Whispers Hidden in the Night (9)

Leizelt.

It was a town belonging to commoner mages, and adventurers who knew it called it…

"The Place of the Lost." Inside a tavern in Leizelt, Fatenai's pale face was flushed from sitting near the hearth. She looked at Forresten, who was speaking to her. Forresten held his wooden staff and said leisurely, "You still have a chance to leave, Fatenai."

Fatenai didn't reply. She stood up and walked to the window, gazing at the lights that had come on in the village. They weren't simple lamplight, but light ignited by magic.

These were the most common things in this place, things that would have been marveled at in the cities she had lived in.

"What exactly is a mage?" Fatenai asked.

Mages were a group, but like any profession, they weren't just a group that did a certain thing; they were a group with a distinct personality. Forresten's advice was well-intentioned, though she didn't understand why he was telling her this after she had decided to enter Starlight.

Had he seen something?

"Do you know where most Starlight students come from?" Forresten asked.

"Commoners… from poor families who never received an education?" Fatenai replied.

"That is indeed the case," Forresten didn't deny her thought. "Before coming to Starlight, most of them had already shown a talent for using mana. Commoners never knew how to handle such abilities themselves, so at Starlight, more education isn't about improving mana usage."

Fatenai pondered this.

"A mage will have to bear a lot, especially commoner mages. They are not like nobles who are born ready to bear everything," Forresten said. "Glory and sin, countless lights will highlight them, and they must simultaneously bear a terrifying sea of blood."

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On the top floor of the teaching building, immense power put such a strain on the aged structure that it gave the illusion it was about to collapse. In one spot, several pillars had already fallen, and among the rubble and dust were parts of alchemical machinery.

"Cough… cough…" Fatenai lay beside several pillars, barely supporting herself. As she looked up, she couldn't help but choke on the dust and smoke.

However, as she was using her Eye of Connection, her vision wasn't affected by this.

The current situation was not good.

Fatenai looked ahead and saw that the mana in the air had converged into a vortex, surging towards Shirey.

Shirey's eyes were unfocused; she had clearly lost consciousness. Some humans could manipulate mana and become mages, but these individuals could also be controlled by mana.

This was something Fatenai had recently read about. When mages channeled mana exceeding their maximum capacity, or when they lost focus while manipulating mana, they could be controlled by it. Such people were also called "Lost Ones."

A Lost One could be saved, but the possibility of that mage becoming a Lost One again would increase. Fatenai suddenly realized why these students didn't participate in trials.

It was highly likely… that they had all been Lost Ones before.

The flow of mana became intricate. Fatenai's hand, gripping her sword, was slick with sweat.

"Shirey!" Fatenai stood up, avoiding the areas of intense mana, and tried to get closer to Shirey, attempting to wake her. The process of becoming lost was like falling into a deep sleep; theoretically, one just needed to be awakened.

"No… no… no…" However, as soon as Fatenai stimulated Shirey, Shirey not only failed to wake up but resisted "waking up" even more. At the same time, she raised her hand, and the puppet strings turned into sharp arrows, stabbing towards Fatenai.

Swish—!

Fatenai dodged them, rolling on the ground. She had to continue approaching Shirey while also moving forward.

The puppet strings had indeed turned into arrows, but they were still "strings." Swept to one side, Fatenai had just dodged the strings in front of her when she didn't have time to make her next move and tripped, falling to the ground!

Thump!

Fatenai squinted her eyes, feeling the puppet strings wrap around her hands. Then, they lifted her, tightening their grip.

The patterns on her hands glowed red. She didn't know how much longer she could hold on. Enduring the pain, she looked at the person before her. Shirey looked up with vacant eyes. Although she should have been under the control of mana at this moment, the act of "killing Fatenai" likely still stemmed from her own will.

Blood seeped from the threads on her wrists. Fatenai gritted her teeth.

Crackle…

Suddenly, the threads wrapped around Fatenai above her snapped. Without support, she fell from mid-air.

Fatenai didn't pay attention to her injuries, staring intently ahead. The mana surrounding Shirey dispersed like clouds and vanished. Then, an old man's figure emerged from behind Fatenai.

Forresten.

Forresten looked at Shirey, recited two spells, and golden bands of light surged forward, enveloping Shirey. The ends of the bands formed a spear, pointing at Shirey's chest.

"Fatenai Frayton, the choice is yours now," Forresten's voice came from above.

Fatenai froze. She saw Shirey's face, creased and eyes closed. Shirey wasn't exactly beautiful, but her current haggard appearance possessed a certain pitiable quality.

It reminded Fatenai of her own sickly mother.

"She needs treatment—both for her state as a Lost One and for the Leiber within her," Fatenai said.

"She has seriously violated regulations. The alchemical procedures in the teaching building are for the convenience of its operation," Forresten said. "Becoming lost is like an addictive poison. Once you have it the first time, there won't be a last time."

Fatenai sighed, stood up, and brushed the dust off herself. "I detest that state. Why would I want to become like that?"

Even if Shirey deserved punishment for violating regulations, and even if her actions might bring about her own death, that shouldn't be something she decided.

As she spoke, Fatenai turned away, believing her presence was no longer needed.

Crack.

Turning back in surprise, Fatenai heard the sound of a spear piercing flesh. Did Forresten kill Shirey? As she turned, she indeed saw Shirey pierced by the spear.

But Shirey's face showed no expression; she was still asleep. Then, the spear slowly withdrew, and at its tip were red worms, about the size of an adult's thumb—Leiber.

Leiber dissipated into golden light points with the tip of the spear.

"Good qualities are worthy of praise," Forresten's voice echoed faintly, "but what exactly are mages?"

After Forresten finished speaking, behind them, several people clad in mage cloaks ran over. They walked to Shirey's side and surrounded her – medical personnel.

Fatenai remained silent.

These mages bore pressures unimaginable to ordinary people, perhaps also due to past incidents…

"In any case, welcome to Starlight," Forresten said again.