The sun is rising... The crops are illuminated by the beautiful rays of light... also managing to illuminate the kingdom of Ystir. Time passes and people prepare for a new day in their lives... Cars pass through the streets, people walk along the sidewalks... The palace opens its doors. We see Kassie waking up and getting out of her bed in a room with blue walls, a window facing the bed, and a desk next to the window... On the other hand... Ririam and Ann were together at the edge of a window, having breakfast; Ririam was drinking coffee and Ann blew into his ear, taking him by surprise and making him spill coffee on himself. Ann, trying to help, used her magic, creating a big mess in the place... Xitlari was at the entrance of the PT agency about to enter. We also have a tall man seen from the back, with a gray jacket and short silver-gray hair, walking along a path illuminated by the sun's rays. The paladin Reck was leaving the palace while talking to a knight; we see King Jens asleep in his bed and the paladin Rays reading news on a holographic screen while drinking coffee; Louis waking up and beginning his morning exercise routine; Professor Maxwell drinking coffee while reading a newspaper, and Hanks leaving him a plate of cookies. Finally... We see Mei entering the agency.

  "'Sigh' Again?" Mei entered the research room and leaned against the wall.

  "You know I like working alone," Xitlari replied while trying to open the seal of the scroll using needles with her four arms; she also wore glasses.

  "Xitlari... you must work with others," she mentioned, approaching her and placing a hand on her shoulder.

  "I don't want mistakes, I hate having to fix something that wasn't my fault," said Xitlari, focused on the scroll.

  "The same thought... that's why I don't send you on missions," she replied while observing a crystal sphere in her hand.

  "You should, I always complete them without any mistakes," she hinted, while taking a finer needle from a box to her right.

  "Yesterday you did amazing, and we were all there," she said, throwing it in her face.

  "Yeah... but I like working alone better," she emphasized with a slight smile of self-sufficiency.

  "I won't send you on a solo mission, at least do one with Kassie or... Hmmm, see you later." Mei left the room with an idea in mind; Xitlari watched her leave and then continued working.

  Mei entered her office after greeting Canbel; afterward, she sat on the chair at her desk and a hologram appeared when she pressed a key on the keyboard on the desk.

  Then we go to Louis, who was delivering many packages throughout the kingdom; some people recognized him and greeted him, and others watched him run. Some murmured: "How is it that I never see that boy sweat?" said a man who received his order and saw Louis run to deliver another. "A delivery paladin! How strange! Ha, ha," mentioned another. "I love seeing him, I think he's very cute," commented a woman. "He'll never notice you," added another. Louis was heading to a bookstore with the last package in his arm.

  "Good morning, Amelia!" said Louis excitedly, putting the package on the counter and breathing heavily.

  The store had a counter next to the entrance and a window facing the counter; further inside there were several shelves with books and a silver-blue cauldron stored in a glass display case. The walls and ceiling were made of wood, with various details and decorations.

  "Hi, Louis! Thanks for bringing my package. How have you been? Did the potions work?" asked Amelia with a respectful voice. Her hair was curly black, slightly messy, pulled back a bit, with some loose strands; her skin was dark, her eyes brown, and she was 170 cm tall. She wore a white long-sleeve shirt with closed cuffs and a fitted black vest on top. She wore a necklace with a small pendant and round glasses. She also had long silver earrings.

  "Yes, I haven't had any more dreams, and actually... since yesterday I haven't heard anything; maybe it already disappeared," he expressed with gratitude and a bit of surprise because he hadn't heard Dark anymore.

  "I'm glad to hear that... You know... I was researching your case and found nothing; I even read about curses from the Ancient Age and nothing," she mentioned puzzled, taking the package and putting it under the counter.

  "How strange... I wonder what it could be... Well, at least I don't have those thoughts anymore, so I'll just keep doing what I've been doing," he commented, feeling relieved and calm.

  "I hope those thoughts don't come back. If you need more potions, don't forget that mine are the best," she hinted proudly with a slight confident smile.

  "Of course! I will always come to your store, goodbye!" Louis raised his hand, saying goodbye, and walked out the door.

  "Goodbye!" Amelia responded while watching him leave through her window next to the counter.

  Louis returned home after greeting many people who recognized him on the street.

  "I'm back!" he said, entering the house and closing the door.

  "I'm glad to see your progress, Louis," commented Professor Maxwell, appearing on the entrance stairs, hiding his arms behind his back.

  "Professor... were you waiting for me?" he asked with slight surprise.

  "Yes, here, I imagined you would immediately go to the agency," he replied, handing him his katana and the blue bag.

  "Thank you, professor... I really appreciate everything you've done for me," expressed Louis sincerely and warmly, hugging the professor.

  "Don't worry... I'm happy to have met you," he expressed with surprise and joy at the sudden hug.

  "Goodbye!" said Louis, leaving through the door.

  "Goodbye... Hanks! Are you ready yet? We have to continue with the project," he mentioned while going to look for him.

  "I'm ready! Just putting away the teapot," Hanks replied.

  Louis headed to the agency and this time noticed that a woman was looking at jewelry that Canbel was showing her. One caught Louis' attention; it was a necklace with a golden heart.

  "I wonder how much one of those would cost," he thought as he passed by the door next to the register.

  As he passed by the research room, he noticed that Xitlari was there and, gathering courage, entered to talk to her. When he entered, Xitlari fixed her gaze on him for a moment and hid two of her arms.

  "Good morning..." he mentioned a little nervously, trying to approach.

  "Good morning," she replied simply, focused on the seal of the scroll.

  "How's it going?" he said, trying to make conversation but not really knowing what to say.

  "Good".

  "She likes people approaching her, right?" he thought. "Have you... managed to open it?" Louis kept thinking about what to say as he approached her, standing next to her.

  "I wouldn't be trying to open it, would I?" she replied, raising her right eyebrow.

  "Right..." Louis started lightly hitting his forehead with his fist. "I don't know what else to say... Maybe if I help her..." he thought, trying to find a solution. "Have you tried pressing here?".

  "Don't touch!" Xitlari tried to stop him, but when she raised one of the arms she had hidden, she hit the table and the scroll lifted and started glowing white, and a creature with horns and white fur came out of the scroll, leaving a big mess in the room and destroying the wall; then it started running around the car area.

  Xitlari covered her hands with her blue magic, jumped and grabbed the scroll, and, with two of the needles, pressing hard, managed to close the scroll.

  "What are you doing? Let's go!" she exclaimed angrily, going after the creature while pressing the needles into the scroll so it wouldn't seal again.

  *Mei's Office*

  "I'm telling the truth, Zthur is a nerosma, sir," Mei expressed respectfully to a church leader on the holographic screen.

  "Miss Mei... they were expelled years ago from Earth and all who remained were already exterminated," said the church leader with an indifferent attitude.

  "I know what I'm saying! I perfectly remember their appearance," Mei replied, losing her composure a little.

  "You're not even a paladin anymore, miss... You surely ended up with aftereffects like the others. I wish you the best; I must go," replied the leader, totally distrustful.

  "I'm not crazy! Zthur has people with illusion magic and white magic! The kingdom is in danger!" she expressed, totally upset.

  "Of course you're crazy! No one has white magic except the priest," he added furiously, cutting the transmission.

  "Damn it, they never listen!" she expressed with frustration, standing up and hitting her desk.

  "I see things aren't going well..." said Reck, appearing at the window of Mei's office to her left.

  "Reck! What are you doing here?" she asked, surprised to see him at the window.

  "The king supposedly gave me permission to go relax, but what he's really going to do is hide the kingdom's money. The good thing is that I already know where he hides it, but we need the priest here," he replied irritated, leaning on the window with his arms.

  "I doubt he'll come... Now they think I'm crazy. Can't you call a leader?" she expressed with frustration, sitting back in her chair.

  "He is monitoring me through Rays; I don’t know what the hell is wrong with him helping that guy," he replied with frustration.

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  "You could make a call here," she commented, while thinking of a solution.

  "I already tried... Some even laughed at me. 'Sigh' The priest won’t come unless Jens requests a meeting... and he already confirmed he doesn’t need a meeting this month," Reck turned around and began to look at the sky until they heard a loud crash. "What was that?".

  "The scroll... go to the rooftop!" Mei exclaimed in surprise, standing up, grabbing her scimitar, and leaving the office, while Reck jumped and started running quickly across the rooftop.

  "Why did you have to touch it?!" Xitlari shouted while running, pressing the scroll with the needles to prevent it from sealing again with three of her hands.

  "I’m sorry... I just wanted to help," he replied, feeling guilty but showing a bit of seriousness as he ran alongside her.

  "Everyone, move away!" Xitlari shouted, and everyone began entering their homes or looking for shelter; others even flew away with their rune companions to avoid the creature. "You stop it and I’ll put it back into the scroll!"

  "Alright!" he replied, gaining more speed and propelling himself off some houses. Xitlari focused, and her legs released the blue aura of her magic.

  The cars swerved and others crashed; some that were about to hit walls activated a system that surrounded the entire car with white foam to cushion the crash. Louis was about to catch up to it, but the beast kicked a pole toward a car with a family inside, so Louis stopped the pole using both of his hands. The beast kept running until it received a great punch from above that buried it into the ground and raised a curtain of dust. Xitlari was surprised to see Reck on top of the creature; she covered herself from the dust, approached, opened the scroll, and forced the creature inside. Reck moved aside and watched how the creature was absorbed into the scroll. When it was done, Xitlari removed the needles and the scroll sealed itself.

  "What was that? What happened, Xitlari?!" Reck asked angrily, approaching her.

  "It wasn’t my fault!" she replied, defending herself immediately.

  "Of course it was, you always want to do everything alone," he replied, taking the scroll from her.

  "Wait! It’s not her fault! I caused this..." he said firmly, approaching them.

  Reck, slightly surprised to recognize him, replied: "You were with her?"

  "Yes, sir, but I was the one who touched the scroll and caused this," he responded, standing in front of Xitlari, giving Reck another slight surprise.

  "What did you do?!" Mei asked, arriving at the scene with Clara at her side.

  "It was my fault, I’m sorry... I will pay for all the damages," Louis said quickly upon hearing Mei’s voice.

  After hearing Louis’s answer and thinking for a moment, she said: "Come, Xitlari." Mei motioned with her hand for Xitlari to approach, and she approached, crossing two of her arms. "What happened?".

  "'Sigh' I was working and he arrived and touched what he shouldn't have. You should put the door back in the research room," she replied, trying to justify herself.

  "I won’t, and... what did I tell you? Don’t work alone, wait for the others and, please... your justification is not valid. You have four hands! You could have prevented him from touching the scroll," she exclaimed with a mix of patience and firmness.

  "Fine... What will be the punishment?" she replied reluctantly, remembering she had hidden her arms when Louis entered.

  "Hmmm... Of course! You two, come!" she said after thinking for a moment and remembering her idea.

  "Don’t feel bad, kid. No one got hurt, but if you don't know about something, it’s better not to help," Reck said, trying to cheer him up, since he could see how bad Louis felt. Louis remained silent while they walked toward Mei. "How is it to be half-demon?" he asked a little awkwardly, as if he didn’t know how to talk about these topics.

  "You know? You’re Mern?!" Louis asked, surprised.

  "What? No, I’m Reck. I’m Mei’s companion and the only one, aside from another, whose paladin position wasn’t taken away," he said resignedly when mentioning the other one.

  "I see..." he said, finally reaching Mei.

  "First... Give me that," Mei took the scroll from Reck when he arrived, and Reck raised an eyebrow at the action. "Second, I introduce you to Reck Mortz, Louis, the strongest paladin in the kingdom... at least until I get my position back," she said with a challenging smile.

  "Ha, what are you talking about? I’ve always been the prime..." he replied, as if he couldn’t help but smile slightly.

  "Third! You two will deliver a jewel that was commissioned by Donquichua," Mei said, interrupting Reck with her sweet and soft voice.

  "What? But I don’t..." said Xitlari, disagreeing with the punishment.

  "No buts. You will also help Mern; he’s always outside the kingdom delivering jewels," Mei interrupted Xitlari and turned around. Xitlari sighed and handed the needles to Mei, leaving the place while hiding her arms.

  "Miss Mei... I think all the blame should fall on me," he said with a tone of frustration, guilt, and a touch of fear.

  "Maybe... but I know Xitlari, and her perfection will get her nowhere. She was months away from becoming a paladin, which means you are superior to her and must instruct her," Mei said, understanding Louis and remembering all the good things before the king died.

  "Me!? Instruct her? I... I can’t do that!" he said with great surprise and a touch of nervousness.

  "I’m leaving; I don’t want the count bothering me. Let me know anything important at night," Reck said, separating from them.

  Many tall cars carrying large containers with stone and people on top of the stone arrived, along with other long vehicles transporting many people in blue suits.

  "Who... are they?" Louis asked, curious, watching them arrive at the place.

  "They are architects and helpers. They repair the damage and assist those involved in accidents. But I pay them. I found out that Jens barely notices anything that happens in the kingdom," Mei replied, whispering when she told him she paid them. "Let’s go!" Mei started walking toward the agency, and Louis followed while watching how they repaired the street and helped the people. Louis felt guilty for everything that had happened and showed frustration on his face.

  "Don’t feel bad... The people are fine, the cars have an anti-damage system, and repairing the road is nothing extraordinary, but you will still have to pay for the damages," she commented, noticing Louis’s mood, and he just sighed.

  "How can I not feel bad...? All this is my fault, just for trying to get close to her." Louis still felt guilt and realized his last words.

  "You want to get close to her...?".

  "That’s not what I meant..." he said, being interrupted.

  "It’s not easy. She is very closed off, and even though she talks with me, Kassie, and the others, new people... are not to her liking. But maybe you could manage to be liked because you’re different," she said in a calm tone, trying to give him some perspective and to help him with her words.

  "Different?" he asked confused while they continued walking to the agency.

  "Yes, I mean... you’re a hybrid. She always supports them because they’re different... like her," she replied, ruffling Louis’s hair with one hand. "Setting that aside, I wanted to ask you... Doesn’t it hurt when you use your magic?".

  "No, why the question?".

  "Curiosity. Including you, only three people with that magic have been recorded worldwide, although... in the church system you’re listed as having fire magic," she hinted while Clara flew around her.

  "Heh... My master surely did something..." he said instantly with certainty and a slight smile.

  "Rei, huh..." Mei thought upon hearing the name.

  After the walk, Louis was in the waiting room, lying upside down on a couch.

  "When will I stop making mistakes...?" he thought, looking at the glass skylight.

  The door to the room opened and there was Kassie. "Hello."

  "Hello, Kassie..." Louis replied, discouraged.

  "I wanted to apologize for revealing your secret yesterday..." she said sincerely, showing guilt on her face as she sat on the couch in front of Louis.

  "Don’t worry, they had to find out, and I don’t like lying. My parents taught me it was something I should never do, at least with people I know," he said, trying to ease Kassie’s guilt and sitting properly on the couch.

  "Thank you... And you, why are you so sad?" she asked, trying to help him, but Louis wasn’t sure about answering. "Come on! I can help you, we’re both hybrids, you’re already a brother to me," she insisted, showing a slight smile.

  "I think... that... I like someone," he said with a bit of uncertainty, covering his face by resting his arm on his forehead.

  "Oh... I see... Well, I've never been in a relationship, so I don't have much to tell you, other than to just be yourself," she exclaimed with slight surprise, trying to help a little.

  Louis moved his arm away, showing his expression of regret. "'Sigh' today I tried to be myself, and... I totally messed up."

  "Yeah... I heard you opened the scroll of...", she said, analyzing the situation a little. "No way! You like Xitlari?!" realizing it, she made a surprised sound with her mouth, completely shocked.

  "Don't mention it, please... She's already mad at me, and if she heard that, I don't think she'd ever talk to me again," he exclaimed, unwilling to show his face out of the embarrassment he felt.

  "Come on! Don't be shy, maybe I can help you, remember I'm her friend," she insisted, sitting next to him and tapping his arm several times with her finger.

  "I don't know... I've never felt anything for anyone before, I don't know how to act," Louis removed his arm from his face and placed both hands on his knees.

  The door to the room opened again, with Ann entering and Ririam behind her.

  "Louis, Kassie! Hello! I'm glad to see you, but even more so you, Louis. Tell me, how does it feel to have lava in your hands? Does it burn?" she expressed with joy and excitement, approaching Louis and touching his hand. Then she made a small pause, thinking as if something occurred to her, and with a sigh she added, "Do you feel heat?".

  "Uhm... No, no, and... well, it feels like water, but viscous and thick, like it has life," Louis tried to answer her questions while she removed his glove to see if he had any burns, and Louis noticed that Ann's hands only had four fingers.

  "That's amazing!" Ann said upon hearing his responses.

  "Keep some distance, Ann, and you should too, Kassie, if something happens, only you will be able to stop the lava," Ririam hinted, pulling Ann away by the arm.

  "What do you mean? I'm not going to do anything wrong..." Louis replied, a little annoyed by Ririam's words.

  "Maybe not, but... I still have my precautions," Ririam opened his coat, and on the right side of it, it was full of water and ice objects, and the ice ones emitted a freezing air.

  Louis, surprised, said, "Aren't you cold?".

  "A little... but saving the kingdom is worth it," he replied, stopping showing his objects.

  "Don't be like that with him. Hey, do you guys want to go have lunch at El Dorado restaurant? They just opened one, and it's right across from here! And you can tell us more about your abilities, Louis," Ann expressed with a radiant, cheerful attitude, eager to learn more.

  "Yeah, because I doubt we'll be going back to Prilias restaurant after what happened this morning," Ririam murmured.

  "What? Are you still upset?" Ann asked, turning her gaze to Ririam and showing a little sadness on her face.

  "No, everything's fine," he replied, showing slight anger he tried to hide.

  "I don't know...".

  "We're going!" Kassie replied, lightly pushing Louis. "It'll help lift your spirits," Kassie whispered to Louis.

  "Let's go then!" Ann raised her right arm excitedly.

  At the agency's exit, Ann wondered, placing a finger of her right hand on her cheek: "Hmm, should we invite Xitlari too?"

  "So she can tell you no? She likes being alone," Ririam added, opening the door.

  "True... I wish I could talk more with her," Ann looked a little sad as she exited through the door, followed by Ririam, Kassie, and Louis, who was being pulled by his coat by Kassie.

  "They could also tell us about the abilities of the guy with white magic," Ririam mentioned, showing some interest as they walked to the restaurant.

  "Yeah, sure, no problem," Kassie replied while continuing to pull Louis.

  Upon entering the restaurant, Ann greeted everyone with a radiant and excited "Hello!" The restaurant had many tables, the walls were red with golden squares, and there were small golden lanterns on the ceiling. There were two small windows next to a table, and they chose that one. Next to the entrance was a brown wooden piano with several golden details.

  "Thank you for coming to our restaurant, my name is George. You're some of the first customers today, and if it's not a problem... May I have your autograph, Miss Ann?" this man wore a black suit and had short hair on top and semi-shaved sides. He handed them the menu and took out his pencil.

  "Of course!" Ann took the notepad and signed it joyfully.

  "Thank you very much!" the man said upon receiving the autograph.

  "What a beautiful piano," thought Louis, fascinated by the piano.

  "Do you play the piano, Louis?" Kassie asked, noticing how Louis looked at the piano.

  "Yes, my master taught me. He's an expert; I could never match the way he plays... and I doubt I could, he has six fingers on each hand, that gives him an advantage," he stated with great pride and appreciation for his master.

  "Six fingers! Whoa!" Kassie exclaimed, imagining the speed with which he must play the piano.

  "Hey! Choose what you'll eat. I want boiled potatoes and grilled litia chicken with Riz cream," Ririam said, closing the menu while sitting next to Ann.

  "I want yellow rice and Marfron meat with cheese sauce on top, thank you," Ann added with a slight smile on her face.

  "I... will order a litia egg salad," Kassie added a little annoyed by Ririam's scolding.

  "Don't you have sandwiches?" Louis asked, looking through the menu.

  "Sandwiches?" George commented, frowning.

  "Louis... there aren't any here," Ririam mentioned, crossing his arms.

  "No? Well... then give me... the suitsequer dish," he said, and George left with the order.

  "You don't even know what that is, do you?" Ririam asked, staring at him.

  "No, but it looks good," he replied while cracking his fingers.

  "'Sigh'... Never mind, tell me, how strong was that Tai guy?" Ririam looked very interested, enough to ignore Louis' action.

  "I'd say he had strength equal to mine, and he could create katanas with his right hand," Louis replied with concern, remembering the fight.

  "Yeah, plus he could control them to fly over them or launch a large number. I used a spinning ice shield to protect us from them, but one of them pierced my shield easily," Kassie expressed, recalling how the katana pierced Louis.

  "I remember that when I pulled the katana out, it had a white mist aura. I think that's how he made them stronger. He also had the ability to trap us in an area completely covered by a black mist," Louis continued seriously, due to the intense fight they had.

  "The last part was probably illusion magic, but the rest... That guy really has a lot of abilities: illusion magic, creation magic, and white magic. He's going to be a big problem to face," Ririam commented, trying to come up with a plan for Tai. "Well, I'm going to wash my hands before the food arrives."

  "Me too," added Kassie, going after Ririam, a bit... distanced.

  "I'll go too..." Louis thought while taking off his gloves. "Aren't you coming, Ann?"

  "Of course, but I want to ask you something first... You like Xitlari, right?" she expressed cheerfully and directly.

  Louis, surprised that she already knew, dropped one of his gloves. "How do you know!? Did Kassie already tell you?" he asked nervously and blushing.

  "Did you tell her? Haha, I figured it out just yesterday... When she approached you, I could see your expression and I knew I wasn't wrong, because the same thing happened to me with Ririam when I fell in love with him," she replied cheerfully, blushing at the end of her words.

  "I see... Please don't tell anyone," Louis picked up the glove, maintaining a slight blush. Then he headed to the bathroom to wash his hands.

  "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," she affirmed with a smile, also getting up just as Ririam was coming back.

  After Louis washed his hands, he went to the table and only found Ririam.

  "Are they still in the bathroom?" Louis asked, warming his hands, and Ririam was about to pull out an ice weapon. "Hey! Calm down."

  "Sorry, I'm alert for anything," Ririam insinuated, pulling his hand out of his coat.

  "I think you're exaggerating..." he mentioned, sitting down on the chair.

  Suddenly, the lights went out, leaving only two lights illuminating Ann. Kassie quickly sat down in her chair.

  "What is this?" Ririam asked Kassie.

  "It's to cheer Louis up and also... the song is for you," Kassie whispered.

  Ann lifted Louis from his chair with her yellow wind magic and placed him on the piano. Louis was hesitating; his fingers barely touched the keys, but George gave a thumbs up, showing his approval. The first chord resonated with a warmth that filled the entire place. The melody sprang forth with great harmony. Each touch was like a ray of sunshine illuminating the place. Ann began to sing, and her voice was like a great sun covering the skin with its warm glow, each word filled with affection and softness.

  Every single day with you, is like sunshine.

  I feel the sun when I hug you, my life changes when I meet you.

  Always... I want to... stay... with you...

  I want to stay with you, my yellow love! My life shines like the golden color.

  you're everything for me, my yellow love.

  Don't be shy, don't go away from me, I can't live without you.

  Don't go, my yellow love!!!

  I am not complete if I don't have you.

  When the light of the sun touches my face, I can feel, like I'm with you!...

  I want to stay with you, my yellow love! My life shines like a diamond.

  We were destined to be a yellow couple.

  When I see you, I feel the radiance of the sun.

  The sunrise with you, when the leaves fall, in the autumn season!

  You change my life, you change me, my yellow love.

  I want to stay with you, my yellow love! My life shines like a rainbow.

  You're my boy, I am your girl, and I always want that... my yellow love...

  As Ann sang, Louis began to play with more confidence. His fingers moved with great calmness over the black and white keys, creating a melody that connected directly from the hearts of both. Each note resonated with depth, from the lowest to the softest that marked the rhythm, up to the high notes that shone like rays of light.

  In the final words of the song, Ann raised her hand, signaling to Ririam, and Kassie gave her a slight push. Ririam watched her for a second and then looked at Ann with her beautiful smile; she immediately stood up from the chair and gave her a warm and sentimental hug. "I love you... So much. There will never be anyone or anything that can give me what you have given me... and continue to give me," she expressed with great feeling, placing her hands on her face and giving her a long and gentle kiss.

  Louis ended the song by playing a soft and final low chord, like the last glow of the sun... in a sunset.

  End of the chapter.