Without much notice, two days went down. Lona was left alone in his new room. Yes he was with his real family, yet he still felt all alone and lonely. A few hours from now, he would say goodbye to this weird Villa and embrace the structures of Reom Academy, not as Blackwood but as a stranger whose peasant family found a way to pay his fees.
That Academy could only be afforded by the nobles and wealthy families. A peasant with no name could be seen as someone to prey on.
Even when lost in thought, his eyelids became heavy, his eye sight blurry. He needed sleep and he knew it.
With just one slow closing of his eyes, he was no longer in his room. The way he travels through realms with just one blink was no new thing to him.
He looked around, above painted with dim bright sky which was strangely purple. Green fresh grass lingering under his feet.
Lona had lost count of how many times he had asked where he was if he appeared in a strange land but for some reason this land didn't look as sinister as the ones before.
Something was different and he knew, he was always scared in situations like this because he doesn't know what to expect but this time, he was overfilled with confidence.
No sun, no moon, no celestial body but yet the fresh green grass still moved and blooms with winds aiding their flow. It was indeed beautiful to see.
"We finally have the chance to see and know each other" the soft vioce coming from a distance caught Lona off guard.
He instantly looked around, just to see no one around. "Who are you and what do you want?" He maintained a state of awareness of his surroundings, any attacks could come from any and he has to be prepared.
"I thought you would know me by just hearing my voice."
Lona just wondered who on earth would have such a melodious tone. She speaks so gently and calmly. Almost emphasizing on each word.
The confused soul wasn't good at guessing, he still stared around. Looking for hints and clue. He finally reached out to the first guess in his mind. I hope I am right
"Are you my mother???"
The wind stopped, the grass stopped moving. Every motion paused, then continued after a few seconds.
"Ha--ha... Are you that desperate to meet her?" A question used to answer another question. Lona wasn't in the mood anymore. The glimmer in his eyes were gone.
"I guess you won't understand. What do you want?" He asked with such cold tone, almost making the voice regret what she said.
"Alright, I must apologize for making you feel bad" just by speaking, Lona let all negative emotions go. Her voice could place someone under a spell.
A bright light appeared some meters away from Lona, increasing its intensity every second that went by till it became a blinding green light.
As it came, in one second it disappeared but left something behind, someone behind who hung in the air. It wasn't human. Judging from its shadow and shape.
Lona studied it with utmost attention. It just hovered over the ground, acting even too lazy to fly or levitate.
"Wait a minute.... You are that Cat. My sinful Beast!!!" Lona looked amazed, for once he saw the cat moving and talking. Since he signed contract with it, all it did was sleep.
"Yes. I am Sloth. You can call me that."
Lona stared into its large deep green eyes, it suited its dark furs with blazing ears and tail.
"You are welcome here, sorry I didn't bring you here on time."
Lona noticed how low and gentle it spoke. It was even too lazy to speak. He looked around once more, observing the environment again.
"Where is this, I mean-- where are we?"
"It's simple. This is my world"
Short bd brief but yet, it carried lots of amazing information. "You mean your world?" Lona asked to confirm if he heard that right.
"Yes it is. I spend most of my time here."
Lona understood, it was beautiful. Far from the ordinary. The way he looked around, Sloth knew that he loved this place.
"With time, we will get stronger here. That's for sure."
Lona just nodded in excitement. "So.. what are we going to do?" He asked
"I just wanted to bring you here since we have a contract" Sloth explained. Her words so vivid and meaningful.
Lona had a question to ask. "Why did the Bear not sign a contract with me? Is it true that I am too weak for the contract?"
Sloth hesitated before giving a reply. "That wasn't the case. She was just too lazy so I stood up for her."
Lona looked relieved after Sloth spoke. His now knows that he wasn't at fault. "Could we still get a contract later on?"
Sloth moved her eyes around. Surprisingly, her movements weren't slow instead they were sharp and precise.
"I can not say for sure. You don't have to worry too much about it."
Lona wasn't ready to buy into that, "why shouldn't I, I am the only son of the Blackwoods and I need to get stronger quickly. I don't want to be a liability"
Sloth immediately understood what he was trying to say. Being a Blackwood means more strength.
"You will become strong and I know that. You have me and that is what matters."
Lona wasn't dumb. This was definitely the longest words Sloth had ever said to his since they started conversing.
He nodded gently, watching as Sloth gently approached him. The moment the touched, Lona felt a tingling sensation moving around his body almost making his legs give up on the spot.
"Tell me, what are you exactly. If you are a ghost, you can't touch me" Lona's questions were born out of curiosity.
"We are something close to ghosts that's why we are called one" sloth paused, Lona waited patiently. Knowing that explaining this would take more words than usual.
"We derive energy from committing or making others commit our sin. With that energy, we can do a lot."
It became clear to the confused now. He still thought of questions to ask but Sloth kept on explaining.
"Without that energy, we can't take our form outside the host body. So our appearance also deals with energy."
Before Lona could speak, that heard a distance sound of a Raven cawling.
"She is right!!!" A familiar voice stroke. Instantly transforming the place into a more darker and eerie environment. Now there was a sun but it was black. The sky splitting-- one side was filled with red clouds while the other was darker shades of purple.
Lona turned, the familiar woman stood in a distance. Her stouning dress just mentioned a fragments of her beautiful she was as a whole even when looking older.
The grass and flowers all around her turned black and dried just by walking through it.
The fear that usually lingers in Lona's soul every time he sighted her has dropped to a low level. Now words could form in his mind.
"....You... Again!!!" He muttered. His voice trembling and yet, she enjoyed every bit of it.
"Hello Lona!"
He almost dropped to his knees after hearing his name from her lips. His breath seized.
"How-how do you know me too well. Are you my...." For some reason, he couldn't pronounce the last word.
She just smiled, looking deep into Lona's soul.
"You can consider me as that. The truth is, I am not the person you seek." Lona didn't flinch by her words, he had heard that earlier.
"How can I find her?" He asked a question that sounded stupid.
"I don't know." A cold answer slammed on his face.
"You must first become strong. Then the rest would play" the lady said with so much certainty that got Lona thinking.
"How do I get stronger?"
That question made Lona look like a fool, did I just ask that question?
Finally the woman couldn't hold it anymore-- bursting into a laughter that was vivid but was enough to show Lona how dumb he was.
"The answer is simple, you have all you need and all you would get. Just don't deny yourself of what it truly wants in the name of morality." This wasn't the first time Lona was hearing this type of words.
The air began to get colder. Somehow Lona knew that their time was up.
The lady just turned to take her leave, Lona wasn't still satisfied. "Wait... I don't know you, since you have been visiting me, I don't know your name."
She stopped before taking her next step, slowly turning her neck towards Lona.
"And why do you want to know?"
Lona began to scratch his head, looking for answers.
"Maybe to know you better. You know me but I don't know you."
A sinister smile travelled across the lady's face.
"I am Sabrina... That should be all for today."