Ciel weaved through the forest path, her mind racing.
'The academy was half-a-day's journey ahead. Even though Summer lived in this area, why did a Nightfall occur in such a place?'
Glancing at the firefly, she recalled the war-torn battlegrounds in her past, where similar insects escaped from beneath the cracks of the debris from destroyed cities, freed from the confines of lanterns and skylights.
Lumoni Firefly, Summer called it. A firefly that turned a foreboding red against the Nightfall's occurrence, and prevented the shadebeasts from spawning from the shadow when gathered in a cluster.
And here in the forest, only one red glow traced its path.
Shouldn't there be more of them? Yet when the sounds of distant battles drew near, a hand reached outward from a tree's shadow she stepped over, before a beast emerged and lunged at her.
Ciel ducked down, her small figure slipping past a claw that sliced above her waist. With no mana gathered, she swung her staff and hit straight at the aggressor.
The four-legged beast coiled and rolled back with the impact. Dust kicked up and coated its black fur. Its paws then clung hard onto the soil, stopping the momentum.
It glanced up to reveal a protruding jaw, grunts escaping from clenched human-like teeth.
Armed with four clawed paws and two fangs that crooked downward like a half moon, the dog-like creature growled, black mist spilling from its fur like writhing shadows.
The shadehound, bearing no features resembling eyes, ears, or a nose, faced straight at Ciel as if it could see her.
Its body twitched intensely, enraged by Ciel's retaliation.
The teeth knashed against the air with warning clicks. Ciel didn't hesitate; she raised her staff and shot a small moonblast at it with cold precision.
With a leap, the shadehound lept away from the blast's explosion. The black mist traced its path as the beast flanked Ciel, its body turning into a transparent black, until it became one with the shade.
The hidden beast then jumped up at a bark on top of Ciel and dove down, fangs aiming at her right shoulder-
Till its human teeth and fangs clenched into a hard shaft of wood instead.
Ciel, with a staff lifted and driven straight into its mouth, stared flatly at the dark hound, with eyes so attuned to the dark its trick was rendered useless.
"Moonblast."
The blue ray penetrated straight through the hound's body, not sparing any of its inside, as its body shattered apart and scattered into black mist, drifting with the cold breeze.
[ You have slain a Shadehound. ]
[ Bounty Ledges: Registered. ]
[ Requirement: Slay two more shadehounds (Reward: +10MP/HP or +1 SP. ]
'It seemed the bounty ledges registered the monster I killed first as targets. Interesting, if not a little unfair, if I met a stronger opponent.'
She took a shuddering breath, recalling how not even a whimper let slip from the hound's dying gasp.
Her brothers felt no fear. Instead, only mindless groans and thrashing claws were left behind for this world to witness. For her to ponder upon.
Rage? Desperation? Or sheer need to fulfill its purpose, borderline on animalistic instinct?
Ciel once again found herself regretting. Next time, she should study her kin more closely before killing them so quickly.
Well, it would serve her better if the next one wasn't so weak, though.
Her gaze then turned and followed a green glow. The firefly, now a safe green, hovered close to her again, as if asking for a rest.
With lips curving into a mischievous smile, her fingers played with the firefly, lightly dancing and chasing the little insect.
While relaxing, a glint of a glassy shine on the floor caught her attention. Her boot nudged it aside to reveal a small crystal, its shape a solidified teardrop that was frozen in time.
Picking it up, she remarked how well the size fit her small palm, before a system panel reviewed and brought back her past recollection about the crystal.
[ Item: Cell of the Shaded Hunt (Purified) ]
[ Rarity: Rare ]
[ Description: Crystal dropped from Shadehound's remains. Difficult to acquire, as it would be manifested only if the Host from the shade possessed a strong resentment.
Upon the moonlight sorcery, it had now been purified. Any Shadowhunter could consume it raw without the alchemists/witches' processing the material. ]
[ Effect: MP +20, Next Spell +50% ATK ]
A rare find. Ciel's fingers tugged at the crystal with gentle sways.
She had eaten, literally, the corrupted version of these crystals in the past. Survival demanded the worst, and eating her brothers' remains was the least she had done.
But a purified one made her curious if it tasted sharp and bitter, like last time.
Or maybe it would break like a slimy egg yolk, coating her tongue with a golden nourishment?
Her thoughts were set adrift before a clean burst of air brushed her hearing.
Colours exploded in Ciel's eyes as she turned and glanced up, a gasp dying at her throat.
A towering spire, rushing upward with a fervent rainbow glow, peeked out from the forest. The current continued and reached the sky to disintegrate the clouds on its path, only to spare the forest's trees beneath it.
As if an engine of life set itself ignited, Ciel's ears perked up at the smallest rustle of the trees, before more towering spires arose and blasted upward to follow the first.
They appeared distanced away from each other, like mythical pillars full of a strange power Ciel couldn't quite grasp. The forest remained quiet amongst these pillars, as if they weren't worthy to be nature's enemy.
Or, perhaps they weren't a threat at all? The pillars eventually melted into the world, dissipating into nothingness, only for others to arise and follow their predecessors.
Ciel tapped her chest, feeling how the heartbeat remained dead calm.
Summer once mentioned that creatures like her and the Dragon should trust their instinct more, relying on their heartbeat to distinguish the powerful and the weak.
Ciel trusted Summer. So she knew this spire was not here for her. For Summer.
For whom, though, did it incur such a grand spectacle?
"Oh! There you are, my good girl!"
An arrogant, mocking voice vibrated through the trees, reaching Ciel's ear.
With a frown, the Queen stared through the thick branches and leaves, landing upon a bruised girl in the distance.
A firefly lantern, glowing red just like hers, attached itself to Herbelt, outlining the look clearly for Ciel.
She had two messy red pigtails, paired with crazed, delighted blue pupils, locked onto Ciel like prey.
She wore robes of expensive silk paired with fine leather trousers. Red patches of blood painted and pooled at her left sleeve and right leg, complementing her fierce red hair.
A noble, an injured one at that. Ciel's lips went agape, her eyes glimmering with utter fascination.
Then they went back to a confused frown upon eying the girl's wrist. A spellbind, painted like a bowtie, wrapped around where the pulse was, not unlike Ciel's vine-like wristband.
Just as Ciel wondered if this girl was a mimic, or at least a potential threat like her-
"Hey."
The noble called out, her scowl as if displeased that Ciel broke the staring contest involuntarily, without her order.
Then, as if pleased, their eyes met again, and she made a polite smile.
"I appreciate you appearing at my… most unfortunate moment. Nonetheless, it was quite timely."
She then stretched out her two hands. Mana, in the form of a blazing red, spilled out from the palms.
"Die ignorant for my honour, Commoner."
With a firebolt conjured, it flew and shot at Ciel, aiming to scorch her head ablaze.