"!"
It felt like I had been completely deprived of control over my body. The instant his hand touched my throat, I found myself unable to resist in any way.
"I got you."
His dry and cold voice reached my ears, sending shivers down my body.
"Ah!"
Evelyn yelped from the side. Electric bolts shout out from her body as she quickly shoots them towards the mirror, but...
Swoosh!
It was useless.
...The mirror absorbed everything.
If anything...
Cra Crack-
More cracks ford all around the mirror.
"Keep attacking bitch. Looks like you're finally useful for sothing."
"Ah, this..."
Evelyn's eyes shook. She looked lost. A magic circle rapidly ford at the palm of her hand but she wasn't sure whether to use it or not. She alternated her gaze between and the mirror. 'Don't do it.'
I gave a slight shake of my head, hoping she'd understand. She did, as her brows knitted together and her face turned complicated.
It couldn't be helped.
There was no point in being reckless in this situation.
"Tsk."
Julien clicked his tongue while his grip over my throat tightened.
"She's never been useful in her life. Just when I had hopes."
He turned his attention towards , a smile forming at the corner of his lips.
"...You look exactly like . It almost feels creepy. No, never mind. What am I even talking about? This is my body we're talking about. No shit you look like ."
"Kh..."
I tried to struggle a few words out of my mouth but it was no use. His grip over my throat was too tight. I couldn't get any words out.
Furthermore, although he was still stuck inside of the mirror with the exception of his arms, I had lost total control of my body. Despite my best attempts at trying to set myself free, I couldn't move at all.
"It must've been nice, right? Taking over my body and acting like ? I bet everyone looks at you like the better version of myself, right? While I'm stuck here in this darn thing you
stripped of everything. It must've been nice..."
Julien's eyes flickered and his expression twisted.
"You seem rather calm despite the situation you find yourself in. Why is that?"
Because I'm not scared...
The words never left my mouth but I could tell that he understood. That was all it took for his anger to surge.
"You, how fucki-Ukeh!"
His face spasd and his grip over my neck loosened. With his other hand, he covered his face while maintaining my grip over my neck, despite it having weakened.
"What did you do to ?"
"....N-nothing big."
With his loosened grip, I could speak. The edges of my lips curled up as my voice started to layer.
"M-maybe you didn't know, or maybe you did considering that this is your body, but I'm an Emotive Mage. So long as I can get a word out, I can directly influence your mind. Just like..." I raised my hand and pressed it against his outstretched one.
"Now."
".....!"
Julien's face underwent a significant change.
But it was too late.
"Akgh!"
A scream escaped his lips as his grip over my neck loosened.
Thump!
I collapsed to the ground, quickly glancing at Evelyn. She didn't need any instructions. A spell ford in her hand, and she imdiately hurled it toward the mirror. But this ti, instead of striking the mirror, the spell wrapped around it, creating a protective barrier.
Since she couldn't affect the mirror directly, she conjured another barrier, layering it over the first.
This second shield would serve as an extra layer of protection that would block Julien even if he managed to get out of the mirror.
"Ugh."
Evelyn's face grew pale the mont she threw the spell.
She had clearly expanded a lot of her energy creating the spell.
Thud.
Dropping to the ground, she started to breathe heavily. I was doing better than her, taking a few breaths before recovering and standing up.
Bang!
Amid the tension, the mirror trembled, sending out a loud, echoing bang that reverberated
through the voice.
"Get back here!?"
What followed after was Julien's hoarse and crazed voice.
".... You useless bitch, get out of here! Give my fucking body back!"
Bang, bang-!
"Give it back!! It's mine! It's mine...!!"
Bang!
Evelyn made an effort to ignore his screams and looked at .
"Haa... I don't know for... haa... how long the spell will last. Your best... haa.. bet is to find the artifact and deal with the situation. I'm at my limit with this."
"...Yeah, I figured."
I was already thinking of a way to talk to Kiera about the mirror. Did she know where it was?
Even if she did, would she lend it to ?
I pursed my lips. I was honestly unsure if she would but what other choice did I have?
Looking at the mirror and the cracks that ford all around it, I knew that I couldn't waste ti hesitating over the matter. I had to find Kiera and figure out a way to get her to give
the mirror and help .
'But for now, I need to get out of here.'
The place was already feeling too stuffy for .
Bang!
"Where do you think you're going?!"
Sensing that we were preparing to leave, Julien grew increasingly frantic. He began pounding
on the mirror with greater intensity, his voice turning more hoarse with each desperate shout.
"Stop!"
The desperation was palpable in his voice.
Bang, bang-
I moved my gaze away from him and looked towards the barrier that Evelyn had set up around
the mirror.
"You said it won't last for long, but dod you have a specific amount of ti?"
"....No."
Evelyn shook her head with a complicated expression.
"It could last an hour, maybe two. Or it could stop him for only a few minutes. If it were a spell
sealing him, I could reinforce it, but as things are, once he's out of the mirror, he'll be able to break through the barrier quickly-if he knows how. That's why I can't put an estimate to it."
"I see."
So we needed to hurry up and find Kiera.
"Understood."
I felt an increased sense of urgency in the situation.
Without any further delay, I stretched my hand forward and Evelyn grasped it.
Bang, Bang-
"....Co back here! Are you listening to !? Co back here!!!"
Julien's twisted and hoarse voice continued to echo in the background while a familiar
sensation coursed through my body, making every muscle in my body tingle. Before I know it,
my eyes flared open and light entered my eyes.
"Ugkh."
"...Ooof."
I struggled to adjust to the light as I squinted my eyes a couple of tis. It was a little
overwhelming after being surrounded by the darkness for so long.
'Did Julien live in such a world for so long...?'
....His desperation made sense.
Not that it mattered much to . He was a threat that I needed to deal with. I had no
sympathy for him.
"Are you going to find Kiera directly?"
Overhearing Evelyn's words, I nodded faintly.
"Yes, although I don't necessarily know where she is right now."
Even though I didn't know where she was, I didn't think finding her would prove very difficult.
My only problem was finding a way to convince her.
"Okay, then."
Evelyn still seed a little shaken up by what she saw. Though she tried her best to keep
herself composed, she couldn't hide the faint trembling of her shoulders and pale face.
Reading the room, I planned to step away from her when all of a sudden, I felt the corner of
my lips curl.
'Uh? What in th—'
"Nice..."
My mouth opened on its own as my head turned to look around .
"....It's so nice."
***
"Still nothing?"
Ten minutes had passed since Leon began searching for Julien and Evelyn, but despite
checking several common areas, they still couldn't find them.
"....No, nothing. I can't even find any trace of Kiera."
Aoife's brows were furrowed tightly as she scanned the surroundings.
The situation felt a little odd to her.
Where did Julien and Evelyn go? And what about Kiera? Weren't the two of them supposed to
et here by now?
'Did sothing happen to the three of them?'
No, that didn't quite make sense. The security was extrely tight due to the Seven Church
gathering.
The chances of sothing happening to the three of them weren't very big.
..... But it's also not impossible.'
It was after all an Academy.
They were an educational institute. Their strength could hardly asure up to a powerful
noble house.
'Still, if sothing did happen, I'm sure there would be a reaction by now. Since that's the
case then-'
"Ah!"
Overhearing the strange noise that ca out of Leon's mouth, Aoife turned her head to see him staring into a certain direction where two figures were coming.
She blinked a couple of tis before finally looking relieved.
"They're here."
Although Aoife was still puzzled by how the two of them had disappeared together, given
how strained their relationship was, she felt relieved that her concerns had turned out to be
unnecessary.
No big problem had occurred at the Academy.
"Where have you two been? We've been looking for you all over the place?"
Aoife was the first one to approach.
Leon stood behind her.
"You were looking for us?"
Evelyn looked surprised at first before turning her head to look at Leon.
"We weren't far from the place you left us off. We went to look for you but you were gone."
"That..."
Leon scratched the back of his head.
"I left only for a short mont. I ca back but I couldn't find you."
"....Whatever."
Evelyn shook her head before recalling sothing.
"Right, do you guys know where Kiera is?"
"Kiera?"
Aoife looked a little surprised. However, she soon shook her head.
"No, I've been looking for her as well. She seems to have disappeared after the mass."
"She did?"
Evelyn's brows furrowed tightly as she mumbled, 'That's a little troubleso...'
Troubleso?
"Why? Do you need sothing from her?"
"Uh? Ah, no."
Evelyn pointed her thumb back.
"Not, but him."
It was then that Aoife shifted her attention to Julien who looked at her with a strange look. It
was subtle, but enough to make her feel uncomfortable.
'Is it just ?'
Evelyn didn't seem to notice though.
Dismissing his expression, Aoife asked him,
"Is it urgent?"
"....You can say so." Julien replied calmly, his eyes flickering slightly.
"There's sothing I have to do with her help."
He turned his head toward Leon, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
"...Sothing that involves getting rid of an annoying pest."
Reviews
All reviews (0)