Hero

A ghostly pale light illuminated the surroundings in a dark, unconventionally large room. The source of this light was the four torches fixed to the walls, each facing the other. The room was decorated with a light blue gleam despite the torches bearing white light. What they revealed were endless bookcases that stretched and extended across the walls and up to the roof. How exactly the books remained on the roof without succumbing to gravity was also a mystery.

Perhaps the room's most peculiar and outstanding detail was that two children were attached to the back wall. Both a girl who appeared to be about 17 and a boy of possibly 15 were hung upside down above a simple wooden desk.

A beautiful blue-haired woman sat at the desk and diligently wrote in a small book. Despite the harrowing sight of the armless hands that restrained the children, she continued to write without sparing them a glance. After a short while, she glanced up at the two children with a content expression.

"So, care to explain Hectate."

"hbricantbreathhe"

Hearing the girls attempt to talk despite the hands that acted as a gag made the woman smile, amused. Making only the slightest gesture with her free hand, the girl and boy's mouths became liberated as the responsible hands scuttled away.

"So?"

"I uh, you see, we, I mean Percy here said we should skip school, you know so-"

"Hoh, and what do you have to say about that Percy."

"She's a complete liar, and she can't be trusted."

The woman laughed joyfully, "Of course, I know that I am her mother after all". Talking about her daughter that way, she couldn't help but chuckle again before continuing.

"So, Hectate convinced you to skip school with her, I guessed as much. It's not that unusual. What's unusual is that you're awfully calm given the current circumstances? Not to mention you actually listened to the girl. That's even stranger."

"I'm used to this kind of thing already."

The woman tilted her head confused, "Used to it?"

Perses, on instinct, was about to reveal his actual name and the truth that he was blessed but hesitated. Humans did not seem to treat him all that well, Machia had shared similar experiences with him about his own past.

'It's probably because I'm blessed. I should try lying, then. It even worked on Machia, even if just barely.'

In the time he spent pondering his response from his precarious position, the woman spoke, "Well, regardless, thank you for befriending my daughter, that's quite a feat.. I should give you a reward. Anything to say in your defence Hectate."

"Wait, I skipped school for a reason. It's amazing haven't you realized by now. Percy isn't any ordinary human. He doesn't just have magic on the outside, its its like he is magic. Made of it even."

"Hectate! You should know better than too talk about magic like this in front of others. I guessed already that you let the cat out of the bag, so I didn't try to hide anything. But still, you should understand how dangerous it is; it puts both of us in danger. It won't happen again, understood?.

Eyeing the girl with a severe yet deeply concerned stare, the beautiful woman sighed. A smile had already found its way back onto her face as she looked back towards Perses. But then her expression froze.

"Wait, what did you before"

"About time, when I looked at him with my ethereal eyes. You wouldn't believe it. It's like something I've never seen, like totally ever never seen."

Frustrated that he was still being restrained, Perses interrupted "The phrase is, it's like nothing I've ever seen, idiot, even I know that."

Listening to her daughter's testimony amidst the arguing children, the woman's smile changed much more abruptly than before.

Ignoring Perses Hectate continued to exacerbate her point, "I should know. After all, that's what I always do when I'm bored at school. But this time, it wasn't like when I looked at you. He, he's literally made of magic as if he isn't even human. You don't even compare, isn't that amazing!"

The woman's gaze was now a cold glare that latched onto Perses and refused to leave. After only a brief pause, the hands moved around Perses busily. He was slowly lowered to the ground with great care by them.

"I remember now."

"Really you do? Of course you do, he's the same as that woman. The one with green hair when we lived in the castle."

"The Arbiter of war."

Gently placed back on his feet, Perses watched indifferently as the woman staggered a little before falling back into her chair. Now that he was no longer upside down, he noticed how short the woman's stature was. Compared to him or even Hectate, she was petite. Her mature voice and words didn't fit the women's youthful appearance. It gave her face an artificial impression.

Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, she looked towards her daughter's figure, still strapped to the wall. The girl's restraints were then released as she was noticeably less carefully placed on the floor.

She looked towards Perses with a solemn gaze. "Please could you, please would you forget what happened here toda-"

"Forget? oh dear, oh dear, did I hear that right what have they done to you Perses."

He was suddenly embraced by a single arm. There was no warning at all from his senses nor from the expression of the woman in front of him. Only when he looked up at the arm did the connection finally settle in.

Machia had come.

"Oh, thank the lord I was able to find you, Perses. I was really worried for a moment there. You shouldn't just follow any human around, especially when they try to take you somewhere. I'll have to lecture you later. You should know better by now."

Machia gave him a relieved smile. Even though he wasn't particularly scared, Machia's kindness always comforted him.

Machia turned back towards the woman, his eyes had never let her leave his sight.

"Circe"

Machia had only said a name, yet the woman's reaction astounded him. Her face turned deathly pale, and her eyes turned from blue like Hectate's to a hollow, pitch-black.

"See that, scary right, it's good I arrived when I did, this is one dangerous woman."

Perses looked up at him questionably, unaware of the brewing confrontation, "I thought you weren't going to be around today."

"Ah yes the truth is I was really not doing too well this morning. But it's my job too always watch over you. We have to look out for each other after all, humans just aren't all that trustworthy"

Machia stood protectively in front of Perses, grinning as the atmosphere around the short women began to warp. It was as if the very fabric of reality was tearing. Perses had interacted with many strange people, from the nameless but macho old man to Lugh, the skilled sword master or even Machia himself. However, none of these individuals had exuded the kind of pressure the short women did.

Perses and Hectate were forced to watch the confrontation helplessly, both concerned for who they considered to be their only family.

The four torches lighting the room were smothered all at once as the pressure increased.

Yet the light did not fade. Instead, it only got brighter as the room shook with blue radiance. The woman's dead eyes focused on Machia, what was reflected in them unforeseen by Perses was an intense madness.