Gifted

•Metropolitan City

Ishani made her way out of the school of mysticism. The Indo-African was wearing a crop top along with a short skirt showing off her slender, curvy figure, and her ample chest.

The grade A battlemage noticed someone wearing a mask that obscured their face from the nose bridge down to the chin not too far away from her. The masked individual followed the grey-eyed woman with their eyes.

Once the dark brown-skinned woman got close, the masked individual spoke. "Are you Ishani?" They asked, their voice was soothing and feminine.

"Who's asking?" said the dark brown-haired woman.

"Adventure. Grocery list. Underground. Devils."

Ishani raised an eyebrow. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I knew he was messing with me," the masked individual said to herself before turning to Ishani. "Hunter needs your help," she said.

"Hunter's dead."

"Then who told me about you two going to Hel and meeting a demon with six hands for legs?"

...

Ishani followed the masked woman with a rapidly beating heart. 'Is Hunter really alive?' She wondered.

Hunter was seated on the hood of the car. The sprite checked the time on his watch before turning the way Maxine had taken some time ago. He thought she was running late but there she was with the dark brown-skinned woman behind her.

"Hunter!" Ishani raced forward before jumping into the sprite's hands, the latter hugging her closely. "Woah ..."

Ishani punches the teal-green-eyed boy in the midsection. "Hey?"

"That's for scaring me into thinking you were dead!" said the grey-eyed woman.

"What the -- I've been alive for a minute now. I literally testified before the mysticism Parliament not too long ago!"

"I don't do politics." Hunter turned to Max who had removed her mask and was frowning at the dark-haired boy. "What's with you?"

"You made me embarrass myself!" Hunter raised an eyebrow. "That whole thing about grocery shopping or whatever."

"That didn't work? Too bad!"

The shifter lunges at the teal-green-eyed boy who easily rolls out of the way. "That's Maxine by the way," said Hunter. "She's almost 40 but acts like a child ninety-nine percent of the time."

"Nice to meet you, Maxine," said Ishani.

"Yeah, you too. And no, I'm not even close to being 40."

"So why exactly have you brought me here? I assume it's not for a reunion with Hunter."

"You assume right. We need a mage to take us to Razaar, clown galore over here said you were the woman for us."

"Razaar? As in the gladiator realm? Count me in!" Ishani said excitedly. "I can't take you there without the spell to open a portal there though," she added.

"We got you covered!" Hunter said waving a napkin in his hand.

.

.

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•Razaar

Max, Ishani, and Hunter found their seat in the front row just as the announcer was brought down to the middle of the squared circle on a flying carpet to introduce the contestants.

"And now, for the main event! First, we have the challenger. From Hel itself, the undefeated demon with a record of two thousand, five hundred and eleven victories, including over seven hundred kills in the Death Valley challenge, Ribo!!!"

The demon emerged from the ground and the ground cheered and applauded him. He had long brown horns and dark red skin along with long claws and a skull-shaped hole in his stomach.

"And his opponent, she is the undisputed champion of Razaar. From Razaar, by way of Nym'Roal. Undefeated in over thirteen thousand battles, the queen of the squared circle, and daughter of all elements: SYPHA!!!"

The Hungarian warrior walked into the arena and every eye immediately fell on her. Sypha was a pretty young-looking woman with fair skin, big pale blue eyes, short peachy blond hair, and thin vermilion lips. She was wearing a long sky-blue robe with a hood and a pair of open-toed sandals.

The crowd erupts into a fit of cheers and applause. They all chanted the champion's name as she made her way to the arena. "Sypha! Sypha! Sypha! Sypha!"

"Begin!"

The demon's eyes turn red and so does the hole in his stomach. Sypha swiftly controls the air around and shoots it to the ground, propelling herself out of the way just as the demon shoots out an energy beam from the skull hole on his body.

Sypha then shoots several balls of flame at the demon.

"She can use multiple elements?" Hunter asked surprised.

"She can use all elements!" Ishani exclaimed. "Weren't you taught about her and the Aethers tribe in the grand principality of Hungary?"

"Who are the Aethers?" Hunter asked.

"Wow!" Ishani said, surprised at the sprite's question.

"Maybe if you paid more attention in class," said Maxine.

"Not even worth responding to," Hunter said.

"The Aethers were basically a tribe of mystics in Hungary. The royal government put them in the same place to ensure there was more union between mystics which would most likely lead to the birth of even more powerful mystics," Ishani explained. "Fabian ... or Sypha was a member of the Fabian family, a warrior family known for their extraordinary feats on the battlefield. She was the first in her family to show mystical affinity and so she was moved to the tribe too."

"How did she end up here in Razaar?" The curious sprite queried.

The dark brown-skinned woman shrugged. "She just disappeared after killing the demon that bested her father and brothers in a one-on-one. I think she's something like a legend nowadays, even I wouldn't have believed she was a real person if you told me she was just earlier today. One person with such power? People would dismiss it as a fable."

[Ha ha ha ha ha ha!]

'What's so funny?'

Maxine sniggered.

Hunter turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "Great! The gorilla's going crazy."

"Shut up, cockroach!" She countered.

'How come you both found it funny?'

[I'm surprised you didn't.]

"... And your winner ..." The voice of the announcer came through the speakers. "SYPHA!!!"

'Oh, it's done already?'

The crowd cheered and cheered for the pale blue-eyed woman, who took a bow in front of them before making her way to the back.

"We probably should go after her now," Hunter suggested.

...

The trio snuck their way to the back after Fabian, following the peachy-blonde woman into a room. When they got inside, the elemental was sitting on a chair across the door with her arms crossed as if expecting the mystics.

"Um ... Hi," Hunter said, unsure what to say.

"You three want an autograph or something?"

"We're friends of Camille," said Max.

"I don't think I know who that is," Fabian replied.

"Camille Lovelace? Long black hair, red eyes, nature spirit?"

"I think that rings a bell. What does that have to do with you three being here?"

"She needs your help with a very important mission and she sent us here to see if you're willing to join our cause."

"No," Fabian shook her head.

"Well this was a waste of time," Ishani said already heading for the door.

"Why won't you help?" Hunter asks.

"It took so long ... But I believe I've finally found my home."

.

.

.

Sypha was relaxing in a tub enjoying the warm water on her bare skin when she noticed a movement in front of her. The peachy-blonde woman looked up to see a woman with long blue hair with pink streaks and bangs in front of her. The woman had turquoise-colored irises and a beauty mark just below her left eye.

Sypha's expression changes to a frown. "Naamah."

The pure demon held a smirk that did not leave her face even as she spoke. "Hi, sugarplum," she waved.

"How are you here?" The elemental asked.

"How do you think?"

Fabian looked down at the water she was in. "I'm dreaming."

"The guy you met today, he seemed pretty disappointed at the end there ..."

"Ribo? There's n --"

"Not that idiot. Hunter, the one that met you in your locker room with two other women."

"What about him?"

"Well, it just so happens that I don't like seeing him disappointed. So, you're going to help him."

"You're only making me do this out of spite," Fabian argued.

"Don't be full of yourself, sugarplum, I don't you enough for that." Naamah stopped, contemplating her choice of words. "Actually I do, and that's why I know Razaar isn't your home, it never would be."

"You know n --"

"Shh." The pure demon placed her index over the elemental's lips.

"You hate this place, sugarplum; its people, culture, buildings ... You're only here because you wish to die the Aetherean way - on a battlefield - but we both know none of the idiots here can give you that."

Naamah turns her back to the elemental. "I've let you run wild for over a millennium now and I believe you've had your fun but things are about to change." The pure demon turned and faced Sypha. "First thing when you wake up, I want you to head to Nym'Roal and meet Hunter, he'll be waiting for you in the very location where you killed Pozo."

The pure demon slowly starts to fade away. "Lest you forget: beck and call, Iren, beck and call."

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