"Hey, what are you treacherous boys doing here?" Seraphina had heard a very dominant female voice say.
Ah, she was suddenly scared again. That voice reminded her of Lady Baha'i in the Divine Academy. One of her schools then. That heavenly woman was as gruff as a man and very strong and strict at heart.
Seraphina hugged the Dokkaebi tighter. She was scared.
"Oh, is that… a human child?!!!" The voice boomed again. Very strong but feeling warm.
"You're sticking to me, little child!"
Seraphina swore curse words in her head at the Dokkaebi. How could he not read her mind?! Oh, she was the only one who could. At least, she and her brother, Elias. Hmmm, true.
She turned around when the old dragon had stabled himself on the ground as he landed on the mountains.
With the aid of the Dokkaebi, her little feet reached the ground safely and softly too. She looked up at the tall woman who didn't even have feet—just flowy vapour like steam from her knee below. But it was covered by the dress she wore.
The lady bent down and picked the little girl up.
Ugh, as much as Seraphina found being picked up in her heart disgusting, it really felt comfy being in the embrace of this woman. The woman had a magnificent spirit and it was somehow charging up her immortality, even though slowly.
~How wonderful that I, the mountain spirit of barrenness, now has a child to hold onto.~
Seraphina: "...."
~I will spoil her. She is so pretty. Just look how divine she feels in my arms. I will make her star!!!!!~
Seraphina didn't know how a spirit of barrenness felt good about holding a child. Was that how it worked? Shouldn't she hate a child?! And look how pure her heart beats.
Seraphina snuggled into the woman's neck.
~Oh, look how cute she is. It seems she likes me. I like her already too. I feel like weeping, but aiii, the mountains would overflow with my tears~
Seraphina: "...."
Just look at the big woman being so soft at heart despite having a voice, solid enough to scare a teenager, more so a kid who was six. Lucky for this lady—Aunty Isla—she wasn't really six.
"Aunty Isla," Seraphina called, squeezing her mouth in a way to pout like a kid and definitely succeeded.
"Oh, my heart screams!"
"Enough already, Isla. I found the kid," the green man butted in. "Plus, she likes beans." He smirked.
How does that relate? Seraphina thought.
Aunty Isla rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter if she likes what I hate, pfft!"
Oh.. she's one of the demon spirits beans drives away? Still… still, she hugged Seraphina so tightly even after hearing Seraphina liked beans.
Seraphina really felt her heart would swell and then explode with the loads of joy and love they are pumping into her!!!!
Suddenly, her eyes caught a scene. It was a grey-colored fox that had one, two, three, four, six, eight, nine tails!!! "That!" she pointed and they all turned to look at the scenery in-between the mountain trees.
The Dokkaebi rolled his eyes. "Really? Just to impress a kid?" He snorted.
Seraphina wondered why the green man was suddenly like he swallowed vinegar. What is up with him even?
"She has already been wowed by you, Trevor. Now, you can stop sticking out your hips like you're a damn diva," Aunty Isla cooed.
At that instant, the fox morphed into a human form. A male with grey hair that was really short in a buzz cut. Indeed, these monsters didn't deserve to be called monsters. Unless, they were just putting on a show for her simply because she was human and they didn't want to scare her.
No matter what skeletons they had in their cupboards, she too was hiding a lot in her own cupboard. She would just roll along with them, enjoying their praises, care and attention. "Uncle Tails," she puckered her lips, being cute again.
"Awwwwnn!"
Dokkaebi: "Tchh!"
*
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BACK TO PRESENT<<<<<<<<<
*
"For the first question, she wrote…." The old man quickly trailed off as his mouth hung open.
The young man who looked more human and 20 stood up and grabbed the paper. "What did she write? That was my question." It was uncle tails. He read it and quickly broke into a smile. "Correct! She aced my question. Even added my signature 'the Devil's c*ck!' 1 point to you, little Rose."
Rose: "...."
How can 'No!' be the answer to the question if she liked the academy or not?
The old man rolled his eyes. "You need to stop teaching her expressions like that," he pointed his long fingers at uncle tails.
His attention quickly fell on the paper and he grabbed it. "Let us see what she answered to my question in number two. Oh, oh, she passed! 2 points now!"
Rose: "...."
"Grandpa Max, you didn't read my answer to that question," she just had to say. How can that be a pass?
The old man nodded. "Okay, you are right, little Rose." He then went on to read it. "I asked who do you think was worthy to be called the god of music. And you replied: 'Grandpa Max is worthy of being the god of music. I am.' And that is correct!"
Rose: "....."
How can that be correct?! The man was so obsessed with music, she probably thought he thought himself to be god of it. No, she had to check if these people were being real. She quickly read his thoughts.
~Of course, she is the god of music. I have never heard her little voice singing but, her talking is enough to show she can make melody. The god of music is what I want for her and I will train and guide her all the way to attaining her rightful throne.~
No, this was just absurd. She couldn't believe it. She read Uncle Tails' mind too.
~It was good she didn't fail my question and passed another. I would have been hurt. Her exact answer was the exact answer I gave in my time. Oh, how suss of her to add my signature line.~
Rose wished she could facepalm herself right now.
"Okay, move on to my question. The third question," Aunty Isla quickly said.
Rose could hear how fast the woman's heart was beating. And she could quickly read her mind being that close.
~She has to pass my question. The answer to my question is: Pretentious. One thing about stars is that they are able to mask themselves. If she can be able to answer honestly that stars are…~
Rose didn't bother going further in reading her thoughts. She has passed it.
"So, you asked if stars are pretentious or not…"
Yes, and Rose thought that if she answered that stars were pretentious, the aunty would be hurt and give her a fail. But here…
"She passed! 3 points!"
Rose really wanted to facepalm herself now, but that would give herself away. She only had to join them in smiling widely when they did. How pretentious!
But… she had hope. She would surely fail the Dokkaebi's question. He was so narcissistic and hated anyone in his space.
Imagine if they were to read her answer to his question that loud. Then in front of him.
Rose's smile turned sinister.
"Where is that Dokkaebi?!"
"Here."
And there the Dokkaebi walks in. Rose chuckled.
She quickly leapt off her aunt's body and jumped on the Dokkaebi who caught her. How convenient. Being all clingy with him while they read her clingy answer.
She wondered if she should read his mind first. Hmmm…
"Everett, did you see?" aunty Isla called the Dokkaebi's actual name so happily. "She passed my question. All of ours actually."
"Oh." That was all he contributed.
"Little Rose was born to bring light to monsters. She will be our star to the outside world. That was why she didn't fail my question," Aunty Isla boasted.
The old man didn't take that lightly. "She answered my question correctly too..She'll be our first female Music Maker and then a god of music."
"It's goddess, Old dragon," Uncle tails corrected. But he too had something to say. "She would rule the world someday anyway. Not just ruling in one particular area of the world."
Rose laughed lightly. It was all amusing. The way they bantered here and there over her future meanwhile they had no clue as to what or who she was, was absolutely amazing.
It was really funny. Until it wasn't funny anymore. And it wasn't funny anymore when the voice of the Dokkaebi's heart spoke in her head:
~Why are they all making plans? She's my little treasure, I found her. I'll just wait for her to grow up... and then she'll be the Dokkaebi's bride.~
Rose: "....."