Arzoth blinked twice, thrice as if to correct his vision, mistaking it for a fuzzy dream. No words came out of his mouth, his throat went dry. His chamber was chill and comfy, with the morning wind filling the room, and yet he felt no ease but a growing sense of dread.
"She is growing up too fast, too quickly!"
His eyes were fixed on the little Arisa, who wasn't as little as she was on the previous day. She stood much taller, her white teeth perfectly visible, her once tiny and unnoticeable horn grew to a much larger one curling to the left side of her head with its coal black color on her now flowy white hair, which seemed too long for a three-year-old. Her clothes from yesterday remained on her, but they no longer fit.
She kept her hands on her hips with her eyes narrowed and her brows furrowed in annoyance. "Get up already, Arzoth! Skor must be waiting for us in the training ground." Her sharp voice cut through the room like a knife in his ears, yet he didn't flinch.
Arzoth sighed as the remnants of his shock faded deliberately. "You are growing too fast, aren't you?" He stood up before putting on his slippers, "Don't worry, Skor would be just waking up right now, if not, he must be in the dining room."
"Not everyone is like you!" Arisa hissed. "Plus, I promised I would let my system take a form. As you wished, so why delay it? Before I change my mind."
"I don't understand you at all. First, you were so scared of your system's form, and now you are just too eager for it."
"I wasn't scared! I just didn't want another thing bossing me around, but if it will help me get stronger, then it's just a small price to pay, I assume." Arisa said. "I don't understand YOU! Why are you so persistent in getting my system to take a form? What if, like in my previous life, I kill you?"
Arzoth froze in his moment briefly, he walked towards the closet next before opening it, "You don't need to worry about that." He stated.
The prince removed a simple dress from his closet, one that would fit a five-year-old. It was in plain white with a leaf embroidery right in the middle of the fabric. He moved his gaze back and forth between Arisa and the dress as he thought that it might be too large for her, but he had no other choice; he wished he had prepared something more. He kept the fabric in his hands and said, "Here, I brought this for you previously. It will be more comfortable. I knew you would grow up fast, but I didn't expect it to be this fast. Do you want me to assist you to your room?"
Arisa scoffed, "I can do it on my own, my feet are much steadier now. Don't treat me like a child!" With a hefty jump, she snatched the fabric from Arzoth's hands and stormed off to his room.
Arzoth sighed, "I need to do something about her rapid growth, if this keeps on, she will soon be at the age where she will kill Arzoth. The worst thing is, I am not sure where I am progressing toward or whether I am progressing at all." Arzoth thought to himself.
****
The lavish and spacious space of the empty room in the palace seemed to have no end to it, there was no furniture or any sort of paintings hanging on the walls like in the other corners and rooms of the palace.
In the middle of the spacious room, Arisa stood with her chin held high. She had worn a comfy cotton dress, which was slightly larger than her frame. It made her look even smaller than she already was, but her fast growth wasn't unnoticed by the Dragon.
Skor's eyes broadened, and his lips pressed into a thin line. His mind raced with thoughts at the sheer haste of Arisa's growth. He had previously assumed her growth to be more than a normal demon, but this was far from what he had expected. Her growth accelerated beyond his assumptions. He was sure that this was not an effect of being a half breed but something else that he was failing to notice. He thought that the child was different indeed, but there was more to her than meets the eye. He noticed how she behaves, how she could walk out of the training ground the previous day; he didn't miss it, he could never miss anything except for these two mysteries laid before him: Arisa and Arzoth.
Arisa tapped his feet recurrently, her teeth gritted in impatience. Her frosty, flowy hair radiated its shade under the bright sunshine. Her brows knitted together in an attempt to keep her eyes open in the sun. Noticing this, Skor plastered a smile as bright as the sun itself as he said, "I assume you are ready to get your system to take a form, princess?"
"Arisa!" She corrected sharply; her lips curling in disgust at the title. She closed her eyes to gather her composure as she said, reopening them, "I am ready." Her tone wavered the dragon's smile for a brief moment before it caught its beam.
"Of course.... Arisa." Skor said.
Arzoth stayed at a long distance from the duo as suggested by Skor. His hands were in his pockets as he watched the exchange unfolding before him, but his mind was elsewhere. He noticed that the more Arisa grew, the more of herself came out. It may be because she is more and more independent; she couldn't walk too far before, so I used to carry her. Her teeth weren't out, so she needed mashed food, which she couldn't do on her own because the cutlery was too heavy for her, but now she has teeth and somewhat stable hands.
"Why do I feel like something is wrong? Why would she refuse to get her system to take a form and then agree all of a sudden? Her reasons seemed valid, and yet I feel like she is hiding something."
------
Skor said in a clear voice, gathering Arisa and Arzoth's attention. "Arisa, you need to know a few things before we start on getting your system to take a form."
Arzoth's ears were drawn to the Skor's next words while Arisa nodded.
"This isn't a one-time thing, Arisa," Skor explained in his calm, soothing voice. "For some, it may take years, and for some, less than that. It is one of the reasons why most of the creatures with type A systems don't get their systems to take their form." He paused, letting his words sink in, before continuing. "The process of getting one's system to take a form is called body embodiment."
Arzoth frowned, a question crept through his mind, and he was eager to spill it out. As if sensing Arzoth's inner curiosity, Skor glanced at him with his smile broadening.
"Why only type A systems get embodiment? Why can't every system do that regardless of the type?" Arzoth asked.
"It's because the user needs to go through a lot of quests, which test one's mana capacities, and mana helps greatly in the embodiment. Type C systems can only have 10% of mana capacity, while Type B systems can have 100% of mana capacity, which is not enough. Only a type A system has 100%+ mana capacity, which means they can extend their mana according to one's capability, unlike the other two types." The dragon paused, letting out a sigh. "That's not all. The core and most important part of system embodiment is gaining skills." Skor explained.
Confusion and curiosity echoed on Arzoth's face as he queried, "What skills?"
"That depends on the ring made from the crystals of the Crystal Cave."
Arzoth's eyes widened. "But the cave is destroyed! And why does Arisa need a ring like that?!"
"It's because those crystals will tell what she will inherit, what she is made for," Skor said. "As for the cave, it's not destroyed completely."
Arisa studied Arzoth and Skor, her eyes glued to them as she listened carefully. Her mind registered every word spoken. Her blue, glowing system screen appeared in front of her.
[System]
[Quests and Unique Quests unlocked]
[Triggered by the user's strong will]
[Unique Quest: Acquire Crystal Ring]
Arisa's eyes widened as she saw the wording on her system screen.
"My first quest?" she muttered.