DEAREST

PART 3: IRREALITY, Ch. 6

6

The second encounter occurs the next day, around the same time. We're not as naive this time.

As I rested well the night before, I spend most of the day doing this little trick that I learned these days since I became the receptacle of the Lightning Scepter: I activate the magic circuit through the enchantment lines, but since the amount of energy required by the scepter is a little greater, it takes a little more time, and then I interrupt myself just at the point where the scepter is magically present, something like a presence, but it's not yet manifested physically.

I do this for most of the day around the city, accompanied by Luciana. This is our way of making the demons know where we are, and we approach our battle ground leaving traces of magic everywhere.

Luciana has chosen it. It's the storage warehouses located in the port by the river. I have left this task to her so that she can focus on something else, and also to honor her hard work. The truth is that I feel somehow guilty for allowing my mistrust to deflect the true purpose of our trip to the city and I know that she is anxious to be useful. That's how she is.

During the day I feel this new sensation in me, and I know it's because of her. It's strange, but if she fought alone in this war, she would most likely be completely lost and unmotivated. But she's here, and she's working hard, and she's determined, and now the war belongs to her as much as it does to me. I'm sure that, whatever the outcome, she will have done everything in her power.

It's in this way that we act. There seems to be an implicit rush that leads us to want to finish this mission as soon and as cleanly as possible.

However, with the sunlight silently becoming a more mellow tone, a strong frustration begins to creep silently between us as we see that the day is coming to an end and people are rushing back home. The bus stops and the entrances to the train stations are becoming more and more crowded. But, seeing people walking to those places, leaving the supermarkets after buying things for dinner, or just meeting with friends or colleagues for a drink, I feel this strange sense of well-being in regards to the life that moves before my eyes, and once again I feel dazzled by life in general. When I look at those things, I almost forgot why I came here.

The sun setting, beginning to reveal the night. When the lights of the street begin to light up, I perceive that distant energy coming from some mysterious place. Could it be...?

"Luciana."

As soon as Luciana perceives my alarm tone, she turns to me.

"They've felt our calls, they're coming closer," I announce.

"Ma... Odette, we should go after them now, or we'll lose them."

"No," my tone is calm, but decisive. "If they want to see us, they will find us. Wherever we want it."

"Odette..."

"For now, let's look for the most advantageous battlefield for us, Luciana. I know that the warehouses by the river—"

"...are empty," Luciana continues. "Just give me the order, and we'll go there."

The ability to perceive demonic presence is not as developed in Luciana. The magic circuits in her body are the most basic type. Even so, we decided to keep calling the enemy until we reached the chosen place.

I continue to update Luciana about the enemy, their imminent speed and size. We move to the warehouses on the motorcycle, arriving there shortly after.

While we wait, I take the opportunity to organize my materials and count the amount of spells that I have left with the remaining amounts and materials.