What's A Darkling?

"What in Morgiddian's name is that, Wind?"
The taint had started reaching her mouth and her legs. It didn't look disgusting but simply unnerving. Her arms and hands were covered in the scales and the glamour had prevented Liryc and Enrika from seeing her in such a state. It didn't impede Necros' vision in the least.
"Necros, I'm half-demon."
"Yes, well, you were half-demon the last time I saw you and you were most definitely not like this that time."
"Circumstances are complicated, but in essence, this is the result of Libys and I merging." Raewyn pulled her long sleeve back, revealing the scales covering it in entirety. Necros whistled.
"How far has it spread?"
"It's covered my entire torso, as you can see, reaching up to my lips and my thighs."
"Does it hurt?"
"No. The scales are hard, yet flexible though, somewhat like chainmail." She didn't mention anything about the Personas.
"I see." He yawned. "I'll go and sleep first." They were staying over at Liryc's home for the time being, settling the situation. As he left Raewyn with her cup of tea and entered his room and locked the door, he took out a globe that had the same colour of his method of teleportation, pure darkness, complete void. He set it on the floor and spoke softly.
"Lord?"
"Speak." A voice, indefinably androgynous and without inflection drifted from it as the globe seemed to mist up with even darker night, black upon black.
"Raewyn's growth is due to her skin which is a demon. She was bonded to it many years ago. I have not established why the growth has only appeared recently."
"Continue your investigations, Necros Svantor Andranze."
"One more thing, Lord."
"Speak."
"The Persona Melancholy is with Liryc most of the time. And I suspect that Raewyn can see Melancholy. She glares quite regularly at the Persona."
"I see. You think that Melancholy is making Liryc her avatar, so to speak?"
"Yes, Lord."
"Is there anything else, darkling Andranze?"
"No, Lord. That is all."
The black mist within the globe died away and the globe returned to its original smooth, same colour all around. He kept the globe and went to sleep.

"We'll be back later a couple of hours before Falselight. Now, Rika, I can call you Rika, can I? Rika, take my hand." Necros folded them both away and into his own house, straight into his study-room. The room had several scrolls laid out on the wide table and he quickly rolled them up, clearing a space and conjuring a board in its place.
"Now, I think to discover just how much you know, I'll give you a simple test. Nothing too difficult, something of the 'if this gear turns this way, which way does that gear turn' variety."
"What's a gear?"
He turned around and looked oddly at her.
"I can see that there's going to be some problems. Are you illiterate?"
"What's that mean?"
He frowned. "Oh dear. Well then. I guess I'll have to teach you everything. Any knowledge of numbers?"
"Only enough to count."
Necros sighed slightly. "Let's start with the letters then."

"So, we require several assistants. How many of you are willing to help us out?" Chaos asked the children of the Personas.
"Who requires help?" Arrt asked.
"Death and Decay. So if you want to score some points with your future mother-in-law, you could help her, though I'm sure that she would object to your presence."
"I don't mind helping Decay." Mariko blew a bubble of gum.
"Okay. I'll brief you later on what helping Decay entails. Anyone willing to help Death?"
"We don't mind helping." Irus and Iris said simultaneously.
"Inseparable eh? Alright then. I'll settle your school matters for now. That doesn't mean that you can neglect your studies. Death needs help collecting the souls of the dead in Kylmir. She'll organise them to their respective deities so your job is to aid her in collecting them. She'll tell you what to do." Chaos took out his small scale of nothingness and slit a thin line in the air, widening it to a portal.
"Go now. Well, Mariko, Decay requires help enabling the decomposition in Kylmir too. They're much too sick to burn their own dead, thus there's too much for him to cope. He'll tell you what to do."
Chaos closed the first portal and opened another. Del and Arrt left as Chaos and Mariko departed. Iria was still asleep.

"She has potential." Necros murmured to Raewyn, nodding towards Enrika.
"Potential? Of what kind?"
"Ah, you get my meaning. She could develop into one of those with no presence."
"No presence?"
"No magical signature as it were. One of them."
"That is somewhat disturbing. How would she even develop to lose her presence?"
"If it pleases you, I'll keep that knowledge to myself. I think I shall ask her if she would want to be one soon. The development should start from such an age."
"You hope to train her to be someone you can make use of, don't you?"
"Only a fool wouldn't. Her talents, latent though they may be, would be useful. Her... tastes would not be hard to satisfy either."
Everyone has a magical presence. It was like a magical fingerprint, unique to every person. Spellcasters could sense this signature and almost all magics that targeted a person relied on the spellcaster aiming for the presence, it being the most accurate. There were a few rare individuals who did not possess such magical identities. They could not use magic at all and also mostly could not be targeted by magics, at least not without great difficulty. However, their presence, or lack of it, tended to cause spellcasters fear, thus being one of several mage banes. Every spellcaster gave thanks that there were so few of these so-called 'invisibles'.
"Hmph. You better make sure that you've got her permission."
"Or what? Since when did you have the right to threaten me, Wind?"
"Never. My apologies. I just worry for Rika."
"You need not worry. I will take care of her."