"WOOOO CRYSTAALLL RAIIINNN~~!!!"
Mara cheered excitedly as she shot bullets of crystals towards the pack of giant werewolves. The enchanted crystals that her brother had reluctantly given her ended up being a lot more useful in Mara's hands than he had ever anticipated.
Everyone could only stand behind her, their jaws dropping in disbelief, as some of the crystals exploded on contact with the werewolves, sending shards of ice and splinters of bone flying. Others pierced through the monsters' thick skulls, causing instant death. The werewolves howled in pain and confusion, their ranks thinning with each passing moment.
Galeeh, the hulking warrior, stared at Arya, his eyes wide with astonishment. "Sir... Are you sure she's just a one-starred Venus?" he asked, his voice filled with doubt.
Arya laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. "I mean.. It could be a gifted skill."
A gifted skill was not something every prodigy was blessed with. It was a rare and unpredictable phenomenon where some prodigies were gifted a skill that didn't directly relate to their assigned role. It could either be a real blessing, granting them unexpected abilities, or a curse, burdening them with powers they couldn't control.
{Great Job, Mara!}
The parchment, which only Mara could see, appeared before her, its golden surface glowing with approval.
{Let's explode the rest of them.}
Mara's eyes sparkled. Oh, she absolutely wanted to do that. Her fingers already twitched toward the last crystals in her pouch, excitement bubbling—.
WHOOOOSH—BOOM!
A sudden massive fireball shot past her ear and slammed into the fleeing werewolves, erupting into a violent wave of flames and smoke.
Mara flinched, her hair blown back by the blast. She stood there, mouth hanging open.
"…Huh?"
The mage responsible stood proudly with his staff raised, basking in the afterglow of his own spell as he'd just cleared a raid by himself. His expression practically radiated, 'Yes. I did that.'
Mara, however, did not appreciate that attitude. "You… Kill Stealer!"
The mage raised a brow, clearly unimpressed. "Steal? I'm helping."
Mara huffed, spun on her heel, and stomped back toward her brother like a sulking cat.
Arya sighed, watching her fold her arms so tightly she looked like she might implode. "Now, why are you sulking? He was trying to help. Everyone helps each other out here."
'Not in my world,' Mara snarled internally, still shooting daggers at the mage from the corner of her eye as the other stood there with confusion in his face.
This was exactly the type of players she hated in games — the ones who swoop in at the last second, steal the kill, and then act like a main character while she's stuck with a lousy assist point.
Except this time,
She didn't even get an assist point!
'If only I could report a person for this...!'
##
After the chaos finally settled and the forest grew silent again, Arya guided Mara to sit under a large, moss-covered tree. Mara trembled even as she tried to sit down, "I'm hungryyy.... feed me...." She started groaning like a zombie.
A moment later, Arya handed her a steaming bowl of sweet porridge — soft rice mixed with fragrant palm sugar. Mara accepted it with both hands, as if she'd been starved for a week.
"Ugh...," she grumbled between mouthfuls, "Why are monsters so exhausting?"
Arya exhaled, but the corners of his mouth tugged upward despite himself, "If you keep overusing your power like that, you really will pass out." He settled beside her. His voice held a scolding note, but his hand gently wiped a grain of rice stuck to the corner of her mouth.
Mara nodded vigorously, cheeks puffed out, still chewing. "Mmhm."
"Also…" His tone shifted. "Can you tell me your actual power?"
Mara froze mid-bite. Of course, he'd ask now.
Right on cue, the Parchment drifted into existence before her like some smug little secretary. Ink shimmered across its surface.
[Touch of Reality] — her main ability. Below it was the gifted skill;
[Telekinesis]
[#######]
[#######]
Yes, she had been aware of the censored ones.
Mara stared at the Parchment, then at Arya, then back at her food — all of which were much easier to deal with than the question.
She tapped her spoon on the bowl, buying time.
Arya's patience, unfortunately, had a visible limit. His jaw tightened as he watched her zone out. "Mara," His tone sharpened, "Are you listening to me?"
She jolted. "Yes! Yes— Uh…" She pointed vaguely at the floating paper. "Touch of Reality. And Telekinesis. That's… basically it."
Arya's eyes narrowed slightly. He wasn't fully convinced — he knew his sister too well — but he also knew she had a stubborn streak the size of a mountain.
"... That's all?"
"That's all,"
She could tell him about the censored one if she wanted. But even saying the words aloud felt dangerous and complicated. Like it would open a can of worms she wasn't ready to deal with.
Arya found himself staring at Mara again. His gaze lingered longer and intensely this time, as if he were trying to uncover something she was deliberately hiding.
His gaze didn't go unnoticed by Mara, yet she didn't bother reacting. She continued eating, focused entirely on the warm sweetness of her porridge. Hunger drowned out every other concern.
'Strange…' Arya thought, narrowing his eyes. 'If she's truly aProdigy[1]… where is her Aura[2]?'
Every prodigy released Aura naturally, like subtle waves rising from beneath the skin. Even assassins— the ones who naturally can suppress their Aura— couldn't hide it completely, at least not from someone of Arya's rank.
Arya's jaw tensed.
His thoughts drifted back to earlier — the moment she suddenly appeared behind the group.
The others hadn't noticed her at all. But what unsettled him most was that he hadn't noticed her either.
She might have been good at hiding. Years of playing and pranking each other with him made her quick, sleek, and annoyingly unpredictable.
But even then — even before she awakened — Arya could always sense her. Even when Mara tried her hardest to sneak up on him before, Arya could always sense her. Her presence, her steps, her childish attempts at stealth—her Aura always gave her away.
Yet today… nothing. She approached, and it was as though she hadn't existed until she spoke.
A strange, cold feeling crept up his spine. It was as if her existence itself—
A sudden, sharp cry tore through the sky, slicing his thoughts apart. Leaves trembled, and branches rattled as it flew above them, casting a large shadow that swept over them.
Arya's instincts kicked in instantly; he snapped his head upward and stepped in front of his sister, shielding her without hesitation.
The cry tore through the canopy again, causing everyone to tense and be cautious.
slurrp—
Arya turned back at the unexpected loud sound coming from Mara. She was still hunched over her bowl, devouring everything in a hurry.
'Pleaseeee let me finish my food first!' she thought desperately, shoving another mouthful into her cheek as her eyes darted wildly between the monster and her food.
High above, the creature circled. It had a batlike head crowned with two horns, and its torso bristled with dark, rough feathers and four scaled limbs hung beneath it, ending in hooked talons that glinted like metal.
Buthonago. A creature of old folklore that never existed in the real world. An evil creature that resembles greed.
The creature let out another piercing cry. Its head snapped toward Arya, drawn to the faint golden sheen of his armour. It dived fast and sharp— cutting through the air.
Just before it could collide with Arya, Galeeh threw his massive body forward.
With a powerful tackle, he slammed into the creature, sending it crashing against the trees.
"My lord!"
"Thanks…" Arya exhaled, hands tightening around his blade.
The creature staggered back up, shaking its head as if the world around it had split into two. Its wings twitched, its eyes sharpening again as it regained its senses.
Realising its target, the rest of the team immediately closed around Arya. Shields rose, weapons pointed outward, their formation instinctively tightening to protect their captain.
The creature hesitated.
Except for one single girl behind them, standing just outside the circle.
Shine.
Mara's crown glinted beautifully under the sunlight as she rose to her feet, brushing off dirt on her dress. Her gold accessories shimmered even brighter when she moved.
Its eyes locked onto her. Pupils dilated.
Before anyone could process, the creature vanished—its movement so fast the ground cracker. A violent gust of wind blasted outward, kicking up dust and debris, momentarily blinding everyone.
Arya coughed, stumbling back a half-step. "What—?!"
It reappeared behind Mara, jaws snapping on her shoulder, hurling her upward like a rag doll. In midair, one of its talons shot out, gripping her firmly as it caught her again.
The whole sequence lasted no more than a second.
By the time Arya turned around—eyes widened, panic flooding in— Mara was already a shrinking silhouette in the sky, the creature's wings beating furiously as it carried her away.
"MARAAA!!!!"
[1] A Prodigy is someone chosen and blessed by an Orbit.
[2] Aura is a person’s soul signature — like an ID card that proves your existence. Everyone has it, awakened or not. Once someone becomes a Prodigy, their senses sharpen, allowing them to detect other people’s Aura more precisely.