Tuesday, April 19th. 4:15 a.m. Alice was sleeping when a loud crack echoed across the floor. She shot out of bed immediately, brass knuckles in hand, ready to confront whatever caused it. Flicking on the light, she found books and loose papers scattered across the small room. "What's going on here?" she asked, confused. Jackson looked up from a nearby desk and offered a sheepish apology. "My bad, Alice. I must've gotten too into my research and dropped a few things." "What are you researching, Rockerboy?" Alice asked, gathering some of the papers and stacking them neatly on the table. "I'm digging into why people are becoming 'half demons.' By everything we know about demons, it doesn't add up. Every time I've fought a halfie, I've taken samples of their DNA and run tests to see if there are any anomalies." Alice listened carefully, weighing his words. "Has it led to anything?" Jackson shrugged. "Not a damn thing yet. But if you think I'll stop just because I haven't found anything, you're dead wrong. I made a promise to uncover the cause of all this, and I intend to keep it." "Who'd you make that promise to?" Alice asked casually, trying to get a better sense of him. Jackson's cheerful tone faded, replaced by a somber expression. "I'll tell you—but not right now." Alice nodded. "Alright then, Rockerboy. Tell me when you're ready. I'm going to find something to eat, so I'll let you get back to work." As she headed for the door, Jackson called after her with a faint grin. "Good luck with your first day, Rocket Queen.".
At eight on the dot, Alice waited for Jessica in the food court. "So, brat, you actually made it on time. Did you meet your roommate?" Jessica asked while pouring herself a cup of coffee. "Jackson? Yeah, I did. Seems like a good dude—passionate, if nothing else." Jessica scoffed at the mention of his name. "He's not one to listen to. He'll only distort your view of things. Poor bastard thinks he can save the halfies. I almost feel bad for him." Alice bristled at the remark. "How is that bad? None of the halfies wanted what happened to them. Jackson wants to figure out a way to revert them. How is that so wrong to you?" she shot back, her voice rising. Jessica's eyes narrowed. "Watch your tone, brat. You've no idea what you're stepping into—and neither does he. You'd be wise to shrug off his delusions of grandeur. Now come, it's time to start your training." Alice fell in step beside her as they headed toward the nearby training facility, walking side by side rather than behind her. The gesture made Jessica's jaw tighten. Damn brat, she thought. David, what did you get me into with her?
Inside the facility, Alice noticed a vast array of pods, each towering nearly ten feet tall and about four feet wide. "Alright, brat, sit down and start taking deep breaths," Jessica ordered. Alice fixed her with a hard stare. "I have a name. It's Alice—not 'brat.' You will call me by it." Jessica stepped forward until she was nose to nose with her. "I'll call you whatever I damn well please. Sit your ass down and do as I say." Alice seized a fistful of Jessica's shirt, her voice erupting in fury. "Bitch, I don't know who you think you're talking to, but it isn't me. I've spent my whole life being mocked and berated. I refuse to keep taking it from a hag who lost an arm. Don't think I haven't noticed. So you will call me by my name—or I'll take Jackson and walk out. Your choice. I don't care what you decide." She released Jessica's shirt and stepped back. Jessica's hand moved to her hip, drawing a knife and holding it steady. "What's stopping me from killing you right now?" she asked coldly. Alice didn't flinch, locking eyes with her. "Maybe the fact that you lost control of your dark aura after losing that arm. The dark side is what you use to deal damage, while the light aura is how you heal allies. That about right?" Jessica smirked, the tension breaking just slightly. "Perceptive prick, aren't you? Maybe there's hope for you yet. Let's go, Alice. Training begins now."
Alice sat down and began taking deep breaths as Jessica instructed, her dark aura gradually settling. "Now, think long and hard. Tap into your prideful nature—that's the key behind your dark aura. It's the trait you exude more than any of the other deadly sins," Jessica said firmly. Alice closed her eyes, recalling her battle with the fire demon, the fight against the demonized Hal, and the confrontation with the ringleader who burned down his diner. "Good. Now release it," Jessica commanded. Alice let those prideful feelings surge outward, unleashing her aura in a violent shockwave that tore through the facility. The blast cracked walls, split the ground beneath her, and knocked Jessica unconscious instantly. When Alice opened her eyes, she surveyed the destruction, then glanced at Jessica, whose eyes had rolled back in her head. "Yeah, she kinda deserved that. Shouldn't have called me 'brat' so many times," Alice muttered, settling onto a nearby bench and adjusting the ankle strap of her high heels. Fifteen minutes later, Jessica finally stirred. "Finally awake?" Alice quipped. Jessica rose unsteadily, her voice edged with awe. "I've never seen an aura release like that since David. What are you?" Alice met her gaze without hesitation. "Alice the Merciless—the woman who bows to none and takes shit from no one. Be in your best interest to remember that." Jessica smirked faintly. "Duly noted. Let's go—the next lesson is about to start."
"Now, since your dark aura is so potent, it would be dangerous for you to apply it directly to your body the way David and I do. Instead, you'll need to fuse that aura into objects—swords, gauntlets, your heels, brass knuckles," Jessica explained, monitoring Alice's aura output as it calmed once more. "Luckily for you, the process is simple. Do what you just did, but on a smaller scale, and pour those prideful feelings into the object of choice. Take your heels off—we'll start with them." Alice removed her heels and focused, recalling the pride she felt when she forced the fire demon to flee. Slowly, a dark outline shimmered around the black high heels. Jessica's eyes lit with approval. "Good. That's enough. Before you put them back on, I want to see a kick without enhancements—to gauge your base strength." Alice smirked, settling into her fighting stance, arms raised to guard and her right leg lifted to her torso. When she unleashed the kick, the sheer force carved a blade of wind that ripped into the wall. Jessica stared, unsettled. "Lord… that's your base?" For the first time, she began to regret agreeing to train Alice. "Alright, put the heels on. Do it again." Alice slipped them back on, steadied herself, and launched another kick. This time, the impact obliterated the south wall and blasted a crater into a mountain far beyond the facility. Jessica buried her face in her hands. "I should've seen this coming. Screw it—we're done for today. You can rest. Just make sure the aura on those heels doesn't destroy anything else in the building."