To the Town 1

"Kuro! Are you there?"

Using her own Origin Mana, Shion created an magic circle as she teleported to the Tree House which Kuro and the three lived in.

However to her surprise, the usual four wasn't there. Conveniently, Kuro just in case, wrote a letter.

We've gone on trip to… don't search for us as we will return someday…?

She closed the letters and shrugged. She did her best to escape from her mother's teaching to play with Kuro. She wouldn't make that effort a waste.

Magic circle has begun to form below her feet as complicated lines started to appears. Once it ended, her Origin Mana exploded and expanded to a thousand kilometers.

Shion's Amazing Dust Search!

This little kid need to train her naming sense…

-----

The four person groups were travelling to somewhere near from their home.

According to Kuro's brain map, to get to their destination, the four needs to travel deep the forest—past the mountain—and then they made it.

Since their travels, more than 3 hours has passed and it was already dark. So they might as well rest here surrounded with trees.

Because they've gotten so far from that certain monster, that the influences of it doesn't reach to the other monsters around here. Which means, it's like an RPG game. You can encounter any monsters anytime.

"Now that I think about it, why so sudden, Ayame-chan?" The one who suggested to go was Ayame.

"Because I can only teach you the basic. If you went to my father's place, you can finally learn the actual martial style. You've wanted to learn it since before, right?"

Yes they were going to the Oni's hometown, her country, the place where she's an actual princess—Nakiri Town.

"Hmm… thank you!" Kuro bowed in gratitude to her.

"Now, now! Ayame-chan go ahead and sleep. I'll guard the three of you." Spending a bit time talkin with each other, Kuro asked her to sleep like the two.

The Oni nodded in acceptance as she went to sleep.

.

.

.

Quietness filled the space as the scorching sounds of woods remained to be the only sound, playing like an small background music.

Which calmed Kuro and made him achieve the tranquility. The one light that remained burning in the darkness. Fire were so intense at the same time, it was calm.

Kuro could feel his breathing as he thought about the past.

'Ayame-chan used to protect me in the past, like this, right?'

'The children in orphanage usually did prank (or poison) me every morning…'

'Someone I don't even know tried to kill me…'

'And one day it stopped… or it hasn't, just that Ayame-chan is still protecting me when I don't know it?'

'I wonder how is Led, Zhang Xuan doing…' one of the few humans that either didn't harm or treated Kuro.

Filled with tranquility, such thoughts began wandering in Kuro's brain…

'Are they living happily?' Kuro was thinking about Hanabi and Matsuri.

As such the thoughts continued… until he sensed the Ki of something dangerous.

Smiling harmlessly like Nagisa—Kuro stood up from the spot as he moved at high-speed without making a sound.

***

"Finally found you! Kuro… huh?" When Shion arrived to the exact spot where the thee were sleeping, she couldn't find the figure of Kuro.

She thought it was weird because Kuro wasn't there when the three were here. So filled with worries, she searched for Kuro's mana.

Hurriedly, she wrote an perfect sphere with her mana as she engraved a pentagram mark inside it. In the inner layer, she wrote an complicated runes as finally when it's done, the magic circle were formed.

This time different one. [Mana Camouflage] and [Mana Sense]. Mana Camouflage were the magic spell she created while Mana Sense were the magic spell that every mage can uses.

In terms of radius, Shion's Dust Search wins but in terms of accuracy Mana Sense beat her technique. Of course with enough time researching, she can improve her Dust Search.

As for Mana Camouflage it isn't something amazing. It only camouflage the mana of a certain space with the surrounding space. Making an illusion of no one is there.

After a full minute of camouflaging the entire area where Ayame and the rest were sleeping, she finally sensed Kuro's mana which was close to none, as the human structure created from mana wasn't moving.

Filled with nervousness, she teleported to him.

-----

And looked at his back where her sight were almost blocked with darkness from the night.

Despite how less she can see than usual, she could confirm that it was Kuro, and he was standing mighty, and calming her.

Being calmed from her bad feelings, Shion thought of pranking him as she created an mana orbs which she made it float in the airs.

Touching Kuro's shoulder, she was waiting for him to turn back to look at her… however he didn't.

"Kuro~…? I know it! You're too afraid to look at this Shion-sama, right?" Once upon a time she began unconsciously making excuse.

As much as she don't want to, she dragged him backward—as he fell to her so easily.

Injured. Eyes wide open however his pupils were avid of the sign of life.

Despite how clean his back right now was, his front were far too injured, two small hole arranged in line were countless in Kuro's front body and his clothes were tattered making a mark of whip-like.

From inside the clothes, his skin were red and near the 2 small and countless hole were purples.

In front of Kuro were… snake, half the Kuro's size, split in two.

"Kuro!" At the moment, the witch forcefully remembered the scenery she saw before.

She wasted far too much time. This time, Kuro may actually die. The poison were spreading… and she haven't learned the magic to cure person.

Instead of learning/creating a magic to cure person… she was learning/creating a magic that's flashy and strong… the magic that took life.

She felt hopeless, she felt foolish, she felt sad. 'I am idiot!' She thought to herself.

'Why didn't I learn a magic that cures people! My mom didn't lack a offensive magic and I could have asked her that anytime!'

'So… so why did I waste time learning offensive magic instead of a magic that cured people!' She wanted to curse. She wanted to return to the past and start learning more about human and create a healing magic.

However she couldn't. She wasted her precious time on something pointless. She never felt this dumb—nor she ever felt this urge of wanting to save.

Her first friend, the person she admires, will die because of her incompetence.

Whilst Shion were despairing over herself—Kuro struggled as he raised his arm.

"Is that… you, Shion…?"

"(nods) Yes… Kuro…" Hearing Kuro's voice finally made her cry.

"That is… convenient…"

"Mm…?" Kuro's word of choice were too mysterious that it made her blurt in confusion.

"Save… me…" Struggling for air, Kuro breathe weakly.

"But…"

"No… buts… you can… trust yourself… because…

I believe… in you…