A heavy rainfall had been pouring down the rooftops for several hours now. Thick rivulets were streaming down the lanes of Orma. The black clouds showed no sign to be about to recede.

A feeble sunray thrusted the driving rain all the way to the rooftop of a high building. There, a girl exuding utter splendor was sitting cross-legged. She was so stunning that a single smile of hers would let empires collapse. Suddenly, her eyes, covered by a jet-black bangs and a ton of black makeup, glanced up at an armor that looked darker than the night itself.

“I’ve heard your rival Medusa is coming back to the Capital today,” a hoarse voice seeped through the armor.

“Are you chasing me or what?” Circe blurted grumpily. “Like, what are you even talking about? That crap of a semi-human is no rival to me. She can hardly walk with her chin up without having to feel ashamed. The gap between me and her is just as wide as the distance between heaven and earth. She loves comparing herself to my shadow, does it mean she poses a threat to me?”

“Well, the gap between you and her is the same as that between you and me,” Pseudonym laughed hoarsely. Taunting her was always fun.

A huge fan glistening in grey suddenly appeared. Its pointed ends were as sharp as the tip of a spear. “You came here to pick a fight, didn’t you?”. Circe didn’t seem to find it any fun though…

Pseudonym didn’t show sign of worry. “Not really. I’m here to talk about the boy’s little crew. They offended Medea. You know what that means?”

Circe’s expression darkened as she said: “If that filthy bitch dares lay a finger on him…”

Pseudonym interrupted the Witch without concealing the faint surprise in his voice. “Didn’t Francesca tell you? As the King’s daughter, she knows pretty much everything that happens to the boy.”

“Francesca has been busy avoiding Comodus, lately. Their wedding is so important that even her father won’t dare cancel it. Orma’s two powers have never been so distant from one another. So much that the King is willingly sacrificing his daughter to make peace with the Sect of the Worthy.”

Pseudonym slightly nodded and fell silent. Despite his lack of interest in the royal affairs, Pseudonym knew perfectly well that Comodus was a madman and Francesca didn’t love him.

Tang tang tang

Rain was cascading heavily on Pseudonym’s armor, making the atmosphere even gloomier.

Circe’s eyes were crossed by a shadow. “What do you think is expecting Orma?”

Pseudonym gazed afar in the distance. Without further ado, he disappeared in a black beam. The seething Auras of Circe and Pseudonym clashed for an instant, and then the rain stopped pouring on the armor. Circe was alone again. As if nothing had happened.

Rain began to fall heavily.

Circe was still sitting in midair, pondering over Pseudonym’s words and wondering about their future.

Suddenly, Circe furrowed her eyebrows. “You heard everything?” she asked out of nowhere, talking to the nothingness behind her back. She had sensed the faintest fluctuation in the surrounding energy, but she knew perfectly well whom the Aura belonged to.

No answer came but the incessant sound of the pouring rain.

“Step forward, Vlad,” Circe ordered, ever more furious.

A fifteen-years-old-looking boy suddenly materialized out of nowhere. His delicate facial features betrayed a hint of nobleness. His dark unfathomable eyes didn’t match his tender age.

“Didn’t you say you gave up on her?” Circe asked, her eyebrow raised.

“Indeed. I don’t wanna waste my time or run into pointless risks,” the boy yawned, turned, and began to walk away.

“Stop,” Circe boomed out. She immediately appeared behind his back, her hand on his shoulder.

Suddenly, Vlad’s body emitted a blinding red light. A bloody Aura engulfed him.

A frighteningly powerful corrosive attacked Circe’s skin. A tiny trail of smoke rouse up from where she had touched him. The girl promptly withdrew her hand and gazed down at her hurt palm, a frown on her face.

“I don’t like it when people touch me, cousin,” Vlad mumbled without even turning,

“Did you begin training again?” asked Circe with a faint hope in her voice.

“No,” Vlad didn’t add no thing and walked away.

Circe gave a sigh. “It’s true what they say about this unfair game of love. But I have to admit that his attitude played a pretty big role too. A devastating combination indeed… He knows he can’t yearn for her. But he’s also aware he’s strong. Despite of all his strength and talent, he never really got down to training. His talent… the only one that could possibly match Pseudonym’s. But he hates his life. All he does is roam all day and try to avoid human contact and all of the problems that it brings.” Circe brooded aloud over her cousin Vlad, a member of the Guild of Life and Death.

If anyone had heard Circe speak these words about the youth - the same Circe whose talent was considered to be second only to that of Pseudonym - they would have probably concluded there was more to Vlad than it met the eye.

***

On the opposite side of the city

With her eyes closed, Lumia was sitting cross-legged in front of a closed door. She was chanting the formulas of the Breathing Technique the Devil had taught her. Her Breathing Technique synchronized her heartbeat to the frequency of the earth itself. In this astonishing state, her heart would only beat a few times a minute. And yet, each of those heartbeats carried a boundless energy.

The silvery-haired girl sensed an immense power flowing through her Meridians. She wondered how longer she would need to wait to gather the maximum amount of Mana she could amass while still in the First Phase.

A month had gone by since Helial started his training behind closed door to meditate over some Epiphanies he had received during a previous training. At least that’s what he said. Lumia knew there was something fishy about this. Something Helial wouldn’t tell her. It was probably linked to the Devil. Lumia just ignored at what extent.

BOOM!

A flamboyant explosion blew the door to pieces. All around Lumia, walls began to tumble down. Lumia watched this with raised eyebrows. She realized she was in danger. Apparently, the whole wing of the palace was falling apart. She had a feeling her Mana wouldn’t be enough to sustain all of those stones.