-Back to Yalda-

  The mansion was quiet at night. Light from the twin moons outside submerged our wing of the super big home in an enchanting glow. Darmos was especially bright tonight. As a supplement against the dark, small ever-burning candles sat on counters between doorways.

  “Candles are classy.”

  The moody lighting normally would have had me very sleepy, and it did, but I was an angel on a mission. The magical barrier here protecting us from darkness getting in needed to be upgraded. For some reason, it was impossible for my instruments to detect any potential darkness within the perimeter. If I couldn't get that figured out, it could spell trouble for us later… Much like it did this morning.

  I was on my way to the kitchen, which was the last known place the barrier creator was located… Which was Miss Cynthia! It kinda’-sorta-not really made sense that the head maid of the household could create something like a demon repelling barrier, but I had to assume her days as a magical girl were responsible for that skill.

  When I walked into the kitchen, rubbing my eyes and letting out a big yawn, I took note that nobody seemed to be here. Judging by how the lights were still on and a few dishes and pans were still around, it made sense that Cynthia would probably be back soon to clean up the mess.

  “I’m thirsty.”

  I materialized my wings and flew up to a cabinet to collect a cup and fill it with crisp clear liquid. A few sips satisfied my parched throat.

  Minutes went by and my mind wandered in the eerie, yet oddly satisfying, lonely atmosphere of this big kitchen. If ever there were a good place to think, it was a place like this.

  Heck if I know why… Luminal spaces are weird.

  Thoughts of my purpose started flooding into my head, making me reflect on everything I’d been doing up to now. All the demons I’d fought, all the people I’d saved… It felt like there was still more to do, and standing around wasn’t the way to get it done.

  But was I on the wrong track? I’d just gained a new transformation and martial arts stance today, not to mention new armour and a renewed excitement for my purpose to protect mankind and defeat the devil.

  “God, am I doing the right thing?” I asked, aiming up toward the ceiling.

  Through the peace and quiet, I felt a subtle warm feeling as I considered the day again. So much happened, and I felt a lot stronger for it. My boundaries were pushed past their limits.

  If I could keep pushing that limit a little more each day, especially in times when there wasn’t any chaos, then that would really add up in times where I had to be strong. With Uncle and Indena helping train me, I was super motivated to get as much power as I could.

  “I’ll take that as a yes,” I giggled.

  There was a noise outside the double door entrance into the kitchen. Two people were talking, a man and woman by the sound of it.

  *Creeek*

  Suddenly the two people entered into the kitchen, bringing their conversation in with them.

  “I just have to clean things up here,” Miss Cynthia said. “Then I’ll be retiring for the night.”

  “I think I’ll do the same. We could use some sleep after all that, no?” replied Marek.

  While they were talking, I flew up and placed my glass of water on the counter, then flew to the center of the room to make my presence known.

  “Hi Cynthia! Hi Marek!” I waved at them.

  “Oh my goodness!” Miss Cynthia put a hand over her heart and took a breath.

  “Yalda?!” Marek pretty much did the same, but composed himself a little more quickly. “Don't scare us like that! Why are you up so late?”

  I didn’t mean to startle them, but I think it was clear that flying in out of nowhere in the dead of night was probably the easiest way to do that.

  “Uh… Sorry…” I rubbed the back of my head as I despawned my wings. “Be not afraid, and all that… I guess…”

  “Mistress Yalda, why are you awake at this hour?” Cynthia repackaged Marek's question, also cleaning up dishes that were laden about the kitchen counters.

  “I actually wanted to talk to you about something important, if you wouldn't mind,” I answered.

  I noticed her jitter a little when I said that, but she almost instantly recomposed herself and smiled.

  “I'd be happy to discuss anything, so long as it doesn't pertain to Marek.”

  Her specifically referencing Marek made me giggle a little.

  “Eh?” Marek looked at her with a sour expression. “Why me? What did I do this time?”

  “The key words in that sentence were ‘this time,’” she smiled his way. “You still have yet to apologize for what you said earlier, you know?”

  What the heck did he say earlier that Miss Cynthia was holding such a silly grudge against him? She didn't look mad, so I had the feeling she was toying around.

  “Oh, you mean that I thought Veronica's outfit was a cute delight?” He gave her a not-so-serious look of contempt. “It was just a compliment, you know? Nothing more.”

  “I seemed to remember you saying the same thing to me before our first date ever at the Brassington restaurant.”

  Uh-oh, he's in trouble!

  Marek blushed, turning away his face to hide his embarrassment. “That was different when I said it to you.”

  “Oh, it was?” She egged him on, still cutely smiling, awaiting how he’d escape her playful trap.

  “Of course. When I said it to you, I was madly in love. When I said it to her, it was more of a compliment to Adalyn for making the outfit.”

  Miss Cynthia approached him and laid a sweet peck of a kiss on his cheek.

  Oh-la-la!

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  His blush faded and he gained a really charismatic smile, brimming with confidence. Kinda' like Yamin’s demon crush did on the roof. It was cute, but a tiny bit silly looking.

  “Mistress Yalda…” Cynthia turned fully toward me and posed respectfully with her hands clasped in front of her. “Although we show the nature of our relationship to you, you are not to tell anyone about this. Am I clear?”

  Marek and Cynthia were from two very distinct social classes, and neither were allowed to marry the other. It wasn’t so much the social divide as it was the fact that Marek’s parents already picked out a future wife for him to keep the family strong.

  Because of their feelings being technically scandalous, and even getting Marek in trouble before, they had to keep their love a secret.

  “Okay,” I nodded. “I won't tell anyone.”

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “Please don't get the wrong idea about us,” Marek said. “We just don't want anymore trouble because of our feelings. Also, I don't think I can stand going back into the Navy…”

  I loved learning about their romantic life, but I didn’t come here for a rom-com. The truth was that I needed to not only get more info on this barrier, but also find a way to un-mask any dark energy in the area. That would make it a ton easier to protect this place.

  “Miss Cynthia, were you the one who made the barrier?”

  She stood still, struggling to hold her smile.

  “I was.”

  “I have a question then. Why is it that dark energy is masked, but not gotten rid of?”

  I expected her to give me an answer right away, but it took her a second and a little encouragement from Marek to speak up again.

  “Cynthia, what's wrong?” Marek spoke up. “Yalda asked a question, no?”

  “Oh, right. Yes, I'm sorry. It's been quite a long day.”

  She was acting weird… Suspiciously so. She'd been acting strange for a while now.

  “So, then can you tell me what's up with this barrier?”

  She explained that the barrier itself may have been slightly faulty if it was masking dark energy rather than ejecting it. The main purpose however was that it was meant to keep darkness out, rather than worry about anything within, as there shouldn't have been darkness inside it to begin with.

  “You must understand, I was concerned that Yamin’s dark plight may have caused her to react poorly with the barrier, so I may have not adjusted the parameters properly.”

  “Then would you mind if I took a look at it?” I asked. “We ‘need’ to figure out a way to unmask any dark energy in here.”

  Once again she went into a mild stupor, not replying right away until I encouraged her once more. Her fists clenched tightly to the skirt of her dress as she turned her face toward the floor, masking the expression with shade from her bangs.

  A very slight sliver of her lips could be seen quivering, folding inward as if being bitten down lightly from inside.

  “This… I…” she uttered while Marek rubbed her shoulder.

  “Cynthia, what has been going on with you?” asked her true lover.

  I'd noticed she was acting strange all day, but the reason wasn't clear to me at all. Something was going on in her head, a struggle of some kind. It had to be related to the faulty barrier.

  Her next words were a barely audible whisper, probably not even heard by Marek next to her. “Forgive me for my insolence… This can't go on.”

  Finally she came out of her struggle and gave me a really aggressive looking smile.

  “Of course. Let me lead the way to the roof.

  She proudly began marching toward the stairs leading to the roof access. Her swiftness stunned me for a second, but Marek and I followed her.

  “Has she ever been like this?” I asked him.

  “Never…” Marek trotted close behind. "And trust me, I would know. Something is wrong with her."

  ~☆☆☆~

  When I was on the roof not long ago, I didn’t realize there were big crystal projectors at each corner of the house that were responsible for casting the barrier. The southern wing had two of them, but they blended pretty well with the aesthetic of the pool. They almost looked like giant lightbulbs, but the shape was more jagged and sharp then rounded.

  Miss Cynthia pressed her hand on the one nearest to the doorway we used. When the light emanating off the crystal turned yellow as opposed to blue, she summoned up her wand and held it close to the gem-like surface.

  A strange interface appeared in the head of the wand where a gem was located. It was a lot of symbols I couldn’t recognize, and had a hard time even seeing from my perspective. To help give myself a better look, I flew up and looked over her shoulder.

  “There…” she said, holstering her wand behind her. “The barrier shouldn't be masking darkness anymore. I apologize for the inconvenience and will surely be reprimanded for this blunder.”

  Something was telling me that there was more to the mistake then she was letting on about. She seriously acted strange whenever I tried figuring out this darkness problem.

  “Cynthia, tell me the truth…” Marek spoke up. “You’re not a negligent person. How did you not realize this was an issue earlier?”

  “I…” she took a breath. “I don’t know. I suppose I was being stubborn.”

  Once again, that was a strange response from her. I hadn’t known her for long, but she seemed too elegant to be stubborn like that.

  “It’s like you're trying to hide something,” I told her.

  Marek gave me a disapproving look, which communicated that I might have been a bit too blunt with my accusation.

  “Marek, she has every right to question me. I have been acting strange,” she looked over her shoulder a few times, then breathed out as her crestfallen face settled. “Perhaps I should come clean and explain everything…”

  “What do you mean by that?” I furrowed my brow.

  “Cynthia…?” Marek uttered in confusion.

  An uncomfortable tingle rushed down my spine, causing me grave discomfort, followed by a headache. It was bearable, but definitely not normal. I rubbed my forehead a few times to try and handle the stress it was brewing.

  “Yalda, what’s wrong?” Marek asked me.

  “Somethings…” I grit my teeth.

  -WARNING! Darkness levels rising!-

  I knew something weird was going on here. The moment that barrier changed, my body was detecting huge amounts of dark energy all over. It was so much though, this was unbelievable! Either that barrier was doing one heck of a good job masking this, or we were conveniently starting to be invaded.

  “Guys, we’ve got trouble!” I shouted, opening up my map and checking it for any hints of demons nearby. Sure enough, there were a lot of little sprites all around us, but when I turned to look at their location, there wasn’t anything there. Just dark corners.

  Shade was a demon's best friend. But if my experience had anything to say about it, I had a feeling I knew what was stalking us here.

  “Spear of Destiny!” I called to my simmering weapon of choice, spawning it out and flying around a corner to stab at nothing but a shadow…

  Or so it seemed…

  “Creeeea!” Screamed an unseen creature who’d been hidden in the dark.

  -WARNING! THREAT SIGHTED!-

  -Shadow Glider tagged; Foe-

  Red eyes opened up all over the roof, swimming through the shadows to come at me for an attack.

  They’d jump from the darkness, suddenly spawning claws or flaring teeth to deal damage, but I twirled my spear around, striking several as they made an attempt to hit me.

  Marek was being protected by Cynthia, who shot stardust energy out from her wand to defeat the dark minions of evil.

  Their sheer numbers would have been overwhelming had it not been for the fact that they were weakened by intense moonlight.

  While we were dealing with a complement of these paper thin demons, a few of them rushed inside to escape the battle.

  “They’re going after Yamin!” I shouted, spawning my wings and flying back inside after them. “I won’t let you take her!”

  As much as I didn’t want to leave Marek and Cynthia alone, they could handle themselves. Yamin was priority one, since we couldn’t let her fall into demonic hands.

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