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iridesenescenceChapter 7
All of a sudden, the black dog, which had been sitting by Heathcliff's side, charged toward Shino.
It grabbed Shino's sleeve in its mouth, and made a great effort to pull him towards Heathcliff.
Shino: Whoa, what's this guy's deal? Hey, quit it...!
Heathcliff: ......
As he watched this unfold, Heathcliff seemed to steel himself, and he spoke up.
Heathcliff: Shino...!
Just then, a warm, damp wind blew into the village square with a loud woosh.
Akira: Whoa?!
The candle flames inside the lanterns around the village went out all at once, and our surroundings were thrown into darkness. It felt as if I had been blindfolded.
Akira: (It's pitch black, I can't see...! Is everyone alright...?)
Cain: Master Sage.
In the darkness where both light and sound had suddenly disappeared, I heard a familiar voice, followed by the gentle touch of a large hand on my back.
Cain: Don't worry, I'm right here with you. Try not to move away from my side, okay?
Akira: I won't...!
Cain's words did help to reduce some of the feelings of anxiety that had flooded my heart. But I wasn't the only one who was reeling from the shock of the sudden turn of events.
Villager: The lights went out...!
Villager: Aah, I can't see...!
As the villagers broke out into a panic, the night sky was suddenly awash with light.
Cain: Wha...?
I squinted my eyes, blinded.
Shylock and Faust: Those are...
Finally, my eyes adjusted to the light, and I could take a good look at its source.
Akira: ?!
When I did, goosebumps rose all over my body. It felt as if my entire spine had been coated in ice.
The source of the light was neither the sun nor the moon, but countless balls of blueish-white light. Hundreds, no, thousands of them were floating in the sky.
Akira: Wh-what...?!
Villager: Waah?!
Villager: Wh-what is that?!
Cries of fear rang out across the village square as the villagers took in the sight of the unsettling lights flitting about, and their panic only worsened.
Black dog: Grrr.. Woof, woof!
Next to Heathcliff, the black dog was barking frantically at the sky, its fur standing on end.
Oz: Those are will-o-wisps.
Oz quietly commented from beside me as he gripped his staff.
Akira: Will-o-wisps...?
Oz: Each of those particles of light is a single magical beast. They come together and make themselves appear to be a giant creature.
Cain: Magical beasts... So there was a point to the village's ritual then?
Oz: Yes. They will avoid firelight.
The bonfire on the altar and the lanterns shining around this village would have kept them away.
Perhaps they have always been lying in wait here, or they simply grew stronger because of the calamity's effects...
They have neither eyes nor ears. They attack their prey by sensing its presence. It is clear that they are targeting this village.
Villager: So you're sayin' the magical beasts have come to attack us...?!
Villager: The ritual was too late! Help...!
Fear and terror was thick in the air, and people ran about, frightened.
Amidst the panicked cries, a clear voice chanting a spell rang out.
Shino: 《Matztzah Sapidus》
Shino had pulled out his scythe. He leapt onto his broom and took off into the sky.
Heathcliff: Shino!
Nero: Hold it, Heath! We gotta figure out the situation first...!
Heathcliff had his broom ready too, but Nero stopped him.
In the skies above us, Shino swung his scythe in an arc, as if taunting the countless orbs of light.
Shino: Heh, I've been waiting all day for this. I've finally got a chance to get some results!
The thousands of will-o-wisps swooped down towards us like swift birds. Shino cut straight through them with his scythe.
But the orbs of light continued to swarm towards Shino.
Cain: Let's go help!
Cain and Chloe pulled out their brooms as well, but Oz and Faust stopped them before they could fly off.
Faust: Wait.
Cain: What is it?
Oz: There is no point in trying to defeat them. They are weak, but there is no end to them. They will keep splitting themselves and increasing their numbers.
Chloe: Oh no...! So even if we take them down, more would just come back...?
Oz: If you rely on brute force, yes.
If you wish to restore order to this place, let the village once again be bathed in light and complete the ritual.
Faust: That's right. The light from the village is their weakness.
Shylock: In that case, then fret not. We shall light the lanterns once again.
Shylock drew a breath from his pipe, wearing an easy smile that was not at all fitting the tense situation we were in.
The wisps of smoke that emerged drifted through the village square and towards the houses.
Shylock: Since we had a hand in placing the lanterns around the village, we know their approximate locations.
Cain, Chloe. Would you two be so kind as to assist with this? Let us entrust the battle in the sky to the Eastern wizards.
Upon hearing Shylock's words, the wizards exchanged looks with each other and nodded. It seemed that they had all understood their roles in the situation.
Then they turned away from each other, hopped onto their brooms, and flew off into the darkness.
To bring the light back to the village.
Heathcliff: Whoa, you're coming too?
The black dog had placed its front paw on Heathcliff's broom. As I watched, it jumped deftly and leaned against Heathcliff's back.
Heathcliff: You're going to fight alongside us? Thank you.
Heathcliff took off into the sky as well, as if making to catch up with Faust and Nero who had gone ahead.
Shino: 《Matztzah Sapidus》 !
Faust: Are you alright, Shino?
Shino: This is nothing. All they have going for them is their numbers.
Faust: That's precisely their strength. Droplets of rain can create a flood and drown a horse when enough of them come together.
Nero: No time to chat, here they come!
An unbelievable number of will-o-wisps was trying to surround the Eastern wizards. The cluster from earlier seemed like nothing in comparison.
Nero: 《Etunodisce Omnis》 !
Pieces of cutlery swathed in light shot out in every direction, piercing through the horde.
The will-o-wisps that came into contact with the light dissipated like smoke.
But even as they did, more appeared from out of nowhere to take their place.
Shino: Damn, we can't get rid of them at all. These things don't know when to quit!
Heathcliff: Chloe and the others are preparing for the ritual on the ground right now. Sir Oz said we might be able to dispel them if we succeed in the ritual.
Faust: Our job up here is to keep them away from the village until the ritual is completed. It's not going to be fast or fun, but let's work on steadily cutting them down.
But the will-o-wisps would not go down without a fight. They charged towards the Eastern wizards over and over again, relentless in their onslaught.
Faust: 《Salliuqnart Mullcredo》
Faust's fingers swept gracefully through the air as he uttered his spell.
The magic circle that radiated outwards from his fingertips caught the will-o-wisps that swarmed around him, reducing them to nothing.
But the blueish-white lights just kept coming. Though there were so many that they seemed to have covered the skies above us, not a single one made to attack the village.
Strangely, it seemed as if they were only targeting the Eastern wizards.
Akira: Why are they only targeting...
Chapter 6 || Chapter 8
All of a sudden, the black dog, which had been sitting by Heathcliff's side, charged toward Shino.
It grabbed Shino's sleeve in its mouth, and made a great effort to pull him towards Heathcliff.
Shino: Whoa, what's this guy's deal? Hey, quit it...!
Heathcliff: ......
As he watched this unfold, Heathcliff seemed to steel himself, and he spoke up.
Heathcliff: Shino...!
Just then, a warm, damp wind blew into the village square with a loud woosh.
Akira: Whoa?!
The candle flames inside the lanterns around the village went out all at once, and our surroundings were thrown into darkness. It felt as if I had been blindfolded.
Akira: (It's pitch black, I can't see...! Is everyone alright...?)
Cain: Master Sage.
In the darkness where both light and sound had suddenly disappeared, I heard a familiar voice, followed by the gentle touch of a large hand on my back.
Cain: Don't worry, I'm right here with you. Try not to move away from my side, okay?
Akira: I won't...!
Cain's words did help to reduce some of the feelings of anxiety that had flooded my heart. But I wasn't the only one who was reeling from the shock of the sudden turn of events.
Villager: The lights went out...!
Villager: Aah, I can't see...!
As the villagers broke out into a panic, the night sky was suddenly awash with light.
Cain: Wha...?
I squinted my eyes, blinded.
Shylock and Faust: Those are...
Finally, my eyes adjusted to the light, and I could take a good look at its source.
Akira: ?!
When I did, goosebumps rose all over my body. It felt as if my entire spine had been coated in ice.
The source of the light was neither the sun nor the moon, but countless balls of blueish-white light. Hundreds, no, thousands of them were floating in the sky.
Akira: Wh-what...?!
Villager: Waah?!
Villager: Wh-what is that?!
Cries of fear rang out across the village square as the villagers took in the sight of the unsettling lights flitting about, and their panic only worsened.
Black dog: Grrr.. Woof, woof!
Next to Heathcliff, the black dog was barking frantically at the sky, its fur standing on end.
Oz: Those are will-o-wisps.
Oz quietly commented from beside me as he gripped his staff.
Akira: Will-o-wisps...?
Oz: Each of those particles of light is a single magical beast. They come together and make themselves appear to be a giant creature.
Cain: Magical beasts... So there was a point to the village's ritual then?
Oz: Yes. They will avoid firelight.
The bonfire on the altar and the lanterns shining around this village would have kept them away.
Perhaps they have always been lying in wait here, or they simply grew stronger because of the calamity's effects...
They have neither eyes nor ears. They attack their prey by sensing its presence. It is clear that they are targeting this village.
Villager: So you're sayin' the magical beasts have come to attack us...?!
Villager: The ritual was too late! Help...!
Fear and terror was thick in the air, and people ran about, frightened.
Amidst the panicked cries, a clear voice chanting a spell rang out.
Shino: 《Matztzah Sapidus》
Shino had pulled out his scythe. He leapt onto his broom and took off into the sky.
Heathcliff: Shino!
Nero: Hold it, Heath! We gotta figure out the situation first...!
Heathcliff had his broom ready too, but Nero stopped him.
In the skies above us, Shino swung his scythe in an arc, as if taunting the countless orbs of light.
Shino: Heh, I've been waiting all day for this. I've finally got a chance to get some results!
The thousands of will-o-wisps swooped down towards us like swift birds. Shino cut straight through them with his scythe.
But the orbs of light continued to swarm towards Shino.
Cain: Let's go help!
Cain and Chloe pulled out their brooms as well, but Oz and Faust stopped them before they could fly off.
Faust: Wait.
Cain: What is it?
Oz: There is no point in trying to defeat them. They are weak, but there is no end to them. They will keep splitting themselves and increasing their numbers.
Chloe: Oh no...! So even if we take them down, more would just come back...?
Oz: If you rely on brute force, yes.
If you wish to restore order to this place, let the village once again be bathed in light and complete the ritual.
Faust: That's right. The light from the village is their weakness.
Shylock: In that case, then fret not. We shall light the lanterns once again.
Shylock drew a breath from his pipe, wearing an easy smile that was not at all fitting the tense situation we were in.
The wisps of smoke that emerged drifted through the village square and towards the houses.
Shylock: Since we had a hand in placing the lanterns around the village, we know their approximate locations.
Cain, Chloe. Would you two be so kind as to assist with this? Let us entrust the battle in the sky to the Eastern wizards.
Upon hearing Shylock's words, the wizards exchanged looks with each other and nodded. It seemed that they had all understood their roles in the situation.
Then they turned away from each other, hopped onto their brooms, and flew off into the darkness.
To bring the light back to the village.
Heathcliff: Whoa, you're coming too?
The black dog had placed its front paw on Heathcliff's broom. As I watched, it jumped deftly and leaned against Heathcliff's back.
Heathcliff: You're going to fight alongside us? Thank you.
Heathcliff took off into the sky as well, as if making to catch up with Faust and Nero who had gone ahead.
Shino: 《Matztzah Sapidus》 !
Faust: Are you alright, Shino?
Shino: This is nothing. All they have going for them is their numbers.
Faust: That's precisely their strength. Droplets of rain can create a flood and drown a horse when enough of them come together.
Nero: No time to chat, here they come!
An unbelievable number of will-o-wisps was trying to surround the Eastern wizards. The cluster from earlier seemed like nothing in comparison.
Nero: 《Etunodisce Omnis》 !
Pieces of cutlery swathed in light shot out in every direction, piercing through the horde.
The will-o-wisps that came into contact with the light dissipated like smoke.
But even as they did, more appeared from out of nowhere to take their place.
Shino: Damn, we can't get rid of them at all. These things don't know when to quit!
Heathcliff: Chloe and the others are preparing for the ritual on the ground right now. Sir Oz said we might be able to dispel them if we succeed in the ritual.
Faust: Our job up here is to keep them away from the village until the ritual is completed. It's not going to be fast or fun, but let's work on steadily cutting them down.
But the will-o-wisps would not go down without a fight. They charged towards the Eastern wizards over and over again, relentless in their onslaught.
Faust: 《Salliuqnart Mullcredo》
Faust's fingers swept gracefully through the air as he uttered his spell.
The magic circle that radiated outwards from his fingertips caught the will-o-wisps that swarmed around him, reducing them to nothing.
But the blueish-white lights just kept coming. Though there were so many that they seemed to have covered the skies above us, not a single one made to attack the village.
Strangely, it seemed as if they were only targeting the Eastern wizards.
Akira: Why are they only targeting...
Chapter 6 || Chapter 8
