The three of them continued chatting about various topics, as if easing into the real conversation they were about to have.
"...Alright, before we continue... Does anyone want a cup of coffee?"
Mikail asked, glancing at the two won. lisa raised her hand, but before she could say anything, Mikail quickly cut in.
"Oops~ No special requests. I don't have as many ingredients as in the café, so it's just regular coffee"
lisa pouted, crossing her arms dramatically.
"Well, there goes my caral macchiato dream"
lisa sighed.
Moona chuckled, shaking her head. Said.
"Just plain coffee is fine"
Mikail nodded and stood up, stretching a little before making his way to the kitchen.
As he prepared the coffee, he could hear the two won continuing their conversation in the living room. The familiarity of the mont felt strange, normal, even.
A contrast to the underlying tension still lingering in the air.
After a few minutes, he returned with three steaming mugs, handing one to lisa and the other to Moona.
"Here you go. Freshly brewed, nothing fancy"
Mikail said, sitting back down.
lisa took a careful sip, nodding in approval.
"... Maybe you should consider opening your own coffee stand because this is seriously amazing... Even the Japanese Iced Coffee you made for before is absolutely a masterpiece"
Mikail scoffed.
"Yeah, when I just worked one day at Grandpa's cafe... Sounds like a good plan"
Moona raised an eyebrow, amusent flickering in her eyes.
"Wait, you actually worked at a cafe?"
Mikail sighed, leaning back into the couch.
"Yeah. My grandma is the one who introduced to Grandpa... And this lady here..."
Mikail said, pointing specifically at lisa. Then continued.
"... Is my first custor"
lisa let out a small chuckle, twirling a strand of her hair between her fingers.
"And to think, I had no idea you'd end up making coffee this good"
Mikail smirked.
"I only worked there for a day, Lisa. Hardly enough ti to beco a coffee expert."
"Maybe, but talent is talent"
She replied with a shrug before taking another sip.
Moona watched the exchange with mild curiosity.
"...So, after that... That thing happened, right?"
At her words, the room fell into silence. The once comfortable atmosphere was suddenly replaced with a heavy seriousness.
"...Yeah" Mikail muttered. "After that, I unlocked my Mana... And then... When I got ho, lay on my bed... That thing happened"
The silence continued, the events of that night were still stuck in Mikail's mind, the shadow creatures, the entity that imitated his father's face, the sensation he felt that night, everything was still clear, as if it had just happened, but that was all after that Mikail's mory went blank.
Moona leaned forward slightly, her expression unreadable.
"And you still don't rember anything after that?"
Mikail exhaled, running a hand through his hair.
"Nothing. Just... darkness. One mont I was lying there, and the next, I woke up feeling like sothing had changed. Like sothing had been ripped out of , or maybe sothing had been put in... I don't know"
lisa set her cup down, her fingers lightly tapping against the ceramic.
"That entity you saw... You said it looked like your father, right? That thin-"
"Lisa!"
Moona interrupted.
"What? Are you trying to stop , too? Like that old Man?... Heard out, Moona... We can keep Mikail in the dark, he needs to know what he is fighting"
"But Grandpa only ordered us to tell him about Shadow Creatures and Shadow Realm... It's still too early for Mikail to know about that"
"Too early?"
lisa's voice cracked slightly, raw with frustration. Her eyes, usually playful and full of mischief, now burned with sothing deeper.
Urgency, fear, and maybe even guilt.
"He faced one of them, and he won... And you're telling it's too early?"
She continued, her tone rising.
Moona's jaw tightened, but she didn't imdiately respond. The silence between them was thick like storm clouds gathering over calm waters. Mikail, who had been quietly observing, finally set his mug down, the soft clink breaking the tension.
"...Tell ... Tell about that Shadow Creatures and the Shadow Realm... I want to know it"
He said, his voice low but steady. Then continued.
"... I don't want to know everything... Just tell what I'm Supposed to know... What is it? What's out there?"
Neither woman answered right away. lisa looked at Moona as if daring her to keep holding back. Moona exhaled slowly, pinching the bridge of her nose.
Moona closed her eyes for a mont, as if weighing her options. When she finally spoke, her voice was calm but firm.
"The Shadow Realm... Is not just so legend or a fairytale to scare children. It's real. And it's dangerous"
Mikail listened intently, his fingers unconsciously gripping the edge of the table.
lisa leaned forward, nodding.
"Shadow Creatures co from there. They're not just mindless beasts, Mikail. They have a purpose; they have instincts, and so of them... So of them are worse than nightmares"
Mikail swallowed hard. He had already fought those creatures and had seen them with his own eyes, but hearing them described this way made it feel even more real.
"So... What do they want?"
Mikail asked, his voice quieter now.
Moona and lisa exchanged glances.
"They want what they always want"
Moona said. Then continued.
"To consu. To spread. To twist the world into sothing that belongs to them"
lisa's lips pressed into a thin line.
"And if you're caught in their path? You either fight... Or you beco part of it"
A shiver ran down Mikail's spine. He thought back to that night, to the thing that wore his father's face, to the darkness that nearly swallowed him whole.
"And what about ?"
He asked, looking between them.
"Why am I involved in all of this?"
Moona hesitated, but lisa answered imdiately.
"Because you survived, Mikail. And in doing so, you beca sothing more than just another victim... Not to ntion the light affinity you have... That alone is enough to make you their target"
The words hung in the air.
Mikail exhaled, his mind racing. He didn't have all the answers yet, but one thing was clear, this wasn't just so random nightmare he stumbled into. This was bigger.
And whether he liked it or not, he was already in the middle of it.
"... Tonight... They will definitely co again... That's why we both will be here by your side... So before night falls... We will help you to master the power you have"
Mikail clenched his fists, the weight of their words pressing down on him. The mory of that night resurfaced, vivid and relentless.
The cold darkness, the whispering voices, the monstrous presence that lood over him.
He exhaled sharply, forcing himself to focus.
"Alright..."
Mikail said, his voice steady despite the storm raging inside him.
"Tell what I need to do"
Moona and lisa exchanged a knowing look before Moona stood up, stretching her arms.
"We'll start with the basics"
She said.
"You unlocked your Mana, but that doesn't an you know how to use it properly. Right now, it's raw and unstable... If you rely on instinct alone, you'll burn through it too fast"
lisa nodded, standing as well.
"Your Light Affinity is rare, Mikail. Most people who tap into Mana don't get an affinity right away, if at all. And the fact that you awakened it on your own... That's unheard of"
Mikail absorbed their words, his mind already running through the possibilities.
"So what do I do?"
Mikail asked again.
Moona motioned for him to stand.
"First, we test your control. Then, we teach you how to fight with it"
lisa grinned, cracking her knuckles.
"And if you screw up, don't worry... We'll make sure you don't die"
Mikail scoffed.
"Very reassuring..."
Mikail said as he followed them outside, where the sun was at its highest point. The sky was a brilliant blue, untouched by the approaching dusk, a fleeting calm before the storm that awaited him tonight.
No more running. No more hesitation.
If the Shadow Realm was coming for him, he would be ready.
'... And Mana Control is counted as Skill, right? If so... This will be easy'
With that in mind, Mikail began his training.
....
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