An Important Thing

The High-Priestess stood in front of the barred window, looking at Soul with icy blue eyes that seemed to pierce straight through him. She was a 6'2 high elf, with skin as pale as paper and hair as white as freshly fallen snow.

Her eyes seized Soul, weighing him in her mind. Then, she turned her attention to one of her guards.

Ruby, hiding in a bush, yelped as she was thrown into the barred window by the High-Priestess's guard. Soul clenched his fists, his heart pounding with fear and anger. He thought of using his blood magic, but knowing he could hurt Ruby unintentionally made him stop. He had to think of something different.

"A part of the Void spawns here out of here and no one does anything?" she asked, her voice cold and commanding. "And he's… a blood mage?"

"No!" Soul yelled, his voice desperate. "Leave her!"

The High-Priestess placed her foot on Ruby's back, pinning her to the ground.

"Despicable. Kill this boy."

"Leave Ruby alone!" Soul pleaded, his voice cracking with emotion.

"Leave her? Sure." She smiled. "Of course! Of course I'll leave her!"

Her hand glowed black like the Void, and then she touched Ruby's forehead with only one finger. Ruby screamed in pain, her body convulsing as if she were experiencing a seizure. He couldn't do anything but watch, his eyes wide with horror.

Soul bit his lips, the blood floated in the air, forming a dagger and flying toward the High-Priestess. But her guard intercepted it before it could reach her.

"No!"

Desperation fueling his actions, Soul scratched his arms and face, drawing more blood. The blood floated in the air, forming over ten daggers and launching at her. But once again, his efforts were in vain. The High-Priestess's guard effortlessly stopped the daggers, while she stood still with a creepy smile on her long face, seeming to enjoy the show.

"I'm immortal. I can't die, slave," she said, her voice dripping with contempt. "I was blessed by Hero-God himself. You think you can hurt me?"

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" he said, his hands moving as if trying to open something unseen. "I will kill you!"

He woke up, stood up quickly, and scanned the room with his weary eyes. Nia and Ayame were sleeping, the sun was up. He couldn't remember when he had fallen asleep, but he was awake now. With his energy replenished, teleporting wouldn't be much of a problem.

He let a drop of his blood splash onto the ground. The blood expanded, forming a perfect circle. Moments later, he teleported to his room.

Lilith, who'd just finished showering, was putting on her bra when she saw him appear out of nowhere. She gasped but quickly composed herself. Soul was unfazed by the awkward situation, he simply walked toward the wardrobe, took off his jacket, and exited the room without a word.

Gum'n was sunny today. There was no snow, no wind – just a bright, clear day, which was rare.

"Oi!" Lilith burst through the door, grabbing Soul by the collar and yanking him back inside. Her eyes blazed with anger. "What was that!"

"Huh?"

"You – where were you?" Lilith demanded, her irritation clear.

"Outside," he replied nonchalantly.

"You just teleported out of nowhere! You even saw me!" The Demon Queen's towel slipped off, but she caught it just in time, cheeks flushing. "And you didn't even react!"

"Hmm."

"You – ugh, anyway. I saw what you did to The Topple. Killing him like that? Good. But showing your powers to others? Not good," she said, using the wardrobe door to shield herself. Soul's gaze drifted down to her legs and thighs.

"I know," he said calmly.

"So – what now?"

"I don't know." He locked his eyes on Lilith's thighs. "I think they are juicy."

"What juicy?" Lilith's confusion was apparent.

"The – situation," he clarified. "It's bad, I mean."

"Yeah." She put on one of Soul's white shirts. "But I'm glad that pervert is dead now."

"Hmm."

"So, what are you going to do now? We have to strike Ur again," she said, sitting on the edge of the bed. The shirt was long enough to cover her private part.

"I know another temple of Ur. I'm going to hit there," he said, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms.

"Good, I'll come with you. These sons of bitches are going to pay."

He looked at the ceiling, thinking back on the day The Topple attacked Nia, Lore and Ruby.

"I gotta take care of something first," he said, pushing himself off the wall. "We'll attack the temple today, when the sun goes down."

Lilith nodded. "Okay. Take care."

"Hmm," Soul grunted, turning toward the door.

"No," Lilith insisted. "Say 'you too' or 'Take care' back. Don't 'hmm' please."

Soul paused. "You too."

"Thank you," she said with a small smile. "I'll make a gentleman out of you yet!"

"That's great…"

He turned the doorknob and stepped out, the broken window greeting him with a chilly breeze. Leaning against the window frame, he peered outside, watching as the students formed a line, preparing for the upcoming lesson. The clear sky offered no solace.

"Oh, hey," Hyun-Ki's voice echoed from the end of the corridor. "Did you sleep well? Because I sure couldn't."

"Hey," he greeted. "I did."

"Man, how?" Hyun-Ki approached him, shaking his head. "Ur is breathing down our necks. I was too scared to even blink! So – yeah, what's our plan?"

"I'm going to strike at one of his temples today. I have to weaken him – and eventually kill him."

"Kill a god?" Hyun-Ki whispered, disbelief coloring his tone. "Are you out of your mind?"

"No. Do we have any other choice? Plead for mercy, beg for forgiveness. But make sure you don't end up imprisoned, forced to worship him day and night like those people."

"You're – you're right," Hyun-Ki sighed. "Okay, count me in. I'll talk to my sister, see if she's willing to join us."

"I'm going with Lilith."

"Strength in numbers, right?" Hyun-Ki attempted a weak smile.

"I don't need you or your sister, Ki. Forget about Ur, where's my 600 gold? You promised to give it to me yesterday."

"Oh! I completely forgot! Yesterday was… intense." He removed a big pouch from his belt. "I managed to fit 300 golds. I'll get the rest later."

"Okay." He nodded, taking the pouch. "Aren't you late for class?"

"Oh, crap. You're right." Hyun-Ki exclaimed, running toward the stairs. "You're not coming?"

"We're not in the same class."

"Yeah, but still – the lesson is about to start."

"I gotta take care of something." He replied with a boring voice. "An important thing."