?? Congratulations. You have attained the Spirit Art: [Field Vision] ??

  Yuzuriha froze for a moment, blinking behind her closed eyes.

  From that monotone voice she immediately knew who that was and where it came from. For starters it came at the back or inside of her mind, and the one who spoke was none other than her assistant, Sawatari.

  She was an enigma just as Temperance. She spoke only when she pleased or when Yuzuriha called out to her, even then it was a hassle sometimes.

  Most days, Sawatari was nothing more than a patient listener and an unpredictable occupant who lived rent free in her mind.

  Sometimes she would say something helpful or new about this world, leaving her confused too.

  Like right now.

  ‘What was…what was that just now? What did it mean? Field Vision?’

  Yuzuriha tried to ask what she meant by speaking inwardly in the way one might think words instead of saying them. However, her efforts weren’t reciprocated.

  ‘Great, not this again…’

  She frowned. Maybe she hadn’t been polite enough in asking her questions. So, she inhaled slowly, preparing to ask again but in a more speech pattern like she was addressing a grand noble.

  Using Lu Shuren’s speech pattern might suffice, right?

  She had no doubt about that, but that wasn’t necessary anymore.

  ?? Here is information on the Spirit Art: [Field Vision]

  Path: Mind

  Tier: Basic

  Effect: Grants the user the ability to project and manipulate their astris into a controlled radius, translating all detected fluctuations and physical structures into a seamless mental image. The smaller the radius, the clearer the detail. The wider the radius, the more numerous the images perceived, though detail will diminish proportionally.

  That is all ??

  Yuzuriha exhaled a chestful of air, letting her delicate mind process all of that. By her understanding, it was…exactly what she had been practicing during this entire journey. But now it was given a name.

  Or it already did have a name and she just attained it through a bit of effort.

  ‘Field Vision?…’

  Those words clung to her mind, but before she could go into it, she was disturbed when the carriage rocked gently while crossing a worn stone bridge.

  The noise of hooves striking cobblestone signaled their arrival to the rural city of Fens. People bustled about the streets, and the afternoon market was in full swing.

  The smells of earth and livestock already made that one obvious. However the odour of the latter was unfamiliar and yet so familiar to her that her mind became blank for a moment.

  It was to the point she muttered the name of her previous thought out loud without thinking.

  “ [Field Vision] ”

  The moment the words left her lips, her astris expanded without her permission. It was like a gust of wind tearing through every street and alley. Her perception ballooned outward until it covered nearly the entirety of Fens which spanned for about hundreds of meters in every direction.

  Instantly, dozens of scenes crashed into her mind all at once.

  Yuzuriha could see the fishmongers haggling over trout in the market square.

  A group of children playing with sticks in a back alley.

  A baker dusting flour across a long wooden counter.

  A woman scolding her husband for coming home drunk in the afternoon again.

  An old man struggling to lift a sack of grain.

  A man yawning and leaning lazily on a shovel.

  A cat crouched on a wall, ready to pounce on an unsuspecting pigeon.

  It was too much!

  Her perception kept snapping from one scene to another, faster and faster until she felt her mind spinning in its own skull. She clutched her head with both hands and screamed in pain.

  That’s when Marcille and Agnes dropped whatever they were doing and jumped toward her.

  “Yor, What’s the matter?!”

  Marcille cried in panic. Hearing her voice was enough to collapse her vision, dispersing with the effects of the Spirit Art. Yuzuriha slumped in her seat, taking hard breaths.

  The sudden pressure that had invaded her senses was gone now, she tried to crack a faint smile but that was ruined by the two women who kept shaking and screaming at her face

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  To put them at ease she said something she would later regret.

  “It’s nothing. I promise. Just…felt dizzy for a moment”

  She tried to respond as quickly as she could, but that was not only a bad idea but it was also the absolutely wrong thing to say.

  Hearing that, Marcille’s persona immediately shifted into her doting sister mode.

  “Dizzy? Dizzy! Have you eaten properly this morning? Agnes, did she eat her breakfast? I could have sworn I saw her. Could this be the cause of hunger or something else? Tobias! Do you have a remedy for dizziness?”

  Across from them, sat the man who spent most of this trip in silence. He adjusted the plague doctor mask over his face and said in a low and direct voice.

  “Indeed. I carry a most effective tonic. Administered intravenously”

  He reached into his mysterious pouch and produced a long and utterly terrifying syringe. He tapped it twice with his gloved fingers, and the needle squirted a few drops of liquid.

  That’s when Yuzuriha’s eyes went wide with pure, unadulterated fear.

  “W-wait, wait, what is that?! No. No way!”

  “Hold still, Miss Drapes. It will only sting for a moment”

  Tobias said as he leaned forward, his silhouette becoming more and more menacing.

  “I’m fine! I feel better already! I swear! I’m ok!”

  “Oh hush, there’s no reason to tremble. Hold her steady, Marcille!”

  Agnes, along with her overdramatic older sister pinned her down. Each of them holding her arms. Yuzuriha kicked her legs in desperation but that proved to be fruitless.

  “Tis but a prick. Stay still or I will miss the vein”

  Eventually, Tobias’s whole figure loomed over her and closed in, along with the syringe.

  That was it.

  “Uwuah!”

  Yuzuriha let out a scream so loud it startled the horses into a nervous trot.

  ***

  The city of Fens was nothing like the winding stone streets of Gray City.

  Here the cobblestones felt older and worn out by centuries of footsteps and carriage wheels. The air smelled faintly of river water, damp earth and livestock mingled with the delicious scents of baking bread and boiling meat from market stalls.

  The houses here weren’t that tall either. Most of them were flanked by wooden beams that were so darkened that they might crumble to dust if she stared at them long enough. So she looked away.

  Yuzuriha walked across these worn out streets, with her was gallant Arthur. He walked gracefully with measured strides as he kept the perfect pace to match her own, his cane clicking softly against the cobblestones with every other step.

  On the way, she caught glimpses of familiar scenes she saw minutes ago…when she had nearly drowned in them.

  There was a fishmonger’s stall now with half the catch gone and the fishmongers packing away wooden crates.

  A group of children no longer playing with sticks but huddled in a circle over something shiny in the dirt.

  The baker’s counter dusted with fresh loaves, the flour settled and the woman now leaning on the counter chatting idly with a customer.

  The drunk husband slouched against the wall of a tavern and his wife nowhere to be seen.

  And finally, the cat victoriously devouring a limp pigeon on the roof of a nearby shed.

  She gulped a mouthful of saliva.

  ‘It wasn’t just a fever dream after all. I really did see half the town at once’

  The thought she could do that was both exciting, terrifying and painful.

  Yuzuriha was with Arthur not because she had planned to, it was something that just happened on the spot by her own decision.

  It was only a short while ago since she had been nursing the faint sting on her left shoulder, where that “remedy” meant to help with her dizziness was injected. Surprisingly she did feel a bit better and lighter but she still wasn’t entirely convinced that Tobias hadn’t done it out of pure enjoyment.

  Behind that detached mask, there was a madman, waiting to be invoked.

  The carriages had rolled to a stop outside of a large pub on the corner. Most of Duskfall went inside to discuss more about the mission, which would be initiated later on tonight.

  Everyone went into the pub, excluding Arthur who informed the others that he had to take care of some business in the market. Which turned out to be that the blade of his cane sword had chipping along the edges.

  With that crazy carriage moment in mind, Yuzuriha immediately asked to join in before she could think better of it.

  And as expected, it had taken a great deal of pleading, promises and no small measure of theatrics on her part to join him. Marcille especially had a huge part to play in prohibiting it.

  That’s when she remembered a line the older sister said back in the Coffin and Crown bar.

  …As long as I’m alive, you, Leopold and Willow will never have a reason to fight.

  A kind thought. A protective thought that promised them safety.

  However it was not enough. From the first day Yuzuriha arrived she came to learn that, and her eyes narrowed as she thought back to that night with Daigo. It taught her something important.

  ‘Safety granted by others is still borrowed safety. And borrowed safety could easily be taken away’

  That was something she had learned in her old world, but seemed to have forgotten here. She allowed herself to get too comfortable in Marcille’s presence. Sooner or later, that will cost her everything again.

  If she wanted to never feel that helpless again, if she wished to meet danger on her own terms, then she would have to earn more than Marcille’s protection.

  She curled her hands into fists at her sides and grinded her teeth.

  ‘I need to earn my own strength. I need to get stronger!’

  And that was precisely why she chose to accompany Arthur Ainsbury. Throughout every interaction Duskfall has ever had, he has proven himself to be more than knowledgeable of most topics regarding this world.

  Even more so than the enigma Temperance and her dotting sister Marcille. She didn’t expect anything from Agnes or Tobias and especially the twins. They were still children after all.

  Arthur was her go to guy if she wanted to learn anything. And since they were away from her older sister, this was an opportune moment to ask as many questions as possible. And that’s if Marcille’s overprotectiveness didn’t extend all the way to Duskfall.

  Still, with a faint hope in her heart that Arthur would be willing to entertain her. If anyone could answer her questions about this world’s systems, it was him.

  “You’ve been rather quiet, Miss Drapes. Taking in the sight of the village or simply tolerating my company? I never imagined I would be this boring”

  As if he had sensed her gaze on him, the man turned his head toward her and asked. Yuzuriha blinked her colorless eyes at him, clearly caught off guard. She was about to begin with her first question but he beat her to it!

  “What? No, no, it's not like that. I—”

  She scrambled over her words until she finished with a meek sigh.

  “...I just have a lot on my mind”

  Arthur chuckled.

  “Here I thought my voice was the cure to insomnia. I really am that boring, then I’ll have to practice juggling apples for your entertainment next time. Children like that, no?”

  She understood what he was trying to do and the corner of her mouth twitched.

  “Yes, I guess they do”

  “Joking aside. It is not hard to notice the Sacrament writhing inside you. Azure Ooze, was it? Dangerous thing to carry idly in the open like this. Like walking around with a loaded revolver aimed inward”

  Yuzuriha stiffened, awaiting more bad news.

  “And yet…”

  Arthur went on while tapping his finger against his temple.

  “Not once do I remember you asking for my help. Not once did you stumble or grope for direction. I was under the impression it would be a burden travelling with a blind girl, but that seems to be the opposite. Which tells me ...Azure Ooze is more useful than dangerous, correct?”

  Yuzuriha didn’t know how to answer that. Arthur studied her for a moment before asking.

  “Sorry for being blunt, but if someone were to rip it out of you, would you let them? Or is it something you intend to keep, risks and all?”