——— Minho ———
The day of the battle with Ellis and his Blind Fox came.
Surprisingly, we did not really prepare for this battle although it could possibly be the hardest battle we fought as we had zero idea what we would be facing.
It wasn't just that 'well, we can't prepare for it anyway' and shrug kind of a thing from Mira, but she suggested that we actively try to do nothing about the battle beforehand.
That made no sense at all, and every time I questioned, she just said 'Leave it to me' with a cryptic smile.
I was just told to eat well, sleep well, and take my mind off things.
'Find your inner peace' she said, as if she was some kind of a sage.
"Are you ready?" Mira asked me just before we stepped onto the battlefield.
"Well, I suppose. I don't even know what I should be ready for."
I looked over at Ellis and his fox, who were already standing at the far end of his side.
They probably wanted to have some distance to work their Mind Magic to break me down before I could actually reach the fox and physically attack it.
"The strategy is simple. We start as close to them as possible, like at the halfway line. When the match starts, just walk up to the fox and whack its head. Game over."
"Yeah, that's what you've been saying since yesterday, but how is that going to even work?"
"It will, although it might take you a while to… walk over there. But trust me. I will take care of it."
"Can I ask just one last time?"
"Sure."
"How?"
Then she raised her head, I instantly put my guard up expecting another karate chop on my crown, but instead, she surprised me by patting on my head and ruffling my hair instead.
"What the hell?"
"There, there. Just keep calm and don't go crazy. That's all I can tell you right now."
Sigh… is she just bluffing or should I trust her?
But knowing how much this contest meant to her, I figured she really must have something worked out in her mind.
"Fair enough. And don't do that again."
Mira just stuck her tongue out and started to walk over to the halfway line.
"Are you ready?" Sir Brennan, the same referee for Ellis' last match, asked us.
"Yes, Sir!" Mira answered enthusiastically. My confirmation, as a mere summoned monster, wasn't needed.
"Are you ready?!" Sir Brennan shouted to Ellis this time as he was standing pretty far away from us.
"Yes, Sir!" He yelled as well.
"Let the match begin!!!"
With that, I looked over at Mira. She gave me a go-sign, so as was instructed, I started to casually walk toward the fox.
But only after three steps or so, I saw the fox open its mouth and start to recite something, but this time I also noticed that Ellis was doing the same as if they were reciting a same spell.
Here it comes…
Just as I thought that, suddenly the sky turned dark and everything was engulfed in shadow. I looked around and couldn't see Mira anymore. I was alone in what seemed to be a large hall with nothing else in the space. It felt like some sort of an enclosed space although I couldn't see any walls, and as I kept on walking - without knowing which direction I was supposed to go anymore - I could feel my own footsteps echo in the darkness.
So this is the mind attack?
I took a deep breath in and started to prepare myself for whatever 'horror' that I was going to be shown, but really, nothing happened.
I kept on walking and I was certain that this 'empty hall' I wasn't in wasn't big, because I could my footsteps echo back, but I could never reach the wall, as if the hall itself was moving together with me.
I'm… trapped?
What's the point of this? Is this supposed to phase me out? Just being alone in a hall?
Ha.. Haha.
Whatever this silly fox was thinking, it'd have to be better than that to 'break me down'.
I chuckled to myself until…
I heard a girl's sobbing sound.
My heart stopped beating and all the hair on my body stood up. I felt an icy cold chill run down my back and my hands started to tremble.
No… this… this sobbing sound…
I looked around and although my eyes had now adjusted enough to see a few meters around me in this darkness, I couldn't see anything, let alone a sobbing girl.
I have to find her.
I have to find her right now.
I started to run toward the direction the sound was coming from, but just as I thought I almost got there the sound went past me as if I had overshot, and I was hearing the sobbing from some other direction behind me.
I turned and ran, missed the girl, turned and ran again in the new direction, missed the girl, and I kept on repeating this for what felt like at least half an hour but I simply could never reach it.
Come on. This is a trick.
This is the Mind Attack that Mira and Celestine were talking about. I should give up and not fall for this stupid game of chasing a phantom sound, but…
The only problem was that I recognized this sobbing sound.
It was a girl I knew.
Then all of a sudden, I heard the sound of a loud whack and the girl screaming.
NO!!!
I quickly turned to the direction where it came from and ran toward it as far as I could, but the source of the sound was moving around.
"No! No! Please stop!!!" The girl started to scream and plea for help but the whacking and slapping sound continued periodically.
And it was getting louder with each 'hit', with the girl presumably on the receiving end of it.
I gotta stop this.
I have to save her…
I have to…
"Hahahaha!"
FUCK THIS.
It was a man who was hitting this helpless sobbing girl, and from the sound of his laughter, I instantly recognized who it was too.
"ARRRRGGHHHH!"
I started to scream at the top of my lungs and ran like a maniac but I still couldn't get to where the girl was getting - now quite violently - being smacked around, wailing and begging for help.
This no longer felt like a bad illusion. Rather, it felt like I was transported back to my world, back to the past, back to the actual days when these things took place.
I have to stop it.
I have to stop it this time.
Then all of a sudden, I finally found them.
"STOP!!!"
The girl and the man were now under some sort of dim light. I could see neither of their faces as the man had his back turned on me and the girl was lying on the floor curled up, crying and shivering.
I sprinted toward the man ready to tackle him, but I froze at the spot with only about 8 more steps to go as the man turned around to glare at me.
His eyes.
Those eyes.
"What are you going to do? Nothing. You can do nothing. Nothing at all. You are just as useless as ever, Minho."
The man's words stabbed my heart and I fell to my knees.
The man started to laugh and the sound of it reverberated inside my own skull.
I couldn't say anything and I couldn't even move.
I felt hopeless and useless, just as the man said.
Yeah.
I've always been useless.
And I couldn't help her.
Again.