"Not that I don't enjoy all the bickering," Rita flipped her hair with a chuckle. "But we should probably head back."

The Demoness was rather certain that Akane wouldn't make progress when it came to using Magic so quickly. Plus, 'I can't let Levia have too much time alone with Amon.'

"It's true that I never expected to use Fire Magic. I never expected to have anything to do with fire," Akane crossed her arms and let out an annoyed sigh. "Especially since my people exclusively used Ice Magic."

With Rita having shared so much, Akane felt comfortable doing some sharing of her own.

"My natal village was destroyed by Humans." She admitted. "Probably these Inquisitors you talk about. They mostly used Fire Magic."

"So you're not from the Werebeast village," Syl scratched her head. "I guess I should have expected that."

"Only a minority of those living there were born in the village." Akane explained. "It's a safe haven for all Werebeasts, a safe haven from Humans that hunt us and Demons that prey on us. Well, it's supposed to be."

"How did you end up there?" Rita asked, accepting that there was no joining Amon's side so quickly. 'Plus, bonding time is important.' She nodded to herself internally.

"I can't exactly remember…" Akane frowned. "It was so long ago, my memory of it is fuzzy. Almost feels like I just woke up there one day."

"It won't be easy," Rita muttered, hand on chin. "Using the same magic that was used against your people… Fate can be rather cruel at times."

Syl nodded.

Akane fell into deep thought.

'Fate can be cruel at times…' She repeated to herself internally. 'Fire is something that I do fear, all things considered. Something that I hate even, just as much as I hate Humans… When I saw that thing and awakened my flames, or when I saw those Humans coming for me and Syl… I was glad to have fire on my side.' Akane stared at the palm of her hand. 'Fire is the worst thing that has happened to me, and part of me wants to cast it upon those who mean me harm… Between Ice and Fire, Fire is worse… Deep down, it is what I want to use on my enemies. To use the same thing they used against me, my parents, and everyone else in the village.' Calm flames rose from Akane's body as she thought. 'Those Humans that came after us, that monster of corruption, that Golem… I'm glad I was able to burn them.' Her round pupils momentarily thinned. 'But I'm scared…' The flames wavered. 'I'm scared… To give in to my anger and hatred. I'm scared… Of becoming something I don't want to be.'

Moving her gaze away from her palm and towards the Demoness, Akane found a perfect example of what she feared to become.

The Succubus's story had completely engrossed her.

Not only that, but at some point, Akane found herself rooting for Rita to kill the noblewoman and the nobleman who had caused it all.

'If I give in to it… I might just become… A Dem-'

"What about me?" Syl asked Rita suddenly, interrupting Akane's thought. "How can I get stronger?"

"You?" Rita raised an eyebrow.

"Yes." Syl stepped closer. "I'm not… Good enough as I am. I was unable to do anything against you or Rika. Against Levia's Golem, I was useless. Even…" She turned towards Akane. "When you and Amon fought that Monster, I had no place in that battle. I couldn't have done anything." Syl clenched her fists. "If I want to remain with you, I need to be useful to the group. So tell me, Rita…" The Succubus's eyelids wavered; it was Syl's first time calling the Demoness by her name. "What can I do to get stronger?"

Rita crossed her arms and momentarily looked away. "Unable to do anything against Rika and I?"

"Yes-"

"Are you joking?" A confused Akane interrupted Syl's words. "If anything, I'm the useless one."

"Huh?" Syl raised an eyebrow.

"I couldn't do anything against Rika. Without your influence, the fight would have ended badly." Akane said.

"True." Rita nodded. "You managed to dodge my attacks while thinking ahead; that alone is already an impressive feat."

"And against that Golem!" Akane added. "First of all, you still had the rope around your wrists at the time! If you hadn't knocked that tree and kept it from moving, I wouldn't have been able to finish it off! Before you did that, I was unable to inflict any damage at all!"

Syl scratched her head. "Still," She muttered. "My contributions are too tiny. It feels like I can't do anything by myself."

"Isn't that fine?" Akane raised an eyebrow. "I mean… You're like the tactician, you know? I'm um… How can I describe it…?"

"A loose cannon," Rita said.

"Exactly!" Akane nodded. "Without you, my attacks are useless! Whether it was against the Golem or Rika and Rita!"

'Can we stop talking about that fight already…' The Succubus sighed.

"That's not enough," Syl said sternly. "Soon, you'll be able to use your magic better. I'm sure that your physical strength will also increase. At that point, I'll be completely left in the dust."

While Akane perceived this as competitiveness, Rita saw it differently.

'It's not that she wants to be part of the competition.' The Demoness thought. 'She's scared of being abandoned, of being left behind once she isn't useful anymore.'

The Succubus let out a long sigh and took a seat on the ground again.

"I guess we can think about this," Rita smiled. "I do enjoy solving problems, from time to time."

Syl sat as well.

Just when Akane was about to take a seat,

"You can go away." The Demoness gestured. "Can you remember something that your people used to do with their magic?"

"Um…" Akane scratched her head. "I'm not sure."

"Try to remember that," Rita said with a raised index finger. "And perform that same action with Fire Magic instead of the Ice Magic they used."

Syl gulped, full of hope and anxiety.

***

"You really think that will help?" Syl asked, watching Akane walk away.

"It might." Rita shrugged. "Every use of Fire Magic is slightly different, while also being the exact same. How you shape the flames doesn't matter much, but it feels like it does. Making the flames form a line or a pentagram changes nothing, but the latter feels more difficult when you're not used to magic."

"I see…" The female Hobgoblin muttered. 'I wonder if there is a way for me to awaken magic. Akane did it, so maybe…?' She remembered how Amon had healed the scars on her back the night before. 'That was entirely his work though, it had nothing to do with me.' Syl did not know that Resonance had taken place, so she couldn't realize that she was partly responsible.

"What kind of weapons can you use?" Rita asked.

"Any I get my hands on." Syl nodded. "I prefer the spear, but I'm just as good with a sword, a knife, or a bow and arrows."

"A weapon master, huh?" The Succubus crossed her arms. "Your muscles are a testament to your hard work and to all the effort you've put in."

"What good are they when skinny girls are stronger than me?" Syl sighed with a shrug. "Plus, Rika has as much muscle. Well, had…"

"My shapeshifting abilities allow me to hide the demonic physical attributes, to partly alter my skin color, as well as to perfectly control my hair. Coloration and length, I can perfectly change whenever I want. For Rika, her shapeshifting abilities allowed her to change the amount of muscle she had. Well, it only influenced her appearance, not her actual strength. Looking muscular made her look stronger though, so she would appear that way in front of… Potential enemies."

"I see." Syl scratched her head. "Still…"

***

"Ugh…" Akane sighed.

Presently, the image of her father creating a snowflake was the clearest use of Ice Magic she could remember.

Akane had struggled for a bit, before giving up. There was no way to create a snowflake with flames. First of all, because snowflakes are made of ice crystals. Second, because they are solid matter, and flames are not.

"Whatever…" Akane sighed as she passed by the trees to rejoin the two.

After approaching them, she found Rita standing and Syl sitting.

Not entirely sure why, Akane stopped and stared at them.

"Presently, there's nothing that you can do." The Succubus said plainly.

"...?!"

"You've trained your body and reflexes to the absolute limit. You weren't part of the Elite in your village, but that's simply because you're a female. An Elite female Hobgoblin can't be compared to an Elite male Hobgoblin. At best, an Elite female Hobgoblin is relatively equal to a male Hobgoblin in terms of pure physical strength. Your mind and sharpened reflexes put you above them but…"

"What are you trying to say?" Syl frowned. "That there's no way for me to get stronger?"

Akane watched from a distance, just as annoyed as Syl was.

"There is something that you can do." Rita corrected matter-of-factly.

Akane's eyelids wavered as The Succubus extended a hand towards the seated Syl.

She stared at the black, pointy horns on Rita's head, and at the swaying black tail behind her.

The extended hand hovered in front of Syl for a bit and,

"Become a Demon." Rita said.

The words sent chills up and down Akane's spine.

Her gaze darted towards the seated Syl.

The female Hobgoblin had a complicated expression on her face.

"Become a Demon, Syl." The Succubus repeated, offering her a hand.

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