Assessment

Demetra woke up early the next morning.

She looked around the surroundings and noticed she was in a bedroom. Her confused mind had to take a few seconds to register this is her new bedroom in her new home.

But...

She remembered falling asleep in the bathtub so how did she end up in her bed?

Demetra dismissed her thoughts thinking she must have been half asleep when she got out of the tub and thus forgot she had returned to her room. Seeing the towel that had slipped off her body when she was asleep Demetra just sighed thinking she must have been quite stressed not even knowing when she got into her bed.

She noticed sunlight peeking through the curtains and felt more confused. Demetra never had the habit of closing the curtains. She likes the feeling of waking up to sunlight pouring into her room. That was the only freedom she had in the attic she lived in before. So curtains would only be decors to Demetra. She never closed them be it day or night.

Demetra took the towel and tied it around her body. She walked over to the window and looked out. Seeing the occasional golden glow shimmering around the fence and remembering there was no warning from the pink Knight, Demetra knew no one could have broken in.

Was she too tired yesterday?

Demetra could only shake off her thoughts and walk away from the window to prepare for the day.

Today was combat assessment of all Knights, which includes the professors. So Demetra was glad she did not have to be stuck with her brother. Since the other two professors are here she figured he would not do anything too harsh that it will be obvious but Demetra did not expect she soon would have to eat her words.

A huge mound of sand flew up and towards her as if it wanted to smash her to death. Demetra dodged a second attack as soon as she escaped from the first. Her feet pushed off the ground, her body flexing to avoid a long pillar of sand that aimed at her stomach.

Aurora stood below the huge sand podium created by Peyton with the others. Her hand clutching tightly at Archer's arm that it looked quite painful. But Archer's concentration was in the same place as Aurora and all others. Even the ever passive Mica stood behind them with folded arms and narrowed his eyes at the match going on.

Stella and Ezra were bewildered at the current situation. Although they were well aware of Peyton's dislike towards his sister. They did not expect it to be to such an extent.

"What should we do? I think he might end up killing her at this extent"

"Don't worry, if it escalates to that point I'll bring her down" Ezra consoled Stella while still attentively watching the sibling's match.

Ezra had the power to control the wind. He can even control storms when he unleashed his full potential. He can cut through any attack and also suffocate the opponent. Anything concerned with the wind was within his domain. Although his powers were quite useful he cannot use them for a long time due to the risk of mana depletion. It's one of the reasons why he wasn't ranked higher among the Knights.

It was much better than Stella who has the power of lightning. Her mana capacity is a little lower than him and her lightning power won't be useful against the brown Knight who has the power of the earth.

"I'm more worried since she's the only one who had not contracted with her spirit familiar!" Stella looked like she was about to cry.

For her and the other Knights, Demetra, a young soul, who was not reincarnated multiple times like them was just a child. And she had not contracted with the most important familiar that can channel her powers. Without one's spirit familiar one cannot utilise their powers to their fullest but only one out of fiftieth of their full capacity.

She remembered what Demetra answered when she asked all the Knights whether they had contracted their spirit familiar. It was only a question of formality but Demetra answered that she had met her spirit familiar but had not contracted with her.

Peyton had gotten angry at her admonishing her for sneaking out. At that time no one knew Demetra had defied Peyton for the first time. She had answered that she wouldn't have had to sneak out had he not locked her up for years. Stella was shaken when she heard it. And the manner with which she uttered it calmly shocked not only her but even the others. Even Ava gave Peyton a look of bewilderment.

The black knight was always protected among the knights being the youngest in all the generations, even if he/she was the strongest. Peyton was one of the kindest as well till the previous generation when the black Knight turned out to be his soul mate... And like all other black Knights, Saharilla chose to revive the dead and lost her soul to the god of death.

What worried Stella more was the fact that Demetra had not bonded with her Spirit familiar even though she had already met her. This situation is much worse as the pull between the two souls is strong and not bonding after recognition, in turn, further weakens the Knight's power, much weaker than when the Knight had not met their familiar.

Stella soon saw Peyton had cornered Demetra and surrounded her with numerous pillars of sand on all sides.

"Ezra—" Stella tugged on Ezra's sleeve to ask him to get Demetra down but something astonishing unfolded before their eyes.

Peyton was rejoicing finally getting the chance to rid of the thorn before his eyes. Even though temporary he had the chance to vent his anger and frustration. He channelled his mana and was right about to pierce Demetra's stomach with a pillar which he had turned into a sharp-edged drill when he suddenly found his sand met with empty air.

'Flap—'

The sound of flapping wings resounded and a single black feather floated down in the place Demetra previously stood.

Peyton looked up when he suddenly felt his surrounding darken.

A figure flying high above him had obscured the sun, his eyes unable to discern their expression due to the darkness from the contrast of the bright background.

Peyton widened his eyes.

"Animagus!"

The Knights who were mesmerised by the sight came about when they heard Hazel's excited voice.

"How? She has yet to contract with her spirit familiar" Archer voiced out.

"That's why she is considered the strongest Knight" Logan answered with a smile, his eyes narrowing in genuine appreciation.