Chapter 30 - A Place to Belong [4] - The Cardinal Sky

—Tweet Tweet...!

"Mmm..." I hugged the pillow tightly, enjoying the comfort of the indoors rather than sleeping outside on the floor.

Beneath the vast expanse of the brilliant blue sky, I allowed my body to sink into the inviting softness of the bed.

All my responsibilities faded away into the background, leaving only the soothing tranquillity of the present.

A simple bed like this was enough to make me happy, and I found myself giggling softly.

"I want to sleep forever..." I mumbled, pleased that I could relax as someone who doesn’t go outside often.

At that moment, it was just me, my blanket, and my pillow—along with a menacing aura beside me, arms crossed and watching me from behind.

...

"I have a question."

"Yes? Aria."

"Did you grow the crops yourself?"

"Yeah, I did. Why do you ask?"

"Mmm~ nothing, just wanna say you're a very hard-working person. Good girl."

"Uh, thanks for the compliment?"

"Hehe, no problem."

With that final comment, I gradually became drowsy and sank further into the bed, hoping for a good dream tonight.

...

…

"Get out of bed, or else you're dead."

—Vooom…!

"Waaah."

Without any warning, I found myself floating in the air, struggling to get back to bed like a cat with their claws stuck to the curtains.

"Don't blame me, you wanted this yourself."

"Ugh… I know, but..."

"No excuses."

—Glomp!

Camila, being the gentle person she is, carried me over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

Right... I did bring this upon myself, dammit...

Two long days have passed since I regained consciousness, where I have spent most of my time in the bed she gave me.

I still wasn't healthy enough to move around properly, especially since my leg still stings even to this day.

During these two days, we shared many things we didn’t know about each other.

What happened to the world? Why was she the only one here alone? What did she mean when she mentioned being trapped?

On my side, I explained how I ended up here and how I came into possession of the oh-so-great weapon she had stored away until someone could handle it.

I even mentioned that I travelled through a strange dimension to get here, leaving out details that would have made my story seem even more unbelievable.

Whether she believed me or not, the pitiful gaze she gave me conveyed volumes.

Now that I have gathered the information I’ve been seeking ever since I fell into this world, here’s what I learned from her:

The world, which was supposed to revolve around the five years during the novel, has progressed by six whole years—a disaster that should have torn this world apart.

Such news could have ended everything, leaving no chance for survival. However, she has managed to gather bits of information from outside the Demiurge, indicating that humanity is still thriving.

The fact that she was left alone ties into my third question. To put it simply, Eldians are unleashed into our world through structures called Pylons.

A Pylon has what are known as Domains, which serve as protective barriers—an impenetrable fortress that cannot be destroyed unless someone enters the Pylon itself, viewing humans as food rather than a threat.

With this knowledge, a Pylon can allow foreign entities to enter its domain, though the reverse is unlikely.

The moment one steps into a Pylon's domain, there is no way to escape—except for one: destroying it.

That’s right; this entire place, from my apartment to the Arcadia, was engulfed by a single Pylon's domain—a colossal birdcage with no escape.

Domains don't usually expand to this size, but if the Pylon that affected Arcadia wasn't destroyed after two years, along with what lies hidden deep within, then this situation wasn't surprising.

Even if I attempted to escape, it was already a lost cause from the beginning.

We had only one hope left, eagerly preparing ourselves for the day and finally heading to Arcadia.

"Haaaah...!"

—Bang!

I formed a giant golden sphere made of Ichor and blocked the relentless barrage of debris that Camila shot at me.

Although the Ichor has high durability, the projectiles' increased speed compared to before caused dents in the barrier, making it unable to hold for long before collapsing.

Sensing it was finally over, I reopened the barrier and searched for Camila, who was hiding while I held the gun.

—Zing!

"Four of them...!" I shouted as I saw the flying steel bars coming at me from all directions, not just two like last time, but four.

All of them were faster and more agile than before, as if she wasn’t holding back and was intent on killing me.

With no way to defend myself, I had to resort to an all too familiar move I kept using at this point.

—Kachick!

Aiming towards the ground, I infused wind magic into the gun, compressing it and channelling mana until it was powerful enough to launch me into the air.

—Vooom...!

In an instant, I went flying, barely avoiding the steel bars, and finally had time to plan my next moves.

My mind, which was working harder than before, tried to formulate a plan.

My eyes, which felt clearer than before, tried to locate Camila's location.

As I entered what seemed to be a trance-like state, I quickly deduced the best course of action in a fraction of a moment.

My body, initially hesitant to come into contact with the steel bars, flexed just slightly, coating my body with Ichor to prevent any injuries during the collision.

My hands, which firmly gripped not one Libera, but two—one for mobility and the other for combat—as I fired at each steel bar with earth magic.

—Boom! Boom! Boom!

Since I was using earth magic rather than wind, each shot turned into a giant rock in real time, completely blocking their path.

Yet despite such firepower, the steel bars remained unscathed, tearing through the rocks as if they were made of paper.

Realizing that destroying the bars was futile, I decided to use another wind bullet to escape before they caught up with me. But before I could act—

—Rustle...!

Lastly, my ears, which were further strengthened in this silent world, picked up a sound behind me—something I had not noticed before.

Turning around, I saw Camila sneaking up on me in mid-air. This time, she wasn't holding a combat knife, but instead was empty-handed.

"...!" I was taken aback and instinctively aimed Libera directly at her face. Yet, she charged at me, seemingly confident in her safety.

—Vooom...!

With a powerful gust of wind, she fell to the ground, while I was lifted further into the air, just like last time.

—Krrr...!

Despite such force, Camla didn’t waver, as if that attack wasn’t enough to take her down.

With an annoying smirk, she bent her legs and, channelling an incredible force, launched herself at me.

—Zzzzt!

She jumped at me so fast that even with my perception of time slowed, I couldn't react in time to form an Ichor barrier.

"—Got you."

—Grip...!

At that moment, she seized my arm tightly,

"Now, get over here!"

And flung me straight to the ground.

...

“Huh...?” I touched my body, checking to see if I was okay.

Camila made me float just in time, barely avoiding a concussion from the fall.

With that, our spar had once again ended in Camila's favour, and this time she had won effortlessly.

“How the hell did you do that?”

“I’m just stronger than you, that’s all.”

She replied casually as she jumped back down and brushed the dust off her clothes.

"...You damn gorilla.”

“What did you say?”

"It's nothing."

Since we were planning to go to Arcadia in the first place, we decided to use our spare time to fight each other as preparation for potential challenges we might face there.

With her collar broken, she can now use her full power without holding back, making her fighting style erratic and unpredictable. I find it nearly impossible to react to her speed, even with my abilities.

This showed that my most significant shortcoming was my combat experience, as I hesitate to shoot at people.

"You've gotten stronger too, you know."

"Is that true?"

"Yeah, your reaction skills have improved after our first fight. How are you doing that?"

"Oh. I honestly... don't know."

Since my fight against the Eldians, I've also gained a new ability that saved my life at the very end.

If I focus to the extreme, I can activate something like Heightened Senses, which slows my perception of time and puts me into a trance.

This allowed me to make decisions I wouldn't normally consider, which was incredibly beneficial for my ability.

"Hmm... well, we can take a break." Camila wiped off her sweat and moved towards me.

Her unusual eyes met mine and offered a hand to help me stand up.

In that moment, although Camila could have grabbed my hand normally, she couldn't handle it anymore.

"...Again?" I tried to move away, but I knew she would chase me if I did.

As I mentioned, Camila and I have spent the past two days together. If she, having not seen anyone for the last two years, were to encounter someone who appears completely harmless and saved her life, how would she react?

—Glomp...

She gets... a little too clingy.

"You're so cute..." She embraced me like a doll, practically suffocating me.

"G-Get off me!" I fought back, but in the end, I could only submit to her grip. I knew I couldn't overpower her anyway.

If I had to describe what kind of person Camila is, she’s like a dog that becomes more clingy the more I get to know her.

Faced with such advances, I tried to suppress my guilt as my last remnant of conscience in this new body.

How would she feel if the person she was hugging were a middle-aged man inside?

From a monster intent on breaking all my muscles to someone who adores cute things—make up your mind already.

"You really do remind me of somebody back then." Camellia said, squishing my cheeks.

"What was it, a little sister?"

"Yeah, a cheeky one too, somewhat like you."

"Then she must feel the same way as I do."

"Care to elaborate? Give me a nice answer."

"I'm irritated by how annoying you are."

—Smack!

"O-Ouch! What was that for?!"

"Sigh... you really are just like my sister."

My sharp remark snapped her out of her clingy behaviour. She stood up, grabbed some water, and offered it to me.

"Here, water."

"Thanks."

Taking a moment to relax, I watched the sunset give way to the night.

All we had been doing was training and exploring her little utopia, showing me various things before we head to Arcadia soon.

Thinking about it, isn't she treating me like a toy, considering how she interacts with me?

I glanced at Camila, who was no longer suspicious of me but saw another light in me, and made a confused expression.

"Hmm?" She looked at me, her face showing oblivion.

For some reason, that annoyed me.

"Nothing." I looked away after she noticed my gaze.

The more I reflected on our height differences, the more I began to doubt my own perception of my actual height.

Shaking my head to push that thought aside, I changed the topic and asked her a question.

"Camila, why did you pick telekinesis as your Magic Art?"

"My Magic Art? Hmm, it was because I was good at it and... I was forced to use it, I guess."

"You were forced to learn telekinesis?"

"What I really wanted to learn was explosion magic. Funny, right?"

"Explosion magic..."

I rested my hands on my chin, finding her response not surprising at all.

"Can't say I didn't expect that. It really fits you, actually—"

"I swear, I'm actually going to hit you."

With our playful banter, we felt relieved to be close rather than have a stiff atmosphere between us.

Although our first impressions weren't the best, our shared circumstances helped us understand each other more easily.

As we chatted and enjoyed each other's company, I decided it was time to leave.

"Alright, I'll go get some rest then; it's pretty late," I said as I stood up and headed back to the house.

Although it all came crashing down a few days ago, her ability to manipulate objects made it presentable enough to appear as a house.

—Grab!

"Hold on, where are you going?" Camila asked, her eyes filled with passion, as if they really were on fire.

Seeing that, sweat began to pour down my face, urging me to run away because if I didn't,

I would find out what hellfire would feel like.

At that moment, I bolted out of here as fast as I could. But because I didn't coat myself in Ichor, Camila could grab me with her magic, pinning me into place.

"Wait, we can talk about this, please—"

—Vooom...!

"100 Push-ups, NOW!" She commanded, her tone leaving no room for argument.

“N-NOOOOOO!!!” I protested just as she forcefully manipulated my body with her telekinesis, setting me down on the floor and making me do push-ups.

Don't get me wrong; I had requested this method to expedite things, but I didn't think she'd be so intense—

—Crack...!

"C-Camila... I think I heard broke, please stop this—GYAAAAAAH!!!!" I pleaded, but she ignored my cry for help.

"KI-KIHAHAHAHAHA!" Camila laughed hysterically.

Hours passed that day, and eventually I collapsed from exhaustion.

The animals that listened to our commotion watched with great fear in their eyes.

It was a dreadful day, filled with screams of despair, while the devilish laughter of Camila echoed around us as she watched me suffer.

Is this the side effect of being alone for too long?