Letting out another sigh, Ran jumped down from the tree. “Follow me, we’ll have to see whether this method works or not.”

Without saying a word, Charlotte followed after Ran as they soon left the campus grounds. After jumping over the wall that marked the academy’s territory, they soon entered a wide grass plain that seemed to stretch out endlessly.

“Okay, let’s try this again. Try picturing a flame floating just above your palm, like this.” Ran held out his hand. The mana in the area seemed to react, slowly gathering around his palm, red sparks slowly ignited into a palm sized flame, gently flickering along with the breeze.

“Now you try it.”

Charlotte had carefully observed his actions and tried copying him. Slowly, she began gathering the mana from her surroundings into her palm, but as soon as she went to the next step-

--poof~

For the twelfth time, a black puff of smoke arose from her palm, making her cough several times.

“…it’s not working.”

By now, Ran had already felt that something was seriously wrong with this human. Even an airhead, as long as they had the affinity and mana capacity, they could cast such a simple spell. He wasn’t mistaken; there really were multiple elemental affinities within this girl, but then why?

“This is pointless, why do I even need to learn these anyways? If I want a flame, I’ll just do this.” With a flick of her wrist, black flames effortlessly formed in her palm.

When Ran looked at those flames, he narrowed his eyes, as if deep in thoughts. The flame in her hand, although small, he could feel its blazing heat even from where he stood. What would happen if that thing made contact then? It couldn’t be, right….?

“…You said that all other elements also ended up in failures?” Charlotte nodded her head. “Then, instead of using their respective elements, try materializing them with the dark element like you did with this flame.” There had only ever been three individuals in existence that had ever been able to accomplish this feet. If she really was able to pull this off…

Charlotte quickly caught up to his meaning, yet unaware of the thoughts going through his mind, “If it’s that, I’ve already done it countless times.” To the point she didn’t even remember how many.

“Just do it.” There was something he wanted to make sure of. Maybe he was thinking too deep, but he wanted to make sure nonetheless.

Charlotte rolled her eyes. Without the need to cast any incantations and just a flick of her wrist like before, a pitch black ice sphere emitting a biting cold hovered above her other palm.

“Try hitting something.” Clicking her tongue, without a second thought, she mercilessly shot the black flame in her right hand and the ice sphere in her left hand at him.

--shaaa~

--crack!

In an instant, the place Ran had been standing half a blink ago had been turned into an icy landscape while the other half had been completely burned to ashes.

“You really don’t waste the chance to kill me huh.” Standing- or rather, floating 5 meters above the ground, Ran looked at the place he had been standing not too long ago, his brow slightly raised.

Charlotte lifted her head to look at him and innocently smiled, “Oops, I missed.”

(Damn his annoying speed.)

“What are you cursing at me again?”

“Hmn? What are you talking about?” Charlotte blinked her eyes

“Well, whatever. I’ve already confirmed what’s wrong with you. No, I should have known the moment we formed the contract. I can’t belief I was fooled by your innocent appearance.”

“Hey? You’re speaking in riddles again.” Why did she suddenly have a bad feeling about this? Something wasn’t right with this guy…

“Still pretending?” Ran had a sarcastic smile over his face as he jumped back down, slowly walking closer to her, “Your blood, that taste, no normal 11 year old human child can produce something that alluring to a vampire. I didn’t smell anything on your hands, that’s why I didn’t suspect anything…but what about your soul?”

Charlotte’s face slightly stiffened. What did he find out? To say that he was able to see into a person’s soul, it wasn’t impossible if the other party was weaker than him.

At first, she had decided to keep feigning ignorance, but as the two continued to stare at each other, she knew that he was already certain of something.

The expression she always wore slowly faded away, replaced by a dangerous sharp glare, unimaginable bloodlust concealed in those eyes.

Ran began laughing, his laughter able to make a person’s heart freeze over, “So, I assume THAT is your true appearance? Tell me, who are you really? No matter how I look at it, Charlotte Ionesse, a human barely a decade old growing up in such a spoiled environment, there is no way someone like that can produce such bloodlust that comes from an entire lifetime of slaughtering.”

In an instant, Ran changed back into his original appearance of a silver haired vampire, his tall stature towering over Charlotte’s petite body, a pair of blood red eyes looking down on her from above.

Those eyes, it was those cold piercing eyes that could even make the her from ‘that time’ shudder in fear. Those eyes that she saw in that dungeon, they were like a predator watching it’s pray’s every move. Extremely uncomfortable.

Just like that time, her body unconsciously took a few steps back, but Ran –Cyran Melchior, didn’t give her the opportunity. Reaching out his large pale slender hand, he grabbed her wrist, his other hand gripping her chin, slowly and forcefully lifting it till their eyes met.

“Tell me, who are you?”

His voice sent shivers down her entire body, but her eyes remained steady, as if not knowing the word fear. She didn’t say anything, he continued, “So you can even resist this level of hypnosis. No wonder you always escaped when I tried to use magic on you. I’m curious. If I look carefully, I can still sense a small fraction of the girl’s soul still barely there, slowly being taken over by you, then tell me…did you take over this human’s body, demon?”

There wasn’t a trace of his usual childishness, his grip over her so tight she could feel her bones starting to break. Her heart rate started increasing as she was struggling to even breathe, her complexion becoming pale, then slightly purple.