"She should stay awake for two to five minutes. Roughly."
"Roughly?"
I released my grip on the glove and muttered under my breath. "Co back, Laedingr."
Light peeled away from my hand, the glove dissolving into faint sparks before funneling back into the ring.
When the hum faded.
I straightened.
"Ptoo."
I spat blood to the side, wiped my mouth, then spoke.
"Yeah. Roughly, I need to improve my abilities and release a personal curse before I can fully cure her."
"Before that, since I now half-fixed your serpent issue and temporarily fixed your mother’s terminal illness. I’ll need to withdraw my down paynt."
Cwal was quiet for a mont.
"And since I promised my life in return, you now have control over half of it," he said.
I let my shoulders relax, tension finally leaking out of .
"Well," I replied, "that pretty much sums up our situation. So what is your move?"
Cwal did not answer right away. He turned back toward Mary. For a mont, he simply stood there, looking at her.
Then he smiled.
"I think.....I will lie down with her for a bit," he said quietly.
I watched him and felt sothing shift.
How often had anyone seen his face like that?
Never.
He was known as an enigma, a man who never felt for himself nor for those who fell by his hand.
May everything sleep in your pale touch, Snow White.
That was what his comrades called him. A greeting. An acknowledgnt. A reminder that he was nothing more than a harvester of death.
Yet the smile he wore now told a different story. Quite proof that this cold tool was still human.
Mary’s eyes fluttered beneath closed lids. Small movents. Restless. She was close to waking up.
I turned toward the door. "I think you two have a lot to talk about," I said. "I will leave you to it."
"Matt," Cwal called.
I did not look back.
"Thank you."
Warmth spread through my chest, slow and unfamiliar. I could not rember the last ti soone had thanked like that.
I kept walking. The door slid open automatically. I stopped just before stepping through.
"Do not thank ," I said.
Then I added, "Seeing even a fraction of your real self is more than enough paynt."
The door closed behind .
Muffled voices followed behind .
I left them their privacy and headed back toward the elevator we ca from, the sound of their quiet reunion lingering longer than it should have.
______________________
The next day at the Excellia Training Grounds.
"Pft... huhuhu... hahahahahaha."
Laughter bounced off the stone walls, sharp and rciless.
"Fufufufu," another voice followed, quieter, clearly trying and failing to hold it in.
"Seriously," Tasora said between laughs, wiping at the corner of her eye. "You should switch professions to a pierrot, Matt. Your performance rivals theirs."
Nagi covered her mouth, shoulders shaking. "You tried so hard, though."
The reason for their amusent hung directly above them.
I was dangling upside down from the ceiling.
My own chains had wrapped neatly around my leg, cinched tight, leaving swaying gently back and forth like an offering to gravity. Every small movent sent drifting in an arc, my hair brushing the air.
This had started innocently enough.
I had asked Tasora for advice on using my loom more efficiently. We were practicing with Laedingr’s chains, experinting with control and precision. She suggested expanding its use beyond combat. Scouting. Stealth. Fine-tuned movents.
Sowhere between that suggestion and reality, this happened.
"Rember," Tasora called up at , pointing. "No thrum usage. The mont you do, you pay for dinner. For three. Kekekek."
This bitch....
"Um," Nagi said, looking up at . "Do you need help?"
Of course I did.
But the mont I said yes, Tasora would call it cheating and make pay anyway.
I clenched my jaw.
Dammit. I really thought I had this one in the bag. Swinging chains with my arms was manageable. Fine-tuning repulsion and compression while suspended was a completely different lesson.
I looked down.
Too far.
Way too far.
Thats probably fatal....
At least five stories. I was a weaver now, sure. But I was not an ichor type. Gravity still applied to in a very cruel way.
I swung slightly to take a glance at the mastermind, Tasora.
How was this considered a lesson.
Losing was not an option either. I had zero money left. Every last bit went straight into Maku’s company investnt.
So it was either risk death or beco even more broke than I already was.
...
...
...
"Haaaaaaah..."
A long, defeated sigh escaped .
"Guess I will die then."
I recalled Laedingr and let myself fall headfirst.
"WAIT WHAT!"
Nagi moved instantly, sprinting forward and catching just in ti, arms straining as she absorbed the impact.
"Warn first, moron," she snapped, breathless.
"If I did," I said weakly, "I would have to pay."
She stared at , then let out a long sigh of her own and set down.
I stood up and bowed slightly. "Thanks."
"Ahhh," Tasora said, stretching, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. "That was refreshing."
She walked closer, circling once, looking at my gloves, which were no longer there.
"I think I get why you chose that specific loom now. It is versatile. Surprisingly adaptive. The user, though, is kind of a nutjob."
"Thank you for the humble assesnt" I retorted.
I rubbed the back of my neck. "You know, I think I preferred the version of you from when we first t. You talked less."
She grinned. "You dug your own grave. You made yourself my student. Not my problem."
A strange chill crawled up my spine.
I stiffened.
"Hah... I guess that is it for today."
Tasora felt it too. She clicked her tongue.
"Yeah, yeah. Take your sorry self and that weirdo sowhere else," before leaving the room herself.
Nagi pointed at herself, chest fallen. "I am a weirdo?"
I patted her head. "She is not talking about you. Go wash up. I need to tell the staff we are done here."
"All right," Nagi said, brightening. "I will cook dinner tonight. Anything you want?"
"I will leave it to the chef."
"Aight. See you then."
She waved and headed off.
The training grounds slowly settled, the echoes of laughter and clashing tal sinking back into stillness.
"Tasora is used to it now. How’s that for a change?" I said in the air.
The air shifted behind .
A boy with pale blue hair stood there as if he had always been part of the scenery, hands tucked into his pockets, posture loose.
"It is fine," he said calmly.
"Fighting her might be impossible, but ninety percent of assassinations do not involve combat. Her head would roll before she realizes anything is wrong."
I turned to face him.
"Well, as much as I hate that girl, I still care about that bastard. The mont you harm her..."
I let the sentence trail off.
"I think you already know what I would do."
He nodded once.
"Do not worry. If I am ever given a mission to assassinate her, I will give you a heads-up first. I will ask for your permission."
"Hah," I muttered.
"I guess that counts as an improvent."
Silence settled between us for a mont before I spoke again.
"So, what brings you here?"
"Two things," he replied.
"A report and an inquiry."
"Go ahead."
"First, Mary’s health has not directly improved, but just as you predicted, her waking ti has increased. Ten minutes and twenty-seven seconds, to be exact."
"Oh?" I blinked. "That is even better than I thought."
Relief crept in, quiet and steady.
"That is good. Unfortunately, I do not think I can return to her imdiately. I still need ti to recover from the backlash of curing her."
"That connects to my inquiry," he said.
"You ntioned needing to cure a curse. I have extensive knowledge dealing with curses. One of my comrades is needlessly talkative and insists on sharing everything she knows. If I may be intrusive, what curse are you afflicted with?"
"Oh, that, I know what it is. A variant of vampirism."
"Oh, that is simple then," he replied easily.
He drew a knife and turned his arm slightly, already preparing to cut.
"No. Stop," I said quickly.
"I already tried that. It does not work."
"Oh?" He paused.
"All vampirism curses require blood consumption as a cure."
"Yes, except I need a specific person’s blood."
"That is easy enough," he said without hesitation.
"Just tell the na."
"Solaris Apparecio Celestine."
...
....
....
"...I take that back," Cwal said at last.
He thought for a while, eyes unfocused, fingers tapping faintly against his arm.
"Still, it might not be impossible."
I crossed my arms. "I will not accept any thod that involves her being hurt."
"Hm," he muttered. "
You are making this unnecessarily difficult."
....
....
Another pause.
"I think it is still doable," he said finally.
"A way for her to remain unhard while still obtaining blood."
"How much do you need?"
I opened my status window.
_________________________________
〈 STATUS PANEL 〉
Na: Matthew Pier Salinin
Weaver: Conceptual Astute Weaver
Race: Human (Stabilized)
Core: Blue
Potential: SS
_________________________________
Authority: Verde’s Curse.
Origin: Verde
Status: Passive
Effect: Reduces Mind Stat by 5 stages unless the user consus the required nourishnt.
Required Nourishnt:[Polaris’s Blood]
_________________________________
"I think any amount would work."
I looked back at him. "Even a drop or two."
"Then this thod will work perfectly," Cwal said.
"Oh yeah?" I asked. "And what thod is that?"
"It is simple, I’ll just steal one of her used sanitary napkins."
...
...
...
My thoughts stopped completely.
"Excuse , what?"
"If only a small amount of blood is required, then nstrual blood would suffice. She would not be hard in the process," he explained calmly.
A vein in my forehead twitched.
I stepped forward, patted his arm once, then slowly clenched my hand into a fist.
"Hey," I said calmly, voice tight.
"Since I technically own half your life now, can I beat you half dead?"
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