Jack's Inspiration: 1.12--1.11
In the darkness, Jenny II somehow managed to keep her bearings. Hope did not know whether the horse was reliable or the rider was.
Riding a horse in such darkness was a very strange feeling.
He could see nothing, with no points of reference at all. He could barely hear the hoofbeats, which let Hope know they were indeed moving forward, but aside from that, everything felt unreal, leaving him uneasy because he had no way of knowing their current situation.
But—
He could not see Monster following behind them, could not hear the violent wind at his ears, and even the stench had faded somewhat.
That let Hope breathe a sigh of relief, and the horse's jolting no longer felt quite so unbearable.
"Honestly—I forgot you had this." Hope said. "But won't that thing lose us?"
"You're underestimating it." Jack said. "My spell isn't that powerful."
As Jack spoke, as if to prove his point, the darkness actually faded somewhat. Hope once again saw Monster chasing them from behind.
1.11--1.10
In an instant, darkness engulfed them again, and silence returned to Hope's ears.
Hope swallowed. "You didn't need to show me that on purpose."
"No, you're overthinking it. I'm not stupid enough to take that kind of risk." Jack replied. "It's just—that thing damaged my spell just now."
"Damaged it? What does that mean? Spells can be damaged too?"
But Jack did not answer immediately. Instead, he remained silent for a long time.
During that time, the darkness faded once more, only to be restored in the next instant.
Jack seemed to spit before finally saying, "I don't know—this is the first time I've encountered something like this—it's interfering with my spell, even though I've already finished reciting all of it—"
Jack suddenly took