The Kind of Evil

‎Rasmus was bathing in a natural hot spring that spirits guided him to. He slowly regained his senses, and he could feel the heat and the relaxation he felt from it. Suddenly, he heard a rustling sound from behind him, and when he looked over his shoulder, he saw Aris's bare shoulders and realized she didn't have anything on her body.

‎Rasmus averted his gaze and continued to enjoy the scenery around the hot spring. However, Aris decided to join him and dipped herself in the hot spring. She didn't say a word, only staring at her own reflection in the water.

‎"It's nice in here..." Aris said as she looked at the scenery.

‎"Yes, it is..." Rasmus nodded. "Also, I have never asked this before, but you're not human. So, is there a reason why you have a body of human?" He asked as he looked at Aris, dipping her whole body into the hot spring, leaving only her neck and her head above the water.

‎"We, Orthias, adapt as time goes by. Before humans existed, we used to have a different appearance," Aris answered as she looked up at the morning sky. "We take the form of the current civilization to blend in," she explained as she looked at Rasmus.

‎"What's Orthias' true form look like?" Rasmus asked with his brows raised.

‎"Just light, white light like the stars in the night sky. It's blinding to mortals to look at us," Aris answered as she cupped the water and splashed it at the spirits that were eavesdropping on them.

‎"Is there a reason why you choose a female body?" Rasmus asked and watched the spirits giggle as they flew away into the woods.

‎"More flexible compared to male based on their body structures. It doesn't matter if it's a male or female body, but some of us have our own preference," Aris answered.

‎Rasmus responded with a hum and decided to stop asking questions. He let the silence come back as the mist thickened and gave both of them some privacy.

‎"Yur, come here..." Aris said with her eyes closed.

‎Rasmus heard a soft and quiet squeak from the woods. He still couldn't believe that Aris was fond of something to the point that she seemed to adore spirits.

‎Yur walked to the hot spring and floated above the water beside Aris, staring at her with a sulky face. Yur then decided to dip into the spring, leaving only the upper half of Yur's face on the surface.

‎Aris pulled Yur and hugged Yur tightly to her chest, treating Yur like a plush toy. Rasmus had to admit that Yur's body felt like a fluffy cloud that he could touch and feel.

‎"Yur, come with us," Aris said, her voice was commanding rather than a suggestion.

‎"Me? Where to?" Yur's squeaky voice and the way Yur pointed at its face as Yur looked up at Aris's face. "But... But I like it here, and what about those spirits? They might be in danger here if I'm not around," Yur frowned, worried and scared.

"You can't protect this forest the moment we both leave this place, Yur. You'll have nowhere to go by then," Aris answered as she looked down at Yur with a stoic expression. "You know that, too," she pointed out.

‎Yur whined as Yur looked down and played with its fingers. Yur was conflicted because Yur was a great spirit and had the responsibility for the well-being of the other spirits.

‎"There's a place that you and the other spirits can stay in, and it's near the Blackheart's territory," Rasmus said as he looked at Yur. "It's not only this forest. This whole continent might be in danger, nowhere is going to be safe here soon," he added.

‎Yur looked at Rasmus with bright and wide eyes. Yur wanted to free itself from Aris's grasp so Yur could approach Rasmus, however, Yur was powerless. Aris suddenly grabbed Yur's side and held it like a cat toward Rasmus's face. Rasmus, on the other hand, didn't know what to do or say at that moment when Yur was staring at him with those eyes.

‎"You'll take us all?!" Yur asked in excitement while Yur's body was hanging on Aris's hand, Yur's legs were dangling above the water. "Really?" Yur's legs wiggled, kicking the air.

‎"Really?"

‎"Really?!"

‎"Really!"

‎"Really..."

‎The spirits suddenly surrounded the hot spring, and they were excited about the new place that Rasmus had mentioned. Yur immediately yelled at them and told them to leave since it would bother Rasmus and Aris. However, the spirits were ignoring Yur because they were always the mischievous little spirits.

‎"Leave, all of you," Aris said coldly.

‎All the spirits squeaked and immediately dispersed into the woods when they heard Aris's voice. Yur felt Aris's hands loosen up, and realized that Aris also wanted Yur to leave.

‎"I will talk with the other spirits about this..." Yur said, looking at Aris. "I will prepare something for him to eat as well!" Yur added and then fled from Aris's grasp, disappearing into the thick mist.

‎Aris sighed, finding it annoying to hear those mischievous little spirits. She had been living with those kinds ever since she was personified.

‎"Is there a reason why you want Yur to follow us?" Rasmus asked, making himself comfortable in the hot spring. "You don't seem to like those spirits, and yet you want Yur specifically," he looked at Aris with his brows raised.

‎"Yur is a great spirit that has lived for hundreds of years. Yur can be useful, for both of us, and since Yur is from Ure, it makes Yur special," Aris answered, closing her eyes and enjoying the silence. "Ure lineage is one of the oldest lineages, and to have Yur around, it will give you more influence, right?" She opened her eyes and glanced at Rasmus, knowing his plan already.

‎Rasmus had planned to bring Yur on his side from the beginning, and listening to Aris understand his intentions, it made him smile a bit. He then gave a nod as he cupped the water and splashed it on his face.

"What now?" Rasmus asked as he pulled his hair back and let the cold breeze hit his face and scalp.

"Now, I'm going to keep my eyes on you," Aris answered as she kept staring at Rasmus. "I'm going to thoroughly observe your body in the next few days. This is going to be the most crucial part of the process," she explained with a serious expression.

Aris suddenly got up and stood in front of Rasmus without any sense of embarrassment. Rasmus kept his eyes on her, and chose to remain silent. She then grabbed his hands and looked at his palms from up close. She squeezed his palms, and oddly enough, Rasmus felt his whole body react to every squeeze she did on his palm.

"This is better than I thought it would be," Aris muttered as she kept holding Rasmus's hands. "Your progression exceeds mine. I was the elders' proudest Aristoria because of my progress and my high affinity with our ancestors," she continued as she kept squeezing Rasmus's rough hands because of the healed scars that his Orthias healing ability found it not as defective or deformed.

"Why does it feel like it's not a good thing to have?" Rasmus asked as he stared into Aris's eyes.

Aris stopped squeezing Rasmus's hands, and the way he stared at him was similar to when he tried to dissect someone. She had never been in that position before, but at that moment, she realized how he could see things that she was hiding. She could lie, but she realized he would know that, and it would lose his trust in her.

"Because it's not..." Aris removed her hands from Rasmus's hands. "Your growth isn't something that you can be proud of. One little misstep, and you'll end up taking the path of becoming a True Dragon, and you can't undo that," she explained as she stared into Rasmus's eyes.

"Is that why you want to keep an eye on me? You're afraid?" Rasmus asked, his eyes never leaving Aris's.

"Yes, I'm afraid that I'm leading you toward a path where we both will go our separate ways. It would be fine if you're taking a path that won't be standing in my way, but if it did, I would have to kill you the moment I see the seed of it," Aris answered, staring back at Rasmus.

"That would be troublesome for both of us, having to deal with each other in the future," Rasmus said as he closed his eyes. "But my question will be, is your plan of steering my growth for your benefit and convenience?" He asked, slowly opening his eyes and staring at Aris.

"Yes," Aris answered truthfully, without showing any hesitation. "You said that we can use each other, right?" She asked, remembering the first conversation she had with Rasmus.

"Yes, we still are," Rasmus nodded.