Despair

Calm down… you’re still you, I thought. Despite everything that’s happened, analyze the situation and act accordingly. I have to understand what kind of Ability is emanating this energy from this being.

Let’s go!

…What kind of sinister feeling was that? It seemed like this thing was here and not here at the same time. Was it some illusion Ability combined with something else?

“You look nervous. There’s no need for that. Why don’t we introduce ourselves? Our name is Dies Saturni. From what I can see, you’re the strongest around here,” the fourth face said. “But you don’t seem to be from around here. Where are you from?”

“That is none of your business.”

“Yeah? I see. Well, at least tell me what your abilities are. We’re in a hurry. Answer me.”

“As if I—”

Even before I could finish speaking, a hand materialized near me. It was black and purple, normal-sized but with an unnaturally stretched wrist, extending directly from their body to touch my shoulder.

I felt a sinister energy surge through me, as if something were actively reading my thoughts.

“Effusion!!!” I shouted, dissipating my energy into the air and disintegrating the hand that touched me.

“Oh,” the second face said, sounding surprised. “Beautiful execution of the effusion technique. Excellent.”

“Okay, let’s take this more seriously.”

Then, several hands began to materialize, lunging straight toward me. I quickly backed away. I couldn't waver against an attack like that for even a second, so I called out:

“Air Ability! Evasive style! Turbulent Flow!!!”

I cut the air in various directions with rapid movements of my sword. The hands couldn’t move straight toward me because of the heavy air ripples I created, causing them to lose control and veer off into different, conflicting directions.

I took the chance to hide behind a nearby tree. When the hands finally reached the place where I had been, I was already gone.

“He’s not there anymore. Did he run away?” the third face asked.

I was already dozens of meters in the air above them and the waterfall. I had executed a super-fast jump, using immense thrust to compress the air beneath my feet to push myself upward. Floating in the sky, I gently descended, appearing right behind them to execute another technique:

“Air Ability! Cutting style! Laminar Flow!!!”

I pointed my sword straight at them, making rapid thrusting movements as if I were stabbing the air itself. This compressed the air in their direction, slicing through the space in dozens of places.

However, immediately after the strike connected, the entity disintegrated and dissipated completely.

As I imagined, this thing is like some kind of ghost or projection. Its physical body isn’t actually here.

“Not exactly,” a voice echoed.

Several hands materialized from behind, locking tightly around my arms and legs, squeezing me with immense force.

“You can feel me crushing you, right? Do I look like some ghost or projection to you now?”

“Argh...” I groaned, trying to resist and release my energy, but it wasn't working.

“You have beautiful movements and technique—a great execution.” I looked back with difficulty, straining my neck, and saw that the entity had reappeared right behind me. “You are a great user of Air. Strong, but not quite strong enough to be the problem I was looking for.”

His hands released me. I turned around quickly. I was certain that specific voice belonged to the first face. His arms, which had seemed so stretched out, now retreated back into that strange, shifting body.

“He has no control over any other abilities?” the fifth face asked.

“No, he only controls the Air,” the first face replied. “Let’s go.”

His body began to disintegrate, turning into shadows that melted into the surrounding vegetation.

“What a pity. You are lucky,” the third voice whispered. “Although, 'lucky' might not be the right word, considering what is about to come.”

“Goodbye!” the entity said in a haunting chorus of mixed voices.

I didn’t understand what had just happened… I remained in a combat stance, warily watching the environment for almost a full minute.

Finally, I relaxed my posture and took a deep breath. There was no longer any trace of its energy.

“It's gone…” But what kind of thing was that? I couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of Ability combinations would result in something like that.

I jumped into the water and swam to the opposite shore, lost in thought. I had seen many kinds of users with unusual Ability combinations, but nothing quite like this.

I climbed out of the water, sheathed my sword back into its scabbard, and muttered to myself while drying off:

“It seemed like he just wanted to test me, to see my abilities. Either way, he wasn’t looking for me. However, what he said at the end, about something to come…”

I would have to be much more attentive from now on.

“Ah, so you are here,” someone said, approaching.

I turned quickly, but this time it was only Cian—a middle-aged man who served as Mr. Bricius’s trusted security guard.

“Ah, it’s you…” I said, calming my racing pulse.

He watched me in silence. “…You look scared.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Well, I just came to let you know that tomorrow I’ll have to go pick up the boss’s daughter. He will personally make a delivery of goods to one of his most loyal clients in town, and you’ll be going with him.”

“…Okay, got it.”

He turned and walked away, throwing a suspicious glance back at me. I spent a little more time staring at the clearing, trying to better understand what had just occurred, or perhaps hoping something else would happen. In the end, everything remained quiet, and I walked back to the farm.

////////

I slept terribly that night, but I still had to get up on time. After all, I had to accompany Mr. Bricius into the city.

By morning, I was already standing at the farm gate.

“Everything is ready, Mr. Bricius,” I said, arranging the sacks of food in a large wagon.

“Okay. Did you leave the new chair I requested from the craftsman in my daughter Winifred’s room?”

“Yes, as requested.”

“Good. Come on, we need to leave the town by late afternoon at the latest.”

“Yes, sir.”

The farm gates opened, and we set off toward the southern town of the region. I still felt deeply uneasy about what had happened to me the previous day.

We followed the path for a few hundred meters until we left the dirt road and merged onto an imperial highway. Ahead, we spotted a small detachment of soldiers from the Mora Empire marching down the road. They caught sight of us and signaled for our wagon to stop.

Mora soldiers around here are incredibly rare. This is bad… if they check us, it’s over for me. After all, I’m a deserter from the Mora Empire.

I quietly placed my right hand on the hilt of my sword.

What do I do now?