Black Swan

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Three days had passed since I witnessed Oliver’s gleaming spectacle. I couldn’t shake the imagery of the devastating attack I’d witnessed that night even if I’d wanted to, as ironic as it was, the attack itself had seemingly been burned into my own mind. If anything, it only went to remind me of how weak I was right now, if I’d been on the receiving end of such a devastating blow then there was little I could do to avoid it, but fortunately for me, it doesn’t look like such a grim reality will come to pass.

But that didn’t change the fact that I was still a weakling, and only I had the power to change my own detrimental fate, and the only way to do that was through diligent training. That was the one activity that had taken up the majority of my uneventful days and the one thing that managed to keep me occupied even now.

Mimicking the form I’d often seen being used in Eden, I sat crossed legged on the small outdoor area of the wooden dwelling, controlling my breathing and letting my body indulge in the rich essence known as mana. With each deep breath I could feel the mystic power moving throughout my body, heading towards the dormant ‘core’ now housing my soul. Though it was still inactive, I could tell that the sparking embers of mana within it were burning brighter by the day.....my awakening wouldn’t be long now.

That was what I’d thought anyway, the tranquil ripples of serenity drifting through my mind were about to be disrupted......

“Julia!”

That echoing cry made its way to my ears from somewhere that seemed close but far away at the same time.

“Julia....are you...theeeeeeeeere!?”

My focus had been completely shattered, slowly opening my eyes I saw the figure of a young girl now hastily making her way across the stone bridge. She had dark brown hair reaching down to her back, though it was now fluttering wildly with each of her rapid strides. She was wearing a soiled white apron that covered almost the entirety of the blue, frilly ended dress she wore, but despite her odd attire, it didn’t seem to be having any effect on her unwavering dash at all.

Her deep blue eyes were welling up with a transparent fluid and with every step she took, it blatantly heightened the emotional distress now clouding her mind. It was almost as if she was on the verge of crying.

“Emma?”

A few drops of the built-up liquid escaped her eyes just then, promptly being swept away by the brisk gust of wind the girl had seemingly conjured with her teary charge. Planting her right leg in front of her, she killed the excess momentum, kicking up a swirl of dust before coming to a halting stop right in front of me.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Even with the deep, heavy pants she was fervently trying to suppress and the beads of sweat dripping from her entire body, she somehow managed to quickly dismiss the built-up fatigue in what seemed like no time at all.

“L-Liam....is your mother here?”

“Y-Yeah she was just here a-”

“Can you please go and call her for me!? This is an emergency!” Emma’s voice was unusually commanding, I didn’t know her all that well, but it was easy for me to tell that she wasn’t used to acting out like this. Before I could even respond to the teary-eyed girl before me, Julia’s figure once again came into view from the direction of the rippling pond, it had seamlessly returned to its original form mere seconds after being split in two by Oliver’s heated attack.

Her hair was now neatly tied to one side, and as she approached, her knee length skirt, still slightly wet at the hem and her rolled up sleeves gave her a completely different impression that what I’d been used to. With each of her lightly placed steps, a few of the fluttering creatures she now held in one hand came into view. Their streamlined, scaly bodies were now being held upside down, still flopping and failing to secure even one last breath of oxygen. It had become something of a habit for her to enter the nearby pond and hunt those aquatic creatures with nothing but her bare hands but considering how proficient she seemed to be at it, then one could only assume that such a thing had inherently been a part of her nature since the very beginning.

“Alright Liam, we’re having these for dinner toni-” Abruptly cutting her own sentence short, she stared at the trembling girl now standing before her, clutching the ends of her apron with quivering fingers.

“........Emma....what’s wrong?”

Clenching her own garments in an attempt to quell the shivering of her own body, she took a single step forward before giving the sincerest appeal she could offer in this state.

“Please help me.....my brother is dying.....”

Those words were spoken in a tone so low the passing winds could barely carry them.

Julia was silent for a few seconds, but the state of the trembling child now standing before her had immediately grounded her thoughts in reality. Once again forming the thin smile she usually wore, Julia took two steps forward and embraced the young girl with her free hand.

A ‘hug’ huh......It had been done to me many times before, but looking at the interaction from afar made it seem a lot less commonplace.

“Just let me put these away, I’ll be back soon.” Making her way over to me, Julia’s smile lost a bit of its innocence as she passed through the wooden doorway.

“Looks like we’re going out for a bit Liam.”

I could tell that she was trying to keep up appearances for my sake, but no matter how you looked at this situation, nothing good could ever come of it. It was as if a looming sense of dread and distraught had now stained the air and in its onset had managed to wipe the smiles off both of their faces. This feeling was one I hadn’t felt in a long time, maybe that's why my body was twitching with a sense of excitement. These mortal bodies were nothing if not interesting, despite my best attempts to suppress the gesture of joy my face was now forming, I could still feel the lingering traces of a smirk on my lips. It was a good thing neither Julia nor Emma could see the expression that was now on my face, if they had I imagine it would paint me in quite the villainous light.

Now then.......what flavor of despair does this world have in store for me?