3rd Pov:
In the human world, high above and beyond human reach, a rectangular floating platform. The empty void surrounded the platform, with the lively planet Earth below it.
On either side of the platform are ornate stone pillars, connected by a thin red cloth. At one end, it's plain, except for a red carpet leading to a set of three long steps.
On the final step is a large red veil that covers a womanly figure behind it as she lounges lazily on her ornate chair while eating a berry from the bowl beside her.
Floating around her, are orbs of various colours. Her fingers would poke at one of them, before muttering, "Not that one"
She tapped her chin, thinking as she closed her eyes in deep concentration. Shaking her head, she waved her hand in front of her as the veil was blown aside before settling as a projection materialised in front of her.
On the screen was Xicor, wearing his mask. Xicor launched himself at the screen but out of nowhere, arms came up to protect the screen.
Meaning that this was someone's perspective.
The woman leaned forward as she examined Xicor, each skill, each movement, each pulse of energy, everything.
"That energy seems familiar" she muttered, her hands gliding over to one of the orbs, its colour was a deep crimson.
She brought it in front of her and aligned it with the colour of Xicor's cursed energy swirling around his fists.
"Found it" She said, satisfied, "The universe of death and curses"
She plays with the orb as she watches two different screens, one showing Yuuki's perspective and the other showing Himari's.
She tapped her chin with her free hand, "Seems a tier one blessing isn't enough to push him, maybe tier three or four could do, but that's all depending on their body's strength"
She sighed in frustration, leaning her head into the soft cushions, her eyes glued to the starry environment.
She closed her eyes as her expression changed from intrigue, confusion and contemplation before abruptly changing to shock.
"So that's what happened" she said, in an angered mumble.
She looked back at the screens with Xicor on both of them with two different angles, "You interfered, Sister" She muttered before cupping her cheek as a tired, almost theatrical, sigh escaped her lips.
"Didn't know you had a soft spot for a mortal, let alone a human, were you just desperate to get the upper hand on me?" she questioned no one but the space around her.
"You brought him here to even the playing field" she concluded.
A gleeful smile crept upon her lips, it almost looked ethereal but intent behind it was anything but ethereal.
"Then I'll just do the same, as your older sister, it's my responsibility to be the superior one" She said as she released the orb towards the world below before it slowly disappeared.
She watched it disappear for several seconds before leaning in her chair when the sun shone directly on her form, displaying her full beauty.
Her hair was blonde, flowing down her back with her eyes emerald green, shining within the sun's light. She wears a white dress with golden accessories, the front revealing her slender legs and her golden heels.
Leaning against her chair is a golden sword with the blunt end of the sword attached to a long handle, which is connected with a golden chain.
"I do hope those mortals can deal with this wondering soul I threw in here, I've already dealt with the other three, now it's just one" she said before rising from her seat as she walked over to the edge of her platform to look at Earth.
She doesn't say anything but her mind is at work.
'I can't see anything with that damn Mato dimension due to my sister's influence, annoying pest, the only way I can view anything is by viewing through the mortal eyes'
'Should I send one of the Eight Hollow Stars down to scout?' She placed a hand on her cheek.
"Orion" Her voice carried out with firm command and superiority as the space behind her began to crack and shift before a figure stepped through.
The figure was a knight clad in silver armour with blue gems decorating his shoulders, a blue cap and blue cloth down from his groin to his ankle.
His arms had various small spikes with his helmet having two curved horns pointing up, behind him are large white wings that occasionally flap.
And finally, in his right hand is an ornate sword, decorated to the highest degree. The space around it seems to twist and turn, almost willingly wrapping itself around the blade.
"You called, My Lady" he said, his voice smooth and strict as he knelt to her.
She didn't turn to face as her eyes remained on the planet, "I have a task for you, I want you to go into Mato and spy on Xicor Samiel, find his weakness, the people close to him, his behaviour, all listed down for the others as he'll be the most troubling piece we will face"
"Yes, My Lady" he said but he didn't raise, "My Lady, may I inquire on something?" he asked, carefully.
She glanced over her shoulder to look down on him as her eyes narrowed on his form, "...You may"
"Wouldn't it be beneficial to go kill him instead of spying on him" He said slowly.
"Because fighting him would only benefit him" she said, finally shutting him up.
"If you have no more questions, then you are dismissed"
"Yes, My Lady" Orion said before vanishing into a ray of white light.
1st Pov Jaku'un:
I watched with interest as Xicor continued to walk in a random direction, in search of another Shuuku to collect.
Some weak unique Shuuki wandered from time to time but they had nothing interesting about them, Xicor seemed to feel the same way as he took one glance at them before killing them in various ways, probably showcasing his abilities to me.
Every question I asked, he answered in detail.
Yet I find myself gaining more questions, could I access that power, the cursed energy he spoke of?
No, that's only wishful thinking as I already have my own energy at my disposal.
Having two different energy sources going against one another in a body would result in the body either corrupting itself or turning the person into a bomb, though that's only a theory.
I'm comfortable with that, kind of, but watching him gives me more ideas on how to utilise my abilities.
Mainly the way he concentrates his energy around his hands that light up like fire, so if he could utilise the way he manipulates his energy around his body, then I would have a more efficient way of fighting.
We walked and chatted along our walk, and I even found myself staring at his face, if I wasn't doing it since I got here.
Now that I look at him, really look at him, he looks quite handsome.
"Let's take a break here" His voice brought me out of my dazed state.
"R-Right" my voice came out strange to me, it had my usual softness yet it also came out meek.
He glanced at me with a raised brow, clearly noting the tiniest detail and that simple detail made my chest warm up.
We sat down on a boulder with only a few centimetres separating us. I find myself hugging my knees to my chest, while lying with my cheek on my knee, staring deeply into his red eyes.
My eyes drift over his body, his tattoos that catches every ones attention, his clothing that drifts to the side by the breeze flowing through the cave.
And most of all, the power was swimming through his body like blood. I can't truly see his power but I can deeply feel it, the way it always obediently follows its master's silent command.
Is this what humans call attraction?
I felt my hand glide over to his arm. He seemed to be too distracted in his own thoughts to even register me getting closer.
In the palm of his hand, his cursed energy seems to coat his hand, not in the way he usually does. This one was a thin layer of crimson and black covering his hand as a few strands of energy drifted down to his wrist.
My hand covered him, my eyes fixed on what he was doing as the energy began to solidify and form into a black and red armoured hand with sharp nails.
It didn't end there as his cursed energy continues to move down his arm as he closes his eyes with his brow furrowed in concentration.
I didn't interrupt as I was too fascinated by the display he was showing me. His cursed energy continues to make this armour piece until stopping at the shoulder.
He slowly opens his eyes as he inspects the armoured arm he created, running his hand over it, feeling the material.
It wasn't until my soft hand made contact with his armoured arm that he reacted. Flinching, he turned to look at me, waiting for me to speak.
"You've made an interesting piece of armour here~" I said before I looked up at him, staring up at him, meeting his red eyes with my periwinkle eyes.
"Thanks, though it is incomplete" He said, removing the armour and dropping it on the floor before bringing his foot down on the armour and destroying it completely.
"It lacks the durability to be called armour" Xicor explained, "If I did that again with the completed version, my foot wouldn't even dent it"
I look down on the destroyed remnants of the armour, pieces were scattered everywhere like glass. I picked up one of the pieces to closely inspect it.
It was really thin, almost like glass. No protection at all as I crushed the piece in my hand. He must have made this one to have an idea of its appearance rather than actual protection.
"How long do you think it would take?" I asked curiously.
Xicor goes into thought, "A month maybe, if I concentrate on it fully, then probably a couple weeks"
I let a smile crawl up my lips, not my mischievous smile, nor a forced smile to hide my hidden emotions but a soft, sweet smile.
"If you complete that armour of yours, then come to me so I can add some pleasant features to it~"
He looks at me and lets out a laugh, "Then I'll be looking forward to your features"
I find myself laughing with him. This pleasant atmosphere with someone other than my siblings is too surreal.
Our moment was disturbed by the wall not too far from us being smashed through as dust was blown everywhere with a loud screech bouncing off the walls.
Once the dust was cleared a tall unique Shuuki stood, its body looking like it was stitched together from bone, flesh and living armour. Its body is wrapped in jagged white plating resembling a massive skull or ribcage, with enormous spikes curving outward like the remains of some ancient beast.
Its limbs are warped and asymmetrical, both arms ending in a massive blade-like appendage stained in the blood of previous victims that crossed its path, the blade was sharp enough to cleave through stone and maybe steel.
A long, thorned tail coils behind it like a skeletal whip. The creature's posture was hunched and animalistic with its legs being quadrupedal.
The Shuuki screech at us, mainly at Xicor, likely from the cursed energy radiating from his body.
"Time to get to work" Xicor muttered to himself as he got up and rolled his shoulders before hopping on spot repeatedly.
"Have fun~" I waved him off, like those brides in those TV shows big sister Shikoku showed me.
The mere thought of it made my cheeks heat up slightly. I focus back on Xicor as the Shuuki dashed forward, slower than that Shuuki with that fire ability.
It raised its arms and brought them down on Xicor. Xicor vanished from his spot as the Shuuki was launched away by some unseen force and crashed into a wall.
From the Shuuki's previous spot, Xicor stood with his arms lowing back to his side. He moved pretty fast, just like that fire Shuuki.
I look back at the Shuuki that was knocked away as it erupted from the rubble that fell on it in a rage as it roared out with air visibly being pushed back.
Though Xicor and I weren't affected by it. The Shuuki gathered energy around its blades as they were coated in a red aura before swiping horizontally, launching a crescent energy blade.
The energy flew through the air at a pace that would panic a normal person, even a vice-chief, though it was a pace that was easy for me to track as well as Xicor.
Xicor responded by ducking under the attack, the blade went over him and sliced through several stone pillars.
The Shuuki charged forward when it launched its attack as it was now above Xicor, ready to bring down its arms on him again.
Xicor raised his hand, not to stop the attack, but to attack with his own as fire erupted from his hands, covering the torso of the Shuuki and blasting it away.
It was like watching a weak and injured animal being toyed with, and in a way it is.
Xicor walked toward the Shuuki as he reached into his pocket, ready to place this Shuuki in the card. The Shuuki got back on its feet, though barely, as steam flowed from its body.
The creature let a defining growl, not accepting this outcome as energy swelled around in front of its open mouth, the energy condensed into a red ball that sparked the same colour.
Xicor raised a brow with interest with me leaning forward with the same interest as my sister's consort.
The Shuuki fired the beam that consumed the entire path in front of it and by extension, Xicor.
The wind blows my hair back from the blast, the beam shot through the walls of this rocky maze to this underground world.
The beam lasted a few seconds before it slowly calmed down, what was left was a gaping hole and a charred floor that travelled with the beam.
Xicor was nowhere to be seen, not from being consumed by the beam but had disappeared as he appeared behind the Shuuki while the beam was fired.
He waited for a little bit for the beam to continue, probably thinking about how useful this Shuuki would be.
Once the beam ended he pulled an empty card from his pocket and placed it on the Shuuki's back as the creature was absorbed into the card, until there was nothing but echoes of the creature.
He put the card back in his pocket and walked over to me and held out his hand with a soft smile, "Ready to go home, My Lady~"
I let out a giggle that seemed too alien to me but I still let it out anyway, "Yes I am, My dear~"