A/N: Last one, see you guys in January/February :)
July 3, Year 777
In a small town near Hargeon Port, a budding dark guild with ten members had made it their base. Their name was Death Metal, and under the guidance of their leader, Behemoth, they were planning their grand debut. Five core members stood around their leader, who lumbered at a powerful 6'8 with bulging muscles, a skull tattoo on his face, tan skin, long black hair, and a giant electric guitar on his back.
"It's time, boys..."
Behemoth looked over his men, five brothers, and a band that would take what they were owed. They would capture the ears and eyes of their audience, building numbers as their fans grew, and the first stop of their tour would be Hargeon Port—a port town known for its tourists and beautiful ocean, the perfect place for a summer debut.
"We've stolen all the speakers and amps the surrounding towns offer! Once we get to Hargeon, we'll force them to listen to us! Our music will play over the whole town!"
The cheers of his friends resounded through the small barn where they had made their hideout. Behemoth turned to his second-in-command and lead guitarist, Carcass, and gave him a slight nod, "Go tell the others. It's time to make ourselves known."
Carcass gave a severe nod, walking out of the barn with gusto. His eyes narrowed in determination as he swung the barn doors to get their stage crew ready. His bass boosted momentum, stopping dead as he saw the rest of their gang knocked out and laid out across the front yard like ragdolls. Carcass turned back to the others in fright as he yelled, "Boss! Someone found us-"
Carcass's words were cut off as he was hit on the back of the head and crumpled to the ground. The sight made the others in the barn stiffen and take out the magic instruments, glaring at the entrance with their fingers and inches from playing the last song the intruders would ever hear.
"This is so stupid," came a young voice, stunning the band as they saw a boy with blue hair and a red tattoo that was totally wicked walk into the barn. His brown eyes lazily looked over them as he shook his head and said with a tired sigh, "Sorry if I go overboard..."
The boy turned around, pushing Carcass out of the doorway with his foot and closing the door. His dull gaze turned back to the band as Behemoth had a terrifying premonition, confirmed once he saw the boy tap the threaded earbuds he was wearing, "I won't be able to hear when you ask me to stop."
The guild Death Metal was defeated before their first performance.
Vera whistled as he finished tying up the 'guards' he and Sho had taken out. Vera used the last of the rope he had packed to tie the unconscious idiots in a pile, his head tilted as he heard the sound of brutal grunts and screams end from inside the barn.
Oh, it looks like he's done.
Vera tilted his head back to the barn, watching with a smirk as Siegrain opened the door and walked out. His eyes narrowed as Vera gave a quick wave and an unabashed smile, "Yo, what's up? Why'd you take so long?"
Siegrain narrowed his eyes, a vein twitching in his head before he took a deep breath and shoved his hands in his pockets, "I had to tie them up. Also, we're never playing that game again."
"Cuz you suck at it."
"Because the rules are stupid," Siegrain said with a growl, walking towards the town with Vera following along. Vera relaxed since this was an easy job, at least on his end, since Siegrain lost the game of 20 questions and was forced to take the barn, "Oh Siegrain, my friend, it's okay to admit you're just bad."
"I still feel like you cheated," Siegrain muttered under his breath, to which Vera shrugged with an innocent expression, "I would never."
Vera totally would, but at that one specific time, he didn't.
"Whatever," Siegrain muttered, taking out the job flyer they had taken out for a C rank request. Siegrain hummed as he asked, "Does Sho have all the speakers and stuff they stole?"
"Yeah, he has them," Vera said as he pointed back to his shadow, who nodded from his place on the ground. Vera sent a mental thanks as the two got to the townhouse and met with the small-time mayor who hired them, "We're done."
Vera watched as the mayor, chubby with a twirly mustache, blinked in surprise. His thick English accent sounded over the air as he asked, "Really? It's only been an hour! Surely..."
The man paused as he saw the speakers from his town and a few he recognized from the surrounding locations rise from the ground. Everything was left in a pile by the boy's shadow that seemed to have a life of its own; the black-haired boy smiled and held out his hand, "Yupp! Everything's here, and the thieves are tied up in the barn. All you have to do is call the rune knights and pay us."
Vera's eyes glinted dangerously at the words 'pay us,' his smile threatening as the man nodded frantically and handed him the jewels. Vera counted them quickly before grinning and giving them to Sho to keep in his world. "Thanks. Phantom Lord is grateful you chose our guild and all that."
Vera waved off the rest of the stupid customer service mantra Jose had wanted him to use, something about making sure Phantom Lord kept its reputation as a credible and consistently successful guild. As far as Vera was concerned, the rest of Fiore knew that Phantom Lord was good at completing job requests; a little bit of sass wouldn't change that. Besides, Vera hadn't seen Jose tell other guild members to do it...
"Um, young wizard..."
He wondered why that was.
"Is there any chance you could have your shadow move these speakers-"
"Not in the job description. Have a nice day," Vera said with a parting smile, walking with Siegrain towards the train station so they could head back to Oak Town. Vera did a mental tally as he smiled with dollar signs in his eyes, "Hey, I think we're halfway out of debt. In a few months, we might be able to pay out completely."
"Don't we still have to pay for the wine in the cellar?"
"Shit! Never mind, maybe a year then," Vera said with a resigned sigh, turning to Sho for emotional support he didn't get. His shadow was a little asshole and molded into an old hunched-over man like that would be Vera by the time he paid off his debts. Vera's eyes twitched as he huffed and retaliated accordingly, "You know what? I didn't want to say it, but your wolf's head was lopsided earlier."
Vera hid a smirk as he saw Sho stiffen, the shadow on the ground tilting its head in worry before going dormant, most likely to check its previous drawing and see if what Vera said was truthful. Vera chuckled evilly at the sight while Siegrain rolled his eyes, "You're a bully, you know that."
"I'm fighting fire with fire. Besides, you guys team up on me all the time."
"That's never happened. Whenever we spar-"
"Not spars, you dummy," Vera said with a sigh, watching as Siegrain tilted his head in honest confusion. Vera shook his head as Siegrain's naivety popped up once again, the occurrence rarer than it used to be but still ever present, "Like figuratively. You guys team up on me all the time, figuratively."
"Oh yeah, we do that a lot, huh," Siegrain mumbled without remorse, ignoring Vera's annoyed gaze as they got to the train station. Siegrain and Vera handed their tickets to the ticket pleaser and got a booth for the ride back to Oak Town. The two were watching the window when Vera smirked and spoke with an obvious idea in mind, "You know since you mentioned it, it's been a while since we sparred. You know, without Totamaru's supervision and all that."
Siegrain tilted his head as Vera smirked challengingly, unable to stop the ego stirring in his chest to meet that challenge head-on.
"I didn't think you'd want another loss so soon after the last one."
"This time, I'll win," Vera said with a vicious smile, his eyes alight with excitement as Siegrain's lips twitched upwards. His expression was calm as ice, but the teetering eagerness in his eyes told a different story, "The dead field whenever we get back?"
"You're on."
Siegrain and Vera wouldn't be friends if they didn't try to punch each other into the ground at least once every few months.
In the bountiful forests of Oak Town, on July 7th right before noon, two friends were trying to kill each other in the small field that Jose and his pupil utilized for weekly training. The ring of dead grass surrounded by broken or breaking trees was the perfect place for training; the ground littered with burn marks or divots was proof of that.
"Thread Magic: Razor"
Siegrain watched numbly as his thread cut Sho in two, the shadow dissipating instantly and slinking back into the surrounding forest. Siegrain was waiting in the center of the training field with his muscles an inch from exploding, his mind coldly analyzing his surroundings as he waited for Vera to jump out of his hiding place in the trees.
He's gotten better...
Sometimes, Siegrain had difficulty connecting Number 17 to Vera with how much stronger he'd gotten. The weakest in the lab kept improving, and Siegrain felt it every time they fought. He felt the leaps Vera was taking due to Jose's training and Totamaru's tutelage with every spar they went through. Every time they dueled, Vera brought up a new trick or a new weapon, and no matter how much Siegrain tried to find a pattern, no two fights were ever the same.
He's catching up.
Siegrain felt the distance inching closer every time they fought.
'It's time for your practical Number 8.'
Siegrain tossed the sickening voice that rang in his thoughts to the wayside as he lined the open area with threaded wires, thick cables made by wrapping multiple threads. Broad enough to hold a good bit of weight and connect to the trees surrounding the fields, turning the airspace of the training ground into a jungle gym. Siegrain jumped onto them with practiced grace until he was off the ground and even with the surrounding treetops, allowing him an aerial view.
"Thread Make Daggers"
Siegrain took a deep breath as he balanced on a tripwire hovering above the center of the field. His legs were slightly bent as he held his daggers loosely near his feet, the pointed end strumming the thread below him in a simple rhythm—a way for Siegrain to keep time and lull Vera into attacking with the beat of his threads.
I'll attack as soon as one of them leaves the forest...
Siegrain had fought with Vera enough to know that he was close range only. If he wanted to attack, he would have to either send Sho out or try to fight him with his new sword. Kaze something or other that supposedly used wind magic to...
Wait...
To fire slashes of air.
Didn't he say he was still working on it?
Siegrain realized all too late he had been duped as he heard the roar of wind tearing through the forest. Siegrain flicked his eyes behind him to see a wind blade cutting through the air, slicing his threads as it barreled toward him. The vertical slash was about the height of a stop sign and flickering, a sign that Vera hadn't fully gotten under control yet, but that was irrelevant. It was still sharp enough to leave a decent scar on Siegrain, so he let himself fall from his wire before the wind slash flew over his head. The sound of his thread snapping, unable to hide the echo of a mighty leap from the shrubbery.
"CAUGHT YOU SIEGRAIN!"
Siegrain's eyes went wide as he whipped his head to the left, the world slowing as he saw Vera rocketing towards him with a vicious grin.
Dammit...
No, not towards him.
He's going to get me when I land.
Vera was making a beeline for the spot Siegrain would land on. His feet were murky with the aftereffects of the booster Sho had given him to close the distance so quickly. Siegrain gritted his teeth as he saw the deep green blade in Vera's hand angled to take Siegrain's head off his shoulders if he didn't block or try to dodge it. Either way, he would be open to Vera's counterattack, and that would most likely do enough damage to have Siegrain on the ropes for the rest of the spar.
If I dodge, he could target my legs...
Assuming there was a rest of the spar after this confrontation.
If I block, Sho could attack me.
Siegrain grits his teeth as he internally debates which choice to take; the only thing saving him is the battle instincts he'd honed for years. His body helped him as it chose the third, more painful but less risky option in the long run.
"Thread Magic: Binds"
Siegrain moved on instinct as the threaded dagger in his left hand exploded. The threads wrapped his arm in a new cast that Siegrian put between his neck and the incoming blade once he landed—Siegrain's focused and robotic gaze meeting Vera's, which had been laced with shock. Siegrain hid a wince as the blade lodged into the cast and dug slightly into his forearm before getting stuck.
"You're insane," Vera spoke with a breathless laugh as he met Siegrain's dull gaze. The blue-haired boy, who had bet his arm without question, barely shrugged before he predicted Vera's next move and used the dagger in his right hand to stab into the shadowed fist that shot out of Vera's stomach, stopping it an inch from connecting with his gut.
"Pretty sure we both are," Siegrain muttered with tense muscles and a racing mind; the two stalled in a deadlock with Vera's sword stuck in Siegrain's cast and Sho's outstretched arm nailed still by Siegrain's dagger. Siegrain and Vera only needed a moment to decide on their risky plays to break the game of chicken they had been forced into.
"Well, can't deny that," Vera said with a grin as he let go of his sword and threw an elbow at Siegrain's temple. Siegrain tilted his head back so it barely grazed his face before jumping, leveling his body, and throwing his weight into a dropkick that separated them and sent them sprawling. Siegrain recovered nearly instantly, while Vera had to take a second to catch his breath from the gut check.
"Thread Magic"
That second was all Siegrain needed.
"Binds"
Vera's eyes widened as the dagger still lodged in Sho's palm exploded into a web of starving threads. Vera's vision was getting covered as they wrapped around him and strung him together, with Sho trying too late to retreat into the shadows and take the trap into his world, where it wouldn't do as much damage. Vera lost his footing in a desperate attempt to escape the net and fell to the ground with a grunt.
Dammit...
Vera gritted his teeth and hissed as his head, down to his elbows, was dutifully bound in threads. Vera wiggled around like a caterpillar with its top half stuck in a chrysalis before he was forced to give up. The webbed threads had him tightly bound, and he was ninety percent sure that even if he got out, Siegrian would take the chance to bash him.
"All right, I yield. You win." Vera said with a defeated sigh, tapping his feet on the ground since his torso was busy. Vera let out a tired sigh as the threads were eased, and he was unbound, flopping with his back on the ground like a sweaty starfish as he glanced at Siegrain standing above him with a spear at the ready.
"Wow, you were going to pike me? Not cool."
"You stabbed me."
"Touché," Vera said with a smirk, his expression falling as Siegrain dispelled the threads, including the makeshift cast, and Kaze Kokyu dropped. The blood on the edge of the blade matched the blood dripping down Siegrain's forearm, but thankfully, it didn't look deep enough to hit bone since it wasn't gushing.
Damn, I didn't think I'd draw blood...
Vera was torn between being proud that he finally got a severe hit on Siegrain and guilty that he had been gunning for more. His slight moral dilemma pushed to the side as he stood up and dusted himself off, "My bad, Siegrain, I thought you would do something else. Wanna go see if the doctor can-"
"It's fine," Siegrain interjected guardedly, using his threads to stitch up the cut without flinching. Siegrain absentmindedly stitched his wound closed as he played back the fight in his mind. This was by far the closest one they'd had, and if he considered what would have happened had Vera's trap been more successful, he came to an enlightening conclusion.
I could've lost that fight...
The thought was sobering and got Siegrain so lost in his head that he hadn't realized he was done stitching until Vera spoke, "Hey, Siegrain. Are you good? You've been staring at your arm for a while now."
I don't remember hitting him in the head... did I?
Vera watched with growing concern as Siegrian blinked as if waking himself from a dream before letting his threads go and moving his gaze from his stitched-together arm. Siegrain looked towards the forests with a forced shrug as he tried to ignore the useless thoughts in his head, "Yeah, I'm fine. Want to get something to eat? We've been here for a while."
Siegrain watched as Vera glanced around the area, a sheepish chuckle leaving his as he rubbed his neck. Vera turned back apologetically before walking over to his sword. "Sorry, I can't today. I've been working on a new move and finally got Jose to get off his ass and help me. I wanna get some extra training in before then."
Vera turned to Siegrain, who shrugged in response. Siegrain put his hands in his pockets and nodded before returning to Oak Town with a wave goodbye, "See ya."
"See you later, Siegrain."
Vera returned to the center of the field, stepping over the new gashes in the ground that resulted from the thread cables snapping. Vera focused on his sword and his shadow, unaware of the rampant thought whirling in Siegrain's head that was louder than their battle.
I almost lost.
Lunch didn't taste as good as it usually did that day.
The library in Phantom Lord was grand and, as such, not a place to go to sulk. That was fine because Siegrain wasn't sulking. He was reading a random book he picked off the numerous shelves, barely able to pretend he knew the name of it while his mind replayed the spar repeatedly.
Vera baited me to get a Birds Eye view. He out-waited and outsmarted me.
Siegrain didn't know why it bothered him; he should've been glad Vera was getting stronger. He should've been happy that every spar was getting closer and closer than the last. He should've been ecstatic that his friend was getting to the point that he was a severe threat to Number 8.
I should've stayed in the center of the field and only lined the edges. I could've noticed earlier if he tried to attack and still had enough room to dodge comfortably.
He should've been able to forget about the spar and move on with his life, but he couldn't get it out of his head. It replayed itself repeatedly, and he could only sit there and let it take control of his thoughts.
I should've had a better practical-
"I hope I'm not disturbing anything." A deep, thoughtful voice came that pulled Siegrain out of his thoughts. Siegrain looked up from whatever his book was and spotted Aria, who gave a small smile and sat across from him. They were the only ones in the library since Pause and Doronbo were on a mission, and Siegrain wasn't sure if half the other Phantom Lord members could read.
"You're fine, Aria," Siegrain mumbled, pretending to read his stupid book one last time before giving up. Setting the open book down with a sigh and looking to Aria for guidance since he was getting nowhere debating himself, "I almost lost to Vera in sparring today."
"Oh? Well, that's to be expected. Jose has been training him diligently," Aria said with a shrug, watching patiently as Siegrian's eyes went wide with confusion before falling with a hint of pent-up frustration, "What are you talking about? I lost."
"You said you almost lost, didn't you?"
"No, I did, but it wasn't," Siegrain jarred his words and frowned as he tried to voice a messy stream of thoughts. He didn't know how to tell Aria that he might not have 'lost,' but it still felt like he did. In his mind, it was a loss because he knew that back at the lab, it would have certainly been a loss. If he had gotten injured in a fight against Vera and had struggled the way he struggled against 'Number 17', the robes would have ensured he knew it was a loss.
"It's the same thing," Siegrain settled on quietly, lamely hiding his insecurities under a mask of indifference. One that he struggled to maintain since it seemed that Aria wasn't too keen to let this one thing go.
"I don't think so," Aria said simply, his lips quirking as he saw Siegrain gnash his teeth. The child who was so good at controlling his emotions had let a few festering thoughts slip as he opened and closed his mouth. His eyes were bitter as he slammed his book shut, stood to leave, and muttered spitefully, "Forget it. You wouldn't understand."
"I wouldn't? I suppose that's fair; a simple spar might have a different meaning for you than for me," Aria said with a patient tone, seemingly hitting the nail on the head as Siegrain froze. The boy's eyes glistened with tainted memory and an inner conflict before Siegrain closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Sitting down with a dull, downcast expression, he mumbled, "I lost the spar."
"You didn't, but I will comply if that's what you want to think."
"I lost."
"You did."
"And nothing happened," Siegrain said with a confused breath, his shoulders sagging as he tapped his finger on the desk. His thoughts were jumbled and conflicted because he did; he lost. He didn't win ideally like he was supposed to, like the robes would have expected him to, but nothing happened. No punishment, no reminder of his fickle existence, nothing. He got a cut and ate a shitty lunch, and moped, and that was it.
"I only lost a spar."
That was it...
"So why do I still hate it?"
Yet the loss still stung, and Siegrain couldn't figure out why.
"Isn't it natural to hate losing?" Aria asked with a simple smile, watching as Siegrain let out a small groan and plopped his forehead on the table. "It's never been a problem for me before."
Siegrain had lost count of the matches he lost against Ultear. They all blended at one point or another, but no matter what, they never bothered him as much as this one. He couldn't figure out why; all he could do was watch as Aria chimed in with his two senses, "Maybe you didn't care about those fights as much as this one?"
"Why, though? Those fights were more important than a stupid spar with Vera," Siegrain asked in pure honesty because, logically, it was true. The fights against Ultear were the things that determined his usefulness in the lab; compared to a battle with Vera that ended with a bruised ego and a small gash, it was a no-brainer that the friendly spar was less critical. It was less vital but still itched under Siegrain's skin, "I don't understand."
"That's fine."
"But I want to understand."
"That's to be expected," Aria said with a small laugh, deciding to help his little junior out with his internal dilemma as he held a finger up and played with the air absentmindedly, letting his voice carry over the wind, "Do you want to hear my guess to your moral dilemma?"
"Yes, please."
"I think you're scared," Aria said flatly, watching Siegrain's eyes reflexively narrowed and his hands clenched. Siegrain held in his disagreement as Aria chuckled softly and explained his thoughts, "I don't mean you're scared of Vera. I mean, you're scared of his growth."
Siegrain frowned, confused, as Aria spoke with a tone that suggested he had experienced the same issue, "It's hard seeing your friend improve so much in such a short amount of time. It's hard watching them bridge the gap that used to be wide and comfortable."
Aria took a small breath, letting the air die around his finger as he chuckled mirthfully, "It's hard watching your friend become strong enough to leave you behind."
Aria turned to Siegrain, watching the boy silently digest his words. Siegrain gulped before tapping his finger on the desk nervously, almost shamefully, as he asked with an honest desire, "How do I stop that from happening?"
How do I make sure Vera doesn't leave me behind...
Siegrain looked to Aria, who tilted his head with a small smile, "You already know the answer."
Aria pointed at the book in Siegrain's hand before disappearing with a breeze and a parting gesture of goodwill, "If you ever need someone to test yourself against, just ask; I will always be willing."
Aria left Siegrain alone with his book on elemental magic.
It was approaching nighttime by the time Siegrain got back to his apartment. A rented book in his hand as he walked into the empty room and flicked on the lights, absently noting that Vera still wasn't back yet. Siegrain ignored that Vera was still training, still improving at that very moment, as he went to bed and sat on it. The book was sitting in his lap as he brushed the cover hesitantly.
Elemental Magic: Beginners
Siegrain had just wanted something to take his mind off the spar, and subconsciously, he picked up this. It was a book that taught the barest of basic knowledge on elemental magic, and it's used to grow wizards—a gateway to the world of magic and the wonders it could offer those who venture into it.
"I love my magic..."
Siegrain truly and utterly loved his magic; he loved it as much as he loved his name. Every time he used it, he felt a bit of Seven in him, and every time he was asked to give it up or change it, he declined. Thread magic wasn't strong, but it was his, and he refused to give it up just because it wasn't practical to use.
'Your magic is beautiful...'
Siegrain loved his magic.
'Just like you.'
That's why he would only look, he would only research, and then he would think. He would think long and hard about how far he could take thread magic and how far he would go to keep using the magic Seven taught him. The magic, she said, was the most beautiful thing in the world, the most wonderful thing in that tiny world they lived in.
"I love it more than anything..."
Siegrain wondered if she would have said the same thing in this vast world that Siegrain had escaped to.
"Elemental magic..." Siegrain murmured, moving past his warring thoughts as he flipped the cover. His fingertips gently trailed the worn pages as he read the first few pages. Skimming past the introduction and benefits until he got to the essence of what he was looking for, the instructions on using elemental magic—the formula per se to change the potential of his vast magic container into something more powerful.
Lightning Magic: Spark
Siegrain paused as he read the script of the lowest-level lightning magic in the book. The same level as the small ignition spell Siegrain used whenever he needed to light a campfire. Siegrain had no difficulty learning that spell; it was the same for him as learning requip magic, a tool for convenience and nothing more. However, Spark had little use as a tool, only as a stepping stone for the more complex, advanced magic that followed.
"I love my magic..."
Siegrian muttered those words like an apology because he loved thread magic. He loved it, practiced it, and had a mastery over it. He loved thread magic, but he knew there was better magic out there, and after reading the spell, ingesting the steps, and taking in the instructions meant to guide new wizards through the first complex steps of using magic that wasn't your own.
"Lightning Magic"
He knew they would be easy to learn.
"Spark"
Siegrain watched with dreadful eyes as a spark, a flicker of blue static, ran between his fingers. The electricity danced between his hands and reflected in his deep brown eyes, taunting him with how simple it was to learn and laughing at him with how easy it would be for him to master it.
"This is easy..."
Basic Elemental Magic was easy to learn. Intermediate might be slightly bothersome, and Advanced elemental magic could be tricky, but it was possible. Siegrain, for whatever reason, could discover more magic than just his threads and utilize it as quickly as breathing.
"Why is it so easy?"
Siegrain asked with a tint of despair, releasing the spell and closing the book with a dull grip. Siegrain's mind flip-flopped between the logical path before him and the one he desperately wanted to keep. The magic he desperately wanted to keep using, not just abandon it for a better one.
"Dammit..."
Siegrain clenched his fists as he tossed the book away, shaking the warring thoughts out of his head as he turned and opened the window. The cool, fresh air alleviated the sullen room and took a few of Siegrain's worries away. He used the darkened canvas of the sky to ground him as he tried to find an understanding he could be happy with, "I want to keep using thread magic..."
An understanding that would keep both what he wanted and what he knew was true.
"I don't want Vera to leave me behind."
Siegrain, for all his faults and shortcomings, wanted to take the right path. He tried to make the decision that Seven would have supported. He wanted to keep the things he cared about without being forced to lose one or the other.
"I don't want anything to change-"
Siegrain's words froze as he saw the sky glistening with the first signs of stars glowing. A streak of white light shot across the sky and split off into five different directions, leaving a trail of shooting stars that left Siegrain in awe. His jaw was agape as the beautiful sight painted itself across the horizon and burned into his memory.
"Wow..."
Siegrain had never seen anything like it; apparently, neither had the locals. It was a beautiful sight that made the whole of Oak Town stop and stare, enjoying the sight that slowly fluttered to a close. The light show that Siegrain had seen alleviated his previous worries, as weights lifted off his shoulders because even if he was still confused, still indecisive, it was fine.
"I'm not in the lab anymore."
Siegrain had all the time in the world to devise a solution to his problem. To find a way to keep what he wanted and what he needed to do in the future. He was in a place that allowed him to do that, and he would take advantage of that for as long as he could.
"I'm not alone-"
Siegrain felt his words catch in his throat as a guttural and agonizing shriek cut through Oak Town, a high pitched screaming that blanketed the town instantly. It echoed through the streets and tore through the city, shattering the illusion of peace that the night sky had offered only moments before. It sounded like a dying animal had been put on speaker and clawed its bloody nails across a chalkboard simultaneously. It was haunting and terrifyingly eerie; an amalgamation of horrors that instantly shook the residents to their core.
What is that?
Only one child could do something other than cower and cover their ears. The blue-haired child could jump out of his window and make a beeline toward the noise source. Never stopping even as the hairs in his neck stood up in warning and his skin involuntarily shivered, as if begging him to run the other way.
Are we being attacked?
Siegrain gulped as he dashed over the rooftops, ignoring the impulse to cover his ears as he ran towards the edge of town. His feet touched the dirt at the forest's edge, just in time to feel the ground tremble and force him to a stop. Siegrain's eyes wide as he heard the thundering of an explosion that deafened the area. Siegrain's ears nearly popped as he watched a dust cloud of purple, ghastly smoke burst above the treetops from somewhere in the forest near the river, lighting up the scene like a neon violet torch in the night—the aftermath of the explosion billowing high above the forest for all of Oak Town to see.
What's going on? That was the guild master's magic, wasn't it?
Siegrain scavenged through his head to find an answer but couldn't even come close to one. He could only assume that Oak Town was attacked, which meant he had to get ready for another wave. He had to help protect the town and see what made that god-awful...
Wait...
That god-awful sound...
Did it stop?
Once Siegrain's head became less cluttered, he realized that the hellish screaming had finally stopped and was replaced with a trickling sound of debris. Siegrain had to take a second to get past the trickle of confusion and a slight ringing in his ears before he gazed at the fading dust cloud. His heart dropped in his chest once he realized where it was.
That's the dead field...
Siegrain instantly fell out of his stupor as he began to dash into the woods, only for a heavy and firm hand to stop him in his tracks, "Siegrain, stop. The master has it covered."
Siegrain flinched, turning back to Aria with a glare. Aria shook his head and stood firmly, his gaze moving from Siegrain to the woods. He watched Jose float out of the woods, with the only hints of battle being the dust on his clothes and Vera's soot-covered body unconsciously hanging over his shoulder. Jose's expression was entirely guarded as he glanced at Aria and ordered firmly, "Go tell the townspeople there was a monster sighting. I have handled the situation."
Aria glanced worriedly at Vera before nodding, turning to air, and leaving Siegrain alone with Jose and his unconscious pupil. Jose gave the stunned thread mage a passing glance as he took Vera's limp body and dumped it into Siegrain's arms. Siegrain watched the entire exchange with utter shock, not at the fact that his friend was unconscious and burned and battered in his arms, but at something else...
"When the brat wakes up, tell him..."
It was the slightest detail on the scruff of Jose's sleeves.
"He is forbidden from attempting that spell again until he is firmly in S class."
There was a slight nick on it.