“That game, huh? So, you were stalking us...” Marianne suddenly stared at him with a slightly venomous stare. Arclan didn’t look fazed in the slightest.

  “I prefer the term ‘looking over you’. It has a nicer ring to it, wouldn’t you agree!” He swayed left and right as he kept levitating, his feet dangling as though they were part of a puppet that had lost its string.

  “So, you’re sticking to that “guardian angel” schtick.” Arclan didn’t bother to give a retort and kept his smile steady. Marianne heaved out a silent sigh and straightened her gaze. “Very well.”

  “Appreciated. As thanks, I’ll let you take the initiative and ask the first question.”

  “Oh my, how kind of you,” Marianne expressed her gratitude as dry as the desert and asked her question without skipping a beat. “What other abilities do you possess?”

  He doesn’t seem to care about choosing his words; instead, he answers immediately. “Mindreading, Illusions, Hypnosis, Dreamwalking… basically anything involving the mind! Would you like a demonstration?” He questioned in the same breath.

  “I’m fairly certain you gave us one already, but feel free to continue.” She said, giving him the green light.

  Upon hearing that, Arclan took a tiny pebble from one of his pockets and held it towards his chest. Confused, Marianne was about to speak up until he started mumbling a chant she couldn’t comprehend. She fell silent, observing the sight before her, and then he threw the pebble on the ground. Something stood out to her when the pebble descended into the ground. The pebble never actually hit the ground. In fact, it looked like it passed right through it. In place of the tiniest sound that the landing Marianne expected it to cause, a sound far heavier filled the room.

  It was the sound of the ground cracking and falling apart.

  A gigantic claw emerged from the ground, with the earth crumbling like it was simply disintegrating. In just a moment, Marianne recognized the sight as she encountered the same one not even half a day ago. It was the Behemoth. Eventually, the head of the beast emerged as though revealing itself from a cocoon, and it roared as though it had announced the end of everything in its vicinity. Those red eyes descended to stare down its prey, focusing on the peacefully slumbering boy, unaware of it all, as it readied its claws. Marianne’s mind couldn’t keep up with her body as she moved without a moment of hesitation to shield him. However, the claws never reached their target, as though the being in front of her was frozen in time. And the next moment, the beast that caused her so much panic was no more. It didn’t even disintegrate or fall apart. It simply disappeared as though it was never even here. When her mind finally comprehended what happened, she directed a glare, intense enough to frighten any monster, at the culprit. He didn’t seem intimidated in the slightest as his grin, which began to grate on the elderly woman’s nerves, never left his face.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “You’ve got quite the frightening expression on your face.” He said nonchalantly as though he was unaware of the cause.

  “Do I?” She uttered those two words as though she wielded them like a dagger.

  “Very.” He responded casually.

  “I’m afraid I can’t look in the mirror right now, so I wouldn’t know.” The stare-down continued until Marianne looked back at Alpheus, still asleep, and straightened her gaze.

  “You’re not going to ask what that was?” He goaded a response in a manner that was a bit too obvious to her.

  “I am now.”

  He smirked at her, looking like he wanted to say something, but held his tongue.

  “What did you do exactly?”

  “I hypnotized you, so don’t worry about anyone having witnessed this. Do you have another question in mind?"

  "Now that you granted me the opportunity, yes. Am I still under your hypnosis?" Despite having calmed down for a moment, her body continued to shield Alpheus.

  "No, you're fine!" He scoffed, as though he was offended by the accusation. She fixed her gaze on him, considering the current information she was given as he smirked knowingly. “Now then.” He clapped his hands as though pulling the curtains on what transpired to transition elsewhere. He pointed his finger at her or, more specifically, her missing arm. “Could you let me inspect that properly?”

  After a moment of pause, Marianne looked down at the current target of his attention with a solemn look. She straightened her gaze.

  “Fine. You already know now.” She took off her jacket with difficulty, so the sleeves were no longer there to conceal the sight. The fairy flew toward her with little warning, observing the wound.

  “What are your thoughts?” She questioned, unsure of the purpose behind his curiosity.

  “That you’re indeed missing an arm.” He said with a straight face, which earned him a glare. “It healed suspiciously quick.” Looking at her current expression, he smiled.

  “What happened to the missing limb?” He asked.

  “It turned into wooden branches.” She answered

  “Does that sound like nonsense?” She questioned.

  “Not at all.” He answered.

  The casualness of this exchange indeed undermined the severity of the words exchanged. Ultimately, this game is an entirely pointless gesture when faced with a mind-reading gremlin who has already offered to answer her questions anyway. But it might provide an advantage in its own right. But the fairy is already aware of it. He’s confident that this is not an issue for him. Marianne might not be a mind reader, but she understands that much. They both know each other’s intentions, so it’s very clear to them what the true nature of this game is. They did not need communication for that much.

  And so, he asked his next question.

  “Where are you from?”