Sometime later that night, Azazul was lying on his bed in the cabin. Before the nightmares, he would easily doze off into a deep slumber, but these days sleep didn't come so easily. But tonight, it wasn't nightmares occupying his mind… no, it was what his uncle had told him.
"Am I going to have to kill my father?"
"For Mother's sake."
"I don't have a choice… if I want to see Mom, I'll have to…"
"And how am I going to tell Meira I'm half deity…?"
"But no, that isn't the thing I'm worried about."
"The biggest question is… how am I going to kill literal deities?"
"Yeah… I'm so gonna die…"
As he lay there, a strange feeling filled his chest. It spread through his whole body, and he felt his eyes tear up.
Azazul was scared—on the verge of crying—but the sound of his uncle's slow, steady breathing reminded him he wasn't alone. It kept him from breaking down completely.
So he stood up, pulled on some trousers, shoes, a long-sleeved tunic, and threw a warm coat over his shoulders.
Then he left the cabin.
Azazul walked to the edge of the carved mountain field and sat down, letting all his tears flow. The information was just a little too much to handle. All he wanted was to see his mom, and now he knew how he could… but would he ever achieve it?
His heart was racing, pounding against his ears. He could feel his whole being trembling with fear. He grabbed his chest, where his heart now beat even faster and louder, and he uttered a few words only he could hear.
"I don't wanna kill… and I don't wanna die."
He had never been the type to kill. Just seeing a corpse would probably make him throw up. After he was done crying, he thought for a moment, then went back to the cabin to fetch his tachi. He was going to go to Akiko.
***
After reaching the village, he didn't see her, so he wandered around. With the few coins he had, he bought some cooldrinks at one of the inns and sat on a bench near the place where he had met Akiko for the first time. After his second drink, he suddenly felt a cold blade against his neck and warm breath against his ear. Azazul froze, not daring to move. A few seconds later, a very familiar voice said:
"Give me everything you have, weirdo."
"So you're still calling me that?."
Akiko slowly removed the blade from his neck and sheathed her dagger. She walked around the bench and sat close beside him.
Then she asked,
"Weirdo? …Can I ask you something?"
She's never gonna stop, is she?
"Well, go ahead."
"My parents always talked about sending me to a magic academy because I have the potential to be a great magician. But which academy are you going to? I'd rather be with someone I know than with strangers."
"Well, I don't know yet… but I'll ask my uncle and tell you."
"Okay, weirdo."
Again… uughh…
"Sure thing. So, you wanna go hunting?"
Akiko didn't say anything at first. She just stood from the bench and shot him a glance. Seeing that he was hesitant, she added,
"Come on, weirdo. You know I'll never say no to hunting."
***
After the first time hunting with Azazul…
Akiko woke up, took a bath, and had breakfast. But the whole time she couldn't get her mind off him. While they were hunting a D-rank monster, the wolf-like beast had bitten off Azazul's leg—yet it grew back. At first she thought he used healing magic, but he hadn't. No spell signs. No chant. Nothing. It just healed on its own.
How did he do that?
At the breakfast table sat a young woman who looked about seventeen to nineteen. She had beautiful, elegant, lusterless skin, stunning blue eyes, and dark hair. This woman was Akiko's older sister. It was just the two of them, so without looking up from her food, Akiko asked,
"Hey, sis… is there any healing magic that requires no spell signs?"
Her sister frowned.
"Well, not that I know of… why? Did something happen?"
I knew she would ask that…
"Well, last night something happened and—"
"What happened?"
"Me and this boy went hunting and this D-rank beast bit off his leg—"
"Oh my… is he alright? And did you say a boy? You said you hated boys."
"Sis, can you let me finish, please?"
"Okay, okay…"
"The leg that was bitten off… grew back. It was good as new. Like it wasn't bitten off at all."
"Oh wow, that's… that's… well, the only one I know of is more of a myth. But I don't think that's the case."
Akiko frowned.
"Well, you may speak, sister."
"Before I talk, answer me this… why are you so interested in him? I thought you hated boys. Even the cute ones in the village, you despise them. And yet here you are, worried about your boyfriend. Tell me, little sister… do you have a crush on this boy?"
Akiko felt her face heat up and immediately shouted,
"No—no—nooo! I still hate boys! And no, he isn't my boyfriend. He's more of a hunting partner. Like I'd ever fall for that weird-eyed weirdo!"
Her sister let out a small chuckle and said,
"Okay, little sister… well, I read in one of the academy's healing books that deities don't need to use healing spells. It's as natural as breathing for them, because their bodies run on mana. Their healing is automatic. But I doubt your boyfriend is a deity…"
"For the last time—he is not my boyfriend!"
"Well, may I ask his name?"
After a moment of hesitation, Akiko answered softly,
"Azazul."
"Oh wow, you even remembered his name. How sweet."
Akiko shot up from her seat and took her empty plate to the kitchen, but her sister's voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Do bring him around sometime. I'd like to meet this weird-eyed weirdo."
Like hell I will…
"Never gonna happen."