single thread that appeared around or on Ira. It showed Valeryn that there was no way that he could land a cut on his father.

Ira seemed to tell what he was thinking and laughed before speaking. “Maybe one day.”

“Hey, what are you two talking about?” Raveria asked while chewing loudly.

“Stealing your pastries,” Ira took a pastry from his daughter but she didn’t seem to care.

“It’s not stealing if I give them to you,” Raveria said while offering the bowl to her father.

“Ah, I guess not.” Ira took another pastry.

“I want some!” Harper grabbed one and soon the bowl became empty.

Avery watched on wordlessly but was in a pleasant mood.

“Are you ok, Sylvia?” Sylun asked in a loud voice.

“I-I’m fine,” Sylvia seemed tired to the point where it looked as if she would faint at any moment.

“Keepress, could I trouble you to examine her?” Sylun asked apologetically.

Avery nodded and moved toward Sylvia who was about to object but she broke out into a coughing fit.

Avery grabbed her wrist sent healing flames into Sylvia’s body but her condition didn’t improve. If anything it got worse as she coughed louder and louder.

“Sylvia, what’s wrong?!” Sylun began to panic and everyone turned to face her.

Sylvia finished coughing and spoke up, “I’m fine, really.”

Avery narrowed her eyes and checked Sylvia once again while Ira also moved toward her.

“This might hurt a little,” Ira made a small cut on Sylvia’s hand and a drop of blood emerged. He wiped it with his finger and then tried to search for any hint of poison or sickness.

“...There’s nothing wrong,” He said with clear confusion. His senses would’ve detected poison before she could even consume it so he found it odd that she showed strange symptoms.

“Really...it’s nothing,” Sylvia repeated.

“...Are you sure?” Sylun seemed unwilling to let it go but Sylvia shook her head and reassured her mother as well as everyone else.

“I think I’m just a bit tired...I hope the Keeper doesn’t find it rude if I leave early,” Sylvia said.

“Not at all,” Ira replied.

Rhys approached with the intention of escorting Sylvia to her room. She looked at Ira and he guessed what she was thinking.

“Alright, Rhys is going to walk with you. Send someone to tell Jydar that you left and get some sleep.” Ira words were taken as absolute orders and a few attendants moved to comply.

As expected of an ancient and divine curse, it was undetectable since it wasn’t created from black magic.