"So, do not interfere with what I am doing, unless you want to die."
Her eyes faintly shimmered a hue of purplish-black as she conveyed such peculiar, threatening words.
Scott scrutinised her expression and looked close to startled once he realised that there was an absolute intent behind her words. And then, his body tensed up.
"…Threatening me won't turn out good for you." He said, raising his fists. He immediately went under the assumption that the words coming out of her mouth were supposed to be a threat to him.
"…This is going to be my first and only warning. Tell me what you're doing near the campfire, or… or else…!" Scott strode forward as he spoke, expecting his raised fists to do the rest of the talking.
"….I apologize." She uttered with a gentle tone.
"But, I cannot go now, for the "Summoning Flames" has already been kindled by me within the flames of your campfire…" She murmured, as if she was in abject sorrow, "Please understand, as you do not know of the peril that I suffer through. But, if you still won't allow me to attend to my business, I'll have to make you."
"Oh…? Then, pray tell, what are you going to do…"
She didn't respond to his angered words immediately, but instead stretched out her hand to Scott and slowly began to point at him.
"I see. Twinbirds, subdue him."
Following these words, the two Maneater Crows beside her, which she had called, the "Twinbirds", suddenly honed in on him, and rushed up into the skies, before swooping back down and almost stabbing him through the chest with their spear-like feet.
"Agh…! It's like that, huh?!" Scott yelled, touching the blood that ran down the side of his chest. He decided, with all other options exhausted, to engage in a battle with this mysterious girl.
Though, without any objects around that he was capable of transmuting yet, he had to resort to igniting his blood yet again, and he turned around the face the Twinbirds, who were preparing for another divebomb.
"Hm?"
"Near the side of his chest… I see something odd. A Mark…" She pinpointed, staring intensely at him, or rather, his unusually perfect-sculpted body.
"Interesting… But, it belongs to an Old World God I am unfamiliar with… but other than that, the traces inside his blood are interesting as well. I sense the traces of purified demon blood in him… to he would hold such a precious ingredient like that, for an "elixir", in his body."
"…Yet, there's also a problem. This person is quite decently strong… I perhaps did pick the wrong spot to do this…" She mumbled, now staring deep at the campfire, which was already fully turning a purplish-black.
"No… perhaps not."
"Although he seems truly special, at this level, he won't be able to handle my "Talisman Forms."
One of the Twinbirds spun around in mid-air, cackling like a crow would, and as it did, feathers began to fall. Meanwhile, Scott was in a tussle with the other Twinbird, and yet, he still managed to yell at the mysterious girl:
"Damn it…! Are these giant birds your helpers or something?!"
But, she ignored him, and rather, further approached the blackened campfire, before speaking the words:
"O' Four Sons of Darkness, Children of Mara, heed my call! I call upon a vessel of yours, to grant me an audience! Tell me of my fate, and I shall pay an equal price in return!"
Meanwhile, the feathers on the ground began to combust and turn into violet flames, devouring the grass all around and almost reaching the tents, though, these powerful flames extinguished themselves soon after due to a scarcity of things to endlessly consume.
Nonetheless, this made the area a more convenient place to battle.
They're still not awake?! Scott exclaimed internally as he pushed the Twinbirds away from him, hoping to reach the tents in time and wake up Michael and Felix.
However, the Twinbirds, screeching, eventually caught his gaze. Faster than he could arrive, the giant birds rushed towards the other two tents, and in an instant, shredded them to pieces. Scott could only blink, as he saw the tents get yanked and torn to shreds, and then after a moment's passing, he was enraged. However…
"Scott! We're here!" Felix yelled. Strangely enough, he was only now approaching the camp with Michael, and it appeared that they had briefly left during the time Scott slept.
"We went outside the camp for a bit to go look for…. wait… huh? What the…?! Scott, what the heck is going on…?!"
Following Felix's total shock at the carnage, the Twinbirds screeched and unexpectedly charged at them. But, they were abruptly stopped in their tracks, as Scott, still fuming, took one of them from behind and smashed it onto the ground with his flaming fist.
The Twinbird screeched in agony, and they both quickly flew back towards the girl.
"…Phew… I thought you guys were still in the tents…! But, besides that, I was attacked… by that girl! She's dangerous!" Scott said as he approached the two, pointing at the mysterious girl, "Those giant, vicious birds belong to her as well!"
"But… I feel like she might still be able to be reasoned with… somewhat."
"Well then…" Michael looked at the girl and back at Scott, "I still have no clue what's happening, but… it seems that confronting her is the best course of action."
"Yeah… maybe you'll be able to get an answer out of her…" Scott half-grumbled, "Though, with me, it was like she wasn't trying to listen to a word I said…"
Michael shrugged, and the three of them approached the mysterious girl before Michael sternly asked:
"Who are you?"
She remained silent to the question for a moment. And then, she replied:
"…I am not so sure at this point. But, I have been known as the Maiden of the Twinbirds for as long as I can remember, so you may just call me that."
Scott narrowed his eyes at her, though it was almost like she could feel it even with her back facing them, since her left hand twitched, and the Twinbird on her left screeched horribly.
"…What are you doing here?"
"I have come to seek a new Destiny. Far away from the Domain of Eternal Darkness, Mara's domain."
"…You're… you're from beyond the border?!" Felix asked, his eyes widening, "What a coincidence, I am too! Though, I was transported through the border in a metal...."
The mysterious girl remained silent, while, thankfully, the other two couldn't hear what he mumbled.
"Mara… embodiment of silence, darkness and fear… and the Ruler of the Crimson River, opposite to the Sea of Souls. Such a place is a "hell" destined for blasphemers and demons, and their followers too. And that divine being is a God that has cursed me so."
"And, for that reason, I wish to seek what I have come here for."
At that very second, the campfire shot up, higher than even a small building, and rays of shattered, multi-coloured hues shot out of it. Fragments of pure light, that broke apart instantly and allowed a smallish fissure, the size of two humans stacked together, to appear in the purplish-black flames.
And then, following this, a strange eye with an abnormal pupil appeared on the other side of the fissure, staring at all of them.
"A nameless "vessel" heeds your call. What do you desire from me, an Ominous Flamesprite of the Second Son of Darkness, dearest "Ellios?"