The late afternoon light barely reached inside, slanting through the wooden shutters and casting thin stripes across the floorboards. It was quiet, too quiet, and warm in a way that made me restless. I sat on my creaky cot, the mattress thin beneath me, rubbing at the throb pulsing behind my eyes.
Syl and Lily were seated close by, worry written all over their faces. Ben…yeah, that little cub…was sprawled across Syl's lap like he owned the place. His ironfur coat caught the dim glow, almost gleaming. He looked comfortable. I, on the other hand, felt like someone had kicked my head in.
I groaned. "I don't know why we had to come inside… Why didn't we just stay outside?"
That was when both Syl and Lily shouted at once, "No!"
Their voices clashed into each other like a slap. I blinked at them. They turned to look at one another, then burst into soft giggles. Honestly… I didn't get what was funny, but I noticed they seemed closer now, closer than before.
Maybe that's a good thing.
I leaned back a bit, letting the cot creak beneath me. "So, uhmm… Lily, Syl… what happened when I blacked out?"
They exchanged a look. That quiet laugh between them faded. Lily lowered her eyes, her voice dropping to something barely above a whisper. "Well… after you fell unconscious… Aunt Sora froze the ironfur bear before it could… you know."
I nodded slowly. "Right… then what happened next?"
Syl looked down, her hand gently brushing Ben's back. The cub lifted his head as if he understood the tension in the room.
That's when it hit me.
"Wait… this little guy," I pointed at the cub, "Isn't this the same ironfur cub from before?"
Syl's voice was soft. "Yes, Kibo… This is Ben."
She gave him a small nudge, smiling faintly. "Say hello, Ben."
The cub tilted his head and let out a low, rumbling sound, kind of like a purring grunt. "Mrrf-rrf." His little claws twitched, and for a moment, everything felt lighter.
But not for long.
I stared at him for a moment longer, then asked, "Okay… so this is the cub. Then what about the mother? Did Aunt Sora…?"
Lily quickly shook her head. "No."
Syl spoke, and her voice sounded heavier than before. "I'm sorry, Kibo. Aunt Sora couldn't kill her… because of me."
I sat up straighter. "Sorry? Syl… you must've had a reason."
Her fingers tightened in Ben's fur. "I did… I couldn't stand the thought of her doing it. Ben showed up just after she froze his mother. He tried to break the ice around her. Clawed at it, cried out. But Aunt Sora…" She looked down. "She wasn't going to stop. She was ready to end it right there."
Aunt Sora… yeah, I could see that. She doesn't exactly do second chances, even if the thing has a family.
Syl's voice shook. "I couldn't allow it. I know this all started because of me… I tried to prove…"
I cut in, gently. "It's okay, Syl."
She looked up, surprised.
"You don't need to explain anything more. Let me guess, you stood up to her. Said something bold. And maybe… she listened."
There was a beat of silence.
Then Lily suddenly leaned forward, her eyes bright. "She really did! Syl told Aunt Sora she would fight her!"
Syl's face went red in an instant. "No, I didn't! You know how she is!"
Lily giggled, teasing. "But you did say it! You looked so serious too!"
Syl groaned. "Lily!"
Their back-and-forth picked up again. I just watched them, half amused, half glad they could even argue like this. It meant they were okay. They were safe.
And then, right on time, that voice echoed through my head.
"Put me out of my misery."
I blinked. Ignis.
"Oh, wise one," I said Inwardly, grinning. "So you finally decided to speak."
His tone came through, dark and annoyed. "Brat, watch your tongue… getting too cocky will get you dead, you insolent little worm who can't even handle a headache."
Heh. That was Ignis for you. Brutal, fiery, and completely fed up with me as usual.
Syl tilted her head. "What's funny, Kibo?"
Lily leaned in, smirking. "Was it the part where Syl almost fell to the ground that made you laugh?"
Syl's voice spiked. "Hey! You promised you wouldn't talk about that!"
Lily waved a hand. "Sorry, I forgot!"
I shook my head, still smiling. "No, no, it wasn't that… it's just… watching you both is kind of cute."
Syl blinked. "Where did that come from?"
Lily didn't miss a beat. "Thank you. You look cute too, Kibo."
I let out a dry laugh. "Thanks, Lily."
Syl let out a long sigh, nudging Lily. "You don't have to encourage him."
Lily's voice had this soft playfulness to it. "I don't have to… but he does look cute."
Syl sighed, clearly unimpressed. "Yes, I know, but you shouldn't say that to him."
I was about to answer back, maybe make some snide comment to ease the weird tension, but then it hit. Like a dagger straight into my eyes.
A sudden, hot spike of pain pierced through my vision. I let out a scream and doubled over, clutching my face as everything around me cracked and blurred. "My eyes… my eyes, it hurts… it hurts!"
Lily's voice came rushing toward me, frantic and filled with fear. "Kibo, what's wrong… what's wrong?"
I felt Syl shift beside me. Heard Ben tumble from her lap with a startled grunt. Her footsteps scraped forward fast. "Kibo!" she shouted. "What is happening to you?"
The pain didn't just burn. It flared behind my lids, bright and blinding like someone had poured molten light inside my skull. My body curled instinctively, trying to make it stop.
Syl was next to me now, I could feel her hand near my head. Her voice was close, trembling but controlled. "Wait, let me try something."
A gentle, cool warmth brushed over my skin. Even with my eyes clenched shut, I saw the faint shimmer of green behind my lids. Her mana, soft and steady like fog at dawn, flowed over me.
"Is this better?" she asked, voice tense but hopeful.
I gritted my teeth. "No, it's not!" The pain was still there, blazing, alive.
Then came that familiar growl inside my head, cold and sharp like flint.
"Calm down, brat. Why are you overreacting?" Ignis's voice filled my thoughts, thick with irritation. "The girl is already helping you. You pathetic, whining child… relax and calm down."
Hearing him of all voices, somehow made me pull back from the edge. My breathing slowed, shaky but trying. I sucked in a deep breath through my teeth. "Okay… okay."
I forced my fingers to loosen from around my eyes. My hands were shaking. Every breath still hurt. But the fire had dulled to a glow now.
Lily's voice came again, gentler this time. "Kibo… is it still hurting?"
I shook my head, eyes still closed. "Not like before. I can bear it now."
Syl's healing hadn't stopped. I could still feel the green warmth buzzing faintly near my forehead.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I can't do much…"
I managed a crooked smile, even though I knew she couldn't see it clearly. "No, no, no… you're really helping. Just let your healing do its thing."
But inside, I needed to know more. I pushed a question into the space where Ignis always waited.
"Ignis… what is happening to me?"
His voice returned like iron scraped against rock. "Brat, you don't even realize your body is going through a process already. Let the girl keep soothing your pain, even if you're too weak to take it like a man."
I chuckled quietly in my mind. Dry and bitter.
"For a moment there… I thought maybe you actually cared."
He laughed too, except his was crueler, harsher. "Care, brat? You've forgotten who I am. You think a dragon would waste affection on something like you?"
I let that sit before answering, slow and calm. "No, I haven't forgotten. You're Ignis. The great Dragon King."
There was silence. Then came his reply, smug and heavy. "Don't you forget that. Your progress is the only good thing you've managed, but you're still damn too loud. This pain? It shouldn't have affected you, you frail, oversensitive whelp."
I muttered, half out loud, "Yeah… it shouldn't have. But this… it's different."
Lily's voice cut in, hopeful again. "Is the pain gone now, Kibo?"
Ignis was about to say something else, but I spoke first. "The pain's gone. You can stop now, Syl."
The glow from her hands faded. I could feel her hesitation even as the light disappeared. Syl's breath was quiet, but I could tell she was watching me.
I kept my eyes shut, even though everything had cooled.
Lily leaned in closer. "Can't you open your eyes?"
I hesitated. "I can, but…"
Ignis snapped again. "Brat, will you damn well open your eyes and let's see what might happen, you cowardly speck who can't even face the light?"
I sighed, steeling myself. "Let me open it."
Slowly, I pried my eyelids open.
And just like that… the world wasn't the same.
Everything around me had shifted, like the edges of reality had been redrawn. The colors were richer, almost too rich. The light stung at first, but what caught me wasn't just brightness.
There were threads.
Faint, glowing strands laced through the air, weaving and pulsing with something unseen. Every movement carried an echo. Every gesture had a shimmer behind it.
Lily leaned closer, and I saw it. A trail of mana drifting ahead of her, like it knew where she was going before she moved. My chest tightened. I flinched back.
Lily's face folded with concern. "What happened? Is it still hurting?"
I shook my head, slowly. "No… it's not."
Ignis's voice rumbled through my skull again. "Congratulations, brat. Your mana perception has advanced. Though honestly, it's a miracle a useless thing like you could achieve it."
I muttered back, "Ignis… how can I see all this?"
He cut in, harsh but clear. "Soul or mana. Which is it?"
I breathed. "Both."
Ignis's tone darkened, but there was a sharp edge of pride beneath it. "Your low-level mana perception finally evolved. Now you can see the movement of the soul through the layers of mana. Intentions, actions… they all leave behind trails. Threads. Echoes. Your vision is now layered…like a second sight over your regular eyes. Use it well, brat. Don't squander it."
I stared around the room, wide-eyed. Syl's hand twitched just slightly to adjust Ben's weight, and I saw it. A subtle pulse of mana before the motion. Lily's next lean forward shimmered faintly with concern.
"So this is it," I murmured.
And everything flickered.
Lily's voice reached me first. A little anxious, a little soft. "Is it okay, Kibo?"
Then Syl's voice followed, firmer, with more weight in it. "Can you see?"
Even Ben, curled near her feet, gave a low, confused murmur, his small ironfur head bumping gently against Syl's leg like he understood something was wrong but didn't know what.
I nodded slowly, trying to grasp what I was even seeing. Everything looked the same… and also completely different. My voice came out steadier than I felt. "Yes… I can see. Perfectly. But… different."
Lily tilted her head toward me, her curiosity plain on her face. I could already see her motion before she made it, those shimmering mana threads arching from her like a trail of intent. It made me flinch, pulling back instinctively.
She stopped, frowning. "Still hurting?"
I shook my head. "No. It's not that…"
The threads were dancing all over. It was like seeing things before they happened. It was overwhelming. I thought, does this thing even have an off switch?
I closed my eyes for a breath and focused. Pushed everything inward, like pulling a sheet over a fire.
And it stopped.
The threads faded. The world went back to normal.
I exhaled in relief. "Sigh… I thought I was going to be stuck like that."
Syl looked confused. "Stuck? What do you mean stuck?"
I waved it off, not ready to explain the mess in my head. "Oh, it's nothing. Just… just something."
As if summoned by my thoughts, his voice snapped into my mind like a blade. "Brat, the sooner you start training, the better. You lazy, untested fool who'll squander this gift."
I rubbed the back of my neck, sighing inwardly. I knew that tone. He wasn't going to let this go.
So I glanced at the girls and decided to shift the energy. "Let's just say I could already tell what you were about to do."
Lily's eyes lit up with a little spark. "Is that true?"
Syl leaned in, more curious than surprised. "Seriously? You could really see our movements?"
Lily giggled and added with wide-eyed wonder, "Does it have, like… an on-and-off switch?"
I laughed under my breath. "I guess you could say I haven't tested that out yet."
Syl nodded thoughtfully. "Still, it's better. It'll help you avoid getting hurt again."
I looked at her for a second. Her voice had that tone, it wasn't just logic. It was care.
My gaze lingered a bit too long.
Lily spoke up gently, smiling. "Yes. Syl is right."
Syl noticed I hadn't looked away yet. Her cheeks flushed, and she shifted slightly. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
I chuckled and shook my head, pretending it was nothing.
Lily, in her usual innocent tone, leaned in with a teasing smile. "Is there anything bad?"
Syl huffed and crossed her arms, voice sharper now but not serious. "Yes, there is. Maybe he's thinking about something dangerous."
I grinned and leaned back against the wall. "Dangerous? Me? I can't think of something dangerous right now."
But the thought slipped in anyway. That healing glow from Syl… it wasn't the first time she had used it. It made me wonder how she'd even learned it.
I leaned forward, voice more serious. "Syl… how were you able to use healing magic like that?"
Her expression softened. That thoughtful look she always had when something personal was about to come out.
"It took me a long time to grasp it," she said, looking down slightly.
My brow furrowed. "Long? How long is long?"
She hesitated before answering. "Three months."
My head snapped back. "What? Three months?" I could feel my heart picking up pace. "I was unconscious for three months?"
Then Lily's soft voice came from my side. "And three weeks."
I blinked. "With three weeks?"