Her figure is covered with blue glowing jewelry—manas and artifacts. White glowing hand carries a book of million pages and divine power. They say one word from her could've saved the world or threaten it.
"Stay there and be a good boy."
Wayne eats his mouth, "Y—Yes, mother."
She's doing more job as a mother than a Magi now because of Wayne. Oh, this is bad. In this situation, when Wayne acts all fidgety all of the sudden, giving me an extreme rush of victory… I… I…
Pftt —
I couldn't keep pushing down my lips to see this. I'm glad I stay.
The cyan eyes turn sharp at me. "Did you laugh?" He whispers.
I swallow all of it and try to reply to him apathetically, "That was a sneeze, idiot."
"How is that a sneeze? You were absolutely pftting the situation I am in now, Devil Child."
H — How dare he call me the Devil Child? That's the other girl, I'm the Golden Child. No wait, why am I throwing away my lead now? Stay calm and don't give Wayne any comebacks.
"Can you shut up, Wayne? The Magi is trying to do her work…"
"Grr…"
Oh wow, now he's growling as if he's the werewolf now. That's what you get for always annoyed me. Now that your mother is here, you're not so smug now, are you? Ha! if you talk so much, she'd give you an earful later.
The Magi voice echoes down as a wind that circle around us. A string of visible voices slips between the exorcists and lingers around the werewolf. "My name is Mariah and I do not seek to threaten or harm for my purpose is only to have a civilized conversation with you. Your decisions around us now will affect my final saying."
The werewolf snorts, "Final saying, like what? Bringing me to your world and let me get judged by your people? As if I don't know about those other guys you've brought out. None of them are alive anymore."
Mariah sensei's voice remains calm as the wind, "Your friends were in their own cases. Our judgment is fair. If you try so less to resist, I can give a lighter say,"
"You and your world can fuck off."
Wayne moves with his sword, "You—" A son can only take so much rudeness against his own mother.
The Magi shows up her palm as if to say she's not offended. "Because that's your first rudeness against me, I will excuse it. First, give me a name."
"You want me to talk? Offer me some real deal."
This guy, he's not in any position to talk to us like that.
The Magi sighs, "Very well. I will let the warrior pull you out of the lock if you remain peaceful and easy."
Wayne's eyes pop. He looks up, confused, "Bu — But…"
"That's my offer for your words."
The werewolf laughs. Its eyes were wide and glowing red. "I feel honored for that. Sure, I'll take that. My name is Hado. But beautiful lady, how can I be sure that you're a woman of your words?"
"I am a Magi. My own words are my life devotion. Whatever I said is the truth." We can almost see a hint of a smile from her before it disappears. "If all is clear, Hado, my second question, what brings you here?"
"Do you not have any idea?"
The blue eyes move. "Is it about the unconscious girl over there?" The Magi points at the ramen girl beside me.
She's breathing and doesn't seem like in pain. I'm glad it all worked out in the end. But I wonder, now that the 'official' exorcists are here, what'd happen to her?
Then a big laugh. The werewolf cries of mock as his eyes sweep over all of us. "Look at you all, no single clue of what's going on here. How slow is the exorcist nowadays? At this rate, we're going to win the upcoming war before you all even know it."
The exorcists clench their face.
"Who is she to you, Hado?"
"Oh nothing, Ma'am. Just a big catch for me. I like them young and pretty."
Seeing the werewolf wouldn't answer her honestly, she turned to me. "Do you know anything about this, Lady Ayane?"
Wa — Don't just call me a lady like that. Mariah sensei or my face will become hot. For real, where is all this heat coming from? Haha. Ehem. How do I speak to the Magi again? I recall all the oral training we had in class years ago… wait, why say it like that? Ehem. "The respondent have mentioned the girl is carrying a blood that can enhance both the hell creature's and human's strength. It seems in their world they're fighting over it. I got the information when we're, uh, having a bit of sweaty moment together…" Why say it like that?!
"Why say it like that?" Wayne.
Shut up!
"Did you fight him?"
I slurp in my saliva… "I think… I did?"
The Magi only nod. "The respondent is a 'type of being' who'd be really careful at night. How did you find him?"
"I got a call and saw the respondent run away with an unconscious girl, so I chased."
"Run away?"
"It seems he's already hurt."
"By other exorcist?"
"I.. I do not know."
"Who did you call?"
"Sensei."
She doesn't ask more. She knew who Sensei is. I heard they were really close before.
The Magi shift her question back to the werewolf and my fight, "You fought with him. How did it go?"
"It went well at first," still has no pride to say that, "but then the werewolf proved to be more than I can handle. So I was just protecting the girl until the help arrives."
She was silent for a while. "Very well. You've done a good job, Lady Ayane. But I will have to report this to the Order. Expect some words from them."
"I understand," fighting a hell creature in sense of self-defense is right. But I told her I chased it. Oh man, I'm going to send so much paper of apology. I hope they didn't find out about the others I hunted.
"This power, Lady Ayane, have you been able to witness it?" Mariah sensei asks.
"I think I have. Remember when I said the respondent was hurt when I came in? All of its injury was… clean off when it managed to 'consumed' a hand of the girl. After that, the respondent looked as if his whole body was in pain. But the next second, his energy level shot up. I've never heard or seen anything like it before."
Everyone looks at each other. Heh, eh? Did I say something wrong? Is there any blood on my face?
The Magi asks what everybody had on their face right now, "According to you, the respondent 'consume' a part of the victim's limb, Lady Ayane?"
"Yeah," I'm sure of it, "It did, Mariah sensei."
Her right arm opens and pushes everyone's eyes to the girl. "But we can see the girl's fine.
"Her pair of arms are there."
I turn around and the sight grabs my throat. Mariah sensei is right. The two of her arms are there as if nothing happened. It grows back? I — I'm pretty sure she loses one of them.
Wayne kneels over her and touches the surrounding belt on her 'fresh' arm. "I don't think Ayane's story is wrong. This belt has dried blood all around it. It really looked as if Ayane was trying to stop the bleeding."
The Magi nods, "Perhaps we need a throughout look of the girl. Is she… a human?"
Wayne leans closer and sniffs her. The girl lets out a groan. "She smells a lot like them. It might be because she's living closely with one."
Our attention goes back to the werewolf as the Magi asks, "This power you said, can you tell me about it?"
The werewolf says nothing. Why would it? It's the same as helping its enemies.
"If you can satisfy this one question, I'll let you off."
M — Mariah sensei is serious. It seemed she had decided that this is the only question important in this interrogation.
The werewolf chuckles. His eyes stare up at the Magi and smirk.
Pwaaa, this werewolf! It's getting in my nerve too.
"Blue Blood. A power that only glows a time for a decade. That'd be enough for an answer, right?"
Blue Blood? Hado had called the ramen girl that a few times.
The winds seem to fade as the Magi says, "It is." She turns back, her robe dances. "Give him the freedom to move, as I promise. Then follow your warrior's command. Be careful, my Wayne."
Wayne gives her mother a big thumb up.
it seems she already has what she wanted.
The motherly blue eyes set on me. "Send my regard to your Sensei. I expect many great things from you. May the Bless be with you all."
A ten — no, at least fifty purple pentagrams hovering and rotating over her head. Mariah sensei is amazing! Fifty pentagrams at once is no small thing. When it finally the time, the pentagram drops and takes her to the other world. The wind is quiet now.
The Red Tent falls, and the werewolf stretches its neck and body.
But none of the exorcist let go of their guard.
Wayne approaches him casually, with both palms in the air. "Look at you, all free from the lock. But hey, don't you think it's time to end your run here and now?"
Wayne touches his sword handle.
The wolf laughs. "This doesn't surprise me at all."
"Haha. I know, right?"
Something feels off. The wind is really quiet, and the surrounding heat has been increasing.
The werewolf steps forward. "That's why I've prepared something better."
Then it happens.
So sudden that some of us are not fast to react and fall victim to the hostile shadow.
Thin long arms crawls out of the dark and reaches for our legs.
Wayne jumps straight to the werewolf, his sword clicks.
But I can sense it. They're not here to fight.
They're here to steal.
But I move faster.
And get a hold of the power first.
As I expected, ten or more ghouls jump at me.
With no sword to fight back, I only have one option left.