Lucille

"ATTLLAAASSS!!" Ayla yelled after having reached the house. She hurried home, after seeing the girl playing poker with demons. She ran for her life, who the hell plays poker with demons!! And it was a little girl at that, A LITTLE GIRL!!! " Yes, what is it?" Atlas asked from the door to the house.

" You see I was out on a walk, you know, and then I saw a girl..."

After explaining the situation to Atlas, he just started laughing, who should laugh at that?! No one! " Atlas it is not funny, why in the bloody moon, is a girl playing poker with demons?!" Alya asked she was nervous and worried.

Atlas seemed to know what was going on, why else would he be laughing like that?! He was a quiet person, but just as curious as her when it came to something he didn't know. " Just give me a moment okay?... pfft!" Sigh, she couldn't see what was so funny, that he needed time to laugh it off.

"Okay, I am ready now," he said, but the joy in his voice and eyes was still there. She nodded as a gesture for him to keep going.

" Alright, you see I have also seen that girl, she goes by the name Akki, and I don't know her last name, but she comes to the forest to gamble with demons" Ayla nodded her head again, to show that she was paying attention to what he was saying. " From what I know, and have seen, she wins curse's from every gamble she plays," Atlas said.

"So you're saying a girl on maybe my age, is gambling for evil curse's??" She asked, with a bit of mistrust in her tone. Atlas just nodded his head saying yes.

" Indeed I do, and she has never lost a game." How did he know that he hadn't had gamble with her, had he? " Atlas, are you a stalker now or have you actually played a game with her??" She asked while joking a bit. " No I have not played a game against her, and nor am I a stalker," Atlas said with a huff.

She clucked at his behaviour. " Okay Atlas, but how do you know that she has never lost a game??" Ayla asked as she was curious, how could she not have lost a single game?

" Well you see, since you hadn't been out of the forest before, you properly don't know, but she is quite famous in the land"

Atlas said, and it was now her turn to huff, because she had indeed never been outside the forest but, that was because Atlas said that she had to wait till her mana was awakened. " Since my mana has been awakened now, can go out of the forest?" She asked with excitement, but Atlas just sook his head.

" You still need to learn control," he said, and immediately crushed her hope. She really wished to see the outside world. " I understand."

Atlas looked at her with eyes shining with a glimpse of guilt " I am sorry Ayla, but if you want, I can ask Akki to join os in mana training, and maybe she will say yes" Atlas said. " I don't know, but it would be fun to have a friend at my age," she said, not that Akki was her age if one would count her real age to it, but it would be nice with a friend.

Atlas nodded his head and went inside the house again. She did the same but went into her room to rest.

***

Atlas felt a bit guilty because she could not go outside the forest, but he had tried to take her outside before, but he couldn't pass through the forest, it was like a barrier had been set up. He tried to go out of the forest without Alya and he just went through, it was like she wasn't supposed to go outside the forest. But he had a feeling that she just needed something first like she just wasn't ready yet.

He went into his study, to contact an old friend of his. "Sigh" tomorrow was going to be a hard day.

***

In the capital of the land of the fae, in a house, that looked very old, but it had a shine to it. The house was white, and the roof was black, and outside the house was a beautiful garden, with many kinds of flowers and herbs.

Inside the house were a mother and daughter living. They had a good relationship, but not all were told in between. They both had secrets for each other, some for good reason and some not. The father was not present, but it didn't seem to be bothering them. The girl was in her room, and the mother was in the study. currently reading a book about spells.

The mother jumped out of her chair in surprise when a figure of a young man suddenly manifested. " Atlas! you scared me!!" The mother was shocked to see an old friend suddenly contacted her.

" I am sorry Lucille," Atlas said, he sounded tired. " so why did you contact me," Lucille asked, they hadn't seen each other for a long time, so she wondered why he suddenly wanted to talk with her.

" You see Ayla saw your daughter in the forest, and since they're the same age, I thought it would be nice for her to have a friend," Atlas said, and there was a warmth in his voice she had not heard in a long time.

" And umm who is Ayla, if I may ask the man, who never had an interest in a woman before," she asked to tease him, but it was true, so she wondered why he had a child with him.

*Cough!* " Ayla is my adopted daughter," he said a bit embarrassed. " I see, but why are you blushing?" She asked just to tease him a bit more. " does it really matter if I am blushing or not Lucille?" He asked. " yes it does, but let's cut the chase, where are we gonna meet?" Lucille asked. They could meet in the forest or in her house.

" In the forest, because Ayla can't go outside, just yet," Atlas said, he looked a bit guilty, and Lucille had no idea why. " Okay, but why can't she leave the forest??" She asked, " her situation is a bit special, you see."