"The path of the trickster unlocked, swipe right to confirm procedure..." Naki whispered
Habiki hung her staff behind her back, analyzing the interface together with Naki.
"Suffice to say we met the conditions for crime, as expected,"
"Huh, Execution rating of B; I must say the devil is a harsh examiner," she chuckled
"The hell? That Irauki guy wasn't a slouch, I'll have him know." Naki protested
"Pfft," She snickered, hand in her mouth.
"What's so funny?" he asked.
"Nothing, just your recklessness in the bout is all."
Naki frowned, his eyes skeptical. He was beckoning an explanation.
"The familiar Orochi is an 8 headed giant serpent. The fact you almost died with just 2 released probably affected your rating significantly."
"EIGHT??" he shouted
"Uh-huh. A familiar or a grimoire is very special for a magician. As such, they don't easily reveal their names or forms because it says a lot about their power."
"But the guys from the class of sages did-"
"They are under the protection of the academy, and their instructors are under oath to never reveal the familiar and grimoire of their students," she replied.
"I see. It was my shortcoming then. I should've learned about my opponent before engaging."
"Yup. 'A battle well prepared is one half won. ' In any case, why don't we proceed with the important matter at hand?"
She pointed at the interface.
"Of course." Naki nodded, then turned to the interface.
This time, he was no longer afraid of the swiping pain and used his index to commence the procedure.
As soon as he swiped, a large burst of dark green energy waves exploded around him.
This startled Habiki, who took a short step back.
"Agrh!!" she shook.
"[At ease, Habi. This is a natural response to a devil child's path release.]"
Keifa's words settled her nerves as she watched on
The energy wave expanded, and somehow, Naki wasn't feeling pain; he felt at ease.
"What's ...going on?" he stared at his devil sigil.
The sigil 8 circles bulged and then 3 of them lit up, and their red fill evaporated. The debt had been repaid - 3/7 now remained.
As soon as the debut was paid, another pop-up appeared in front of Naki.
--- VESSEL PATH AVAILABLE ---
Lohki's Path Unlocked
Traits Available: Shadow Trick, Crow's Visage
Current Crime Level: 1/3
[Activate Path?]
---------------------------------
"...(The path of Lohki the trickster, I need this to get to Emile through Bisky)"
He hesitated for a brief moment, and then tap the interface.
It shrunk as the dark green wave of energy lifted him up
"What's happening now!?" Habiki asked concerned.
"[A trickster is about to born]" Keifa muttered.
And thus the dark green energy seethed into Naki as he groaned in pain
"Nrrghhh!!"
The energy was coursing through his veins, visible from the outside, as the devil sigil viibrated and a dark green accent formed around its vertices.
This represented the active path selected, dark green implied Lohki the trickster
The atmosphere once tense, was now shimmering as the dissipating energy slowly brought Naki back to the ground.
A dark green glint strayed in his eyes, before dissolving completely.
"Huhhh" Naki let out a deep breath to calm himself.
Then looked at his hands once more, analyzing every palm print for changes.
Everything but the new look of his devil sigil seemed in order.
"Naki, how do you feel?" Habiki asked, walking up to him
"A little...different...so much energy, I also feel...powerful!"
He kicked his boot to the ground, "Agile...like I could, swipe your staff and escape in one full movement and no one would be the wiser" he smiled excitingly at the promise of what he could do.
He had evolved and exposed to new powers.
"I see." Habiki put hand to jaw, thinking. "You will have to explore the traits you've unlocked with this new path. It'll be good to know the arsenal well, before you approach Bisky"
"Me? what about you? I thought you and Bisky were close? Sure as rivals but close all the same?" Naki asked curious.
"It's a long story but, Bisky and I...we're not exactly on friendly terms." she shrugged.
Then with a sighed, she closed the topic.
"Let's just say she recognizes my position as president, but that's all it is"
"(It sounds like Habiki and Bisky were close friends... I wonder what happened)" Naki pondered
She cleared her throat and clasp her hands together
"In any case, we've done what we came for. What say we return to the academy?"
"What about the mission details, should be open now I think"
"I suggest we check it out tomorrow. I'm not really prepared for any of Lucille's ideas right now"
Naki nodded, "I agree. Lucille's words are never to be taken on face value. With alll that has happened too, we will need some time to process it all."
"Indeed. After all; we've got a devil to please and a world to save." Habiki chuckled, clearly reminding Naki of his circumstances.
"Is that sarcasm I hear?" he asked.
"What do you think?" she teased and equipped her staff. It lit up at the top a gold light orb
"Well, good thing I have a prodigy by my side then" he commented.
Habiki shook her head and smiled.
She was flattered, but was too proud to say so.
The light on her staff expanded into a cylinder and surrounded them
"We're returning to the academy, stand still"
Naki nodded and the light teleported them back to the Academy gates.
Listeria Academy Gates
Naki and Habiki appeared in one piece
"We're here", she put away her staff.
"(Teleportation magic...what humanity would give to have this convenience in transportation)" Naki smiled, recalling his life and society as the human, Lionel.
Habiki opened the gates once more with another talisman and they made their way to the grounds.
"Alright then. This is where we part ways for tonight."
She turned around, "Let's meet up tomorrow during noon and discuss our next steps. Sounds good?"
Naki nodded, "Got it. What about the class of sages?"
"Ah yes, your duties as Naruki." Habiki thought for a while, "Let me handle that part for now. I'll inform you if the situation changes"
"What do you intend to do?"
"Let's just say, put my powers as council president to good use"
"Heh, I guess power really does corrupts" Naki remarked.
She smiled and waved goodbye, returning to her dorm.
"See you tomorrow, Naki"
He watched her leave. Then stared at his sigil with a sly smile
"(I just hope I can handle my own power adequately. I can't wait to see the new tricks I can do)"
"(For now, I should return to the room.)"
On his way back, he noticed a foreign presence from behind one of the academy buildings nearby.
This unexpected situation brought him to an abrupt halt.
"(Someone's got eyes on me)"
He observed he was being watched from a distance, but he couldn't tell where from.
His eyes surveyed the area around the academy grounds, not a soul in sight.
No sounds either, only a lingering presence that wasn't going away.
"(The eyes are fixed on me, however the presence doesn't feel...hostile)"
Naki decided to ignore it for now and readied to move on again.
"(I should head to the instructor's retreat, I can easily lose, or find it there)"
He picked up the pace, hoping to lose the potential threat.
Instructors' Retreat
As soon as he arrived, his face tensed up, brows twisted into an annoyed frown.
"It's not going away" he whispered and halted once again.
The stalker had pursued, proving persistent.
"(As expected, there's no much hiding place here, besides a couple of trees. If I play this wisely I can defuse the situation)"
His hand reached subtly for the blade on his waist.
"I know you're there! Reveal yourself or I will be forced to take drastic measures"
Naki said, hoping his threat would incite his stalker to respond.
"Last chance!" he added, this time with more venom in his words.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of hands clapping, followed by a short crackling laughter
"Okay, hahaha, wow, I gotta say rite now, I'm like tots impressed hahaha"
The stalker leapt from cover, revealing themselves in the moonlight with a voice and manner of speaking.
Naki didn't take long to piece it all together as his eyes widened in disbelief
"It's you..."
Her hands were crossed behind her back as she leaned teasingly forward. Exposing her concealed burst and curvature.
She had a grin that promised mischief, and eyes that was devoid of any trepidation.
"It's such a beautiful full moon tonite! Like what you see, instructor?"
"Bisky..."
Her grin intensified, as she peered into the eyes of Naki.
Under the moonlight, a stalker turned out to be a familiar presence and a center piece to the devil's mission.
Why was she here? why now? And what could she possibly be after?