The wolf led Kuroi and Rin deeper into the unpaved trail, its bushy black tail swishing back and forth as it trotted past the towering trees and winding pathways with an energetic spring in its step. Kuroi and Rin followed after it, trudging through the uneven ground with far less enthusiasm. The wolf never wandered far from them, content to wait for them to catch up whenever its eager steps outpaced their own. Kuroi would have appreciated the gesture if he weren't already so sick of the locale.
Their stroll through the darkened forest continued until they reached the edges of a large clearing, nestled under the branches of a grand oak. Autumn leaves--red, orange, and yellow--fell and crunched underneath Kuroi's shoes as he, Rin and the wolf emerged from the shadowed treeline.
Kuroi stopped, staring at the clearing with wide bewildered eyes as Rin whistled in awe beside him. The grand oak at the very center must have been tall enough to match the length of a semi-truck, with a thick trunk and a rich coat of green leaves--made all the more vibrant by the barren autumn trees surrounding the clearing. Pale moonlight filtered in through its long swaying branches, speckling the ground with flickering bulbs. Its long roots curled into the ground like wooden tendrils, each of them thicker than his own arm. Kuroi wondered how deep those roots had to dig to keep such a large tree anchored and nourished. Meters, probably. Deep and wide enough that it might stretch across the entire clearing.
"You think if we bring Mom here to prove it's not our fault we broke curfew, she won't ground us into the next millennium?" Rin asked, lips curled into a wry grin.
Kuroi shook his head--unable to tear his gaze away from the bizarre clearing before him. His eyes landed on the lone tent pitched at the center of the clearing, resting in the crooks of the grand oak's roots. Next to it, Kuroi spotted a firepit--its flickering flames crackling and spitting sparks of glowing embers into the hazy evening sky.
"Looks like we found the wolf's owner," Kuroi muttered, watching as the dark canine skipped over to the tent, its tail wagging in delight as it nudged the entrance flap with an expectant bark. Kuroi and Rin shared uncertain stares--before they both followed after the obsidian-furred wolf.
By the time they stepped into the campfire's light, the wolf was already dragging a bundled package out of the tent. No. Not a package. A person. A young girl their age, sleeping inside of a thick bedroll. She whined like a grouchy puppy as the wolf dragged her out by the scruff of her cream-colored sweater.
"Cavaaaaaall," she groaned, her voice still raspy. She blindly swatted at the canine pulling at her shirt. "What is iiit? I was sleeping..."
Kuroi and Rin watched bemused as the wolf--Cavall--dropped the girl next to the campfire and nudged his snout against her face. He barked twice, crimson eyes shifting between Kuroi and Rin--beckoning his slumbering master towards the newcomers with an expectant huff. The girl grumbled and swatted at Cavall again, before she sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her bleary eyes.
"Okay, okay. I'm awake." She yawned and rubbed the sand out of her eyes. "See? Up. Awake. Ish. What do you need me to...?"
The girl stared at Kuroi and Rin. They stared back. For a few moments, silence settled between the three teenagers before Cavall barked and his owner screamed like a startled wildcat. She rolled out of the bedroll with surprising speed, jumped to her feet then all but threw herself away from them as if they were her worst nightmares come to life. Her sudden escape was fast but less than graceful, considering she ended up tripping over herself, falling on her behind, and tumbling back in a chaotic whirl of panicked limbs. Kuroi watched as the girl spun away like a wheel set loose down a hill, only stopping when her back crashed against one of the thick logs left lying around the campfire.
"Who--When--Where--Why are you guys heeere?!" The girl squeaked, alabaster cheeks flushed a bright cherry red as she scrambled to take cover behind Cavall. For a moment, Kuroi thought the wolf looked almost exasperated by the girl's antics, with his ears flattening atop his head like he wanted to apologize on her behalf.
The girl poked her head out from behind her pet wolf, and Kuroi took his first good look at the jumpy...hobo? Homeless vagrant? Kuroi wasn't sure what she was. She didn't seem like the average Western tourist and for someone who was camped out in the middle of a park, she was oddly clean and healthy. Fair and smooth skin, with rounded cheeks and a button nose, tinged with a rosy flush. Brown hair the shade of freshly tilled earth was tied into a neat high ponytail and a few stray bangs framed her flushed face in wavy wisps. The girl's big bright green eyes stared at them with panicked bewilderment like a rabbit that wasn't sure whether it should come closer or bolt in the other direction.
"I don't know how you both reached this place but I-I'm warning you, Cavall bites!" the hobo girl threatened. It was not very intimidating considering she was shaking and her voice was less 'confident lioness' and more 'skittering mouse' but Kuroi respected the attempt. "He's got a very vicious bite! A-an overbite even! You should see him when he's pigging out on sausages. He's like a big hungry hippo when he's mad and - ow! Cavall, hey! Ouch!"
The girl squawked as her pet wolf nipped her fingers in abject annoyance. Rin and Kuroi stared at the strange sight before them. Neither of them were sure how they were supposed to handle this situation. Kuroi felt a little like he was watching a sudden comedy skit--though, judging by the look on Rin's face, she was content with watching the hobo girl glower at her rambunctious pet.
For his part, Cavall didn't seem even a tad regretful of his rebellious love bite. He stared back at his guardian with a smug doggy grin before the dark wolf huffed and then angled its head back towards Kuroi and Rin with an expectant stare, looking as if he was urging them all to speak. At the reminder of the unwelcome guests, the girl drew back behind her pet and once again leveled a suspicious if a little less hostile look at the two lost high schoolers in her camp.
"Who are you guys?" she asked. "What are you even doing here?"
"Oh, you know. Taking a late-night stroll. Walking in circles until our feet bleed for the fun of it," Rin replied with a dry look. She scraped her dusty leather shoes against the ground and crossed her arms. "What does it look like? We're lost."
"L-lost?" The girl stared at Rin with an uncertain look. She fidgeted behind Cavall, peeking out like a little frightened puppy as she wrung her sweater sleeves with both hands. "So, um...you two...aren't here for me?"
"No," Kuroi interjected before Rin could snark her way into a fight. "I'm sorry if we frightened you, Miss..."
The girl hesitated. She glanced at her furry companion as if the wolf might grant her some guidance. Cavall huffed and nudged her arm with his snout, crimson eyes staring back at her without fear. It was startling to see such intelligence in a wild beast. A part of Kuroi wondered if all wolves were this smart...or maybe Rin's previous joke about wolf spirits held more truth than either of them expected.
Whatever the case, he was grateful the beast trusted them. Emboldened by her pet's certainty, the strange girl swallowed and stepped out into the open for the first time. She looked as if she was trying to put on an air of confidence...but her previous display and her lack of skills as a thespian meant she couldn't stop from fidgeting in front of Kuroi and Rin.
"I'm... I'm Noelle," she said. "Noelle Dulac...erm...pleased to meet you."
***
They sat around the campfire in pensive silence.
Well, he and Noelle did. Rin lazed atop one of the rough, hewn logs with all the mindfulness of a disinterested cat. And about the same level of decorum. With how deep she was leaning to the side, Rin already looked as as if she was ready to curl up and sleep away her troubles.
In contrast, Cavall sat on his haunches between Kuroi and Noelle, staring at the store-bought bag of pastries resting atop Kuroi's lap with single-minded focus. He made sure to keep a hand on his groceries. Something about Cavall's intense red eyes told Kuroi that the treats would disappear into the wolf's stomach before he could even blink should he show even a moment of inattentiveness.
"H-here."
Noelle offered them each a warm metal mug of steaming tea. Rin shot the strange camper a roguish grin as she took her cup, while Kuroi received his with a grateful nod. He set the mug down next to him on his bookbag-turned-tray then extended one of the pastries towards Noelle in return for both the warm fire and the drink.
Noelle's eyes sparkled with delight at the sight of the sweet melon bread, and she cradled the treat to her chest as if it were a newborn babe. Kuroi tossed a piece to Rin then took one for himself before setting another down in front of Cavall, if only to keep the wolf from attempting to steal the rest for himself.
The three teenagers -- plus one hungry wolf -- each held their bread close and bowed their heads in thanks.
"Let's eat," Kuroi said.
The words had scarcely passed his lips before Noelle and Cavall inhaled their shares in a whirlwind of messy crumbs and ravenous chewing. Kuroi watched with a touch of amazement as master and pet devoured their melon bread with such speed that it was a wonder they didn't choke. One moment, the pastries were there. The next, they vanished as if they never existed, disappearing into nothing with nary a speck left to prove their existence, save for the smudge of filling left hanging on the edge of Noelle's lips.
Kuroi and Rin shared bemused stares at the girl and her wolf. Cavall licked his maw clean with a satisfied huff, just as uncaring of their gazes as he was of the complexities of human etiquette. Noelle was less inclined to ignore the eyes on her. The wayward girl blushed as she wiped at the crumbs around her mouth with a handkerchief before she forced a sheepish smile.
"S-sorry," Noelle apologized, ducking her head in embarrassment. "It's just been a while since I've had sweets. I've been eating nothing but stale biscuits and canned food for the past few weeks."
"It's fine. Really," Kuroi assured, feeling the slightest bit of pity stab at him at Noelle's miserable sniff. "Here. You can have mine too."
Noelle blinked in surprise as Kuroi offered his melon bread to her. The brunette hesitated, good manners warring with her unsated appetite before she reached for the pastry with a shy but thankful smile. She tore the bread in half and handed Cavall his share. This time, the both of them took their time in eating, savoring the sweet custard and the crunchy outer crust.
Kuroi watched them from the opposite side of the fireplace, where he was content to sip on his mug of tea. Light. Savory with a hint of sweetness. It wasn't a blend he was familiar with but regardless, the hot drink left a pleasant tingle on his tongue as it warmed his body. Kuroi sighed in relief. He was grateful to have a chance to settle down after spending the better half of the evening wandering lost through the park's forest.
He glanced to the side, where Rin was even more eager to rest her feet. His closest friend was half-sitting and half-splattered over her space on the log as she nibbled on her own piece of melon bread, amber eyes half-lidded like a groggy sloth. Kuroi refrained from chastising her for her lack of decorum. If only because he knew Rin was liable to throw the treat at him should he dare scold her in front of their host.
"So...you're the reason why the park is looping in on itself?" Kuroi asked once their impromptu meals were finished.
Noelle hesitated, lips pursed into a worried frown as if she were contemplating whether she should lie or not. But Cavall was there to reassure her again. The dark wolf rested his head on her lap and stared up at his master with a knowing crimson gaze. Whatever Noelle saw in Cavall's crimson eyes must have worked because the brunette's shoulders slumped in defeat as she released a long-drawn sigh.
"Yes," Noelle admitted, wringing her sweater sleeves as she spoke. "B-but to be fair, I didn't intend to trap either of you! The spatial disruption effect was the domain projection's fallback defensive measure. It was only supposed to activate if someone tried to force their way in!"
"Domain wha...?" Rin mumbled, her confused look mirrored in Kuroi's own bewildered stare.
"Erm...it was what I used to create this subspace." Noelle gestured around them, towards the impossible grand oak and the clearing surrounding its massive trunk. "This pocket dimension. The spatial disruption effect reacts to anyone who forcibly steps inside my magic circle--turning the park's pathways into a closed loop following a set radius around the focal anchor point--me." Noelle pointed at herself with an awkward cough. "Cavall is the only one apart from me who can bypass the loop. That's why he was able to bring you here."
If Noelle thought that explanation would alleviate Rin's confusion, she was sorely disappointed. His best friend stared back at Noelle as if she just recited a passage from a lost tome written in alien hieroglyphics. Kuroi himself felt the oncoming pangs of a migraine as Noelle's words failed to make any amount of sense in his brain.
"So," Kuroi began, choosing instead to try and focus on what he could understand. "...the park is looping into itself because this...domain summoning-"
"Domain projection!" Noelle corrected.
"-this domain projection of yours thought we were intruders?" Kuroi clarified.
"E-essentially, yes." Noelle nodded.
Rin regarded the strange girl with an incredulous stare. "And you're...what, a magical girl? Some sort of witch?"
Noelle winced. "W-we prefer the term magus. Witch is...well, it's a loaded word nowadays."
"...magus," Rin said. "Right. Sure. Okay. Kuroi, punch me. Maybe then I'll wake up."
"You're not dreaming, Rin," Kuroi assured...then gave Rin a suspicious sideways glance. "And I know you'd punch me back if I tried."
The innocent smile on Rin's face fooled no one, least of all him. That was a lesson he had learned long ago. Rin was the sort who preferred to take an easy-going attitude to life in general but was also the kind of girl who could bear a grudge until the end of time.
Kuroi sighed and turned back to Noelle. "Magus then. So...magic is real?"
Noelle nodded. "As real as can be, Mr. Kuroi."
"Magic," Kuroi repeated. "Okay. So, say I...we believe you. What's a magus doing camped out in the middle of an old park in Shikami City?"
"I'm...looking for someone." Noelle fidgeted. "A family friend. Or...my mother says they're friends. I've never actually met her. But mother told me if I ever needed help in Japan, I would find it in Shikami City." The magus sighed. "She didn't really give me an address so I've been looking all over the city for the past few days. And I just so happened to set up camp here for the night."
"Does this family friend have a name?" Rin asked.
"Kuroko. Kuroko Kamiyama." Noelle answered.
Kuroi blinked. His features dropped into a befuddled frown, and he wondered if he heard that correctly. Rin wasn't any better. The blonde bolted upright from her slouched sprawl over the log, looking more awake than Kuroi had seen her all evening. Cavall glanced between Kuroi and Rin with a knowing look in his crimson eyes, almost as if the wolf was waiting for the exact moment they put two and two together. A part of Kuroi wondered just how smart the wolf really was...and if their arrival to Noelle's camp was less of an accident than they first assumed.
"Kamiyama?" Rin repeated, her tone colored by a mixture of disbelief and bewilderment.
Noelle perked up at their recognition of the name. Newfound hope blazed in the young magus' eyes, and she leaned forward with an eager smile. "Y-yes! Do you know her?"
Neither Rin nor Kuroi had a chance to answer.
A ball of fire shot out from the dark treeline surrounding Noelle's camp. Condensed heat and superheated flames flew through the air with a high-pitched shriek and left a trail of red embers in its wake. The blazing orb emanated enough heat to distort the space around it, sending ripples of invisible pressure through the air. Burning. Twisting. Warping even light with such an intense inferno that touching it would be a death sentence for any normal human.
Kuroi only had a second to recognize the danger before the flames slammed into the campfire with all the might of a falling star. The sheer concussive force sent him flying back onto the grass, and he hit the ground like a sack of rocks. His nerves came alive with pain. Air rushed out of his lungs, leaving Kuroi gasping as his world spun in a haze of blurring firelight and starry skies. As if reality had been reduced to a messy collage of strewn colors and disjointed noise.
Kuroi blinked as his vision began to clear in the painful moments after his sudden meeting with the dirt. He struggled and pushed himself up to his hands and knees only to almost buckle when a sharp pain lanced through his side. Kuroi grimaced. Just a few bruises, he told himself and forced his limbs to obey. This wasn't the time to lay down and rest. He dragged his legs beneath him and into a crouch, the ringing in his ears still present but mixed with the sounds of Rin cursing up a storm and Cavall's furious howls.
"Ku-chan!" Rin shouted. Kuroi wiped at the ash speckled over his face and turned to see her as she knelt beside him. "Hey! Ku-chan, you still lucid? Answer me!"
"'m fine." Kuroi coughed, waving away the dust and smoke from his face. "Just a little shaken. What's a little Tinnitus, right? Evening's already gone to hell anyway."
Rin huffed in relief as she helped him to his feet. "Idiot."
A cursory look around the clearing revealed Noelle and Cavall unharmed. Their gracious host was dazed by the blast and still recovering her bearings but was left without even a bruise, though she was hunched over one of the charred logs and clutching a worn messenger bag to her chest. Cavall stood guard over his master, crouching in front of Noelle with his hackles raised and fangs bared towards the treeline.
Whatever doubts Kuroi might have held regarding Noelle's claims of magic and strange spells all disappeared at the sight of the dark wolf. Beneath Noelle's familiar, dark tendrils extended out from his shadow like grasping vines. Azure runes and circuit-like lines ran all over his fur and thrummed with energy like a racing heartbeat. A black mist escaped out of Cavall's snarling mouth, wafting into the air like smoke. He looked bigger too -- almost like a horse even, if horses were made of writhing shadows and seething malice. The charming and affectionate wolf was gone. What stood in his place was a beast of the deepest hells, with a mouth lined with jagged steel and crimson eyes alight with unholy fury.
"Huh? What's this? And here I thought I was only supposed to hunt one brat down and here I see three."
Something stepped out of the shadows. Not a human. Too big. Too tall. The giant was at least twice Kuroi's size, with hulking arms that looked as if they were built to rip trees out of the ground and legs thicker than Kuroi's torso. He wore a set of luxurious robes -- though 'wore' might have been too generous. The giant cared little for the delicate silks and draped the clothes over his body as if they were rags he'd picked up off the ground, leaving much of his musculature on display. Red skin shined with a metallic luster underneath the moonlight. A long thick mane of black hair fell around his shoulders, framing a bestial face with oversized canines, glowing yellow eyes and a single curved horn protruding out from his forehead. In one hand, he carried a corked gourd larger than Kuroi's head. In the other, he lugged along a brutal steel club the length of a car.
"Three brats and a demon mutt." The giant -- the oni -- laughed, jagged fangs spreading into a snarling grin. "Oh, this will make things more interesting."
"J-just to be clear," Noelle squeaked at Kuroi and Rin. "He's not with you, right?"
"Nope," Rin replied. "Guessing he's not with you either?"
The magus shook her head. "Uh-uh."
Kuroi sighed. "Great. Just great."
The lumbering oni took a swig from his gourd, gulping down mouthfuls of alcohol as if it were water. When he finished, the oni tossed the gourd aside then wiped his lips clean with the back of his hand and planted the flat end of his thick metal club into the ground. Kuroi could have sworn the ground beneath his feet jumped from the impact.
"Going after defenseless kids. Not usually my style but orders are orders." The oni chuckled, cracking his neck side to side. "Oi, brats. If you know what's good for you, you'll hand over the magus. No need for the rest of you brats to die tonight."
Noelle whimpered, ducking behind Cavall's protective bulk until her head was the only thing poking out. The hobo mage clutched her messenger bag close to her chest like a lifeline as Cavall snarled and growled at the oni.
"Go away!" Noelle shouted back. At any other time, Kuroi would have thought it looked like a petulant child throwing a tantrum. Now? He was impressed she could muster the courage to yell at the towering giant at all. "Leave us alone!"
"Cute." The oni rolled his eyes. "Look, little magus. I'll cut you a deal. You come with me and I'll let those two brats walk out of here in one piece. Won't even break any of their limbs."
Noelle stiffened, eyes shooting back and forth between the oni and Kuroi. Desperation and panic warred in her gaze. White-knuckled fists grasped onto her bag even tighter, holding it to her chest as if it was the most valuable thing in the world.
But Kuroi also recognized the answer in Noelle's emerald eyes and knew what the magus would choose the moment their gazes met. Resignation. Determination. Still tinged with fear but it was there.
"O-oka-"
A hand clamped down on her shoulder.
"Don't," Kuroi warned, cutting Noelle's concession off before it could even begin.
Noelle stared at Kuroi with wide green eyes. "B-but..."
"We're not handing you over to that thing," he said.
"Do I get a say in this?" Rin piped up.
Kuroi turned to her with a face so blank it might as well have been a gateway to his deepest, innermost thoughts. Rin took one look into that gateway, saw the sheer depths of Kuroi's stubborn grit reflected in his eyes, and released a resigned sigh. His closest friend stared up at the starless sky with a miserable groan.
"Fine. Fine! I'll help too." Rin relented. She stepped forward, passing Kuroi, Noelle and Cavall as she stomped her way towards the oni on her own. "Let's just get this over with."
Noelle blinked. For a moment, she could do nothing but stare as Rin marched forward to face the oni alone. But then panic flooded back in, and the magus jumped out from behind her wolf to shout a desperate plea at Rin.
"W-wait!" Noelle cried out. "Stop! What are you doing?!"
Rin ignored the shouting, muttering under her breath about 'silver-haired morons with savior complexes' and 'idiotic boys who can't help but throw themselves into danger the moment a cute girl needs help.' The oni himself looked bemused at his lone challenger. The red giant snorted, a mix of amusement and contempt painted across his monstrous features as Rin stopped a few meters in front of him.
From an outsider's perspective, it was a laughable sight. Rin had always been slender and was even on the shorter side -- barely 155 centimeters and maybe 55 kilograms soaking wet. The oni was twice her height and thrice her sheer body mass. His club alone was likely as heavy -- if not heavier -- than her entire body. In a contest of physical superiority, no sane being would have placed their bets on a smaller, weaker human over the towering monstrosity of hulking muscle.
"Ladies first, eh?" The oni chortled. He twirled his club into one hand, swinging the blunt weapon with all the ease of a child waving around a plastic stick. "I'll give you credit where it's due, little missy. I like the look of your eyes. There's real steel in 'em." The oni smiled as he raised his arm. "I'll make it quick. Out of respect."
The steel club came down.
"Ms. Rin!" Noelle screamed
BOOM!!!
The sheer impact sent shockwaves rippling throughout the clearing. The winds came first. Gusts of compressed air blasted outwards from the epicenter of Rin's position, whipping across their faces with the force of a hurricane. The debris followed after. Dirt and minced gravel flew through the air in clouds of brown and grey, swirling into an expanding plume of dirt.
Kuroi didn't even have time to curse before he shoved himself in front of Noelle. The magus yelped as he pulled her to his chest in an attempt to shield her from the flying debris, her muffled squeaks barely audible above the roaring gales.
It needn't matter. Cavall was still there and permitted no harm to come to his master. The black wolf howled, and tendrils of solid darkness coalesced in front of Kuroi and Noelle, forming a solid bulwark just as the wave hit with a deafening crash. Winds and jagged rocks washed over the shield's surface but did not pass, bouncing off the shadowy wall without leaving even so much as a scratch. And when the storm petered out, neither Kuroi nor Noelle were any worse for wear.
The magus squirmed out of his arms just as the barrier fell, frantic with worry as she gazed over where Rin was last seen standing. Kuroi knew she must have expected the worst outcome. A pulverized mess of a corpse. In what world could a normal high school girl take a strike like that head-on and survive?
But then again, it wasn't as if Rin was normal.
His closest friend stood there, feet planted over a spiderweb of cratered earth and one arm raised to catch the club in a single delicate hand. Her uniform's sleeve had been torn to shreds by the oni's strike, letting them see the smooth pale skin flexing with inhuman strength. Unbent and unbroken. And even with her back to them, Kuroi was more than sure there would have been a cocksure smile on Rin's face.
"My turn."
The oni had been surprised when Rin survived. Even more so when she had pulled her other arm back as her smile morphed into a feral grin. He stepped back in alarm, not a trace of amusement left in his bewildered fanged face when the girl before him launched a haymaker right at his guts.
Rin's fist slammed into the oni's hastily raised club with cataclysmic force and a cacophonous bang akin to a gunshot. The solid metal bar held for a second -- straining and flexing in a way that was never intended -- before the entire thing yielded to the inevitable. Steel ripped. Bent. Shattered. The sheer power behind Rin's strike still sent the red giant flying back like a twig caught in a tornado. His massive bulk caught against a dozen trees as he rocketed away, tearing chunks out from their trunks while he hurdled through with a rapid-fire thwack-thwack-thwack of snapping wood.
The oni crashed onto the grass like a meteor, leaving a trench of upturned earth and a copse of stumps in his wake. His steel club followed only a second later. The shattered weapon twirled end over end before landing with a heavy, dull thud on the soil. The jagged and bent remains of its shaft sunk into the earth with ease, leaving the curved length arched over like a dying sapling.
"Sorry about this, pal. I've spent the better part of the evening lost in a magic labyrinth so I have a lot of pent-up aggression right now."
Rin dusted off her skirt with a polite smile that did little to hide her foul mood. She tilted her head to the side and cracked her neck, amber eyes shining like molten gold underneath the moonlight.
"I hope you don't mind," Rin said with a sweet lilt and a venomous glare, "if I take it all out on you."