“So, based on what I’m hearing…” The woman took a drink sip of tea. “You two were tasked with dying.”
“What?” Alisson tilted his head.
The three of them sat around a small tea table, near a glassless window. No wind or snow blew in, apparently due to this woman’s magic. The whole place was simply a few rooms, with many carpets draped across the walls and across the floor, and with numerous trinkets and collections hanging from the ceiling and in organized shelves.
“If Sidonia told you to head into Freigat to find this structure…then it’s a pretty good chance she already knew the precise location herself.”
Alisson frowned. “You lie.”
The woman shrugged. “Just seems that way to me. It seems pointless to send such a small force for such a mundane reason. However…considering what you are equipped with and what I believe you will become…I can understand her motive a little better.”
Alisson closed his eyes, and drank the tea. He didn’t exactly appreciate strangers talking dubiously of his lady or her orders. Those were to be absolute and unquestionable.
“And so now, you’ve walked yourself here in search of a key to open that door…”
Alisson nodded. The woman smiled. “Well, I can tell you now: you won’t find anything here.”
Alisson’s eyes widened, but he kept his stoic face.
“I see the truth hurts, doesn’t it? You made a lapse in judgement coming here, and your apprentice there didn’t stop you, my, my…Sidonia must’ve really planted some terrible seeds in that head of yours.”
Alisson frowned. “Celis- my apprentice, - She did try to stop me. I was stubborn was all.”
Celis frowned at him out of the corner of his eyes, and he hastily elaborated. “I mean to say that, that I fear what Sidonia will do to me if I return to the homeland with so little accomplished.”
The woman nodded understandingly. “Those feelings, may or may not be your own entirely, but sure, if you have reasoning, then use it I suppose. Well, I can tell you that Sidonia probably didn’t expect you to find anything of note or to return at all.”
Alisson let out an angry sigh. “Lies. Sidonia has arranged for us an exfiltration – She has need of our information.”
The woman’s smile intensified. “And where might that be?”
Alisson averted his eyes guiltily. It was true. The Kitsune fisherman were running behind schedule…however, Alisson looked back to the woman, that was because of the blockade that Irine had deployed, there were no malicious intentions.
“Well, enough of that, what are your names?”
The woman already knew from watching him and his apprentice fumble around mindlessly in the hour prior, but she apparently had some courtesy.
“Alisson Vi Nuam.” He said sharply.
“Celistine Regadonia.” Celis bobbed her head.
Alisson tilted his head, an eyebrow raised. “And you are? You have been quite tight lipped regarding yourself.”
“Yes, I suppose it doesn’t matter if Sidonia isn’t here to kill me…However,” Her face straightened. “I can’t allow you two to leave here knowing that I exist.”
Alisson subconsciously started to reach for Enhérejär, fearing for Celis’s and his safety in the face of her threatening words, but he remembered just how helpless before this woman, and halted his motion.
“What do you mean?” Alisson asked.
“The both of you are, how should I phrase it…Well, let me put it this way. You gain a certain omniscience when you’ve existed for as long as I. For as long as Sidonia. However, the omniscience she has, is one that encompasses the minds of all her children.”
Alisson mouth gradually parted in shock as he heard the woman’s words, but she continued.
“The next time you stand before her, Sidonia will know exactly what you see now. She will know everything you have seen, heard, and thought. Do you understand?”
“That’s why…” Alisson muttered absentmindly.
The reason why Sidonia always seemed to know what Alisson was thinking. It’s because she did. Alisson’s eyes widened. “I-if that’s true then-!”
“The both of you are already heretics for knowing this fact, yes. She will surely have you executed.”
Alisson’s face turned pale. He slammed his fist on the table. “How dare you! You-! You have poisoned us with heresy!”
The woman shrugged. “You asked first, Alisson. And don’t worry, from your reaction, you’re still loyal and then some. However, our conversation of current is a bit problematic.”
Alisson’s eye twitched. “Erase our memory.” He said simply. “Erase our memory, then there’ll be no way that we can be tainted by this heresy, and your existence will also be kept secret.”
The woman lifted a hand to her mouth. “Oh my oh my…You jumped on it quite quickly…And, you do know that you’d only be a detriment to your lady, keeping my existence secret and all…You aren’t as loyal as you think you are in the face of others, it seems.”
“Just do it.” Alisson barked.
“Alisson – How can you be sure that she can do that?” Celis asked quizzically, but the woman replied,
“I can. You are right in assuming so.”
Alisson sighed a breath of relief.
“Oh ho…I didn’t say I would do it, now did I?”
Alisson’s relief quickly evaporated, and stared at the woman with a scowl. She shrugged. “I don’t think I will.” She said slyly.
Alisson looked down into his lap with wide eyes. “You wish upon us death!? We will be hanged for heresy!”
“Calm down, calm down. I didn’t say I wouldn’t help either.” Alisson looked up to the woman with a glimmer of hope, and she continued, “I don’t fancy wiping people’s memories. I’m just going to make it so that Sidonia can’t see your memories.”
Alisson spun into a brief spiral of thought. If him and Celis returned, and Sidonia couldn’t read their minds like before…Alisson looked up to the woman and said in protest,
“B-but she’d notice that!”
The woman shrugged. “That’s something for you to deal with.” She winked.
“Devil...” Alisson muttered.
The woman brought her had to Alisson’s forehead. And then to Celis’s.
“There. It’s done. Congratulations on your liberation.”
“Don’t term it as if I’ve been released from slavery…” Alisson spat. “I didn’t ask for this.”
“Too bad. I don’t fancy lying.” The woman stuck her tongue. Alisson frowned bitterly, blowing a burst of air out of his lips that rustled his bangs, long from the months spent without a barber.
“Nothing exactly feels different…” Celis said, looking at her hands while clenching and unclenching them.
“Sidonia will know…Sidonia will know…” Alisson muttered to himself.
There was pit in Alisson’s stomach now. One that weighed him down with fear. What if he was ousted from Sidonia? Hanged?
“Stow it already, will you? If you’re so worried I’m sure Sidonia will take your worry at face value and not suspect that you harbor any malicious intent. For being supposedly so loyal, you have terribly little faith that Sidonia will understand you, do you?”
The woman was suggesting that he’d deceive his lady, and betray her trust. He closed his eyes tightly. Alisson would be truthful, he would speak of everything. If Sidonia deemed him a heretic…then so be it. He would remain loyal. He warily looked to Celis. Seeing her tilt her head at him immediately spun his loyalty into doubt. If he was deemed a heretic, then so would Celis, no doubt…
Alisson suddenly felt far less enthused about the idea of submitting to his fate of being loyal to the end. He sighed.
“Quiet already, I wish to speak of it no further.” Alisson shook his head. “Now, about you.” His eyes narrowed.
“Oh, I see what you’re doing now…You want to learn all about me so that you can yap to Sidonia about it to prove your loyalty and to get revenge on me. So pitiful you are.”
Alisson looked away with a disgruntled frown. The woman sighed.
“Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter.”
The woman looked up to the both of them deviously. The next moment,
The room flashed brightly. Alisson closed his eyes because of the sudden bright light, and after a moment peaked them open. He saw then what the woman was trying to show them. Purple ears now rested atop her head. Tails, their bacilla deployed, swayed passively in the air behind her. Her hands were now suddenly furred and clawed, and were more akin to some kind of beast than a human.
“I could go to higher levels of manifestation, but I believe this gets the point across…”
“Y-you’re…and elder Nekomata…”
Alisson remarked, momentarily speechless. Then, his eyes suddenly flared with realization.
“You’re a heretic!”
That’s why she thinks that Sidonia would attack her. This Nekomata is on unfavorable ground with Sidonia. That must be it. His standing orders, nay, his moral compass, dictated that he strike down this heretic at once. Of course, he couldn’t very well do that. He’d only kill himself, and thus endanger the mission, which according to Sidonian rule, was above any predetermined standing orders. He was completely justified in not attacking this infidel, but he wasn’t any more pleased about it.
The woman sighed, shaking her head. “You are correct, but I prefer the other ‘h’ word. I am a hermit. Nothing more.”
“Here you are being picky about wording.” Alisson muttered on the hermit’s hypocrisy.
Alisson was about to retort saying that he didn’t fancy lying either, as to jab at the woman, but with Celis here, she knew well that that wasn’t true.
“Well, if you think me a heretic, go ahead. It’s not as though I’m under the Lady’s jurisdiction out here.”
Alisson looked at the woman squarely in the eyes. “Return with us to Sidonia. Staying out here isolated isn’t going to resolve anything. With your power, I’m sure any ill history you may have with the lady would be swept under the rug for the greater good of our kind…”
The woman rose a finger. “There you go again trying to protect me. You do realize that you’re going out of your way to-!”
“Silence! I try to throw you a bone and this is how you react?”
The woman shook her head in response to Alisson’s angst. “There’s no sweeping under the rug our history…”
Alisson tilted his head. “Then what have you done? What did you do that banished you all the way out here?”
“Not me…” The woman started with a serious expression. “What Sidonia has done. There’s no forgetting it. In those times, there were only a few of us…we were escapees, convicts, lab rats…the world above was scorched and inhabitable. Inhabitable by humanity. Thankfully however…we were no longer human. Your ancestors possessed immense power, like demi-gods on earth, they had to, to fight the horrors that roamed the lands and to survive the conditions…”
“Who is ‘we’?”
Alisson asked quizzically.
She sighed. “It all started with Sidonia, I don’t know her story, but I know that she rallied together the progenitors of what would come to be the first Sidonian Order.”
“These demi-gods you speak of…were you one of them?”
The woman shook her head. “No…I’m not that old…Those were beings before Sidonia was born, it was every being for themselves…However, as innumerable years passed…the world became more hospitable, but with it, the powers of our ancestors regressed, and with them, so did the H.O system, or, magic, as you say. It was eventually turned off, and a brief moment of peace befell us, that was when I was born. When the idea of Sidonia came into being if you will.”
“However we Nekomata predate her…” Alisson put in, a hand on his chin.
“Make no mistake Nuam boy…You are a far cry from the first Nekomata. I, am a far cry from the first Nekomata. We are altered, changed, mutated…You are far more human than your ancestors. Your children will be more human than you, and their children, more human thus forth…It is a cyclic nature. A cycle of where one’s power comes from, either from within, or from the world - from magic. Pretty soon the world will end up a hellscape again…With everyone being so human…”
“Everyone would be able to cast powerful magic…” Alisson muttered.
“Yes, chaos would ensue, and the world of civilization as you know it will fade away, and with it, humanity will once again cease to be dominant, the way it’s looking, perhaps beasts will take the place of intelligence. But, I digress, you probably don’t understand much, it seems that Sidonia has not taught you anything.”
“So,” Alisson tilted his head, “What is it you want me to know about to Sidonia?”
The woman peered at him slyly. “Would you really want to know? Wouldn’t I simply be infecting you with heresy, as you put it?”
Alisson frowned, but the woman continued, “And who’s to say that what I’ve just told you wouldn’t be deemed heresy by Sidonia? Obviously she’s not teaching her children of the past…But I suppose effective tools don’t need brains, yes…”
Alisson’s eye twitched. This woman and her beratement of Sidonia was finally starting to spell out to Alisson the true level of heresy on display before him.
“Your expression says you’d rather not put your view of Sidonia at risk…” The woman continued on without Alisson’s input. “And to be honest, the issues I can describe are neatly wrapped into two packages right before my eyes. You needn’t not look further than yourselves to uncover what sin that has made you.”
“So?” Alisson started, “Why are telling us all this? Why are speaking to us at all?”
“Though I believe Sidonia gave you malicious orders…I believe what you describe…that door in that jungle…It’s most likely the H.O system’s control complex, or something of it. The reason it drained your mana like that is because it requires an immense amount to open. The reason Sidonia wants in…”
For the first time, the woman placed a hand on her chin, and seemed to be in thought.
“Yes…if she could subvert the time needed to acquire that much mana, she would end the cycle, and bring peace…I see now.”
She looked up to Alisson and Celis. “Make no mistake. Though I may speak with scorn of your Lady, of our Lady, she is doing what must be done, for the good of all, not just our race.”
“What a one-eighty…”
Celis muttered. The woman slyly brought her gaze to Celis. “Yes, my personal distaste for her methods and Sidonia’s overall goal are two very different things. If I weren’t in such a problematic situation, if the dice had fallen differently, perhaps I’d be by her side now…But judging by the fact the both of you are the best that Sidonia has to offer, perhaps I’d be dead by now, from either Sidonia’s hand or the hand of her enemy.” She shrugged. “But my, my, I digress much, do I not? My apologies, I haven’t talked for a while…”
Alisson’s brow piqued. “Mind giving us your rough age, and how about your name while your at it?”
“I’m in the tens of thousands…not old by any means…”
“Not old?” Alisson asked rhetorically. “Under the Law of Meaning, your life would have ended long ago.”
The woman broke into a small smirk. “Law of Meaning’? What’s that?”
Alisson smiled. “For once I know something you do not. It must be something that Sidonia implemented after you turned your back on her then. There are no Nekomata over the age of one-thousand in Sidonia. Every ten years, those who are slated to turn one-thousand within the following decade are released from service.”
“She kills them…” The woman stared blankly into the table with a dark expression. “Why? Why does she do that?”
“It’s in the name.” Alisson said, clasping his hands together, his eyes catching a blue glint outside of the window. “By giving us fixed lives, it gives meaning to the time we have. If we lived any longer, we would become lethargic, uncaring, disconnected, it gives fulfilment. Not to mention the fact that living past the age of one-thousand is very painful and in some cases is worse than death.”
Alisson said matter-of-factly, his eyes closed with a smile in prayer, in total confidence of himself.
“Nuam boy…” The woman started with a syrupy tone, “You do know what lays before you…”
Alisson peeked open his eyes. A moment passed before he realized what she was eluding to. The hermit before him was far older than one-thousand. According to Sidonia, she should be dead by now, or in a horrendous, worse-than-death circumstance.
“That part about being in pain and all that…”
Alisson rose his hand with a frown. “Don’t you dare say what I think you will say.”
“…” The woman looked at Alisson and Celis briefly. “…It’s a total fabrication by Sidonia. I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
Alisson scowled. “The hell you have. Sidonia must have her reasons.”
The woman frowned. “They’d better be good reasons. There’s nothing benevolent in euthanizing a species. Why, most every Nekomata that’s alive right now, they’re must all be children.” The woman then slyly added, “I can’t imagine that your population can persist if none of the race are of proper breeding age-“
“It’s a point of concern.” Alisson cleared his throat loudly, blushing with a straight face.
The woman sat back. “And that’s exactly what I mean. Such prudes you children are. Anyway, about what I was talking about, your mission…I believe I can aid you.”
Alisson’s face steeled. This was new.
The woman continued, “That door in Freigat, it requires immense mana. You need to be very, very human to open it, and probably be the owner of quite a high authority level.” She looked to Alisson and Celis. “You’re probably both wondering how I became so magically inclined despite not being human.”
Him and Celis listened on carefully.
“Long ago, I was a normal Nekomata…After I, turned my back on Sidonia, as you’d put it, I wound up here. There are many odd trinkets here in this city…I’ve scoured through all of them…some are books…”
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
She lifted a hand to the collection of colorful, thin books in the room.
“Some are food…”
She motioned to the tea.
“And one in particular…It was, well, let’s just say it increased my mana limit. However…With each use, my manifestation weakened in tandem with my heightened mana…The more human I became, the less powerful my manifestation was.”
“So?” Alisson tilted his head. This woman did just love to talk and talk without shutting up about whatever topic caught her mind. “What was it, this item?”
“…It is the proverbial key you are looking for…in a roundabout way. There is not any one item, but if you can get your hands on one of them, I’m sure it will suit your needs in opening that door. Unfortunately, there are none left in this city…The one I found I’ve emptied, and for that, I have tenfold the mana I did. That, combined with me having all the time in the world to raise my authority level, and well,” She lifted her arms, “You get to be, as you have put it, a god. Although I’d hardly consider myself that strong. There are many things holding me hostage here, and I could hardly affect anything that isn’t outside of the city limits.”
Alisson’s mouth furrowed. “You speak of this, authority level, what’s that?”
“Think of it as another metric of magic power for an individual, except, it’s not tied to your race…”
It clicked then for Alisson. “Theresa’s paradox…The reason mages can get anymore powerful at all, what their doing to become more powerful is raising their authority level…”
“Yes, the H.O system arbitrarily dollies out emoluments to those who use the system more, like a muscle that gets stronger as you use it, something like that.”
“So then…back on point…”
Because this woman keeps on straying from it…
“Where can we find this, key, you speak of?”
“I can point you two in the right direction, but nothing much more. I know of one other city that is high enough in elevation that you should be able to access it from the surface, it’s north from here, and unfortunately, the radiation only gets worse. Right now, this room is safe because of my magic, but once you leave, you’ll need to once again protect yourself, els’st your long Nekomata lives will shorten into human ones. I see you had iodine pills and lead plating, you were thoughtful, but not having any filters for your masks was quite demented. Fortunately, there are plenty in this city that I’ve scrounged up, you can take those.”
She waved her hand after once again straying off topic.
“And, the city itself?”
“I’ve only ever scanned it from from here, so I don’t specifically know anything about it, other than the fact that there is but one building that sticks up out of the snow. The radioactive snow plays hell with any kind of sensory information. That reminds me, you two are but blind ducklings without a mother, are you not?”
The metaphor came out of the blue, but Alisson could more less understand what she was getting at. Alisson nodded. “In the dark, in the fog, underground and within void, we are helpless. Are you suggesting that you are not?”
The hermit smiled before two prongs of light appeared on her head. They glowed brightly, and looked like a bugs antennae, but were only made of light and faced forward straightly.
“These are magic needles, they are hyper-sensitive, channeled mana prongs. They’re the reason I saw and heard you from over the horizon and through the snow storms…”
“…That bright purple light?”
The hermit nodded. “I can increase their power to extreme levels, but you wouldn’t be able to do that. This spell I believe was made by airman so that they could see at night through all the clouds without the light of the moon.”
“Airmen?”
“Like mages that use flight, something like that. But anyway, here you are, if you can use the spells, they’d aid you greatly.”
She waved her hand lethargically, and a piece of paper appeared on the table. She waved her hand back, and hundreds of runes suddenly became ingrained in the paper as her hand passed over it.
“Speaking of which…when I saw you outside the city…you were attacked by those smiling beasts.”
“The Sequiturs.” Alisson nodded. “Celis is their target. I wouldn’t know much.”
“I saw, that I did. Celi-Chan here is very unlucky.”
“C-celi…chan?”
Celis wearily asked, but the hermit ignored her and continued on, staring at Celis, “If you were split up, there’s nothing you could against the Sequiturs on your own. You would die. You’ll be safe in this room, but I won’t be able to protect you beyond that.”
Celis frowned, averting her eyes. She was evidently embarrassed hearing a threat she had no way to counter.
“Unfortunately for those clingy beasts…There is way to fight against them…You see, when one of them imprints on you, you not only gain the ability to see them, but you also lose the ability to hurt them.”
“Sadists…” Celis mumbled.
“I don’t think they have a concept of pleasure, my dear. So, care to know how to get rid of them?”
Celis pouted. The hermit raised her brow and murmured slyly, “You were crying when I showed up, all powerless and-“
“Okay okay!”
Celis lurched forward, a blush over her face. She then frowned with her shoulders high in shame, “How do you beat them?” She asked quietly.
The hermit closed her eyes with a smile, and waited for a moment for dramatic effect. “…You ask me nicely.”
Celis looked on with shock for a moment, before she quickly swallowed, and tepidly said. “Please will you help me kill them.”
The woman clasped her hands together and writhed back and forth slightly, as if feeling some sort of orgasmic pleasure in that moment.
“You’re so cute when you swallow your pride!”
Celis cringed her eyes and looked away with a face of disgust.
“Here.” The hermit leaned over the table and touched Celis on her forehead briefly. “There. It’s done. And while I’m at it…” She brought her hand over to Alisson. He pulled his head away with a look of suspicion.
The woman closed her eyes, shaking her head with a smile. “Tsk tsk…You shouldn’t be scared of being touched, especially when I’m only trying to help you.”
Alisson crossed his arms. “Explain yourself first.”
The woman sat back in her chair with a sigh. “Okay…okay. Well, Celi-Chan, you’re now officially freed from your little curse. Congratulations.”
“What?” Celis tilted her head. “What did you even do?”
“The thing with Sequiturs is…attacking them like you did in the streets there is no small feat. It requires a great deal of mental willpower to even think about raising a hand to attack them. They emit an aura of fear and distress, that gradually eats away at their target’s will to live and resist. You see, they are quite weak creatures, so they must weaken their prey before they strike…If it weren’t for the fact you had your master so close to you all these months, you would’ve ended up face down on the side of a road, withered away and vulnerable to them. Fortunately, you’ve already demonstrated that you still have gall left in your brain. The next time you see them, you’ll be fine. The matter will be settled then.”
“I see…” Celis murmured.
“Anyways, to answer your question Nuam boy, I was trying to cure you of an affliction as well.”
“And what might that be?” Alisson asked, his brow piqued.
“Why, there’s a spell attached to you right now. It’s siphoning your mana very gradually, but the activity is noticeable. The spell in question when it is activated will-“
“Make me cough up blood and telegraph my location.”
The hermit was surprised for a second, but quickly replied, “Yes, that’s right.”
“Damnit!” Alisson struck his fist on the table, his eye twitching. “Your theory was true Celis – We’ve been being tracked this whole time! Here I was thinking that we’d lost them – There’s probably an entire battalion sitting and waiting for us Scratskoslovotskaya! And Marmel would be happy to inform them that we’ve come here – Even if you get rid of the spell, we’ll still be screwed when we return to civilization-! Damnit!”
The room was silent for a minute.
“…I see you two have quite the road ahead of you.” Without asking for permission, the hermit placed her hand on Alisson forehead. He simply sat with his eyes closed, a scowl of anger of his face. She then retreated her hand, “There, the spell’s been diffused. No one should be able to track you now.”
Alisson sighed. “Good.”
The three of them sat in silence for a few minutes longer, Alisson’s sudden outburst apparently having left quite an impression on the woman that Alisson still didn’t know the name of.
Alisson needed some time to think and unpack everything that the woman had spoken off. Of the past, of Sidonia’s motives, of the course of the past and future of the world. Again, Alisson felt like he was left out of something, like when he thought of Rickard and his inconsistencies. There was something deliberate happening behind the scenes, and Alisson hoped that those scenes were behind the enemy, and not behind his own comrades.
However, he resolved to trust Sidonia, despite this heretic’s words. What kind of loyalty would he have if a simple conversation with a heretic managed to sway him? He would tell Sidonia everything about this heretic. That would assure his loyalty.
Despite repeating this in his head, he couldn’t shake the feeling that in his logical mind, he knew very well something was wrong about it all. And when he thought of Celis, if Sidonia were to hang him, she would share his fate. And that was unacceptable. However, being disloyal, was also unacceptable. What was more important?
…
“Y-you did what to my weapons?”
“Oh my…you’re so cute when you’re surprised, Celi-Chan.”
“Stop calling me that!” I pout. “What does it even mean anyway…”
Ignoring my question, the lady continue on, “That mana that is now all over your blades…why yes, I may or may not have gotten bored and tampered with them.”
My eyes flare up with a glint of rage. I don’t appreciate strangers, especially heretics, screwing around with my arsenal on a whim. But, considering how much she has helped us, removing those curses from me and Alisson and equipping us with even a spell sheet and filters to protect against the Black Energy, I can’t say I wasn’t interested in what advantage she may have possibly bestowed upon me. Jeez, here I am treating her like some kind of deity when I should only be saying such things about Sidonia – But the truth is that this random hermit is able to perform miracles beyond belief – That’s just how powerful she is.
Me and Alisson tried inquiring about what was keeping her here – Because in reality, with her power, she could easily flatten whatever resistance the entire Sidonian military could muster, and exact her revenge on the Lady. She only said briefly that there were weapons of pure terror and destruction that lay dormant beneath the city, and that if these were to be used, then, as she put it, the entire world be like the Deadzone. To that end, I don’t exactly know if she’s protecting these weapons from other people, or if they’re somehow inclined to danger on their own.
But I’m getting sidetracked. This whole time we’ve been in this woman’s presence, we’ve digressed and gotten sidetracked like blind men in a forest without canes.
The weapons, why is there mana on them?
“Well, if you’re so interested in knowing, here, how about a live demonstration?”
“Wha-?”
Before I was even able to question her words, I felt one of my baselards just disappear from my sheath, and appear in her hand. Without another second to waste, she threw the blade with a lazy motion out one of windows. Despite her lethargic throw, it flew explosively quick, and straight. I was about to lose sight of it in the twirling snow when it suddenly detonated in a brilliant blue burst. Judging by the thundering noise, I knew it was some kind of explosion spell.
In the next moment, the weapon reappeared in the lady’s hands, simmering and sizzling against the cold air. She tossed it back to me and I caught it in a deft motion.
“So what part of that was the weapon itself?” Alisson asked for me.
“The expulsion of course. Your four blades are now all imbued with mana-detonation spells. They use the mana in the air around them to generate an explosion, requiring only a little ‘fuse’ mana to activate them.”
I glanced at the baselard in my hand. “So your saying…this imbuement isn’t a one-time use?”
The woman nodded. “That’s right. You can activate the framework-spell over and over, it won’t disappear. However, the mana that it uses to function will be used up, you’ll have to take hold of your blades and insert more mana into them before they can be used again.”
“An imbuement slot…” Alisson muttered, “Those don’t come cheap. And neither can they be reloaded so easily.”
I stared at my blade for a while, and then glanced up to the woman. “Why? Why are you helping us so much? Why do you care? Why didn’t you just kill us when you spotted us? You could’ve just snapped your finger and it would’ve been like we never existed and yet…”
The woman closed her eyes for a minute, and then cracked a smile. “Well…I don’t want to see you fail. I can guess pretty well what will happen following your return to Sidonia. Let’s just say, I’d rather die knowing that, that the rest of the world isn’t like this. That outside exists smiles and laughs, and where children like you aren’t hunted down and forced to murder.”
She started off in her usual, uncaring tone, but gradually, her voice had shifted to something much more serious, and motherly. It made my insides reverberate, being in her presence. Then, of course, in her usual manner, the woman suddenly dropped the seriousness and said with a playful tone once more,
“And, don’t think that I’m tossing you breadcrumbs here. I’ll explain this way, when I removed your curse, Celi-chan, you didn’t feel even a minute difference, did you? Then, I ask, did I do anything? Did I do nothing? Did I exhaust my energy that I’ve been building up for the past fifty-four hundred years? Or did I simply instill you with a placebo of reassurance? You’ll never know. You won’t know whether I’ve simply given you scraps of my power, or, if I have endowed the essence of my very soul into each of the imbuement’s I have casted on your weapons. Or did perhaps Alisson’s curse there take too much out of me? And when you leave I will collapse into an elder slumber, not to be awoken for centuries? You won’t know.”
She shook her head. I felt a little moved by her speech. It made me realize that I really didn’t know a clue about her. The power she has shown us is just that, what’s on the outside. I don’t if she’s going to die in the next hour because of it, or I don’t know if it’s just her way of spitting pitifully on us. Alisson though, sat with furrowed brow, unimpressed.
“Still, why?” He repeated my question, crossing his arms cynically.
“I have answered, and you have listened.”
“Your answer was unsatisfactory.” Alisson said bluntly. “You’re just lonely. That’s the truth. It doesn’t matter that we’re fellow Nekomata or that we’re doing something you find favorable. You’re just happy to see other people.” Alisson smiled. “You don’t need to hide that emotion.”
His facial expression and consoling tone left me stunned. Some, mere, two-hundred and fifty-nine year old Nekomata talking to an accomplished elder with such a naïve, assuring tone, it was bizarre. At the same time though, I knew that that was who Alisson was. He can wear a frown of pure disgust, or smile radiantly like a prince.
Or should I say princess! Seriously! His hair is so fricking long now!
…
The woman smiled, with that same hint of irritation before Alisson had been flung out into the sky. Alisson swallowed heavily, realizing that the hermit could once more wish him into a fall he couldn’t survive. Instead, the woman said simply,
“You know…I was going to teach you how to use your Bacilla correctly, but since you’re on such a hurry and all…”
Alisson’s eyes widened, and he blurted quickly, averting his eyes, “I-I apologize for my words…”
“Oh?” The woman looked intrigued. “Are you perhaps vying for teaching from a heretic?”
“N-not at all!” Alisson waved his hands around as if to dispel her words. “I would be appropriating your knowledge for my own use, that is all, yes.”
Alisson couldn’t hide the fact that he found the idea of being in control of his Bacilla like a proper Nekomata salivating. Of course on his return to the homeland, he’d be taught, but with Andestine apparently on the horizon, and with unknown enemies awaiting them at the second city north of here, Alisson frankly needed all the advantages he could get his hands on. Anything this heretic was willing to give was beneficial. That, and, learning from such an elder Nekomata would no doubt be useful. Whereas the oldest Nekomata in Sidonia could boast keeping but ears and tails corporeal constantly, this hermit still had her ears, tails, furred arms, and Bacilla deployed, all without showing any fatigue, and to Alisson it even seemed like she’d probably forgotten about them.
“You sure do love changing your tune for whenever it suits you, you’re such a Sidonian. Absolutely no integrity.”
“When it comes to outside world, who cares how people think of us? As long as we get the job done.”
“A self-sealing vacuum of pride and superiority, oh my, I can only wonder how sociopathic the rest of Sidonia is…” She cleared her throat. “Anyway, your Bacilla. They’re immature, they’ll only get in your way as they are, I can already think of a dozen scenarios where they may lead to your downfall.”
Alisson shuddered, remembering Lavjoure. Perhaps he’d’ve had a better chance of escape if his Bacilla weren’t actively contributing to his torture.
“That, and they also stand to be great power once you learn to use them.”
“I’d be able to restrain opponents, and with a finer control, perhaps sharpen the Bacilla into weapons, yes.”
The hermit stared at Alisson, and then broke out into a giggle. “Is, is that all you think they’re for?”
Alisson was a little taken back. “W-what do you mean?”
“My…my…So pedestrian is the Sidonian mindset in today’s word. Let me show you…”
She instructed Alisson to turn around and activate his Opensen, to which he did. The hermit stepped up behind him closely. Celis watched her like a hawk, and Alisson couldn’t help but turn his head to see what she’d do, when suddenly he yelped when she grabbed hold of both his tails with a single hand.
His heart jumped in terror, and for a moment, even if it was brief, he saw behind him the demeaning glare of his sister.
The hermit fondled the tips of Alisson’s tails for a moment, which sent shivers down Alisson's spine. “I see you can’t call on your Bacilla consciously, here, I’ll coax them out.”
Alisson was about to ask what that entailed, but in the next moment, an overwhelming sensation ran through his body. The woman’s hand flashed white for a moment, and with it a wave of some, indescribable feeling flooded into his mind.
Immediately, Alisson let out an uncouth noise,
“Nya~!” Alisson realized just what kind of sound left his lips and he was quick to shut his mouth with a hand, breathing heavily, his face flushed red.
“J-just what are you trying to do!?” Celis said, half out of her chair, her hands on her baselards, her face also red.
“Relax, it’s necessary to draw out the manifestation.”
The hermit said, running a finger along one of the newly revealed Bacilla from Alisson’s tail. He was so caught up in the sensation that he didn’t even realize that with it, his Bacilla had sprung forth from his tails.
“Why are Bacilla so sexual…?”
Celis muttered to herself.
“They’re a very fun body part outside of combat, Celi-Chan.” With her syrupy words, she gave Alisson’s Bacilla a flick with one her fingers.
Alisson let out another uncouth yelp against his will and he collapsed to the floor, his legs splayed and his eyes fuzzy.
“Would you cut it out!?” Celis shouted, her blades drawn, her face red from anger or embarrassment.
“Oh quiet, don’t tell me you wouldn’t do the same if you were alone with him. It doesn’t help that he sounds more like a girl than a man when his little facade is off.”
Celis didn’t respond, staring at the hermit with a scowl of irritation.
“Look here, my molestation wasn’t only for my own pleasure.”
She motioned to the tips of Alisson’s Bacilla, which now bubbled with red. And these words, along with the actual reason why Alisson was in this situation, promptly flung his mind back into reality, and he got a hold of himself.
“This red coloring, the way the Bacilla seems to want to explode out with energy, it’s not far from the truth. Within, they hold a tremendous amount of mana, being your conduits and all.”
“W-what do you mean conduits?” Alisson asked in between heavy breaths, desperately trying to push his embarrassment behind him and forget about the fact that Celis had just seen him cry out like a virgin.
“Think, Alisson. How do feline ears and tails just suddenly appear on your head on your will? It’s not a biological organ, I’ll tell you that.”
“It’s magic?”
She nodded. “Yes, without your Nekomata parts, you would be much more human, and thus be able to absorb more mana, conversely, as a Nekomata, you can draw directly on mana to alter and enhance yourself with the manifestation without needing to go through the system first.”
“What…?” Alisson tilted his head, his face still red. “That, that sounds convoluted and unnecessary.”
“Tell that to Doctor Epensen.”
“Who?” Alisson asked blankly.
The hermit shook her head. “Never mind. Point is, your Bacilla is your manifestation’s nervous system, and its artery, where mana flows and is absorbed, in simple terms.”
“Meaning?” Alisson asked, his face finally reassuming its previous stoicism.
“Meaning, you can expulse mana through it as a weapon.”
Alisson’s face twisted into confusion. “Why not just use magic?”
“Because, the mana you’d be using with your manifestation is completely separate from the mana you normally use. Think of it this way, your mana as you know it, is mana allotted to you by how human you are. The mana that allows you to transform is separate. Theoretically, it has no limit, since it draws from the world around it, and circumvents the system.”
Alisson’s eyes widened. “If that’s true then…”
“Then yes, you can keep shooting lasers out of your tails until they melt off. “
Alisson shuddered. That was most definitely why she’d said ‘theoretically’.
“Of course, since they can just be remade with mana, I implore you do so. But…on that line of thinking…” The hermit suddenly a brought a hand up to her chin. “Since even flesh and organs, everything really, can be regenerated, why not treat your body as if its expendable?” The hermit asked rhetorically, but then shook her head. “You see, you must find your own balance of how freely you feel you can sacrifice your body, just take care not to become some inhuman monster that values nothing but mana.”
“I see…thanks for the advice…” Alisson’s voice trailed off. Disregarding the fact that the hermit was still stroking Alisson’s tails, sending shivers through his body, he inquired further about what he really wanted to know.
“So, how do I go about attaining the ability to finely use it then, the mana the expulsion and the Bacilla.”
“That,” The hermit tightened her hand around one of the strands of Alisson’s Bacilla. “…Is something I cannot help you with. It’s a matter of time, and will. Just use your Bacilla more often, keep your Epesen activated as long as you can, that sort of thing. You’ll find that it may be tiring, but perhaps one day you’ll end up like me.”
She gave her tails a flare with a hand, before her Bacilla retreated into them, apparently remembering that she had her Opensen activated.
Alisson shakily got to his feet, desperately trying to pretend like nothing had happened. Celis’s pout said otherwise. The hermit, wearing a disappointed expression, begrudgingly let go of Alisson’s Bacilla.
“But, how am I supposed to practice having my Bacilla activated if I can’t even call on them consciously?”
The hermit smiled deviously. “You saw what I did. Just get your apprentice to do the same.”
Alisson stared, speechless, at the woman. He slowly brought his gaze to Celis without thinking, only to realize that she too had slowly brought her eyes to him, and for a moment they locked eye contact without thinking. The both of them looked away, Alisson’s heart racing in embarrassment.
…
“At any rate, I recommend that you two do not stay the night here. You should get out of the city before the sun falls.”
“What? Why’s that?”
The woman, whom still hadn’t given her name, irritatingly, shook her head. “I hate to cut our meeting short, but there are things that even I can not protect you from at night. There is still much I could, and probably should, tell you, but for all our sakes, you need to stay focused on your mission. Getting caught up here at night will do you no good.”
Alisson looked away with a frown of disappointment. “I understand. However, would you perhaps invite us once more on our return trip? Provided it is day time.”
The woman shook her head. “No. I’m afraid this will be the last time we meet.”
“Wha-?” Alisson was momentarily stunned. “Why?”
Following his question, Alisson realized that what the hermit had said, about either doing nothing or doing everything when she helped them, perhaps that was true. Her confidence in saying that this was the last time in seeing them made Alisson worry for the hermit’s safety.
“Relax, I’m not going anywhere. My, I’m not your mother, you shouldn’t be staring at me with eyes like that. Now, fly. I’d rather you not encounter any unpleasantries.”
Alisson and Celis looked at each other, and nodded. They strapped on their masks, now equipped with cylindrical filters. They checked their gear, and, sure that it was airtight and in tip-top shape, flicked their eyes at each other in silent confirmation.
Alisson sighed. “I suppose this is goodbye then. And I don’t even know your name.
The woman chuckled. “Eufrozina. It’s Eufrozina.”
In the next moment, Alisson and Celis were out on the streets on the edge of the city limits, like the hermit had never existed. Her teleportation was so prompt, it left Alisson frowning.
“…I didn’t even get to say thank-you.” But one look back toward the center of the city would reveal that the shining purple light was once again lit, and narrowed on them.
So, she probably heard Alisson’s mutter.
Alisson checked his compass, and, certain that they were orientated toward the north, gave once glance back at the tallest tower in the city, before turning away. “Come on. We have a lead now.”
Celis nodded and was quick to keep pace with him.
“So, what do you think of her, Eufrozina?”
Alisson asked.
Celis frowned. “She can probably hear us you know.”
Alisson shook his head. “It doesn’t matter, if we’re not going to being seeing her again.”
Celis looked away. “She was weird. And I don’t like how she touched you like that.”
“Well, I suppose being alone for as long as she has will make you disconnected. There must be things far more important in this world in her mind.”
“Like those weapons she talked about…” Celis murmured.
“Or that whole history she espoused. She’s either just a crazy heretic, or what she said is the truth.” Alisson shook his head. “It seemed to me that she was a heretic because she knew the things she did, not the other way around. And that scares me…I don’t want to believe what she said about Sidonia, that Sidonia could possibly harbor any ounce of deceit against us. She must have her reasons, for hiding so much from us, if what that hermit said was true.”
“Either way, you’re going to tell Sidonia, right?”
Alisson warily looked back to the shining light. “I...I don’t know.” He shook his head.
“Well, she still helped us nonetheless.” Celis put in.
Alisson nodded. “It’s not about her, it’s…” Alisson was about to say that he feared what would happen to Celis if Alisson was deemed a heretic, but a rumble from behind them cut him off. By this point, they’d already left the bounds of the towering buildings, and they were now but peeking out of the fogs. The rumble came from the tallest building. The purple light that had shined not moments before was nowhere to be seen, and the building itself, was in fact in the process of collapsing.
The both of them watched on in shock, as in the distance, a massive structure crumbled down and into itself, just vaguely made out through the blizzard.
“…The sun has fallen.” Celis remarked. And indeed, there was no light in the sky, only that vague haze of blue clouds above, progressively getting darker.
Alisson squinted his eyes, to perhaps make out what the hermit had spoken of was so dangerous at night, but he spotted nothing out of the ordinary within the city, other than the fact that her tower had just collapsed. Though, remembering her words, he thought it best to get as far away from the city as they could.
He flicked his head to Celis, and they continued on throw the dark blizzard. Alisson couldn’t help but think of the hermit’s words, of how she said that this would be the last time they would see each other, and why she had so hastily shoved them out of that tower.
***