“No! No! No!”
Saya called out while cupping Uru’s wound with her left hand. So much blood was pouring out, and she didn’t have the fundamental skills to heal someone. Screw magic, she barely even knew how to bandage herself.
“Someone! Is someone a medic?!” her voice turned more frantic by the second. Like a summoned familiar, a single soldier wrapped in traditional Aimafinan clothing stepped forward. He was wearing a one-piece cloth, looking similar to a dress. In this country, it was called a yukata.
As he approached closer, Saya moved aside as the man started casting all forms of different elemental magic. Her eyes were watering, desperation making her heart and body uneasy. She wanted to throw up, not from disgust at the blood, but due to her sheer incompetency. How could she let something like this happen?
The silhouette in the skies hovered like a nagging mother, staring down at the crowd, displeased at the fact that she was being ignored. Soft winds swayed her hair gently, illuminating its unique color under the moonlight like beautiful silk.
Quintella didn’t know whether to frown or smile. On one hand, she was unhappy at the fact that her grand entrance, which she had been patiently and excitedly waiting for ever since Atrila was a bust, was being ignored, while on the other, she was glad to finally have been given an indirect approval to act through Saya’s reawakening of her powers.
Unfortunately for Sulva, who was bleeding out, he was shown no remorse by the mage or by his own boss. All he could do was watch as his life slowly faded away. Images of his son back home flashed before his eyes, as tears started to well up in his memory. All he wanted to do was save him, but was being left behind to die.
While Uru was pierced in the stomach, Sulva was pierced in the heart. This was a way for Quintella to ensure that no loose ends were left behind. Sure, he released the curse on Albo, which was much less desirable in Quintella’s eyes, as now the mage had no real reason to venture out into the world.
She could, in theory, fly back to Atrila and attempt to murder Albo, but that would be pointless as Saya wouldn’t be present to witness it. To her, maximum pain and despair was necessary to make a kill worth it. Sulva was a deadweight, so getting rid of him was simply like taking out the trash.
“Tch.” Quintella clicked her tongue.
“If only Second wasn’t so stubborn…”
Despite having murmured her words, the wind carried her voice to the land below. Finally remembering that the wound inflicted upon Uru was targeted, Saya readied herself into a battle stance, all while staring high up into the sky at the girl blocking out the moon.
Squinting, her eyes narrowed toward the being’s face. Upon scanning it, Saya couldn’t help but feel a bit taken aback at what she had just witnessed.
“K-Kanami?”
It was all too strange for her. The person seemed far too similar in appearance to Kanami that she remembered as a child. To the young mage, it was a one-for-one copy. The long, overflowing hair, the soft skin, and short stature.
Deep down, however, Saya knew that this couldn’t be her childhood friend. This villain may be wearing Kanami’s face, hair, height, and even age, but it was all too clear that no version of Kanami would ever hurt someone, let alone a child.
“Who are you!” Saya shouted angrily, her magical gears starting to kick themselves back up. If it was a fight that this strange person wanted, then she would give one to her.
Finally having caught her attention, Quintella’s face curled into a smile once more. Drool started seeping out through the gaps of her dagger-like teeth. Extending both her arms, one on each side, she yelled back at Saya in delight.
“Heya Ocky!”
“You might not know me, and that’s fine! After all, we haven’t met properly yet.”
“My name is Quintella. The Fifth Prime.”
Revealing her identity clicked multiple things within Saya’s mind. It all made sense now. She knew there was something about Quintella that felt familiar beyond her striking similarities to Kanami. It was a silhouette that was a bit hard to make out, but she had definitely seen it while activating her spells.
Whenever her consciousness was getting transported to the different Worlds, she always saw the silhouettes of the guardians that once protected that era. In only one World, however, the silhouette always seemed distorted.
Every single time, it flickered between a short, long-haired girl and a tall, short-haired woman. Saya didn’t think much of this detail at the time, but if this girl was someone that had any connection to her, it meant that she wasn’t to be taken lightly.
Frankly, Saya wasn’t fully aware of the nature of the Primes quite yet, and still, she felt this tugging feeling that she was somehow connected to not only the monster that protected Uru, but also the floating menace in the skies.
“W-Why?! Why would you hurt Uru?” she asked, the most natural follow-up question.
“Why? Well, why wouldn’t I?”
“I feel like it was a pretty worthy introduction of the main villain!”
“In every other loop, you haven’t made the promise to take care of someone, so I wanted to see how you reacted to my actions.”
“Besides, I can’t have you all happy and running back to Atrila now, can I?”
“Main… villain…?” Nothing this girl said made sense to Saya. Yes, she knew they were connected, and if they were both supposed to “protect the Eighth,” then why would she go out of her way to sabotage the mission she gave herself?
Just from her name, it was obvious that she was Sulva’s boss, but the question as to why she did what she did still remained a mystery to the young mage.
Quintella nodded in joy at Saya’s reaction.
“Yep! Yep!”
“Actually, I’m really surprised our lil’ butterfly friend hasn’t written about me in her journal.”
“Fun fact! That book was originally supposed to be written by you, but it seems like in this loop, she decided to take matters into her own hands.”
“I was really scared, y’know?” she squirmed in the air comically.
“It would have sucked if she spoiled all the surprise, which is why I had my pets fetch the book for me, but I guess Kuno put some safeguards in place.”
Stomping her feet in the air, she yelled out.
“Ugh! That rodent is always, always, always getting in my way!”
“Her and Eudoxia!”
“Well… I guess one of them won’t be a problem anymore.”
“HAHAHAHAHAHA ! ! !”
Quintella’s laughter screeched into everyone’s ears, making it unbearable for any of them to even move. It was like her voice was laced with a petrifying spell. Saya didn’t know whether or not it actually was, or if her voice was simply just that annoying.
Saya activated her Soul Sight. The world around her sank into a deep blue, but when she gazed up at Quintella, she was left with a shocking surprise. Instead of possessing a blue soul, there was a red one in its place. She had no magical gears, and no Birthmark.
In a way, this was similar to how the gray monster was filled with nothing but black tar whenever she used her Soul Sight on it, and this could be a similar situation. But worst of all, there was not even a hint of a thread lingering out of her strange soul.
There were no answers as to what her abilities were, or how strong they were compared to the young mage. And yet, Saya felt the absolute urge to fight her. Everything in her cells was itching for battle, an unstoppable desire to tear the flying creature from limb to limb.
Never in her life had she experienced such ferocity for bloodlust, but it was calling to her now, and she had little choice in the matter. Her hair gradually started to turn white again, activating the same spell that took down the gray monster.
“Oop!”
Quintella held a finger out.
“Not so fast, Ocky.”
“If you wanna save that squirt, you better make a move fast.”
Saya furrowed her brows. “The doctor will save him.”
“Are you stupid?! I punched a hole in him, there’s no way to recover from that. No matter how skilled someone is in elemental magic, they can’t come back from a wound like that. I thought you studied at a magic academy? HAHAHAHAHA!”
“Unless…”
“Someone could reverse time…”
With that final, ominous message, Quintella vanished in the next blink of an eye, seemingly being erased from the world. Just as Saya was to wonder if she hallucinated that being, her voice rang in everyone’s ears once more.
“I look forward to seeing you later, Ocky! I might come and visit Keptas soon.”
Without a single second to waste, Saya sprinted back over to where Uru was being treated. She pushed the doctor aside with her left arm and placed her hand above where the boy’s wound was. A blue circle appeared at the palm of her hand, spinning counterclockwise rapidly.
Every Aimafinan watched in awe as the mage performed a magical feat that not even their ancestors would have dreamed of casting so casually.
As the circle spun faster, Saya’s mind strained, and she could feel the blood inside her body slowly starting to boil. As much as she hated to admit it, it seemed like reversing time for someone else was much harder than doing it for her own body.
Straining every nerve in her body, she eventually cracked under the sheer physical pressure, falling to her knees. Letting out hard, labored gasps, she tried to bring her mind back together in order to attempt her cast again.
She made a promise to the boy and was not willing to let him die so soon after he had been promised love and affection. Deep down, Saya wasn’t sure what really encouraged her to push through for this boy’s life.
Perhaps it was the fact that she saw herself within the boy, and her taking care of him was a way of fulfilling her long childhood desire of wanting her parents back. It was extremely selfish, she knew this for a fact, but there was no rule in the world that stated that selfishness was always a net negative.
After three more minutes of trying, Saya’s mental and physical limits had reached their absolute peak. Even though she denied it, it was clear to everyone else around her that it had been a while since the boy had passed away.
The mage was attempting to perform a miracle on a corpse.
After a short five-second break, Saya stood up and walked up to Andalia.
“Where can I find a larger mana source?! My spells aren’t powerful in this location, but if I find a stronger source I might be able to bring him back!” she said frantically, tears still pouring out of her eyes.
Despite seeing the sorrow in her ally’s eyes, Andalia’s sense of duty as Priestess tugged at her heart and mind. “There isn’t…”
But before Andalia could finish, Saya interrupted her, “Don’t lie to me! Aimafina is the land of magic, so there must be a place with abundant magical energy!”
Andalia remained silent while averting her gaze. The soldiers around her did the same. They weren’t foreign to the idea of people dying. Hell, they weren’t foreign to children dying in war. But something about Saya’s desperate cries entranced them, each of them being at the cusp of revealing potential locations that could aid her.
In truth, there were many spots that contained a high density of magical energy. But none of the public places were nearly enough for what Saya wished to perform. There was only one specific location that only the Priestess and Chief of Aimafina knew, that contained such raw magical energy that it would be sufficient to power an entire nation for nearly a century.
Due to its powerful nature, everyone, including those in Aimafina, was barred from even stepping foot near the location.
Stumbling, Andalia mumbled a question, “Are you ready to face the wrath of all Aimafina to save this child?”
“Yes!” Saya replied without hesitation.
The soldiers watched in contempt, some even holding out their arms in an attempt to stop this young mage from venturing toward a path of no return. If she were to break the biggest taboo of Aimafina, then she would no doubt face the death penalty almost immediately.
Yes, the death of a child was tragic, but not worth throwing away her life for, especially when she held such magical promise. But to Saya, letting Uru die would be like letting her younger self die. Had she not had such supportive parents and Albo, she would have rotted away in the corner of some building long ago.
The people she loved would have done the same, so why shouldn’t she? Gripping Andalia’s shoulder, Saya inched her face closer, the fury of impatience growing larger and larger. Letting out a sigh of defeat, Andalia confessed.
“At the root of the Tree, there is a pool of mana.”
Gritting her teeth, Saya backed away from Andalia.
“Where’s that pool? Can you take me there?”
“I can. But Saya…” she wanted to say that it was dangerous, that it wasn’t worth throwing her life over. As Priestess, she knew better than anyone what the consequences for tampering with the pool were. Not only that, but she would also be persecuted for helping someone, a foreigner no less, with touching a sacred treasure.
Her eyes told all Saya needed to know. They were filled with regret and hesitation, and deep down, Saya knew that no matter how hard she tried, none of the Aimafinans around her would help her in her quest to save Uru.
Bending her body, she scooped the small boy with her left arm with as much strength as she could muster. The sheer adrenaline that was still pumping into her body after the fight against the monster kept her going as she flung the boy’s body onto her shoulder.
Excess blood poured out from his chest and onto her cloak, but that was currently the least of her worries. Pushing the soldiers out of the way, Saya made her way toward what little remained of the pyramid.
Along her steps, her eyes glanced at Sulva’s body, who had passed with his eyes and mouth open. She felt a bit sorry for him, but being he was the reason all of this had happened to not only her, but the people she cared about, gave her no incentive to even attempt to save him.
Her walk quickly turned into a sprint as she made her way toward the pyramid’s steps. In the distance, Andalia watched, still debating whether or not to tell Saya about the pool’s whereabouts. When she raised her head, she saw the saddened look upon her army’s faces. Most of them were grown men who had families of their own.
Trying to save a child was something they could sympathize with. Breaking the tense silence between them, one soldier spoke up.
“We won’t tell anyone, Priestess. Please help her.”
Sweat dripped down from Andalia’s forehead. Her fox-folk ears and tails bent as anxiety slowly overtook her body. All grace that she carried was now gone. She grunted in contemplation, even resorting to biting her own nails to the point where some snapped.
Beauty was most important to the fox-folk, so the fact that Andalia was willing to disfigure her own body for the sake of merely debating whether or not to help Saya amazed everyone around her.
Making her way toward the top of the pyramid, which was now half the height that it once was, Saya extended her arm out into the forest, calling for the book. She wasn’t sure where the book actually was and didn’t know if her call would work, but the plan in her mind absolutely required its ribbons if she wanted to execute it properly.
“Come!” she exclaimed. Then, in the distance, a sonic boom exploded, sending the book flying at breakneck speeds toward its owner. It landed softly and squarely into Saya’s left arm. Tossing it into the air, she visualized pink ribbons set up horizontally behind her, with the ability to stretch.
“Ugh!” Andalia complained as she burst into a sprint, chiming the bells on her clothes as she did. The clicks of her wooden platform shoes were all that Saya needed to hear in order to turn her gaze down to the ground level.
With one leap, the fox priestess landed next to Saya.
“It should be at the west side of the tree. If you’re going to do what I think you’re going to do, then I’ll help us stay on track.”
The book slammed open, flipping through its pages endlessly. Then, in a burst of pink light, ribbons manifested from within the book, wrapping themselves firmly around stones on each side.
After a few seconds, Saya’s visualization had been completed. If she wanted to get to her destination as quickly as possible, she would slingshot herself through the air. Handing Uru over to Andalia, Saya positioned herself as the main rocket for this procedure. Air magic would have been sufficient to fling them forward, but not enough to help them reach their destination.
The three of them were now like pebbles at the end of a slingshot. Saya’s magical gears whirled, and her hair started to turn white. She needed to use the absolute maximum amount of magical energy in order to execute this one-shot plan.
Placing her left palm out, the magical exhaust manifested itself, boosting her and the entire sling rope backward. Andalia held on tightly to Uru and Saya’s back. The loud hums of magical energy nearly deafened the sound-sensitive fox lady, but she pushed through regardless.
“Ready?!” Saya exclaimed, to which Andalia shot back with the affirmative. At this point, the rope had reached its limit. If it were to be pulled back any more, then it would surely snap. Sensing its master was about to depart, the book closed itself and rested on top of her hook like a sentient familiar.
The same magical exhaust on the palm of her hand manifested beneath her feet, serving as two rocket boosters prepped for launch. Saya then turned off the magic emitted from her palm and let physics do the rest.
Soldiers watched on as three individuals were flung into the sky at breakneck speeds. Flight was something only advanced wind mages with high magical capacity could achieve, so the fact that an arcane mage was able to do the same was nothing short of surreal.
Sounds of breaking wind deafened both Saya and Andalia, with neither of them being able to properly open their eyes before nature shut them back down. There was nothing Saya was more afraid of than heights, but for some reason, she was less afraid of taking to the skies right now than the thought of losing someone else in her life.
It was selfish, absolutely selfish. She cared about Uru because he reminded her of him, because his dream world gave her one last chance to interact with her parents. There was this sense of self-loathing within Saya’s heart, as she hated the fact that she was being unbelievably selfish. And still, she wasn’t willing to back down.
Letting out the emotions bottled up in her chest, she cried out into the vast night sky.
“I’M SO SICK AND TIRED OF CRYING!!!”
Within a span of a minute, they were nearing their destination. What would have taken her a day of on-foot travel was achieved almost immediately. As the tree’s roots started to become visible, Saya noticed a shining blue puddle illuminated on the ground. Being the only one of its kind, it had to be the mana pool that Andalia was talking about.
Fulfilling her duty, Andalia used her wind magic to properly guide them and eventually land safely. The second their feet touched the grass, Andalia placed Uru’s deceased body on her shoulder again as she started to break into a sprint toward the pool.
Pulling out five wards, Andalia threw them into the air, calling out the names of those who had willingly placed their souls into her command. Then, from those pieces of paper, five spectres stood on watch for any potential intruders.
Saya’s boots skidded to a halt upon seeing the pool. It was clear even to her from the surface that it wasn’t shallow in the slightest. She expected to submerge herself ever so slightly, but from what she estimated, she would have to plunge into a full-on dive. If Uru were awake and had the ability to swim, it would have been a different story, but with how dense mana often was, there was a high chance his body would just sink to the bottom.
In order to stop that, she would need to leap in with him. Mana pools were an absolute mystery to her. Being Aimafina’s greatest guarded secret, she knew next to nothing about its risks and dangers.
The biggest deterrent was the fact that if she were to die right here, then Albo would have to live on without his best friend, and she would never have the chance to see the man she loved most ever again.
There was still time to turn back. The boy was already dead, so as long as she gave him a proper burial, then everything would be alright. She could honor him without throwing her own life away. There were, in fact, alternatives.
Just as she stepped away, Uru’s words that he said to her not too long ago rang inside her mind.
“I don’t know why, but they didn’t want me anymore.”
“I wanted to be with them. I was happy with them.”
“But for some reason, they didn’t want me.”
They didn’t want him. She promised she would stay by his side. She made a promise.
Swallowing hard, Saya tilted her shoulders slightly, making Uru’s body slide off from hers and fall into the mana pool. His body splashed, and the mysterious magical water started to bubble like it was boiling. As expected, Uru’s body started to sink to the bottom, and before Saya knew it, he completely vanished from her view.
“I made a promise…”
“I’m sorry, Albo.”
“But I hope you’re proud of me for this.”
Behind her, Andalia sprinted over to stop her. She expected the young mage to take a little bit of the water into her hand, not completely desecrate and vandalize the entire site. Her legs strained with each step as she tried to save not only her reputation, but the life of a young, foolish mage.
Kicking her feet, Saya jumped up and dove into the water.