Special Request

After his magical failure, Arthur finally got some sleep to soothe the pain he couldn't heal.

lub dub**

He opened his eyes with a start after a painful pound from his heart. The pain was worrying, but he had gotten used to it; it was part of his past life, and he had learned to live with it. He always listed it down as a disorder from being a half-breed. But being reincarnated with it only meant that it was part of his soul.

He let out a groan as the pain subsided, returning his awareness. Glancing around, Arthur found himself floating in a darkness resembling the night sky but without stars. Was he dreaming…?

'What is this place?'

Somehow, he was relieved that it wasn't another nightmare. The silence of this space brought some peace to his broken mind.

"ARTHUR!"

A deep and harsh voice suddenly called him from within the darkness. The shock of sensing another presence robbed him of speech as he now wondered if this was even a dream in the first place.

Though he couldn't see at first, but when he focused his mind, he spotted glimpses of what was talking to him: A salamander of sort, no, a dragon-like beast with golden eyes that gleamed in the intense darkness.

That's all he could make from it, at least. The rest of its body was jet black, perfectly blending with the darkness and making it harder to see.

'What is going on?'

"I'VE FINALLY FOUND YOU. THAT'S WHAT IS GOING ON," The entity answered in response to his thought. "AFTER YOUR DEATH, YOU WERE HARD TO TRACK DOWN."

Arthur was taken by surprise, this being knew of his past. 'You can read my mind. Who are you?'

"I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO EXPOSE MYSELF WHEN YOU ARE STILL THIS WEAK. I GO BY THE NAME OF SHIRA. I HAVE A FAVOR TO ASK OF YOU, DEMON LORD CANDIDATE."

It was polite despite its presence being so ominous and terrifying. However, the young man still feared for his life—one dumb move and he is dead.

'Yes please.'

He responded telepathically.

"THERE IS A GIRL IN THE HUMAN DOMAIN. HER NAME IS ERIS ASTELOT, AND SHE'S NEXT RULER OF THE RED DRAGON KINGDOM. SHE'S IN DANGER, AND I NEED YOU TO PROTECT HER. AS A REWARD, I'LL GRANT YOU CONTROL OVER ALL THE PRIMAL SOURCES," said The Entity.

'Control over the four primal attributes! That's impossible! No human has an affinity for all the four attributes of magic.'

"HMM. SO YOU STILL THINK OF YOURSELF AS A NORMAL HUMAN. UNDERSTANDABLE, SINCE YOU WANT TO KEEP THIS LIFE. BUT YOU OF ALL PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW THAT YOU ARE NOT HUMAN AT ALL. YOU ALREADY CHEATED DEATH WITH YOUR OWN WILL…."

'My own will? It's not you who brought me here?'

"I SIMPLY WATCHED, TEMPERING WITH TIME IS FORBIDDEN."

'What does that mean…? Are you not from this timeline?'

"YOU WILL KNOW WHEN YOU GET STRONGER. WHEN YOU ARE, COME AND FIND ME IN THE ELF DOMAIN. MAYBE THEN I WILL TELL MORE ABOUT YOU."

The entity's answers were vague, but her offer was too good to just drop. '

Okay, I accept to help you. But one last question: why can't you protect her yourself?'

"THE HUMAN DOMAIN HAS A BARRIER AROUND IT. IF I BREAK THROUGH IT, I WOULD START A POLITICAL WAR CONCERNING DOMAINS."

'Oh…by the way, I don't have enough mana to control all four attributes at once.'

"COME FIND ME WHEN YOU'RE STRONGER, AND I'LL SHOW YOU HOW."

Without warning, he started to fall into the darkness once the entity vanished.

He screamed only to open his eyes once again, facing the ceiling with his hand up as if it was trying to reach for something.

"Ughh…."

He had acquired a fever from how hot he felt in the middle of spring.

The yellow sun's light rays streamed into his bedroom through his open window, giving the room a calm background that would have been great for a morning person. Arthur wasn't that, especially when the morning felt like this.

Weirdly, he was exhausted after an entire night of efficient sleep.

"Status," he called.

Runes then appeared in the air and merged to create a screen, displaying his statistics.

—Status Card—

Name: Arthur Bellrock

Species: Human

Student rank: D

Strength: E

Stamina: C

Speed: D

Mana: 12/50

Luck: E

Skill: Empty

Attribute: [Not Registered]

'Being in that space affected my mana. Sigh…there goes my magic classes for today. I also don't remember having an attribute. Maybe the card has been updated after I ranked up.'

"Close." He commanded, and the screen disappeared.

Immediately, his mind drifted back to what the entity said.

"What did she mean by it was my own will that brought me here?"

He then lifted his arms and stared at his hands frantically, wondering where he had acquired the ability of resurrection. Was this connected to his parents somehow?

Knock. knock

He heard a soft knock on his room door, followed by a calm female voice. "It's Claudia. We need to talk."

"Just teleport. I heard demons can do it," he rose from his bed and dressed up in a black long-sleeved shirt nearby. He had gained some muscle from the intense training he had been putting himself through over the past weeks. He now had an okay body, but still far from calling himself built. Guess they don't make muscles like they used to.

"Oh my, do you want to copy my magic?" she cackled from the other end of the door, sounding playful.

"You know I can't do that."

She appeared behind him as he walked to the small kitchen to make himself some breakfast.

"You forgot the 'yet' by the way. I plan to teach it to you when you learn how to use cursed energy. What are we having for breakfast?" she asked with a smile.

"We…? I can barely afford coffee for two. I lost all my allowance on paying for that sword."

He pointed at the sheathed weapon lying on his reading table on top of some spell books and books centering around swordsmanship.

"But it was worth it, right?"

"Yes, if only I could use its full power. The sword only reacted to my magic in the dungeon. From then, it has just been a normal mitheral sword."

"You've barely touched the surface of what you're capable of, and you wish to use the sword's true power. Humans can be adorable."

Claudia giggled as she scanned his entire room. It was surprisingly organized.

"Tell me why you're here!" he snorted.

He reached for two mugs from the upper cabinet, picked up the kettle on the stove, and gently poured hot water into the cups. He added a few spoons of coffee and sugar to both cups and steered carefully.

He handed her one cup and she accepted it because of the sweet aroma.

"The kingdom of Eshelem was attacked by a demon that could use shadow magic," she said. "According to what I've heard, it was sent to kill her."

"Why?"

"She awakened a power that someone wants. I guess the demon is merely fulfilling a contract with that person."

"Hmm…what is her name?"

"Eris Astelot."

Arthur almost dropped his mug after hearing that name. He turned to her, "Eris Astelot?"

"Do you know her?" she asked with curious eyes.

Telling her about his dream might not be a good thing. Lying was the only way he could avoid more questions like this:

"Not really. Did she survive the attack?"

"She did. And she has been enrolled into the dark knight sector," Claudia answered as she started taking her coffee.

"Wow…"

"Exactly. She might as well be the strongest in your year."

It wasn't shocking that the new student was the strongest. Dragons were incredible beings with the ability to use limitless amounts of mana. They were loved by mana, so it made sense why their magic was superior in every way.

'So Shira knew she was coming here and chose me to protect the girl. If I succeed, I'll be awarded the ability to control all four primal sources.'

A silence grew between them as he pondered. How was the entity connected to the girl?

"How do I check for my attributes?"

"The academy has crystals that can do that. All you have to do is pour your mana into one, and it reveals the attribute you have an affinity for."

Normal as this conversation looked, he still got chills each time he remembered she was one of the strongest demons to walk in this realm. Her human form was more than a delight to look at.

"Can you get me a crystal?" he asked, staring straight into her violet-colored eyes.

Claudia was intrigued, so obviously, she sneered. "Oh my. It seems you've come to your senses. Understanding yourself gives you a better hold of your mana. I'll get you a crystal when I feel like you're ready. And by ready I mean when you've mastered cursed energy."

He didn't even know if he could use cursed energy. He couldn't use it in his past life. Why would he start now?

"I see. Also, I want to befriend Eris Astelot," he added.

For a moment, silence covered the entire room after his sentence. Claudia then placed her cup of coffee on the kitchen counter and snarled:

"If she finds out what you are, I'll have no choice but to kill her with my own hands. Your identity as a demon lord candidate should remain a secret until you're ready to face the other candidates in battle."

Her entire mood had changed. Arthur could sense murderous intent coming from the primordial demon.

"C…Claudia…" he trembled, frozen by her aura.

"The red dragon race is powerful," she warned. "I have fought one a long time ago, so trust me when I say they are bad news for us."

Those were her final words before she put on her glasses and disappeared using shadow magic.

'This presence… it's the same as the mage.'

He recalled the feeling he had on the day of death. Just when the mage had just arrived, there was a presence he sensed before it all disappeared. It was horrifying, and feeling it after such a long time made his head hurt.