Thach Anh tried to pry the piece off the rock but couldn't. She looked around and saw a flat piece of stone that fit perfectly into the narrow gap. She then inserted the flat stone into the gap and pressed down with force; sure enough, the stone popped out.
'Success!'- Thach Anh thought happily.
The object in her hand gleamed with a golden light whenever she turned it over. It was a mineral she had never seen before. It was so pure it could be used as a mirror. Thach Anh was startled when a strange object lunged at her from behind, and she dodged. It was a blood-sucking leech, not just any ordinary leech, but one as large as a tiger, ferocious and fast.
The leech missed its prey, but it immediately turned back and tried again. Although Thach Anh wasn't a fast swimmer, the surrounding area was filled with large rocks that helped block the leech's path each time it lunged. Indeed, despite its size, the leech still had the brain of a leech. Thach Anh quickly found an escape route and swam into it, successfully escaping the leech.
The giant creature seemed unwilling to let its prey escape, trying to maneuver its massive, slimy body through the obstacles. Its enormous size was impacting the cave, causing it to threaten collapse.
The girl swam as fast as she could and saw an exit right before her eyes, but at the same time, the rocks began to crumble, and the leech was about to catch up. Thach Anh kicked her legs and reached out towards the exit, unaware that the mineral in her hand was gradually glowing.
It took a long time for the little girl to surface, having held her breath underwater for so long that she inevitably swallowed some water. Thach Anh struggled to crawl ashore, gasping for breath, her wounds causing her pain and making her cry softly. But at least she had achieved something worthwhile.
Thach Anh struggled to get up; even the slightest movement caused her small wounds to ache repeatedly. With great effort, she managed to drag herself home as dawn broke.
The absence of candlelight meant her parents were still asleep. Thach Anh stealthily jumped through the window into the room. She placed the mineral in the drawer and then lay down on the bed, covering herself completely as if nothing had happened.
However, because she had sneaked out and hadn't gotten enough sleep, she yawned and dozed off all morning.
"Thach Anh!!!"
A loud voice called her name, making her jump to her feet.
"Yes! I didn't fall asleep!" - Thach Anh
All the children in the class turned to look at her with strange expressions, sometimes even giggling.
"You dare say you didn't fall asleep in class? Go outside and stand in punishment!"
So Thach Anh had no choice but to go outside and stand in punishment. This was the consequence; who could she blame now? It was because she stayed up all night and hadn't had time to sleep before being dragged to school. However, she was still thinking about the mineral she brought home last night. She'd have to take a good look at it when she got home.
As soon as she got home, the first thing she had to face... was her parents. Her mother glared at her with murderous eyes.
"Do you have anything to say?" - Thuy
"Ah...uh...about that..." - Thach Anh
"How could you fall asleep in pharmacy class?! It's the end of kindergarten and you're still causing trouble?" - Thuy
"I'm really sorry! I know I made a mistake! I'm sorry! Ouch!!!" - Thach Anh
Then she had to stand in the room kneeling on both knees while holding a wooden bucket of water on her head. This was the punishment her parents used whenever she misbehaved; if the bucket fell and the water spilled, she had to start over, sitting for at least half an hour.
After serving her punishment, Thach Anh, trembling, walked into her room and closed the door. She pulled out the mineral she had hidden in the drawer.
Lying on the bed, she gazed at it, the light shining through the mineral making it sparkle. Thach Anh wondered what to do with it. Selling it would bring in money, but she didn't want to sell it because if the price wasn't reasonable, she would lose money.
After much thought, Thach Anh still couldn't decide what to do, so she placed the mineral beside her and went to sleep. After all, what she needed right now was a good night's sleep. Looking at the mineral beside her, her eyes slowly closed, and she fell into a deep sleep.
Outside the house, a dark figure approached, moving on all fours in a bizarre manner. It seemed to have smelled a very fragrant scent—the life force of humans. Demons and monsters always absorb human life force to maintain their existence and increase their strength. However, each person's life force is different; those with special constitutions will have abundant life force.
He was no exception. He hadn't expected such an abundant life force in such a remote place. He licked his lips; he really couldn't bear it any longer. He had traveled thousands of miles to get here, far away from other demons and monsters.
Sneaking into the bushes, he observed that the lights inside the house had gone out, knowing it was his chance. The place with abundant life force was near the window. He thanked the demon king and quickly perched on the windowsill. His eyes scanned the room and he saw a person lying on the bed, completely covered by a blanket, seemingly fast asleep with no signs of alert.
It was a golden opportunity. He crept closer to the bed, moving towards the face hidden by the blanket. He slowly pulled the blanket down, and...
Underneath the blanket wasn't a person, but a pile of pillows stacked on top of each other. The demon, enraged, tossed the pillows to the floor in disappointment. He turned to search the house, unaware that a small figure was hiding under the bed, trembling with fear. Fortunately, her senses were sharp, allowing her to sense the danger and find a hiding place.
But unfortunately, her parents weren't home—a surprising coincidence. Now she had to find a way to protect herself: either hide here and wait, or run outside to find help.
After thinking it over, she realized that the demon hadn't left yet; it seemed he was still pursuing her. Therefore, running away was the best option.
Crawling out from under the bed, Thach Anh didn't know if the demon was fast or fast, but she had to move as quietly as possible. Climbing out the window, Thach Anh didn't bother putting on her slippers anymore and ran as fast as she could.
She ran and ran without looking back, not caring if the demon was following her, but she had to run far enough to find help.
It took a long time before she saw a light in the distance—her neighbor's house. Thach Anh felt relieved, as if she had finally found a safe place.
"Where do you think you're going?"
A voice from behind sent a chill down Thach Anh's spine, and immediately a sharp pain shot through her left arm. Her tiny body was flung away, crashing violently against a tree. She lay motionless, unable to move, in excruciating pain. The monstrous demon was approaching, his grinning triumphant smile echoing in his eyes.
"You think you can escape, little brat?"
He knew there was a little mouse hiding somewhere; he simply wanted to toy with her emotions before devouring her—it would be so delicious.
He pressed his large foot down on her body; a single light press would crush her like an ant.
"I don't want to die..."
That was the thought running through Thach Anh's mind. Fear overwhelmed her; the bone-chilling pain made her want to scream, but no words escaped her throat. A thick, viscous liquid gushed from her mouth. Her gaze rose to the shining night sky, the clouds giving way to the light behind them—beyond the clouds was the dark sky and the stars.
"It's so beautiful..." - Thach Anh
Tiny stars reflected in her eyes, her blood gradually turning... yellow.
_______
Somewhere in the solemn room, stones floated in the air. The Topaz stone spoke in a deep, masculine voice.
"Looks like everyone's not here yet, huh?" - Topaz
"How long has it been since we last gathered? There's no order at all!" - Opal, a middle-aged woman, reprimanded.
"Years... decades... centuries... I don't remember anymore." - Aquamarine, a weary woman, replied.
"Does that matter? It's a waste of time to never show up when we're supposed to meet!" - Citrine, a contemptuous male voice, said.
"Hush, no need to get so angry. What do you want, Topaz, gathering us here for?" - Garnet
"It's Quartz" - Topaz
The room fell silent, no one speaking until the Bloodstone stone let out a loud laugh.
"Nonsense! How could such a being appear?" - Bloodstone
"Oh, if what you say is true, Topaz. Do you have any proof?" - Opal
"Of course, my words are always backed by evidence. The Silicate lineage always senses its kind." - Topaz
_______
At the same time...
A hook punch from below sent the demon flying. He was stunned, not understanding what was happening, when the small girl gradually grew larger, the red blood turning yellow. The blood recoiled into her body, transforming into patterns on her skin. Her body stiffened as she tried to stand upright, her eyes looking up at him.
A chill ran through him, and he fled as fast as he could. However, he hadn't run far, and he was already beyond saving.
Thach Anh immediately used a triangular hand gesture, looking at the demonic creature through it.
"Earth Magic: Mineral Prison" - Thach Anh
From below and above, glittering, sharp minerals shot out, piercing the demonic creature's body and causing him to vomit blood. Then, she clasped her hands together and rotated her palms; the minerals seemed to move with her hands, twisting the demonic creature's body, causing him to scream in agony, unable to beg for mercy.
"Fire Magic: Soul and Flesh Incineration" - Thach Anh
A flame erupted, engulfing him and burning him to ashes. Thach Anh, exhausted, collapsed and fainted.