Isolde hit me in the stomach with a firm punch, leaving no room for hesitation before following up with a direct hook to my jaw. At the last second, I activated wind magic, dissipating some of the impact's force and avoiding unnecessary pain. It worked.
I slid my body to the left, jumped, and launched an upward kick. She stopped it with her bare hand. Of course she stopped it.
Without wasting a second, she channeled mana and blasted me with a gust of wind, sending me headfirst into some bushes.
"Agh!"
The impact hurt, but it was part of training. Some call it "pain endurance." It sounds sophisticated, but really, it's just an excuse to beat each other senseless until our bodies get used to it. Whether it's effective or just a creative form of self-destruction is a debate I have no interest in settling.
"Lucy, are you okay?! You're not hurt, are you?" Isolde rushed toward me, her voice laced with concern.
"Yeah, don't worry. I'm fine. I think that's enough for today," I said, standing up to join her.
"Yes! I'm exhausted." Isolde brushed the dust off my face, gently running her hand over my cheek.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say she was drained. We'd been at this for at least six hours straight. The difference from a few months ago was obvious—back then, we'd tire after just a few minutes of running. Now, we could keep up the pace. Demanding, but necessary.
"Want to come explore with me?" I asked, my gaze fixed on a narrow alley leading toward that structure that had piqued my curiosity for a while now.
It was tall, but the surrounding buildings hid most of its silhouette. Cathedral or castle, I wasn't sure. All I knew was that I needed to see it up close.
"Don't you think Mom will worry if we're late?" Isolde's voice dropped, as if we were planning a crime.
Probably. But it'll just be a quick look.
"Just a quick peek."
Being curious isn't a crime, right? Observe, analyze, then head home without trouble. There was no reason for anything to go wrong. And if we got scolded, I'd take the blame. It was my idea, after all.
"Okay! Let's go!"
I took her hand, and we headed into the alley. We paused briefly to let a cart pass, then broke into a run. As we entered, the darkness grew thicker.
I don't like the dark. I won't admit it out loud, but it's a fact. Spending months locked in a closet with little food and no company leaves its mark. Not exactly the kind of experience you look back on fondly.
But my current parents… they're different. When I accidentally break something, instead of hitting me like the last ones did, they just talk to me calmly, say it doesn't matter, but that I should be more careful next time. It's strange. Nice, but unsettling—like part of me refuses to believe this kind of affection can be real.
The sound of Isolde's breathing snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Something wrong?" I turned to her, noticing her tense expression.
"No, it's just… this place is a little unnerving," she replied, squeezing my hand tighter.
Ah. So she's afraid of the dark too.
I hugged her gently.
"Sorry. Let's just go home."
I don't want her to go through this. I don't want her to feel what I felt.
"No… it's fine. Let's go where you want."
"But—"
"Come on, Lucy. I don't want you to regret not exploring further."
I hesitated. Part of me insisted we should turn back, that it wasn't worth forcing her through this dark place just for my curiosity. But her insistence wasn't superficial—she wanted us to keep going.
And deep down, so did I.
We made it through the alley successfully, though fear clung to us like a persistent shadow. Isolde never let go of my hand, gripping it with a strength that seemed determined to ensure I wouldn't vanish into the darkness. I didn't complain. I understood. The discomfort was a small price for her peace of mind.
And, well, after navigating that narrow, oppressive passage, the structure that had intrigued me so much finally loomed before us. Massive. Colossal. A monolith of dark stone whose mere presence seemed to warp the atmosphere. Its twin towers rose with unshakable solemnity, piercing the overcast sky as if defying the gods themselves. Every flying buttress and gargoyle was carved with impossible precision, as if the builders had been closer to the divine than the human.
The wooden doors, adorned with intricate reliefs, remained shut—as if mocking any attempt to breach them. Above them, a stained-glass rose window tinted the scant sunlight in hues of crimson and cobalt, casting ghostly shadows on the blackened stone. The wind whispered through the spires and pinnacles, a distant murmur, a veiled warning.
I stared at the cathedral in silence. Imposing. Immutable. As if it had stood here before the first men walked the earth and would remain long after everything else had crumbled.
"It's huge!" Isolde exclaimed, tilting her head back as far as her vision allowed.
"Huge" was an understatement. The twin towers had to be at least 148 meters tall, maybe more. The nave easily reached 58 meters, and the grounds spanned no less than 86 meters. But it wasn't just the size that commanded awe—it was the uncanny sense that something dwelled within. Something ancient. Something that watched from the stained glass and lurked in the shadows of the pillars. From the upper windows, I could just make out what looked like something hanging from the ceiling, but distance obscured the details.
"Yeah, it certainly is," I replied, not looking away. "Do you think it's wise to go in?"
Isolde hesitated.
"Mom will definitely scold us if we're any later."
I couldn't argue with that. I turned toward the street and spotted the giant clock tower in the distance. Its structure reminded me of Big Ben, though taller, grander… more fitting for the scale of everything here.
"Yeah… it's already night. We should head back and come tomorrow. Sound good?"
"Yes!" she replied with her usual enthusiasm.
I glanced at her sidelong. Was this what people called charisma? Or just the innocence of a girl who hadn't yet learned enough about the world? I hoped she'd never change. Her joy was loud, but comforting.
I took her hand.
"Alright, let's go home."
She didn't resist, but as we turned back toward the darkness, her grip tightened. I didn't stop. I was afraid too, but turning back wasn't an option.
"Don't be scared, Issy. I'm right here."
She looked at me and forced a shaky smile but kept walking. It was enough.
The alley stretched before us, longer than I remembered. Then again, maybe it was just my perception, distorted by the size of my body. A child could never match an adult's stride. For us, every distance felt twice as far.
We were nearly out when—
"Agh!"
Something hard slammed into my forehead, knocking me to the ground and wrenching a pained gasp from me. My hand slipped from Isolde's.
"Lucy! Are you okay?!" Her voice was frantic as she crouched to help me.
I blinked, touching my forehead.
"Yeah, I'm fine. What the—?"
My voice died as I felt something in front of me.
"Ow! That hurt!"
A voice. A child's voice, complaining with indignant outrage.
I looked up.
And saw her for the first time.
"Hey, you! Watch where you're going! You could've cracked my forehead!"
The voice complaining in front of me belonged to a girl with pink hair and eyes, an unusual combo that clashed with the aggression in her glare… though there was something else there, something calm. Beautiful, I admitted silently, but now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
I didn't reply right away. Come on, I couldn't be blamed for bumping into someone in the dark. If I had to point fingers, I could just as easily say it was her fault for popping out of nowhere. But I had no intention of starting a fight.
"Hey, this is your fault! If you hadn't appeared out of nowhere, my brother wouldn't have crashed into you!" Isolde shouted before I could mediate. Well, so much for a peaceful resolution.
"Excuse me?! If you two hadn't come through here, I wouldn't have smacked my forehead!"
"Issy…" I tried to stop my sister, but her determination was unbreakable.
"What?! It's your fault. If you'd brought an oil lamp, you would've seen us."
She stepped forward, pointing her finger with that provocative gesture she used when she wasn't about to back down. But then…
"And why didn't you bring an oil lamp?"
…
Silence.
Come on, Issy, you're not gonna lose that easily, are you?
I got up from the ground and offered the girl my hand to help her stand.
"Sorry, I didn't see you."
I gave a slight bow, just to be polite.
"Hmph!"
She turned her head with a huff. Seriously? I already apologized. What more did she want?
"Ugh… Fine, whatever. I should apologize too. I'll admit it was partly my fault."
Oh. That was unexpected. Wasn't she going to keep up the stubborn act until I gave in? For a moment, I thought she'd be the typical troublemaker archetype who never admits fault, but she turned out to be different. Or so it seemed. Maybe my first impression was off.
"How can I make up for my rudeness?"
"What? No, don't worry about it. It was my fault."
"Come on, don't leave me hanging. I'll feel bad if you don't at least accept something tangible as an apology."
Seriously? Why was she so insistent? It's not that I minded getting gifts, but accepting something from a stranger in this situation didn't seem like the smartest move.
"No need, really. And, sorry, but we have to go."
I grabbed Isolde's hand, who seemed to be fishing for a comeback to her earlier defeat. She hated losing arguments. With me, when I beat her at something trivial, she'd get revenge by pestering me at night, climbing on top of me, or chucking little water balls at me. A concerning habit.
"What? Wait! Why won't you let me make it up to you?!"
She kept insisting. How many times did I have to say it?
"Lucy, why don't you just take whatever that 'ugly' girl's offering?"
She said the last part with obvious provocation. Great, now the other girl looked genuinely pissed.
"Hey! Guh… Hmph! Forget it! I was trying to be nice, but now I'm mad!"
Oh, dramatic mood swings. Perfect. I take back what I thought earlier. She's exactly the type of person I expected.
"Let's go, Issy. Mother will scold us if we're late."
Without further ado, I started running, dragging Isolde along. I glanced back once more at the girl. She wasn't looking at us. Instead, she turned and walked away.
A strange encounter. But there was something about her… a hard-to-explain sense of familiarity.
Did I know her from somewhere? Her appearance wasn't exactly common. Maybe she was the daughter of some influential noble, though I preferred not to jump to conclusions.
"Why didn't you take what that girl wanted to give you?" Isolde asked, running just behind me as we dodged the few people still out on the street.
I stopped.
Might as well explain now. Though, of course, with a little white lie to make it more convincing. No one taught me this, but it was basic knowledge from my past life.
"Father once said that if a stranger offers you something, never take it, no matter how much they insist. It could be poisoned food… or an attempt to enslave you."
"I see… Well, if Father said it, then you did the right thing, Lucy."
"Yeah, yeah. Let's keep going before Mother chews us out for being late."
We resumed our run. The day of exploration was over. Maybe tomorrow I'd keep exploring, with a bit more speed and fewer surprises.