I slowly opened my eyes, the world blurring into focus until I saw Himori. She was hovering over me, her hands cupping my face, tears streaming down her cheeks like shattered crystal.
"Is it raining?" I asked, a weak grin tugging at my lips.
She let out a sob that transitioned into a watery smile, pulling me into a crushing embrace. I could feel her heart racing against my ear.
"What in the hell happened? Am I in the afterlife?" I questioned, my voice sounding distant to my own ears.
"No, we're still stuck in the Runes," Yuri replied, her voice as cold as a winter gale, though I could see her sheathing her blade with trembling fingers.
I slowly pushed myself up, sitting on the scorched earth as fragments of memories collided inside my skull. Those memories... who do they belong to? I see Violet in all of them. Was she real, or just a ghost born from the trauma of the battle?
I pulled my hand away from my face to inspect it. My skin had grown unnervingly pale, almost translucent. I touched my arm, expecting the chill of a corpse, but the temperature was normal.
I stood up, catching my reflection in a pool of molten rock. I looked at Himori, who held her hands to her chest, then over at Yuri, who was gazing at me with a murderous intensity.
"Stop looking at me like that," I said. My voice had dropped, sounding deeper, more resonant like the low growl of thunder.
"Wait... how old am I now?"
"Let's see," Yuri said, ticking fingers off.
"One day of fighting, you passed out for three days, then we walked for three days, then another two weeks to get here... that's about three weeks total."
I stared at her in disbelief. I had aged from fourteen to seventeen in less than a month.
Time in the Runes wasn't just distorted; it was a thief. I shook off the thought and looked around. "Where are Akari and Liora?"
Across the smoldering battlefield, I saw Akari kneeling over Liora's prone form. A red magic circle hummed beneath her palms, flickering with the rhythmic pulse of healing magic.
I walked over slowly, my eyes narrowing as I studied Liora. Her body looked like a marble statue pale and lifeless but her veins were traced with a sinister, crimson-red glow.
"That's fascinating," I muttered. Her magical signature had shifted. I stepped closer, observing a strange, rhythmic protrusion above her chest. It beat like a second heart.
Every thump echoed in the silent air, heavy and wet.
It was a lump of hyper-concentrated mana. Her body was a vessel overflowing with power it couldn't contain. It wasn't just draining her; it was a ticking time bomb.
I reached out to touch the mass of flesh, but Akari's hand snapped out like a viper, gripping my wrist with crushing force. She gave me a death stare, her eyes reflecting the blue flames of her anger. "Don't you dare touch my sister, demon," she hissed, her grip tightening until I heard my bones groan.
"I know what the problem is," I said, meeting her gaze steadily. "And I think I'm the only one who can fix it."
"I'll fix it myself!"
"Fine. But just so you know, in a few days, her body will give out and she'll die." I stood up, preparing to walk away.
"Akari, give him a try," Himori interjected, stepping into the circle of tension. "We've seen what he can do."
Akari hesitated, then gritted her teeth and released my hand. The red healing circle vanished.
I knelt down and touched the pulsing lump with a single finger. It throbbed violently at my contact. "I see. The more magic you feed it, the faster it grows. I shouldn't just drain it; I need to force her body to adapt to this level of power, or it'll just grow back in a few years."
"What Justin is trying to say," Himori added, her scholarly instincts taking over, "is that this is a case of magical hypertrophy. Her cells are dividing too quickly to store excess energy in one spot. If the pressure isn't equalized, she'll explode."
"Yeah, yeah, Miss Know-It-All," I teased, though the situation was grim.
"Hurry up and do it already!" Akari screamed.
I held my hand out. A purple magic circle manifested vastly different from the red-and-black sigils I used to cast. It was complex, shifting its geometric patterns every second as if it were sentient. Why is it purple? I wondered, but there was no time for questions.
The circle locked into place, and raw power poured from my palm into the lump of flesh. Liora's back arched, and she let out a piercing scream.
The mana moved like liquid lightning. A second and third magic circle erupted beneath her, lifting her into the air.
Beams of violet light blasted into her body, scouring her veins of the crimson corruption. After a moment of deafening screams and blinding light, the energy vanished. Liora fell, and I caught her, my hands supporting her back and thighs.
Her skin had returned to its natural hue; the glowing veins were gone. She slowly opened her eyes emerald green and clear. She blinked at me, then at the way I was holding her. Her face flushed a violent red, and she covered her eyes with her hands.
I set her down gently. "You can let go now," I said, noticing she was still gripping my hand. "You're healed."
She didn't speak, but her head shook back and forth in a frantic 'no.'
"Liora, are you okay?" Akari asked, her voice cracking with relief.
"Yes, I'm perfectly fine, Akari," Liora replied, her gaze drifting back to me with a strange, sparkling intensity.
"Thank you, demon," Akari said, her pride finally relenting.
"This demon has a name, and it's Justin," I said, looking over my shoulder with a playful grin.
"Fine, Justin. I'll call you by your name since you had the honor of saving my sister."
"And why is your sister still holding my hand like her life depends on it?" I asked, looking down at Liora, whose eyes were literally sparkling.
"Liora, let go of Justin's hand," Himori said, her own cheeks flushing.
"Why? So you can have him all to yourself?" Liora shot back with a cold, possessive stare.
"No! I don't... I mean... I do..." Himori stammered, her words tripping over each other.
"It's fine, let her hold it. I don't mind," I said, sighing.
"YES!" Liora cheered, pulling my arm close—a little too close for comfort.
Himori looked down as a single sigh left her mouth"ok"
"Can you tell me where the Witch of Chaos is?" I asked, trying to steer back to the mission.
"Just walk toward the center," Liora said without hesitation. "A door will appear. Just open it and go in."
"Liora! You aren't supposed to tell secrets to outsiders!" Akari scolded.
"He isn't an outsider," Liora pouted, her cheeks puffing out. "He's Justin, my future husband."
I froze. I slowly tilted my head toward Liora, who beamed a radiant smile at me. I jumped back, breaking her grip. "You can't just say something like that out loud!"
"I believe every strong woman should marry an even stronger man, regardless of race," she said, lifting a finger as if stating a universal law.
"Are you crazy? I'm way too young for marriage!" I shouted.
"I'm not crazy, I'm just stating facts."
Great. Another one. From bloodthirsty maniacs to obsessive stalkers these High Humans were all out of their minds. "I'll deal with this once I get to the Demon Realm," I muttered, exhaling a heavy sigh.
I walked toward the center of the flaming battlefield. Liora immediately ran up and clung to my arm again. I decided not to let it bother me as a door began to rise from the shifting embers. I pulled it open, and we stepped through.
The world went white. The heat and the flames vanished, replaced by a cold, infinite void. The door disappeared behind us.
In the center of the white space sat a chair. A woman was strapped to it, her pale violet hair falling over her eyes. She looked up, and those bright violet eyes locked onto mine.
"Oh... hi again, Justin," she said softly.
"Violet?!"