Getting a little angry and other points of view (part 2)

--- Seina POV ---

...

'Snap out of it, idiot. These emotions aren't yours.'

I finally manage to think clearly... I've just surrounded the little boy with dark magic for the fifth time, aggressively healing his... incredibly minor burn. Eh... you know what? Better safe than sorry.

I close my eyes. Not that I need to; I literally can't see a thing with them right now anyway.

But my other senses are cranked up to a terrifying degree. I can feel everything around me perfectly, stretching out for miles. I can sense Nicole standing next to Ilona, doing... uh, weird best friend stuff. I'll just ignore that. Over there, I think that's the sisters and Dominic. There are hundreds of random people I tune out, and then... the castle. Wow, that is not good news.

One thing at a time.

I take a deep breath, hold it, and exhale, letting my ears droop as I repeat the process a few times.

I don't know what just happened! When I saw that fireball about to hit those kids, it was like something else took over my body. I stopped the attack easily enough, forcing the shadows on the ground to swallow it whole. But it still managed to explode, and a tiny bit of the blast grazed one of the kids.

Then, everything just went black.

'Okay, I've managed to calm down. I'm still mad, but it's my anger now. Not that terrifying, world-ending rage.' Just normal anger at that stupid old man for involving innocent bystanders, especially kids.

Honestly, looking back with a clear head, I doubt that little fireball would have caused more than second-degree burns. Painful and awful for a kid, definitely, but the guy wasn't actively trying to murder children. At least I hope not.

'I'm going to beat him to a pulp anyway. But I'm no killer.'

First things first. This suffocating darkness. I'd be worried about traumatizing the kids, but they, along with everyone else in my immediate vicinity, have completely passed out. Even the horses pulling the nearby carriages are out cold. At least there weren't any traffic accidents. I guess absolutely nothing wants to move inside this pitch-black dome, and I highly doubt anyone outside of it is volunteering to walk in.

There must still be a lot of terrified people out there. Let's undo this.

I try to pull back the darkness. For the first time, I actually feel some resistance. It takes effort, like trying to force two matching magnet poles together... Not exactly heavy lifting, but the pushback is definitely there.

The inky blackness dives back underground, the last remnants slithering away into alleys, crevices, and natural shadows as the sunlight suddenly returns. I squint, my eyes stinging from the sudden brightness.

'Now... what to do with all of you?'

I turn my attention back to my attackers. Okay, I need them to take me to their boss, but first, a little humiliation is in order. What's the best way to humiliate an assassin? I have absolutely no idea, but stripping them and hanging them upside down feels like a solid start.

I really shouldn't neglect my other magical affinities. I think I'll practice my wind magic. It might come in handy later to dry my fur after a bath. I suppose I could just use my darkness to swallow the water off my skin, kind of like it did to that fly... wait, what if it accidentally swallows my blood or something horrifying like that?

Instantly, I feel my magic frantically recoil at the very idea of hurting me. Yeah, surely not. Just a silly passing thought.

Anyway, using tiny wind blades, I slice away their clothes.

Oh...? They definitely look the part of assassins based on the ridiculous amount of hidden gear they were carrying. Knives, daggers, vials of suspicious liquids, wands, ropes, a... gas mask? A few handguns, several little round things that are probably bombs, more ropes, blow darts... and even more ropes.

'I guess ropes are always useful.'

I wasn't being particularly careful with my wind blades, but I'm not trying to torture them either. Gross. I feel a little bad for the street sweepers, because I'm definitely leaving some blood behind. The accidental nicks and cuts are enough to wake them up, but they don't seem to care about the pain. The second they see me, they start screaming and thrashing around like wild animals.

Aren't they overreacting just a bit? I only gave them a few deep paper cuts. Nothing life-threatening.

Using their own surplus of rope, I quickly tie them by the ankles and hoist them upside down from the roof of the nearest building. Just like Rico's hook... wait, who? Eh, never mind.

Oh... geez, maybe I shouldn't have sliced off their underwear too. If they were cute guys my age, I wouldn't mind, but they're all middle-aged or older. I know it's just basic anatomy, but... yikes. What an awful sight. At least the crowd is waking up now.

They immediately scramble in terror, dragging the kids away to safety... Um, s-sorry.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH! FREE ME!!! NO, JUST KILL ME QUICKLY, YOU MONSTER!!!"

Eh, rude... The gray-haired jerk who shot the fireball is shrieking the loudest. Well, let's get this interrog—

I'm cut off by a booming chime echoing across the city. It sounds exactly like the emergency bells from a few days ago during the monster attack... This is definitely my fault. I highly doubt the city guards see a sudden, magical solar eclipse as a friendly neighborhood prank.

"I am definitely in trouble... Oh?"

Just five chimes in, the ringing abruptly stops. My ears twitch. Huh, hopefully, that's a good sign. Please.

"Even though I'm acting calm, it's just adrenaline. I'm still really worked up! I'm getting more and more panicked and nervous by the second. I'm overthinking things just to distract myself." It's time to get moving!

"GEHRMAN CAN ROT IN THE ABYSS!!! I'LL DO ANYTHING, JUST STAY AWAY FROM ME!!!"

... Okay, note to self. Think things through before acting. Stringing up a terrified, naked man upside down is a genuinely terrible idea. Especially when his sheer terror makes him lose total control of his bladder.

Driven purely by absolute disgust, my tail puffs out, and my hand twitches on its own. A wave of darkness washes over the old man for a split second. Oh? Oh! It actually acts like a sponge, leaving him sparkling clean. Well, as clean as a scruffy assassin can be, anyway.

It was definitely a bad idea. Luckily, my magic cleaned it, and no one saw it. I'll just pretend it never happened.

I gag him with a shadow. Let's save him for last. I glare at the others.

"Listen up. I am in no mood to chat. Take me to your boss right now, or, um... I'll do things to you that you can't even begin to imagine!"

Apparently, I am completely hopeless at being intimidating. Should I have threatened to break their fingers or something? But I'm not actually going to do that! I'm not a savage.

Oh, wait, I know. I'll let their imaginations do the work for me.

With an overly dramatic sweep of my hand, I instantly heal all their minor cuts and scrapes, hoping they're smart enough to realize the horrifying implications of someone who can casually control their bodies like that.

It worked! They look absolutely petrified. Granted, I don't know if it's because of the healing trick or if they were already terrified from the whole 'hanging naked upside down' thing. They instantly start babbling over each other like their lives depend on it.

... Honestly, so dramatic. Whatever. It works for me.