Hidden Motives

The Umbra looked pissed off. Mavislin held a blank look, her eyes darkened. Then, as the Umbra wanted to snatch the girl, the Valkyrie snapped her fingers.

"I should establish some ground rules before we enter into a little chat. Don't think you can trick me," warned Mavislin as a massive ball of light emerged from her hand.

"Talk is cheap; actions speak," muttered the figure, albeit distortedly.

"So you guys don't acknowledge me like a Valkyrie, eh?" asked Mavislin, rubbing the back of her neck.

The figure looked startled as it took a step back. The stale air began to stir as the Valkyrie collected her Elemental Energy.

"I do agree that talk is cheap. Therefore, I'll show you that I am the last child of Valokia," replied Mavislin, pointing at the figure.

The symbol of Ancient Valokia appeared, trapping the Umbra within it. The mark began to glow as ropes emerged from the crevices of the ground around the trapped Umbra. Finally, another symbol appeared on top of the Shadow, nearly completing the spell.

"Do you believe me now?" asked the Valkyrie, ensnaring the Umbra.

"We are but an illusion to all."

The voice sounded distorted, as if a group of people were trying to talk simultaneously using the exact words. Furthermore, it bore no emotion as it spoke.

"Cryptic statement, but that's not what I asked. My question is simple. Why did you lie to everyone?"

"We did not. You misinterpreted our message. And our powers."

The Valkyrie lowered her eyes, lost in her thoughts. One wrong move could mean defeat. Or worse, death. After some time, she then looked at the Umbra with a puzzled look.

"Your message?" asked the Valkyrie.

"Yes. It was not a name."

"Then what was it?"

"We will not tell."

The Valkyrie nearly gave up on negotiations with them and wanted to finish the spell. But she kept her calm.

"If I gave you my real name, would you tell me the reason why?"

"Why would we need your name?"

"You are from the Abyss Of Stars. With your years of venturing, you should know about the history of Ancient Valokia."

The Umbra remained silent in its confines. The plan wasn't working. Time for a new strategy. She thought about the earlier warning. The message. Why had Baldwin lied once more? The Valkyrie shook her head. She could deal with the Angry Man later.

For now, she needed to get answers from the enemy before it called on the rest. Mavislin recalled the message, remembering that it struck her as either a name or a single word. Since it was not a name, it could only be a word.

The Shadow language was difficult to decipher, even for Gillian himself. So for the Valkyrie to know, it would take a miracle. The poor girl gave up and looked for other ways. She then remembered something about powers.

"We did misinterpret your powers, but now we know. You can only erase people from other beings' minds, not from history. This means that you have the Skill of Memory Adjustment, not existence. So neither were you 'food-poisoned' like what Baldwin had claimed."

"Am I right?" questioned Mavislin, pointing at her head.

"You are correct. We are a family of Shadows that have eaten the Skill to change memories. However, not all of us can do it."

"So why did you create a game on Earth? You could have just removed every being from one domain and moved on to the next."

The Umbra looked hesitant on whether it should reply to the Valkyrie. Its eyes were drawn downward, unable to reveal a secret to her.

"How about this?" asked the Valkyrie, suddenly getting an idea.

The Umbra's ears perked up.

"If you could tell me why you created the game, I'll tell you the culprit."

"The culprit?"

"The one who destroyed your home planet."

The child looked at her in eagerness. Her playful self was kicking in. Or was it the personality of the late Kikuri peeping out?

"Hm... Let's do a game, shall we? With each secret told, you must replace it with another. So you are allowed to reveal half the secret, but in exchange, I'll also give you half a truth. Does that fit you?" asked Mavislin.

The figure nodded quickly. Mavislin heaved a sigh of relief. If that hadn't worked, the Valkyrie had to kill it. She was more than done killing other beings, even if they've committed unforgivable acts.

She released the Umbra from its restraints. But the symbols were still actively beaming on the top and below the figure, signifying that the Umbra wasn't out of the woods yet.

"Better be careful. Break any rules or try to attack me, and I'll resort to stabbing you in the back," warned Mavislin sternly.