Extra Demon: Sacred Academy of Light

"Are you serious?" I looked at Slyv suspiciously, feeling somewhat surprised by her strange request. Honestly, I was expecting something much worse from her. For some reason, I felt it would be far worse than with Violeta. Glancing briefly at my right arm... seriously, the sensation of having your blood drained at high speed is anything but pleasant.

It's like being in a hospital while they're taking your blood, but in my situation, it was much stronger. A small shiver ran down my spine as I still recalled Violeta's twisted smile at that moment...

"Yes? What did you expect me to ask for! I'm not like that!" Slyv's face showed a wounded expression, and she seemed genuinely offended. But I couldn't help it—being Lilith's daughter, I didn't know what to think. Looking at the black leaves in her hands, they were the ingredients I needed, the last thing I was missing... well, that's something I'll have to discuss with Lilith.

Though she said she would be more than happy to help me, I still have to wait and see, step by step...

"Okay, fine, I get it. But to be more specific, what exactly do you want to talk about?" What Slyv asked for was simply an honest conversation, to put it briefly. Honestly, I found it quite curious, but those were her words...

After Violeta disappeared into thin air... a skill that, as I see, is quite common... I'd really like to have that ability—it'd be a great plus for escaping dangerous situations. It's great to have dreams. After she left, I went straight to Slyv's room at her request and brought her some fruit. Her room was twice the size of mine, it smelled nice, and it was quite beautiful, even to me.

Everything was well organized.

"Well... I want to talk about a lot of things, but as my mother told me, you don't have much time, do you?" Slyv pursed her lips and fell silent, thinking about what to discuss...

It was true. In fact, as far as I understood, it was 7 p.m. on a Sunday, and I had a couple of hours left to get to the academy. I didn't want to miss the first day of classes! Even though I had a peculiar relationship with Professor Emilia, she still had to maintain appearances, and besides, we hadn't had much interaction. I didn't feel confident yet that she'd be lenient with me...

"You don't remember me, do you?" Slyv finally seemed to have found a topic to satisfy her curiosity as she asked her first question...

"No," I shook my head. Although it was true that I felt like I knew her, I couldn't recall anything about her, even though everything seemed familiar. I wasn't sure if I should be grateful or upset for not inheriting the memories of the real Arthur. I was still doubtful about it.

On one hand, it would be useful to know what kind of relationship Arthur had with Lilith and her daughter, as well as with Violeta. But on the other hand, it would be a huge problem to deal with conflicting emotions. After all, we weren't exactly the same person...

"Nothing at all?" Slyv asked again. "Nothing at all," I confirmed.

She crossed her arms and pursed her lips, her pink eyes staring at me intently. "That's such a shame. We had a pretty close relationship... you know..." She gave me a flirtatious smile. "I think I know where this is going," I thought to myself, reflecting for a moment. "What do you mean?" It was a rather silly question...Nôv(el)B\\jnn

but still, I wanted to know what she'd say.

"I remember the day when Mom brought you... we were the same age, kids, we were the same height... well, I was actually taller than you by 10 centimeters... we played a lot, laughed, and things like that..." Slyv frowned. "Until my mother started treating you a little differently..." She fell silent. "Wait!

You're supposed to talk more than me!" She snapped back to the conversation, "This is going to be a long one," I thought, lamenting to myself...

*****

"So? From what I can see, you already have everything you need..." Lilith's voice came directly into my mind. It was still a bit hard for me to keep my composure in front of her. Her voice, her entire presence, was a feast for the eyes... I watched her, sitting with glasses on, a pen in hand as she wrote on some papers. "May I?" I asked, gesturing to the chair.

She nodded, "Go ahead."

Sitting in silence... "I've got everything..." I told her directly. She gave me an amused smile, setting the pen down on her desk. Lilith stood up. "I remember you said you were missing my essence, right?" She said, walking toward me. "Yes, it's the main ingredient."

"Perfect," she smiled even more. "The essence of the sin of lust is quite simple to obtain. All the essences of the sins are easy to get—the only requirement is the approval of the sin, of course. So then..."

"What do you want?" I asked, clearly knowing she wouldn't give it to me for free. "I like smart guys. I'm not asking for much; all I want is to watch the process." She picked up a glass and brought it to her lips. "It's not that difficult, is it?"

"For any particular reason?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Demons are incapable of evolving beyond their inherent limits. I've seen it with my own eyes over the years I've been alive. I've done many experiments, but they've always ended in failure. Now, right now, I have the opportunity before me.

I won't miss this moment for anything in the three worlds." Lilith's eyes gleamed, making me feel very small. "Years and years of trials... I hope you're not lying to me, Arthur. If you are, we'll have some problems..." She gave me a small smile, placing her hand on her chest. Her hand passed through her body, and after a few seconds, she pulled it out and extended it toward me.

"The essence of a sin is essentially a fraction of the essence that floats above the soul. Essence is a thin layer that completely surrounds the soul of every living being. The only ones who can manipulate it are the individuals themselves. All this essence does is act as a sort of protection for the soul. For these reasons, it can only be given with one's consent...

here, take it..." Her smile twisted erratically.

"How terrifying..." I thought to myself as I carefully took the thin layer into my hands. "All the materials are complete... the time has come."