Death toll? Maybe a few dozens total. On our side? Cathy, Kris, Hiro, Jay, and Ava Fash are dead. Five people, those that I care about anyway. Kai is out of commission, so my Derrick. Kai broke his leg and probably wouldn't be running anytime soon, Derrick got burnt up pretty bad. A lot on our side were injured, including Laura and Nate. I'm quite glad that I told Yui to stay away, she could've died.
The three Dayton sibling rings were recovered. Well, rather left at Core Intel's door and we just picked them up. Why would Shujin leave them to us? Either way, this is good for us.
We have four people left to hunt and kill, Shujin, Ablaze, which apparently is from the Varr family, King Corruption, which also is from the Crescent family, then the speedster, Shift.
I advised Yui to keep an eye on their whereabouts. King Corruption was seen in Libra but went into hiding. Shift was in Idly City, Ablaze is definitely going back his home, I've no clue where. Shujin is nowhere to be found, he doesn't leave traces, even as a sorcerer.
Dan was also missing.
Well, he never came back after two weeks. Laura and I insisted he was alive since there were only his parent's bodies. I know what that feels like.
I sat in the lounge of our dorms with my classmates. They all look worse for wear. Laura looked sad. Volta and Vic looked worried. Sam was pissed off. Nate was also pissed off. We just sat there, looking down, all gloomy. I understand why, but this isn't the time for it.
"All gloomy aren't we?"
"How else are we supposed to be?"
"It's been two weeks."
"So what, Heath?"
"You guys want payback, right?"
"What's the point?"
"The point? Are you really asking me that, Nate? Are you fucking kidding me? Nate, your cousin is going to scorch your family to fucking dust and you're just doing nothing?" I want them to get back up. This is the only way I know how to.
"That's not your business."
"Yeah, it's yours and you don't care?"
"That's not what I'm saying!"
"Then what are you saying?"
"Heath, calm down," Laura spoke.
"Come on, Laura! You know you want to go and find Dan. And you, Sam. Weren't you his best friend? You care more about the dead than your living friend?"
Sam stood up, clenching his fist. I think he's about to throw a punch, I'm ready. "To me that sounds fucking hypocritical. You want revenge for the dead too. In fact, you're the most fixated on killing Shujin here, right? Why?"
"Because I know what it feels like to have nothing. At the age of seven, I had nothing on my mind for years other than killing Shujin. I know what it's like to get consumed by revenge, I nearly got myself and Nate killed for that. I know you want to avenge your brother, but that's not enough. Dan matters to you, doesn't he?" Sam fell silent, he didn't want to reply but didn't shy away either, "Listen, I get it."
"Yeah, yeah, don't need to go all sappy with me."
"Heath?" Laura called.
"What?"
"Do you know where Dan is?" She asked.
"Yui's working on it still."
Laura's really not good at hiding her emotions. Looking down and breathing heavily. I walked past her and pat the top of her head for a brief second, "don't worry, he's alive."
"I hope so."
Then we split up, Laura wanted to talk to me in private. Nate wanted to visit Derrick in the infirmary, Vic tagged along. Sam and Volta were sparring.
Laura took me to the roof of our dorm, this feels taboo. Nah, Yui's not overly jealous. We sat down across from each other. She still looks sad.
"What's up?"
"Do you... Um..." Her face grew red. I've got a bad feeling.
"Uh... How do I say this?"
"Just calm down, and make it short and straightforward."
"Okay, short and straightforward," she takes a deep breath and exhaled with the words she had in mind. Honestly, it wasn't what I was expecting. But I can see it coming. Well, after she said it.
"Danieru... watashi wa ga suki desu." (Daniel, I love him)
"Majika?" (for real?)
She nodded, her face is still red, I think it was becoming increasingly more red. Well, I thought that it'd be sooner or later.
"Dan liked you first, right?"
"Yeah."
"Did he ever confess?"
"Yeah."
"What... Did you say?"
"That I don't like him like that!" She started sobbing, or at least being dramatic. She's not actually crying. I giggled, "You're fucked."
"THAT'S why I need to see him again."
"I get it."
"And I want to tell him," she seemed not confident.
"Sure, I don't need to set you up. You just gotta pick a good time. Bad timing can really fuck up a confession."
"What would be a good time?"
"Well, he just lost both his parents, one of them was very close. So, maybe not when we find him."
"We need to look for him."
"I know. We'll find him, or he'll show up sooner or later."
"There's one more thing I need your help with."
"What's that?"
"Out of everyone, you and Nate know how to use True Manifestation, teach me."
"Okay then, give me a second."
How to explain this to her? It's going to be a lengthy process but I think there's a way to shorten it out. I pulled out my phone and looked up personality quizzes. I thought they'd be good for reference.
"Okay, answer honestly. Question 1: How old are you?"
"Fifteen."
"Question 2: What do you live for?"
"That's a question... A happy and fun life, I suppose."
"Question 3: What would you die for?"
"To protect the ones I care about."
"Question 4: What would you kill for?"
"Also to protect the ones I care about."
"Question 5: Did you answer honestly?"
"Yes."
"Question 6: Are you lying?"
"No."
"Question 7: Would you live any different if you grew up differently?"
"I dunno depends on how I grew up."
"Now I'm going to get off the questionnaire and ask you personally."
"Okay."
"Who do you think you are?"
"What does that mean?"
"What do you do that no matter how it turns out, it means being honest with yourself?"
"Battle. I get scared whenever I fight against stronger enemies, but as time goes on, with each fight, I grew to love it. Despite that, I wouldn't seek out and start fights."
"You're one interesting person."
"Thanks?"
"One last question," probably the same question I asked earlier.
"Sure."
"Are you lying?"
"I swear I'm not."
"Good. I can tell you aren't."
"Sorry, I didn't get it. What was the point of this?"
"True Manifestation is a spell that requires a deep understanding of mana and oneself. I'm sure you're proficient enough with mana. It should be highly condensed, concentrated, vast, and constant."
"Yeah, I got that down. Moonlight's Grace might help with that."
"Good, you'll find out in battle soon enough."