Chapter 12: Friends
"W-What are you?"
Despite having lived for over forty years, Artha found herself struggling to not worship the being before her. She could see, hear, and feel it, but her brain refused to believe it. The mere image of this being made her doubt her previous status as a queen.
It was a monster, to say the least.
Two massive horns jutted out of the sides of its head, resembling spears. Its bright red eyes veered down on Artha, freezing her in place. Sitting on its throne of jagged stone, it lazily rested its head on its hand as it grinned, showing its sharp teeth.
The black armor that this demon wore seemed to be absorbing the light seeping through the cracks above. Several plants from trees, bushes, and vines grew in the cave despite the lack of sunlight.
Artha might've been a queen, but before this being, she felt as if she was in the presence of a higher being—a god if you will—something that would make the most egotistical of the unfaithful bow down in submission.
Despite its terrifying appearance, Artha didn't feel scared. She was just startled. Yeah, that was it…
What Artha failed to notice due to the darkness was that this being had a massive gash in the side of its chest. Despite the fact she could see the other side of the cave through the wound, the being seemed at ease.
Comfortable, almost.
Slowly getting up from the ground, Artha stumbled a little, feeling slightly uneasy. As she finally stood up, the demon spoke once more.
"We finally meet, child."
Artha stood silently, not knowing how to respond.
"It will take a while for me to open a rift that will take you to your family, so until then, you can feed on the special roots that grow here." It sighed.
Those words were like a trigger for Artha as she recomposed herself and bowed down. "Thank you, Ms."
"You have good manners for a child." The demon chuckled before patting a part of its throne. "Come! Sit closer and keep me company. It has been too long since I last spoke to anyone."
Walking up to the throne, Artha augmented herself and jumped up before softly landing on the throne. Looking up, Artha saw the lady that saved her was closely watching.
"I was under the impression that amongst humans, even the earliest awakening was at the age of ten." She commented.
"My parents always told me I'm some kind of genius." Artha grinned sheepishly as she scratched the back of her head.
"You are indeed quite intelligent for your age."
"Excuse me for being rude, but how should I address you and what are you?"
"No need to be so polite, child." She chuckled softly. "My name is Sylvia. As for what I am, I can't tell you much aside from what you can see."
"Elder Sylvia, do you mind if I ask a few questions?"
"Go ahead, young one." Sylvia calmly nodded.
Blurting out all of her questions, Artha looked at Sylvia, seeing her patiently waiting for her to finish.
"The first question is easy enough to answer. We are currently in a narrow zone between the forest of Elshire and the beast glades. No one knows of this place because I have been warding off anyone who came close, though those cases are rare."
Pointing a sharp finger at Artha, she continued. "You, young child, are the first to enter this domain."
"Please call me Art!" Artha exclaimed instinctively, unsure why she was so excited. "My name is Artha Leywin, but my family calls me Art! You can call me that too!"
Chuckling softly, Sylvia patted Artha's head with her finger. "Such a masculine name for such a pretty lady."
"Onto your next question, I am here alone because I simply have no one left to be with. While I will not tell you everything, I will tell you that I have many enemies that desperately wish for something I have." Sylvia answered in a tone that showed she was neither sad nor angry.
Sylvia chuckled slightly, trying to lighten the tension before continuing. "During the last battle with my enemies, they inflicted me with this wound, and I was forced to hide here. As for where I come from… Far, far away."
Standing up, Sylvia patted Artha's head once more. "I suggest you get some sleep for now."
***
"Hey there, kiddo." Helen kneeled in front of the elven child that Artha saved.
Whimpering slightly, the girl tried to hide but had nowhere to do so. "It's okay. No one is going to hurt you."
Barely mustering up a nod in response, the girl looked at Helen silently, not knowing what to do.
"What's your name?"
"Tessia… Tessia Eralith." The girl muttered.
"That's a cute name, Tessia." Helen pinched Tessia's pink cheeks. Becoming slightly more serious, Helen spoke again. "We have to get our friends somewhere, so when we're done, how about we get you home?"
"Okay…" Tessia nodded, looking down.
Helen stood up and turned to leave, but Tessia grabbed onto her hands to stop her. "W-What happened to that girl?"
Quickly thinking of a way to word it, Helen replied. "She fell down the cliff, but she'll be back. I know you two will be good friends when she gets back."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone