Seven Devils and a Rose

The moment I heard the alarm going, not unlike the one back at home, I started panicking. I had no idea what was going on but knew that shit had just hit the fan.

I rushed across the room toward the windows, and to my astonishment, I saw the bright glow of red qi in the form of many spell symbols with the shapes of circles and triangles, along with ancient signs and script, rising to the sky. At the same time, down below, thousands of citizens who resided in the palace were hastily making their way in a direction that I assumed was the field, which was near the Acaedien Airport, where the evacuation zone resided.

Suddenly, I heard a hum echoing across the place, which was followed by the red glow of light spreading, and within seconds, a shield was formed over the palace. In the distance, I saw another forming over the city.

I remembered now, during my tour of the palace the second day I had arrived here, that when the city was at risk during a disaster, the alarm would be on and an evacuation procedure would commence.

This, I thought, must be one of those disasters. But what could have caused such a thing?

Then I remembered the sight of Felix, Caleb, Aaron, and Lord Ethan back at the bathhouse. They changed. They weren't their normal selves. I had also heard Lord Geoffrey commanding both Lord Noah and Victor to control them, which meant they might have gone mad. And because of their powerful dark qi, they could be a threat to the city.

Of course, that made sense. But then what could have caused them to turn mad in that split second?

All I remembered was that I felt a burst of painful heat that nearly killed me and then saw the glow of white light, which apparently was still flowing about and around me right now. Could I be the cause of their madness? But I was sure I had weak pure qi, so where did all this—I looked around me at the light—come from?

I didn't want to think about it further. I'd ask Lord Geoffrey later when he returned. That was if he'd ever return to check on me.

Still clutching my bare chest, I turned away from the windows and started searching around the bedchamber Lord Geoffrey had dumped me in. Of course, I wondered who these quarters belonged to. Since it was situated within the central headquarters, I assumed that it must belong to someone important.

But why did Lord Geoffrey leave me here of all places? And even erect a barrier as well?

As I looked around, I noticed how extravagant it was, just like the royal suite of a five-star hotel that I could never afford but only drool over the images in the traveling and lifestyle magazines. What with the huge four-poster bed with a luxurious mattress and duvet, the sofa and armchairs, along with the fireplace, as well as all those fancy paintings and gold and silver decor—the room was just simply stunning.

As I was looking around, I noticed a door to the left side of the room and rushed over to it. Once I opened it, I realized that it was a dressing room, and it was huge, with so many elegant pieces of clothing and so much more, just like you'd find in one of those very expensive boutique shops. Of course, I didn't have time to think that it might be rude of me to borrow someone's clothes without asking, but I rushed in nonetheless, my hands quickly flicking through the items, searching for something decent to cover myself.

I found a white blouse. Seeing that it was good enough for now, I hastily unhooked it and put it on. As I was buttoning up, I found that it was a little large on me, with the top buttons only managing to come up to my midriff, while the collar was hanging over my shoulders.

Not having the time to find another, I clutched the material around the front as I came rushing back out, and it was then that I saw Aria, Leona, and Brenna coming through the door.

I felt relief sweep through me as I rushed over to them, calling out their names eagerly. The moment the girls heard me, they came to a sudden stop and simply stared at me as if this were the first time they had seen me.

"Alfie?" Leona asked, astounded at the sight of me.

I nodded my head. "Yes, it's me, Alfie."

Brenna said, "You're… you're a girl?"

Again, I nodded my head. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you all the truth. I thought at the time that it was best if I stay as a boy since—"

I stopped because Aria held up her hand to indicate so. She said, "There's no time for that right now." She came, caught my wrists, and led me toward the center of the room. "We need to erect a protective shield on you. Otherwise, the lords will go even more berserk, the disaster beasts will rise from their sleep, and none of us will be safe."

I said, "Go even more berserk? The lords? And disaster beasts?"

Leona nodded her head. "We'll explain later."

Seeing their urgency, I nodded my head in understanding.

The girls stood surrounding me in a triangle formation. Then they started chanting magical words in an ancient language as they released their qi from within their core, where the heart resided.

Aria exuded her blue qi, as I had seen before, Leona a red one, and Brenna a green. I realized that these were the primary colors.

Within an instant, white light burst around me and a magic triangle was formed with circles adorned with signs, symbols, and script. At that moment, the girls said in unison, "White Sage Protective Barrier. On."

I heard a hum, and the white light enveloped me until it formed a small orb around me. Suddenly, the white glow of qi that was released from me was sucked in and floated within the orb.

So this white sage protective barrier was locking in my qi and preventing it from escaping? As well as protecting me, I assumed.