[Jaykobell]

With the hat secured on her head, Danika moved on to start eating. Her initial reaction was to stare at the food and to observe it. Never before had the child had to eat something so big. Usually, her dishes were much smaller than this, or they were but a simple piece of food, such as bread. She couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten such a big dish. Her family had never been very rich, much like every single family in this town. The restaurants here were more for the tourists and an attempt by the city to get some money somewhere.

Once the child was done observing her own food, she slowly moved on to checking out Sibyl's seafood. She had seen pasta and sauce before, she'd seen bread, butter, fruits, vegetables: she'd seen all that. Despite all that, the child had never seen food such as shrimps and fish. She saw fish displayed on the store shelves now and again, but they had never attracted her much. Not only that, but it usually smelled nasty compared to other foods. Sibyl's dish smelled just that, and Danika curled her nose and grimaced from the smell.

Not that the behavior bothered the albino. Most people couldn't stand seafood, but the child would have to get used to that. Fish was good for you, and they had a lot of things that other foods didn't have. She cracked a shrimp open and ate the flesh inside, dropping the shell to the side. "You like your food cold, then," Sibyl commented as she noticed the child still observing the food instead of eating it.

When she heard the comment, Danika sat back down on her chair and looked away sheepishly. "I-I never got to eat so much food before," the child pointed out, trying to get over her amazement at the amount of food in front of her.

Sibyl tried to keep herself from rolling her eyes. "Child, there will be many more things that you have never seen or experienced before," Sibyl pointed out, the child's hesitation and never-ending wonderment starting to grind on her nerves. If everybody acted in such a way all the time, the world would never move on. "Get used to it," she added, picking out another piece of fish. While the child hadn't even started eating yet, the albino was almost done eating her platter.

While the words were a little hurtful, Danika had to admit that the albino was right. There would be so many more things that she had never seen before, and especially if she would start traveling with Sibyl in order to learn more about using dark magic and wielding. "Sorry," the child muttered as she picked the fork from her utensils and finally started eating.

[Jaykobell]

Not surprisingly, the child couldn't eat the whole platter. Not only was it a dish sized for an adult, but the fact the child usually ate very little probably left her appetite to be minuscule at best. Included with the pasta was a small bread and a little cup of butter, and the sauce had been layered on the pasta rather generously.

Still, for Danika, it would've been a terrible thing to do to waste so much food: especially so much good food. And so, the child did her best to eat as much as she possibly could. Admittedly, it wasn't all that difficult: the tastes and feelings that reached the child when she took the first few bites were unlike anything she'd ever experienced. This was beyond a piece of bread stolen from the streets, or a fruit or a vegetable taken from an open stand. It was so much more than that; so much more flavorful, tastes that were anything she'd eaten before. The pasta was soft and warm, and the sauce was full of flavor, with the cheese to top it all off.

The first few bites were slow and calculated, the child chewing just quickly enough to taste everything, but also slowly enough that she could enjoy the taste. After the initial impression, the meal was completely devoured; at least, as much as the child's body could afford to do so. Just a little under half of the plate was left once the child was done, and the little complementary bread had also been eaten.

In the end, the child had eaten so quickly that Sibyl had had enough time to finish just a little before the child. Unsurprisingly, the albino had eaten the whole platter, leaving only the shells of various fish as proof of her eating here. She watched curiously as the child ate wildly, trying to take in as much food as possible, as if this were going to be her last decent meal. Which it would have been, under normal circumstances; but it wouldn't be the last if the child decided to follow Sibyl in her travels. "Are you done, then?" the albino asked after a while, noticing the child siting in her chair and rubbing her stomach, an obvious sign that the kid had eaten too much.

The question seemingly frightened Danika, because the child immediately grabbed the plate when she heard the words. "Are they... are they going to throw it away?" she asked worriedly, mortified at the thought of the restaurant wasting good food because she hadn't been able to eat the whole thing. "I-I don't want to waste it," she explained, trying to sound a little less foolish to the adult. For someone who never had good food on the table, finally getting a taste of it made Danika appreciate it all the more.

"You can ask them to bag it for you, if you wish," Sibyl explained, although she wasn't sure how well they would be able to preserve the pasta if the hotel they went to didn't have a fridge and a microwave. Still, perhaps the child could get creative. A fire to heat up the leftovers, maybe? It would be a good exercise to see how well the child could adapt to different situations. "Or else they will throw it away."

At those words, Danika nodded and continued to hold on to the leftovers. She would make sure that the waitress didn't throw the food away, and that they would put it in something for her so that she could keep the leftovers for later.

[Jaykobell]

As if she'd been waiting for the pair to finish, the waitress appeared on the terrace shortly after the two were done eating. She was holding a small notebook-looking leather case, which she put down next to Sibyl on the table. "Are you two done eating?" she asked, only as a simple courtesy, since she could see that Sibyl's platter was empty, and that Danika was too full to keep eating. "What about you, little one? Would you like your food in a bag to bring it home?"

Immediately, the child nodded to confirm that she wanted to keep the food. She was glad that the waitress had asked the question, since it prevented Danika from asking herself.

"Okay, then! I left the bill right here, so I'll be right back for payment once I've bagged her leftovers," she explained as she took Danika's plate, together with Sibyl's empty shell-filed platter so she could bring that back to the kitchen at the same time. Without too much time wasted, the waitress was already back inside the restaurant.

Sibyl quietly opened the little leather case and looked over the white slip inside. Of course, they'd left the most expensive dish as the free one, leaving Sibyl to only pay for Danika's cheaper pasta dish instead of both platters. One thing the albino hated about going to an actual restaurant to eat was the fact she had to leave a tip to the waitress. Fortunately for her, being mistaken for the famous tactician Negative made even a single penny seem like a blessing from high above. She typically gave a single dollar, which was usually enough to please the waitress. She reached for the money in her pocket, pulling out a small wallet and rummaging inside for the money that she needed to pay. A few bills and a handful of coins, and the waitress was covered for both the food and the tip.

Danika watched as Sibyl put money for the waitress on the table. She had rarely seen money before, considering it was such a rare thing in this town. Almost everyone here was poor, so the sight of money was fairly uncommon — mostly from up close. That, too, was something the child wasn't used to. "Do you have a lot?" the girl asked curiously, looking at the different colors and shapes of the currency in front of her.

"Enough," Sibyl replied, putting the wallet back into her pocket once the money had been withdrawn from it. Considering this was a poor town, the odds of someone running right up to her to steal her money were high. Another reason why she kept her answer to the child brief and simple: to avoid any eavesdroppers hearing that she had a lot of money to her name. You had to be careful in towns like this one: you could never be too careful. Not that Sibyl couldn't handle the petty thieves of a town like this, but she definitely didn't need or want the hassle.

[Jaykobell]

When Sibyl seemingly avoided the question about her money, Danika didn't press. While the temptation was definitely there, the girl kept herself from such thoughts. The woman had saved her from those boys, had brought her to the clinic, and she had even brought her to a restaurant to eat real food. While the child could resort to sneaky tricks to survive, she wasn't one to bite the hand that fed her. The albino had been nice to her, and so, she wanted to return the favor in some manner. Obviously, stealing the woman's belongings wouldn't accomplish that; not to mention that Danika had seen how powerful the woman could be. The girl could imagine that one of the boys had been left for dead from that single lightning bolt, so it was safe to assume Sibyl's true power was terrifying.

Shortly after leaving with the two plates, the waitress came back with a small white styrofoam container. She put the small box in front of Danika before turning to Sibyl to clear the bill. She counted the money left on the table and slipped the currency in her pocketed apron, taking back the small leather case in her hands. "Again, we're so sorry we couldn't spare more food," she apologized again, giving a short bow to the albino. "But thank you so much for stopping by. It was an honor to have you here."

"No, that's all right. The pleasure was mine," Sibyl replied, trying to keep her exit brief. She got up from her seat and gave Danika a glance, instructing the child to follow along. Grabbing her small white box of leftovers, the child got up as well, her hat suddenly tipping forward and covering her eyes.

The waitress stepped in to pull the hat back on the child's head, but despite it staying in place in a different position, it still covered part of her face. "Heh, it looks good on you! I bet it'll fit perfectly once you grow up a little," the employee said with a smile, letting the hat go so that the child could go to Sibyl's side.

With that out of the way, the albino quickly made her way out of the restaurant. She wanted to keep any and all interactions as brief as possible. It was obvious that the waitress had given her entire attention to Sibyl the whole time they had been at the restaurant, probably neglecting the other customers in order to favor her. That was fine with her: obviously, this had allowed the pair to eat faster and to leave as quickly as possible. Service could be slow at a restaurant, but fortunately, she had the ability to bypass all that.

With the two now back on the sidewalk, Sibyl made it her objective to find a hotel. She would be able to talk to the child more there, and to explain exactly what she expected from her. She was meek and insecure, as well as inexperienced. However, given some time, Sibyl was determined that she would be able to shape her into something great. If she could tamper with the child's inner magic, in-storing a confident, powerful character into the child's mind would take little time.

"Do you know any good hotels or inns in this town, child?" Sibyl asked, glancing over at the girl behind her for her response. If anyone would know this town here, it would be Danika. If she wanted to somewhat repay Sibyl for her help, then she could do so by acting as a small guide in this town.

[Jaykobell]

The definition of "good" varied depending on your upbringing.

The first few inns and hotels that the child had lead Sibyl to were less than acceptable and fairly shabby. Danika was surprised to see Sibyl rejecting literally every single suggestion based on its exterior alone. The buildings were either small, holed, or just overall unappealing and ruined. That just wouldn't do: those places would most definitely end up trying to steal the albino's money, and she couldn't accept that.

Danika eventually suggested to check another side of town, one where things were a little more up to par. Fortunately, a good hotel did end up rearing its head eventually. While it was far from being a five-star hotel, anything where the foundation looked solid and grand was enough to please Sibyl. She needed the most reliable-looking hotel there was in this town, and finding such a thing in a town poorer than dirt was fairly difficult.

After a long day of traveling and walking, the albino finally entered a decent hotel, the child following slowly behind her. While Danika had good endurance, she remained a teenager. After being beaten up earlier and eating so much food after, the child looked about ready to just fall over. She slowly adjusted her hat now and again, as necessary, as she continued to hold onto her styrofoam case that contained her leftovers.

A quick check in at the reception area, and of course, a nice offer to a free night of sleep for the grand tactician Negative herself. Sibyl didn't even have to abuse the privilege: the receptionist offered her the most expensive room, one with two beds and even a small kitchen area. Even if only for one night, the child had leftovers so the receptionist figured they could use the kitchen. The usual comments and compliments followed, but Sibyl cut that conversation short under the excuse that the child was exhausted. She wanted a room as soon as possible in order to put Danika to bed, and that was enough to get the receptionist moving faster. With a few quick replies here and there, the desk lady handed the key over to the albino before explaining how to get to their room. There was much for the pair to talk about, and so, after extending her salutations to the manager — as she always did, in case they wanted to offer her more free things — he albino lead the child along to their room.

The room was on one of the top floors, with a nice interior covered in carpet. Two large beds sat next to each other at the back of the room, and a tiny little kitchen area welcomed the people staying over for the night. A table to eat and a couch to sit on, together with a bathroom to finish it off. It would be plenty for a single night, and the beds looked comfortable enough to guarantee some good sleep.

Tired, Danika made her way past Sibyl in order to sit on the couch, slumping in her seat as she continued to hold the food case, and not so much minding the falling hat on her head. Noticing the child moving, Sibyl immediately followed her to the couch, picking up the leftovers from her hands and lifting the hat so the child could look up at her. Seeing the albino take her food seemed to make the child anxious, but Sibyl silenced her with a finger over the child's mouth. "It'll go bad if you don't keep it cold," the albino explained, keeping the case in one hand while the other kept the girl silent. "You can't sleep yet: we have much to discuss, child."

[Jaykobell]

Danika moaned at being forced to stay awake for a while longer, but she figured she had better listen to Sibyl if she wanted everything to go smoothly. Even if the albino planned on being decent to her, the girl knew that she couldn't afford to step over the adult's boundaries. She didn't want to risk going back on the streets, where she was laughed at and beaten up for trying to survive another day. She was too tired to be her usual curious self, looking over everything new and unusual to her, but she was certain that she would do just that in the morning. If anything, the couch was so comfortable and inviting that the child had no intention of getting off any time soon.

Leaving the child for a moment, Sibyl walked over to the fridge in order to put the leftovers in it. There was nothing in the fridge itself, apart from a large water container, if anyone wanted to go down the hall to pour in some water to keep cold. That would be unnecessary for the two of them, but all they needed the fridge for was to keep Danika's pasta from going bad. Dropping it in the fridge, Sibyl closed the door and turned back to the couch. Unsurprisingly, the child had managed to slump some more into the furniture, hat fallen over her face again as she seemed to be slowly falling asleep.

The albino made her way to the couch, and as she passed by, she used on hand to abruptly flip the hat back up by pushing under the visor. The child jumped and squeaked from the sudden flip of her hat, scrambling about on the couch to straighten the hat and figure out what had happened to her. She became meek and embarrassed when she realized Sibyl had been the one to flip it up, and she curled up on the couch as she kept her eyes on the albino. She'd figured that she would only close her eyes for a second, while Sibyl was putting her food in the fridge. It hadn't turned out so well.

"Now that we are finally alone," the albino started, making herself comfortable on the couch, "let's discuss your future, starting tomorrow," she added, bending forward so that she could look at the child on the same eye-level. "You agree to travel with me, don't you?" the albino asked, wishing to confirm the child's loyalty right away.

Danika blinked at the question, her tired brain taking a bit of time to really translate the question. She quickly understood the words, and the child nodded frantically without thinking about twice about it. "Uh-huh. Will you teach me how to use my power?" Danika asked, the ability to control her magic being the most important detail to the child. She didn't mind traveling around, especially not if Sibyl could afford eating out and staying at a pricey hotel like this all the time. What she wanted to know was if the woman could teach her how to use and control dark magic, which was what her power was.

"That will be the main focus of our agreement, yes," Sibyl replied as she straightened herself back. "I am taking you with me in order to shape you into a powerful dark mage. The energy you radiated earlier is no regular power: you were born with a special talent. I can find it and teach you how to wield such a power, given time and patience," the albino explained, and this was going to lead into the big topic that she needed to discuss with the child. "First, child, you need to understand that I am doing this because I have a use for you. I am after... something. Tell me, have you heard about the terrible war that happened just recently, where the dark dragon God Grima was resurrected from his slumber?"

[Jaykobell]

Danika suddenly remembered, at that moment, that she still had no idea who this woman was. While everyone called her by the name of Negative, the albino clearly did not carry the name, nor was she the person everyone thought her to be. She'd gotten upset at the child asking if she were Negative, and so the child was left with a complete stranger. The name Negative spurred some memories and rang a few bells to the child, but not more than that. She'd probably heard it while roaming the streets, considering a fair amount of people seemed to know that Negative person. But what about the woman here, in this room? The one who had saved her from the bullies earlier, who had brought her to the clinic, who had brought her to eat, and who was now hosting her in this hotel room?

Who was she? Apart from the fake name and alias of Negative, Danika didn't even have a name for the albino.

With respect to the topic of the war, the child shook her head slowly. "No... I think I heard the name 'Negative' before a little, but I don't know anything," she answered, regretting her decision to speak and mention of the name that seemed to upset the albino, but it was too late to take back her words.

"Ah, Negative, yes. Unsurprisingly," Sibyl replied, her expression clearly changing to that of hatred at the mention of that wrenched name. "Let me explain to you the short version of the war, child," the albino offered, turning her attention to the glove on her right hand. "You see, there were two continents at war with each other. It lasted over the span of a few years, but many great powers were involved in that war. There were rumors of one of the involved parties trying to find a way to revive the dark dragon God, Grima, in order to set the world into a spiral of despair," the albino explained quietly, telling the story as if she were reliving the whole thing as she spoke of it, her left hand tracing something onto the back of her right hand slowly.

"According to the faith of those people, the resurrection of the God was inevitable. It had already happened in the future, proven by the involvement of Grima's counterpart, the divine dragon Goddess, Naga. By performing a special ritual, the Goddess interfered with the affairs of the past and allowed select children to travel back in time in order to change their future." Here the story started to delve into a more abstract element, one many people would've ruled as impossible: time traveling. Hard to believe at first, but nothing short of true once you met those who'd come from that future time period. "Destiny had already been set millennia in advance for the revival of the God to happen. All the God needed to be awakened from his deep sleep was a special set of gemstones... and of course, a human body capable of hosting such tremendous, inhuman power."

As she spoke the last part, the albino turned her attention to the child in order to make sure that she was still following along. "Do you understand?" Perhaps the time traveling element would go right over the child's head, but that mattered very little. She only needed to understand the big picture: the details would become clear to her as they traveled together, and as the child grew.

However, Danika seemed to be able to follow the story well enough, nodding at Sibyl's question. "I think I heard rumors about things like that... E-especially about the dragon God." However, the rumors had been few and far between, considering how detached her town had been from the whole thing. Still, "detached" didn't mean "entirely cut out from the world"; as such, tourists and travellers who stopped by sometimes mentioned those rumors and stories, which would then spread throughout town like wildfire.

"Excellent. As I was saying, in order for the God to be revived, awakening him from his slumber is not enough. A human vessel is necessary so that he can roam the human world freely. Child, do you remember when I told you that I have touched dark magic of a power that is unimaginable to the human mind?"

Danika blinked again at the question, her foggy mind remembering those words slightly. She simply nodded for an answer, waiting for Sibyl to continue the story.

"That power was no spell book or artifact. It was the source of all dark magic, and the ultimate dark caster there is known to man," Sibyl continued as she finally stopped toying with her right glove, instead using her left hand to take it off slowly. The albino then exposed the back of her hand to the child, revealing a peculiar-looking mark: a curved V shape that carried three eyes on each side, with each eye having an eyelash, and the bottom of the V having two tiny tails intertwining together. "I touched the power of the dark God, Grima, as his human vessel to the mortal plane."

[Jaykobell]

When the climax came crashing down, Danika wasn't quite sure what to think, nor what to do.

She focused her attention on Sibyl's mark first, looking at the fine details of the mark curiously. Although she was unfamiliar with the two deities, she definitely recognized the respective marks of Grima and Naga. While she had seen the marks here and there, especially during the time of the war, she had never seen the mark on a human. The child craned her neck forward, pushing the hat backwards to prevent it from falling, as she tried to get a better look at the mark.

Next came the mention of Sibyl being the human vessel necessary for Grima to be revived. Not only that, but the revival had happened, considering the albino had mentioned touching the power of the God himself. "Are... are you... Grima?" the child asked, getting lost starting from that point on. This somewhat described what Sibyl was: a human vessel for the soul and power of Grima. But who was she?

"Hah! No, child... I am not the God himself," the albino answered, giving a small laugh at the thought. Her, a God! If only! She had been, for a minimal amount of time, but sadly everything had been taken away from her. "I am merely a shell that he can use should he be awakened. I am but a human born with the ability to host such a power." The Heart of Grima: that was the factor that allowed a human to be able to host the God's power. Many generations before Sibyl had been judged unworthy of the God's power due to the lack of the Heart. Without the Heart, a human couldn't possibly hope to withstand the hold of the God's soul and power.

That answer had just confused the child even more. Frowning, Danika moaned a little as she tried to fight off her sleepiness. "Then... who... who are you?" she asked, finally dropping the important question: the identity of the woman in front of her.

"Who I am..." Sibyl echoed, putting her glove aside and leaving her right hand exposed. "I am the one others see when they look at me: they see the famous tactician, Negative. She is the one who lead her army to the end of the war, and back to a world of peace."

"B-but you said—"

With the quick reflex of her finger, the albino cut the child's sentence short. "I am Negative. However... I am not the Negative of this timeline. I am the Negative from the future who brought ruins and despair to the world, and the one who followed the children back to the past in order to ensure the awakening of Grima. We are the same person: what sets us apart is the decisions we've made... and that others have made for us. I welcomed Grima's power, but she refused to touch it."

The explanation seemed to clear some of the child's confusion, but Danika still looked lost in the grand scheme of things. "I... I don't really understand..." the girl admitted, looking away from Sibyl in shame and letting her hat fall a little over her face.

[Jaykobell]

"All you need to understand, child," Sibyl said as she used a single finger to wring the child's face around by the chin, so that the two could see eye-to-eye, "is that despite being the same person, Negative and I are now two different entities. I am her by appearance only: otherwise, I am a completely different person." The real Negative, the tactician, was a happy, friendly, goody two shoes who befriended anyone she met. She was good at her core, and the thought of touching the power of a dark God disgusted her even if, for a short time, she had been tempted by the idea. On the other hand, Sibyl had welcomed the dark God's soul and power willingly. If it hadn't been for those select children who had been selected by Naga to change the course of destiny, Sibyl would've had her way in her original timeline. She could have brought despair to those who had made her life miserable, and she could've hurt others the same way they had hurt her.

Now, she was but a clone of the renowned tactician, stripped of Grima's powers and left for dead by those who had defeated her. With no way to get back to her original time, the albino had no other options but to satisfy herself by executing her revenge here, against the one person who had shamed her.

"But listen to me, child: this is the use that I have for you," Sibyl said, having given the child some time to think about this whole story some more. "Negative is the one who took Grima's power from me: the one who put the fell dragon back to a deep sleep and left me for dead. You, my child, will train with me in order to give my story the ending it should have had." Reviving the God was out of the question: it was no longer possible. Even if the magic required to create such a ritual could be found, the mind of the God was stuck in a deep sleep for the next thousands of years. Retrieving her lost powers was out of the question, but there was one thing she could do regardless.

"What... what kind of ending?" Danika asked, trying to focus now that the discussion got to a topic that she could understand better, namely, what Sibyl wanted her to do.

"The God's power is gone for the next few thousands of years... Needless to say that I will not be here for when the next time he is revived. However, what I want... is revenge. Teach those who shamed me that no such thing will happen again, and that I will make sure that they pay for their meddling." If only Negative had listened to her, if only the tactician had agreed to them becoming one: becoming a single entity, a single mind that could bring the world to despair across different times. Instead, the other albino had decided to refuse Grima's power, and instead to continue fighting with her friends and her soldiers. Instead of obtaining unimaginable power and control from a God, the tactician had decided to continue living with her friends.

What a foolish decision. The thought of it made Sibyl gag.

"You want to... You want to kill them?" Danika asked quietly, looking around a little, somewhat nervous of what would happen if someone would hear their conversation. "When... do you want to kill them?" Doing something was one thing, but when it would happen was another. Danika was but a child: about fourteen years old, and incapable of using a sliver of her inner power. How could she help Sibyl at all?

"Killing them may be part of the plan," Sibyl replied, putting a finger to her chin thoughtfully. "As for when, I believe we will know when the time is right. Until then, our goal is simple: we will continue to travel as we sharpen and develop your skills. I will teach you how to use your magic so that you may be ready to assist me when I need your help in putting my revenge into motion. That, child, is the use I have for you."

[Jaykobell]

One would probably question why Sibyl would put so much faith into a child that she'd met just a few hours prior. All the child had done was to show that she had power inside of her, but she had yet to show any talent wielding it. Not only that, but the child was mostly timid, even if she could be pushed to shady business like stealing when survival was on the line. Talent was one thing, but the albino was basing her gamble on a single thing, regardless of any factor: raw potential. She's come across countless mages, both elemental and dark, who didn't have the same level of raw power as the child did. Whether or not she would survive training or even prove to be interested in the whole thing was yet to be seen.

Should she be unworthy, Sibyl had a few options available to her. First, she could tell the child the facts, and simply tell her to leave. Second, she could force the child to leave her, either by leaving her at a town or with specific authorities. Third, if all else failed and Danika became a problem, the albino wasn't below simply killing the girl. She'd killed many people in her days, where age and gender mattered little in her decision to kill.

Those were scenarios for the future only: in case Danika found out that she couldn't keep up, or if the child ever questioned her motives and decided to go fight for a truer calling. For now, the focus had to be on making sure the girl understood what her use would be, and what Sibyl would do in order to get there. From the next day on, the albino would focus on training the child's powers and seeing just how far the girl could get.

"Do you understand what I told you, child?" Sibyl asked, trying to keep Danika attentive, considering the child's sleepiness.

Holding onto her hat and flipping over and off her face, Danika seemingly had a hard time keeping her eyes opened. "Uh-huh," she replied quietly, almost to the point where the albino couldn't hear her. She had understood, truly: the thing was that at the time, she wanted to sleep rather than talk.

"Explain it all to me, then," Sibyl asked, narrowing her eyes just slightly, and hoping the girl would be able to repeat what they had discussed. "What will we be doing from now on, now that you are under my guidance?"

Danika blinked at the question, but besides just moaning a little tiredly, the child didn't complain or say anything about it. "We... We'll travel together, and you'll show me how to use my magic," the girl answered, slumping just a little more into her seat.

"Yes, and for what purpose? Do not fall asleep," Sibyl asked, and quickly passing a comment about the child's sleepiness while she was at it. In order to make the child more aware, the albino flipped her hat off again, just as she had earlier.

The action made the child jump a little in fright, forcing the girl to straighten up and reposition her hat. "S-so I can help you get your revenge," Danika answered quickly, afraid to think of the consequences that would happen should she displease the albino. Although she had only met the woman, Danika could tell upsetting her would be a terrible thing to do. She truly did want to try helping Sibyl, considering that it would be the first time a purpose had been given to the child. Even if said purpose was for the sake of being used like a tool, the child was also gratifying from Sibyl's teachings. While their relationship would be mostly one-sided, Danika could still win something out of it.

Giving the girl a small, dark smile, Sibyl straightened up, giving the child some space. "Excellent." Soon, she would have this girl in the palm of her hand, listening to her orders and doing as told. Given some time and patience, she was willing to say that Danika would prove to be a fearsome dark mage.

[Jaykobell]

Closing her eyes and sighing with mild relief, Danika hoped that she would finally just lay down on this couch in order to sleep. After such an eventful day and so much eating — at least for the child — the girl was nothing short of drained. She tried to keep her eyes opened to slits, but they often proved too heavy for the girl to keep them open for long.

"Remember: we start tomorrow," Sibyl reminded the child, getting up from the couch in order to get ready to sleep, herself. Admittedly, she was still recovering from the drawback of having been Grima's vessel. Her memory was foggy at times, and her body was still trying to recover from the strain of the God's soul and power both. Exhaustion would sometimes come crashing down on her, her body suddenly unwilling to do much of anything and forcing her to slow down. It seemed to be more than simple physical fatigue, however, as no amount of sleep had made the problem any better. Given time, however, the albino was certain that everything would fall back into place.

As she surveyed the bed, Sibyl eventually looked over her shoulder at the child, now slumped all over the couch with the hat over her face. "The room has two beds, child," the albino pointed out, although she was uncertain as to whether the child would hear her or not.

Seemingly she did, because the girl slowly straightened up when she heard the comment, pushing her hat back to reveal a dumbfounded expression. "I can... I can sleep on the bed?" the child asked curiously, another yet leaving the girl amazed. Back at home and at the orphanage, never had her parents and caretakers let her sleep on the beds. She'd usually been forced to sleep on the couch or on a small blanket, the beds being reserved for the adults and the better kids.

"You can sleep wherever you wish," Sibyl clarified, caring very little if the child's most comfortable sleeping device was the floor or otherwise. The room had two beds, so the child was welcome to use the second one. It would be preferred for Danika to do just that, considering Sibyl needed the girl to be in perfect condition in order for training to be fruitful. A sleep-deprived pupil would accomplish absolutely nothing.

Still with an amazed look on her face, Danika got up from the couch and made her way to the empty bed. Just the covers and sheets felt completely different from what she was used to: they were soft and puffed, feeling cold and refreshing to the touch. Slowly, the child took the hat off her head in order to put it on the little nightstand right next to the bed. While she was a little hesitant to take it off — what if someone came in and stole it? — she knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep with it on her head. It would fall all over her, get stuck under her, and would probably end up on the floor as the night went on. It was the better choice to leave it on the stand.

[Jaykobell]

As she slowly made her way onto the bed, Danika suddenly came to a realization. With the albino already settling in her own bed, the thought of saying good night came to mind. However, what was she supposed to call this adult? While she was apparently named Negative, the name was out of the question. "What... what should I call you?" the child asked, hoping the albino hadn't yet fallen asleep, or wasn't trying to quite yet.

The question didn't receive an immediate answer. "Sibyl," the woman answered, her back turned to the girl as she slipped under the covers. "If you must call me anything at all. I only go by the alias of Negative in order to obtain such things as free food and shelter." The fame of the albino tactician might as well come in handy.

"Okay... Sibyl," Danika echoed, shuffling into her own bed. The feeling was so new and intense that the girl didn't want to get out of the bed. She once again started getting tired as she sat on the puffed mattress, slowly starting to lay down in order to sleep. "And I'm... I'm..." the child tried to say, but the more she tried to focus, the more her head told her to stop talking and to fall asleep instead.

"Danika," Sibyl finished for her, without so much as turning around to look over her shoulder. "Or so I've heard the nurses call you."

"Uh-huh..." Danika confirmed quietly, giving a long and deep yawn as she buried herself under the covers. As she closed her eyes, the thoughts of the child started to go wild. What was going to happen to her from now on? How hard would training be? How long would it be? Would she be able to go through with it? Did Sibyl truly have such intentions for her, or was she simply leading the child along?

All of those worries and questions mattered very little. For once, Danika would have a given purpose, even if it would ultimately be for someone to use her for their own ambitions. It was better to be used by someone but to be taught in the process, rather than being stuck in a dirt-poor town where the child's own parents labeled her as a witch, and a curse to those who approached her. It was better to learn in order to fulfill someone else's wishes and ambitions rather than to get hurt and pushed around in order to survive another day. Starting soon, Danika would have a purpose to live, and a reason to be someone.

The thought of having a future — as uncertain and dark as it might look — was enough to lull the child to a deep sleep.

[* To Be Continued...