He was a bearded man who looked to be in his early thirties. His name was Xuo—and he wasn't alone. Walking beside him was a younger man, likely in his late teens, perhaps even younger. He went by the name Zuo.
"Xuo," Reiko replied calmly.
"You look troubled," Xuo said as they approached her. "What's bugging you?"
Beside him, Zuo lifted a hand and waved toward Rica. She noticed the gesture and hesitated for a moment, still calm, but clearly confused by her sister's behavior, before awkwardly raising her own hand and waving back.
Reiko didn't answer right away. She had no idea what she was supposed to tell him. She couldn't just admit that Hajime was missing, or worse, that he might be outside her barrier. Even if her posture remained composed, her eyes betrayed her. Something was clearly wrong.
Xuo noticed.
"Earlier," he said, his smile faintly glimmering, "you looked like something was bothering you. What was the problem?"
Reiko turned her gaze away, her expression still difficult to read. But the longer the silence stretched, the more that composure began to crack. A faint cyan glow seeped from her body, soft and unsteady, clinging to her like a thin veil.
Her mana had surfaced on its own. This was an instinctive response from her ana.
It pulsed gently, as if trying to smooth over what she couldn't hide, dulling the anxiety threatening to spill out.
Zuo frowned, his attention drifting across the area around them.
"Where's Hajime?" he asked.
The moment Zuo mentioned Hajime, Reiko flinched. At her side, Rica let out a small, uncertain murmur.
"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen him today either. Where is he?" Xuo added, scratching the back of his head.
Reiko's shoulders stiffened. She slowly shifted her gaze toward him,
Rica watched her sister for a moment, confusion flickering across her face. Then she looked back at Xuo, her voice wavering."…I—I think he went outside to get some water."
Before Rica could say more, Reiko pressed a hand firmly to her shoulder, holding her still. Her expression remained unreadable,
Her mana shifted, rising like curling smoke that wrapped around her form.
"Wait…" Xuo's voice cracked in surprise. "You're saying he went back to the village just to get some water?" His brow lifted as his eyes widened.
Inside the barrier, everyone was painfully aware of what was happening outside. That was why Xuo had sent someone to check on Reiko earlier in the village—she was the only one currently capable of maintaining a barrier. Nanako, the other person with such power, was far away in another kingdom, sightseeing and completely unavailable.
This is bad… If Nanako or Rin catches wind of this, we'll all face despair. I can't even imagine the look on Nanako's face. Xuo pictured her soft smile, her crimson eyes saying everything he didn't want to hear.
Fuck! He shifted his gaze across the training grounds, trying to assess how he could help everyone there before Hajime got himself killed.
With no clear solution in sight, his eyes fell on Rica. He offered a nervous smile, masking his growing worry. When did Hajime leave?" he asked.
After the self-revelation, he now knew why Reiko was acting strangely.
Rica glanced at her sister before replying, but Reiko remained still, doing nothing to stop her.
"I… ahhh… I, if I remember correctly, it was around when those people you—Reiko—shouted at started heading back," Rica explained, her voice hesitant.
Reiko cast her gaze downward, a pang of guilt settling in her chest. She felt the weight of her failure, of not being able to watch over someone, and her chest tightened as the cyan light of her mana curled faintly around her.
Zuo stood frozen, trying to make sense of the interaction between Reiko and Xuo. His brows furrowed in confusion, and for a split second, he rolled his eyes toward Rica, searching for some clue or explanation. But Rica's expression suggested she was in the same boat as him:
Xou instinctively gripped Reiko's shoulders and asked nervously. "Isn't there anything we can do about the people who attacked us earlier?"
Dark smoke began rising from him, curling and writhing like living shadows.
Those nearby couldn't help but notice it. Many instinctively recoiled, mistaking the aura for the knights bleeding into the barrier. But Reiko remained calm, her gaze steady, as if the darkness held no sway over her. This was probably because of her mana...
The hue of despair emanating from Xuo spread like a shadow over the others. Rica and Zuo, standing closest to him, felt their hearts tighten and a chill crawl up their spines.
"To be honest..." Reiko admitted softly, her voice trembling with uncertainty.
"To be honest…" Reiko admitted softly, her voice trembling with uncertainty.
"…I don't have any idea what to do." She pressed her lips together, and for a moment, tears began to stream down her face, glinting in the dim light.
Xuo eased his hands off her shoulders, giving Reiko a moment of space to collect herself.
Everyone was still reeling under the dark aura coming from Xuo.
Suddenly, the radiant light from Reiko began to glow even brighter.
Her mana spread through the training ground, but instead of burning away everything it came into contact with, it began healing and restoring everyone still affected by Xuo's aura.
Xuo stood dazed as Reiko's mana surrounded him, dispersing his dark energy by swallowing it into oblivion.
"Aumh…"
"Wh—what's that? Xuo asked, looking at Reiko with a surprised yet confused expression.
"Huh?" Reiko murmured.
She shifted her gaze to herself, only now noticing that she was glowing. She had no clue how this was happening because her mana was always invisible when something like this occurred.
Xuo then added, as Rica and Zuo regained their senses, those who had been disturbed by Xuo's dark energy.
"Your body… It's glowing."
Reiko's lips parted slightly, then she bit her lower lip.
"Glowing? What are you talking about?" she said, her eyes still focused on herself and feigning ignorance, afraid to admit that she was scared of how the Hajime situation was going to end.
"…Hmmm…?" Rica uttered as she slowly stood up. Then she continued.
"…Reiko, your body's glowing!" Her gaze remained fixed on Reiko.
"…What happened?" Zuo muttered, settling himself and rubbing his face.
Everyone's attention turned to Reiko. They looked at her with surprised, confused expressions. She shifted her eyes toward them, faking a smile.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" she asked.
Suddenly, small flowers of different colors began to bloom around her feet. She froze, staring down at them, then slowly lifted her gaze back to Xuo, Zuo, and Rica.
"…Ahhh… you're glowing?" Zuo stated the obvious as he turned to look at Reiko.
"So…? I always glow," Reiko said, turning toward the village.
"…You what?" Xuo asked, even more confused.
But Reiko didn't reply. She was busy trying to figure out a way to get outside the barrier without it collapsing once she stepped beyond it.
She let out a soft sigh. I need to calm down and think this through… But my body, my body won't stop releasing mana. It's hard enough knowing the village is under attack, but now I've got another problem right in front of me.
She shifted her gaze to her hands, watching as some of her mana danced there in drifting motes.
Out of options, she slowly began to step toward the village. But as she was about to take another step, Xuo suddenly appeared in front of her, stopping her from going any further. He knew what would happen if she left the barrier.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Move," Reiko said as the blank expression returned to her face. But Xuo didn't even flinch. He wasn't fazed by her expression.
Zuo and Reiko were just watching when Xuo, with a serious expression, said, "If you're going there to find Hajime… forget about it. I'll find him. You already know what would happen if you leave."
Reiko clicked her tongue in annoyance.
Xuo let out a soft sigh. "Listen, just stay here and make sure the barrier doesn't fall."
With that, he stepped to the other side of the barrier, leaving Reiko with her blank expression intact. He seemed to forget that Zuo was still there, but Zuo simply kept watch as Xuo disappeared from sight.
***
After hours of waiting for more villagers to show themselves. The knights had grown bored, so they just decided to leave.
They had captured one hundred and eight people, killed over three hundred in the village, and the only villagers still alive, and noticed by the knights, were the ninety who remained inside the barrier.
At the main gate of the village, more and more knights were arriving, escorting the people they had captured and placing them into cages made of iron bars. The bars were infused with magic, designed to withstand any type of offensive spell.
"I thought there'd be more of them," Mathew said, watching the villagers being locked into cages like wild animals.
Standing next to him was Rose, who had bound Hajime with a basic binding skill.
She looked both happy and annoyed.
Her eyes sparkled with delight as she gazed at Hajime, a wide grin tugging at her face while she quietly whispered a song under her breath.
Mathew looked at her with a disappointed expression. "You do know that's not your brother, right?"
"So what?" she replied, continuing to whisper the song under her breath.
"…You have to get over it… Your brother is dead. He's been dead for two months now," Mathew said bluntly.
But Rose continued to sing under her breath, ignoring him.
…Why do I always get paired up with her? Mathew wondered, glancing away from Rose.
...
"Move it, punk!" From a distance, one of the knights roared, striking one of the villagers.
The villager didn't listen. He tried to fight back, throwing a punch at the knight's stomach, but it was too weak to have any effect.
The knight hit him in the face, and a moment later, blood began to trickle from the villager's nose and mouth.
"Uhm…" Mathew murmured.
....
Moments later, Hajime slowly opened his eyes, shivering slightly.