“What did you just say?”

  Daigo asked while looking down on Yuzuriha who was still sitting on the cold grassy ground.

  “Uh…what?”

  “That word you used. ‘Hell’. What is…hell”

  He said it slowly the first time, as if rolling it around his tongue like something foreign. By the sound of his tone, he seemed genuinely curious about what the word meant.

  “Ah, right! About that…”

  The concept of hell is a fearsome realm of karmic punishment in her old world, ruled by Enma-O, the stern judge of the dead. Souls there endure torment like fire, ice or demonic torture for their sins.

  However, unlike eternal damnation, this suffering is temporary. It offers a chance of rebirth.

  Shinto’s underworld is darker and more passive. A shadowy land of decay basically. Hell in a sense is a moral warning, less about divine wrath and more about the consequences of one’s actions.

  ‘I don’t think he’s going to get any of that’

  Yuzuriha rubbed the back of her neck as she went back to her feet. If she wanted him to understand what she meant, then she would have to make it as simple as possible.

  “Uh, well, hell is this idea of a place where bad people go when they die. From there, they face eternal suffering. By fire”

  With that, she hoped she explained it well. But Daigo took a moment to process all of that then said.

  “...You cursed me to eternal fire?”

  He was dead serious when he asked that. She could tell by the drop of his voice.

  “What? No! No, no, no”

  She waved her hands frantically.

  “It’s just an expression! Like…something you blurt out when you’re startled or annoyed”

  “...An expression of what?”

  There was more confusion and curiosity in his tone that Yuzuriha gave up. She sighed.

  “Forget it. You’re just going to make it more confusing. What are you even doing sneaking up on me like that? You scared me”

  Not to mention he interrupted her practice. She was attempting to bring out the slime of the Azure Ooze, and just when she had almost achieved that, this guy rudely interrupted her.

  His nose twitched. He really kept his gaze sharply at her for some reason. Since she couldn’t see people’s features, she couldn’t tell what expression he was making. But if she had to guess, it would be a narrowed gaze.

  “What are you?”

  Instead of answering her question, he followed up with his own question. That was a bit rude but she didn’t let it get to her, as she was confused by what he was asking.

  “What am I? I’m human I guess—”

  “You don’t smell like one. Your scent is different from any of the humans and creatures I’ve met in my lifetime. Your own is strange”

  Yuzuriha wasn’t sure whether to take that as a compliment or an insult.

  One one hand, maybe he was saying she smelled nice…on the other, maybe he meant she stank way worse than anyone he’s ever met.

  The thought did not sit right with her, and in the mind of an overthinker, it could spiral into something dangerous.

  Just to confirm, she asked.

  “Are you saying I smell nice? Or you think I stink?”

  But the demon didn’t bother to answer her question.

  “Well, if you must, I’ve got a pretty good sense of smell too, you know”

  She said while patting her nose with a smug little smirk.

  Daigo didn’t so much as twitch in amusement. He didn’t bite! He closed their distance slowly and repeated the question in a sharper tone. The air between them seemed to tighten.

  “What are you?”

  Ok, this is getting serious now. Yuzuriha could tell that much. She felt her muscles tense, her mind scrambling to find an answer she wasn't sure she even had but nothing came up.

  He wasn’t asking for who she is so he didn’t want her name, more rather, what she was.

  ‘What does that even mean?! I already told him I’m human!’

  As Daigo got closer, she instinctively started to take steps back.

  “Tell me what you are. I won’t allow an unknown creature to put my comrades in danger”

  Yuzuriha felt her shoulders stiffen even more. Something about the way he said it this time made her skin crawl, her heart race and her breathing heavier, she was…afraid.

  And this scene looked familiar, dreadfully familiar.

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  “Uh, hey, you’re going to have to explain what you mean by that. Maybe I can give you a proper answer, yes?”

  Daigo didn’t answer her, each step he took rapidly erased the distance between them.

  “S-stay back. I’m not kidding. If you come any closer, I’ll scream. My older sister isn’t far you know”

  Again, there was no response. Even when she tried to sound fierce, her voice came out thin on the first word.

  “I mean it! I’ll really—”

  She bit back the last word when she realized it wouldn’t matter. Trying to talk to him now seemed pointless. She didn’t understand why he was doing this or what he thought she was, but the thought of him getting his hand on her twisted her stomach.

  Her mind toyed with the idea of fighting him off, but the reminder she got hit hard. Yuzuriha was in the body of a small, frail thirteen year old girl. Against a literal monster like Daigo, she would be nothing more than a cornered rabbit.

  That left her with one option.

  If she screamed for help while making a break for it, Marcille or anyone from Duskfall would hear her. She was sure of it.

  However she never got the chance. Daigo’s hand clamped around her wrist and yanked her back when she tried to run. His other hand covered her mouth before she could make a sound.

  With that, she knew she was done for.

  ‘Ah! I’m screwed!’

  Her heart slammed against her ribs as her mind spiraled through the worst possibilities. She shut her eyes tight and braced herself for whatever was coming next.

  But it never came…nothing happened.

  She stayed frozen for a few seconds more before opening her eyes. Confused, she turned her head slightly toward him and saw something strange.

  Daigo’s astris which was dominating a few moments ago now rippled with fear. He wasn’t looking at her, rather, his attention was fixed somewhere above her.

  To make matters more confusing, he was trembling.

  That was when she realized that the man who had dragged her like she was prey was now afraid.

  She took this opportunity to break free from his hold and he collapsed to his knees like his strength had drained out all at once.

  “What…?!”

  Believing that there might be a horror looming over her, she quickly spun around to confirm it herself. But there was nothing there, other than the grassy field scenery, there was only empty space.

  She frowned and turned back to him, her confusion sinking even deeper when she felt his astris quake as he rasped a single word.

  “...Monster”

  And then he went limp, falling into the dirt. Unconscious.

  ***

  The sun had barely cleared the eastern ridge when everyone had gathered in the clearing. The scent of cooked food and woodsmoke still clung to the air. It was a little chilly, but breakfast had some warmth to it.

  Just like last night, everyone had gathered around a camp and ate their fill of rice porridge and dried meat. Now, with packs slung and weapons checked, it was time to part ways.

  Lu Shuren and his men stood in a neat line opposite to Duskfall, their breath visible in the morning chill.

  They had different goals, unclear as they may have been and they weren’t heading in the same direction either. This was a good thing cause even if they felt generous enough to lend them a hand in their mission, it would be suicide.

  The rural city of Fens had monsters called Fallen Souls, potentially dangerous too if they needed individuals as strong as Duskfall to take care of them. And besides, they got easily beat by Arthur who wasn’t even trying.

  Those creatures would definitely eat them alive.

  Temperance knew that separating them was the best decision.

  In response, Lu Shuren stepped forward with his hands folded behind his back.

  “Vultures of Duskfall. Though our time together was brief, it was not without meaning. This road, littered with peril and hardship is rarely graced with companions of your calibre. To have shared fire and breath alongside you, is a fortune this unworthy one shall not soon forget”

  He inclined his head in a perfect bow.

  “In this fire, fate grants us few meetings worth remembering. Yet I believe this, here, will be carried in my memory until my final breath. Should the heavens allow, may our paths cross again, not as strangers bound by circumstance, but as allies, free from the shackles of danger. Until then, walk with vigilance, and may your shadows fall short. Humanity above all!”

  The leader, Temperance returned the bow with a polite nod and possibly a smile playing at her lips.

  “We will take your words to heart, Lu Shuren”

  The men behind him nodded and muttered their own farewells, some even clasping hands with members of Duskfall before stepping back.

  Meanwhile, Yuzuriha was standing slightly behind Marcille. She firmly held on to the hand of her older sister and had her head lowered as though she feared the morning light might expose her.

  The events of earlier today still lingered in her mind. Of course, she told nobody, including Marcille in fear of what might happen. She was already carrying enough burden as is and part of that was because of Yuzuriha.

  And besides, all of it could have been just a misunderstanding.

  Even though it brought back some unpleasant memories from her previous life, she still couldn’t shake off the question Daigo was asking, what it could have meant and what scared him so much to the point of calling her a monster?

  Those unanswered questions were another reason she chose to keep quiet.

  At the far back of Lu Shuren’s group was Daigo, his gaze fixed on the dirt as if it was the most interesting thing he had ever seen. His astris didn’t change much from earlier, there were still shades of fear around it.

  He hadn’t spoken to Yuzuriha since it happened nor looked at her. Truthfully, she couldn’t bring herself to face him either.

  “Yor, are you okay?”

  Yuzuriha snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Marcille who was glancing down toward her. Without realizing it, she was squeezing her older sister’s hand. She loosened her grip and said quickly while forcing her lips into a smile.

  “Oh, it's nothing. I’m ok. I promise”

  The smile she forced out was thin and brittle, but it was all she could manage. And by the looks of it, it was enough to convince Marcille that she was indeed fine.

  Honestly, she didn’t know herself.

  With their goodbye said, Lu Shuren and his men turned away, their silhouettes growing smaller with each step until the morning mist swallowed them entirely. By the looks of it they were travelling by foot since they didn’t have a carriage or any other sort of transport.

  Temperance adjusted her coat and instructed everyone to get into their carriages and prepare to head out.

  “Fens awaits!”

  The road to Fens was a long one, the kind of distance that would be complete insanity for anyone to travel there by foot. Luckily they rode on horse drawn carriages in the same assortment as the first time.

  The horses snorted every so often, and the jolts of the carriage rattled through the wooden frame as they crossed uneven stones.

  Yuzuriha sat next to Marcille, who kept her hands folded in her lap. She was striking up a conversation with Agnes about pointless stuff, Yuzuriha deemed it as the reason why she didn’t bother to listen in.

  Tobias was just as detached as she was. His focus entirely on the book in his hand.

  The ride was nice, but the memories of Daigo kept surfacing in. And so, to distract herself from them, she focused on something else.

  With her already closed eyes, she went back to refining her vision.

  She expanded the circle of astris once again, but this time she tightened the perimeter of her reach, shrinking it into a controlled circle that extended only a few meters beyond her.

  The smaller it was, the clearer the details would be.

  She could see the wooden frame of the carriages as skeletons of pressure lines and density, each beam and nail distinct in texture. The horses pulling them had a constant steady pulse, their muscles bulging with power…..horse power.

  That little joke lightened her chest a bit.

  Hours passed like this until it was time to do a followup. She contracted the circle until only the inside of the carriage existed to her. Then, she expanded it outward in careful bursts to take in the road further ahead, and that’s when she saw it.

  They were nearing the rural city of Fens.

  To accompany that, a voice rang at the back of her mind.

  ?? Congratulations. You have attained the Spirit Art: [Field Vision] ??