The Water Spirit (II)

"Lady Lirilien!"

The Stella guards surrounding the Veilkeeper immediately raised their weapons when a figure appeared out of nowhere and threw herself at her, but they lowered them as soon as they realized it was the high spirit Merite.

"Me... Merite... please, calm down... I'm listening..."

Lirilien was the embodiment of composure and grace, though she tended to lose some of that whenever one of her protégées was involved, especially when said protégée was clinging to her so tightly she could barely breathe.

"It's Coletto! I told her not to go! But she kept saying we couldn’t just leave the stranger alone, and went to confront him!"

"Coletto?! What stranger?!"

"A stranger?" repeated one of the guards.

"The Abyssal Spawn have been finding their way into the sanctuary... but for one to enter undetected..." murmured another.

"It's true!" said Merite, picking up on the whispers around her. "And he's not an Abyssal Spawn!"

"Coletto didn’t believe me, that’s why she went to see for herself. She’d never do something that reckless otherwise... she’s always scolding me when I act like that. Ever since she saw the stranger, she’s been acting weird!"

***

Moving slowly and trying not to make any sudden moves, I got up from where I had been sitting to meditate. I didn’t want to further alarm the girl who was now pointing a spear at me, though I wasn’t entirely sure I could talk her out of a fight either.

"I'm sorry for trespassing. I’m not looking for conflict..."

I spoke in the calmest tone I could manage. But my awkward smile didn’t seem to reassure her.

"For an Abyssal Spawn, you’ve managed to retain quite a bit of your intelligence. Enough to speak, at least. But if you think I’ll fall for your lies, it only proves you’ve already lost your mind."

"A... Abyssal Spawn? Those... those horrible creatures from before?"

The shock of being compared to those grotesque monsters nearly left me speechless. Sure, my appearance might be a little unconventional, but I was pretty sure my current features were well above average in what most would consider attractive...

"Playing dumb won’t help you. Your aura isn’t human. And besides, the only human living in the Abyss is the mage who’s settled near the Demon King’s dungeon."

So this cave network is called the Abyss... not exactly a welcoming name. Still, there was another thing I just couldn’t ignore.

"You could’ve at least accused me of being that mage in disguise... not compare me to an abomination right away."

"I already told you. Your aura isn’t human. Besides, that mage hasn’t been able to cross the veil. The only ones who’ve managed it are the Abyssal Spawn, and only because they’ve absorbed primordial magic for so long, and because of the veil itself weakening, of course."

"I guess by primordial magic you mean the kind that’s crystallized all over this cavern. Those creatures definitely gave off a similar feeling... but that’s what you’re calling primordial magic? Isn’t it just magic?" I recalled the battle I had seen earlier. "Mmm... now that you mention it, Liri—Lady Lirilien used a kind of magic (skill?) that felt different. It was different from the spell I used on the Mole-Lizard. It was powerful, yes... but it felt like reaching that level of strength took a lot more work."

"Mole... what? I have no idea what nonsense you're muttering, but you’ll explain everything later, starting with what kind of demon evolution you are," the girl said, raising her spear. "However, first I have to incapacitate you."

"I don’t mind answering all your questions without being incapacitated... and besides, you’re shaking. Are you really sure you want to do this?"

"There's no need to keep talking. Get ready... or I’ll take you down as you are."

"Very well. But if you're giving me your word, let me prepare first."

"Of course. Even the demons that invaded the cavern had a shred of honor left before they turned into what they are now and lost their minds. You of all people should know that."

I let out a resigned sigh. At least the girl seemed to want to turn this into some kind of duel, and she had given me a bit of time. Or maybe she was the one who needed a moment to mentally prepare.

The light from the crystals was just enough to cast a shadow behind me, but I had been meaning to try something for a while now. I brought my hands together, creating a shadow between them, then expanded it using the magic from the Atra ring, just enough to let a sword emerge as I pulled them apart.

And it wasn’t just any sword. It was the Moonblade. Its first appearance had been a little shameful, so I decided to use it now to honor the memory of the late king (a guess).

The girl in front of me widened her eyes like saucers the moment she saw the sword take shape in midair. She stepped back as a drop of sweat ran down her temple.

"An artifact... no! Two?! Three?!"

It seemed the sword had made her notice the other magical items I was carrying. In truth, there were four, but the brooch was probably harder to detect, since it blended in with my clothes, which were themselves an artifact.

"They’re not common?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"What are you talking about? Of course they’re not!" she snapped, gripping her spear tightly. "The artifacts from the Spirit Realm can be counted on one hand, and there’s not a single one in this sanctuary..."

"But don’t worry," I said, trying to offer a reassuring smile. "I didn’t bring out this sword to gain an advantage. It’s just easier to control an artifact than to rely on whatever spells come to mind in the middle of a fight..."

"Still talking nonsense to lower my guard. It won't work, demon!"

I suppose it’s hard to sound convincing when you’re being accused of being the enemy... Still, I guess I’d been upgraded from Abyssal Spawn to just plain demon somewhere along the way.

"Fine. You don’t have to believe me. I’ll just fight in my own way." Hopefully without hurting her too much, but better not mention that. "I don’t know the formalities of a duel, but I think it starts with introductions. My name is Zendal di... just Zendal."

"A demon named Zendal? Sounds like your parents or your creator forgot what side they were on during the war against the original evil... Whatever. Not my concern. My name is also just Coletto, and it doesn’t matter how many artifacts you have. A simple demon won’t defeat a high spirit of water that easily."

"A high spirit of water? Mmm, that’s quite the coincidence... and a very convenient one at that."

"Convenient?! Let’s see if you can still say that after this!"

Coletto raised her spear in front of her, and a whirlpool surged up from beneath her feet, spiraling around the weapon until it was completely wrapped in water.

"Magic really is fascinating..." A genuine smile slipped from my lips as I readied my sword.