Chapter 12: Truth

A cold draft swept through as Conrad saw a faint barrier covered with mist expand outward, its center a girl holding a prayer-like posture. The air grew heavy with an otherworldly pressure.

I can see it better now. It really is amazing no matter how many times I see it.

Ability: Mist sword Yoru (Grade - unknown)

A floating sword suddenly disappeared and condensed into Anira's hands through a dense mist, bringing with it the scent of winter rain. Her crimson eyes were looking in one direction, glowing faintly in the dim light. She was ready to tear apart her enemy at any moment. Her emotionless face could give even the bravest men an emotion of fear. Her dark thick ink-like hair slightly lifted themselves up as they were pulled by some invisible force, creating soft whispers in the air. A mist of unknown origin was around her presence, making the wooden floorboards creak with frost. She felt like a night in the coldest winter. A boundless sky that had no ends. She didn't take any posture that looked like she was getting ready to defend or attack. She was calm as deep water, just standing tall with one arm extended towards the east where her sword just materialized in her hands. It was still wet from the condensing mist, droplets falling silently to the ground. Dark as starless night, hilt as crimson blood and a chain that looked like it was made out of mist itself, Yoru was producing some kind of invisible heat wave that made the air shimmer.

Holy shit...She looked pissed. I don't know what it is but I can feel her anger from here. Is that what they call 'a woman's wraith' ? The air feels like it might freeze.

Conrad sweated a bit and thought to himself.

Whoever your husband will be, I don't wanna be in that guy's shoes.

Conrad felt a chill seeing Anira in all of her glory. The mist barrier suddenly shrank rapidly. It was retracting at a speed that could cover a manor in a few seconds.

What is happening? I have no idea. Why did it expand to begin with just to shrink?

The sword in Anira's hand flew out at a speed that broke the sound barrier. Conrad got pushed back just by the force it produced. Before he could react, he sensed an entity appear in front of him.

Wedding dress?

Oddity.

Conrad threw a jab with half of his might to follow up with a combo, but as soon as he made contact with his jab, his vision changed.

Ahh? Teleportation again. But why?

Conrad turned to see his original spot. The Oddity was still there. It hadn't moved from its place but rather it seemed like it was unable to move at all.

Ability: Mist Confinement (5 seconds)

As Conrad was just looking at that place, Anira appeared in front of the Oddity.

One, Two, Three…Five

Anira moved her sword like feathers. She was like the wind. Just her hands moved in different directions breaking the sound barrier multiple times. Anira opened her mouth and whispered like some witch on a dark night,

"Mist execution..."

Conrad blocked the whiplash of the environment with his newly found Brahman energy.

Holy fuck! This is what we call power.

Conrad's eyes were in awe at the sight of his teacher's power display but for some reason he felt she was overdoing it.

Is she angry or something?

Conrad felt a little sorry for the Oddity. As the fight was pretty much one-sided, unknowingly Conrad relaxed a bit but then he felt like something changed. The slashes Anira was landing missed in succession.

Huh? Why is she missing? It's already over, the Oddity looks like it's on the verge of dying. Just finish it off.

"Anira, you are missing..."

Anira wasn't able to hear him. Her senses felt dull. Then she stopped. The Oddity was not done yet. It was heavily wounded but not dead.

Finding some gaps, it disappeared from its spot and appeared before Conrad.

Conrad's sharp eyes looked at it without any fear. Conrad twisted his body in a reverse direction in extremely fast motion and threw the 12-foot oddity to the ground using a judo throw.

How did you like that?

Anira's sight was getting dull when she heard a loud male voice.

"Anira...sword"

Without any hesitation, Anira threw the sword towards the direction. Without any delay Conrad caught the sword in mid-air changing its direction in mid-air, he thrust the sword down. The sharp black edge pierced through the Oddity's belly. A dense mist with dark light blood-like liquid splashed out of the belly. There was no stomach, it was a dark vortex that seemed to have blood for a reason.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Conrad looked at the Oddity with his deep eyes. He was panting heavily.

Ahhh ahhh...finally it's dead...

Conrad rushed towards Anira.

"Hey, are you alright? You looked fine. So what happened? Are you hurt?"

"My lord, I need some rest"

"..."

Conrad felt relieved hearing her say that.

He reached out to hold Anira and stand her up. Anira leaned on his shoulders.

"Here is a bed, let's rest here"

"My lord, please stay as you are..."

"..."

Conrad didn't say anything further. They sat there still for a while. Conrad was looking into the red diary of Kendrick Feud.

I don't know your story. What was that Oddity? Who was that girl in our kitchen closet then? What happened to the husband? It's all a big mystery.

Conrad started to review the battle from before. It was a habit he had developed from his days as a fighter.

Well that judo move never failed me. I hope I get a chance to use my right next time.

Conrad started to think carefully,

That fight was pretty fast, I thought it would be some drawn-out manga or anime fight but no, it was over so quickly. But I had to consider I had a powerhouse with me. Would I be able to win that fight on my own? 99.9% chances are no. I didn't even fully understand what just happened...

There are a couple of things I did learn. First of all, it's important to be decisive and fast. The surprise attacks are extremely useful. Yes, my first rule of unpredictability will be very useful.

Second, I have no useful abilities as of now. From what I saw, an Oddity wouldn't die just by brute force unless you are Hulk or something.

I need some kind of weapon. I can't use swords. I need a gun but from what I can remember from my memories of this world, firearms are not useful. I don't know the exact reasons but-

"I need to first find out about the normal weapons used in battles...maybe I should go to a weapon shop. I can't go alone. I have to contact them at midnight when you will be with me"

As he said that he glanced at the girl whose beauty could not be described by mere words. Conrad felt she was too perfect to be a human. He noticed a hair strand was disturbing her eyes, which were twitching due to the interference of the hair. Conrad chuckled and reached his hands to clear the hair from her closed eyes when her eyes suddenly opened.

"My lord?"

Ahhh it is not what it looked like. I was not trying to touch your face or anything...

"Did you rest well?"

"Yes, my lord." Anira blinked with confusion and disorientation.

"What happened?" Conrad asked curiously.

"Brahman in this world obeys three fundamental rules known as Core rules or Dante's laws -

Efficiency rule: Efficiency increases as scale decreases, Feedback loop: The longer it is used the more entropy (side effects) it accumulates, and synergy and conflict..."

"So...?" Conrad was still confused.

"My lord, I had used an ability called Mist Confinement which spends quite a lot of Brahman. As I said before, total reserve is always constant at any given time. It gave me some backlash" she continued.

"This is the reason why all the Essentarii in this world like to finish their fights quickly or use abilities in minimal ways"

"Ahhh so that's the reason. But Anira, are you alright or is it some permanent effect?"

"No my lord, I am fine. Besides, when I return to your shadows I can pretty much revert to my full strength. It's also an ability I get from you. It's called Abyss Healing"

Conrad was a little puzzled hearing that.

"So why didn't you do that before...why are you resting here?"

"I can't leave you alone, my lord"

What are you talking about? The Oddity is finished.

"Okay let's drink some water, you will feel better. Oh there is a fridge. For some reason it's still functional at least." As he approached the fridge door he had a question in his mind.

"Anira, all this sound can wake all the neighbors up, right?"

"No my lord, usually when two Brahman energies collide it creates a space that is separated from the physical world. In the real world it will feel like something odd is happening but normal people will not be able to pinpoint that."

"But there are some people who willingly put a resistance against that space and tried to do supernatural fights outside as an attack strategy but..."

"But...?" Conrad asked.

"That is very dangerous as the officially trained people who are associated with various organizations can arrest them for not following the law of the U.G."

Ohhh yes I know that. The book 'The Basic Guide to Brahman' did mention UG has this ban on supernatural practices outside officials. The arrest of any rogue Essentia is a rule strictly maintained by the International Brahman treaty among several nations. If you channel your Brahman into the Global UG Newspaper you would be able to see bounty posters. There is a man named Richardo law who had a bounty of 1 million Kata.

Conrad opened the fridge, the mechanical hum suddenly seeming sinister in the quiet room. The harsh fluorescent light spilled out, revealing what lay inside. His stomach twisted violently as a sickly sweet smell hit his nostrils. He froze instantly, bile rising in his throat. The metallic scent of blood mixed with the lingering aroma of cooked meat made him start vomiting. Conrad fell to the ground, his body shaking, cold sweat breaking out across his skin. The room started spinning.

"My lord!" Anira's voice cut through the sound of his retching as she stood up to check the fridge. The light cast long shadows across her expressionless face.

But she had no reaction. She crouched down, her dress rustling softly, to help her master calm down. The fabric of her sleeve brushed against the cold floor.

"It's ok my lord. Please hold my hands to stand up. We should walk outside for some air." Her voice remained steady, a stark contrast to the horror before them.

In the dark room, where a red notebook was still lying there on an old wooden table, its pages yellow with age, the gray wall that was typically seen in the Victorian middle class was still as isolated as ever, wallpaper peeling at the corners. The moonlight was now coming out and leaking inside the room from the cracked window which was opened now, letting in the occasional whisper of wind. A functional fridge was illuminating the room alongside the moonlight, casting an unnatural glow that made the shadows dance.

Inside the humming appliance, a human body was carefully sliced into several pieces to prepare for each day's dinner and was still placed inside, arranged with a disturbing sense of order. There was a stew remaining from yesterday's lunch, its surface congealed and dark.

The huge manor-like structure was no more. It was just a normal house of a normal newlywed couple, Feud’s residence.