Demad: "Hey Kira, are you feeling better?"
Kira: "I just woke up yesterday. My vision is still blurry."
Demad: "It's okay. Damn, I was scared to death. How did we escape from Al?"
Kira: "I think Aunt Nila saved us. If she hadn't come, we would've been finished."
Demad, who shouldn't expose Al's identity, slightly grimaced because of the lie, but quickly composed himself. He shifted in the chair beside Kira's bed and moved the flower vase on the table a little with his right hand.
The door opened with the creaking sound of intertwined hinges. A petite yet beautiful woman appeared, with jade-green eyes and black hair tied back in a ponytail. She walked toward Demad with a smile, adjusted Kira's blanket, and then said:
Kira's Mother: "Welcome, Demad. You have no idea how eager Kira was to see you again."
Demad: "Uh-huh."
Kira: "By the way, I heard you're going to Molonia Castle with Aunt Nila?"
Demad: "Yeah. Fira and I are going. They're going to determine our power types and classes. Too bad you're not coming. It would've been fun if you did."
Kira: "Yeah, what a shame. Damn this luck."
Kira's Mother: "It's alright. Whenever you get better, you'll go too."
Kira smiled and accepted her mother's words. Then Demad said, "Sorry, but I have to go. I'm afraid we'll be late."
Kira's Mother: "That's fine. Come again later."
Kira: "Thanks for visiting me."
Demad left his friend's house and hurried toward his own home. Meanwhile, Nila and Emiliana were sitting alone in Demad's room, talking. Nila's bow was placed on Demad's bed. Emiliana was sitting on a chair. They were looking at each other with serious faces.
Nila: "That night, I saw the kids were late, so I quickly went west of the forest to find them… Suddenly, I saw Demad and Kira soaked in blood, and Demad was close to something like a jinn. It had long claws."
Emiliana fell into thought and said, "Very few jinn attack children. Could it have been Al?"
Nila: "I don't know myself, but just when I was about to do something, I saw Demad's eyes glowing green, and suddenly that jinn vanished in front of him. I've never seen a scene like that."
Emiliana went into shock and opened her mouth to say something: "Could it be the Omnisci—"
The door suddenly opened and the calm of the room vanished instantly. Demad entered the room. "I've been looking for you everywhere, Mom."
Emiliana: "Ah, sorry. I was talking with Nila. I didn't hear you."
Fira entered from the other side and said, "Aunt Nila, so when are we leaving?"
Nila stood up, placed her bow over her shoulder, put her right hand on Demad's head and her left hand on Fira's head, and said, "Kids, let's get going quickly."
Emiliana: "Uh-huh, yes. By the way, I prepared your backpacks. They're on the table in the hall."
Fira and Demad smiled and quickly left the room to get their things ready.
Nila: "How long are you going to keep Demad's secret? That child… isn't normal."
Emiliana: "I know. But they're still kids. Let them grow up a little more."
Nila left the room with Emiliana. Demad and Fira were now standing at the village gate with backpacks in hand. Nila was checking her arrows and bow. Aunt Lucy and Emiliana were standing side by side, waiting for Nila and the children to leave the village.
Aunt Lucy: "Take care of yourselves."
Emiliana: "Kids, don't forget to sleep on time at night."
The children and Nila waved, gradually becoming smaller and more distant in the villagers' eyes. In the middle of the long and winding road, Demad asked, "Aunt Nila, what do you think my class will be?"
Nila: (smiling and patting his head) "I'd say you'll become a powerful summoner."
Demad: "Wow. If I'm a summoner, my life will completely change."
Fira: "I'm a mage for sure. But if I end up having another class, I could win tons of battles."
Time passed like this, and a very, very large castle and city appeared on the horizon. The mountains, like sacred guardians, protected the city from afar. A gigantic tree had grown from the center of the city, protecting it like a kind mother.
Demad: "Wow, I've never heard anything about that tree."
Fira: "Wow, it's so beautiful. It's a hundred times bigger than our village."
Nila: "According to the legends, it is said that the Omniscient, during his journey to heaven, planted a seed of the Spirit Tree in the middle of a fertile plain. Then a tree of that magnitude grew, and humans built a city named Molonia around it."
Demad: "Aunt Lucy never read me that story."
Fira: "So that tree was brought here from heaven?"
Nila: "That's what the stories say. So maybe it's true."
After some time, they reached the city gates. Demad stared at the massive stones stacked together forming the castle walls. Two guards wearing full iron armor with a golden lion head emblem were protecting the gate.
Guard: "Are these little ones here to determine their class?"
Nila: "Yes. If there's no problem, open the way."
Demad stared in amazement at the sword-bearing knight, his eyes examining every part of the armor and the soldier's physique. Gradually, the marketplace appeared. The vendors' voices pounded against the brain like woodpeckers.
Fira: "Wow, look at those kebabs."
Nila: (to the vendor) "Give us six skewers of meat and mushroom kebab."
Demad and Fira, eating with great appetite, continued walking until they reached the Church of Light. A golden dome formed in Demad's vision. A cross at the center gave the church a manifestation of the majesty of the Gods of Light. Nila approached the High Priest, Harald, and embraced him warmly.
Harald: "Wow, you two are so adorable. Come, come inside."
Though slightly disgusted by the affection, Demad and Fira entered. In the distance stood the magical orb, radiating beams of light. Four knights were guarding it. The High Priest approached the orb and asked Fira to step forward. Fira placed her trembling hands on the warm orb. Moments later, it turned into a phoenix-colored fiery hue.
Harald: "Woooow, Lady Fira, your class is Mage. You possess a great deal of Light energy and Solar Fire."
Fira nodded happily and walked toward Nila. Now it was Demad's turn. Demad stepped toward the orb and confidently placed his hands on it.
Suddenly, the orb shut down. A thick, suffocating darkness swallowed its glow. The guards immediately drew their swords, the sharp shing of steel ringing through the church as they demanded Demad's execution. Nila, frozen in fear, was ready to jump in—
Demad's heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird. Cold sweat broke across his forehead. He felt the shadow of death looming over him. Just as his legs began to shake, a voice whispered deep inside his mind.
'Steady, little one...' the voice was soft, melodic, and strangely motherly. It was the Queen—the spirit of Al. 'Don't let them see your fear. I will swallow the shadows for you. Just... keep your hands on the orb.'
Demad felt a strange chill travel from his chest down to his fingertips, as if Al was sucking the darkness back into his very soul. Suddenly, the orb flared again with a blinding brightness, submerging the entire church in intense light.
Harald: "Hmm. I think that first shutdown was just a malfunction. But then it corrected itself. Don't worry."
The guards sheathed their swords.
Harald: "What I understood is that your class is Melee. Your energy is pure and noble Light. Most importantly, you have the ability to launch slash attacks using your sword. In this entire kingdom, only the Lion knight possesses this. You're lucky, Demad, son of Emiliana the Healer."
Demad felt as if he had been given the whole world. He ran toward Fira and Nila and hugged them joyfully. Nila was immersed in astonishment and pride. But Harald was still thinking about why the orb had shut down and restarted. Because the orb only shuts down when a person possesses Dark power. Yet it had lit up again.
Nila: "Thank you, Harald. We troubled you today."
Harald: "It was nothing. Surely, a bright future awaits you."
Nila took Fira and Demad's hands and left the church, bidding farewell with a smile to her old friend.