Chapter 119: Unlife

Chapter 119: Unlife

January 15th, 2090

Terra, you know what you are doing, right? Kira asked. No, but this is our best shot. I would recommend heading to where the others are. I dont know how this ritual will turn out. Kira nodded at my words and hastily retreated. It was the dark of the moon tonight, a suitable time for my ritual to heal Hikari. We were located out in countryside, specifically near the side of Mt. Fuji. It was isolated enough to avoid notice and located on a leyline in case I needed the extra mana.

The thing about rituals, and magic in general, is that all the actions required are arbitrary. Doing this or that to get a desired effect is unnecessary in theory. Magic requires intent, will, and mana, nothing else. However, knowing how you want to achieve your goal with magic exponentially lowers the mana cost. Even if the thought process behind the how is imaginary, as long as the user believes the reasoning the mana cost will lower. Belief has great power in magic. Hence, there are chants, rituals and the like. These can vary from person to person, although it is easier for others to believe that an action works if they have proof it worked before. This is why magic users can and often do use spells and rituals created by other magic users.

The blood curse on Hikari is one of the most potent ones I have ever seen. The succubus must have used the life force of around 100 people when casting it. I cant break through it via brute force. To end this curse, I am going to use the vampire blood crystal and the elixir of life. The elixir would not work alone, unfortunately. It would prevent Hikari from dying for the next 100 years no matter what, but it would not break any curses that afflicted her. Blood magic cannot be foiled easily, and a curse of this magnitude is impossible to dispel for a human. A vampire, on the other hand, is immune to blood magic due to their very nature. But I do not wish to turn Hikari into an Undead, instead I plan to do something much more drastic.

I crossed the distance in an instant, kneeling down beside her to check her pulse. Her eyes snapped open, staring up at the night sky, the black eyes having been replaced with an iridescent crimson. My fingers pressed against her carotid, feeling a strong and steady pulse. She was breathing regularly as well and her body was warm as I lifted her into my arms. Minato? Hikari asked in a faint voice as she shifted her gaze to me. Hey, sleepyhead. Youve been out for a while. I replied softly with a smile.

Is Vera okay? Hikari asked tiredly. Yeah, shes safe. I am so proud of you, but for now just go back to sleep. Everyone will be here when you wake up. Hikari nodded with a yawn as she nestled into my arms and drifted off to sleep. I stood up gently, careful not to wake her, looking over my shoulder to see everyone rushing over to see how things turned out.

Hey Master, why does big sis feel different? Rin asked me curiously. What do you mean by different? Well, she doesnt feel as human as before. Rin put a finger to her chin as she tilted her head to think. Its like half of her is something else instead. I nodded in confirmation as the others looked at me. Shes a Dhampir now, a half-human and a half-vampire. It was the only way to end the blood magic curse. Ill explain the rest once Hikari wakes up. I told the girls as I prepared the teleportation magic.

Alright, Im taking bets on Doll-faces reaction upon learning of her new species change. I say that shell be surprised and then take it in stride. Any takers? Irene whispered to the others. Im betting that shell be mad that she didnt get a fluffy tail like mine. Rin replied, while Kira said I think shell say that its cool. Veronica put down a bet on her being happy to have survived the Pandemonium encounter. I rolled my eyes at their antics before joining in with a bet that shell be temporarily pissed at me for doing this. No matter what her reaction though, its worth it to see her alive and well again.