Sitting in front of me were 'The Starlets', a group of four girls, all of whom were eighteen years old. In just three years, they had become the world's most popular electronic music band, known for their metal music with occasional melodic pop.
One of the members looked at me and asked, "You're new here, aren't you?"
I replied, "Yes, ma'am."
"Why so nervous?" she asked.
I hesitated, "I don't know why."
"Anyway," said the member sitting third from the left as they all got up and left the room,
"Since this is our first show of the year, sponsored by the Caraxes group, we're going to have a grand party tonight. Make sure you don't miss it." The moderator of the show led the group out of the room, leaving me behind with the organizer.
The old man took the tray of bottles from my hand and said, "Look out for their belongings, kid, and hand me that." He was muscular with white hair and had a demeanour that seemed both caring and dangerous.
"You're from the inspection and security department, transporting water bottles doesn't suit ya," he said. "Besides, I'm going towards the stage." He tapped my shoulder and left.
As the door closed with a thud, I found myself alone in the room. The heavy music outside was accompanied by a loud cheer from the crowd. Suddenly, the lights in the room started flickering.
I stood in the middle of the room and looked to my right at the dressing table mirror, but instead of my reflection, I saw a man in a black hoodie. He lifted his head and it appeared as though he was staring directly into my eyes with a smile etched on his face, even though most of his face was hidden.
"It's Kael Hashirae. You were the anonymous head of the Caraxes group. I was right," the shadow said.
"Congratulations, Saira," I replied. As soon as I spoke her real name, her attitude shifted to cautious.
"Interesting," the shadow said, tilting its head. Nerves spread across the room and several cracks appeared on the mirror, bringing it to life. It was similar to bringing someone into the domain, but in this case, Saira had brought the domain into reality itself.
"I have a job to secure these items," I said, looking in the direction of the Starlets' belongings.
"Good luck with that," she said before lunging at me with incredible speed. It appeared as if she had disappeared before she aimed her black, curved daggers at my neck. I stopped her attack using the training pole provided by the academy.
As Saira's attack was deflected by my training pole, the force created chaos in the room. Items were knocked over and scattered, and the mirror cracked even more under the pressure. Despite the mess, I couldn't help but find the situation somewhat entertaining, especially with the loud metal music still playing in the background.
With disappointment etched on her face, the shadow asked me in a calm tone, "That's not even your weapon. Am I not worthy for you to fight me properly?"
"It's not that," I replied. "I just want to understand the reason behind your unwavering loyalty towards a notorious criminal like Cillian. You don't have the aura of someone who enjoys killing."
"Why do you care?" she asked before lunging at me again, this time with even more force. I knew that any more attacks could cause an explosion, so I declared, "<Quantum Sphere - Void Veil>."
Although her strike connected with my pole again, this time the shock waves dissipated before they could reach any substance, and the surrounding area remained unaffected.
"<Ensnaring Vines>", she said noticing that her attacks weren't working on me and approached differently as sticky vines emerged from all across the room
They all seemed alive and coordinated, and with her indication, all of them lunged at me, and I don't want any of that disgusting thing touching me.
With the declaration of "<Eye of Hesperus>", flames ignited in my eyes, and everything around me seemed to slow down as a deep rumble echoed. The vines were only an inch away from me, but they stopped in their tracks. Unfortunately, the lenses of my glasses shattered due to the intense heat.
I then declared "<Cessation>" and the vines turned into dust particles, which disappeared before they could even touch the ground. I quickly removed my broken spectacles and summoned a new pair from my storage ring.
"Now, shall we have a peaceful conversation, my lady?" I asked Saira, who was now immobilized. The shadow covering her body disappeared, and what came into view was a woman in her twenties. Half of her face's right side was covered in burn scars, dull white hair, and blue eyes.
Despite her appearance of lacking emotion and only having a deep-seated hatred, I couldn't help but notice that Saira was an incredibly talented and strikingly beautiful woman. Her mature demeanour was also rare to come across. However, she seemed disinterested in me and didn't care if I killed her or interrogated her for answers.
"I can't help but wonder why someone as talented and beautiful as you would work for someone like Cillian," I asked her.
She opened her coat buttons to show the runes imprinted on her belly, which revealed a royal devil's slave seal. I was surprised because it was unusual for devils to enslave their own kind.
"I had no choice, kid," she said, spreading her arms to show her body, "Would you rather kill me than let me live like this?"
I considered her question and asked, "What if the seal is removed?"
"Very well," she said. "I'll answer all your questions, but I won't work for anyone."
"That's not a problem," I replied, activating my power to remove the slave seal imprinted on her belly. The runes began to move and dissolve, causing her intense pain, but she endured it without so much as a flinch. Blood trickled from her eyes, but she didn't even grit her teeth.
"You see, the issue is solved," I said, pointing at her belly. "Though I doubt you'll manage to stay awake after expending that much energy.
"No, I'll be fi-" she began, but then collapsed unconscious onto the floor.
"I can see that," I said, looking down at her prone form. I surveyed the destruction around us and sighed.
"Now I have to clean this up too."
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