"And... that's the plan. Any thoughts?" Ooinn asked, his tone betraying his lack of confidence in the proposal.

Henry and Youya stared blankly at Ooinn for a solid minute. Finally, Henry broke the silence. "You cannot be serious..."

Youya, equally baffled, shook his head. "Oh, wow, you're actually serious," he rolled his eyes, turning to Henry. "Can you believe what this guy is saying?"

Henry nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'm with you. Like, I get it that we are desperate, but... this plan has so many points where it can only work if we get extremely lucky. Even with a miracle, pulling it off without anything going wrong would still be hard. You are aware of that, right?"

Ooinn sighed, his silhouette nodding reluctantly. "I am, but what else can we really do? I welcome any other plan you guys have over this one, but right now, this is the only plan I—and probably, we—all have."

No one said anything. Henry tried to think of any other plan they could take, but no matter how much he bashed his head against the mental wall, he couldn't think of anything better. Glancing at Youya, he saw that his friend was just as stumped.

Henry clenched his hat for a few seconds, and then reached a decision."Y'know what? Fine, if this is the best we've got, we might as well give it a try. Can't be worse than doing nothing."

Youya sighed in resignation. "Looks like I'm outnumbered here... Alright then, but if we're really doing this, I have one question. Who's gonna approach THEM?" His tone emphasized the significance of the individuals in question.

"Me," both Henry and Ooinn said simultaneously. After a moment of processing, Ooinn turned to Henry.

"Are you sure? Since the plan is mine, shouldn't I be the one to take the riskiest part of it?" Ooinn asked with concern.

Henry slowly nodded. "Yes, I am sure. I can keep my distance with my guns, and with my ability, I can easily escape if something goes wrong. Also, you two have way more experience than me, so if one of us were to die, it should be the one who's least necessary for the plan to work."

"That's... fair. Now that you said it, we really don't have the luxury of expecting all of us to survive, huh?" Although Henry couldn't see Ooinn's expression, the subtle movements of his body told him enough about Ooinn's reluctance to accept Henry's choice.

"Yep," Henry said with conviction, indicating there was no room for debate. He turned to stare at the bonfire and soon got lost in his thoughts.

After another solid minute of absorbing the warmth from the bonfire, Ooinn broke the silence. "Alright then, I guess we can settle the night with that. By the way... are you guys free to meet up again in the next decade? Preferably in a place other than the middle of a desert," he joked, his tone unsure if it was the right move to lighten the somber mood.

Youya seemed to ignore the joke. "Yeah, a decade is good enough. What do you think, Henry?"

"Oh..." Henry thought about their offer for a bit. "Yeah, I think I can make it next decade. Also, sorry for forcing the meeting to be here. Being a wanted criminal kind of limits where you can go without causing trouble."

Ooinn casually waved him off. "Nah, don't worry about it, we get it. I needed to lay low for a few decades myself before I could walk around without much trouble."

Youya nodded before getting up. "Alright then... See you guys later, and take care out there, Henry."

Henry tried to respond but found himself unable to assure them he'd be okay. Ignoring it for now, he nodded. "You too, see you later." As Henry said his goodbyes, Youya turned and left, leaving Ooinn and Henry alone.

Henry and Ooinn silently enjoyed each other's company, the only sound coming from the bonfire. After another hour, Ooinn broke the silence again. "Hmm... the sun looks like it's rising soon." He got up and gave Henry a nod. "See you next decade, peace." He didn't wait for Henry to respond, either understanding how hard it was for Henry to say goodbye or being in a hurry to leave.

Finally alone, as the night gave way to the rising sun, Henry decided to pack his things and walk away from the campfire. He now had a new reason to live... even if he still felt alone.

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"Prepare me? How? Are you going to make a contract with me? Wait, are you saying I have potential for it?!" Yoshino asked hopefully. She had no idea what kind of power she would get from her uncle, but she would be happy as long as she could properly defend herself.

Henry shook his head. "Sorry, lass. As far as I know, a darkspawn can only form a contract with one person at a time, and your mother already called shotgun on me and the others. Ooinn is with your brother."

"I see..." Yoshino looked down, disappointed.

"Buuuut, I can still awaken the potential inside you. Something that you should have. I mean, I don't know if it's genetic, but your mom and brother have it, so I can't see why you wouldn't." Henry shrugged. "I'll need to check to know."

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Is it... safe?" Nozomi asked, worried as she looked between Henry and Yoshino.

Henry gave a dry chuckle. "As long as there's no outside interference, it should be. Otherwise, I wouldn't entertain the idea. If something were to happen to her because of me, Kurai would kick my ass back to America!" He scratched the back of his neck, a sweat drop falling from his forehead. "And the fact I'm not 100% sure if that's an exaggeration scares me to no end!"

Yoshino snorted, imagining her mom growing tall and muscular before kicking a chibi-fied version of her uncle back to his home country. "Yeah... I can see that." A small smile grew on her face. She was somewhat scared about what the process might involve, but she trusted her uncle. If he said it was fine, there was nothing to worry about... hopefully.

Nozomi's expression visibly calmed down. "Okay, I guess I'll wait."

With her friend's worries settled, Yoshino took a deep breath. "Very well. What do I need to do?"

Henry raised his arm. "Nothing much. Just close your eyes and focus on thoughts and memories that will stimulate the dark magic inside you while I bring your magic to the surface by touching your head."

Yoshino raised an eyebrow. "And what kind of thoughts and memories would do that exactly?" She could guess, but she wanted to hear it from her uncle.

Unfortunately, she was soon proven right as Henry sighed. "Negative ones. And it can't just be any; it must be ones where you have a very strong opinion about them." The heavy way he said it told Yoshino he knew—or at least assumed—she would have such memories thanks to her encounters with his kind, even if he didn't say so directly.

Yoshino sighed. It'll be worth it. You won't be such a burden if you do this. She told herself to have the resolve not to back down. "Okay, I'm ready."

Yoshino closed her eyes, forcing herself to dive deep into the recesses of her mind, dredging up the most awful memories she could find. Instantly, the image of the feline monstrosity resurfaced—its eyes glinted with malicious glee. The monster's sadistic smile spread across its face, twisting in unimaginable cruelty. She relived the moment it savagely twisted her leg, feeling once more the searing, spine-chilling agony as bone and flesh were mangled. Blood spurted out, staining the ground red and the beast’s claws, its snarl echoing in her ears.

Next, she remembered Judai's insects. They swarmed with horrifying precision, ambushing Nozomi. Yoshino could see Nozomi's terrified face as the insects closed in, their mandibles clicking hungrily. Her friend’s screams rang out, desperate and filled with raw terror as the insects gnawed at her flesh. Yoshino’s anger flared at the memory, white-hot and blinding. But most painfully, Yoshino remembered the feeling of helplessness that engulfed her. At that moment, she had been weak, utterly pathetic, and useless. Despite her desperate desire to help, she had been powerless, a bystander in the torment of her friends.

As these negative thoughts spiraled inside her, coiling tighter and tighter like a dark serpent, she soon felt something emerge from the depths of her being. It was small yet dangerously familiar—a dark ember of energy that seemed to pulse with malevolence. It felt like a piece of her, long dormant, something that would burn her if she touched it heedlessly.

Was this always here? She wondered, a note of disbelief tinged with curiosity. Then, she sensed something else—an almost completely opposite source of energy. This presence, although foreign, radiated an aura of safety, a gentle yet firm assurance that it would protect her from harm. The safe aura moved toward the dangerous ember, enveloping it, and began to guide it gently toward the surface of her mind, out of her mental recesses, to where it could be controlled.

Suddenly, without warning, Yoshino's eyes flew open as her entire body surged with dark energy. The force was powerful and overwhelming, causing her to stagger slightly. The energy manifested as an aura that enveloped her, crackling with small, barely noticeable sparks of dark light.

Yoshino's mouth hung open in awe. She lifted her hands and watched the energy swirl around her fingers. The aura felt tangible, almost like an extension of her very being. Clenching both hands, she could feel a strength she had never known before coursing through her veins. She wasn't defenseless anymore. For the first time, she felt truly powerful.

"Yoshino?"

Nozomi’s voice snapped her out of her reverie. She turned to her friend, noticing Nozomi’s tense expression. Though not exactly fearful, Nozomi looked deeply conflicted. Seiza, on the other hand, appeared horrified, as though he had stumbled upon something he shouldn't.

Yoshino looked at them, confused. What had gotten them so upset? An imaginary anvil seemed to drop on her head as the realization struck her. Oh… it must be because this aura makes me seem like my uncle and... those other monsters.

"Hey, uncle..." she called out. Henry's expression was nervous, but it didn't seem to be from fear of her. It was something else. Yoshino frowned. "Did something go wrong?"

Henry avoided eye contact as he scratched the back of his neck. That didn't fill Yoshino with confidence. "Well... no, it went smoothly but..." Henry sighed in resignation. "Let me explain."

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A Minute Ago

Without another word, Henry touched her head and closed his eyes to concentrate. He knew he wasn't the best person for this—Youya and Ambrosius had way more experience and knowledge—but he could do this much.

As long as Yoshino stays focused and there's no outside interference, the process should go smoothly. He soon felt a connection forming between their minds.

Without wasting time, Henry began his search for Yoshino's potential. If he didn't find any, he wouldn't allow her to be involved, but he knew she would find a way regardless. Finding her inner darkness brought a sense of relief. He knew she had potential but discovered it was a small, dark flame of ominous energy.

Searching for other sources of darkness nearby, he found nothing besides the small flame. Usually, a darkspawn brings out only a fraction of a human's potential to avoid overwhelming them. But with Yoshino's small potential, Henry was sure he had to take it all at once.

Yoshino's potential was minimal, which disappointed Henry. But she could still hurt and kill darkspawns, something most humans couldn't do—even if it were more likely she would be killed first in a straight confrontation with most darkspawns Henry had fought against.

Henry mentally sighed. Whatever, it only means I need to train her harder. And with a magical girl by her side, she should be fine. He thought as he brought her small flame of potential to the surface.

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Back to the Present

"So... yeah... you peaked. Sorry, kid," Henry said, continuing to avoid eye contact.

Yoshino stared at her uncle in shock, then closed her eyes, covered her face with her hands, and groaned.