The Prick

Ambai rubbed her aching butt and gazed up at the striking back of that stupid devil. She was unexpectedly dropped.

"Hey, why the hell did you drop me?" She shouted.

Imposter Zhong turned back with that same smile on his face. Where his lips are pulled up, his eyes almost closed. It was extremely very creepy to look at.

"Your highness did not want to be carried, so I had to follow your orders, your highness," He said in a low voice, every time enunciating 'your highnesses,' strongly in his sentence.

'Shit, he is definitely pissed.' She thought, gazing at him.

She rolled up from the floor and darted to him. Looping their hands together, she swung it joyfully. "Hey actually I was searching for you," she said.

He gazed down at her with his eyes still narrowed.

Ambai gave him the sweetest smile she could muster and batter her eyes. 'Fall for it ah, forget about whatever you are angry about,' she internally prayed.

"You still have something to talk to me. Isn't your new favourite that… that DeRic?" he said, gritting his teeth.

She bit her lips and gazed up at him. "But aren't you my favourite Devil? How could I befriend anyone else when I already have you?" she said with a fake pout. 'Come on, you dumb devil, how much do I have to wipe your feet? It's only because I need your help, ah. If not I would I patted my shoulders and walked away long ago,' she mentally dissed.

But on the outside she maintained that sweet smile of her's.

Zhong gazed at her and chuckled out loud. "You are a sneaky little brat, you know that," he said.

"Of course I am a brat. And this brat needs this invincible devil's help," she said batting her eyes even more.

He peered at her with an unknown look in his eyes.

She kept batting until her eyelid hurt. 'Hell, you stupid devil. My eyes are starting to cramp,' she internally cried.

Imposter Zhong swatted her forehead softly and whispered, "stop batting so much, you might cramp badly,"

"Hmm," she mumbled, holding her slightly aching head. 'He is not using honorific. Is he not angry anymore?'

"I am not angry anymore," He said with a loud chuckle and strode slowly in front of her.

'Wait, did he hear my thoughts? Oh shit… shitttt!' Her eyes went wide in surprise.

In all the havoc, she completely forgot something very important for her survival. That Devil Zhong can read her thoughts.

She gulped in realisation. "Did you….. Hear everything?" she whispered as she strode alongside.

He gazed down and nodded his head with a smirk.

"EVERYTHING?" she whisper shouted with her eyes wide. 'Oh my god, he heard me cussing at him. He heard EVERYTHING AHHH!' she internally cried.

"Yes, everything so stop screaming," he whispered.

Ambai closed her blabbering mouth and nodded vigorously. They walked this way for a long time until they reached her room.

He opened the door like a gentleman and beckoned her inside.

'This is my room, ah. Why is he inviting me like it's his?' she thought.

Imposter Zhong gazed at her with his eyes brows raised.

'Shit, no thought. No thoughts... lalalalalalalalal…'

After a minute he gritted his teeth and shouted, "Stop thinking so much."

Like a timid little mouse she whispered, "OKey,"

He sighed and held his head. "I…. I didn't mean to shout at you okay. But you… you think so much it's giving me a huge headache," he said with an apologetic look.

Ambai bit her lips. "I didn't mean to. You know, great scholar ones said that our mind is like a monkey. It jumps from one thought to another. But mine is like a kid on a sugar high. How can I not think?" she exclaimed.

"Guess I have to teach you how to control your thoughts as well," he said. He then shook his head at her with a disappointed look and walked into her room.

"Hey what's up with that disappointed look? I aint a millennial old devil, I am only human okay." she shouted as she followed in.

Ambai saw the great Devil plot on her bed and get comfortable.

"So why were you searching for me?" he said, sniffing her pillow.

She dashed to him and plucked her pillow from his arms. "Sniffing is rude."

Imposter Zhong plucked it back with a glare and hugged it to his face. "You were saying?"

"This incomprehensible jerk," she muttered under her breath and joined him on the bed. "Fynn went into hibernation. And it's weird, chipmunks rarely hibernate so early." She said.

It was almost fall. Chilly winter winds have started in Miriafa but it was still too early for animals to hibernate.

"Hmm, you are right. Did he eat something weird? What did you guys do yesterday?" he said, shrugging.

Ambai spoke about everything they both did the day before. She also included the part where Fynn got a paper cut from that green book.

"So you suspect the book is the reason?"

She rolled up from her bed and picked up the little cloth bag hazardously thrown on the floor. "That's what is wanted to confirm with you." She handed him the boom again.

Imposter Zhong slowly unpacked the book and softly touched the griffin etched on the spine. "It's not sharp at all," he said with his eyes narrowed.

"What? That can't be. Look, it pricked me too," she showed him the pin hole in her finger.

He jumped up from the bed and held her fingers. "You are hurt? Why didn't you say so?" he said in a hurry. "Did you see a healer or let a mage look at it?"

She shook her head no.

"Apply salve?"

Again she shook her head.

"What the hell? You could die from this. Why are you so irresponsible?" he shouted, hugging her little finger close to his face.

"Whoa, calm down. It's just a little prick. It won't kill me," Ambai nonchalantly whispered.

"IDIOT! That book has devil magic residue. It pretty much like poison to normal humans," he shouted in her face.

"Poison? Why didn't you warn me?" she whispered.

"Well, I didn't expect that you would literally prick yourself on it," Zhong shouted. After saying this, he paused and sighed. "No, I stand corrected. I should have expected that. You are extremely stupid."

"Stupid? Who are you calling stupid?…." While she was busy cussing, the sneaky devil plopped her finger in his mouth and sucked on it.

"AHH, let go, you... You pervert," she yelled, pulling her hand away. Her face started heating up unnaturally.

Zhong glared at her and sucked harder. After a minute or so, he spat out her finger with a confused look on his face.

"Why isn't it working? If there was poison, it should have come out right about now," he whispered.

"Of course not, you dummy, it's just a paper cut," she exclaimed, holding her saliva coated finger to her face.

"No, I am sensing dark energy in you, but it refuses to abide my command," he said with a sullen look.

Ambai bit her lips, deep in thoughts. 'I started seeing the smoky shadow more vividly only after getting pricked. Is it related to this?' she thought, gazing at the pink little mark on her finger.

"It could be. But I need to be sure, where is Fynn? Let me check on him," Zhong said.

"Oh," she pulled a drawer on her bedside table and carefully cupped little Fynn in her palm.

Zhong held her hands close and checked up on the little creature. "It is indeed Devil poisoning. But this guy is lucky; his body is fighting the changes. He might even evolve after this," he whispered.

The intricate process of binding s Spirit mounts only exist in Miriafa. Each person only gets one spirit mount in their whole life. Some might not even be lucky enough to summon one, like Sylas. And rarely in ten thousand spirit pet Evolve.

She had read that thousand years ago their ancestor's Griffin was the only one to evolve in a long time. It was so powerful that it could stomp cities by its feet and sweep off thunder clouds with its tail.

'Will Fynn become such an existence?' she thought, gazing at the little cutie sleeping peacefully in her palm.

A small snigger was heard nearby. "Not a chance," Zhong whispered and laughed out loud. "Your mount is too lousy. For most it can move faster when evolved."

"Hey, he could be awesome like that," she exclaimed, hugging the little creature closer.

"Mnn hmm, most likely not," he whispered and carefully helped cover little Fynn with a woollen scarf. "By the way, stay away from your father's hand maid."

"Ms. Yelli? Why?" she whispered.

She had seen the number but…. Ambai did not want to believe that the person who helped raise her would be a ruthless villain. But somewhere in her heart she knew that Ms. Yelli was one of the dangerous numbered ones.

Zhong peered at her and whispered in a sombre tone, "Her heart is infested by a Demon."

"So that smoky thing was a demon?" she whispered in shock.

He snapped his head towards her and frowned. "You saw that creature?"

"Yes, I most definitely did. It kept trying to touch me with its weird tentacles." she grimaced, remembering the creepy creature attached to Ms. yelli. "Oh, and Ms. Yelli has a number now," she whispered.

The devil nodded his head. "I doubted this from the start. Eru, I think the numbered ones are infested with heart demons,"

"What! Why? I have so many questions. What is a heart demon, anyway?"

Zhong got comfortable on her bed and patted the spot next to him. She sighed and plopped nearby.

"How do I explain it... you have met your father's shadow guards right?"

"Hmm" she nodded

"They are a hybrid of shadow demon and a human. Thousand of years ago, these shadow demons were cast away from hell because of their dubious actions. They started infesting many planes and multiplying themselves. One way is to marry the indigenous species of that world and have a hybrid child."

A frown marred her forehead. "What does that even relate to forehead numbers?" She whispered.

"Patience prince, I was getting to that," Zhong whispered. Taking a deep breath, he continued, "That was one way for them to multiply; other way is to infiltrate a human's negative thoughts. It is then called a heart demon. What you saw on that maid was a physical manifestation of that maid's heart demon."

"Usually they cling onto feelings like grievance, vengeance, regret, jealousy, rage, guilt, ect.. And they start to influence that person's actions," imposter Zhong said.

Ambai was shocked by all this information. "So you are saying, the ones with Demons in them have numbers. That makes so much sense. But can a shadow demon disappear," she said.

���Hmm, it's a rare occurrence, but shadow demons can be abolished, but it can't be done by external force. Even I can't abolish it. But It can only be abolished by the one who the demon is infesting," he said with a serious look.

Listening to his explanation, Ambai was deep in thought. When realisation hit her, she shot up from the bed. "Whoa, then, that means Deric abolished his heart demon," she exclaimed.

"That's even less likely. I have reports that say that he was bullied from the moment he was born. People like that….. It's very hard to get rid of their heart demon." Zhong shook his head.

"No, but he did. His number disappeared, and he shone like a sun. It was so awesome. It was so… mesmerizing," Ambai whispered. Thinking about the warm golden sheen around him and his dazzling smile made her face heat up even more.

Zhong got up from the bed and gazed at her with his eyes narrowed. "He is much more formidable than I expected," he whispered with a grave look. "Eru, you have to stay away from him,"

"Hmm, why? He doesn't have a forehead number anymore. And I promised to be his friend," Ambai whispered with a blush.

He held her shoulders and gazed deeply into her eyes. "No! I absolutely won't allow it. You don't understand how dangerous that is. A heart demon can hurt you very badly. Even thought it seems like it disappeared, but most of the time it's only permanent," he said.

Ambai smirked at him. "I think you are just jealous," she whispered.

His eyes widened and a small blush crept on his face. "How...I... I am not," he stuttered.

Cupping his face, she pulled him closer to her face. "Really?" she whispered.

"NO! NEVER," he shouted and dashed to the door.

Gazing up at the decorated ceiling, Ambai laughed out loud. "He is so easy to tease," she whispered. Unknowingly, her face had a fond expression when she said this.