The two stared at one another.
"You must have one, right?" Arani said as she smiled maliciously.
"I don't need to justify-"
"You're not getting out of this one with words alone." Arani's smile widened. "Show me how he's doing, why don't you? I might be able to help with something."
Only then, did Nia look away, as if fleeing from the piercing gaze.
She remained silent.
"Don't tell me you're scared of something happening to him. You don't think I would do anything, would you?"
A slight smirk appeared on Draconia's face. An opening had presented itself.
"Well..." Nia took her time responding. "Now that you mention it, I do believe it to be strange that you'd be interested in a Candidate other than your own. Mm, yes. It's true. You're not really dependable. Not very trustworthy either for that matter, so... Who knows what you might do."
Nia, soaking in the silence, waited for a bit, before turning back towards Arani.
Four wide open eyes.
A grave expression.
A mysterious Aura emanated from Arani's eyes and quickly expanded to cover her body.
"What... Did you just say?"
The air inside the room immediately turned stuffy.
Arani's hands twitched uncontrollably. It seemed they would move on their own, were she to neglect keeping them in check.
"Those Candidates... Are part of our Lord's plan."
The next second, the whole room started shaking.
The bookshelves trembled violently.
Waves of books hit the ground.
"Did you just... Question my loyalty... To our Lord?"
[The Title "Third General Of Gaavah" is staring menacingly.]
While still holding Arani's gaze, Nia turned sideways to face her.
She took a step closer.
The two were, now, inches away from one another.
"Don't do that here. If you're looking for trouble, you'll find some. We can take it outside..."
A fiery Aura emerged from Nia's eyes.
[The Title "Sixth General Of Gaavah" stares back.]
Immediately, the trembling seized.
"You just need to ask."
The two forces seemed to have negated one another.
Arani stared without saying a word, but the twitching that ruled over her hands seemed to only get more intense.
After a handful of seconds, Nia broke the silence.
"As for what I said, I didn't think you would take it to heart."
The two were mere centimeters apart.
Both Generals knew a fair amount about each other.
And so, they knew that, at such close range, each could inflict a non-negligible amount of damage to the other.
The tension inside the room was palpable.
There was only one question.
Who would take the initiative?
Who would dare strike first?
Arani's left hand moved ever so slightly.
Nia's eyes followed that hand closely.
The hand was raised.
"Well..."
For both parties, apologizing was out of the question.
If they had to choose between apologizing and fighting to the death, the two would have, probably, chosen the latter.
That, is what it meant to be a "General Of Gaavah".
That, is how powerful the Pride of such Generals is.
"These are your quarters. I shouldn't have entered the way I did." Arani said as she looked away and brushed away the hair that had cascaded down her left cheek.
Nia nodded.
"I might have gone too far." She said, before directing her gaze towards the piles of fallen books.
Noticing that, Arani raised a hand and extended her fingers.
A second later, streams of luscious silk wandered around the room, sticking to and lifting the various books that had fallen to the ground.
They were collected and brought to Arani.
"Here you go."
She handed the pile to Draconia.
"Don't get your sticky stuff all over them." Nia complained as she took hold of the pile.
"Plenty would pay a pretty penny for my sticky stuff."
"Gross."
Arani chuckled.
Nia walked towards the bookshelves.
She started rearranging the books.
Arani stared silently while Nia walked from bookshelf to bookshelf, meticulously putting the various books back where they belonged.
The two seemed deep in thought.
'How can I get her to show me her Candidate? I'm pretty curious about it...'
'She's right. Huh. I was being overly defensive. Can't find a good reason why I didn't want to talk about...'
Only once Nia was done putting the books back, did Arani talk.
"I'd like to see how the Candidate you're in charge of is doing. I think it might allow me to better guide mine."
Arani decided to be truthful. At least, as much as she could be.
"I'll think about it." Nia answered after brief consideration.
"So coooold!"
Draconia walked back to the desk.
Arani stared silently.
Nia took a seat and, a second later, a digital screen appeared in front of her.
Arani took a step closer, until she stood just behind Nia. She slightly bent her body forward.
On the digital screen, multiple Monsters could be seen.
A large Insect Monster was walking through a dense forest.
On its body, lay a seemingly passed-out white-scaled humanoid Monster.
Next to the latter, was a seated Moonlit Feline.
Three others were in a triangular formation around them.
At the rear, a Typhoon Wolf on the right side and a Demonic Dark Wolf on the left.
Leading the group, a second humanoid Monster.
"Interesting. So he's made Companions. Or... Underlings?" Arani commented.
Nia nodded.
Arani moved closer to the floating digital screen.
She pointed with her index finger.
pαпdα Йᴏνê1,сòМ "So..."
A malicious smile on her face.
"Which one is your Candidate?"
The blow did sting a bit, but Nia did not let it show.
"The one passed out."
Arani slowly brought her hand to her face.
The next second, she laughed out loud uncontrollably while covering her mouth.
"Pffft! Hahaha! Is that why you didn't want to show? Didn't want me to see your Candidate passed out and beaten up? Hahaha!"
Nia didn't say anything.
Perhaps she hadn't managed to find an appropriate comeback.
Perhaps she didn't feel the need to retort.
"Well, I've seen what I've come to see. Thank you and goodbye!" Arani said cheerfully as she took steps towards the door.
But just before she could exit the room.
"Arani." Nia called out.
"What is it?" Arani smiled, despite feeling somewhat displeased.
'Coming from you, even my name sounds sooo not cute.' Arani thought to herself.
"What about your Candidate? Same overall situation?" Nia asked intently.
"My Candidate, huh...?" Arani whispered.
She brushed away the hair that fell covered her right shoulder and rested her hand on the side of her neck.
"My Candidate is... Hmmm..."
'Huh?' Nia's reaction could've been mistaken for surprise or shock, but it was neither. 'She's blushing...?'
"Well, unlike yours, mine... He doesn't have Companions. No Underlings either. I guess he doesn't want any... He's..."
Arani's blushing became much more visible.
"He's a bit too twisted for that." Arani barely managed to get the words out.
Her eyes screamed of passion, or perhaps, madness.
"I see." Nia said sternly.
"Anyways, I'll... I'll get going."
Arani left, and Nia was, once more, alone.
'Twisted. Just like her, huh? A two peas in a pod situation then. It does make me wonder though...'
She tapped the wooden desk with her finger multiple times.
'Why was I matched up to Mark...?'
Nia raised her gaze to the ceiling.
"I hope I can figure that out before I see him..." She whispered to herself.
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