The Price to pay

“Kuba is a top tier mage, not only does his magic outclass Sensei’s, not only is his mental discipline line no one else; his body alone is enough to defeat anyone without any need for magic…” Inori thought as she stood facing him, “But he’s taking caution, he doesn't know that I can’t use magic.”

The two stood no chance against him; he was one of the strongest guards. Only in a fight to death where every chance counts does the difference between those too weak to look down on anyone, and those too strong to take everyone seriously, show. Kuba—the mage who refused to give up on his humanity was most susceptible to such fallacies.

He observed as Inori moved around, looking for openings. He executed caution and care, watched her breath yet never forgot Seishiro who stood farther away than she did. The guard threw in attacks of his own to test Inori’s combat skills. Kuba’s skilled eye could not miss her obvious lack of battle experience. And his system reacted accordingly. To him, the best way to deal with unskilled fighters was offering them a quick and merciful death. His right hand quickly reached out to the girl’s arm while the other took the shape of a fist, ready to deliver one confident swing.

“It’s this feeling again, this sound… it’s magic, yet somehow unfamiliar.”

The man’s fist froze in place, literally—ice surrounded his hand spreading a sting throughout his skin; enough distraction for the girl to escape his grip.

“You sure took your time there,” she said joining Seishiro where he stood, “Now give me a stick.”

“Think about something long, sharp and balanced.” He spoke yet another spell which Kuba did not understand, crafting a light blade so sharp it seemed like it could cut through air itself. “Inori, careful with this one, I don’t like the look of it.”

While Kuba did not feel the boy was threatening—he still had an advantage as the two could not defend against his spells either—he certainly was annoyed.

As for the way Seishiro saw it, he was intrigued by the fact that Kuba defended from his teacher’s every attack, but all three of his own landed easily. “Maybe he doesn’t even recognise my spells?” To him, that was a mere assumption at best, but it was their best shot.

“I have an idea; you keep distracting him.”

“How?”

“Play smart, he probably still thinks you can use magic, use that and force his eyes off me.”

With a weapon in her hand, she moved in with more confidence; Inori had a better reach and could deal more damage even with the most trivial of swings. Even so, the match still looked unwinnable. She swung the piece of metal exposing herself for attacks after every swing. Her defences were so bad that it seemed intentional, which it mostly was.

Every time the foe would attempt to punish her recklessness, a spell from the edge of his field of view repelled him away. Despite the suspicion in her voice, Inori trusted Seishiro with her life and only focused on attacking. Even so, they seemed to make no progress. The mage saw and avoided the spells effortlessly and was left with enough time to deliver a killing blow. More often than not, Inori would be saved by her intuition and fast reactions instead of their coordinated attacks. Meaning a big part of what kept the two alive was luck—a loose cord to hang on.

Moreover, the fact that there was no exchange of blows meant that the winner was likely to be the fastest to adapt—a task much easier for the seasoned warrior than it is for the new-to-battle children.

It took no time for the difference in experience to win out, Kuba’s tempo dangerously approaching Inori’s. Until finally, he managed to hit her leg, that small break of pace all he needed to double down and finish the fight.

“Where are you looking, Kuba?” Screamed Seishiro from far away.

Just in the last second, Seishiro’s mind went blank as his lips moved the fastest they physically could. One’s casting skills were proportionate to how much they were willing to give away. Accordingly, allowing his mind to be completely taken over by Awako sent the boy into a state where he could quarrel even with the most notoriously powerful of mages. In no time, Kuba was cratered to a wall with heavy wounds, Seishiro letting out a wet, strangled… dreadful cough as blood leaked from his mouth.

Magic was limited after all, never by potential, but by sacrifice.

Inori stood up on her injured leg and walked towards the boy trying to help him stand up. “You did well, it’s okay, let’s get out of here.”

Facing up, blood chilled in her veins at the sight of Kuba. He was different; nothing like the calm efficient warrior he seemed to be before. He stood still a handful of feet away from her, and with some focus, she brought herself to see his eyes. His pupils were dilated, his vision drugged and shaken. She recognised his aura as soon as she got exposed to it. And it dawned on her that their chances of survival had hit a solid bottom; their entire strategy depended on Kuba holding back, meanwhile whatever possessed his body at the time cared very little about efficiency.

“S-Seishiro, can you run?”

He murmured a spell, the one which formerly blinded Kuba to create an escape route for his teacher, but this one was easily countered. “Y-yeah, we run.”

The two sprinted following Akihiko’s trail chased by a raging god-possessed Kuba. He left destruction behind him; his deadly spells made no distinction between friend and foe.

“We can’t defeat him in this state; we must find sensei,” said Inori, still running for her life.

“I will need a second, can you distract him one last time?”

She turned back and attacked him forcing a parry. Countering her, he kicked her leg once more to make sure she couldn’t escape, but it seemed like his luck had run out.

“So, you gave in after all, Kuba.” One strong beam of light pierced through the mage’s throat before he could lay his hand on the girl. His eyes slowly retuned into their former condition, the pain of death flowed into his mind along consciousness. He dropped on his knees and then laid dead on the ground.

Inori and Akihiko let out a sigh of relief, one interrupted by the wicked coughing of Seishiro’s. “Inori, take him out of here, quick!”

Teleportation was not on the list of magic spells for beginners.

She nodded and tried to stand up but fell right back down. “My leg, I think it’s broken.”

The teacher looked lost. The seal was up ahead, but to leave and break it could cost the life of his students. Ultimately, he decided to help Seishiro and Inori stand up and leave.

“What are you doing? Are you stupid?” she stopped him, “You have a seal to break, Shouta is in danger, remember?”

Right, that was the only reason I told them.

“Leave Seishiro here, find Yuusuke and do your thing.” She sat against a wall as the teacher put the boy next to her and left. Seishiro’s eyes were open, alive, but his body and voice disobedient.

“Hey, thanks for saving me, again.”

He did not answer, instead just rested his head on her shoulder.

“You know, I’ve had a lot on my mind lately. Mind if I talk something out?”

He nodded, barely.

“Sensei met Shouta about six years ago, yet he never mentioned anything about breaking the seal. I’ve been thinking, why now of all times?”

She grabbed a stone from the ground and threw it then continued, “It must have something to do with Yuusuke, right?” She then paused as if waiting for a confirmation, only to remember Seishiro couldn’t speak. “I would still happily put my life on the line for Sensei, but… That thing, Awako… just how many lives do we risk by freeing it?” She grabbed a stone once more, this time throwing it at Kuba’s dead body. “Look at him, you and I killed him, what for?”

Seishiro moved his hand awkwardly and stroked her head.

“Seishiro, answer me, are we the bad guys? Are we about to do something very wrong?”

“I-I don’t know.”

Akihiko walked Yuusuke towards the seal. “Ikehara, sorry for getting you involved in this.”

The boy looked at him with anger. “So, I’m a stranger now?”

They walked side by side, but their eyes did not meet.

“This could cost your life, boy. You’re different from the rest; they know the price and they’re ready to pay it.”

“Haya- Sensei, I’m not ready to sacrifice my life for you.”

“Then lea-”

“But Shouta treated me like a big brother, so did Himawari, Inori, and Seishiro.” He stood still. “I won’t leave my family to die, not again.”

They finally stood before the altar; the teacher put his hands on it and broke it in a similar fashion to the one before. Witnessing the pain of the baby never became trivial to him despite the many he killed. Akihiko felt guilty for the pain caused by the seal for more than two millennia. He never truly got used to it; every new loss felt fresh.

“Yuusuke, I need your help with something.”