I stood by myself, far away, alongside the massive boulders where I had trained for weeks. Madelyn and her new cat friend, Poku, were talking.
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I couldn't hear them from where I was, but from the look on Madelyn's face, I could tell that whatever they were discussing was pretty serious.
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Honestly, I kinda wanted to use my powers to increase my hearing to eavesdrop, but after much debate, I figured that would be a bad idea. 12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBHNUrCytaW
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It took a few minutes for Madelyn and the cat to stop talking. When they did, both of them began to walk toward me. 12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwb2Dbe3Kz8
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Madelyn seemed out of it, like the whole world didn't exist in her eyes, but as she neared me, the light in her eyes began to return.
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"Hey, uh..." she said, trying to find the right words. "I have work to do tonight, so training is going to end early today."
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"Uh, okay," I said, wondering what the job was, but pretty sure I had a good idea. "Is the job demon-related?" I asked.
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Madelyn looked at me for a few moments. She didn't say a word; she simply looked at me with eyes that showed little emotion.
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"We believe so," she said, walking past me and heading toward the ladder that would take her out of this place.
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I thought about Zoganoth. Yes, I still remembered the bastard's name even after all this time, which surprised me, seeing as how I'm not good with names.
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It freaked me out that another demon like that was out in the world. I mean, Madelyn's fight with that creature pretty much destroyed my whole neighborhood.
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"I want to come with you," I said, my spirits high and my body ready for action. This time I would be stronger. This time I would be able to help her. This time I...
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"No," Madelyn said, cutting my dreams of glory short.
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"What?" I asked in surprise. "Madelyn, I can help."
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Madelyn stopped walking and turned to face me. "You're not ready," she said. "Not yet."
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"What? I've been training for weeks. What have I been training for, if not for this, if not to help?" I asked.
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I focused my mind, and as I did, my power exploded forth, encasing my body in dark energy. "I have powers now," I said. "I can help you."
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Madelyn went quiet again. Honestly, I think that was her favorite thing to do. She soon let out a sigh and shook her head in what seemed to be disapproval.
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"You have been training for weeks?" she asked as she walked toward me. "Well, I have been training for years." She stopped right in front of me. "You say you're ready?" she asked again. "Well, I say you don't know the meaning of the word." She pushed against my chest with her finger.
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I looked down at her, who in turn looked up at me with serious eyes. The dark energy around me began to disappear as I was at a loss for words.
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"You're not ready. The very fact that you think you are proves you're not," she said.
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Madelyn turned and continued to walk away, leaving me standing there, feeling horrible. She thought I was weak, and I still hadn't proved myself to her.
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As I stood there, lost in my thoughts, Poku spoke up. "Well, that was entertaining to watch."
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"So you're the new trainee," Poku said, walking toward me and sitting right in front of my feet. "Well, I don't see what everyone is so uppity about," he added, rolling his yellow eyes.
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"People are talking about me?" I asked, kind of liking the sound of that.
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"Oh yes," Poku said, licking his paws. "Does that excite you, young man?" he asked. "Well, it shouldn't."
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"Uh, why?" I asked, bending down on one knee to get a closer look at the small cat. It was still weird looking at a talking cat, but now that I was closer, I noticed its black fur looked less like fur and more like small, wavy tentacles surrounding its whole body.
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"The Ezra Steinbach are worried about you," Poku said.
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"The Ezra Steinbach," I repeated. "I know that name."
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"I would hope so. If you didn't, then Madelyn would be lacking as your teacher," Poku said.
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"The Ezra Steinbach is a council of 10 powerful mages that govern and dictate the actions and decisions of the Black Order."
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"Very good. It seems you are at least a quick study," Poku complimented. "Some on the council believe that your appearance foretells a bad omen for the future."
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"How?!" I asked, a little irritated.
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"Well, it's not every day a new Pillar just shows up—a Pillar that isn't part of the 72 original houses," Poku said. "A lot of people don't know what to make of you," he added, walking away. "But you don't really seem like some horrible monster now, do you?"
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This was great. Just great. I was just starting to get used to this world, but people were already beginning to hate and fear me.
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"Why wouldn't she take me with her?" I asked, still not able to accept Madelyn's decision.
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"Well, that's simple," Poku said, turning his head towards me. "Because you're weak," he said. "There's no other way to say it."
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I looked down, feeling a surge of anger. "Look, cat, I know I can't do even half of what Madelyn can do, but I'm not weak," I said, my fists clenched.
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Poku turned to face me, his eyes glinting. "Oh, you think so?" he asked, his feline face almost looking like it was smiling.
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He sat down and faced me. "Then come," he said. "Come and face me."12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIEypolSpav
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"I'm sorry, what?" I asked, confused. Was I really about to fight a cat?
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Poku continued to look at me as his fur began to move and flow around his body, transforming into thick black tentacles with sharp, spear-like tips. "Come and prove your claim, weakling," he taunted.
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I hesitated for a moment, then steeled myself. "Fine," I said, activating my powers and feeling the dark energy envelop me. "Let's do this."
***
Author notes: Please support my work on Patreon for early access to new chapters. https://patreon.com/DarkMatteromniverse
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