Lucy walked towards the distant farm, a vast expanse stretching hundreds of meters. She passed fence after fence, her determination unwavering until she reached the heart of the field.
"Why are you here?"
The sudden voice startled her, and she spun around to face Gabriela, who regarded her with a piercing stare.
"Uh?" Lucy stammered, her eyes darting around the sea of towering corn stalks before settling back on the demoness.
"Well... I was searching for someone."
"Someone?"
Gabriela's eyebrow arched. "What makes you think that 'someone' would be all the way out here?"
"Well..." Lucy gestured vaguely at the surrounding greenery. "Whenever she's upset, she always hides in secluded places."
"Who is she?"
"Mariana."
Gabriela exhaled softly. "She's in the castle."
"Uh?"
Lucy's jaw dropped in surprise.
___
Kyle entered his chamber, a gasp escaping his lips at the sight that greeted him. Mariana lay on his bed, her small figure almost swallowed by the plush mattress, her gaze fixed on the intricately painted ceiling.
"You're here?" Kyle asked, stepping further into the room.
"Why are you so insistent on me staying here with you?" Mariana replied, her voice soft, her eyes still on the ceiling.
"The right question is, why did you stay back?" He walked towards the elegant sofa positioned before the expansive floor-to-ceiling window.
"I don't know." She finally turned her head, her purple eyes meeting his blue ones.
"I've never felt this way before, but... being around you feels like the right thing to do."
Kyle approached the window and drew back the heavy curtains, flooding the room with warm sunlight. "I felt the same way... about you staying with us."
He returned to the sofa and sat down, his gaze fixed on Mariana.
Mariana pushed herself up into a sitting position, a look of confusion clouding her features.
"Us?"
"Yes." Kyle nodded. "Don't worry, we'll find your real parents..."
"I don't want to know them." Her voice held a surprising firmness.
"They left me behind to die. Why would I look for them?" She looked up at Kyle, her expression earnest.
'Is she really only fourteen?' Kyle mused. Aloud, he said, "Okay... But I'll still search for them." He paused.
"Lucian mentioned you saved both him and his sister, and that you used a spell."
Mariana opened her palm, and a soft blue light materialized above it. In mere seconds, it solidified into a sharp, twenty-centimeter icicle. She turned towards a blank wall and, with a flick of her wrist, sent the icicle hurtling forward. It struck the wall with a soft thud, and instantly, a patch of ice spread around the point of impact.
"How big can you create?" Kyle asked, turning back to her, impressed.
"Three feet," she answered simply.
Kyle was taken aback. That was a considerable amount of power. "How many can you make at once?"
"Two." Mariana tilted her head. "Why all the questions?"
"Just checking something out." Kyle replied. "What else can you do?"
"Don't know..." Mariana frowned in concentration for a moment, then looked up, a hint of a smile on her lips. "I can run faster than sister Lucy and brother Lucian."
'Assassin attribute... That's good.' Kyle thought. 'Assassin attributes grant speed and increased attack damage... which clearly enhances her icicle attacks. But she needs proper training.'
Kyle stood and walked towards her. Mariana watched him approach, her gaze steady. He stopped directly in front of her.
"Take this... My gift to you."
Kyle opened his hand, revealing a smooth, blue stone resting on his palm. He gently took Mariana's hand and placed the stone in her small grasp.
"What am I supposed to do with this?" Mariana asked, looking up at him, her large purple eyes filled with innocent curiosity.
"Just channel your life force into it," Kyle explained.
Mariana nodded, following his instructions. After a few moments, the blue stone began to glow with an inner light. The glow intensified rapidly, and then, with a faint cracking sound, the stone shattered, its energy flowing into Mariana's body.
"Mariana," Kyle called, his expression turning serious, "how many people have you killed?"
"Huh? Is brother upset with me?" she asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"No, I just need to know," Kyle softened his tone.
"I've killed a bear, and five demons." Her voice was small.
"They attacked the village and were about to hurt sister Lucy. I don't know what happened, but my powers just went crazy..." She looked down at her hands, as if they held a secret she didn't understand.
"I can't remember much, but I know I used skills I didn't even know I had. After that, I fainted... When the others returned, they mistakenly captured sister Lucy, thinking she was the one who killed them. When they saw I was alive, they took me with her." She finished her explanation, her gaze still fixed on her hands.
'Surprising. She doesn't remember the act itself, but recalls the aftermath.'
Kyle nodded slowly, processing the information. He then asked a crucial question, one that could shape the young girl's future.
"What do you think about killing? I mean, would you kill when it's necessary?"
Mariana looked directly into his eyes, her gaze unwavering. "When it's needed, I will do it. It's just like killing an animal."
"No, Mariana... I mean, would you kill a human, a demon, or an elf, without holding back or hesitating for even a second?"
Before Mariana could answer, her eyes suddenly rolled back, and she slumped onto the bed, unconscious.
Kyle instantly tensed, his senses on high alert. Before he could call out, the familiar voice of the system echoed in his mind:
{Mariana has just absorbed a water elemental stone. Given her current physique and life force, the influx of energy was excessive, leading to her current state. Do not worry, Host; she will only be asleep for twenty hours.}
"Twenty hours?! That means she'll sleep for an entire day?!"
{Affirmative.}
Kyle sighed. "And she hasn't eaten anything!"
{BS: You just gave her a precious elemental stone! What did you expect?!}
'Why was my experience different?' Kyle wondered.
{MS: Is Host comparing himself to a child?}
Kyle sighed again and gently pulled the large, fluffy bedsheets over Mariana's small form.
"Sleep tight," he murmured.
He walked back to the sofa and sat down, his thoughts swirling.
'You two... How many soldiers can I create with my current strength?'
{Troops: 1,005.}