'What have I gotten myself into again?" Kurumi thought, stretching her back. The tendons and muscles cracked as she breathed a sigh of relief. The events were hard to put into words. One moment, she sunbathed on a rooftop, half asleep, and suddenly, rotten old walls surrounded her with an indescribable stench that made even rotten eggs seem harmless.
"I've never experienced a spider greeting me," muttered Kurumi. "But more important, am I the real me, or is my original still basking in the sunlight without a care in the world? Mhh... There's no other me in my shadow, so probably the latter. Hihi, then I've hopefully disturbed your sleep."
Will the original ever find out what the light was all about? Probably not. Kurumi clenched her fists and looked at herself from all sides.
'Even my body feels different,' she thought. Something warm flowed peacefully over a connection of Laila's and spread through channel-like pathways under her skin. Was that magical energy? It almost felt like a second set of veins that ran parallel to her bloodstream and led back to her heart. However, there was no other heart there. Rather, she wanted to describe it as a magical core, or rather, a spiritual organ.
"My dress, too?" Her fingers slid through the soft fabric, which glistened with every movement. Kurumi stretched her body again. The summoning had drained her more than she initially expected. But perhaps she just had to acclimate to the physical changes. The magic circle she followed to this world was deeply engraved in her mind. However, she did not understand how it worked. Could Laila help her with this?
Some information still suddenly appeared in her consciousness without her being able to explain where it came from. Gaps formed in her thoughts, as if someone had purposely erased the text. Something was missing, yet she tried to piece the fragments together.
"A war to fulfill a wish. That's a bad joke, isn't it? It's just too good to be true. Maybe I can fix everything in my home world... But there has to be a catch?" One finger plucked at her dress while she tilted her head. Then she looked at Laila.
"Maybe I should have searched for someone else if I was seriously thinking about winning," she murmured softly. "Why did I drag you into this? It's not like me."
Suddenly, she remembered Laila's trembling body and paused. The poor little girl looked so helpless and desperate. It hurt to see someone in such a state. Hadn't she once been so innocent as well? Maybe that was the reason.
'Like a cat that had already given up on escaping,' her hand unconsciously patted Laila's head. Then Kurumi noticed something glittering on the floor. She carefully reached for a glass hair clip. The gray powder inside swirled before she plucked a few pink hairs from her teeth and then placed it on the bedside table.
"Amalia was it... Maybe I should check the hotel again. She can't have disappeared without a trace."
Kurumi had to be more vigilant. Something orchestrated the whole thing. But who knew? Was it still watching them? No, that was impossible as long as they stayed in the shadows. Did the Grail offer the summoning? Possibly, but Kurumi shook her head; this was certainly not a coincidence. First, the monster and then a servant.
'Perhaps the shock has also muddled her memory; then I must treat her knowledge with even more caution.
Laila's pale face had gained a little color in the meantime. Did she even notice her physical and mental exhaustion? Probably not. Even now, Laila still shivers in her sleep, hiding the bruises and scratches on her skin. Kurumi grabbed the blanket. A few pieces of paper tumbled to the floor.
"This is going to be difficult. After all, I've decided to take responsibility for her safety, and I know practically nothing about our enemies..." Then she laughed softly."What a great start! Hopefully, I'll think of something. After all, I've always survived everything on my own. Why would I need help now?'
She shook the blanket one last time. The last bits of paper rustled out of the cover before she threw the blanket over the bed like a parachute. Laila instinctively grabbed the fabric and hid under it so that not even her head was visible.
"Poor little..."
Inside her shadow, Kurumi was sure that nothing could happen to Laila. A small portal opened on the wall. With a flick of her finger, she sent a pulse to the other side. For a brief moment, she felt the entire building like an echo. Collapsed walls, ceilings, and a lot of threads. When nothing responded to the pulse, she enlarged the portal and found herself in the ruined hotel. The servant must have retreated. She listened briefly and heard only the creaking of the wood. The menacing white threads were still swinging from the ceiling and sticking to the floor. However, they seemed less, or was she just imagining it?
Without making a sound, Kurumi hurried from door to door, taking a quick look inside. Almost every single room resembled a cocoon. Threads hung everywhere. The blankets were half-slipped off the bed and stuck to the frame. But there wasn't a single person. She could only recognize the imprints on the mattress. Had the servant destroyed all the evidence?
Kurumi shook her head. Such enormous cobwebs were more than suspicious, but they remained untouched. Perhaps the man had just come by chance or was responding to a call for help from the students. But it doesn't explain what had happened to everyone else. Were their bodies still here when she fled the hotel with Laila? Kurumi cursed; she should have checked.
The magical energy pulsated in the building. Much more than was the case outside. Her senses couldn't feel anything through it. It was almost like a dense fog. She could only trust her eyes and hearing.
Finally, Kurumi found herself back in the hallway. Suddenly, she noticed something in the corner of her eye. A clear cut split the wood. Squatting down, her fingertips traced the crack. Magical energy danced across each nail. Hadn't she disappeared into her shadows in that place half an hour ago?
Without a doubt, the servant had thrust his weapon into the darkness. But how could the ground be damaged?
"That's not good," she muttered. Until now, her shadow had always provided a hiding place from the outside world. But perhaps that had changed. Maybe it wasn't a safe place after all.
The three ley lines were still pulsating in the night sky, obscuring the stars. Only the moon sometimes peeked out from behind the veil. The skyscrapers loomed in the distance while the windows reflected the nightlight.
To the north was a sea with a small harbor. A strong wind blew through her hair, trying to sweep her off the roof. Far to the south stood a dark church. But no matter where she looked, the forest formed a natural border.
"Zafkiel," she whispered, her voice choked by the wind. A flintlock pistol formed between her fingers. "Tet."
It clicked before she pressed the barrel of the gun to her temple and pulled the trigger. A shadow fell out of her and took the shape of a person before it hit the roof tiles. The figure lay still. A dress wrapped around her body before the skin shimmered in the aurora light.
"Surely you could help me scout the area to find a temporary shelter," Kurumi asked, smiling at her clone. "After all, we can't let Laila sleep in my shadow permanently."
The woman rose from the ground with a soft laugh.
"Of course, that goes without saying."