Magika - Chapter 15 (New)
It’s finally the day for the quest. After lunch, all of the first year students gathered at the field, looking impressed with the massive wall maze that has been created by the teacher. Ohno observed all the first year students who looked as nervous as he was as they don’t know what kind of challenge they will face in the maze.
“Are you ready? Don’t worry, I think you will do it just fine,” He turned to look at Nino beside him who was trying to ease the tension he felt. He smiled, appreciating the gesture from Nino who was trying to make him feel better even though he himself looked nervous. Nino is truly a sweet and nice boy.
“May I have your attention, please?” A loud voice could be heard in the front. Kimura sensei stood in front of the maze and ordered the students to keep quiet as he gave instructions for the first quest.
“Okay, we will start the quest in about 10 minutes. I want all of you to wait with your group member at your assigned door,” said Kimura sensei and all of the students started to move as instructed. Sho then informed them that their assigned door is A5 which is at the backside of the maze.
As they walked to the back, he noticed how Kimura sensei was staring at him, just like the first time they met. But, as Kimura sensei noticed Ohno was looking back at him, he immediately turned away and pretended to check on the students. He doesn’t know why but he thought that there was something suspicious about the teacher. Ohno wasn’t quick to hate or dislike someone but looking at Kimura sensei, he couldn’t help but to feel uneasy towards the teacher.
Everyone was getting ready in front of the door. He could see some of the students were trying to remember what they have learn and some are practicing the magic. His group, on the other hand, tried to relax before the quest began. From the corner of his eyes, he could see that Kimura sensei was still staring at him.
Soon after, the door in front of them was opened from the inside. The maze was very dark and with a nod, Aiba and Sho entered the maze first, followed by both Nino and Ohno. Jun was the last to enter. Even though it was a wall maze from the outside, they were surprised to find themselves in a forest. However, they couldn’t see other students even though all of them entered at the same time.
“Nino, is the forest real or an illusion?” asked Sho. Nino had told them that he learnt how to differentiate an illusion and reality in Kimura sensei’s class. He was quiet as he observed the surrounding before telling them that the forest is real.
“… But I think all the students are here. I could hear their voices but it’s merely a whisper. Maybe the teachers were trying to make us think that we’re alone in the forest,” explained Nino as he approached a tree with writing on it.
Coming here to get the egg, but perhaps you will find something else.
First, try to find human with the body of a lion.
But, remember! What you think is right doesn’t mean it is truly right.
“Human with the body of a lion? Wouldn’t that mean it is a sphinx?” said Aiba. Everyone was looking at him, amazed to know that he has ‘sphinx’ in his vocabulary.
“What? Do you think I don’t know what a sphinx is? I am not that stupid, okay” asked Aiba, as no one responded to him.
“Well, not to offend you, I have a lot of words to describe you and stupid was on the top of the list,” said Nino, smirking and Aiba hit his head for that. Ohno smiled looking at both of them. He couldn’t help but amazed to see the friendship between the two of them. He knew Nino was closer to Aiba than Jun and Sho. Even though Nino always bullied Aiba, Aiba doesn’t seem to mind the bully at all. In fact, he seems to look forward to be Nino’s victim.
“Well, how are we going to start looking for the sphinx?” Asked Ohno. It’s true they have to look for the sphinx but how are they going to start. They were now at a junction where they need to choose to turn right or left.
“We will turn left. Because it said do not turn right,” Said Sho but both Aiba and Ohno looked at him confusingly. How did he know they shouldn’t turn right?
“See. This one tells us that we shouldn’t believe in what we think right. So, it means that we shouldn’t turn right and take left instead,” said Nino, pointing to the last sentences on the tree. Ohno and Aiba just nodded their head understandingly.
They then begin their journey to find the sphinx. The forest was indeed beautiful and if he was there to stroll around the forest, and not because of the quest, he will definitely appreciate the beauty more. Even though it is beautiful, the forest gets darker as they walk further into the jungle. Sho casted a simple spell to produce light for them. Aiba tried to make their journey interesting as he formed words from the beetles they saw. Even though Sho scolded him for doing unnecessary things, he argued that he was only practising for their second obstacle. Sho sighed in defeat knowing that Aiba was stubborn and won’t listen to him.
After walking for almost 30 minutes, they arrive at a cave with a sphinx drawn on the surface of its entrance. Each of them turned to look at Sho to give further instruction.
“I guess we should get inside. We have 15 minutes to complete the first obstacle if we want to finish the quest on time,” said Sho and he was the first to enter the cave.
“I hope it wasn’t the real sphinx inside. It will be terrible,” said Aiba as he examined the drawing.
“Well, you know how to control animal, right? So, try to control the sphinx,” said Nino, mocking Aiba for his earlier remark regarding the beetle.
“Don’t be ridiculous. For now, I’ve only learnt to control insects. There’s no way I could control a sphinx,”
“Well, I think it was just a symbol. A sphinx is a creature that will give riddle to the travellers. So, I think the drawing was just to show that we’re going to have a quiz for the first obstacle. Don’t you think a real sphinx would be more appropriate for….,” Jun couldn’t finish because Sho shouted from inside the cave.
“Can you guys get your ass here? We may not have enough time to complete the quest if you keep talking,”
All four of them and looked at each other and Nino pointed at Aiba, blaming him for distracting them but Aiba tried to defend himself.
“NOW!” shouted Sho again when none of them entered the cave. Being afraid that Sho will be furious, all of them immediately get inside even though both Aiba and Nino kept on bickering. But, they stopped when Sho glared at them.
They walked for a short distance until they arrived at three smaller chambers. They looked at each other, wondering which chamber to go. Sho approached the chamber, looking for clues to know which way to go.
“The first clue is in one of the chambers…,” said a female voice behind them. All of them turned to look at the owner of the voice. It was a woman, wearing a white robe and they couldn’t see her face as it was hidden underneath the hood. “…. You only have one chance to choose the correct chamber. If you choose the wrong chamber, you cannot get out of this cave,”
Ohno’s eyes grew wide when he realized who the woman is. It could be a coincidence, but she was wearing the same white robe as the woman he saw yesterday at the lake. It’s true he didn’t have a good look at the woman yesterday but he remembered the oversized bell sleeves as well as the cut and torn on the robe. He wondered if she was the same woman from before. If she was, why is she spying on them yesterday? The anxiety that he felt since a few weeks ago… is the woman responsible for it?
“How do we know which chamber to choose?” asked Sho.
Of course, his friends would think the woman was part of the quest. Perhaps she will be the one to give them a riddle to get through the first obstacle. However, Ohno was suspicious with this woman. He couldn’t help but to think that the woman had another reason to be here. The same reason for her to spy on them yesterday. But… the quest is supervised by the school, right? There’s no way the teachers would let an outsider entered the maze, right? So, perhaps Ohno was just overthinking and the woman might be a teacher. It was just a coincidence that she was in the lake watching them practice yesterday.
“I will let you know which is the correct chamber but you will have to…,” her voice trailed off. Even though they couldn’t see her face, Ohno could feel that she was smirking. All of them expected her to say that they will need to answer her riddles but they were surprised to see her raised her hand and pointed at…
“You will have to let me take him,”
“NO WAY,” Nino immediately responded when he saw the woman pointed at Ohno. Instinctively, he positioned himself in front of Ohno to protect him from the woman. Jun also did the same, standing in front of Ohno to block him from the woman.
Nino casted a glance at Ohno behind him, who blinked his eyes in confusion. At first, he thought the woman was part of the quest, maybe one of the teachers for senior students. But he couldn’t deny there was something that bothered him about the woman. Perhaps her outfit. It doesn’t look like something a teacher would wear. Furthermore, he also noticed how anxious Ohno was to see the woman. Knowing that Ohno looked uneasy for the past few weeks, he couldn’t help but to think that the woman might be the reason and maybe she wasn’t joking when she said she wants Ohno.
“Guys, did I hear it right? Did she said she wants Ohno? Isn’t she supposed to give us riddles?” asked Aiba innocently.
“No, you heard her right. Maybe… this is some kind of loyalty test,” said Sho in response. He himself didn’t sound convincing and it was proven that this isn’t a test when the woman laughed hysterically. She seriously want them to give Ohno to her. But, why?
“Loyalty test? Wow, that’s so lame,” said the woman as she took off her hood, showing her face for the first time. All of them gasped in surprise to see her face. She looked exactly like…
“I’m not interested with your quest. The only thing I want is him,” said the woman as she approached them. Nino and Jun get closer to Ohno and they stepped away from the woman until they were standing against the wall of the cave. “I am politely asking you to give him to me. If not…”
She raised her hand and Nino held Ohno’s hand tightly, afraid of what the woman will do to him. However, they were surprised when Sho suddenly screamed.
“AHHHHH…. How did I get here?” they turned their attention to Sho who suddenly squatting on the ground, calling their name. Aiba, who was the closest to Sho, reached for him but was even more surprised when Sho pushed him away. “Don’t come near me, you monster,”
Aiba looked at the three of them, clearly clueless on what to do after his several attempts to calm Sho failed. The woman continued to laugh as she watched them. Nino knew what was happening to Sho. The woman is an illusionist, just like him. From the way Sho reacted, he believed that the woman tricked Sho to believe Aiba was a monster. That’s why Sho pushed Aiba away.
“What did you do to Sho?” shouted Jun as he charged forward to the woman. The woman raised her hand once again, mouthing a spell and Jun was thrown to the other side of the cave. He lied unconscious.
“JUN!” Nino, Ohno and Aiba shouted at the same time. Aiba immediately stood up, leaving Sho alone to check on Jun. He nodded his head towards Ohno and Nino to show that Jun was okay.
“Maybe I should just go to her,” Nino heard Ohno whispered behind him.
“No. Don’t be stupid,” he scolded Ohno in return.
“But…,”
“No, I will protect you,”
But, he himself didn’t know how to do so. The woman is a powerful witch. She could maintain her illusion on Sho while at the same time attack Jun. Not to mention, she was really clever too. She knew Sho was the smartest among them and that’s why she took care of Sho first.
“Do you want to see something interesting?” asked the woman. She closed her eyes. Nino knew he should attack the woman now, while she was still concentrating in doing whatever she was going to do, but he couldn’t take any action. He didn’t know why, he was... afraid. The woman didn’t look like any other witches he ever see. She was powerful and they were just a group of young wizards. They didn’t stand any chance against her.
“AHHHH… don’t attack me. I’m not going to hurt you,” both Nino and Ohno turned to look at Aiba who was lying on the ground. He was trying to push something invisible away from him.
“Well, that was easy,” said the woman. She opened her eyes and looked straight at both Nino and Ohno. She gave them a sinister smile and Nino couldn’t help but trembled with fear to see her smile. His hands and legs were shaking and he couldn’t move even when the woman started walking towards them again. He could feel Ohno was equally scared. He was sweating and panic.
“Now, I just have to get rid of you,” said the woman once she stood in front of them, raising her hand once again. However, instead of attacking Nino, she softly caressed Nino’s cheek. “But… you are a clever boy, right? You don’t have to suffer like your friends. All you have to do…”
“Who are you? What do you want from us?” said Nino. He pushed the woman’s hand to stop her from caressing his cheek. The woman looked offended with what he did and he glared at the woman to appear brave even though he knew it was futile. She knew how scared both of them are, especially after they saw what she did to their friend.
Once again, she raised her hand and knowing he will be her target this time, Nino closed his eyes tightly, afraid of what he might see. He expected to feel pain but… he heard a scream and the sound of someone falling instead. He could feel Ohno’s hand slipping from him and he opened his eyes, worried of what the woman did to Ohno. However, he was baffled to see the scene in front of him.
Jun was still lying unconscious on the floor but both Aiba and Sho weren’t screaming like they did before. They looked at him in confusion and it seems that they were no longer trapped in the illusion. However, what surprised Nino the most - it wasn’t Ohno who was lying on the floor, but it was the woman. Ohno, who was beside him, was crouching on the floor, he buried his face with his shaky hands, refusing to look at anyone while murmuring ‘Please stop, don’t hurt my friends,’.
The woman was grunting as she tried to stand up. However… it surprised Nino even more… she failed to do so. He didn’t know how to describe the situation is. It was like her feet was nailed to the ground. She gave up after repeatedly fail to stand up, so she ended up sitting on the floor, glaring at Ohno in disbelief. However, for a split second, her expression shows satisfaction.
She closed her eyes once again. Nino was afraid that she might try to attack them again but she didn’t do so. Instead, she was saying a few incomprehensible words while making a weird hand movement. A few seconds later, a semicircle bubble surrounded her. Nino walked towards her, tried to reach for the woman in the bubble. However, his hands were in pain when he touched the bubble. Even though it hurts, he couldn’t help but to keep poking the bubble. Noticing what he was doing, both Aiba and Sho walked to him and tried to examine the bubble.
“I see…” she started talking again, giving her full attention to Ohno. Even though she seems to notice the three of them trying to poke her bubble, she ignored them. “I should have known that you will inherit his magic too,”
All of them stopped poking and turned to look at her in confusion. Ohno, who seems distraught since before, stopped mumbling and lifted his face to look at the woman. It seems that he finally noticed that Aiba and Sho had stopped screaming and the woman was now in her own prison bubble. He looked at the three of them, eyes begging for explanation for what had happened. Perhaps thinking that they’re out of danger when he saw the woman was now in the bubble, he stood up.
The moment Ohno stood up, the woman also tried to do the same. Seeing that, Ohno immediately took a step back, mumbling ‘Stay away from me,’. The woman seems to have an inner battle with herself before she complied and sat down once again. Nino exchanged puzzling look with his friends. From their expression, he knew that his friends shared the same thought as his. It was weird. It was like… Ohno was controlling the woman.
“What do you mean when you say Ohno inherited his magic too? Whose magic are you talking about?” asked Nino without thinking as he remembered what the woman said earlier. Ohno’s face flinched as he heard what Nino was asking. He seems horrified to hear it. He gave Ohno an apologetic look in case he had offended his friend before turning his attention back to the woman who pretended not to hear him.
Then, something clicked in his mind. He understood who the woman meant by that. She was talking about The Stranger who had the magic to control people, just like how Ohno control her. He turned to look at Ohno who looked troubled with the whole situation. Is it possible for Ohno to have such magic? It is impossible, right? Unless…
“Are you trying to…” Nino started to ask, to confirm his suspicions. However, he stopped in the middle when he heard footsteps approaching followed by Kimura sensei’s voice calling their name. The woman was panic and tried to flee but failed again due to Ohno’s control. Soon after, he could see his teacher’s figure approaching them. Without thinking, all four of them ran towards the teacher in relief. Their back towards the woman.
“Headmaster, I found them,” he heard the teacher shouted when he saw them. They heard a few more steps running towards them. “What happened?”
“A lot of things. A woman attacked us. She was…” It was Sho who answered the teacher. He turned around to show Kimura sensei the woman. However, his voice trailed off and Nino changed his attention to the woman but…
She was gone.
A/N: I have been rewriting this chapter for a lot of time. I didn't know what to think of it but I hope it was okay. I intentionally left the part of how the woman looked like blank. Maybe you could guess how she looked like. Anyway, I hope you will enjoy this chapter and comments are appreciated and <3
“Are you ready? Don’t worry, I think you will do it just fine,” He turned to look at Nino beside him who was trying to ease the tension he felt. He smiled, appreciating the gesture from Nino who was trying to make him feel better even though he himself looked nervous. Nino is truly a sweet and nice boy.
“May I have your attention, please?” A loud voice could be heard in the front. Kimura sensei stood in front of the maze and ordered the students to keep quiet as he gave instructions for the first quest.
“Okay, we will start the quest in about 10 minutes. I want all of you to wait with your group member at your assigned door,” said Kimura sensei and all of the students started to move as instructed. Sho then informed them that their assigned door is A5 which is at the backside of the maze.
As they walked to the back, he noticed how Kimura sensei was staring at him, just like the first time they met. But, as Kimura sensei noticed Ohno was looking back at him, he immediately turned away and pretended to check on the students. He doesn’t know why but he thought that there was something suspicious about the teacher. Ohno wasn’t quick to hate or dislike someone but looking at Kimura sensei, he couldn’t help but to feel uneasy towards the teacher.
Everyone was getting ready in front of the door. He could see some of the students were trying to remember what they have learn and some are practicing the magic. His group, on the other hand, tried to relax before the quest began. From the corner of his eyes, he could see that Kimura sensei was still staring at him.
Soon after, the door in front of them was opened from the inside. The maze was very dark and with a nod, Aiba and Sho entered the maze first, followed by both Nino and Ohno. Jun was the last to enter. Even though it was a wall maze from the outside, they were surprised to find themselves in a forest. However, they couldn’t see other students even though all of them entered at the same time.
“Nino, is the forest real or an illusion?” asked Sho. Nino had told them that he learnt how to differentiate an illusion and reality in Kimura sensei’s class. He was quiet as he observed the surrounding before telling them that the forest is real.
“… But I think all the students are here. I could hear their voices but it’s merely a whisper. Maybe the teachers were trying to make us think that we’re alone in the forest,” explained Nino as he approached a tree with writing on it.
Coming here to get the egg, but perhaps you will find something else.
First, try to find human with the body of a lion.
But, remember! What you think is right doesn’t mean it is truly right.
“Human with the body of a lion? Wouldn’t that mean it is a sphinx?” said Aiba. Everyone was looking at him, amazed to know that he has ‘sphinx’ in his vocabulary.
“What? Do you think I don’t know what a sphinx is? I am not that stupid, okay” asked Aiba, as no one responded to him.
“Well, not to offend you, I have a lot of words to describe you and stupid was on the top of the list,” said Nino, smirking and Aiba hit his head for that. Ohno smiled looking at both of them. He couldn’t help but amazed to see the friendship between the two of them. He knew Nino was closer to Aiba than Jun and Sho. Even though Nino always bullied Aiba, Aiba doesn’t seem to mind the bully at all. In fact, he seems to look forward to be Nino’s victim.
“Well, how are we going to start looking for the sphinx?” Asked Ohno. It’s true they have to look for the sphinx but how are they going to start. They were now at a junction where they need to choose to turn right or left.
“We will turn left. Because it said do not turn right,” Said Sho but both Aiba and Ohno looked at him confusingly. How did he know they shouldn’t turn right?
“See. This one tells us that we shouldn’t believe in what we think right. So, it means that we shouldn’t turn right and take left instead,” said Nino, pointing to the last sentences on the tree. Ohno and Aiba just nodded their head understandingly.
They then begin their journey to find the sphinx. The forest was indeed beautiful and if he was there to stroll around the forest, and not because of the quest, he will definitely appreciate the beauty more. Even though it is beautiful, the forest gets darker as they walk further into the jungle. Sho casted a simple spell to produce light for them. Aiba tried to make their journey interesting as he formed words from the beetles they saw. Even though Sho scolded him for doing unnecessary things, he argued that he was only practising for their second obstacle. Sho sighed in defeat knowing that Aiba was stubborn and won’t listen to him.
After walking for almost 30 minutes, they arrive at a cave with a sphinx drawn on the surface of its entrance. Each of them turned to look at Sho to give further instruction.
“I guess we should get inside. We have 15 minutes to complete the first obstacle if we want to finish the quest on time,” said Sho and he was the first to enter the cave.
“I hope it wasn’t the real sphinx inside. It will be terrible,” said Aiba as he examined the drawing.
“Well, you know how to control animal, right? So, try to control the sphinx,” said Nino, mocking Aiba for his earlier remark regarding the beetle.
“Don’t be ridiculous. For now, I’ve only learnt to control insects. There’s no way I could control a sphinx,”
“Well, I think it was just a symbol. A sphinx is a creature that will give riddle to the travellers. So, I think the drawing was just to show that we’re going to have a quiz for the first obstacle. Don’t you think a real sphinx would be more appropriate for….,” Jun couldn’t finish because Sho shouted from inside the cave.
“Can you guys get your ass here? We may not have enough time to complete the quest if you keep talking,”
All four of them and looked at each other and Nino pointed at Aiba, blaming him for distracting them but Aiba tried to defend himself.
“NOW!” shouted Sho again when none of them entered the cave. Being afraid that Sho will be furious, all of them immediately get inside even though both Aiba and Nino kept on bickering. But, they stopped when Sho glared at them.
They walked for a short distance until they arrived at three smaller chambers. They looked at each other, wondering which chamber to go. Sho approached the chamber, looking for clues to know which way to go.
“The first clue is in one of the chambers…,” said a female voice behind them. All of them turned to look at the owner of the voice. It was a woman, wearing a white robe and they couldn’t see her face as it was hidden underneath the hood. “…. You only have one chance to choose the correct chamber. If you choose the wrong chamber, you cannot get out of this cave,”
Ohno’s eyes grew wide when he realized who the woman is. It could be a coincidence, but she was wearing the same white robe as the woman he saw yesterday at the lake. It’s true he didn’t have a good look at the woman yesterday but he remembered the oversized bell sleeves as well as the cut and torn on the robe. He wondered if she was the same woman from before. If she was, why is she spying on them yesterday? The anxiety that he felt since a few weeks ago… is the woman responsible for it?
“How do we know which chamber to choose?” asked Sho.
Of course, his friends would think the woman was part of the quest. Perhaps she will be the one to give them a riddle to get through the first obstacle. However, Ohno was suspicious with this woman. He couldn’t help but to think that the woman had another reason to be here. The same reason for her to spy on them yesterday. But… the quest is supervised by the school, right? There’s no way the teachers would let an outsider entered the maze, right? So, perhaps Ohno was just overthinking and the woman might be a teacher. It was just a coincidence that she was in the lake watching them practice yesterday.
“I will let you know which is the correct chamber but you will have to…,” her voice trailed off. Even though they couldn’t see her face, Ohno could feel that she was smirking. All of them expected her to say that they will need to answer her riddles but they were surprised to see her raised her hand and pointed at…
“You will have to let me take him,”
“NO WAY,” Nino immediately responded when he saw the woman pointed at Ohno. Instinctively, he positioned himself in front of Ohno to protect him from the woman. Jun also did the same, standing in front of Ohno to block him from the woman.
Nino casted a glance at Ohno behind him, who blinked his eyes in confusion. At first, he thought the woman was part of the quest, maybe one of the teachers for senior students. But he couldn’t deny there was something that bothered him about the woman. Perhaps her outfit. It doesn’t look like something a teacher would wear. Furthermore, he also noticed how anxious Ohno was to see the woman. Knowing that Ohno looked uneasy for the past few weeks, he couldn’t help but to think that the woman might be the reason and maybe she wasn’t joking when she said she wants Ohno.
“Guys, did I hear it right? Did she said she wants Ohno? Isn’t she supposed to give us riddles?” asked Aiba innocently.
“No, you heard her right. Maybe… this is some kind of loyalty test,” said Sho in response. He himself didn’t sound convincing and it was proven that this isn’t a test when the woman laughed hysterically. She seriously want them to give Ohno to her. But, why?
“Loyalty test? Wow, that’s so lame,” said the woman as she took off her hood, showing her face for the first time. All of them gasped in surprise to see her face. She looked exactly like…
“I’m not interested with your quest. The only thing I want is him,” said the woman as she approached them. Nino and Jun get closer to Ohno and they stepped away from the woman until they were standing against the wall of the cave. “I am politely asking you to give him to me. If not…”
She raised her hand and Nino held Ohno’s hand tightly, afraid of what the woman will do to him. However, they were surprised when Sho suddenly screamed.
“AHHHHH…. How did I get here?” they turned their attention to Sho who suddenly squatting on the ground, calling their name. Aiba, who was the closest to Sho, reached for him but was even more surprised when Sho pushed him away. “Don’t come near me, you monster,”
Aiba looked at the three of them, clearly clueless on what to do after his several attempts to calm Sho failed. The woman continued to laugh as she watched them. Nino knew what was happening to Sho. The woman is an illusionist, just like him. From the way Sho reacted, he believed that the woman tricked Sho to believe Aiba was a monster. That’s why Sho pushed Aiba away.
“What did you do to Sho?” shouted Jun as he charged forward to the woman. The woman raised her hand once again, mouthing a spell and Jun was thrown to the other side of the cave. He lied unconscious.
“JUN!” Nino, Ohno and Aiba shouted at the same time. Aiba immediately stood up, leaving Sho alone to check on Jun. He nodded his head towards Ohno and Nino to show that Jun was okay.
“Maybe I should just go to her,” Nino heard Ohno whispered behind him.
“No. Don’t be stupid,” he scolded Ohno in return.
“But…,”
“No, I will protect you,”
But, he himself didn’t know how to do so. The woman is a powerful witch. She could maintain her illusion on Sho while at the same time attack Jun. Not to mention, she was really clever too. She knew Sho was the smartest among them and that’s why she took care of Sho first.
“Do you want to see something interesting?” asked the woman. She closed her eyes. Nino knew he should attack the woman now, while she was still concentrating in doing whatever she was going to do, but he couldn’t take any action. He didn’t know why, he was... afraid. The woman didn’t look like any other witches he ever see. She was powerful and they were just a group of young wizards. They didn’t stand any chance against her.
“AHHHH… don’t attack me. I’m not going to hurt you,” both Nino and Ohno turned to look at Aiba who was lying on the ground. He was trying to push something invisible away from him.
“Well, that was easy,” said the woman. She opened her eyes and looked straight at both Nino and Ohno. She gave them a sinister smile and Nino couldn’t help but trembled with fear to see her smile. His hands and legs were shaking and he couldn’t move even when the woman started walking towards them again. He could feel Ohno was equally scared. He was sweating and panic.
“Now, I just have to get rid of you,” said the woman once she stood in front of them, raising her hand once again. However, instead of attacking Nino, she softly caressed Nino’s cheek. “But… you are a clever boy, right? You don’t have to suffer like your friends. All you have to do…”
“Who are you? What do you want from us?” said Nino. He pushed the woman’s hand to stop her from caressing his cheek. The woman looked offended with what he did and he glared at the woman to appear brave even though he knew it was futile. She knew how scared both of them are, especially after they saw what she did to their friend.
Once again, she raised her hand and knowing he will be her target this time, Nino closed his eyes tightly, afraid of what he might see. He expected to feel pain but… he heard a scream and the sound of someone falling instead. He could feel Ohno’s hand slipping from him and he opened his eyes, worried of what the woman did to Ohno. However, he was baffled to see the scene in front of him.
Jun was still lying unconscious on the floor but both Aiba and Sho weren’t screaming like they did before. They looked at him in confusion and it seems that they were no longer trapped in the illusion. However, what surprised Nino the most - it wasn’t Ohno who was lying on the floor, but it was the woman. Ohno, who was beside him, was crouching on the floor, he buried his face with his shaky hands, refusing to look at anyone while murmuring ‘Please stop, don’t hurt my friends,’.
The woman was grunting as she tried to stand up. However… it surprised Nino even more… she failed to do so. He didn’t know how to describe the situation is. It was like her feet was nailed to the ground. She gave up after repeatedly fail to stand up, so she ended up sitting on the floor, glaring at Ohno in disbelief. However, for a split second, her expression shows satisfaction.
She closed her eyes once again. Nino was afraid that she might try to attack them again but she didn’t do so. Instead, she was saying a few incomprehensible words while making a weird hand movement. A few seconds later, a semicircle bubble surrounded her. Nino walked towards her, tried to reach for the woman in the bubble. However, his hands were in pain when he touched the bubble. Even though it hurts, he couldn’t help but to keep poking the bubble. Noticing what he was doing, both Aiba and Sho walked to him and tried to examine the bubble.
“I see…” she started talking again, giving her full attention to Ohno. Even though she seems to notice the three of them trying to poke her bubble, she ignored them. “I should have known that you will inherit his magic too,”
All of them stopped poking and turned to look at her in confusion. Ohno, who seems distraught since before, stopped mumbling and lifted his face to look at the woman. It seems that he finally noticed that Aiba and Sho had stopped screaming and the woman was now in her own prison bubble. He looked at the three of them, eyes begging for explanation for what had happened. Perhaps thinking that they’re out of danger when he saw the woman was now in the bubble, he stood up.
The moment Ohno stood up, the woman also tried to do the same. Seeing that, Ohno immediately took a step back, mumbling ‘Stay away from me,’. The woman seems to have an inner battle with herself before she complied and sat down once again. Nino exchanged puzzling look with his friends. From their expression, he knew that his friends shared the same thought as his. It was weird. It was like… Ohno was controlling the woman.
“What do you mean when you say Ohno inherited his magic too? Whose magic are you talking about?” asked Nino without thinking as he remembered what the woman said earlier. Ohno’s face flinched as he heard what Nino was asking. He seems horrified to hear it. He gave Ohno an apologetic look in case he had offended his friend before turning his attention back to the woman who pretended not to hear him.
Then, something clicked in his mind. He understood who the woman meant by that. She was talking about The Stranger who had the magic to control people, just like how Ohno control her. He turned to look at Ohno who looked troubled with the whole situation. Is it possible for Ohno to have such magic? It is impossible, right? Unless…
“Are you trying to…” Nino started to ask, to confirm his suspicions. However, he stopped in the middle when he heard footsteps approaching followed by Kimura sensei’s voice calling their name. The woman was panic and tried to flee but failed again due to Ohno’s control. Soon after, he could see his teacher’s figure approaching them. Without thinking, all four of them ran towards the teacher in relief. Their back towards the woman.
“Headmaster, I found them,” he heard the teacher shouted when he saw them. They heard a few more steps running towards them. “What happened?”
“A lot of things. A woman attacked us. She was…” It was Sho who answered the teacher. He turned around to show Kimura sensei the woman. However, his voice trailed off and Nino changed his attention to the woman but…
She was gone.
A/N: I have been rewriting this chapter for a lot of time. I didn't know what to think of it but I hope it was okay. I intentionally left the part of how the woman looked like blank. Maybe you could guess how she looked like. Anyway, I hope you will enjoy this chapter and comments are appreciated and <3