Both had fainted from the great effort of the previous day, and as Light lay in bed, he began to notice his newly acquired strength.
***
Name: Light
Title: Violent Marauder
Status: Servant of Azrael
Rank: Initiate
Race: [Unknown]
Aura: 50
Strength: 5
Agility: 7
Endurance: 4
Mana: 120/100
ManaControl: 3
ManaQuality: 3
Skills: Mana Manipulation (Basic), Dash (Fast), Cyclone, Wind Blade...
Characteristics: Fear Resistance (Angelic), Pain Resistance (High), Divine Spark, Key of the Staircase, Low Mental Resistance, Fragment of %&#@!
Observation: Light is an insignificant being, without any distinguishing features that would warrant attention. His cowardice has led him to seek profane powers, which pull him deeper into a hole he will never escape. His soul vehemently rejects death.
***
He could hear a weak movement next to him, someone waking up. Initially, he didn't recognize the person; Lara, who was beside him, now had some internal energy besides her aura.
***
Name: Lara
Title: [None]
Status: Light Companion
Rank: Initiate
Race: Elf
Aura: 10
Strength: 4
Agility: 7
Endurance: 2
Skills: Mana Manipulation (Uncontrolled)
Characteristics: Docile, Needy, Determined, Fragile.
Observation: A young elf in search of strength who feels very determined, ready to face any challenge as long as it means her triumph. She wishes to subdue all who mistreated her in the past and claim what is rightfully hers.
***
'Looks like she got something out of Dominic's antics.'
"Good morning, Light" she said in a tired, weak voice, but she seemed to carry a new vitality.
"Congratulations on becoming an Initiate" he tried to be optimistic, the memory of the pain still vividly etched in his mind. Both had been on the brink of life and death and managed to come back by the skin of their teeth.
"Honestly, I wish it hadn't happened the way it did" her face was somewhat melancholic despite her poorly disguised joy.
"Don't bother with the details. How do you feel with the new strength?" He understood this feeling better than anyone, but he wanted new insights from a new Initiate. Truth be told, when Light became an Initiate, his evolution was much greater than what both had now. The girl opened and closed her fist a few times, then swung her arm to the side quickly, throwing punches in the air.
"It feels like the very world rejects me, but somehow respects me; I feel like I could smash rocks with my bare hands…"
'Rejection… Respect… Power.' Light let his mind wander with only those thoughts echoing internally, trying to understand how the fall affected a person and the environment around them. Light had never felt any of that, except for the power part, possibly because he had never sensed mana before.
Whether the world accepted or rejected him, he never felt any of it. Since he began perceiving mana's will, it had always acted the same way…
"The air in my lungs feels like it's missing something, like a layer of my skin simply vanished, leaving me exposed." He continued trying to explain, offering new insights.
"I see." With a leap, he got out of bed. His clothes had been changed by the maids into pajamas, and he walked toward the wardrobe where new clothes, organized by the servants, awaited him. He quickly grabbed a thick leather coat, which could almost pass for real armor; it was extremely uncomfortable for him, but it would suffice.
Lara watched with a flushed expression, her hands in front of her face. Truth be told, near any elf, Light was terribly ugly and looked like the remnants of an abortion. But unlike the elves, he had strong, protruding muscles; he wasn't nearly as strong as his muscles suggested, but he was still aesthetically appealing.
Her mouth began to water, and as her body started to heat up, her mind wandered somewhere; increasingly profane thoughts began to take over.
'This is wrong. I can't think like this! My parents and my pastor would be disappointed if I gave in to these profane things...' She quickly remembered that she had just fallen... She was already a profane being, had no place in paradise, and was a companion to demons...
'Would it be so wrong?'
Her breathing became heavy again, and her energy quickly returned to her body as she considered taking action. Light was oblivious to all this; he had barely noticed the fact that he was changing in front of her. He never cared much about clothes, and they actually bothered him; if not for others, he would walk around naked all day.
When he turned around, the girl was trembling slightly, her eyes filled with an emotion he had never seen, her face red.
'Is she sick? Damn Dominic, can't even heal properly!'
"I understand that your situation is difficult, but we need to get out of here as soon as possible. Grab some thicker clothes and prepare for combat; we'll be leaving here by force."
'He wants me to change in front of him? Is this normal for him?' The girl, who had long been in conflict with her inner desires and religious teachings, was approaching an impasse, unsure of what to do. She slowly got up from the bed, her gaze a bit downcast, avoiding his eyes; her long, beautiful ears were almost burying themselves in the ground.
She was willing to go ahead; after all, she was a follower of demons from now on. It made no sense to suppress her desires... With a timid voice, she continued.
"C-Could you please turn around?" Her insecurities spiraled further as she spoke, her voice trembling, despite her growing desires. She was still unable to defy everything she had been taught her whole life.
Following Light's advice, she chose the thickest clothes available, opting for something that looked like a cowgirl's outfit. As she was about to change, she glanced briefly over her shoulder at Light, who was at the open window, looking at the sun that had just risen, his gaze completely unfocused and contemplative.
With a rustle, the clothes quickly fell to the floor, her body with soft, milky white skin glowing in the morning light. Her seductive gaze landed on Light as if asking him to turn around, despite having asked otherwise. She slowly dressed in the expensive clothes provided.
"I'm ready."