Today, Madame Alkin received a request again, nothing unusual but she refused to talk… to speak on the matter. From what I could hear past the hundreds of illusory miles away from her office, our next case concerns something that requires abundant discretion. This can only mean that the request concerns those so-called ‘people of greater power’ that Alkin mentioned.
Well, as she wishes. I will disregard this case and focus on our current one which has finally reached the investigation stage.
Madame Alkin’s tiny footsteps echo in the distance, making for my ‘office’ which is more of a bedroom since it has yet to have a proper desk or hundreds of filing cabinets.
When Alkin finally arrives at the front door, she knocks and says, “…Lily, it’s time for work.” Her voice sounds a little more subdued than usual.
I sit up from my bed and channel a few drops of mana into a thin string which sprouts from the palm of my hand like a newly grown plant. The white luminescent string shoots towards the doorknob, winding around it before pulling back.
Alkin is standing there, already looking me in the eyes as if she was able to see through the door but her Concept shouldn’t allow her to do that.
I smile, or at least I try my best to, only managing a small, upward curl of my lips
“Understood, Madame Alkin.”
“…”
I tilt my head similar to how humans do when they’re confused. She didn’t react in any visible way so I simply got out of bed, causing the papers to scatter across the floor as I got dressed for the outing. After putting on a blue dress with a supposedly ‘victorian style’ feel to it, we left the office to finally finish our current case.
***
This city, Peris, is a busy place with humans moving from place to place like writhing black masses. Alkin told me they were heading to ‘work’ but unlike us, they don’t have access to magic which I found rather strange at first, but it made sense when she explained the theories behind it. Anyway, Peris has a higher population than most due to its many magic-centered advancements with the most important one being ‘The Florel Tower’.
I’ve yet to learn about the specifics but the simplified version was: “The Florel Tower connects not only to all Magies in our world, but the Eldritch World too. Making it integral for coordinating our forces and expedition groups.”
Simple, right?
Anyway, our first stop will be room 406 in the Re:Solistia apartment. We take a peaceful morning stroll, no need to draw attention to ourselves. We aren’t in a rush.
Peris is not so bad in the early mornings. Murky grey clouds subdue the annoying sunlight, making it tolerable for me to move and none of those motor cars are around too. Humans start their days slow with a cup of coffee and newspaper. Alkin starts it with tea and stacks of paper, writing down the various occurrences all across Peris like she’s omniscient. The more I spend time with this human, the more I suspect they’re some kind of deity in disguise. Which leaves the possibility open for her being a demon as well but either one isn’t so bad for me.
Me and her enjoy the silence of the city which ends the moment we enter Re:Solistia. As usual, its residents are arguing in the halls like dogs fighting over territory, the walls and halls are littered with cursive writing forming boundary spells that conflict with one another, allowing anyone to pass through unharmed. Not everyone is at odds with another.
Some try their best to stay out of the conflict while others join it half-heartedly just to appease the oppressive authority of the Magies. Others lock themselves in their rooms, their fears bubbling up at their front doors like a pool of shadow leaking out towards others. I conjured up a transparent bubble around me and Alkin as soon as we entered the building.
Again, the fears scratch against the light blue barrier as if there’d be any difference from the last two times. There wasn’t.
All they accomplish is making the surface of my pale skin feel a little colder than usual.
Alkin gives me a sideways glance, our eyes meeting for a fleeting moment before parting again.
Her mental message plays in my head with her soft, measured voice.
Don’t kill anyone yet.
Understood. I message back.
When in enemy territory, we keep mental messaging to a minimum just in case. Although I doubt anyone here would be able to intercept our messages, humans can be surprising and that’s why—
Alkin knocks on one of the doors, “Ms. Eleriah, we have arrived.”
Silence… and then shuffling of feet followed by the door opening just a crack. A pair of tired green eyes stare back at us. She looks us up and down, eyes lingering on me for a second before closing the door.
She hastily removes the chain and lets us inside. Upon entering, the chain slots back into place, seemingly on its own but that’s just the cursive writing on the door at work. The mana charged into the ink is worn, fading, but not dead just yet.
Eleriah leads us to the living room where two cups of tea are waiting along with a piece of paper. I immediately sit down, trying my best to keep my manners in mind, and take a modest sip of tea. Meanwhile Alkin—supressing an urge to sigh—sits down and picks up the paper.
Her sharp eyes scan through it in no time and looks at Ms. Eleriah who’s sitting across from us.
“I see,” She passes her the paper, “Well no worries. We’ve already decided to end this petty squabble.”
Ms. Eleriah’s eyes widened. She starts writing down something and then holds up the paper for us to see:
‘What if you fail!? What will happen to us!?’
Alkin takes a long sip and settles the cup down with a *tink* sound. “Again, no need to worry. I’ve given you my trust thus far. Now, it's your turn. Besides, the longer we let this problem fest, it won’t just be your floor or this whole building who will suffer.”
Ms. Eleriah sighs and starts writing again. She has no pen to write and anything written before is gone, only a fresh blank page remains to be written on. A simple bit of magic but a useful one.
‘I know that. Is there no way to resolve this peacefully? Like we AGREED on?’ She looks at Alkin with pleading eyes.
“I’m sorry, but there’s nothing more we can do.” Alkin stands up and meets her gaze with coldness, “Unless there’s anything more you’re not telling me, Ms. Eleriah? Sure, it may not change anything. In fact, it might make things worse. Will you still keep your silence or… peace doesn’t matter to you at all, does it? No, the most important thing to you, Iris Eleriah, is—resolution. Peace is just to keep up appearances, am I right?”
Eleriah is at a loss for words—Ironic since she gave up her voice when becoming a Silent Magi—and attempts to write again, but…
“Don’t bother. Upon finishing the case, anything else is none of mine or my partner’s business.”
Their eyes land on me, catching me off guard. Ms. Eleriah’s distrust for me rises to the surface, stopping just before turning into ill intent. Alkin on the other hand simply gives me a nod.
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I nod back and stand up, causing Ms. Eleriah to prepare for the worst, only to see me make for the door instead of doing whatever she thought I would do. Honestly, I don’t know the whole story of what Alkin found out about her, but it must’ve been pretty bad if she’s scared of two ‘regular’ Magies. Why should I be surprised when anything involving one of the Great Three clans is most likely a well guarded secret that’s illegal and not acceptable in human society.
While waiting outside room 406, I check the area for any prying eyes—including those of magical nature—but sense nobody.
Inhaling a deep breath, I shift my mana into a yellow hue.
***
Re:Solistia is located near the north eastern edge of Peris, making it one of the few ever quiet places. However, that’s only possible through the use of sound based magic. Reality is kept well hidden inside these concrete boxes—especially the Re:Solistia Apartments.
Right now, we are going to use this to our advantage. No matter bitter and repulsive it may be. This will prove beneficial to me.
“Lily,” I call to Lily who was spacing out by the fromt door of room 406, “Are you…”
Don’t hesitate now.
I won’t.
“… Are you ready to begin?”
“Indeed.” She says in her usual deadpan voice, followed by a small smile.
Sometimes, I wonder why I even taught her how to say ‘no’ if she’s never going to use it. Without another word, both of us head for the stairwell and up to the 5th floor. Now that I think about it, so far there’s only been two times she said no in general.
Lily moves with grace and elegance befitting of a lady… but her dull grey eyes stare distantly as she moves forward without any hesitation. Ghostly currents of yellow mana flow around her, barely discernible from all the mana coming from the kanji written across every wall, taunting me for neglecting my foreign language studies but I don’t need to understand them to know it's a type of Boundary Spell. Neither potent nor refined, they mostly annoy my sense for magic, giving me a slight headache while Lily seems mostly unbothered.
The stairway offers reprieve from the oppressive mana but only briefly as there’s no need to rest, only moving to our goal. Green mana solidified into a thin barrier is layered over the door leading to the fifth floor, fragile and weak on its own, needing the mana imbued kanji to support it into something passable as a low grade barrier—a minor inconvenience. Yellow streaks flash through the air in an X shape, followed by the sound of shattering of glass.
Lily conjures another pair of strings and manipulates them to form a magic circle, unknown ruins or maybe just symbols are drawn about in a specific pattern and once complete, a new barrier takes the place of the previous barrier. This one being composed of blue feathers instead of a mere bubble and the mana gives off a feeling of stubbornness as if nothing would ever break through it. Well, nobody in the fifth floor can do so which is why we head back down and head for the other stairwell, manifesting the same barrier there too before we stepped inside.
The fifth floor is similar to the first, sprawling with kanji, only the barriers here are united by red mana pulsing violently beneath our feet. Flakes of concrete float in the air with eerie stillness, slowly vanishing before being replaced by new ones from the decaying walls and floor. Not much changed. At least on the surface.
But through the unique senses of a Magi, they would notice the presence of a spell being built here. Most of the residents might not have taken notice immediately, especially those living far from this floor, but soon, everyone will sense the spell. However, they’re unable to stop it on their own.
A disgruntled voice echoes through the hallway, “Hmph, who the hell are you young ladies?”
The man was already walking down the hallway as expected of a Rogue Magi who grew infamous enough to receive his own title.
“Miris ‘Dirkskin’. Wanted for heinous crimes ranging from arson, murder, sexual assault, mass murder—“
“Oi, shut up, bitch,” his voice grew a tad bit louder (and more irritating), his steps heavy as he approached while saying, “So, what? You a judge or some shit, here to put me in handcuffs and off to some metal box huh?”
Since he’s asking, I introduce myself:
“I am Anntonette Alkin, Mr. Miris. It is unfortunate that we had to meet under these circumstances, but nothing personal, as they say.”
He stops in his tracks, “Alkin… that rundown old clan from—”
Miris doesn’t get to finish as Lily moves swiftly, pulling on the four strings attached to her hands causing them to fly forwards.
The strings cut through the wall on their way, creating a screen of brown dust before impacting Miris' chest. Despite the green barrier absorbing the impact, he is sent across the hall and into the wall at the far end. Multiple rooms swing open, his lackies who were lying in wait have decided to join the fight.
Lily ignores them.
Yellow mana wraps itself around her body, infusing her with the mana’s innate speed. She blurs past the crowd of armed civilians. Pursuing only the task I’ve given her—kill “Dirkskin”.
My job is to pacify everyone who gets in the way.
***
It’s been a while since I’ve had to fight. Maybe two or three months since my last outing with Alkin, I’ve had nothing to do but study and practice my magic to a satisfactory level. The latter is not yet achieved while the former has given me valuable insight to humans in general.
My strings move at my will, soaring across the air, digging into the walls and floor to surround the unmoving human from all sides.
Once my strings got close though, the human began moving too.
Green mana erupted from his body like a light bulb suddenly turning on except the light emitting from it took structure, turning sharp as blades that point out in all directions and cutting apart my strings on contact.
A troublesome Concept.
Dirkskin grins and readies some kind of martial arts stance before punching into the air. A shockwave of green mana is sent across the hallway. Strangely, the walls and floor aren’t damaged by the raw mana.
Unfazed, I stop in my tracks and put a hand forward.
“
”
Streams of water rise from the ground, spiraling around to form a barrier around me in an instant. The two opposing colors clash with the green mana collapsing like waves crashing against rocks on the shore.
“Tch. Sending your little pup…” The human slams his fist to the ground, “
I sense his mana flow into the cursive writing but there’s an entirely different one joining it to fuel the spell. It feels faint—distant—so I ignore it.
“Oi, brat. I’ll let you run away now if you know what’s—”
Not a chance.
“…Then die.”
Reinfused with yellow mana, I move much faster than he expects, landing a swift kick to his chest. He stumbles back a couple steps while pain shoots up my chest like a hundred needles were sinking into my skin. I look down and find that the cursive letters, now painted green, have begun coiling around my leg, biting down it like a bear trap.
Another reactive spell?
I shift to a red hue and channel red mana to my right leg, reducing the letters into shards of mana. In that brief moment of a distraction, something flies towards me and sends an explosion of pain in my shoulder. A dirk slipped past my senses undetected.
“
Before I can destroy it, the dirk wretches itself out of my shoulder, causing blood to pour out in unnaturally large quantities due to the effects of a spell. Meanwhile the dirk has returned to the human. Cursive letter wraps around his body like armor. From what I can tell, the spell is around Master level despite its caster being only an Adept Magi at most, but from his display of magic, I highly doubt that.
At his command, the letters rearrange themselves and the aura of green mana becomes even sharper than before. Any contact with it might cause me to lose a limb which would be quite annoying to heal. Once again, I’m forced to fight from afar—like a human.
Most other Magies wouldn’t be struggling in a fight against that sharp aura. They would simply attack with projectile spells since it offers him no protection like a barrier does. In exchange, the field of sharp mana leaves anyone who gets too close a torn up, bleeding mess.
No matter.
I’ve grown accustomed to blending in as a human, even adapting to their style of combat.
Channeling mana into a single, compressed point and charging it further with red mana, I ready the spell and chant:
Barely visible drops of water clump together, forming a rain drop before my eyes. Small yet blaring with far more mana than anything before. The human notices the spell and takes on a defensive stance, readying multiple dirks and chains of cursive writing to intercept or block my next spell. All in vain.
Giving the rain drop a mental command, it shoots forth like a bullet, only a hundred times faster and more deadly. In the span of half a second, the man’s internal organs rupture, his bones shatter one by one as the impact spreads across his body and only his body. A contained explosion of force, all contained in a single rain drop.
A few seconds past… then a loud bang fills the entire fifth floor. I could feel the barriers I set up on the doorway tremble, barely containing the sound and presence of mana. When the red light dims and vanishes, all that remains of the human ‘Dirkskin’ is a puddle of blood and strips of flesh.
Dizziness and need for rest begins to weigh down on my body. Such a spell comes at an exorbitant price which is nearly all of my mana.
Alkin lied.
Earlier, she told me that this human was at most only an Advanced spell caster. So, why were they able to use a Master level spell and bypass my sense of mana? Humans shouldn’t have suddenly gotten stronger in the last two months. That other presence who helped Dirkskin… no, they were too far away to have offered him such a significant boost in power and that
He simply added more mana into that blade aura and enhanced it himself rather than relying on a spell which I must admit is pretty impressive. Considering the fact that he tried to hide it by moving around the cursive writing. When he did that, I saw no reaction from
I sigh and lean against the nearby wall for support.
Done.
A moment later, Alkin sends her response.
Good. I’ll finish up in thirty seconds.
Tired.
Some time passed. Only the sounds of screams kept me company before turning to silence after twenty seconds or so.
Light footsteps echo behind me, “Do you need me to carry you back?” Alkin says in a neutral tone.
“Hyes.” I say back, too tired to bother sending mental messages.
Alkin's eyes narrow slightly.
Don’t speak. Someone has started monitoring us.
I sigh then keep my mouth shut as Alkin picks me up, my blood staining her purple dress while she carries me on her back. She walks towards the east side exit with long and measured strides. Even after knocking multiple people unconscious with terrifying ease, Madame Alkin still maintains her elegance and grace pefectly. She carries me until we reach room 406 where she sets me down and then knocks on the door. “The case is closed,” Alkin says before the door even opens.
Right now, Ms. Eleriah is standing by the door, her heart beating wildly as emotions mix together within; from anger, sorrow, relief clashing with regret, emptiness and quickly fading happiness, at least that’s what I could sense in my current state. Most of the meaning I let escape, not feeling like doing anything but pretending to be asleep.
Ms. Eleriah doesn’t say anything, obviously, but she doesn’t bring out a piece of paper. Instead she hands Alkin multiple pieces of paper and coins, then shuts the door, sending a clear message: ‘We have nothing more to discuss’. Understandable, since we’ve already killed Miris Eleriah, there truly is no reason to prolong this collection of payment.
Alkin stuffs the money into the pocket of her blood-soaked, yet still beautiful, victroain style dress before carrying me again on her back. With nothing else for us to do except return home, I decide to take the opportunity to ask:
Can you teach me that cursive writing?
Alkin pauses and says, after looking around with both her natural and magical senses, “The kanji? No, I cannot. Learning it wouldn’t do you any good unless you understand the meaning behind what you’re writing,” she adjusts her hold on me, “If you’re still interested after writing me a proper report in English, I’ll hire a tutor to teach you.”
“I dwon’t hwant if it’s not hue teachwing me.” I say.
Bits of emotions rise to the surface like bubbles. Alkin tries her best to bury them, but they escape her grasp and float towards my mind. Heartache, desire for distance being consumed by tides of fear and uncertainty about… something. Although humans are strange and fragile creatures, I’m no better than them—a fact that glares down on me every single day since that day—so I’m not omniscient or all knowing, as much as I enjoy pretending to be.
Even after all these years of reading books to absorb as much knowledge as possible, I fail to grasp each and every concept that humans have discovered and recorded.
No matter how much my crimson eyes observe human behavior, I can only mimic them, failing to improve upon what I’ve learned.
All of it…
…is not enough.
I’m… not much better than a human.
‘Is that such a bad thing,’ Alkin once asked me,‘To be human or close to it means you are unlike any Eldritch entity that came before you. In the future, there might be more beings similar, sure, but never the exact same. They may be better, stronger and more deadly than you. However, that’s the same thing that happens here, in the human world.’
Therefore… we aren’t so different. Humans aren’t so different from me.