Ch3.Unraveling pages
Chains rattled in the cold, and the play of convoluted milky eyes dominated the vast black box. Where unto dance slowly, absurdly, and awkwardly the Pallid Man, whose fate was to forever hang, and be confined within the dark where no light reaches, and no souls may stray.
The shackles of the divine and the bindings of the infernal alike, eroded in the climbing presence of one whose name must not be known, whose name must not be said, whose name must be buried and forgotten. And yet, here he was, sensing the weakness of the seals and locks placed upon him by countless deities and demons alike, the ancient evil did not let this opportunity slip by.
The realm shook, and the myriad milky eyes upon the ground, walls and ceiling welcomed and celebrated their master in twisted unison. The glee was short-lived, as with every pull the restraints recalled their purpose, and tightened around the body of the hanged man.
If one looked closely enough, they could discover a slight hue of relief in the reflection of those twisted eyes, and it would forever question the authenticity of their joy.
Still, even now when the shackles returned to their intended place, he could feel it. They were not unsurmountable as before. They were not inextricable as before. They were battered, brittle and weak, and yet, they still held fast against his raging fury. He could still not overwhelm the bindings of old, but the day would soon come, where the One sentenced to oblivion rises again.
(…)
"Hi-yah! Hi-yah! Hi-!"
The blows delivered by the training sword made the poor puppet quiver, and with each strike a new —seemingly insignificant— dent formed on the wooden surface. Evelyn wiped away her sweat, and huffed and puffed, staring intently at the result of her actions. Though, the cuts were shallow, they were deeper than they were before, and though this would not be enough to best the knights who show-cased their experience in the art, she was on a good road to becoming a great swordsman.
"Eve! Eve! Hurry! Nabe is here!"
Ronald a painfully general kid with dirt-brown hair, and brown eyes, shouted after her, as he jogged outside the yard, and went to the front to meet the attraction that caught so many kids by surprise.
Nabe, a magic caster of an Adamantine adventurer group, nay, not any adamantine group however, but of Darkness which reached this privileged position with only two members, was here to show and hopefully teach some magic to the orphans who show any aptitude in the mysterious art.
Naturally, it was many kids dream to learn magic, fly in the sky, and conjure fire out of thin air, however Evelyn was more interested in the way of the sword, and the physical arts. That said, she could understand how useful magic could be, not long ago she was also faced with the truth, if she had magic, she would've been able to help more, and maybe that man would no longer be in-pain.
Not everyone was born equal in this world. Talents were what set some apart. Talents were a privilege in this world, and it could be the difference between a lavish and an indigent life.
It was an unsaid phenomenon, but Evelyn was not stupid. She had noticed how the children were ranked based on their skills, and future potential, and indeed they were given different treatment.
Discrimination was a common practice here in the orphanage, even though the Golden Princess had financed the foundation of such a great institute, it was still not without its faults. This Evelyn knew well. A talent was a special thing, and not many people had them, even fewer possessed multiple.
And they were invaluable, although, a talent alone could not guarantee an easy life, after all, the possibility is always there that the Talent itself is useless, for example a Talent for improved eyesight would do nothing if the person was born blind, or a Talent for enhancing summoning if the person in question was not a summoner, and he may never discover his Talent in the first place. Indeed, it was an unfair world, but there was nothing that could be done about that.
She cleaned up and changed her training clothes before heading outside the orphanage.
There was quite a crowd already gathered around the famed beauty, and she could see why Nabe was considered an unrivaled prodigy. She was so young, and yet she could already cast 4th tier magic, maybe even 5th tier, considering how easily it seemingly came to the girl.
Evelyn had to admit, the way the lightnings danced inside her palms, and how they shot out into the sky was mesmerizing, and if her mind wasn't already dead-set on becoming a great swordsman, she may have been tempted to pursue magical might instead.
"-oh, Eve, you here! What took you so long? " Ronald asked, moving to grab a hold of her, intent on leading her closer to the action. There were many children around the duo, and they were not keen on getting pushed behind.
"What are you doing?"
"Hey! Watch it! I'm talking to you!"
"Ronald?!"
"-shhhh- stay quite."
"Come Eve. Let's get a closer look!" He winked reassuringly, but the gesture was lost on her, nevertheless Evelyn eventually let her friend drag her closer to the spectacle.
And what a spectacle it was!
After a few seconds, a dragon made of lightning soared through the skies, and the kids fervently applauded the unprecedented event. None of them have seen a dragon in their lives, but they recognized its shape and form, made of lightning, it only made it cooler to watch.
(…)
Meanwhile within the walls of the orphanage dozens of shadows moved in unison, sweeping every corner and hall, not leaving a speck of dust, or stone unturned in search of an answer. A plausible explanation was needed, by the Supreme One's will, they were to find the cause of the earlier disturbance, under the supervision of the Pleiades and the Overseer herself, the shadow demons spread out, and searched, searched, and searched.
CZ Delta stood next to Lupus Regina Beta, while the Overseer strode back and forth in front of the two. While CZ showed no emotions, it was plain to see that Lupus made herself as small as possible, trying her hardest to avoid Albedo's attention as the succubus fumed impatiently in the hall.
Where it is?
What could it be?
Are they a threat to Ainz?
A shadow materialized next to the Overseer and bowed its blurry visage.
{Lady Albedo. We have found nothing out of the ordinary.}
Albedo was not happy. It was an understatement as Lupus could feel her instincts as a werewolf to flee flair, and the hairs stood on her back as she anxiously waited for the Overseer to make her move. She was reasonable, most of the time… given that the matter at hand didn't concern the safety of Ainz Ooal Gown, she shouldn't be this outraged, however the Werewolf-Queen knew better than to ask such a truly worthless question. It would only bring pain, and nothing else.
Lord Ainz's foresight knows no bounds, he must've already thought of this possibility, and adjusted his plan accordingly. There was no reason for alarm. Or was there? Now the red-head wasn't so sure, after all, if they could not solve such a trivial task, how could they be of service to the Supreme One?
The Overseer gave them a look, and it was all they needed to know it's time to leave. Lupus and CZ both teleported away, leaving the succubus alone with the shadow demon in the gloomy hall.
Albedo seethed silently, her hands wrapped around her chest as she twisted her torso, and her eyes took on a mad hue. 'Oh, Lord Ainz! Just what kind of cruel test is this?'
A/N: Review! Thanks.