47 Choices (2)

Astaroth studied 373 silently. Her thin eyebrows seemed permanently creased as she concentrated on her task. She worked in silence with a calmness that remained amid the loud blaring sirens, the uncontrollable shaking of the floor. A silver halo decorated her black pupils as she used the Talent over memories. Although it made an eerie picture, to the demon who had seen too many things in his life, it painted a mysteriously beautiful sight. Somehow, it reminded him of a solar eclipse – of the bright morning sun being covered by the quiet moon who lives in the darkness

Ancient civilizations used to believe of supernatural figures that would eat or hide the sun because of various reasons that raged from enmity to something as silly as hunger. The superstitious believed that solar eclipses were signs of death and impending doom. Astaroth never really cared about what humans thought about the naturally occurring phenomenon. Yet now, the Duke of Hell felt that there was something special about those pair of black orbs that were outlined by a celestial kind of light.

His honey-colored gaze shifted from the small female to the barrier she had set up. A boy with a mop of blonde hair was currently clawing against the boundary made of energy as he growled and set the surroundings on fire. The child's azure eyes were glassy – unfocused. He was like a wild and fearless animal that saw everyone as its enemy.

"You saved him from death and yet he repays you with animosity. If I were you, I would not be merciful and simply kill him." Astaroth stood up. "Nevertheless, if he continues to use his Talent recklessly like this, he will soon run out of life force and die. You can choose to grant him a swift death or to let him die slowly. Which would it be?"

The girl lifted her hand from Silas Fidi's face and stared at the boy at the other side of her barrier. The silver glow that decorated her pupils faded as creases between her eyebrows grew deeper. "Is there a spell… that can temporarily seal a Talent?"

The demon regarded her with interest. "There is. But at your current level, it is not something you can cast."

Her clear gaze turned slightly tumultuous and Astaroth could clearly see the conflict that was lying behind her gaze. Her crestfallen expression made him release a heavy breath. He thought back to all the spells he had seen in his lifetime and recalled a specific method. No one had succeeded in using the spell. But with 373's unique constitution, she would probably manage, though it would be with a good amount of difficulty.

"There is a way," the demon began. "However, a complicated spell that deals with Talents is one that is not free from risks."

Astaroth's carefree gaze turned serious. "With Silas Fidi's memories and your Talent, you can flee this place easily. Must you risk your life to save the useless boy, pueri?"

She shifted her gaze from him to the boy before seeking out his golden orbs. "I promised to save him from Elisium so I will."

Astaroth held her gaze and tried to look for any signs of conflict. Her black eyes didn't contain a shred of hesitation as she spoke. A mesmerizing smile appeared on his face. Even his usually cold orbs were shining in admiration.

"You cannot seal his Talent," he reiterated. "But you have the power to take his Talent away and absorb it in your own body."

373's eyes widened but didn't mutter a single sound. Astaroth reveled in her silence for a little while before he continued.

"I am warning you, child. A Talent is more than just a power – it is a spirit that chooses its own master. Those that tried to take away a Talent that was never destined to be theirs have all met painful deaths." His gaze fell on the Great Apothecary's figure that was still lying on the floor. "This fool and his disciple never succeeded in their futile research because of this single fact. Among all the attempts of Talent Implantation…"

His gaze softened. "You are the only one who lived."

His golden orbs sought the little female's black ones and asked, "Knowing this, are you still adamant on taking away his Talent just to save his life?"

373 looked at him expectantly. "What do I do?"

"It is rather simple, pueri." The demon dissolved into a thousand wisps of black smoke before reappearing in front of the small girl who looked up to him with her chin tilted up. He knelt and placed a finger on her forehead. For a brief moment, the tip of his finger glowed a faint blue before the light dispersed and enveloped the female before him just as his thoughts flowed into the little girl whose fine eyebrows crinkled and creased all over again.

"All I have to do… is form a connection with his Talent and call it to me?" The girl asked.

Astaroth nodded. "Hm. Weaken him. Subdue him and keep him in your grasp. Control the flow of your energy so that it seeps into his body. Use your energy to peer into his soul, sever his connection with his Talent and transfer his Talent to your body."

"But I must remind you that forcefully merging a Talent with a different host could very well cost you your life," the demon reiterated. "And right after the successful Talent Implantation, your body will become weakened while it grows accustomed to the foreign Talent you have adopted. You might be able to escape Elisium successfully, yet the dangers that are waiting for you outside of Elisium will not wait for you to recover your strength and will strike while you are at your weakest."

"You must be careful, child. Do not do anything unnecessary." Astaroth turned into an obsidian tendril that seeped into her shadow. He kept silent and probed out the girl's feelings only to find that the small female wasn't changing her choices anytime soon.

373 had made up her mind. And since his master wished to save the damn boy, Astaroth was willing to act the part of a faithful servant who did everything to ensure his master's every whim was going to be delivered to her on a silver platter.

***

Mangled bodies with multiple bite marks lied strewn on the floor. There were heads that were severed from their necks. It seemed as if a wild animal had ripped them off. 373 stared at the gruesome scene that was vomit inducing and was partially thankful that her feelings were currently being overwritten by Astatroth's.

She ignored the overpowering stench of burnt flesh and blood and stared at the boy with a golden mane. Her dark orbs fell on the boy's figure which was in a sorry state. His already disheveled robes where cut in multiple places. She stood up, took a step towards her barrier and pressed her hand on the wall of energy. "Leon?"

The boy growled and clawed against her barrier. Around the safety net she had created, red bright flames began to burn. 373 could already feel the scorching heat from inside her barrier. Gone was the boy she had learned to trust with all her secrets. The friend he had found in Leon was nowhere in sight. The male in growling in front of her resembled a beast. His azure orbs were hazy and unfocused. It was too unlike the vibrant and electrifying orbs she had gotten used to.

'His Talent has taken control of his consciousness so this behavior is only expected, pueri.' Astaroth's voice echoed in her head.

373 didn't reply to the demon's remark. Her small hand fell to her side and turned into a fist. If she wanted to save the blonde male, she needed to find a way to reach him. In order for her to reach him, her barrier needed to go down.

She took a step back, but the flames showed no signs of dispersing. 373 took a deep breath.

Zain Amina risked her life for something she wanted. 373 never understood why the dark-skinned girl had to gamble with her life for the sake of someone else. Now, she understood it perfectly well. Be it Michael Caelum or the boy she had named Leon, she would fight for them while risking her life regardless of the result.

It wasn't logical. It wasn't something that followed a person's normal line of thought. Nevertheless, it was something she needed to do.

It was something she wanted to do.