Strange thoughts and healing (part 2)

"Marcus! Report."

"Captain!" Please don't scream so close to my ears. "Eight survivors relatively unharmed, seventeen casualties, red flare over there."

We all look in the direction he points. A thick trail of red smoke is rising into the sky.

Huh, red means an emergency signal, if I remember correctly? I help the young knight to his feet. This time, I only fuse his broken bones together the way they would have healed naturally to save energy. Though curiously, I don't feel my magic reserves diminishing in the slightest.

"We will honor the fallen when the battle is over. Move!"

"YES, CAPTAIN!"

The captain looks at me. "Miss, I shouldn't ask a civilian to fight, but your skills would be invaluable. You will be rewarded if—"

"Lead the way," I say, daring to interrupt him.

"Right."

As we hurry through the deserted streets, I realize I didn't even flinch at interrupting a high-ranking officer. Adrenaline, maybe? Even I can tell this is no time to worry about polite manners.

A few blocks later, we find a massive crowd of fighters surrounding perhaps a hundred creatures, keeping them trapped inside an enormous ring of blue fire.

"Ah," I mumble. I look around, and the knights I arrived with are already gone, seamlessly blending into the chaotic mix of wizards, soldiers, and other combat roles I don't fully understand.

The blue flames are keeping the monsters at bay, but they don't seem to be doing much actual damage. Over the deafening crackle of the fire, I spot a few of the massive variants among the black, hellish mass.

"Seina!?"

I turn around just in time to see Nicole sprinting toward me, rudely shoving several people out of her way.

"Nico— OW OW OW OW! STOP!" I yelp as she suddenly pinches and tugs my ear. Even if she thinks it's a light pull, fox ears are incredibly sensitive! Imagine someone forcefully pinching your nipples; yes, it feels exactly like that, but a lot worse!

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?"

"Calm down! And let me go! I can kill them, look!" I protest, conjuring a swirling ball of darkness in my palm to prove my point, while my other hand frantically rubs my poor, battered ear.

She releases me immediately at the sight of the magic. It's been ages since I last heard her yell like that. I know it means she was terrified for my safety, which warms my heart, but her unusually loud voice still makes my fur stand on end.

"Did you just have a second awakening!?"

"Yes! And I can use it to heal, somehow," I say, relieved as her furious scowl instantly transforms into giddy excitement.

But the excitement is short-lived as reality sets back in.

"You got hurt," she states flatly, taking in the sight of my messy fur and my torn, filthy clothes.

"Yeah... Sorry, I got a little careless and one of the big ones hit me. I managed to block it, but it still sent me flying. I healed myself, though! Look!"

Proud of my handiwork, I lift up my ruined shirt and sweatshirt. My pink bra is a little frayed in the middle, but otherwise, my pale skin is completely flawless, save for a smudge of dirt.

"We're outdoors."

"Ah!"

My mind goes completely blank. I was so relieved to see Nicole that I completely forgot we were standing in the middle of a crowded street. Most people are focused on the burning monsters, but there are still plenty of bystanders around.

"No! Let me see properly," my cousin insists, lifting my clothes right back up to inspect my chest.

'A... a... a... aaaAAAAAAAHHH!'

Drawn by our sudden shouting, I can feel the weight of several people staring right at me! Most of them quickly look away or keep walking, but a few of them are definitely staring!

"I'M FINE, THAT'S ENOUGH!" I squawk, slapping her hands away. She finally lets go, but my face is burning so hot that it won't return to its normal color for a week.

"Huh. I don't remember the last time I heard you scream," Nicole notes, slowly regaining her usual lazy, half-lidded expression. "Whatever. I had to make sure. Auntie would kill me if something happened to you."

"I told you I was perfectly healed, didn't I!?"

"Well, yes, but you're exactly the type to hide your pain behind a smile."

"... What is everyone waiting for here, anyway?" I grumble, snapping my head away to change the subject.

"There are too many of them to wipe out at once, but we figured out they're afraid of extreme heat. That's what the blue flames are for; we managed to corral them, but maintaining this spell is exhausting. To avoid casualties, the mages are taking turns keeping the fire alive until reinforcements arrive."

We both look at the writhing black mass of death trapped in the blazing circle.

"Well, from the rooftops, I killed all the stray ones I could find, but there might be more roaming around. I'll help clear this out," I tell her.

"Oh? I need to see this," she says, stepping closer to get an unobstructed view of the carnage.

Mmm... There are a lot of them. Still, I feel like I have an ocean of magic left. In fact, using my darkness doesn't feel draining at all. But I'll play it safe and hold some back just in case.

I raise my hand toward the screeching monsters and picture a sharp sword in my mind... Hm, no. I think a sword would work, but I've never held one in my life, so the magic might not manifest as sharp or sturdy as it should.

Let's focus on something deeply familiar instead.

I picture the absolute sharpest thing I've ever seen: concertina wire. The jagged scars on my dad's and brother's hands were a constant, brutal reminder to never go near that devilish spool of razors we kept at home. Who could have invented something so malicious? Regular barbed wire is more than enough for a farm!

Luckily, we got rid of it since one of Dad's workers brought his little girl along to help sometimes.

Recalling the exact afternoon I helped bandage my brother's dripping, bloodied hand, I manifest a razor-thin blade of condensed dark magic. It stretches out wide enough to sweep across the entire street. A colossal, horizontal scythe hovering right at knee level.

Once I feel the darkness solidify, I snap it forward, sweeping it straight through the creatures' legs.

And...

SCHZZZT!!

It works flawlessly.

Ignoring how the cacophony of roars instantly shifts from rage to high-pitched agony, I dedicate half my focus to pushing the blade with all my might, and the other half to keeping the magic strictly contained within the ring of fire.

With a blade this wide, it would be dangerously easy to amputate an allied mage standing too close to the flames.

Within moments, I sever the legs of nearly every monster in the circle, incidentally decapitating a few unlucky ones that had their heads too close to the ground.

Success! Well, not entirely dead yet, but severely crippled and vulnerable. I'll take a quick breather and then go help the wounded.

Phew... I let out a long sigh and plop down onto the cobblestones.

"... That was amazing. I literally saw a steel broadsword bounce right off their armor earlier," Nicole mutters, watching the soldiers effortlessly pick off the writhing, legless beasts.

Wait, cutting through them really wasn't hard at all. Should I have just aimed higher and sliced them all in half? Mmm, well, whatever.

"Pretty cool, isn't it?"

"But what exactly did you picture to make that shape? It was incredibly bizarre."

"The razor wire from the fields back home," I explain.

Nicole doesn't say a word. Instead, she gives me a deeply understanding look, turns slightly, and pulls down her collar to reveal her bare shoulder. Right there, resting against her skin, is an old, faint scar, just under an inch long.

"I see what you mean. I got this while playing with your sister when we were kids."

"Huh, wow... At least it's barely visible, so don't worry."

"Wait, we've bathed together countless times. You've seriously never noticed it before?" She asks, raising an eyebrow.

"... I-I always got distracted," I stammer, my ears flattening against my head as I actively refuse to look her in the eye.

"..."

"I mean, um, I almost always turn my back to you when we're in the shower!" I try to defend myself, but—

"If you've already lost the battle, you should stop fighting. You're only going to embarrass yourself more."

"Whatever! I'm going to help some more. See you later!"

I spin on my heel and march away before she can say another word.