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Mai ignored my attempt to lighten the tension with a joke and took a deep breath. In that moment, her expression changed, as if she had shed the mask of fear and uncertainty, replacing it with one of unwavering determination. It seemed as though the entire world around her had ceased to exist; everything that mattered was concentrated in this one point, in this moment where their fate was being decided. It was the right mindset, as only one thing mattered now — the completion of the ritual.
Maki stood nearby, her gaze fixed on her sister, and in her eyes, I saw a warmth and tenderness that I had rarely, if ever, witnessed in her before. There was so much hidden care and love in that look that it almost seemed like a completely different person was standing before me. She, who was usually tough, unyielding, and stern, allowed herself a moment to show just how much her sister meant to her.
This is true sisterly love…
As a "Provoker," I'm used to seeing through people, unraveling their intentions and emotions with startling accuracy, sometimes even better than they could realize themselves. So I had always known the true feelings of these two stubborn souls. Although they had chosen completely different paths to achieve the same goal — to be together — their own efforts had only driven them further apart, as if a chasm as wide as the gap between the world of ordinary people and the world of sorcerers had opened between them. It's funny and foolish, in my opinion, but ironically, it all came down to the fact that now each of them would have to sacrifice something for the other, which, in essence, reflects the nature of any deep relationship.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Maki asked, smiling at her sister, but there was a note of concern in her voice. "After all, according to this jerk, you'll become a truly powerful sorcerer… But is that what you've always wanted?"
Mai didn't answer right away. Her gaze seemed frozen, locked onto the horizon where the sea met the sky. For a moment, her eyes flickered over to me, but then she returned her focus to the blue expanse before her. There was clearly a fierce internal struggle going on in her mind, and I noticed her fingers tighten slightly, as if trying to grasp something invisible. Shaking her head, as if to cast off the last of her doubts, Mai slowly turned to Maki, her face set with firm resolve.
"We have no other choice," she said quietly but with conviction, her voice trembling not with fear, but with tension. "If we want to become stronger, if we truly want to protect each other, we have to go down this path. Besides, being a powerful sorcerer doesn't mean I have to live a sorcerer's life."
Maki nodded silently, understanding and solidarity in her eyes. She knew perfectly well that this ritual was their only chance to change their fate, the only opportunity to break free from the vicious cycle. Everything else, including the desire to live a normal life, had become secondary.
"Alright," Maki took a deep breath, as if gathering strength for the final push. "Let's begin."
They stood facing each other, and though it wasn't required, their hands instinctively reached out for one another. Their fingers intertwined, as if solidifying not just a physical connection but also their resolve to see this through to the end. I watched them, keeping in mind all the nuances of the ritual. First, I needed to strengthen their bond, and then I would witness their vow to confirm it before the forces that were watching us.
"So be it," I said, addressing those hidden from our sight. "Bear witness!"
At that moment, I felt our souls tremble, sending ripples through the Spirit World, invisible to the ordinary eye. Immediately afterward, my "Spirit Vision" detected swirling vortices of colorless energy forming around us, distorting the space as if it were being heated to the limit. The air around us grew dense, as if a thick, invisible fog began to envelop us from all sides.
Mai took a step forward, her hands trembling as she tightened her grip on Maki's fingers. Their clasped hands quivered with tension, and in that moment, I felt their souls begin to move in a strange way, as if dancing to a rhythm known only to them. This dance was like an ancient ritual, where every step and every movement was filled with deep meaning.
"I swear to give you all my cursed energy," Maki whispered, her voice like a breeze carrying a secret in the night. "And I will take on all the consequences that the Heavenly Restriction brings."
Mai closed her eyes, her breathing quickened, and her cheeks flushed with tension, but she didn't let go of her sister's hands. On the contrary, her grip became even tighter, as if she was drawing strength from this connection.
"I swear to accept your cursed energy and keep it within me," her voice was barely audible, but to me, as the witness of the vow, every word was crystal clear, as if it were being etched into stone within my consciousness.
"I bear witness!"
In that moment, everything around us suddenly fell silent, as if the world itself had held its breath. The sound of the waves ceased, the cries of seagulls stopped, and even our own breathing seemed to freeze in the air. It was a moment of absolute stillness, as if reality itself paused before something great and inevitable was about to happen. But this silence lasted only a second, a barely perceptible instant before the storm.
And then, in the next moment, I felt the ritualistic magic reach its climax. The vortex of spiritual energy that swirled around us suddenly shot up into the sky, forming a massive cone around us, like a waterspout pulling everything toward its center. Within this cone, as if in the eye of the storm, our souls were bound by invisible threads. At that moment, the souls of Maki and Mai reached a strange balance—a constant motion and indestructible stillness, a combination that seemed impossible but became a reality in this ritual. And once again, I realized that despite all my knowledge, I didn't truly understand a damn thing about this soul and Spirit World nonsense.
Suddenly, the space around us began to tremble and ripple, as if the very ground beneath us had gone mad. This time, even Maki and Mai felt it; their bodies reacted to the destabilization of the world around us.
"That was..." Mai began, but the words caught in her throat as she looked down at her hands. In her eyes was a mix of surprise and shock, as if she didn't recognize herself.
Maki didn't respond. Instead, she furrowed her brow, her breathing becoming surprisingly deep and measured. There was a new strength in her eyes — a crushing, tyrannical power that wasn't part of the usual path of a sorcerer. This strength seemed foreign, yet it belonged to her as if it had always been hidden inside, only now awakened.
"You did it," I said, trying to encourage the Zenin sisters, though my words sounded more like a tribute to their newfound power.
As a witness, I now held an invisible connection to these two, and through that connection, I was aware of everything that had happened to them. But before I could congratulate the girls, I felt the world around us beginning to return to its normal state. The space, shaken by magic, stabilized once more, and we found ourselves back in the same room where it all began. Only now, the candles that had been burning earlier were extinguished, leaving us in faint twilight.
However, the changes didn't stop there. Maki, standing before me, radiated such overwhelming pressure that it seemed to compress the air around her. It was something primal, beastly — a power difficult to describe with words. I felt a threat emanating from her, not like that of an ordinary sorcerer, but like that of a being that had transcended human limits.
Thank God I never met Toji… If Maki, who had just gained this power, already instilled such fear, what kind of monster had Toji Zenin been? I tried to imagine the abyss of strength he possessed, and the thought sent chills down my spine. Maki hadn't yet fully mastered her new power, but even in this state, her aura was enough to make anyone tremble before her.
On the other hand, Mai's aura was entirely different, though no less impressive. Her cursed energy, soft and enveloping, overflowed as if filling every cell of her body. She looked reborn, as if completing the ritual had given her a sense of wholeness she had never known before. Now, her presence felt all-encompassing, as if she had absorbed all the power that could ever belong to her.
"So," I said, looking at them with a mixture of admiration and anticipation, "ready for new challenges?"
Mai smiled wearily, her face showing relief, as if she was only now seeing what lay ahead. Maki, on the other hand, nodded confidently, her gaze filled with determination and strength, as if no trial awaiting her could ever break her. And considering her new power, that wasn't far from the truth.