"Why do you care?" Lucy coldly retorted, her hand softly pressing on her abdomen.

"Oh I don't care, I'm just curious. Expecting a child is considered a joyful occasion that should be shared with your partner. Almost all races celebrate such an event but here you are, keeping it from him."

Lucy maintained her silence, unwilling to explain the reason behind her secrecy.

"You know what I think? You're afraid that, by knowing the truth, he'll focus more on protecting you and getting you out of here even if it costs him his life. It's just how he is and there's nothing you could say to change his mind. So, you'll only reveal your pregnancy once you two are out."

She proceeded to ignore him as she sat cross-legged and entered meditation.

"Actually, what's shocking me is the fact that you're truly pregnant. You're half-demon half-white specter so the probability of 'it' happening is low but not impossible. The real catch is your husband, a bodiless parasite. Do you know, pretty invitee, that parasites infertile. No matter to what mutated kind he evolved into, he's still a parasite, a being incapable of reproducing."

Her closed eyes slightly fluttered as she listened to Timos. Lucy knew when the unborn baby was conceived, it must've been when they were in the Mountain Ba sword sect as they didn't engage in any sexual activities after that.

"Now let us stop talking about the case and try to foresee the result. A child or a monster?"

When she heard the last word, Lucy's aura exploded, freezing everything around her, clearly incensed by what the Black Devil said.

"Wow, no need to get angry. I'm talking about the law of probability, what will the child be? A quarter demon, half a parasite, and a quarter specter? That doesn't seem logical. There are inheritances stronger than others, for example, demon is stronger than human, specter is stronger than both. As for a parasite's… I honestly don't know. Of course, he or she may turn out to be a human as the soul can be influenced by the parents' souls. In case of the parasite, he recently evolved so I guess when the deed was done, his soul was fully human."

After a brief silence in which he studied Lucy's twisting expression, he resumed: "Though I cannot deny your physical and mental power, it still won't be enough to negate the savage aura lingering in this world. It'll be best to leave before the embryo develops and gets affected. Unlike humans, your pregnancy lasts much longer but it's advised to pass in the safest environment, especially since the father is a parasite, a race that adapts itself to the environment which makes them vulnerable to bad and good influences."

"I don't need to hear an explanation about the cause and the effect. I'm aware of the situation and I know what to do."

Once he finished, Lucy interjected, her face frowning and her aura wildly unstable.

…

Arthur struggled against the violent gales for half a day before it finally stopped, returning the gloomy cave to its eerie silence. His body was covered in cuts, blood oozing from every corner, nonetheless, his high Vitality quickly healing his wounds and recovering all the lost energy.

"It's a shame, really… as the partner of the Dark Blade, your wind proficiency is supposed to be the highest yet such a simple trial shredded your body."

The parasite listened to Timos, his breathing heavy and his body trembling. The gale attacks were peculiar, their physical damage is high but they also seemed to touch his consciousness and hurt his soul.

"The wind attribute is by far the hardest to master. In fact, I once met a young and simple-minded mage who reached perfection in Wind Magic. That idiot was able to cut six of my tentacles. Now, enough of this chitchat, let us start with the Trial of fire."

As his words ended, an unimaginable heat assaulted Arthur, causing his body to profusely sweat.

"You're probably wondering why a simple heat is stealing your Health and affecting you. Your petty resistances are useless against true fire, one that has been around since the beginning of time. Yes yes, the Phoenix, Vermilion Bird, and Golden Crow, do indeed have special flames but they pale in comparison to Dimitra's fire of beginning. The Hell Fire you have is a bit higher-grade than the rest and it's certainly dangerous but you can't control it properly. In a fight, one uses the things he's most good at, whether it's magic or martial arts. Throwing around all kinds of powerful skills will do you no good against an opponent who truly mastered his art."

The dark cave was suddenly illuminated by a fire that rose from the ground, filling the whole place and engulfing Arthur, who conjured a bubble of water to resist the heat. Sadly, the bubble was instantly vaporized and his body was soon scorched by the fire, his hand turned into ash and his legs were slowly but surely disappearing.

"It's common knowledge that Water counters Fire, that is, if they're equal in terms of power. You have no talent in Water manipulation, just seeing you, desperately trying to resist the fire with your weak skills is a truly, truly saddening sight. My dear guest, do you realize it now? Without your precious partner and your Dark Magic, you're nothing special."

Arthur gritted his teeth and created several layers of water barrier then he used the Wind Attribute to push away the raging fire, which dominated the whole place and released low, chilling growls. It looked like any normal fire but Arthur's health pool was drastically decreasing.

Half a day slowly passed and by the end of the Trial, Arthur's body was turned into black ash. Of course, he didn't die and the lost body was quickly recovered by using the White Tiger's special ability which instantly healed a large portion of his Health.

Somehow, someway, after fully recovering, this artificial body created using the Dark Cloud, crumble and shattered like glass, forcefully ejecting Arthur.

"Good, you're in your real form. Do remain like that, we'll start the Trial of Lightning."

Lightning smites evil and counters all kinds of Ghosts or spiritual being. Arthur, being a Soul parasite, is extremely vulnerable to lightning, however, his immunity to this magic guaranteed his safety against enemies that wield thunder. Unfortunately, it wasn't the case this time.

A bright blob of light circled around the dark cave, it seemed restless as it spun around, unable to sit in one place due to some unknown reason.

"In exchange for the Dark Blade, I promised to fairly compensate you and I plan to keep my words. This series of Trials is an ancient ritual us, The Twelve, used on our very first children. Of course, many failed but those who prevailed became legendary figures, such as Zeus the champion. I'm aware that you do not fully trust me, however, dear invitee, do not think that your race gives you an advantage. Just like they have powerful racial abilities, the parasite race have innumerable downsides and the first of them is the severe lack of self-improvement. You rely on your hosts to get stronger which is an efficient method in the short run but, sooner or later, all those who you had left behind will surpass you, beginning from your wife."

*******

"Everything is almost ready."

'X' crossed his arms and let out a helpless sigh as he glanced at the napping Joker, who flinched once he heard his words. Once he saw the Trickster sit up and stare back at him, the blurry-faced man continued:

"The second we open the path, the Black Devil will sense it. He may even break it."

"He won't." The Joker confidently stated.

"W-what? Why?"

"Because he's the welcoming type. The last thing he'll do is push away incoming guests."

As he was unable to hold his curiosity, 'X' asked:

"Anyway, why do you want to go there? I know that Arthur is trapped there but it's not like going there will save him from Timos."

Hearing the talkative X, The Magician coldly snorted and retorted:

"Who said I'm saving him from Timos?"

Facebook

Twitter

Tumblr

Pinterest