A/N: Photo of Lucio, but with light purple hair and eyes, and not pointed ears :D

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The Devil.

The only word Zoe had been chanting ever since she started training with Dilinjer. Despite his composed and collected appearance, the healer was capable of unspeakable brutality. She had numerous tutors in the past, but his method of teaching didn't meet even a fraction of their sane methods.

During the first day, he was lenient. He explained that the flow of soul's energy was as simple as the flow of blood in veins and that all its power was released from the heart. It occurred naturally and with proper training, it could be controlled. For her to perfectly visualize the flow, the healer made her read books on the subject of human anatomy, which was a piece of cake since she studied it before.

Later that day, Dilinjer asked her to imagine the flow of blood in her body, coming from the core then rotating in her body. In the course of picturing herself and her blood stream, Zoe ended up dozing off.

That was when he decided to call it a day, but instead of dismissing her, they talked about the things she liked and disliked, which struck her with tons of discomfort and suspicion. She had no idea what was it for until the second day rolled in.

She was forced to wake up even before light broke into the horizon. Things turned for the worst when she was greeted by vegetables at breakfast. According to Dilinjer, the same routine would apply every day unless she passed her first test - concealing the energy of her soul.

"Although Krista and Lucio claimed that they could not detect your soul, still, we should be vigilant because those with the Gift of Sight can see you," the healer said after finishing his breakfast. "We can't tell when would someone from the Royal family visit Esgarya. And with the state of your soul, we would be in a great dilemma if they find you."

"Why is that?" Zoe asked, not breathing through her nose as she swallowed the broccoli. "Is it because I also have a dark soul in me?"

"Yes, and even if your dark energy is temporarily dormant, we should always take extra precaution." He picked up the book sitting on the chair beside him and opened it from the bookmark. "There are a lot of possible reasons as to why they would come after you. One, they would want to have you to gain power over the other kingdoms. Second, they would want to study you, to know how the two elements were able to exist in one soul." He looked up from his book, his face grim and serious. "And believe me, it will be nothing but unpleasant."

Her stomach somersaulted at the thought. She gripped her spoon and fork, staring at the varieties of vegetables swimming in her plate. The sun was still hiding in the clouds, but the market across the store was already streaming with people. Somehow, seeing the lively crowd through the glass door and windows made her feel like a vulnerable deer.

What if a Royalty passed by and saw her?

What if he or she was like the aggressive King Algerone and decided to kill her on the spot?

The last thing she wanted was to die while eating vegetables.

This is too dramatic to be really happening to me, she thought.

Dilinjer flipped the page of the book and said, "The third and worst possible scenario we could expect is the people who would want to kill you. It's possible that the person after you is already out there, somewhere, searching for you. For that person to be able to send trackers through the barrier only meant that he or she is powerful. And going to such extent only means that he'll never stop until he finds you."

The idea of someone planning to kill wasn't new. Being part of the richest and most influential families in the world, she got used to the situation. Although there was not a time when she received a death threat, still, the proposition that someone wanted her dead always existed.

But her new pursuer was different because he or she knew something that she didn't. And perhaps, that person held the answers to her questions. Nevertheless, she doubted that he or she would even tell her. Only one thing was for sure, the mysterious woman and her pursuer must be connected.

Aside from the person after her neck, her mind dwelled on something more alarming. She couldn't bring herself to tell anyone regarding the mysterious woman. She had pondered for some time and wondered if the dark energy belonged to her or to the mysterious woman, after all, she mentioned lending Zoe her powers.

If that was the case, does that mean she wasn't really half light and half darkness?

Yet how could she wield dark energy if she was not part darkness herself?

She scratched her head. 

Thinking about it now wouldn't solve anything, she thought. 

She anticipated to talk to the mysterious woman again, and yet, she hadn't received even a whisper. Everything that happened that day was like an illusion, a dream. Nonetheless, it happened, which means that the mysterious woman was also real. And she would find a way to reach her.

***

Blood, sweat, and tears--from drowsy eyes--were spent and days slipped like sand through her fingers. Zoe couldn't remember when was the last time she walked back to her room for she always ended up fainting from training. Or slept in the midst of it. All through those events, she woke up being taken care of by Elijah, Dilinjer's assistant.

She was a petite lady in her mid-thirties with skin darker than olives and hair the color of sunflowers. Her auburn eyes were narrow and bore calmness and friendliness. But what Zoe admired about her were the freckles along her cheeks and nose, which seemed to multiply each day, yet she wore them with such confidence. It was only a pity that she couldn't talk.

Each night, she was thankful to have dinner with Maevis, to have someone to hear her complaints about eating too much vegetables. The day after their non-stop talking, Maevis began bringing home references for their research. However, before Zoe could even reach the second page of the book, she ended up sleeping. It was a huge change and responsibility she bestowed upon herself. But at the end of the day, she was grateful for being able to move forward, even though it was as small as baby steps.

Then, the day she had prayed for finally came.

She was seated in her usual place at the roof garden - an elevated platform surrounded by pots of miniature fruit trees on wooden racks, all resting beneath the shade of a roof crawling with vines. From there, she could see the point where the vast blue sky meets the colorful city. The noise from the market became her usual company, like a training partner that helped her improve her focus even at the noisiest moments.

Zoe closed her eyes, took a deep breath and rode the rhythm of her surroundings. She imagined a stream of water flowing through her body. Her mind whispered to it, directing the flow. And just like an open faucet, she slowly reduced the current, keeping it to its source up to the point that only trickles coursed through her veins.

CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

Her eyes shot open, then blinked away the blurriness, and brightness of Dilinjer's all white attire. His dark blond hair was a wild mess in contrast with his well-ironed clothes, but for the longest time she stayed with them, she figured that he never owned a comb.

Although he lacked with words of wisdom and forced her to train day and night, there was one thing she liked about him.

"Sensei?" she asked, her brows wrinkled into a frown.

The honorific term slipped through her tongue like silk, for she always dreamed of using it. She couldn't believe that by merely sharing Anime stories things would turn out like this. Even Lucio and Reonan joined the call-me-Sensei madness, and even Maevis wasn't an exemption. For some weird reasons, she started calling her "Zoo-chan".

Dilinjer stepped on the platform and touched her forehead, the heat from his palm didn't help the summer atmosphere. "You finally did it," he said and retreated to his previous position. "Just a little more practice and you will be able to maintain it with less effort."

The warm breeze tickled the nape of her neck dotted with sweat as if pushing her mind to drift somewhere else. "Do you also have wings?"

He stared at her as if deciding whether the training had affected her brain or eating nothing but fish and vegetables for the past five days made her more agog. He sighed, and a faint smile got hold of his lips as he lightly shook his head.

"Only those with the blood of Kairos have wings." He invited himself to sit at the edge of the platform, and Zoe mentally wrinkled her nose from the faint scent of cigarette. "The number of their wings determine the percentage of Kairo's blood in them. Those with a pair of wings have the least while those with four wings have more than fifty percent of her blood. However, there was once with six wings, and based on studies, he had approximately sixty-five percent of her blood, but experts couldn't explain how it became possible."

She wiped the sides of her face with the sleeves of her black T-shirt, and for the past few days, she wore nothing but black all thanks to Krista. "That's . . . a lot of wings."

Dilinjer suddenly seemed so distant as he chuckled, caressing the purple, boxlike fruit. "He was the most promising crown prince during his time. He had everything a man could ever wish for in a lifetime. But despite that, he gave up his powers."

"Gave up his powers? How do you even do that? Isn't it given to you from birth?"

"It's a Royal matter, which is not shared with the public."

"They're so secretive."

And liars, she thought, her mouth tasted bitter at the notion.

"It's for their own protection too," he explained. "Even though they're paramount in terms of powers and other qualities, that didn't mean they don't have any weakness. They are greatly affected by older magics and because of that, they became more careful, for anyone could sell other information to the enemies." He stood and patted some dirt on his pants. "As decades pass, the birth rate of royalties decline, and it's only a matter of time before they are forced to merge with regular Mamorians."

"If that was the case, then why did he gave up his powers?"

"Because of love." Before she could ask another question, he quickly added, "Anyway, you did a great job today." He approached the stairs and picked up a rectangular box wrapped in colorful clothing, then handed it to her. "It's about time you move on from that stage."

"What is this?" She stared at him quizzically, then to the box and back at him, her glances noted nothing but doubt.

The older man simply sighed. "It's your reward for passing your first test."

A genuine smile broke to her face, but deep inside she was ecstatic, flailing her hand all over the place. She untied the knot and was greeted by three layers of a black lunch box. She removed the lid and gasped, her eyes twinkling as she removed one layer after another, her mouth pooled like a pond.

"This..." she trailed off, not able to focus on one food. A wide array of hearty meats, delectable seafood, and exquisite pastries and desserts drowned her nose with delightful aromas which made her stomach roared like never before.

"Enjoy it while you can," Dilinjer said, an evil grin plastered on his face, and her smile faltered. "Your new test will start tomorrow, so we're doing the same routine. Since we can't tap into your dark energy, we would be focusing on using the light energy of your soul as you study the basics of healing."

He plucked a green leaf from the small tree and placed it on the platform ahead of her. He pressed his nail on the leaf, leaving a deep, green dent. "Every living thing has its soul, even the smallest of leaf. The mark I made on this leaf is equivalent to a wound on a person." Then he pinned it on the ground with his index finger. "Healing also uses the basics of detecting a soul, but unlike Arcanists, Healers could only detect souls when we touch a person."

His copper eyes looked up to her, vibrating with years of knowledge. Somehow, it made her feel intimidated. "In healing, you directed the flow of your energy to the part of your body touching your target, in my case, it's my index finger. Now, I'm going to will the energy from my core going to my finger."

For a moment, nothing happened.

"I can sense the increasing amount of energy in my finger. When you had that feeling, command your energy to penetrate through your target and blend with their own energy. This will give you the ability to discern the state of your target and let you find which part needs to be healed."

"How would I know if I actually reached my target and not simply imagining things?"

He sighed for the hundredth time and Zoe realized that he had the same habit as Reonan every time she deluged him with questions.

Was that how adults are?

She wondered how they could stand all her queries, if it was her, she would have thrown herself out of the window a long time ago.

"It's an unexplainable sensation," he said, suddenly looking old because of the shadows beneath his eyes. "You'd know it just like when you know you'd get along with someone from the first time you've met."

Then his finger emitted a faint white light. Zoe held her breath as the rays of light peeled away from his finger and became flakes of almost transparent light, like shards of opaque glass dancing in the air. But as fast as they appeared, the flakes disappeared even before she could blink. And when the healer lifted his finger, the dent was gone.

"That's all for now." He paused, regarding her open mouth with amusement. "I would ask you to take a time off for the rest of the day, but since I'll be visiting the Center today, I decided to bring you along. It would be a good exposure for you."

She swallowed the ball of excitement and bewilderment that tried to escape her. "Center?"

He stroked his mustache thoughtfully as he stepped backward. "It's a place where we, Healers, provide treatment for sick or injured people."

"I see. So it's like a hospital."

"We'll leave when you're done with your preparations." He paused again, contemplating. "And make sure to use the hair dye." She was tempted to ask his opinion about the outrageous killings of red haired people, but the older man leaned closer, the strong odor of cigarette mixed with the heavenly scent of her food. "And dispose all the evidence of your reward and no matter what happens, don't let Reonan see you eating another cake. He'll definitely sulk."

He moved away and might have noticed the mischievous spark in her eyes that was why he added, "Don't even think about it. You wouldn't want to face the wrath of a sulking chef. And believe me, a nightmare is an understatement."

With that, he walked down the stairs, leaving her with a heightened curiosity. 

***

Dedicated to Jeonjungshooked97

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XOXO