Ch 87 – Moonlit Spirits

// Aye! This is the first POV change in this entire novel so far. There will be at least one more chapter on this new POV, before turning back to our usual schedule, so please, enjoy.

'Red? Does she mean blushing?' Necro thought, confused by the statement. 'Hold on, this voice doesn't sound like it did a second ago...'

"You know dogs don't—Huh!? Since when did you come back to being a human?!"

"...Don't you like me this way? You zoophile freak." The cute girl in light-brown hair bit her lip as she smirked at Necro, her eyes flashing in a pinkish hue.

"Huh?! No! I'm not that kind of... Forget it! It's just if Ace sees you like this with me she's gonna—" Necro was silenced by a kiss. Because she was that strong, the girl could move freely in her arms without them even flinching, letting her lean up and steal her a kiss, while also shutting her up.

"Here's retribution for earlier. It's fine, I can change forms whenever I want, unless SOMEONE was to disturb the mana flow on my ears by pulling on them and making me turn back~!"

'Oh, so that's what happened...' Necro thought, realizing she'd done something horrible. Breaking a continuous cast by force was something very unpleasant, probably why the girl passed out and— 'wait, wait, wait! This means...'

"Oi, kiddo. Are you a magical beast?!"

"Umm... sorta. I'm a half-breed, between a spiritual fox and a wolf-kin."

'Oh... that explains her appearance.' Necro put 2 and 2 together, understanding the girl's appearance. However... "Why you pretending to be a human, then?"

"... Heh... You asked me a tough one."

"You know... You don't have to tell me if you don't wanna..."

"No.. It's fine... Is just that people started hunting us for the fur so... It got kinda dangerous and most of us died..."

"Oh." Necro gasped. "I'd heard of it, but never thought it was actually true."

"Is fine. Most people don't even know our people exist..." The girl depressively laid her head upon Necro's shoulder.

"..." Necro bit her lip, troubled. Though she knew some sketchy stuff was taking place, she didn't expect such a thing to be casually thrown at her. "Mara, wasn't it?" She asked, laying down the girl, who now had a confused look, on the ground.

"Y—Yes. Did someth—" The innkeeper looked at her eyes with those of an abandoned pup, prompting Necro to leak a warm smile, before hugging her casually.

"No, it's all good. I just felt like giving you a hug, that's all" Thinking about a certain person who went through many hardships in the past, Necro bit her lip once more. This time, holding the tears from forming in her eyes. 'I hope you're okay... How long has it been...?'

------------------ [Dark's Unfathomable POV Change] -----------------------

'God, I'm so tired...'

In the middle of a forest somewhere, a small girl tumbled her way onto bed.

"Uwaaa~!" She moaned, exasperated, as she finally got around to end her day and plopped herself onto bed.

"How long has it been...?" she thought to herself, rubbing her ruby-red eyes and looking up to the ceiling. It was not a pretty ceiling, after all, this was just a hut in the middle of the forest. The girl put her hands underneath her head,spreading her silvery hair, before dozing off to sleep...

"HEY, ANYONE THERE?!"

Only to be woken up by the sound of someone banging on her door while yelling.

"What is it now...?" she muttered to herself, raising from bed to open the door, sluggishly. Swaying to the wind for the restlessness, the girl opened the door while yawning, only to be called by a familiar face.

"Master Ly, he's down bad, he's gonna die! We need you!"

"Uhh... Luzia, wasn't it? Okay, let me grab my chest. Wait for me outside, will you?"

"Umm!" The visitor nodded.

'Guess the old man's dying again from that charlatan's stunts' she sighed inwardly, walking to the crudely made table and grabbing a decently sized chest.

*Badumb*

"Ughh!" Ly grappled her chest, a weird feeling washing over her. 'The hell is this?!' she thought, as the pain vanished, only to bathe her in a newfound melancholy. 'I haven't felt this way since...' Her eyes widened.

He was out there.

He was in danger.

Something was happening to him.

Yet, there was nothing she could do about it, and she knew it.

Ly bit her lip, a tear forming under her eyes, but contrary to that feeling, she smiled.

'At least I know you're still out there, my love.' she thought, bittersweet. After all, this had been the first time in over a decade she had felt the link between them... At least, she now knew he was alive.

Grabbing her chest, now completely awake, Ly made her way to the door, only to have her hand pulled by the teenage girl.

"Come. Quick. He needs you!"

"I know, I know. I'm going." Holding herself from pulling her arm from the girl's touch, Ly followed her along. To this day, she still flinched at others' touch... but that man had shown her that not all people were evil.

"We're here." the girl exclaimed, as the two reached a rundown house, much larger than Ly's own. Despite walking rather quickly, it had taken the two almost an hour to get here, under the moonlight.

"I've brought help." After knocking on the door a handful of times, the girl spoke to the person on the other side.

"Thank God..." A middle aged woman opened the door immediately. Her eyes were red, and tears rolled down her cheeks, dripping from her chin.

The girl rushing into the house, dragging Ly through the corridors unto a bedroom, not nearly as rundown as the rest of the house.

"Father!" The girl fell to the ground by the bedside, her eyes wide and her hands covering her mouth.