Natasha's POV:
- Ufff. That should do it.
Exhausted, I fall to the ground on my butt while trying to stay awake. Although I am now able to extend my roots to a huge distance, the mental work that the task causes me always leaves me too exhausted. In fact, it wouldn't be the first time that I fell asleep during my training. Still, I have to keep practicing so that my teachers are proud of me.
- …Lately my teacher hasn't talked to me much… she seems too busy with something.
More or less after the meeting with the witches took place, my teacher has been hooked on a series of books that she spends day and night reading. The times when she is not in her room have also increased recently. Every time I ask her she just avoids the subject while stroking my head. I can't help but feel left out.
- I really wish my teacher would watch what I do from time to time…
Although I really want her to watch everything I am capable of now, I am afraid that I will disturb her if I interrupt what she is doing. Ever since I became a monster, my feelings had been practically erased while I maintained this strange calm. But lately some feelings of fear have invaded that calm. Seeing my teacher so far away makes me feel… anxious.
- Stupid teacher!
Taking advantage of my loneliness, I shout those words at the top of my lungs to try to turn off those unpleasant feelings that arise in me. A silence reigns around me as I try to vent my frustration. When I was preparing my lungs to scream again, a branch breaks at the edge of the Sunrose. In panic, I turn in the direction of the sound only to find a small child with a watch in his hand staring at me. His expression seems a strange mix of sorrow and melancholy as he watches me.
- Forgive me miss, I did not mean to bother you.
- Mia?
- Wow, did you know my name? I guess that makes things easier.
After saying that, the boy transforms into a tall, muscular woman in a matter of seconds. The change is so fast that I doubt my own vision for a second.
- As you can see, I was just passing by while stretching my legs. So you don't have to worry about me, continue with what you were doing.
- ... How much did you see?
- ... Since you fell to the ground?
Before I realized my actions, the flowers around Mia grew at a mind-blowing speed as they rushed towards her. Before she could react, her feet and hands were tied with dozens of roots. Tied from head to toe, Mia fell with her huge body to the ground only to let out a stupid voice tinged with surprise.
- But what...?
Before she could finish her sentence, I had already gotten close enough to her to be able to touch her head, now at ground level.
- ... Forget it.
- Huh?
- Forget it all, right now!
For some reason, my face boiled as an unpleasant feeling flooded my heart. A sudden desire to bury myself in the ground embraced me as I faced Mia. A moment after recovering from the surprise, Mia smiled at me while laughing out loud.
- You really have guts, miss!
- Just forget it please!
Determined, the roots grew back around me above my head until they formed something resembling a rudimentary stick with a protuberance at the tip. Still in a panic, I waved the stick, aiming at Mia's neck that was sticking out from its restraints. In one of my teacher's books, I had read that if a specific area of a person's neck was hit, they could lose their most recent memories. With that hope, I put more strength into the improvised club.
- Forget it please!
A powerful rumble hit the ground as it exploded from the force of the blow. A sudden rush of surprise and fear flooded through my being. Partly because the blow was much more powerful than I expected, but that wasn't all my surprise.
- G-gone!
Mia's huge body that should have been tied up on the ground was nowhere to be seen, only a pile of shredded roots scattered around the place. Before I could recover from the surprise, my head was grabbed and I was lifted off of it as a light but powerful pressure was exerted on my head. A few moans of pain came out of my mouth as I kicked and tried to break free from the powerful grip on my head.
- Come on miss, you don't need to kill me to hide your shame.
Mia complained to me as she pressed my head tightly. After a while, she sighed in resignation as she let go of my head and let me fall to the ground. The powerful pressure she exerted on my head didn't disappear even after she let go. A strange feeling remained where she had pressed with a throbbing pain running through my entire head.
- Are you calmer already?
Still with tears in my eyes, I nodded. After that, a stern look pierced me.
- You shouldn't carelessly attack people. If you attack someone like that, you won't be able to complain later if the person ends up killing you in return.
- B-but... I couldn't help it...
- Even if you say that, if it wasn't me you attacked but Emily like that, you would already be dead right now.
- Really...?
- Yes, she's always been quite extreme about such things.
The conversation suddenly died as I let the pain slowly pass. Mia, on the other hand, just looked at me with a strange look as I calmed down. After finally freeing myself from the pain, I faced Mia again.
- Mi... Miss Mia, could I ask you a question?
- A question?
- Yes... I would like to know how you were able to free yourself from my roots.
- How did I free myself?... By breaking them?
- But it shouldn't be possible for a human to break that many roots!
- Well, that was exactly your mistake.
- Huh?
- You assumed that this body belongs to a mere human, that was your mistake.
- Huh, it's not a mere human?
- Well, I guess I can't blame you for not knowing, but this body once belonged to Cassandra, the heroine of the storm.
- …. Whaaaat?!