Séraphine touched her face and felt the warm touch of blood on her fingers. However, this was not something that mattered to her now. Although it hurt physically, the mental pain of possibly having her face ruined caused her more discomfort. However, with a dangerous enemy nearby, she could put those concerns aside.
'When I return, I will get piercings in more places. My nose and lips would be good. They will be a reminder of this suffering,' thought Séraphine. She managed to kneel on the ground before bringing her hand to her nose and pressing one of her nostrils.
After blowing hard, a little clotted blood came out of the uncovered nostril. Then, the witch repeated the same action on the other side, clearing her nose and allowing her to breathe better.
She spat out the accumulated blood in her mouth and rejoiced mentally that none of her teeth had been broken. The bad taste seemed like it would stay with her for a while, at least until she could get out of this place.
"Séraphine, who is that woman? You seem to know her!" Sasha flew around the witch, wanting to get closer to her. However, realizing that her new companion was disoriented from the blows she had received, Sasha decided to use her special abilities.
A soft blue glow emerged from her hands and covered Séraphine's face. The energy removed the blood and, although it did not heal her wounds, straightened the brunette's nose. Sasha also guided her energy to clean the witch's clothes, returning them to a pristine state.
As a special type of fairy, the name 'Queen' suited her well because her abilities were quite useful for helping her allies. This was especially evident now, as her actions proved that she was a graceful addition to the improvised team.
"You have interesting abilities. You'd be good at washing clothes. Would you like to live with me?" Séraphine asked in a grateful tone. She felt some of the dizziness leave her mind, enough that the floor no longer swayed when she looked at it.
"I'm not a laundress! But... I can live with you. You should be grateful. This queen has decided that your home can be a good refuge," Sasha declared before patting her chest.
"If you'll excuse me, I'll take advantage of the fact that that woman is mistreating that guy... It's better not to mention his name. Who knows what might happen?" The fairy realized something important just in time: the name of the red boy was not something a person should say lightly. This made the conflict even more problematic.
The situation wasn't similar to the names of those great beings, but being so close to Rubin, no one knew what effects mentioning his name could trigger.
This was especially true since the spirit creature's performance had been quite remarkable until the red-haired woman wounded it from a distance. Francisca's shots undoubtedly shattered the image of invincibility that had taken root in the women's hearts during that brief period.
"I understand what you mean. Go help the others. The woman shooting is a friend of mine," said Séraphine, because the time that Francisca had bought them had to be used to the fullest.
Upon hearing the witch's words, Sasha flew to Madeleine first, noticing that the Lamia was in better shape than she had thought. The snake woman had even tried to sit up properly, so the fairy used her support skills on her.
"Thank you..." Madeleine murmured, feeling her urge to vomit subside. However, the pain from having her head smashed against the ground barely subsided. Still, she was ready to fight; she wanted revenge for the damage Rubin had caused her.
This was the first time she had been treated so roughly. After all, she had been a pampered movie star for a long time, and, due to her species, she rarely got into trouble.
In fact, this could be considered her first time taking action. She had never used her venom against others. Her claws had become more aesthetic than deadly, and she used her powerful scales to give gifts to her fans rather than for defense.
It was quite clear that she wasn't in the right frame of mind for a fight, but she refused to stay that way. Perhaps it was in her nature as a Lamia, but she wanted to make Rubin pay and give him back everything he had done to her.
'After this, if I survive, I'll have to learn to fight better...' Madeleine thought, touching the back of her head and carefully feeling the ugly, bleeding wound.
Although her torso swayed as she was incorporated into her snake body, she clung to the consciousness she had barely awakened. She watched as Rubin tried to rebuild his body after being bombarded by electric rays for several seconds.
Sasha flew toward Élodie after finishing with Madeleine. Unlike the snake woman, the blonde had already begun to stand up and was struggling to carry her war hammer, assuming a rather fragile combat stance.
"They knocked you out cold. Are you okay?" The fairy noticed that the police uniform shirt of the woman she had knocked out had been torn, revealing her toned abdomen. However, an ugly bruise marred what had previously been a beautiful sight.
"What do you think...?" Élodie replied with another question, though it was difficult for her to speak due to her shortness of breath and general discomfort.
Her body trembled from exhaustion and pain. Unlike Madeleine, however, the police officer had great willpower. This allowed her to overcome her disadvantages and regain some energy as she stood up.
"Hmph! With that attitude, maybe I should hit you, too," Sasha complained. However, her actions did not match her boastful words. She radiated her abilities to the blonde, helping her regain energy and alleviating her pain.
Feeling better, she began breathing more deeply and steadily, wanting to recover her energy more effectively. Her blue eyes were slightly closed due to the earlier attack.
At the start of the fight, however, she never took her eyes off Rubin, her enemy. However, she looked in the direction from which the shots had come for a few seconds, instantly figuring out who had helped her by recognizing their physical features.
"It seems Lady Zhang has excellent aim, just as the information said," the police officer murmured, smiling slightly when she saw the damage her enemy had suffered.
She hadn't expected this kind of support but was deeply grateful to Francisca for giving her a chance to join the fight, something she wanted as a warrior.
Her extensive combat experience allowed her to devise countermeasures. Although her knowledge of the spiritual world was limited compared to her knowledge of the real world, she sensed something strange about the crimson child.
'He reminds me of those creatures with keen senses,' thought Élodie, remembering monsters from her time in the army.
She didn't know if the situation with these beings was the same as with Rubin, but something was better than nothing. So, when she could stand steadily without risking a fall, instead of moving forward, she moved backward.
She knew getting too close could be counterproductive. She couldn't face the red-skinned boy head-on. His speed, his ability to appear instantly, and the force of his blows were things she didn't want to experience firsthand.
At least, not again.
𑄝𑄝𑄝𑄝𑄝𑄝𑄝
"It seems you've gotten yourself into quite a mess, haven't you, Séraphine?" Francisca approached the witch and asked this question with a playful smile and a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
Séraphine had followed Élodie's example, moving far enough away from Rubin while he recovered from the alchemist's attack. Francisca noticed that the reconstruction of the Crimson Child's body had slowed considerably, and the spiritual energy in the environment was steadily decreasing.
Consequently, the field invisible to normal eyes that constantly surrounded Rubin had also shrunk considerably, a sign that he no longer had as much power to spare as before.
Despite the redhead's attitude, however, she held her loaded rifle, ready to fire if necessary. She was an alchemist, and her methods were never in direct conflict. Therefore, she approached Séraphine to devise a strategy to resolve this threat.
She had found a solution: consume this being's energy! She didn't know much about this creature's origin, but she had noticed that it seemed unable to generate its own energy and had to draw on that of its surroundings.
This was undoubtedly a weakness that could be exploited. Being an alchemist, the best at noticing vulnerabilities to influence anything, she felt there was a good chance of eliminating this enemy.
"It was just going to be a normal investigation. I don't know how it ended up like this. But it's time for me to see exactly what I'm up against," Séraphine replied. She had used a handkerchief to clean her face, but bloodstains still adorned her skin.
"Are you going to use that outdated ability of yours?" I don't know how you haven't given up on that curse yet. Special cameras and even my contact lenses can do the same thing as your so-called special vision." Despite their growing closeness, Francisca's opinion of Séraphine's visual ability remained unchanged.
She knew the story behind it, the result of an exhausting curse endured for seven years. Of course, many of the things people with this condition see are dismissed as hallucinations because the existence of this "other world," apart from the Spiritual World, has never been confirmed.
Francisca did not understand why Séraphine clung to seeing things that did not exist beyond her mind. Was it necessary to suffer for so long when she could have renounced the curse and been free of those terrifying visions that existed only in her mind?
Except for her occasional joking comments, however, Francisca always helped the witch create medicines that could alleviate the physical and mental effects of each "episode" caused by the curse, partly out of concern.
Séraphine did not respond to Francisca's words. She knew it was practically impossible to explain the strange things hidden behind the veil of reality. They were simply beyond humanity's comprehension.
People in the past who had decided to follow her path, accepting the curse and resisting the occasional attack to obtain the special Vision, were considered crazy.
In the past, those who obtained this ability were needed because they could see spiritual energy. This made them useful for resolving issues related to the spiritual world. However, Francisca said that they were no longer necessary in this era.
After all, there were special cameras and equipment, like the redhead's contact lenses, that served this purpose. There was no reason to endure so many confusing and terrifying experiences, but...
Séraphine was a stubborn witch! She wasn't extraordinary, but she was a woman who chose the magical arts as her path. She embraced her identity as a witch, integrating it into her being so completely that she could say her soul was shaped by this profession.
She knew the things her vision allowed her to see, though she couldn't understand them, were real. They were simply things that humanity could not accept. For example, there were stories of an Oracle who revealed events that would occur in the future, but she was not taken seriously until it was too late.
However, the knowledge she could gain from that strange world, as well as what her curse-derived ability allowed her to observe, made her persevere in her quest to unravel more of the mysteries of the Immaterial.
Her special vision was perfect for a witch who studied the immaterial. Her curiosity was strong, a requirement for the magical profession. How could she ignore a gift that opened the door to a broader landscape?
'One of these days, maybe I can let them see what I see,' thought Séraphine. She didn't understand why, but her intuition told her that, in the future, it might be possible for both Francisca and Élodie to understand her completely.
She didn't know why it had to be those two, but she thought it was a good idea nonetheless. Then, with a smile on her bloodstained lips, her green eyes emitted a warm emerald glow. This allowed her to see how the three different worlds blended.
Perhaps it was because she had just passed a test, according to Musu. However, Séraphine realized that, in this state, her visual perception seemed to increase. She hadn't noticed before when she observed the soul that supposedly had a failed spiritual core, but now these changes were evident.
Although the world twisted before her eyes, she could see a certain abnormal coherence in the distortion. The ground was filled with colorful fractals, as if she were looking through a kaleidoscope... but
'It doesn't hurt so much to look at it,' thought the witch. She felt that the discomfort she usually experienced when seeing things like this was much less, as if her mental resistance and capacity for acceptance had improved slightly.
She then focused her attention on Rubin, scrutinizing him without scruples. She no longer cared if he got angry or turned against her. She didn't care if the supposed hatred the red boy felt toward her worsened.
No one could stop her from getting the answers she wanted!
𑄝𑄝𑄝𑄝𑄝𑄝𑄝
"You're so stubborn..." Seeing Séraphine's eyes shine, Francisca couldn't help but say it, and her smile grew wider. If the witch beside her wasn't stubborn, then who was she?
"I don't understand why Séraphine's eyes look like that, but if she needs support, I'm here," said Élodie, positioning herself on the witch's right side while the alchemist remained on her left.
The police officer looked exhausted, but put his hand on the witch's back in case she had a physical reaction when using her special vision.
"Hmm? Are you the new girl, Élodie Duval?" Francisca narrowed her eyes as she noticed the blonde's confident approach, but she soon nodded in agreement. According to Séraphine, the three of them were supposed to form an adventure team.
"You are Lady Zhang..." Élodie also paid attention to the redhead, but her formal tone made the alchemist frown.
"Don't call me that. Call me Francisca," the redhead said before looking at Madeleine and Sasha, who had approached the trio.
The fairy flew around the alchemist curiously, watching her cautiously. After all, humans are quite cruel to their species. Having never interacted with this newcomer before, the fairy decided to evaluate her carefully before making any decisions.
Madeleine, on the other hand, had heard a little about Lady Zhang, so she kept her distance because she genuinely feared her. However, since they had to deal with a common enemy, she had to make contact with her at least.
While Rubin continued to recover and Séraphine watched him with her special vision, the women introduced themselves and gave him a summary of their experiences since entering the fragment of the Spiritual World.
All of this was necessary if they were going to fight together when the spiritual creature inevitably recovered. Thus, Francisca's hypotheses about Rubin became more complete, making sense of what she had recently observed.
Suddenly, Séraphine staggered and was caught by Élodie and Francisca. They looked at each other for a moment before turning their attention to the witch, whose eyes had stopped shining and who had a rather strange expression on her face.
"That Rubin guy really is a silly boy, isn't he?" Séraphine murmured, not caring that the crimson boy's pink eye was fixed on her while the rest of his head was being rebuilt.
"Did you notice? He doesn't generate spiritual energy!"
Francisca's words caused Rubin, who was in the distance, to tremble slightly. His partially recovered body reacted to the alchemist's words.
"What are you saying!?" I... I'm not a failure!" The child's voice caused the others to confirm the redhead's words. She had no consideration when she replied.
"You're not even worth bombing! Your energy field has disappeared, hasn't it? How do you even exist? You're the result of something bound to go wrong." Francisca's tone was curious. She was genuinely interested in Rubin's existence.
"You're the one who's wrong!" the crimson child roared, standing up with his body almost recovered. However, the powerful presence that had been coming from him before had diminished, making him resemble a fragile candle flame.
"Do you know exactly what a spiritual core is? I don't really have any more information about them other than slight mentions in the books I have," said Séraphine, eager to satisfy her curiosity.
Although Rubin's threat was still present, it had clearly diminished. He was still dangerous, but no longer an insurmountable opponent as he had been at the beginning; rather, he was an accessible enemy.