To the south of Netherlands, inside a tall skyscraper with glassy outlines, Ferlan stood behind the window of his dark office, staring outside at the endless city glowing with a flood of colors.
His eyes—purple and cold—gleamed with trouble.
Behind him—where his desk stood—a little white skinned girl with white hair crouched on her knees in front of the desk.
Her tiny frame shivered slightly, eyes and pursed lips twitching as beads of sweat rolled down her face, fingers gripping the hem of her dress tightly, chills from the tense office seeping into her spine.
Ferlan sighed, bringing a hand to his face.
"He's still alive isn't he?" He asked with his voice low.
The girl froze for a moment, eyes going wide before she started shaking again—a little more intense than the first.
It was that low, calm voice that scared her the most.
She gave a small, nod. "Y- yes. Y- young lord." She answered, voice tiny and shaky.
Ferlan's hand slowly lowered from his face to his side as he turned, walking around the table, approaching the little prori-tandemon.
"Among all the demons under my command, you're the most adept at suppressing your dark energy so it can't be felt,
erasing your presence, and using your shadow ability to the fullest... not to mention your childlike appearance."
He stopped in front of her, going down on one knee.
"Which makes you perfect for deception and assassination. And that's why I chose you. I never thought you'd fail."
The girl's jaws clenched tight, sweat falling drop by slow drop on to her dress.
"I-I'm sorry... Y-young lord." She stuttered, trying so hard to avoid eye contact with him.
She could feel Ferlan's gaze tearing into the depths of her soul.
"Who was it?" Ferlan asked, moving one hand to lift her chin, locking gazes with her. "Tell me... Who got in your way?"
The little demon's breath hitched as she caught his gaze, lower lip trembling slightly.
She opened her mouth to speak... but no words came.
She tried again...
Still, no words came.
Then she gulped, trying hard not to tear her gaze away.
Her lips parted, voice coming out tiny and broken. "It... It- it was... them... from the academy... the masters."
Silence descended in as Ferlan took in her words, eyes closed as if wondering which masters they might be.
He got up on his feet, opening his eyes. "I see. Them again, huh?"
He sighed, turning to walk around the office desk.
The girl gave a small sigh... part relieved.
But Ferlan stopped halfway around the desk as he glanced back at her.
She stopped breathing altogether she felt his eyes on her again.
Maybe it was too soon to be relieved.
"Don't worry. I won't kill you."
Ferlan's words cut through the silence, causing her to quickly look up at him, eyes big and hopeful.
"It was my fault..." He continued. "For not thinking ahead. And also..."
He paused, raising one hand as dark energy swirled above his palm. "Killing you would be a waste."
As he said that, a dark burning aura seeped out of the demon, rising and engulfing her in continuous waves.
The girl groaned from inside, clawing her nails at the floor as multiple tearing sounds were heard... like numerous rubber bands snapping continuously.
The darkness circulating on Ferlan's palm palm started shaping up, forming into a little girl figure—one that looked exactly like the demon.
The figure then deformed rapidly into nothingness—
Then started reforming again and refining.
The girl's groans burst into agonizing screams as bone cracking sounds accompanied the tearing sounds.
Seconds rolled by, stretching into minutes as the sounds echoed—bouncing off the walls.
But surprisingly, nothing could be heard from outside.
Not even the person right behind the door.
It was like there was some sort of sound blocking barrier set up inside.
Inside, the screams were starting to die down and so had the any other sounds.
The dark energy engulfing her had thickened exponentially.
Little by little, the energy started absorbing into her as the figure inside slowly rose to her feet.
The thickened dark energy continued to absorb into her as her form was kept unveiling.
First off, her height had increased considerably—like a middle height woman.
More energy absorbed to reveal smooth white toned skin with white glossy waist length hair.
Her small frame stretched into that of a young woman.
The dress she'd worn as a child had become far too small, barely reaching her thighs and straining from the sudden change in her physique. She instinctively crossed her arms over herself, a faint flush creeping onto her face.
She now possessed a presence that demanded attention the moment she appeared.
She looked like a goddess out of an ancient legend.
She crossed her arms over her chest as if trying to shyly cover herself.
And she was slightly flushed.
But upon all of that, her lips slowly spread out into a mischievous smirk.
"Young lord. I am truly grateful for this wonderful gift." She said, voice calm and hypnotic.
She held out one hand—the other still crossed over her chest...
Then clenched her fist. "So this is the power of a sindemon. It's nothing compared to the worthless prori-tandemon I was moments ago."
A sinister purple aura started leaking out of her as her eyes gave a dark purple glow.
Her smile widened as the energy oozing from her grew thicker.
Her shadow suddenly stretched out, dividing into several linings on the walls behind her.
And each shadow had on some sort of evil smirk.
Ferlan shifted from his right foot to the left one, bringing one hand to hold his chin.
The timid child who had entered the office was gone.
In her place stood a woman whose beauty concealed an unmistakable danger. Even her smile felt like a carefully laid trap.
A menacing grin spread crawled up his lips as he stared at her. "Nice... Nice, nice."
He nodded. "You truly have gotten stronger. I can tell that much..."
Then he tilted his head. "Not to mention your figure... Far more effective.
True, most people can't ignore a cute little girl... But sometimes... beauty can be an even deadlier weapon.
With a transformation like this, deception and assassination just got easier."
The demon went on her knees with her head bowed. "It's all thanks to your blessings my lord. Words cannot express my gratitude.
This is just the most wonderful gift I've ever received in my insignificant life. I will do everything I can to meet your expectations."
Ferlan turned around, walking to the window. "I'm looking forward to it. As for now, you may leave... Aria."
The demon—Aria— lifted her head to look at him. "Yes young lord."
Then—her frame suddenly dropped into a shadow, disappearing out of the office.
Ferlan stood, watching outside at the peaceful night.
A chuckle escaped him before he could stop it.
He brought a hand to his face as he kept chuckling.
His eyes glowed a dark purple color. "Foolish warriors. You think you can protect him?" He whispered, staring outside into the distance.
"Let's see how long that will last?" As he ended, he burst out into a maniacal laugh.
His voice rang out, sounding throughout the room.