" | Distortion Field | !" I chanted, recalling the pain before. The field quickly expanded, but I quickly put tried to stop thinking...
... ... ...
The field stopped in it's track... Seems my initial focus when casting the spell determines how large my field is. If I keep doing this, I should be able to use it quickly.
Something like this has utility. My shards were in independent weapon that worked with my command, and this I can cast and perform. I don't know how or what I could do, but fighting against Magicians who use Bombardment Spells would be something easy... probably...
Fire Magic was the key to making fireballs not explode until they contact anything. If that Magic is disrupted, it should stop any Bombardment Spell.
" | Water | ." Nothing, no water came to. Though I did want to try one thing. Did the anti-Magic field that Distortion Field create affect Dark Magic?
... doing this makes me a little scared... What if I half-Dissipate, or something... Maybe... this is why skilled Dark Magicians are rare, due to the precision of Interference Spells.
... a place... Where would I like to visit in this day? Well, actually... What happens if my Dark Magic runs out on me in the middle of Dissipation? I still don't know much about Dissipation.
Sigh... There's no where nearby I wish to go, yet with so many unknowns in my travel method, how could I travel to anywhere I want?
"... I still have that offer to go to the capital..." I ushered to myself. "... Maybe I could attain more information from the Holy Magician about Dark Magic."
... How about I simply Dissipate right next to me? That should test the use of Dissipation in combat for quick maneuvers.
Mist... countless shards fading away...
~~/~~
I prepared myself--?
Eh... ow, that still hurt my legs. Landing without preparation hurts. Eitherway, that knocks out the theory of me being unable to use Dark Magic within my Distortion Field. Though this means other Dark Magicians can also use Magic in my Distortion Field. Now that I have done most of everything I wanted to know, I suppose I should go see how Kou is doing downstairs. I patted my legs to get rid of the dust of me falling and prepared to leave downstairs. I wouldn't mind joining their conversations... just for today...
"Huh...? Why can't I cast my Magic?" Asashio--, ah...
Well, let's not reveal something like me knowing Dark Magic; for that matter, let's not let anyone see me use Dissipate.
"Hello." I greeted them as I sat down next to the three of them.
"Ah, hello Tenshi." Asashio greeted me back. "Could you try using Magic? Anything is fine Tenshi."
Magic... Well, I just tried casting | Water | with no results, but... let's just pretend I don't know why they want me to.
"Eh, okay... | Fire | ...?" Nothing came out... " | Fire | !" Nothing again.
Well, of course nothing would come.
... nothing would come from revealing my powers... Absolutely nothing...
"... Apologizes for before, I never apologized for my outrage, but..." I--... never really gave deep apologizes for my past actions to someone else... "Though... could you just give me a bit more time to think through it?" I asked.
Kou looked on confused at me... Asashio seemingly laughed, "Oh, please do not worry, I understand... Please do, I'll inform you later." Asashio told me.
-----
I took another duel with Yatori... This time, and this time, I will win!
A Grimoire can imprint knowledge, and that knowledge can be more than spells. With that Grimoire came some techniques for a fast-paced, quick short-sword fighting style. It was not a traditional fighting style, as it focused around using Dissipate for defense and offense, unlike normal techniques where skill is the factor.
"... Yatori, may I have you swear an oath?" I asked him at the same place I lost before; a large alleyway suited for a small fight.
Yatori gave me a confused stare... "... Is there anything wrong?" Yatori asked me.
I shook my head. In the dimness, he should still be able to see me. "No, nothing is wrong." I took out my battered short sword I used before.
That short sword I used before was battered and dull; it was no weapon I would ever plan to fight against someone with. Though it would serve as a perfect training weapon due to it's extreme dullness now.
"Whatever I do here, do not tell anyone. That is my oath to you." I declared. "Whatever techniques I show you here now; you will not speak a word of it to anyone except me."
Opposite of me, Yatori took out his sword; the pride of his family, his sword, a pure-black sword. "Whatever you are saying, know I'm not going easy on you if you prepare this much." He prepared himself by holding his his towards me. "I'll keep to your oath Tenshi."
That was all I needed. I practiced my Dissipation enough, all I need to think of is dust unconsciously.
~~/~~
I prepared a blow before I dissipated; to which Yatori barely blocked... I jumped back and twisted my body to put my sword in front of Yatori.
"Now I understand..." I didn't let him off, I took this chance to attack. A feint, I was going to prepare a Dissipation for a sudden offense or defensive maneuver.
Even knowing a style of combat with Dissipation, I felt I was still very sloppy. I knew my sword swings were still very sluggish... Yet--!
~~/~~
I committed to a massive right downward swing from above. I--?
Kuk--? My sword?
I quickly swung and twisted my entire body around--!... Owwi--...
... ... ...
That--why do I always do terrible landings?
I... couldn't bear to scream--I silently wanted to scream, but... I held it back... I... felt like I was going to die...
... Taking in what happened, my attack was swiftly blocked, but the force of the block was strong. Strong enough my sword flew out of my hand and hit my right leg; to which I instinctively dodged back quickly... Though my landings, by nature, were always terrible, along side my leg that was hit by the sword. My landing was more a stumble, a stumble in which I violently rolled across the ground...
... kia--?... That hurt... A... 4 shards appeared and started circling me... I...
Yatori approached me, and the shards started to swirl in towards him... "Sto--... p..." All 4 of the shards stopped instantly, before surrounding me. I wanted to scream to him to look out!
Yatori held a hand out to me...? "... Whatever you did Tenshi, I wouldn't be surprised to see a normal person be caught off guard..."
... I weakly reached out for his hand... "... what... a fail--, ure I am..." Is this... how it feels to be in silent pain? Pain of a blur of consciousness? If not for the action earlier and my heightened state, I... would certainly be completely helpless.
Reaching his hand to force myself up, I... uh, what... did I do to myself? My casual dress I wore for everyday had the entire left-sleeve side unevenly torn from my impact, and my knee-high socks I wore were brown and red from... Blood and the dry dirt. This--...
"... Is... this--... real--... ity...?" I... This was simply a light-mock battle, what would a actual fight be? Of course I would be going all out, but whoever I fought would show no mercy like this... "... I am... not rea... dy..." Even speaking felt tiring, as time drifted faster and slower.
... Was... this what the peasants of the Kawachi Empire dealt with in combat? Hand-to-hand combat where hesitation and reaction was the difference to life and death? I knew how this felt a little from fighting those Shadow Hunters, but fighting without my shards really showed how hopeless I was.
... I... regained some of my sense of thought, the pain hurt but... I oddly felt reminiscent about something; some terrible memories even I couldn't recall...
My right knee and leg bled painfully, and my left leg hurt from that bad landing. My left arm also scraped against the ground, and bled, albeit lighter than my right leg. My right arm was the only part of my body not hurt badly... I hooked myself around Yatori's neck with my right arm as I dragged myself back into Jewels de Lapins...
Yatori took me behind the counter stand to where his family probably lives. He opened a door with an empty room, a simple yet graceful wooden-furnished room. "... You aren't in any immediate danger of dying for the time being Tenshi. I'll have my mother tender you, but you will probably be incapacitated for a few days after your heightened sense fades." Yatori told me before leaving. I... could only reply with a weak nod. The door closed, and... here I was, alone.
I laid myself down--... oww... I laid down and silently waited...
... Is... this what I have been doing to people? The countless screams and groans of pain, yet here I am with such a small, minor injury... "I... really am the worse..." My shards swirled above me like black stars, in their best to comfort me... All I could think of was negative emotions. Why come to me... Why...? Why am I questioning what I did; should I be... guilty?
The door creeked open... "Hello Lady Shinjii... My son told me about you." A... motherly, kind, caring voice spoke... I... "You can call me Kiko."
... wha--... I, what...
"Ts..." I... couldn't even wipe my tears... "I... can... you forgive me?"
... Kiko... slowly wiped my tears away with her soft hands... "It's okay--your brother told us about you... You must have gone through so much before, and so much now to make it here..." Her voice felt so comforting and caring... "... I too felt the pain of losing so much; and only when I was hurt so badly I realized pain did I come back to look back at all my guilty regrets..."
I couldn't do anything... I wished for a hug, something warm...
"Ah..." A... harm embrace, a motherly warmth... "Thank you..." was...
... ... ... I... selfishly took this... ... ... I selfishly wanted to maintain this--, what, why... ... ... Why did I never receive this love... ... ...?
She started undressing me gently, taking off my shoes and socks first... "Me and Takohiro may not be much, but please rely on us. Children shouldn't suffer alone." Kiko said...
I had... what was this feeling?... Embarrassment? Weakness? Selfishness? I... barely remembered happy times, I was only wishing for Kou's wellbeing, yet here I was, being the weak one and relying on someone else...
"... Your leg bled quite badly; it doesn't look like a deep cut but a massive scrap. Dear--, what did my son do to you?" She ushered as--?! Kaa--! "Sh... it's okay, let me clean it... It will be okay Tenshi... Everything will be okay." She...
... It still hurt... but... Even if her words were a lie, and her wiping my leg still gave me immense pain, I could only choose to believe it... Even if it wasn't much, just... Just someone comforting me was nice... I couldn't explain what it felt like; nice was the only word I could think of.
Slowly and gently, Kiko wiped both of my legs and my knee before laying a soft cloth on them. She than went to tender my left arm. She ushered to herself with her remarks on me as I silently listened on... It felt like a trance, a trance to put me to sleep like a mother calming a baby to sleep. Along with her remarks was a faint song--I couldn't make up the song in my haziness, but...
"... thank you... mama..."
... ... ...
... ... ...
... ... ...
