The three of them continued chatting about various topics, as if easing into the real conversation they were about to have.
"...Alright, before we continue... Does anyone want a cup of coffee?"
Mikail asked, glancing at the two women. Melisa raised her hand, but before she could say anything, Mikail quickly cut in.
"Oops~ No special requests. I don't have as many ingredients as in the café, so it's just regular coffee"
Melisa pouted, crossing her arms dramatically.
"Well, there goes my caramel macchiato dream"
Melisa sighed.
Moona chuckled, shaking her head. Said.
"Just plain coffee is fine"
Mikail nodded and stood up, stretching a little before making his way to the kitchen.
As he prepared the coffee, he could hear the two women continuing their conversation in the living room. The familiarity of the moment felt strange, normal, even.
A contrast to the underlying tension still lingering in the air.
After a few minutes, he returned with three steaming mugs, handing one to Melisa and the other to Moona.
"Here you go. Freshly brewed, nothing fancy"
Mikail said, sitting back down.
Melisa took a careful sip, nodding in approval.
"... Maybe you should consider opening your own coffee stand because this is seriously amazing... Even the Japanese Iced Coffee you made for me before is absolutely a masterpiece"
Mikail scoffed.
"Yeah, when I just worked one day at Grandpa's cafe... Sounds like a good plan"
Moona raised an eyebrow, amusement flickering in her eyes.
"Wait, you actually worked at a cafe?"
Mikail sighed, leaning back into the couch.
"Yeah. My grandma is the one who introduced me to Grandpa... And this lady here..."
Mikail said, pointing specifically at Melisa. Then continued.
"... Is my first customer"
Melisa let out a small chuckle, twirling a strand of her hair between her fingers.
"And to think, I had no idea you'd end up making coffee this good"
Mikail smirked.
"I only worked there for a day, Lisa. Hardly enough time to become a coffee expert."
"Maybe, but talent is talent"
She replied with a shrug before taking another sip.
Moona watched the exchange with mild curiosity.
"...So, after that... That thing happened, right?"
At her words, the room fell into silence. The once comfortable atmosphere was suddenly replaced with a heavy seriousness.
"...Yeah" Mikail muttered. "After that, I unlocked my Mana... And then... When I got home, lay on my bed... That thing happened"
The silence continued, the events of that night were still stuck in Mikail's mind, the shadow creatures, the entity that imitated his father's face, the sensation he felt that night, everything was still clear, as if it had just happened, but that was all after that Mikail's memory went blank.
Moona leaned forward slightly, her expression unreadable.
"And you still don't remember anything after that?"
Mikail exhaled, running a hand through his hair.
"Nothing. Just... darkness. One moment I was lying there, and the next, I woke up feeling like something had changed. Like something had been ripped out of me, or maybe something had been put in... I don't know"
Melisa set her cup down, her fingers lightly tapping against the ceramic.
"That entity you saw… You said it looked like your father, right? That thin-"
"Lisa!"
Moona interrupted.
"What? Are you trying to stop me, too? Like that old Man?... Heard me out, Moona... We can keep Mikail in the dark, he needs to know what he is fighting"
"But Grandpa only ordered us to tell him about Shadow Creatures and Shadow Realm... It's still too early for Mikail to know about that"
"Too early?"
Melisa's voice cracked slightly, raw with frustration. Her eyes, usually playful and full of mischief, now burned with something deeper.
Urgency, fear, and maybe even guilt.
"He faced one of them, and he won... And you're telling me it's too early?"
She continued, her tone rising.
Moona's jaw tightened, but she didn't immediately respond. The silence between them was thick like storm clouds gathering over calm waters. Mikail, who had been quietly observing, finally set his mug down, the soft clink breaking the tension.
"…Tell me... Tell me about that Shadow Creatures and the Shadow Realm... I want to know it"
He said, his voice low but steady. Then continued.
"... I don't want to know everything... Just tell me what I'm Supposed to know... What is it? What's out there?"
Neither woman answered right away. Melisa looked at Moona as if daring her to keep holding back. Moona exhaled slowly, pinching the bridge of her nose.
Moona closed her eyes for a moment, as if weighing her options. When she finally spoke, her voice was calm but firm.
"The Shadow Realm… Is not just some legend or a fairytale to scare children. It's real. And it's dangerous"
Mikail listened intently, his fingers unconsciously gripping the edge of the table.
Melisa leaned forward, nodding.
"Shadow Creatures come from there. They're not just mindless beasts, Mikail. They have a purpose; they have instincts, and some of them… Some of them are worse than nightmares"
Mikail swallowed hard. He had already fought those creatures and had seen them with his own eyes, but hearing them described this way made it feel even more real.
"So... What do they want?"
Mikail asked, his voice quieter now.
Moona and Melisa exchanged glances.
"They want what they always want"
Moona said. Then continued.
"To consume. To spread. To twist the world into something that belongs to them"
Melisa's lips pressed into a thin line.
"And if you're caught in their path? You either fight… Or you become part of it"
A shiver ran down Mikail's spine. He thought back to that night, to the thing that wore his father's face, to the darkness that nearly swallowed him whole.
"And what about me?"
He asked, looking between them.
"Why am I involved in all of this?"
Moona hesitated, but Melisa answered immediately.
"Because you survived, Mikail. And in doing so, you became something more than just another victim... Not to mention the light affinity you have... That alone is enough to make you their target"
The words hung in the air.
Mikail exhaled, his mind racing. He didn't have all the answers yet, but one thing was clear, this wasn't just some random nightmare he stumbled into. This was bigger.
And whether he liked it or not, he was already in the middle of it.
"... Tonight... They will definitely come again... That's why we both will be here by your side... So before night falls... We will help you to master the power you have"
Mikail clenched his fists, the weight of their words pressing down on him. The memory of that night resurfaced, vivid and relentless.
The cold darkness, the whispering voices, the monstrous presence that loomed over him.
He exhaled sharply, forcing himself to focus.
"Alright..."
Mikail said, his voice steady despite the storm raging inside him.
"Tell me what I need to do"
Moona and Melisa exchanged a knowing look before Moona stood up, stretching her arms.
"We'll start with the basics"
She said.
"You unlocked your Mana, but that doesn't mean you know how to use it properly. Right now, it's raw and unstable... If you rely on instinct alone, you'll burn through it too fast"
Melisa nodded, standing as well.
"Your Light Affinity is rare, Mikail. Most people who tap into Mana don't get an affinity right away, if at all. And the fact that you awakened it on your own… That's unheard of"
Mikail absorbed their words, his mind already running through the possibilities.
"So what do I do?"
Mikail asked again.
Moona motioned for him to stand.
"First, we test your control. Then, we teach you how to fight with it"
Melisa grinned, cracking her knuckles.
"And if you screw up, don't worry... We'll make sure you don't die"
Mikail scoffed.
"Very reassuring..."
Mikail said as he followed them outside, where the sun was at its highest point. The sky was a brilliant blue, untouched by the approaching dusk, a fleeting calm before the storm that awaited him tonight.
No more running. No more hesitation.
If the Shadow Realm was coming for him, he would be ready.
'... And Mana Control is counted as Skill, right? If so... This will be easy'
With that in mind, Mikail began his training.
....
...
..
.