Chapter 14

Yayoi’s eyes snapped open. She touched her body all over. She peeled herself out of her ink patch, getting on her feet with her hands raised and winds surging around her. Saying that she’s out for blood would not be an understatement.

Teri met her, breathing low and slow. More like glanced and ignored. He’s sitting in front of her and Taku. Eyes sharp and focused; there was some kind of aura enveloping his body, some kind of translucent energy. And for every tired puff of air, it surged and pulsed. He looked borderline cool. But the next second came, and he gasped, clutching his chest like he’s having a heart attack, and fell over backwards. Yayoi could’ve kicked him to see if he’s still alive, but Teri raised his hand to tell her that he’s okay.

“That…” Teri mumbled as he pulled himself back. He smiled at Yayoi without much thought and wiped the blood off his nose. “That wasn’t it.”

“Getting nosebleeds at the sight of me is flattering, really. Though Taku did say you like men, so…” Yayoi sat cross-legged in front of Teri. “Two questions. How long have I been asleep? What the hell have you been up to?”

“I like women,” Teri said firmly.

“I see.”

Teri sighed. “It doesn’t sound convincing, huh?”

“Yes,” Yayoi replied, smiling and about to break into a chuckle. She cleared her throat. “Though, do answer my question. Please.”

“You’ve been asleep for roughly four hours. Considering how well you’ve been sleeping, I thought I’d see you at around hour seven or eight.” Teri pulled some bread for his backpack, broke it in half, and gave the larger piece to Yayoi. “Never crossed my mind to wake you up. Thought that you needed it more than us.”

Yayoi picked up the bread with both hands, giving it a faint smile. “How about Taku?”

“Oh, I tried waking him up. I tried shaking him. I tried rolling him. I tried slapping his cheeks. His ass—”

“See, now I’m doubting you again.” Yayoi smiled at him. “Why would you slap a sleeping man’s ass?”

Teri sighed and raised both his hands. “I have no defense, your honor.” Both of them laughed. “Seriously though. The guy can’t wake up. At some point, I thought about checking if he’s still alive. He is… But I’d rather not risk waking you up and get killed in the process. And I was bored so…”

“So?”

“Remember our last fight? I tried to get back to the feeling I got when I was fighting those rats. I sort of got a hint when I watched you do the Scan spell.” Teri continued. “At first, I thought it was just the wind. But some kind of energy lingered on my body—or my body had that energy and reacted to yours or something. Back then, when I focused on that sensation, it cleared my thoughts and I became more deliberate, more powerful with my actions. It felt badass. Well, it did break my body. But I wanted to see if I could tap into it again and here we are.”

Yayoi cupped her chin. “So now, you’re just breathing with it?”

“Baby steps,” Teri replied. “I also tried jogging, but I ended up running like the wind—like record level fast. But once I lost focus, the pain came to me and I had to crawl my way back here.”

“Aura… huh?” Yayoi whispered. She cupped her chin. And upon taking a deep breath, she summoned a wave of energy, starting from her heart and extending to envelop her entire body. Compared to Teri’s, it’s more flowy, intact, and pronounced. “I haven’t tried doing this deliberately… This is hard,” Yayoi chuckled. “I’m barely hanging on… But how does this look? Is this what you’re trying to do?”

“I’m convinced that you’re doing this to spite me.” Teri snorted and rubbed the back of his neck. The feeling she gives off is different; it feels like she’s defining her very own existence, compared to him who’s like a candle fighting to keep their flames going. “Yes, actually. That’s what I was trying to do, but I feel like I’m missing something. Is this related to what you’re going to tell us about this… power?”

“You are. And you’re right again,” Yayoi smiled, taking a slower, deeper breath and making her aura appear more stable. “Taku is asleep, so I’ll talk more about it later. And maybe as… thanks.” Yayoi’s smile didn’t appear murder-y, at least. “Also maybe because I’d also be bored to death if you decided to sleep too. And besides, would it be nice if Taku wakes up to us being able to do this already? Imagine the look on his face! So, I’ll teach you. But for starters… have you watched anime before?”

“Have heard of it.”

“So that’s not a yes, which means a no.” Yayoi sighed. “Don’t tell Taku I know anime, it would probably send him over to the moon. Anyway… If you don’t know, then that’s okay. What have you been doing so far?”

Teri clutched his chest. “I try to find this sensation within me. Then, I try to focus on it.”

“Focus on it, how?”

“Thinking… about it… harder?”

Yayoi squinted. “I see.”

“You’re judging me again.”

“Oh, definitely.” Yayoi widened her smile. “Let’s just do this. Try to imagine this sensation within you as something. It must be something you can stretch, mold.”

“Like a pizza dough?”

“Oddly specific,” Yayoi chuckled, “but that’s actually valid.”

“I’ve seen commercials on TV.”

“I see, I see. Then, picture it,” Yayoi continued. “The clearer it is in your head. The better. For example, look at me… What do you think I tried to use?”

“Water?”

“Right,” Yayoi replied. “I imagined my spiritual body touching this essence and spreading it to create a picture of myself on the beach, admiring the sea, and thinking about being enveloped by its waves and swimming on it.”

“Thanks. Let me take a crack at it. Let’s see what happens.”

Teri closed his eyes and breathed low. The more he focused on this essence, the more he forgot the existence of the room around him—the paper floors, the roses, the ink. Gone. He wondered why Yayoi used the sea. Maybe it was a pleasant memory. Or a dream. Hope? But he didn’t have all that. He imagined his own body. He stretched his hand but hesitated touching this essence. For a moment. But he had to, if it meant increasing their chances of survival. He touched it. He remembered his home. Trash everywhere he looked. Smoke coming from the ground, devoid of memory if someone did actually start a fire. Smoke. The very same his mom puffed as she hugged him, in tears and telling him that everything was going to be okay. Teri stretched his hand further. His essence greeted him. And instead of taking it, he found himself within it, with the sensation itself clinging to his skin.

“I think I got—” Teri opened his eyes. Yayoi was in front of him, her face frozen and her eyes glistening. “What… What happened?”

“You were crying… you idiot,.” Yayoi said, almost punching him in the shoulder. “But… that was cool.”

Teri raised his right arm. This aura of his seemed more pronounced, not taking a dark gray color, sometimes turning black. But it seemed more calm and bubbly compared to Yayoi’s. “So, what does this look like to you?”

Yayoi gave him a melancholic smile. “A fire that reminded me of home.”