Private Finished Entertainment District

Euphemia simply nodded, if the question bothered her at all it didn't show on her face or body language. During her tenure with the church, she had been ordered to keep her nature secret from those outside the organisation. After she'd arrived at the island the academy staff had explained to her that this would no longer be necessary. She had little reason to hide it from Elisa, not anymore.

"Yes, as you have noticed, I do not need to breath." She explained. "I am...not entirely human, not in the strictest sense. I do not require food, or oxygen. My body sustains itself through ambient magic in our surroundings."

She pauses a moment.

"It may be easier to provide a demonstration, if you wish. I may need a more secluded location to do so, however."

She tilts her head to the side a little at the second question.

"I do not believe the men of my church spoke in any particular way. Though, they did ask of me a great level of formality. They oftens stressed the importance of me showing deferrence."

Her choice of words were reflexive at this point, she'd spent her life being raised to be subservient, she didn't ever seem to think it ususual, even though she'd notice most others around her didn't speak the same way.

"Ah, very well."

She seamlessly changed course, walking in the direction provided by Elisa, towards the park. She paused a moment upon being asked the second question, seeming to take a moment to think before speaking again.

"My feelings towards others are irrelevant." She eventually stated. "I see no reason for it to affect my speech."

It's difficult to tell how much she really believes that, with the way her voice keeps its same flat tone. She says it like a fact, the same way one might say the sky is blue.

Euphemia closed her eyes briefly, she wasn't sure why she felt the need to defend her stance like this. It had been what she had been taught for almost her whole life. She had no reason to believe anything else.

"One such as myself, born of man's sin, needs no such consideration," She spoke, the words sounding as if they were recited from a sheet. "All men are worthy of His love, for they are born of His image. However, my existence plays no part in life, in His design."

She opened her eyes again, and after slowly looking around her surroundings, began to roll up one of her sleeves. Her other hand reached into her robe, removing what appears to be a small, metallic handle, made from silver, and marked with the sign of the cross. She held it out to her side, and suddenly, a thin blade of light sprung into existence. It glowed a faint blue, and seemed to hum in the air.

Without saying another word, she held her empty hand out in front of her, arm extended. She tilted the blade so its tip pointed to the sky, before gradually angling it downwards, bringing the edge of the blade onto her arm. The skin sizzled, the soft hiss of her burning flesh pierced the silence of the empty park. As soon as the blade made a shallow cut, a black, viscous, tar-like fluid began to drip from the wound, leaking from her arm and staining the dirt under her feet. The blade met little resistance as it cut through, like an oar through water, until it had sliced through her arm completely. It dropped to the ground with a wet thud, more of the same fluid oozing out of it, causing the thin, frail limb to slowly deflate on the dirt.

Euphemia's expression did not change through the entire process.

"My very nature is to taint," She finally spoke again. "I am a being whose mere presence is corrosive, whose touch brings the end to man's immortal soul. My existence is maintained by death, only so it may cause death. Such a being is unworthy of His consideration, or that of those made in his image."

The blade retracted back into its handle, disappearing as fast as it appeared, before Euphemia hid it back within the folds of her robe. What remained of her other arm returned to her side, more liquid slowly drooping out, joining the small puddle forming under her.

"So please, do not worry yourself with trivial matters such as any personal desires I may carry. They are not necessary. You should not pay me any heed unless you truly wish to do so."

Euphemia realised that she probably made a mistake as soon as Elisa began to talk. Senior members of her order had "demonstrated" her abilities to other people in a similar fashion before, she hadn't realised how shocking it must look to someone unprepared. She paused a moment, focusing her powers. Elisa might see black veins visible on her face briefly, before the tar leaking from her arm began to congeal, shaping itself and solidifying. Slowly, it grew from the stump and shaped itself into her missing arm, skin starting to emerge from the liquid and cover it. Soon, it was fully regrown, as if never damaged in the first place.

"I apologise." She bowed her head again, closing her eyes. "It was not my intention to disturb you, I only thought that it might help me explain myself."

She frowned a little at herself, eyes looking away for a moment.

"I realise that my interpersonal skills are...insufficient, in many areas. I have been told that attending this academy is meant to help remedy this, among other things, but I have yet to fully understand how. I promise I will not do that again."

The frown vanished as her composure returned, her hands crossed in front of her again.

"Regardless, I do believe you are making this more of an issue then it needs to be. I was created by the actions of sinful beings, created from a sin. So, my very being is sinful. That is all."

Again, she stated it like a simple fact. There's no self-loathing, no sadness, just fact.

"Please, this is something I have accepted of myself. I do greatly appreciate your concern, but there is no need to worry."

Euphemia opened her mouth to speak, but before she could she found herself stopping, the words stuck in her throat as she realised their proximity. She looked over Elisa again, not the same cold, analytical observance she had done on the way here. She properly looked at her. Taking in the softness of her skin, the slight shiver in her body, the curve of her neck as she hung her head low. She slowly raised her hand, and with the slightest touch, brought her fingers to her hair and gently brushed her bangs to the side, taking note of how it felt in her hands while she studied her face, finding herself focusing in on her blue eyes.

"Please," She spoke, softly. "There is no need to fear that. I would never want to hurt anyone. I...I simply want-"

Want?

She cut off as she started to think again. She didn't know what this was, what she was feeling. She had gone through her entire life, never feeling anything like this. But now she found herself assaulted by one, compounding feeling.

She wanted Elisa.

Why did she want her?

So much of her mind just told her to indulge in this new feeling, but the more familiar part of her mind could only pick apart what she was feeling, analyse it over and over until she realised what was happening.

These feelings didn't belong to her.

As soon as she realised this her eyes went wide, her pupils dilated, the black veins grew visible all over her body again, standing out much harder on her skin than before as she started to burn the power within her.

Her hands suddenly snapped forward, one moving to wrap its fingers around Elisa's neck, while the other moves to grab at her wrist. With unnatural speed, she spun her around and slammed her body into the nearby tree, stepping forward and pushing her side against her body, pinning her to the wood.