As soon as Spectrum had mentioned it, I felt my mind blank out and fall deep into wonder.
I knew that the duchess was the owner of the Lion element, and that Lewis had most recently received his Whale element when I had just gotten there. Then there was Henry who was too young to hold onto any element. But one thing that I had never come across, was George's magic.
Because he never quite used it, and the only time that I did notice him using it, was when he confronted Cedric back in the palace. For then, I had been wondering whether there was a way to have two or more stones of the same element. Since I clearly remembered Anasiy having the Cat Element. Now unless what I had stated was true...
"Puppet?" I looked in front of me while trying to catch my breathe. I had come deep into the forest and I knew a way out of here, which would have led me back to the crowded streets. My little elemental animal looked at me with stern eyes and as if I was a criminal at knowledge.
"Don't you know for a fact that somethings like black magic existed?!" It complained while folding it's tiny arms at me. I was in a rather serious mood and I didn't have time to scold it back, so I gripped Spectrum at my side and looked at it.
"Then this sword should have known it too." I answered back while gritting my teeth. I knew I had bought myself some time when I ran away, however... Whatever skill he knew how to use, he surely would know when to come behind me and where I was at. I still couldn't understand what happened to the Lieutenant, but if I wanted to ask him, then I suppose I would need to do it like how I did it before I reawakened.
[What did you want from my Master?]
"Huh?!" I looked at it with utter confusion and complete annoyance. Then, I slammed it to the ground and jumped on it several times. Meanwhile, Puppet watched the scene with a little popcorn bucket of its own.
[Uck! Master! What are you doing?!]
I lifted the menace off the floor and shealthed it in its dirty state. I didn't even care as it complained along about how I was not a good owner and all. And if it were me from the time before I died, then I would have replied a little differently. However, that difference is now going to change the entire game.
[Master! I will–]
"Are you going to kill me?"
[What?!]
"Have you considered one thing in this life, that you without a master is nothing. And you have the audacity to act like you own my mind. Do you really think that just so you happened to save me a couple of times, that you have the right to threaten me? Your master? Just remember that you are nothing without a wielder. If you are to step up your bounderies the next time or any other time after this, I will have you disposed of." I sternly muttered to it, although I knew that it was seriously not going to give my words a mind.
Surprisingly enough, it had turned silent and I started walking towards the direction that I was headed. I tried not to have any sort of confusion and continued the way that my instincts remembered.
"Puppet. Do you happen to know whether one element can be shared with two or more people?" I asked while looking at its direction. I knew it had enjoyed the scene since the two of them had been fighting over such trivial things for quite some time now. And with clearer observations, Spectrum was practically bullying Puppet.
"If you ask me that way, no it is not a possibility even in the next hundred years if the population multiplies. One element can only serve one owner. Like how I can only serve you until you pass me down to another person like your younger brother. However, it can only be by blood. To keep from damaging the element and it's usefulness. If the element can't identify the person as the owner's relative, then the element will never function the way it used to."
"Anasiy and George aren't relatives. But can't there be any chance that two elements can have the same sort of skills and the same colour while being completely different?"
"No. Then one of the elements are probably just an off-brand. But there is one thing you should really start to think about. There are several types of magic."
"..."
"The one that you are wielding is elemental, and it is pure magic. It can only take one form and shape and can't be used against unless it has been passed one. Then there is a more saturated pure magic. This has a glimpse of the pure magic, however, most of it is black magic that can help it to change it's forms and acts as a foundation to use the pure magic and alter it. It is called dark magic. Then there is black magic which is casted in many different forms and... You know about it already."
"..."
The only thing that I could do after this was staring blankly at the route that I was taking, as I contemplated between the types of magic that I heard about from Puppet. If magic really had three types, and George had neither black magic nor pure magic, it left me with only one option left.
"But the times that I had read fantasy books back when I was a little bit younger, black magic could also be casted by dark mages. Isn't it a possibility that George learned black magic from one or two dark mages?"
"Well it could be considerable. However, you are not getting it when I say that there are many fantasy worlds out there and you even read the book about this fantasy world once. And in that book called Dying in a battlefield, how many dark mages have you come across?"
"Zero if I recall. But why does that matter?"
"It does matter! Dark mages can't cast black magic. They can only cast dark magic! Black and dark are different alright!"
"Ooh! Ah shit! My mind has gone haywire." I slammed my palm into my forehead as I quickened up mh pace a little bit. "But how do I differentiate between them?"
"Dark magic had a visible form. But black magic doesn't. Black magic is highly dependant on a caster who can't show their faces. If they do, they will be killed by the devil that they used to cast that magic. Actually, do you know for a fact that devils possess their master after their master dies?"
"No. Rewind, I don't even know much about devils. I don't even know the difference between demons and devils." I answered back while scratching the back of my head. Puppet side-eyed me in a bombastic way. And I didn't reply to it or look its way in embarrassement.
"Yeah whatever." It let out a sigh while flying besides me. "The difference between a demon and a devil in this world, is that the devil can possess a human, however–"
"Those red creeps are demons. I know, from the time I had met the demon king. I just need the information relevant to dark magic."
"Devils who are contracted to a master, is either in smoke form or in a human form when their master grants them a dead body to possess. In this contract, the devil gets a body to roam around freely without worrying about daylight, and the master gets a portion of their devil's magic. And since you know that dead demons turn into devils, then you must know that shadowed devils are black magic users. When the devil possesses a human body, who has enough residue of pure energy within them, their black magic mixes with to form the dark magic. And when the devil's possessed body's pure magic finishes, it can kill it's own master to take over their bodies and continue their wield on dark magic."
"Wait... What?"
"Yes. Because the black magic is painful to use and drains their life force, the devils have to be quick to find a new body unless they have enough dark magic to keep the human body alive. They don't want their black magic accidentally altering the entire human body until it revealed the fact that it had been possessed."
"Oh. I understand it than." I answered while frowning and looking down on the wet, mossy trails that I was walking on. "And what about the fact that Spectrum couldn't detect it?"
"Because it's dark magic. Since it is a mixture of pure and black magic, that cursed sword won't be able to tell the difference and it would be driven to a state of confusion." Puppet answered while resting both its paws behind its head.
I grabbed the hilt of Spectrum and looked up towards the tree lines.
"I am sorry for mistreating you Spectrum." I muttered under my breathe and looked towards the side next.
[I understand Master. For once, I think I had a mistake too. I was too arrogant.]
I smiled at it, since it's tone of voice changed. And I could finally be in a calm mind to work out the problem that I was in.
"That was cringe Aefia!"
"..."
"So now that you heard some good words from that sword... You think you can just ignore me again?!"
I looked up at my elemental animal with a half serious face.
"I don't quite have the time to think about it anymore Puppet." I answered after a long time, as a moment of concern overtook my mind. And I gritted my teeth, just by thinking about a single fact. "So all this time, it's either that George was possessed by devil himself or that he is still contracted to one."
"It could be that he is still contracted. Because I still don't sense any sort of pure magic coming from him."
"Wait, you can sense it?"
"Yes. I could have told you a long time ago, however, I worried that it would have complicated things for you. And since you were already in the brink of dying. I didn't think it would be necessary anymore."
"But that sudden reawakening has complicated things this way or that. So... What else do you know? Might as well spit it out now." I forced it while looking forward to where I could already see the crowd a little ahead. I felt a sense of victory that I had managed to get away in time.
"However, I don't remember." Puppet spoke as it followed behind me with a pretty trail. From the last time I had seen it, it was completely different now. I guess my powers changed the way it's trial did. So my elemental animal showed which Phase I was in. And since I was currently in the fourth, it's trial was a bright red with tiny flowers and butterflies falling away.
"Then I guess it's alright. I don't think I need it anymore. Anyways, how far is this forest from Elanor's place?"
"A little too far for you to reach in time. But what are you going to do if George finds out where you live? I know for a fact that just by a simple pat, a dark magic user can register a small amount of magic that helps them track you down."
"What?! Why didn't you say that earlier?!"
"You said facts!"
"Well that was a fact! That was literal information to keep in mind! He had placed a hand on my shoulder for quite some time!" I panicked while abruptly coming to a stop and holding the hilt of Spectrum. I looked between tree lines without a clear mind and felt like my knees would give out any time sooner. But then, wasn't I the Guardian of Death?
"Puppet. Here is an instruction... If you see me heading to the south, you are to open up your illusionary realm and teleport me there." I spoke in a stern tone while coming to a dead stop on my tracks. I looked forward and unshealthed my Spectrum. I couldn't sense his presence, but I was a bit too familiar with his steps and how they sounded. So I could instantly tell that he was quite the few paces away from me.
I used my white sleeve to clean Spectrum's blade. Then held it up to insure it had no dent. I had tried to be make the damage lgith enough to inflict no harm to it. But enough to make it feel pain, the type of pain that dissappears when passing through human and monster skeletons.
"Spectrum... Do your thing. Left hand." I spoke while pulling out my Obsidian on the right.
"Wow! You look pretty like that!" Puppet whimpered while circling me. I could tell that half of my hair and eyes had change.
"So how do I make sure he isn't able to implant a second tracking spell on me?" I asked with a stern tone of voice.
"If you use your full potentials, the amount of pure magic that you use right in time, will be enough to reflect the dark magic."
"So until I trigger my patterns?"
"Most effective when you trigger your patterns."
"Sure then." I remarked while clenching my hands into a fist. Mostly though, I was using my skills, then absorbing them back. And when I do something this stupid, my element gets fooled. So while half of myself was possessed by a cursed sword, the other half was just my element fighting against itself. But I needed them both to keep myself unharmed and uninjured. Sure, that this way was using up too much of my energy.
Finally, I turned backwards.
"So... Are you a devil or a contracted master?" I asked while narrowing my eyes at him.
He was walking like nothing happened at all and as if he were hear just to have a small conversation with me. "You have grown pretty sharp with your instincts. Had I know that you would have faked your death, then–"
"You won't have been able to stop me from killing the entire family if I had awakened in that palace." I sternly replied while fully turning towards him.