Morticia

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

The sound of weapons clashing engulfed the eerily quiet forest. A battle ensued between the mercenary monsters I hired and the Imperial knights. I sat on a tree branch overlooking the scene as each soldier fell like dominoes being toppled over. It's been thirty minutes since Morticia sent the signal. Why isn't she still here?

She's supposed to arrive by my side earlier so that we can immediately get out of here... I scouted the area prior before the journey. This area, especially the path I told her to take, was already cleaned up to not have any hindrances to the plan... I shuddered, feeling the ominous energy.

I sighed and waited for another several minute. As much as I don't want to admit the possibility, I can't ignore it any longer. I straightened my back before finally awknowledging the possibility that's been bothering me since earlier. I need to find her.

But before I could move, rays of light flashed from the ground several meters away... And it immediately disappeared. It formed a circle... I squinted my eyes and felt the energy in the air. Teleportation magic..? No, to be more exact it's a teleportation magic circle...

Dread immediately washed over me and I hurriedly went to the place the magic circle is. Morticia can't be the cause of that... She haven't learned the spell yet... Plus teleportation magic cost a lot of mana... It'll be suicide if she tried casting the spell and I know she knew this very well.

"... I hope she wasn't kidnapped..." I muttered under my breath as I flew faster to the location.

Once I arrived there a large black wolf launched itself to me but I restrained it. "The energy's definitely stronger here," I whispered. Glancing at each and every part of the area, I noticed a faint glow on the ground. "That must be the magic circle..."

"... A one-time use magic circle?" and it seem to be casted here for about a few months now... Distorting my eyebrows, I observed the circle a bit more. Magic circles are certainly widely used. Mainly because it acts as a tool to help cast spells.

People like Morticia who could immediately draw out mana without the use of a magic circle are rare. Most people use circles as it stabilizes how much mana you draw out in casting a spell.

Mana circles can also be used to store spells so most magicians use them to cast long term spells but the most time it lasted was a month and that was a very talented mage. He died out of it though. So the fact that this caster maintained the circle for 3 months is unbelievable.

Plus teleportation circles are hard to cast. If it was easy, people wouldn't need carriages at this point. So this means he's a very talented person... My frown deepend...

"I hope Morticia's fine."

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It's cold... Where am I... I can't open my eyes... It's hard to breathe... I'm lying on something... It's cold yet soft... I'm so tired I can't move... and I don't want to move. For some reason the cold eased my burning heart even if it's just a little. Although I feel like dying out of suffocation, it's still better than earlier...

I lay there unmoving, trying to steady my breath. It felt like something heavy was on my chest. It hurts so much... I tried to move my hands but they won't listen. They're limp and can't feel anything. In fact, my whole body are numb. It feels like I'm paralyzed.

I feel like crying. Everything in my body hurt. I am now like a corpse due to how painful everything is. I can't even call for help...

As I whimpered there, albeit silently, I heard various chaotic noises coming towards my direction. It made my head hurt. I can hear voices and shouts but I can't understand it. I can recognize that itvs a voice but it sounded really static... It's making everything hurt more...

Lying limply there on the cold ground, I gasped for air and tried to force my eyelids to open. A sudden burst of pain erupted in my chest making me squirm weakly, trying to ease the pain a little. The once cold ground heated up and I felt my skin getting burned. It felt as if I'm inside a fire pit being burned to death...

... Help...

"... Hey... You... Fine..." A faint voice echoed somewhere in my head. A cold hand caressed my face extinguishing the fire pit I'm in. The pain in my chest gradually decreased and my condition slowly got better... 

"Hey, are you alright?" The faint voice gradually increased in volume revealing a low and calm, soothing voice. It made my erratic heartbeat calm down and my anxious mind too...

I slowly opened my eyes once I regained a bit of strength and what greeted me was his eye. His red eyes. A beautiful color... It's like rubies yet also like fire but is akin to blood... It mesmerized me to the point that I can't see anything else but his red orbs filled with confusion and a hint of worry... 

His eyes complemented his jet-black hair and his hair contrasted with his pale white skin. His long lashes fluttered awkwardly as I stared at him. His pointed nose and chiseled jaw contrasted with his soft cheeks and flawless skin. His features are exquisite... I can't stop staring at him...

Humans are naturally visual beings. That goes for me too. I wanted to know who this man who soothed and calmed my ever erratic mind and heart... I slowly raised my hands and placed them on his cheeks then slightly rubbed them gently. His eyes looked confused and he looks taken aback but I didn't care. Looking into his eyes softly, I asked,

"... Who are you..?"