“…”
I know it.
When I got to this island, Reina, Luna, everyone were my friends.
And then they became family, and my feelings of wanting to protect them grew.
But lately, different emotions have started to take root. Less about wanting to protect, and more about wanting to make mine. Possessiveness.
“Your body is invincible, but your spirit isn’t. I learned that in the hot springs.”
“Ku…”
“I’m going to play a lot with you from now on, aren’t I!?”
She’s saying these good-for-nothing things like she’s an evil last boss!
“So, Bahamut kid. What will it be?”
“Ugu…”
“We can beat Arata together, in his weakened state.”
A devil’s temptations…
“As you can see, you can get a grown body, and it can be yours any time you want.”
“…”
Tiltue slowly moves towards Wil.
‘No, stop! That’s not good!’
I yell, but she doesn’t react, almost like she didn’t even hear me.
Did she do something to Tiltue? But then I hear a voice directly in my head.
‘Kukuku, I’m just messing with the air around you.’
‘Doing something so advanced for no reason, honestly!’
Yes, magic works if not used directly against me. Although it’s nothing more than pestering.
It’s not like I can’t move, so if I can grab Tiltue’s arm…
‘Whoa, I can’t let you do that.’
From my shadow, a dark tentacle quickly stretches and grabs my arm.
But if it has a tangible form…
I try to step on it to rip it, and this time the ground becomes soft and makes me lose my balance.
I fail to rip it off, and more tentacles appear from the shadow from different angles to bind me.
‘Dammit.’
They loosen and tighten in accordance with where I’m putting my strength, so I can’t really do it.
And because of that, I can’t remove the shadow tentacles, or move…
And when I turn to Wil, she’s grinning.
Not to mention that while I’m busy with this, Tiltue reaches her.
“Fufufu, that will keep you quiet.”
“…”
I can hear the sounds I couldn’t until just now.
Then Wil is about to put her hand on Tiltue’s head…
“I will make darling go all lovey-dovey by my own poweeeeer!”
“…!?”
Tiltue yells all of a sudden, and Wil opens her eyes widely with surprise.
At the same time, these shadow constraints loosen, and I manage to escape.
“…Hey Bahamut. I’m saying I will make you an adult and make that happen, you know?”
“Uu… But that would cause problems for him! So I should stay me!”
“…”
“…”
Both stare at each other, completely still.
“Kuah.”
And Wil starts laughing like she can’t hold it in anymore.
But unlike her usual laugh, like she’s making fun of people, this one feels ominous…
“I see, I see! So you grew in that way! Hahaha, I understand!”
“W-what…?”
“Don’t worry about it! Yes, this island is already on the move, so this sort of thing can happen! It’s fine! I’m feeling very good!”
It’s not an utter danger like releasing magic energy, it’s something different.
Wil has a dangerous air around her, like there’s madness to it.
Tiltue is also feeling perplexed by this unusual air around Wil, and slowly starts stepping away.
“Hihihi! So funny! I can’t stop laughing!”
“Are you all right, Wil?”
Asks Luna, the only one talking to Wil normally, because Tiltue and I are baffled.
“Ah, Luna… I’m fine, I’m just feeling a little too good.”
“I see.”
Wil shows her the same face as always, maybe because Luna spoke to her directly.
“What about you? Are you having fun now?”
“Yes! I got to meet mister and miss, Tiltue, and I keep making new friends.”
“I see…”
Luna responds with no hesitation, and Wil squints like she’s looking at something bright, before patting her head.
Luna’s body is about as developed as Reina’s now, so it feels weird, because Wil has to stretch her arm to be able to pat her head.
But it still feels like Wil is an older sister, and Luna is a younger sister, who get along very well.
“Yes, that’s right. Then we have to protect this place.”
“Eh?”
Black magic energy suddenly swirls around Luna.
“…What is…”
It feels incredibly powerful and sinister.
It could rival Sheryl’s in terms of power alone. It’s no doubt some of the strongest power I’ve felt.
“Mu, mumumu!?”
Tiltue is also watching it with caution.
She’s a kid, but she already inherited the name of her ancestor, and stands at the top in terms of the ecology of this island. So if she’s this alert…
“Hn? What’s this? It tickles…”
“Don’t worry, it will be over soon.”
Luna doesn’t really mind, and let’s Wil do whatever.
I don’t think she would actually try to harm us, but this power…
“Arata, stay quiet and watch.”
She says, as she looks at me with serious, piercing eyes when I’m about to move.
There’s no hostility to them, they’re just very straightforward…
“…”
“Fu, good girl.”
Then I watch as the sinister magic energy concentrates in Wil’s hand.
After a while, it turns into a small dark ball, that settles in her small hand like a jewel.
“Ah! Luna’s small again!?”
“Eh?”
My attention is on the magic energy being taken, but then I hear Luna yell, and turn to her.
And what I see is the same old small Luna, whose kimono is swimming on her.
“But Luna got big…”
“Don’t make that face. You’ll grow, even without relying on this power.”
“Uu…”
Luna looks a little sulky, but Wil consoles her.
I can feel the wariness from earlier dissipate, as I watch them act like real sisters.
But something feels different. Wil keeps hinting at something, but I don’t know what any of it means.
She’d probably evade the questions if I asked anyway.
“…”
“Well then, I know you have something to say, but…”
She tosses the black, round jewel to me.
“I’m leaving it with you.”
“But why?”
“As you can see, it has a stupid amount of magic energy in it. Don’t break it.”
She says, before she disappears into darkness, even though the sun is high in the sky.
I don’t feel her presence around, so I guess she went home.
“What’s with that…?”
She didn’t explain a thing, just said what she wanted, and left something puzzling.
I feel like I should be mad, but I think she’s looking out for Luna in her own way.
“…”
I look at the black jewel in my hand. I don’t feel that sinister magic energy from before, but it feels like its shine is sucking me in.
I see, it’s spreading some sort of magic fascination.
“Hahaha! Now we’re back to normal!”
“Ah… And Luna was bigger than Tiltue and everything…”
“That was no fair!”
“You asked grandma Merlin too!”
“That’s fair, because I’m friends with Merlin!”
“Eh!? That’s no fair!”
“It is!”
I hear that childish back-and-forth not too far away.
It’s cute seeing them all excited, and it makes that uneasiness from before go away.
“Come on, don’t fight. Luna came here to play, so let’s call Snow too.”
When I say that, they immediately move.
They dash into the house, and go get Reina too.
And later Merlin catches Luna, who called her grandma loudly, and tells her to call her big sister instead.
Join my patreon to support me and read ahead.
