What the heck happened? My ears had a loud piercing sound. Why did an explosion just set off here and now?

I slowly got up and noticed that Phil was knocked out and bleeding. “Phil.” I shook him. Was he dead? This is not good. Wait...he’s breathing. My fingers were on his neck checking his pulse.

Looking up, I noticed Adriel standing in front of us with a black barrier. He glared towards the incident, where he noticed that his limousine was blown up into smithereens.

Pedestrians were screaming in fear as they were running around. Some were hurt and injured, while others were knocked out unconscious.

Chaos followed behind me everywhere I went. Was Double Trouble really that powerful here on Earth? Back on Torren I wouldn’t get into trouble so often.

“Get up dragon. We need to find shelter now.” Adriel called out. He spoke with urgency.

I nodded understanding what he meant, but Phil’s heavy body was pushing down upon me making it difficult.

“Young mistress!” Coco rushed over and pulled him off. She slung him on her shoulder like a sake of potato.

I couldn’t help but stare in amazement at the amount of strength that she had possessed in such a lean body. I wondered where all that power came from.

“Young mistress, we need to go.” Coco replied in a hurry, she lend me her hand

“Yea...” I reached over and grabbed her extended hand. She pulled me up like I weighed nothing and brushed the dirt off my body.

“Come on!” Adriel shouted. He darted towards the side of the building and headed the opposite

direction of the Host Club.

Coco and I followed as best we could, especially me who was having a difficult time following behind the quick footstep of an elf. My legs were not cut out to be running so quickly in this small childish body.

I stumbled and tripped. Coco grabbed me in midair by the waist and picked me up with her free arm. She was now carrying both of us without even falling behind.

We ran through the side of many buildings, jumped over fences, and even crossed a stream. Not once did Coco fail to follow behind Adriel. He stopped in an abandoned building. Coco gently placed me down and dropped Phil onto the ground with a loud thump. I felt a little bit bad for Phil, but luckily he was asleep.

Adriel leaned over towards the side and looked out the broken glass.

“Were we followed?” I asked. Wondering what was going on outside.

Adriel turned around. “No.”

I sighed with relief, dropping on the floor. I pulled up my leg and wrapped my hand around it. “What just happened? Why did your car blow up?”

“I expected this to happen.”

“What are you talking about?”

Adriel spat. He leaned against the wall and slid down onto the ground.

“You know what’s going on.”

“Shut it dragon.”

“I have a nam-”

Coco blitz towards Adriel and aimed a deadly knife at his throat. Adriel didn't flinch a single bit and instead glared down at her like she was some kind of bug. All I could do was gulp. Any minutes now I swear I would see blood being spilled between the two. Where did the courage come from anyways? He’s a Demon Lord for crying out loud. I swear that Coco was fearless.

“Um...Coco.”

“Yes, young mistress? How should I cut this ruffian’s to pieces? Skin him alive? Gut him? Break every piece of his bones? Or maybe I should slowly skewer him.” Coco’s gaze had a piercing blood lust.

I need to be really really careful around Coco. Right now her words and looks don’t match. A fearless beauty that could kill with just words alone.

“Keh.” Adriel smirked. “Kahahahahaha!” He burst out laughing and threw up his hands.

“What’s so funny scum?”

“Nothing. I just never thought I would see such words come out from a beautiful lady.” Adriel pushed the knife away from his neck. Blood seeped out of his fingers. Coco was pushing back with all her strength, but even still she couldn’t budge from Adriel’s power.

“What? How?” Coco gritted her teeth. She wasn’t scared, still.

Adriel broke the knife in half causing her to fall forward. He caught Coco in his arms and smiled. Coco blushed scarlet for a brief moment, her whole demeanor changed and instead gave him a head butt.

Adriel dropped her and Coco twirled out from underneath. She punched him in the guts and sent him flying backwards into the wall. “Ugh!” He fell and slid down onto the ground.

My mouth was hanging open in shock and my hands were unconsciously slowly clapping.

“Hmph.” Coco fluffed her maid clothes.

“Coco, I don’t think that was a wise idea.” Actually, I am cheering for her bravery. I can not help but stare at her in a whole new perspective after today. Even though I already thought of her as an awesome maid, she was spectacular today.

“Young mistress, I believe it was the right thing to do. Hammering in a couple of pegs down this

arrogant elf is something I have wanted to do since the first time I laid my eyes on him.” She clapped her hands to take dirt off.

“Well...”

“Kuhuhuhahahahaah!” Adriel who was down was laughing out loud like it was nothing.

I couldn’t help but stare at him strangely. Was he alright? Did Coco’s hit knock him out of his senses? I was sure that it wasn’t that bad.

“What is with that disgusting laugh.” Coco eyed Adriel with disgust.

“Ah~” Adriel let out a breath and stared up into the ceiling. “I never had any female hit me like that before.”

“He’s a masochist.” I worded underneath my breath. Even Coco heard what I had said and nodded.

“Quite a refreshing feeling.” Adriel pushed back his hair and got up as if nothing had happened. “For your excellent performance, I’ll tell you what is going on.”

So he knew. I couldn’t help but wonder what he had to say.

“It seems that Rei has found out that I tricked him.”

“Rei?” Coco asked, she turned towards me confused.

“A past Titan.” I mean yea, I was waiting for Rei to find out sooner or later.

“A Titan?!” Coco's voice went up an octave shocked. “How is it possible there shouldn’t be more than one legendary Creatures out for another thousand years.”

“Well that’s a bit of a different story. He has lost his power.”

“How?”Coco asked, she wasn’t quite believing what I had said.

“I don’t know. All he said was that he was sent here and inhabited a human body.” I replied, knowing full well that wasn’t the best answer. I didn’t really understand it either.

“That is unheard of,” Coco thought it over. “Young mistress, I was wondering.”

“Yes?”

“Where are we? I don’t understand how the Forgotten Forest is connected to this strange area? Everywhere I look I have not found a single tree. I am sure that we don’t live next to a strange city like this.” Coco looked around, realizing now that she wasn’t back “home”.

“Well...” I was wondering how I should explain it to her. Even I didn't understand how she made it to Earth without going through the portal that the Light Goddess had created.

“You’re not in Torren anymore.” Phil was awake. He brushed his hair back.

Everyone turned towards Phil. The blood was gone, he massaged his head and looked at each one of us, confused.

“What are you saying? This is the world of Torren isn’t it?” Coco asked, trying to understand everything.

“No.” Phil said.

“W-what?”

“It’s Earth. I don’t know how you got here, but Don, Berry, and I have been here for over a week now.”

“I knew I felt something strange about this world.” Coco spoke. “I got the feeling that the magical energy in the air is stagnant and weak. I could barely even summon my magic until I got closer to you young mistress.” She grabbed a hold of my hands and her eyes were twinkling in joy.

“As one would expect to be near a dragon,” said Adriel. “It’s no surprise your magic would work more efficiently when you are near her. She’s a walking talking magic conductor. Every pore of her body filters and cleans the magic around her. That is what a dragon of this world is like.”

“Wait,” I held up my hands, confused. “Is that why the others want me?”

“Yes.” Adriel shook his head. “It took you this long to understand your predicament?”

“Well, it didn’t quite click yet.”

I didn’t understand fully until now. To be considered, one of the magical creatures that brought magic back into this world was unexpected.

“Wait, you were kidnapped? How?” Coco asked slowly. Baffled that her precious master was kidnapped. She started to simmer while thinking about me getting kidnapped. I was a bit worried that she would be blowing up in outrage, but she was still holding it in pretty well.

“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “If I knew I would have found out by now.”

“Dragons and magical creatures on Earth had been hunted down for generations by the humans to collect their magical abilities. We were hunted down to the brink of extinction till the last century when the last living dragon sacrificed her life to protect all the magical creatures. Her power created a special illusion cast upon the magical race and hides us from the humans' presence. In the past, our bones, skins, and body are used to fuel these powerless humans for their own benefits.” Adriel spat onto the ground. His voice was filled with hatred. “Though there were a few who had fallen in love with a human." His eyes went towards Phil, " and people like you were created.”

“I wouldn’t say, love. More like an experiment.” Phil stated back, not really believing in the love stories.

“Experiment?” His words made me question what Phil went through in life. Was there something more sinister working behind Phil’s past?

“My father fell into the trap of sweet elvish words. The arranged marriage between different species was to see if the two species could produce a powerful child. He was the best court magician in the Dragon Kingdom, and my mother was the Holy Maiden.”

“That is sacrilege!” Adriel stormed. “Why would the elves allow such heinous acts between a Holy Maiden. Once a Holy Maiden has been defiled, she is no more a Holy Maiden.”

“Exactly,” Phil spoke. “The elven elders ruled that the old Holy Maiden to step down from her power and allow the new and young Maiden to take her place. It was all a political game for them. My mother could’ve stayed in the seat for another one hundred years just fine, but the old crooks instead took it a step further and tarnished her name.”

Phil gripped his hands tightly, rage setting in. He still spoke calmly. “They ruled that she was unfit and unholy enough to be called the Holy Maiden any more. So they arranged for my mother to marry into the family of the court magician. It was a great event between the kingdom; the best human magicians around the world competed to wed the Holy Maiden. My father was the one who won the tournament, and the marriage was set. The union between the two species had finalized the treaty.”

“So, did everything go, alright?” I asked.

“I was conceived, and my mother lost all her powers. On that fateful day, both my parents were killed by a large scale invasion of monsters. My grandmother saved my life and took me away.

The elves didn't send reinforcement as promised, and instead, the humans fought them back. Eventually, they won, but the King threw my grandparents aside, blaming us for the union's failure. We have lost land, power, and even honor from that fateful day. Both turned their back on us as if we were a piece of trash.”

Phil went silent.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, unsure to say.

“Don’t be. I don’t have a single pledge to either kingdom.”

“That story sounds quite fantastical for the elves to give up a Holy Maiden so easily. We would fight with our teeth and body if our Maiden was given away so easily.” Adriel replied snarling.

“There must be something more sinister going on if such acts condoned.”

Phil thought about what Adriel had said.“I never thought of it like that.”

“I see now why I felt such a strong Holy energy from you.” Adriel looked at Phil up and down, taking a good scan of his magical energy.

“Either way, Rei is hunting us down. We need to quickly get out of here and back home.” I said, knowing that staying on Earth was a lot more troublesome than I wanted. It saddens me that I had to leave.

“Rei? The Titan correct?” Coco asked.

I nodded. People who didn't entirely catch Coco’s attention, she would usually forget really quickly.

“He’s hunting us down.”

“Hunting?” Coco said, confused, but I could tell that she didn’t have it. She bristled, showing off a bit of oppressive magic, telling us that she was angry. “I’ll show him what a hunt is.”

“Kahahahaha.” Adriel burst out laughing, pulling his hair back. “A horse maid going out to hunt? I find that truly fascinating.”

I had to completely agree with Adriel for once. Seeing Coco hunting down a criminal was a strange sight to behold.

“Truly, you are a fascinating creature. I would like you to join my house.” Adriel blatantly spoke. He took a few steps towards her to scrutinize her.

I couldn’t help but feel that Adriel wanted something from Coco. It was just a gut feeling as I watched the two.

“No.” Coco flat outspoke. She crossed her arms and looked the other way. She turned around and walked towards me. “Young mistress, are you feeling better now?”

“Yes. Thank you.” I replied, a bit uncomfortable in Adriel’s stare.

“Are you sure about that? I can treat you with wealth and riches.”

“Young Mistress, what would you like to eat today? I’ll make something good when we find a safe place to rest.” Coco spoke with elegance. She didn’t even turn towards Adriel.

“Hey! Are you listening to me?”

“Well, I would like some apple pie,” I said.

“I will gladly make you some apple pie, young mistress.”

“Stop ignoring me!” Adriel stormed over and grabbed Coco by the shoulder.

It happened in the blink of an eye. Coco grabbed hold of Adriel’s hand and did a perfect shoulder throw. With a loud thump, dust puffed into a small mushroom cloud as Adriel was on the floor in pain.

Oh, my god.…This is the second time that Coco flawlessly injured Adriel without a care in the world. At this rate, she might actually die.

“Coco...” I mumbled, unable to say anything. I felt a harsh energy coming from Adriel himself.

“Don’t worry, young mistress, he is just a puppy that does not know his place. A bit of training, and he will become a wonderful dog.”

My mouth fell open. She just called him a puppy. Wow.

“You truly are a maid worth having. I like that.” Adriel got up, not hurt at all. “I want you more and more.”

“I decline.”

“That’s too bad. One day you will work for me.” Adriel spoke with confidence.

“I decline indefinitely.”

“There is always another day.” Adriel patted his shoulder as he got up.

Silence followed after, making all of us uncomfortable.

“What are we going to do? We need to get back to the Blue Host Club by tomorrow.” I spoke out, trying to diffuse this uncomfortable atmosphere.

“Don’t worry, we are less than a day away,” Adriel said.

“That’s good to hear, but what about Rei? He’s on our backtracking us down every second.”

“Don’t worry about him. If my intel is correct, he can’t find us easily with me being near you.” Adriel said confidently. He walked towards the door and stopped in front of it. “We should leave now.”

We followed and continued outside, there weren’t many people walking about at this time. There were only a few scattered people walking about. We walked through the streets, making our way to the train stations as we boarded.

“What is this?” Coco was staring around in excitement. Her inner child was brimming with happiness as she looked around like it was some kind of new toy.

“A bullet train,” I spoke, taking a seat. I was glad to be off the road.

“We don’t have one of these back at home,” Coco replied, she brushed her hand on the seats, realizing that it was kind of soft.

“Yea, they are a bit more difficult to make.” I really didn’t know much about engineering. I might have to consult or find someone who could when I get back. That would be amazing.

“But they are such a cool young mistress. We should take one of those metal contraptions with us back to Torren.”

“That would be a little difficult,” Phil spoke. “The door is not big enough to fit a train.”

“It's called a train.” Coco once again was looking out the window as the train started to move. The loud sounds of metal screaming against each other as the train shook.

“By the way, is there a magic store?” I asked Adriel. I wondered what the Magic Stores were like on Earth. Did they have a creepy feel, or were they more modernized? Possibly they have some underground dealing that I don’t even know about.

“Yes, but not many.”

I wondered what he meant, but Adriel didn’t want to continue on with the conversation. He was too engrossed in trying to figure out how to keep Coco on Earth. I didn’t want him to take Coco with him, so I vehemently denied him.

We eventually made it to our stop. I got up as well as the rest, we waited at the door to leave. With a loud whoosh, the door opened, letting the flow of air through. Stepping out, we got off the packed train.

“Young mistress, please stay close to me.” Coco grabbed my hand.

I swear we look like mother and child while walking through the busy stairs. I felt a bit embarrassed, but I knew it would keep me safe. Coco was a fierce guard.

“This way.” Adriel turned to the right. We weaseled our way through the thick crowds and went into a local mart. He pushed through the employee only sign door, and we walked downstairs.

I couldn’t help but wonder where we were. Was it natural to have a hidden door like this in the building? We blew past the clerk and made our way without showing ID as even the clerk didn’t stop us. It was strange.

Adrien pushed open a metal door, and before us was an ample free space with well-spaced stalls. People from different countries were walking around in regular everyday clothes. Some were in medieval-like clothes that made them look like they came out of a fantasy book as they visited stalls-to-stalls. It was quite magical as I never knew that there was something on Earth. It just wasn't real. I had to wonder if there was someone who would pop up and say that I was punked in a reality T.V show.

“Are we in an underground market?” I asked, hoping I didn’t see things.

“You can say something like that.”

“I never knew such a place like this existed.” I breathlessly spoke, my eyes darting around everywhere, looking at the strange but fantastical contraptions and items that were sold in place. Everything looked like it would sparkle, giving it a surreal experience.

“Not a lot of people do. Only the people who seek out magic can.”

I walked over to a small booth to the right. They were a bunch of little trinkets that were hand made set up to be sold. Looking down at a price I noticed that the prices were in gold, silver, or copper.

“In gold?” I couldn’t help but ask Adriel. Wondering why it didn’t follow the current currency of the world.

“Gold has always been a fixed price. You can not buy things without gold here.”

I walked towards the next booth looking at the charms, and different cultural items and magical herbs that I have never seen before. One of the stalls had a very ominous feel to it. They were small shrunken heads with voodoo dolls hanging on the side of the stalls. Animal skulls and human skulls decorated the exterior of the stalls, the whole scene seemed like a perfect horror movie scene that gave me shivers.

“Is that normal?” I pointed towards the scary looking stall.

“Yes. This is an underground society for selling magical ingredients and items. You can literally find anything here that you would never find on the internet. Sometimes you would find actual items on the web being sold. Normal people don’t know what they usually buy. Most of them are cursed items.”

“Cursed?!”

“99% of the things sold online are cursed items, and there are rare exceptions where it's an actual ancient artifact or items for piratical use. Foolish people think that these cursed items are power items and get their whole life turned upside down.” Adriel seemed pleased. “Usually, only the caster knows what was placed on the item itself, and the rest gets cursed.”

“I’m glad that I didn’t buy anything online. I did see a couple of those cursed items or power items without realizing what it was.”

“Well, quite a bit of them are phonies, so it's hard not to get pulled in by the concept of gaining power. Humanity is sometimes a stupid creature in believing that such things can improve one’s life.” Adriel scoffed; he wasn’t so thrilled in humanity.

“I was wondering if you sell magic stones here,” I asked, hoping if I could buy up the magical stones in this world. My mind was already tinkering with the possibility this could mean if there was.

“Magic Stones? You mean the stones that you have given me?” Adriel quizzically asked, wondering what I had in mind.

“Yes.”

“They do, but there aren’t that many of them.”

“Still, I would like to see them.”

Adriel stood there for a moment, he then motioned me. “Follow me.”

We continued to walk through the stalls. People turned around to take a peek towards us. It made me kind of uncomfortable at the large number of eyes staring. But most of the time, those gazes weren’t directed at me, but at Adriel.

I could see the fear in their eyes as they knew what and who Adriel was.

Adriel took us to the last stall in a dark alleyway. I swear any further, and I fear that someone will come out from the dark and mug us. But luckily, no one did, and we were safe.

Opening a door, Adriel entered first into a small, dinky shop. This shop was different from every small stalls out in the market. It was not dark or spooky, but it did have a rank smell that made me wonder what the store owner was cooking up in the back. At times it would smell like chicken, then move on to something flowery like lavender, and take a sharp turn into a foul egg order.

“What is this wretched smell?” Phil covered his nose.

Even I had my hands over my face trying to block out the smell. The sensory overload was making my eyes water.

“Salvey’s special concoction. Her herbal skill is considered the top-notch out there to this day.” Adriel replied. He was not covering his nose as he just kept walking as if nothing was wrong.

“I’m not sure her concoction will save someone. They’ll probably die if they take a whiff of it.” Phil joking stated.

“I heard that brat.”

An old female’s voice spoke out in the corner of the room. An elderly lady that reminded me of a Native American sat sitting on a rocking chair knitting. She had black hair nicely braided as her eyes were scrunched up, looking at her needlework. Her glasses slipped down for a moment as she pushed it back up. Goldish brown shawl wrapped around her thin body, giving her a more shaman-like feel.

“The smell is the finest quality for energy circulation and helping in opening one’s chi.” She stopped knitting as she looked up.

“Mrs. Salvey. I am pleased to see you here.” Adriel came forward, giving her a graceful nod.

“It has been a while, Adriel. I am surprised that you are walking around in the underground black market so openly like this? Why aren’t you with your black-suited bodyguards like I usually see you with?”

“Well, there have been some problems recently.” He walked towards her and stopped.

“Are you talking about the Anti-Magic movement? There have been some strange rumors that they are on a magical creature hunt.”

“Mrs. Salvey, you have quite the ear.”

“So, it's true,” Salvey spoke with distaste on her tongue at the thought of what Adriel had said. “This is not a good sign. At this rate, war will be upon us. They will pull in the people for their own benefit.” She put her needles to the side as she got up from her rocking chair. ,

“Why should I care for the human race? They have no place on this Earth.”

“Be careful what you say to Adriel. Even if you are one of the few Demon Lords that cull the race of humanity, you should be wary of their dedication.” She waved her fingers in front of him.

“Demon Lord?” Phil asked questioningly. “Him?” Not really believing that Adriel was the actual Demon Lord that brought fear into the people’s heart.

I nodded. Why should Phil be surprised? He’s a sure-fire candidate for one as well.

“Madam. Salvey, you know me. I dare not. I always heed your warnings.”

Madam Salvey examined Adriel with skepticism, taking a good look at him if he was lying. She snorted, shaking her head at him before she continued to speak. “You know something, don’t you.”

“As the Demon Lord of the Asian Region, you have an uncanny hunger for power. Someone like you has an unprecedented bleeding heart.” Madam Salvey got off and walked around Adriel. She tapped a couple times around his arm.

“You got what you wanted.” She looked at me. Slowly walking over. “So, it's you.”

I squeaked. What the heck did she find out that quickly? My hands were rubbing against my arms, uncomfortably.

“She’s too young. Just a pup. Her magic is not even mature yet,” Madam Salvey spoke with a bit of frustration in her voice.

“How do you know I have magic?” I asked slowly, wondering what she really saw with those grey eyes that seem to bore into my very soul.

“What do you mean, how? Your body is giving off such a high purity of magical energy that I can feel it a mile away. There aren’t that many people in this world that can sense your magical energy. I believe there are only a handful that can tell that you are not human.” Madam Salvey clucked her tongues. “I have met many magical creatures in this world. From the elves, demon lords, a unicorn, wolverines, and many more that would make you shudder in your sleep. But something about you is completely different from the many magical creatures I have met. What are you?”

“Well...” I wasn’t sure if it was even a good idea to tell everyone what I was. I was being hunted down. Right now, the best way to escape from this predicament was to go back to Torren and come back to Earth in another time when things actually settled down here.

I couldn’t help it. I was a selfish person who wanted to live one more day. This whole journey of stinking close to Phil and reform him in a positive direction of not turning into a Demon Lord was because of my own selfish motives. I wasn’t some saint that goes around saving people’s lives.

“She’s a dragon.” Adriel just casually spoke, breaking the silence that was in the air.

“Are you out of your mind? I thought it wasn’t wise to bluntly tell what I was.” I almost shouted so loud that my voice cracked. I glared at him for giving away my secrets.

“You're fine.”

“How am I fine.” I stomped my feet, shaking my fist at him. “You just told someone what I am. Words travel fast, you know!”

“Madam Salvey is a magical creature herself.”

Adriel’s words struck me. “She is?” I mean, really? She looks like an old wrinkly lady.

“Your face states that you don’t believe in what he said,” Salvey spoke. She waved her hand to the side, and her whole appearance changed. She turned into a majestic deer with a horn on her head. Her body was covered with green scales, and even her mane and tail were covered with light blue flames.

“She’s a Kilin,” Adriel spoke for her, gazing at her with great respect. He once again gave her a respectful bow.

“A what?” I couldn’t help but ask because there were so many different magical creatures in the world that I didn’t know what she was.

“In the east, they are creatures of wisdom and purity. They are the closest thing to a unicorn.”

“A unicorn?!” I stare with gaping jaws. “Wait, I thought unicorns were white horses.”

“There is more than one type of unicorns roaming around Earth. The Unicorn you speak about is the Unicorn of purity that lives in the West. You will find such creatures, mostly in Europe and some in the United States. Kilin’s are more prominent in the eastern cultures.” Salvey spoke. Her voice was like a chime that tickled my ears. “My kind are record keepers and guardians of Earth. There are not many of us alive today, so we stay hidden in a human form.”

“You look so beautiful in your creature form. Why did you change yourself into an elderly form?” I couldn't help but ask. I had a feeling that she was probably beautiful in her younger form.

“Why, you ask? Because hunters do not set sight on someone who looks weak and feeble like me. I do not have such power as a Demon Lord or a Dragon. I can hold on my own, but still, if too many come to hunt me, I can only do so much.” Salvey said.

“So, this was how you were hiding all those times.”

“Yes. I lived over five hundred years, and I am still in my prime.”

“That’s quite amazing to look so old like you. It really hits the spot, doesn’t it?” Adriel chuckled with a mischievous grin.

I swear Demon Lords are all ballsy and crazy. He literally said the taboo word that all males should be careful about saying. I already was doing a solemn prayer for a swift death to Adriel.

Madam Salvey lowered her horn and trotted slowly towards Adriel. Her eyes gleamed dangerously red like a madman.

“Madam Salvey, your horns are dangerously sharp. I believe it would be best that you don’t aim such dangerous things towards someone like me.” Adriel raised up his hands and was stepping backward.

Madam Salvey’s horn glowed pure white, and electric-like energy burst outwards, causing Adriel to flinch. Even Phil was moving out of the way and dragging me to the side.

“Adriel, you still have not learned a lesson, have you?”

“Madam, please be careful where you are pointing such a dangerous weapon. You know it was a joke, right?”

I was having a blast at how Salvey was pushing the Demon Lord around that I couldn’t hold back in a chuckle.

“A joke, he said.”

“Please, Madam!” Adriel was sweating so hard that I swear I could see him cringe from fright. This was truly a spectacle to see someone like Adriel on his knees, begging for forgiveness.

“Forgiveness? I heard it the last time.” Without any mercy, Madam Salvey sent out a shockwave of light energy electrocuting Adriel.

Every single fiber of Adriel’s hair stood up like a porcupine. I couldn’t hold back a burst of laughter at the ridiculous sight in front of me. Adriel fell face forward onto the ground.

“A Kilin.” Coco's eyes were sparkling as she looked at Madam Salvey with interest and great respect. It was as if the two understood one another without speaking.

“What are you?” Madam Slavey trotted over towards Coco. “I get a faint feeling of fire energy from you.”

“I am a proud race of a Blood-Horse.” Coco stood up straight and proud.

“A horse. Interesting. Not the usual kind too.” Madam sniffed around Coco. “Quite a unique smell of magic too. I can tell that you are quite strong.”

“Thank you.” Coco bowed.

“What about you?” Madam looks towards Phil.”Not wholly human but has a similar smell and scent like Adriel. A half-elf?”

“Yes.” Phil didn't budge; instead watched what Madam Salvey would do.

“Not only that, but you also have quite a large range of magical ability. I say one day, you will rival Adriel here.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.”

“I learn something new every day,” Phil said, satisfied.

“Now then.” Madam Salvey changed back into her old lady form. “What is it that I can help you with?”

“I was wondering if you have any Magic Stones for sale?” I asked.

“Magic Stones…” Salvey rubbed her chin for a moment, “What kind are you looking for. We have crystals for sale that are mined from all over the world.”

“Magic Stones and Crystals are the same?”

“Yes, though we just call them Crystals. Why are you looking for something else?”

“Well, yes and no.” I rummaged in my pocket and took out a Monster Stone. Placing it on the table, Madam Salvey picked it up to examine it.

“What is this?”

“You guys don’t have a Monster Stone?”

“No. Not something like this. What exactly is it?”

“Don't all magical creatures here have some kind of Magic Stones inside of them? Isn’t this what people use to use magic?” I asked, wondering if there was a biological difference between the stones on Earth and Toren.

“There is nothing like that. What we do is use the Crystals to house a spirit of a deceased Magical Monster, though the problem comes down to being able to put their actual spirits in them.”

Wait, so that means the magic on Earth was different in some degrees here as well. Especially the Magic Stones that I've been using in the world of Torren.

“The Magic Stones are pretty cheap to buy depending on what type of crystals you want. Captured Magical Creatures are a lot more pricey.”

“Can I see your collections of crystals?”

“Follow me.” Madam Salvey walked through the beaded door. Upon entering, I saw hundreds of different types of crystals of shapes and sizes on shelves. The whole place radiated with a strange calm power that one wondered how such crystals had so much power stored in something so little.

“You have so many...”

“So far, I have over 1209 different collections of crystal formation around the world. There are plenty more, but what I have on the shelf is what I have now. What exactly are you looking for?”

“I don’t really have anything in mind.”

“Well, are you looking for a way to absorb dark magic? Increase Light Magic? Purify lands? Capture Souls? Do future readings?”

“I didn’t know they were so many different uses for them,” I replied breathlessly as I couldn’t help but gazed upon the crystals with awe and excitement.

“Well, they also have different prices and sizes. If you want something more ‘rare’ or pricey, we got something like an Emerald, Diamonds, Amethyst, and such. Those types of crystals are definitely great for capturing spirits or storing energy. People don’t realize that they unconsciously pour in their own energy into jewelry. That’s why they are different types of ‘feelings’ or ‘energies’ in them. If you ever find jewelry that ‘feels’ angry, you are feeling the past owner’s collective mood.”

“Well, then do you have anything sturdy?”

“I got plenty of sturdy stones: Obsidian's, Emeralds, Rubies, etc...”

“I would like to try the cheapest one.”

“A regular Obsidian.” Madam Savey reached up towards a shelf where a round black ball the size of a fist and plucked it off the shelf. She handed it to me, wondering what I would do.

The smooth surface of the Obsidian reminded me of glass, but when knocking on the surface, my knuckles felt a slight sting, almost like an ant bite. Staring at the Obsidian in hand, I felt an odd draw of dark magic being siphoned into it. Strange faces appeared in the glimmer of the Obsidian as they were crying out in a riot.

Startled, I dropped the Obsidian out of my hand, and Madam Salvey caught it perfectly in midair.

“What the heck was that?”

“Trapped souls.” Madam, Salvey replied.

“How? Why?” I asked, confused, and flabbergasted.

“An Obsidian is a special rock made from the quickly cooling of volcanic activity. It has a hardness level that is not easily broken. Its metaphysical property has a rapid energy storage that sucks in any Dark Magic or Spirits or similar elements into the crystals. That is why you see dark spirits lingering inside the stones because they are not strong enough to break away from the pull.”

“I see.” This was something that I didn’t know about. I once again picked up the Obsidian from Madam Salvey’s hand.

Using my mind, I tried out the skill Coder onto the Obsidian.

Coding Skill can not be used. New Skill has been obtained from Magical Spirit Management.

Magical Spirit Management

A unique ability to manage and control the souls inside the Earth’s Crystals. The user can Capture, Release, Summon Spirits, and Book. Spirit ranges from humans, beasts, and even magical creatures.

To Capture a spirit, one must be more reliable than the Spirit and have an agreement of servitude to be ‘housed’ inside the Crystal. Beware of the spirits that harbor dark thoughts or hatred towards the wielder. The Crystal’s can become contaminated and become a cursed object. Forcefully putting a Spirit into a crystal will cause a bad interaction between the Crystal and the caster.

To Release a spirit, one must say the magic word caste onto the Crystal. Once released, the Spirit will not come back a second time to the same Crystal. When Releasing angered Spirits, the backlash is to be expected. Beware when they are free.

To Summon Spirits, set up special ‘treats’ that the spirits like. Treats are like offerings to the spirits. Find out new ‘treats’ that each Spirit likes.

The Book is a unique storage of summoning techniques for the Spirit. Special procedures and steps need to be used to summon a Spirit. Not all summoning is successful to look into Book, just call out or think “Book.” To close out of the Book, call out or think “End.”

Without further question, I thought ‘Book.”

Book of Magical Spirit Summoning

There are many methods to summon a spirit on Earth. Some steps take specific periods of days and time to summon. Individual crystals that respond to the spirits must be used. The period for a spirit to dwell in a crystal depends on each contract.

Would you like to look through more information in the Book? Please specify a specific genre or keywords.

End. I thought. There was a time and place to study this Spirit Summoning. The skill Coding couldn’t be used in this world, and it made me wonder if that meant other skills cannot be used. I summoned up my status menu to see what had changed.

Name: Berry Drakel

Title: Greedy Gaming Dragon

Race: Dragon

Blessings: Blessing of the Ancient Dragon, Double Trouble, Great Sage, Curse of the Dragons

Abilities:

Torren Magic: Transform, Magic absorption, Metal Manipulator. Ice (Ice Claw, Ice Armor, Ice Bullet) and Fire Magic (Fireball), Coder, Blessing of Adventurers.

Earth Magic: Magical Spirit Management

I couldn’t help but be surprised at the new changes in my status. The Ice Magic had increased by three, and now they were specific magic that seemed to differentiate between two worlds. So it seems that Earth Magic Stones couldn’t use Coding skill though I had to wonder if it was true with Torren’s Magic Stone.

Pulling out a low-level Magic Stone, I willed myself to use the Coding Skill on the Obsidian. Nothing happened.

So that meant the skills from two different words couldn’t work. I wondered why this specific magic I was not able to use. The other skills I think I was able to use. I was not quite sure what the rules in this world were with magic.

“I would like to buy two of everything, if possible.”

“What?” Phil's voice rose up an octave. “How are you going to carry all of them? Wait, are you saying you can do something with these crystals?”

“I think so, though I don’t quite know if I can carry them.…” I pulled out the box where all the Magic Stone was. Opening it up, I dropped the stone into the box. The Obsidian disappeared into the magic box, and a new feature was added. Now I was able to draw out and store Earth’s Crystal.

“Are you going to buy that? I only trade with Gold or Silver currency.”

“Ah...” I just realized that I didn’t have a single money in my name.

“Young mistress,” Coco called out to me. She had a bag out in her hand for me to use.

My eyes brightened at the bag of coins. I couldn't happen enough at how dependable Coco was at such a time. She indeed was an A-plus maid.

“How much would it cost?”

“Six gold coins and four silvers.”

“Okay.” I pulled out the money she asked for though I knew the Draconian coin's purity was the highest. I pulled out three instead and handed it to her to see if it was enough.

“Pretty good stuff. Okay, give me a second.” Madam Salvey started picking out every stone in the shop and placing them on the table. Piles of different color crystals, shapes, and sizes were laid out for me to see.

Coco and Phil stare at the stones with interest and pick up a couple of them to examine it.

“There you go.” Madam Salvey was finished.

I walked over and started putting the crystals into the box. They disappeared in large numbers into an endless void. With the last one placed in the magical box, I felt pleased at today’s profit.

“If you want to buy any more crystals, just give me a call.” Madam Salvey gave me a card with her phone number. I also put the card inside the box for future keeping. “I deliver anywhere, plus I got complete more stores around the world. Visit by, my sisters are running the other shops.”

“Thank you. I sure will.” I smiled. I was happy that I was able to get Earth Crystals. The thought of experimenting with different things excited me.

“I’m glad to see your species back on Earth. You don’t know how long this world needs more push in the magical energy. It’s been so stagnant that it's hard to conjure up magic. Just being next to you is like a fresh breath of air.” Madam Salvey chuckled.

“You make me sound like an air freshener.”

“I do, don’t I? But it's the truth.”

“Well, then let’s go.” I turned towards everyone. “How far away is our destination?”

“An hour walk from here,” Adriel spoke.

“Finally.” I let out a sigh. I hoped that nothing would happen any further, but seriously such thoughts need to be thrown out the window.

“Madam, Salvey!” A young boy rushed into the store.

“What is it, Brad?”

“The Demon Lord Abraxas has descended!” He let out with bated breath, almost screaming out the words in fear.

“What!?” Alarmed, Madam Salvey grabbed my hands, almost yanking me. “Follow me quickly!”

For an old woman, she had quite a pull. I was almost being dragged away by her strength and speed.

“Damn it. I was hoping that idiot would take a bit longer to find us.” Adriel hissed.

“Abraxas!? He’s actually a Demon Lord too?” How many Demon Lords are there even? This was making my head spin. Adriel was one, and I was not expecting to meet another one so soon.

“The worst kind.” Madam Salvey stated. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he kills you on the spot. It will be a shame for someone like you to die so young. Adriel quickly takes her out of here as fast as you can.” She opened up a special door that led to another exit.

“Thanks, Madam. I appreciate your help.” I spoke, glad that she was helping me.

“No problem. I’m glad you brought me someone interesting today. Not just one, but three.” Madam Salvey smiled and waved goodbye before we ran out.

“I promise I’ll come back to buy some more!” I waved back.

“I’ll be waiting.”

The door closed behind us, and we snuck out through the tightly packed stalls.