After attending all of the classes. Waiting painstakingly for the very moment of my misery. It has finally come when after school has begun and students are going out of the gates. While I, the unlucky one, would have to stand still until the lioness arrives and starts off my shift.

  Even though the only people I have met, Ludio and Nemo both tried to comfort me during the periods.

  Actually, scratch that, Nemo was the only one. Ludio on the other hand did what people would call backhand compliments as he laughed and joked the entire time, but not to the extent that is considered bullying. He did afford the school lunches as an apology.

  For one week I would have to dread myself to be her servant (slave). I hope nothing makes this day any worse than it is now.

  “Hey, looks like you didn’t run away…” Seraphina with her arms crossed while watching me sulking.

  “It doesn’t look like I have a choice, if I did run I would still have to face whatever punishment you’ll give me tomorrow in class.”

  “Well it's not like I want to meet you or see you or even talk to you in the first place.” She looks at me with such disgusting eyes. “Let’s go, you’re buying me a chocolate milkshake in McDonnels and pay for both meals for you and me, I wouldn’t want to starve you, and maybe we could check out those new clothes shops by the plaza near here... ”

  “What?!” I gasped in shock at her demand. “I thought that you were gonna pay for that stuff yourself?”

  “I mean, I did tell you I was gonna buy stuff. But not the stuff of your needs, which includes the meals.”

  Damn, this woman. Already annoyed by the other things she wants me to purchase with my own money. We got to the plaza which was pretty much surrounded by buildings of various shops and food chain restaurants.

  Students and other people shopping and relaxing, essentially enjoying themselves while I have to be this lioness’s porter carrying bags of miscellaneous things while she slurps on her milkshake.

  “Hey it seems that it is getting late, maybe we should go…”

  “Hmm… it is that time, I suppose we should go home, although I don’t want this despicable servant (slave) to know where I live…” she ponders as she stirs the straw of the milkshake.

  “That seems to be a predicament,” I say with an agreeable expression, which I as well do not want to know either.

  “I guess I could call for my maid to come by with a car and handle the baggage…”

  Finally, this could end and I can go home and relax…

  But there is a look or more of an expression that she seems disinterested in the idea of having someone she knows. She looks back at me as she made up her mind.

  “...But there are still a few things I still want to buy, so chop-chop, onwards.”

  Dammit! As I follow her any further. A sudden sense of intenseness spread around in a particular direction. This isn’t the kind of aura that Seraphina emitted, It’s more sinister, hatred, darkness, and… evil…

  “Uh, Seraphina-”

  I was about to tell her. She shoves me beside the entry of an alleyway and looks me in the eye with caution. I would immediately know that she can feel it too…

  “Shhhh…”

  She puts one finger on my lip and peers in the area, but she sees nothing other than a few garbage cans and a trash bin with scraps of paper and other wasted content.

  “This is strange, I know that you felt that as well. And yet there’s nobody…”

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  Really? I moved my head just enough to pry an eye on the area and I was shocked by what I saw.

  Not only there is trash and other leftovers. There is something, no, a silhouette of a person being elusively transparent. It was just like the time when I saw that one power terrorist cloaking themselves. A hue of dark violet rays on the layers of the silhouette.

  “There is someone there…”

  “What?” Seraphina is confused and tries to see, “I don;t see anything, how can you see it?”

  That is a good question, but I do not know the answer.

  “I don’t know how, but I know one thing. This is the same thing as the time that one of the attackers were about to stab you right before I saved you.”

  “Just before you inappropriately grab me…” She iterates her own interpretation…

  “C’mon, you can’t just see it that way. I have no time to get between the attacker and you so-”

  “Shush!”

  She stops me from speaking any further and listens to the very quiet muttering.

  The mysterious being began to speak

  “...Yes I have infiltrated the area…”

  A few mutters of sound replied to the stranger's answer.

  “It seems that I’ve found the two who intercepted squad C by mere coincidence.”

  Hearing “squad C” and “found two people” relating to that occurrence, could only mean bad omens coming our way.

  “Are they talking about us?” I inquired.

  “It appears so and they have already found us.” Seraphina replies.

  “Shit, how are we going to deal with this?”

  “Quiet, I got this…” Seraphina walks out of being hidden and comes forth towards the spy even though she cannot see them.

  “...I will give you the report after I check on a few things…” She pauses but then replies, “The meeting? ...Yes sir I will be there as you ordered- ”

  “Hey!” Seraphina conjures the bow with her [mana tablet]. “Get out of hiding and reveal yourself!!!” Seraphina still cannot see the spy's aim in the general direction with her coal-like bow.

  Not a sound was made as she stands there with a weapon in hand trying to find the invisible being trying to make a bluff of being able to see the spy, even though she cannot see it in the first place.

  Seeing with my own perception, it appears to be not as the stranger still has not moved an inch. I was going to tell her that she was not going to fall for it.

  But as I was about to say it, the spy stands, and a tint of dark essence fades out and appears right before Seraphina.

  The appearance of this person surprises me as it is a female clothed in black tight armor fit enough for stealth and agility. layered on the suit padded with a combat vest and shoulder guards. Her face is covered with a black helmet that the shape looks a bit similar to that of those power-terrorists, but the only difference is that it does not have the lens but a faceless visor.

  “Well… seems like I’ve been found out.” the woman said in disappointment.

  “Looks to be that way…” Seraphina replies with confidence. “I suggest you should surrender!”

  She seemingly raises her hands as a sign of resignation. “You got me… I’ll just slowly lower myself...”

  This is too easy. I thought to myself as I surveyed the area and what I saw was a faint, very obscure, so minuscule circular line of darkness around Seraphina. This is a trap!

  “Sera, watch out! move out of the way!” I yelled at her trying to help.

  “Huh?!” She looks down at her and sees the dark circle becoming more apparent.

  The spy noticing us seeing her scheme clutches her hand closed, and as she does it, the circle starts to envelop all over Seraphina that was about to be devoured by the void. But with a quick reaction, she jumps backward and in midair attempts to fire a flaming arrow at the enemy.

  But just as it hits her, her entire being dissipates?!

  “What the?!”

  Before Seraphina could say anything, something became latched onto her left leg and forcefully fell out and rammed onto the ground. She yelps as the impact of the fall has damaged her quite significantly.

  That was not over yet, still being latched on, she is then dragged further into the alleyway. Since I was still hiding beside a wall, I ran towards her and pulled out my tablet and it became the emerald spear. I then use the sharp point of the weapon to quickly cut whatever it was tied to Seraphina. That appears to be a sort of rope, actually, more like a whip, that was easily cut with my weapon to stop her from being pulled.

  “You alright?” I ask while pulling her up from the ground.

  “Urrh… yeah I’m okay…” She grunts while standing up. “But don’t call me Sera, ever.”

  The whip without the tip drags back in the direction of the now visible spy as she decloaks herself of darkness. She effortlessly wraps the whip around her hand and steps a bit closer to us as she is in a stance ready for combat.

  “So there was the other one… how lucky I am.”

  “You are outnumbered, I still give you the chance to give up, or else it's gonna end very terribly for you.” Seraphina stretches the string rearing in another arrow.

  Wait, is she referring to me as the second? Even though I’m untrained?

  The spy chuckles but continues to talk, “That is not a choice I could take, but maybe you two should surrender instead. My superiors would like to have a nice chat with you.”

  “We’ll see about that!” Seraphina replies with vigor.

  “Well, that is a shame,” he readies the whip as the sound of a crack is made from the release of her weapon. “Then so be it!”

  In perspective, it is pretty much two versus one. Three Mana-adepts, which appear to be seen as she was able to use dark affinity spells. Nevertheless, I and Seraphina are against the elusive dark user.

  I point my spear in a defensive position as I, an inexperienced fighter, would once again get involved in a deadly scenario.