A faint rumble wakes me from my slumber.
"——! —y are you okay? Speak to me!"
I open my eyes, the light of that the barrier produced burned my retinas.
"… Oh! Hey! Can you hear me? Heeeeeey~! HEY! I'm talking to you!"
"Hn~"
I speak in a low grumble, just enough to assure the witch.
She breathed a sigh of relief.
"Phew! I thought you were a goner."
She leaned my back on a boulder.
"Seriously, don't scare me like that!"
She barked at me, her voice laced with concern.
Her face was on the same level as mine.
Heh…
"Why are you laughing... did I say something funny?"
She spoke uneasily, her voice both embarrassed and amused.
Hehe...
I shook my head.
"… Well, that's fine then." She leaned her back on the boulder as well. " At least you're fine… in your own way."
The witch eyed me like I was an alien from the corner of my eye.
I ignored it.
"You should have told me that you were weak to light."
Is she being serious right now?
Stare…
"O-okay, I get it! You don't have to look at me like that!" She turned away, embarrassed. "I knew you had an affinity with darkness, but I didn't think it was this bad."
What is she talking about?
I turn my head to the witch and give her a doubting look.
She looked at me like she just stepped on something foul.
"Do you seriously not know why?"
I shook my head.
She sighed, this time from mental exhaustion.
"From what I gathered, you most likely have the 「Light Weakness」skill or something similar. I already know that you have 「Night Vision」 and that you use it frequently to maneuver the labyrinth's dark halls, which I understand. However, the fact that you have 「Light Weakness」is — while not completely unrelated — not because of 「Night Vision」."
She paused for a bit, letting me process the whole thing.
…
I had always thought 「Night Vision」 came with 「Light Weakness」 as a matter of course. But it seems that I had been wrong.
Noticing my self-doubt, the witch sighed once more.
Does she like doing that?
"You most likely obtained the two skills at the same, didn't you? That's why you thought like that?"
I nodded, affirming her deduction.
The witch rested her head to the hard surface of the boulder, her head cranked up.
"You see, your aptitudes aren't just for your magic. It can also apply for your skills. For example, the fact that you were able to obtain 「Night Vision」 is because of your elemental affinity. Because of this, you were able to obtain and increase your proficiency in it much faster than normal. Of course, it meant that 「Light Weakness」 would level up faster too, but that is a fact that you just have to accept."
She spoke in a clear, almost motherly voice, almost as if to comfort me.
So my aptitudes can affect my skills too…
The witch looked back at me.
"Now, you might be thinking of centering your skills on your aptitudes, but you would have missed the point."
She eyed me seriously, and I felt my skin crawl from the sudden rise in tension.
"Your aptitudes define who you are. Following them or using them as a basis on what to set your standards to is a mistake. You ARE your aptitudes, you don't need to follow them to know what to do, because you already know how to in the first place. You're just not looking hard enough."
…
"So, if you ask me, aptitude isn't some hidden or mysterious part of magic that you must know at all costs. It's something meant to be discovered on your own, through experiencing life."
The witch spoke in a reminiscent tone.
She seemed… warm, her aura shifting from fake maturity to the tone parents would take when telling a story to their children.
She looked back at me.
"You understand?"
*nod*
"Good!" She stood back up and patted the dirt from her robes. "I guess I should fix this mess."
The atmospheric mana shifted once more, converging inside of the witch.
She harnessed the near-infinite power of the surrounding mana, molding it inside of her.
Then, the mana within her exploded into a brilliant shower of sparks.
My eyes burned at the sight, making me tear up a bit, but I was otherwise fine.
The witch began muttering something. Soon enough, the ground started shaking.
*rumble rumble*
The ground shifted, and an earthquake appeared out of nowhere.
The mana that exploded from the witch settled on the earth, eventually seeping inside of it.
The earth started moving on it's own, patching up the numerous holes that the witch produced during her 'magic practice'.
A minute or two later, and the ground was back to it's usual flat and boring self.
I wiped the unwanted tears from my eyes.
The witch's silver hair flowed kike the wind as she turned around.
She gave me a smug grin.
"Impressed?"
If only she wasn't like this all the time
I give her a nod back. It really was a sight to behold.
"…"
She blinked a couple of times, perplexed.
"Huh…"
She looked at me like I was a ghost.
The witch stammered on her next words.
"Y-you've changed, huh…"
Did I?
The witch's words lingered in the air.
Despite her initial surprise, she recovered quite quickly.
"Anyways…"
The witch snapped her fingers.
… ?!
The barrier shattered in an instant, showering us in green sparkles.
My eyes…
"… Oh, right. I forgot about that."
We were just talking about it
Despite my accusatory glare, the witch did not falter.
The witch snapped her fingers once more, and the beautiful light show disappeared in the blink of an eye.
The witch came face-to-face with me once more.
"There, ya' better?"
Sure am, cat lady
"… Huh?"
Crap!
The witch touched her cheek, staining it.
"What the…"
Then, with nothing but a simple wave of her hand, water appeared out of thin air.
She looked at the reflection.
"… !!"
Her cheeky face turned red immediately, embarrassed.
Damn, maybe I shouldn't have laughed so much