I took a deep sigh. As soon as I walk; I instantly searched, roaming my eyes inside the spacious four wall room, and immediately, I found a hornless rabbit with pink fur.
Pula?
My brows creased seeing the missing horns on Pula's head. Her eyes are closed and her body is laid on the cold stone. A white sand and stones are circled around her; the stones have weird symbols carved on them.
Next to the pink rabbit is Alexadra, sitting in a lotus position with her eyes closed. Like Pula; Alexandra is also surrounded with a circle of white sand and carved stones.
I gaze with conflicted eyes. Alexandra looked pale and thin. Her forehead is drench with sweat; her brows are crossed together as she keeps the lids of her eyes deeply closed. Based on her expression, it seems that she is struggling and in pain.
Seeing the situation in front of me, it appears that Pula is still not fine yet. It also seems that this is why they are both not beside me. However, just seeing Pula is still alive eases the tension in my heart a little.
With a deep sigh of relief, I move my legs approaching those two in the middle of the room. Yet, just as I was about to walk towards those two in the middle; Joan grabbed me on the shoulder restraining me from continuing. I turn my head to the seven foot tall woman with an inquiring gaze.
Joan shook her head lightly; her green eyes gaze at me then to those two in the middle of the room. "Don't disturb them, kid."
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"It's best not to disturb them for now," Joan answered vaguely, exhaling a puff of smoke.
Despite not understanding the situation, I could feel that it was indeed not the best time for me to approach. With knitted brows, I reluctantly nod my head as I remain standing where I am.
"I understand," I replied, staring at those two in the middle. "What's the situation?"
"Well, Alex has been sending mana to that halfling for over a week now," Saint Agatha stated, standing on my other side. "So both Joan and I thought that she was the master of that halfling."
The invading anxiety in my head made my intestines twisting inside my stomach. My eyes narrowed at Alexandra.
If I remember correctly, according to the books I read and studied in the library, every individual only has a limited amount of mana within them, and it is stated in the book that every individual should learn to limit the use of their mana.
Because running out of mana is equal to losing blood in your body. Which means that once an individual loses too much mana then that individual will eventually die.
This was called Mana Loss in the book. A medical term called for losing so much mana in an individual's body, and losing too much mana may result in death.
Recalling what I studied in the library, I became even more anxious in my heart.
"Isn't that dangerous?" I asked quietly, looking at Saint Agatha for answers.
Saint Agatha glanced at me then at those two in the middle.
"Let's discuss this outside," Saint Agatha replied, then she glanced at Joan and said, "look after them."
Joan didn't reply and only nodded, walking on the corner of the room, leaning her back to the wall and staring at those two in the middle with intense green eyes.
Afterwards, Saint Agatha beckoned for me. I took a quick look at Pula and Alexandra once more before I went with Saint Agatha outside. Inhaling deeply, I left the room, and as soon as I stood outside, Saint Agatha immediately confronted me.
"What's your relationship with those two?" Saint Agatha asked, crossing her arms in her chest.
I crossed my eyebrows, feeling puzzled, but I still decided to open my mouth to answer, "Pula is my familiar, and Professor AC is my…" I paused as my brows weaved together.
My relationship with Alexandra became complicated in my head all of a sudden. I gaze at the room again then to my weird right hand. I feel guilty seeing Alexandra take care of the mess I made. However, I still feel upset with how the red haired woman betrayed my trust, but I think I understand now why Alexandra did that.
In addition, I can't bring myself to blame Alexandra or anyone for the trouble I made for myself, but I don't think I could trust her again. Not after betraying me twice.
Still, Alexandra was the reason why I managed to enter the academy, and naturally, if I didn't enter the academy, I will probably not meet Pula either.
So, despite feeling upset with Alexandra, I still think of her as my benefactor. But I would never place my trust in her again.
"...is what?" Saint Agatha asked, staring at me with her blue eyes, urging for me to answer.
"Professor is my benefactor," I said firmly, finishing my sentence. "She would always be my benefactor."
"Hmm..." Saint Agatha replied. "What's your name?"
I grab the back of my neck, feeling awkward with the out of the blue questions. "Uh…Nasrin Urduja," I said.
"Hmm, I see…" Saint Agatha mumbled.
"Why? Is something wrong?" I asked, a little perplexed.
Saint Agatha shook her head and replied, "no, nothing is wrong."
My creased brows deepened as I felt even more confused. "Then…why did you ask?"
"Oh, just curious," Saint Agatha replied with her cold poker face.
Hearing her response made me speechless as I stared at her dumbfounded.
Saint Agatha cleared her throat with her face still cold and poker. "Anyway, don't call me Saint Agatha anymore," she said.
I open my lips leaving it hanging. "Uh…why?"
"Because Joan, Alexandra, Penelope and there is one more, but she is no longer in this world. Be that as it may, the four of them are my disciples in Mystic Academy when I was still working there as a dean master," Saint Agatha explained, then she touched her nose, but her face remained expressionless and cold. "So just call me grandma…"
I stared blankly at Saint Agatha in disbelief. She wants me to call her grandma; with her face looking young and beautiful?
Stretching my lips in an awkward smile, I replied. "I'm sorry, but you look too young to be called a grandma."
"Grandma is short for grandmaster," Saint Agatha stated in a flat tone, making it hard to probe whether she was joking or not.
"Oh." I mouthed.
Seeing my expression, Saint Agatha cleared her throat again, but her face remained cold and expressionless. "Anyway, if you're the master of that halfling then you need to know the truth and the situation with your familiar," she said, dropping the news to me like a bomb
My brows weaved together in worry. "What do you mean?"
"When we found you and your familiar, both of you were already near death's door," Saint Agatha started solemnly.
I nodded as I waited for her to continue.
"When we arrived there, Alexandra was sending mana to both of you, after all, you and your familiar are losing mana because of the arrows that are inserted in both of you," Saint Agatha explained.
"And?" I urged. Not bothering to care of her expressionless face that resembles Kendra so much.
"And that's when I found that your companion is a halfling."
"How?" I asked, a little dubious.
"When my light attribute entered both of you, I felt some divine energy lurking inside your familiar's body and also inside you," Saint Agatha answered patiently.
"But the divine energy inside of you feels foreign to your soul and body, and on the other hand, the divine energy inside your familiar belongs completely to your companion," Saint Agatha explained.
"I see," I said, nodding my head. "I never knew…"
"You really seem clueless with your familiar," Saint Agatha commented.
I open my mouth to refute her words, but Saint Agatha is right. Now that I think about it, I know nothing about Pula. I bit my lower lip, then I sighed at this another discovery.
However, Pula is my familiar; she made my life in this world more warm and comforting. Even if I know nothing about Pula, it won't erase the fact that she is important to me as a family. The only family I have in this world.
At these thoughts, I turn to Saint Agatha once again. "You might be right, but Pula is nevertheless still important to me, so please, if there is anything that you could do to help her, then please…" I said, pleadingly.
Saint Agatha released a helpless sigh, but her face was still expressionless. "I can't do anything, my light attribute would only quicken your familiar to her end."
"What…what do you mean?" I said, agitated.
"Like I said, your familiar is a halfling," Saint Agatha replied simply.
My brows pulled up together in fret. I pinched the bridge of my nose then took a deep sigh. Afterwards, I stared inquiringly at Saint Agatha. "Can you explain to me what a halfling is?"
Saint Agatha nodded, then she seriously explained, "Well, in summary, a halfling is a being from two different races, and in your familiar's case, it seems that Pula has a parent of a sacred beast and a monster."
"Then Pula is a half sacred beast?" I asked.
Saint Agatha nodded. "Yes."
"I see," I replied, then my brows knitted as I asked, "but why am I healed up while Pula is still not fine?"
Saint Agatha averted her gaze, sighing. Then she stared at me again with her expressionless face.
"Because a halfling only has a little amount of time to live in this world the moment they are born," Saint Agatha said, dropping a bomb again. "And right now, your familiar is still fighting a battle between life and death."
My eyes widened in shock. I gulped as I stared at her in a loss. "I…I don't think I understand…"
"Your familiar forced herself to evolve, and this quickened her to…"
"Stop," I said, cutting her off as I raised my hand. My eyes started to blur, looking at Saint Agatha's expressionless face.
Saint Agatha nodded her understandably as she comfortingly said, "Alexandra did her best to prolong your familiar's life, and," she paused, staring at me. "The ritual will be completed the next day, so tomorrow…"
"Don't say it," I said, swallowing hard as I interrupted her again, forcing myself to smile with tears in my eyes. "Please tell me that's not true, there must be some other way, right?"
Saint Agatha stared at me with her expressionless face. "I'm sorry…" she said, averting her gaze as she looked down.
My knees felt feeble as it fell, hitting the floor with a thud. 'This is all my fault,' I told myself in my head as I gazed down at the floor in a state of emptiness.
This is because I was too stubborn and made dumb decisions. This is all because of my stupidity and ignorance.
If I hadn't insisted on this path...
I choked as I felt out of breath. I inhaled as I gasped for a long deep breath. My face crumpled as I started, hitting my forehead to the stone floor. "Stupid moron."
"Stop!" Saint Agatha grabbed my forehead, restraining me from hitting my head. "What are you doing? Don't hurt yourself," she scolded.
I look up, staring at Saint Agatha's expressionless face. "I…I don't know what to do…I, I…can't lose Pula…" I replied; my lips trembled as I spoke in incoherent words. I bit my lower lip, restraining myself to cry. I can't let these tears fall, because I have to be strong for Pula.
Saint Agatha bent her legs, kneeling in front of me. Her lips spread open then closes it again, and instead, she remains silent as she embraces me. For a while, we both stayed in that position in quietude.
"Do you want to talk about Pula?" Saint Agatha asked faintly.
"Talk about what?" I replied blankly.
"Anything," Saint Agatha said.
"Well…" I started in a flat tone.
"Pula is…warm, and she loves," I paused, gulping as I continued. "...carrots. When I feel sad…Pula can always feel it and she always…" I choked, biting my lower lip, restraining all the words that speak a million things, leaving them stuck on my throat as I recalled a lot of warm memories.
Yet, it only made me feel so cold as I slowly remembered two faces.
I softly pushed Saint Agatha as I stood up. "I won't hurt myself again, but…" I trailed, turning around. "I need to go somewhere."
"What about your familiar? Pula?" Saint Agatha questioned.
"I'll be back soon," I mumbled, not turning back as I left.
'I'll be back soon,' I repeated in my head as my eyes stared menacingly ahead of me, imagining the faces of those two.