Chapter 15 - Dodging the army [2]

The door opened with a soft creak, and for a moment I thought it was the curator or some other attendant. But it wasn't. It was a girl - long dark blue hair, tied up in a low ponytail. Her eyes stared at me, wide with surprise, and for a moment I was as confused as she was.

(Who's...?)

Before I could ask her anything, she shook her head as if she were chasing away an unwelcome thought - and threw a bloody "water slide" at me.

"Hey!" I shouted, trying to roll to the side.

I don't know how I managed it. My reflexes aren't usually that good, especially when I'm newly awake and weak. But my body reacted instinctively - "body control" worked its magic and the blade glanced off. It flew through the air, shattering against the bedroom wall.

I was stunned, gasping.

"Damn... I'm a ninja" I muttered, still panting. "Or Neo. All that's left to do now is dodge bullets."

I tried to look calm - and perhaps a little charming - as I released a portion of my dark mana. It snaked through my body like liquid smoke, dyeing my skin in dark tones and clouding my eyes.

"Hello..." I muttered with a crooked smile. "Are you trying to put me back to bed? Just ask me. I would have gone to bed myself."

She blinked in surprise. She was silent for a few seconds, as if she was still processing my appearance. So that's it. When the dark mana manifests, my body changes. Maybe I really am unrecognizable like that.

Leah - if I'm not mistaken, that was her name - relaxed her shoulders, walked over to the chair by the bed and sat down, her posture more relaxed now.

"I'm sorry" she said in a neutral voice, without any emotion. "I came to ask about your well-being. I tried to heal the others' wounds too, but you were the only one who lost consciousness. I wonder why."

His face was a wall. Nothing. Not a muscle moved out of place. But I know what that's like - I've seen masks like that before. Indifference is always the disguise of those who feel too much. The question remains:

Is she really interested, but trying to appear cold?

Or is it the other way around?

She thinks I'm disgusting, completely useless, and she only came here as a formality?

Anyway... I'm alive. And curious.

Leah could throw another blade of water at any moment - but, for some reason, now I want to know what's hiding behind those blue eyes and that impassive tone.

"You have the 'body control' ability, right?" asked Leah, her eyes studying me more closely now.

I blinked, trying to process the question... and especially the fact that she knew about it. This wasn't exactly public information.

"How did you... Wait... You too?" The tone came out more surprised than I'd intended. And then I saw it: her mask, that perfect coldness, cracked for a moment. Interest. Real curiosity. For the first time, I saw a genuine spark in her eyes.

She nodded slightly, almost reluctantly.

"Yes. And apparently you have a higher rating," she said, crossing her legs calmly. "That time, when you fainted, I tried to stop the bleeding with my 'control', but your reaction was... "I'm sorry..." I mumbled, feeling an uncomfortable tightness in my stomach. She looked really sad - or else she was an excellent actress. It's hard to tell. This girl was made of mist and mirrors.

Silence for a moment.

"By the way..." I continued, leaning forward a little, curious. "You restored my arm... by transferring your nutrients? How did you give them to me?"

She blushed slightly. Ah, so body control also affects facial circulation, interesting. Her eyes shifted to the floor before she answered, in a low tone, like someone revealing an embarrassing secret:

"B-well... I created an artery in the palm of my hand... and inserted it straight into the wound in your shoulder..."

I remained silent. An artery. Inside me.

My God... a girl stuck a strange artery in me and I'm still alive. That's how I lost my innocence, then.

Suddenly, Leah let out a muffled giggle - one of those giggles you try to contain but can't - and turned away, hiding her face with her hand. I felt a shiver run down my spine. Did she... did she hear that? My thoughts? Did she read it?!

My mind went into a silent panic.

(Hey! If you can hear me... let me, see the tattoo, please?) I thought, trying not to sound desperate.

She turned to me again, still smiling like she knew more than she should, and, without saying anything, raised the sleeve of her uniform. On her forearm, I saw:

Broken lines, asymmetrical, disordered, intertwining in an almost chaotic pattern. And in the center... a clear, luminous octagon.

I swallowed.

It was a living tattoo.

She held her arm up for another second, allowing me to observe that vivid tattoo on her forearm - almost as if she knew exactly what I was looking for. And indeed, there were the hexagons. The pattern was clear. The kind of thing that only someone with training, or with a great obsession for this system, would be able to interpret at a glance. The color pattern said it all.

Attributes:

Power: Red Dexterity: Red Vigor (Endurance): Red Reasoning (Reason): Yellow Magic: Red

Numerical value: 6300. That was... a lot.

Then came the skills.

Skills:

Body Control: Purple Telepathy: Blue

And three more free cells, unfilled hexagons, waiting for new stigmas. A field of potential.

I sighed inside. Okay, that was depressing. Her level of body control was purple, while mine... well, I was still trying to stabilize the dark red. And the amount of mana? She had 6300. If I gathered all the energy in my body, I might be able to push it up to 900 on a good day - and with luck.

But at least... I still beat her in physical strength. Dexterity. Endurance. All red. A small victory, but still a victory.

Sure, she could probably disable me with a touch, collapse an artery or explode a vein, but... it's the kind of thing you only think about after you've provoked her.

"Impressive" I muttered, trying to sound neutral, while looking at the tattoo as if it were just a technicality.

"It's not much" Leah replied, lowering her sleeve. Her voice was soft, but there was a hint of disguised pride in her intonation. She knew she was good. She knew she was ahead. But also... she didn't sound arrogant.

Perhaps, deep down, she just wanted someone to understand. For someone to see it all... and not run away.

"Your 'control' is purple" I commented, trying to keep my voice steady, almost like someone talking about the weather. My shoulders were still burning, but I didn't want to show any weakness. "And you still manage to smile after sticking an artery in my shoulder. That should scare me... but honestly? It just makes me want to train harder"