4 Chapter 4: The Pendragons
After running for hours wasting mana, the witch girl's presence was reassuring with how dangerously low my mana reserves were.
My body augmented. I was about to make the first move, but the first fallen angel beat me to it.
The Witch Girl's voice echoed through the alley as she chanted a protective incantation. A barrier formed around me, deflecting the fallen angel's initial strike.
My heart raced as I tried to conserve my little mana. I channeled my magic into my swords, reinforcing the blades.
The fallen angel's light sword clashed against the reinforced blade, sending sparks of light. Gritting my teeth, I pushed back, using the alley's walls to my advantage. The fallen angel's eyes widened as it struggled against the unexpected resistance from a ten-year-old boy.
I seized the opportunity, my white sword glowing with a white light as I slashed at the angel. The fallen angel released a howl of pain as the reinforced blade carved through its chest.
He was wounded but not dead yet.
As the second fallen angel unleashed a flurry of light spears. Responding quickly, the Witch Girl began chanting an incantation and summoned a powerful vortex of wind, which deflected the spears in various directions.
I knew I had to be cautious, my dwindling mana reserves limiting my ability to counter effectively. I focused on taking out the wounded fallen angel first.
Quickly dashing towards him, he stabbed him through the heart.
The Witch girl made a barrier behind me, and I heard something impact with it. It was a light sword of the other male fallen angel who looked at me angrily.
"I WILL KILL YOU!" He roared, and the barrier started breaking.
A fireball hit him straight in the face just before the barrier broke. He reeled back, screaming in pain.
"ARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGG!!!"
The smell of burning hair and flesh spread throughout the alleyway.
The barrier was down, and I didn't waste time and threw the dagger straight at his heart.
Only one remained.
I was breathing heavily, and my whole body was covered in sweat. If not for the mana, I would have passed out long ago.
But despite my depleted mana, I tried to look calm and looked at the female fallen angel. The last one left.
She stayed back the whole time and didn't charge in at all. Even when chasing me, the males did it, not her.
She looked at me with anger, but deep down, I could sense fear and envy from her.
Two kids took down two adult fallen angels. I don't know how fast the growth in strength is, but considering she has only two pairs of wings, she was only mid-class, so she must be young.
I reached that level, and I'm only ten years old! Akeno should also be getting to that level soon.
Even if the angels and fallen angels don't look their age, there is no way she could be old and only mid-class.
"Not so talkative now, huh?" I asked.
She didn't answer but flew backward, her sight not leaving us, and when she was far away, she turned around and flew away.
It's good she left. I stored my twin swords, and my halo disappeared. I didn't augment my body anymore, as I didn't have even a drop of mana left.
I felt my body fall forward as my eyelids started to close, and I welcomed the darkness.
---
I regained my consciousness with a massive headache. The memories of the chase and fight flashed through my mind. Even after falling unconscious, the voices haunted me until my mana level was refilled.
"Urgh..." I slowly opened my eyes only to be assaulted by the blinding light from the sun.
After my sight adjusted, I sat up, and pain rushed through my body. To my surprise, I was in a luxurious room. Indeed, it was not where I expected to wake up, but I'm not complaining.
At least I didn't wake up in a dungeon or a similar place.
Looking to my right, I saw Akeno sleeping on a chair. She must have woken up before me and waited until I woke up.
A few minutes passed before the door opened, and a black-haired young maid stepped through. Judging by her appearance, she was a few years older than me.
She looked at me, surprised, "Oh, you have finally woken up. I will inform Lady Le Fay. She was worried when you didn't wake up."
Lady Le Fay? Did she mean the Witch Girl? So the witch's name was Le Fay... It sounds familiar.
I tried to remember where I heard it before, and it didn't take long for my brain to start working. Morgan Le Fay, the witch and Arthur Pendragon's sister.
Many old beings roam this world, so what could stop a witch for a few thousand years? I shook my head. It's more likely that she is someone with a similar name or a decedent; otherwise, she would be more powerful.
...
..
.
Not much time passed before I saw the Witch Girl I now know as Le Fay enter.
"Good to see you are awake. We got worried after you passed out after using all your magical energy and wouldn't wake up days after you recovered your energy." She said.
"Days? How long was I out?" I asked before quickly shaking my head, "No, before that, I should thank you for not leaving us there and bringing us here." I tried to stand up, but a wave of pain assaulted me.
It was like red-hot needles were pricking my whole body while my blood was replaced with magma.
She quickly rushed towards me, "Try not to move. Your body was put under a lot of stress due to the magic you used back then. It could take weeks before you fully recover." She looked at the sleeping Akeno, "Your friend there has been worried and wouldn't leave your side."
I looked at Akeno with a sad smile, "We've been through a lot the past few days."
"The maids told me she has been having terrible nightmares and always came to your room for comfort."
Akeno has been through things a normal kid shouldn't have gone through in the past few days. Not only did she lose her mother, but needed to fight the beasts.
I looked back at Le Fay before I realized, "Oh! I haven't introduced myself. I'm Elijah Heart."
"Le Fay Pendragon."
I chuckled, "Le Fay Pendragon is a beautiful name for a beautiful girl." I blurted out without thinking.
I don't know how I could think she could even be the Morgan Le Fey from history for a moment.
"B-Beautiful?" She blushed slightly.
"Ekhm..." I heard a cough coming from the door. There was a man with blonde hair, blue eyes, glasses, and a business suit. He appeared to be a few years older than us.
"It seems you are awake." He said politely and walked closer to me, stretching his hand, "Arthur Pendragon."
"Elijah Heart," I shook his hand.
"How about we talk it over some tea?" He asked.
"I don't see why not," I replied before looking at Akeno. She should rest a bit longer, "Could you help me get her on the bed? Sleeping on a chair can't be comfortable."
I tried to stand up, and the pain worsened as I tried to move.
Arthur helped me and supported me, "We should get you crutches."
...
..
.
I was served tea and biscuits as we sat around the table. I wasn't a tea guy in this or my past life, but the tea they served was delicious.
"I don't want to pry your life, but could you tell me what happened? When Le Fey brought you here, your clothes were covered in blood, and it looked like you were stabbed through the chest." Arthur asked.
Oh, right, the clothes I forgot.
From the short time I've known them, it wouldn't hurt me to tell them a rough story of the past few days. Maybe they could even help me get back.
Le Fay seems like a competent witch for her age and could even teleport us to Japan.
"It started when devils attacked us. They teleported us to the Underworld in a cave used to dispose of failed experiments. The things we saw there are why Akeno has nightmares."
I took a pause and drank the tea before continuing. Le Fay had an outright horrified look on her face while Arthur was frowning. They must have both realized what I meant when I said 'failed experiments.'
"Anyways, we managed to get out and didn't know how to return home. We stole a phone from one of the guards and used the Devil Tube to learn Teleportation Magic. The spell ended up unstable, and instead of landing in Japan, we landed in England. Got chased the whole night until I fell down close to Le Fay."
"It feels wrong to ask after you helped us without needing to, but could you help Akeno learn how to properly use Teleportation Magic?" I asked.
"That shouldn't be a problem," Arthur answered, looking at me, "But there is something I would want in return."
I nodded, waiting to hear what he wanted. Nothing is truly free, but I hope it's nothing terrible.
"Le Fay told me you are a good swordsman, seeing your fight that night, and that you used two unknown holy swords." He paused for a moment, and I hoped he wouldn't ask for my swords as a payment.
Thankfully, he didn't, "I would want to have a duel against you. Of course, after your body fully heals."
I sighed in relief that he only wanted a duel, "Of course, but I don't know how long it will take for my body to heal. But my swordsmanship isn't anything special. I had my first fight a few days ago."
---
Two weeks had passed since I woke up.
Akeno, who was supposed to only be taught in Teleportation Magic, became friends with Le Fay and is now learning other spells by Le Fay and the maid I saw when I first woke up. Her name was Elaine Westcott.
Akeno is a natural when it comes to learning elemental magic, of course, lightning being her strongest affinity. She is also being taught Defensive Magic and Hypnosis Magic if we need to wipe a civilian's memory.
We won't be able to teleport back to Japan directly and must do it in multiple jumps, but we haven't yet decided on the specific locations.
Akeno still has nightmares, but they aren't as bad as in the beginning. It could be because she is slowly coping with everything or having a second friend who can take her mind off it.
If it's the second, I'm thankful for Le Fay's help. Before, if we don't count my mental age, she was the only person the same age she interacted with, so getting a female friend is good.
On the other hand, my recovery is slow. The unstable teleportation spell temporarily messed with my mana and, coupled with the hours augmenting and reinforcing I did, gave me a severe backlash that will still take at least two more weeks to heal.
But that didn't mean I was lazing around the whole time.
I could still do some light training, so I and Arthur have been having light spars. Nothing that would put a strain on my body, but enough to get a glimpse at each other capabilities.
Arthur is a prodigy with the sword. That is the best way I can describe it from the little I have seen of his swordsmanship. He will be one of the strongest human swordsmen in a few years.
I'm not including him with the oldies roaming around the world with hundreds if not thousands of years of experience, only the Human side of the supernatural world.
"Hey, El, come over. You could learn some magic with us!" Le Fay called me over.
I sighed, walking towards them, "I told you already that magic isn't something I'm good at."
"Umu. That's true. I remember him trying a simple spell once before passing out." Akeno added, and they both chuckled.
My eyes twitched slightly, "Oh, make fun of the person incapable of using more than three spells, will you?" I grumbled.
I could cast several spells before passing out if my reserves got higher. But at my current mid-class reserves, it wasn't worth doing it.
I stopped in my tracks and started thinking. When it comes to magic, I used the knowledge of my past world to use it and not learn the magic system of this world just because three spells worked.
I could use only three spells in my past life, but this is an entirely different world, and it must have hundreds, if not thousands, of magic spells.
There must be more spells that work similarly to augmenting.
"Are there spells that could work similarly to the one I used during the fight?"
"Magic is just knowledge to control equations, use your head, and make calculations. Some magicians develop their own unique magical formula suited to them, allowing them to better use magic. There should be something that works for you."
"Hm..." I hummed and started thinking about it. But then, as if a lightbulb lit above my head, I got an idea. Would it be possible to add, for example, the fire element to my reinforcement spell?
After some reflection, I recalled that I had altered the spell when I recreated it in this world by introducing an additional element. My augmenting and reinforcement have always had a touch of the light element.
I thought back to the book on light power that Uncle Azazel had given me. It mentioned that Angels can combine light and another element to produce a light-infused variant.
If that is the case, I could create an element-infused version of my reinforcement, like igniting my sword on fire.
"And here he goes again..." Akeno sighed.
"Is that common for him to do?" Le Fay asked.
"Yes, he often does that when he gets a new idea."
I realized I had absentmindedly scribbled in my notepad as I glanced up. The pages were filled with my ideas about the new element-infused variant of the spells I was working on.
Apparently, I had taken it out of my storage ring without even realizing it.
"Sorry, I just realized I've been looking at magic the wrong way the whole time," I said.
---
Another two weeks passed by and my body is fully recovered now. I'm really thankful for being allowed to stay here for free.
That's primarily because of Akeno. While I could have survived on the streets and found a way to survive until I returned home, I didn't want Akeno to go through more than she already had.
During the two weeks, I studied magic alongside Akeno, and I felt like this world had a completely different magic system than my previous world.
But with my body fully recovered, it was time for the duel I promised Arthur. I'm not going to lie. I'm excited!
...
..
.
"So that's the angel-like halo Le Fay told me about," Arthur said, Caliburn in both his hands, as we both were in our stances, ready for the spar to begin.
"Are you an Angel or a Fallen Angel?" He asked with curiosity.
I gave the twin swords in my hands a quick look before focusing on Arthur, "To be honest, I'm not sure what I am now. A half-fallen Angel, perhaps."
I need to find a way to take out my swords without the halo appearing every time...
Arthur, the descendant of King Arthur, with the Caliburn in his hands.
Who hasn't heard about the Holy King Sword, Sword in the Stone, Sword of Selection, or Sword of Assured Victory?
I never expected to see the sword from legends, but shouldn't it be broken?
If I remember correctly, Caliburn was broken and then replaced by Excalibur, but seeing it before me, the history of this world might be different.
At the same time, Arthur was observing the black and white blades in my hands.
The grip around our respective blades tightened. I propelled myself forward, reinforcing my blades.
A moment later, our blades met, sending sparks flying.
The fight I went through over a month ago and the few light spars we had during the past month helped me adjust my fighting style to my smaller body.
Each movement was calculated precisely, a testament to my years of fighting.
Arthur met my onslaught with a grace that seemed almost supernatural. His sword moved with an elegance that defied his fierce determination.
"I'm still convinced you lied to me when you said you never fought before we met," Arthur said.
"I take that as a compliment," I replied with a smirk.
The clash of our weapons reverberated through the sparring ground. Arthur's strikes were deliberate, making it hard to think he was only a few years older than me.
Our breaths started becoming heavy as the spar went on, but we wouldn't stop until one of us won.
Arthur and I would probably be our generation's strongest swordsmen if we weren't already. But I knew Arthur was a prodigy while I had years of experience.
I didn't even notice when I started smiling, but fighting someone not for the sake of survival was an incredible feeling.
Despite my twin swords facing against Caliburn, they didn't break or have even a scratch on them. They still looked like brand-new swords.
I charged once more, my movements a blend of precision and fluidity. I focused on exploiting Arthur's weaknesses I found when sparing him over the month.
Each clash sent sparks into the air as our strength exceeded what should have been possible for people our age.
---
Le Fay Pendragon POV:
I observed the fight between El and my older brother as it almost reached two hours.
I have seen my brother's swordsmanship countless times and even saw El in a life-and-death battle, but seeing them duel against each other was something else.
The clash of their weapons echoed like thunder, each strike pushing them to their limits.
Despite using Caliburn, the swords El had held up without showing a sign of breaking. Two unknown holy swords with no history records that can stand up to Caliburn!
Their swords met one final time, sending a small shockwave reverberating through the training ground. Their blades locked, and they didn't move.
Silence.
The only thing that could be heard in the training area for the next minute was silence until two thuds broke it.
Both of them fell backward with heavy breaths, and soon after, both of them chuckled.
El chuckled, "Hey, let's duel again in the future..." He said in between breaths.
"I'll take you up on that." My brother answered as both of them didn't have the strength to even look at each other.
---
Elijah Heart POV:
After recovering from our duel, we went to have a meal.
"So you are leaving tomorrow?" Arthur asked.
I nodded, "Yeah, we should get back as fast as possible. I'm worried for my mother..." I said, my hair covered my eyes as I looked down on the plate of food.
It's been almost a month and a half since that day. I'm worried about what could happen to her.
Is she okay?
Could she have fallen?
But what I was worried about the most was what she would do after she found out I cut off my wings and what I had become.
What even am I? I'm not a fallen angel, and I'm not a pure angel either.
A Fallen/Pure Angel/Human hybrid?
Can I even be called an Angel when the only thing that would represent me as an angel is the broken halo?
But what weighed the most on my consciousness was if she would accept me.
After a while, I sighed at the stupid question my mind thought of.
After over ten years, the answer should be obvious to me.
She would. No matter what I become, she would accept me as her son.
It could be my kid's body that influences me, but I'm still scared of telling her about it.
Suddenly, I felt someone hugging me and saw it was Akeno.
Quickly recomposing myself, I gave a weak smile, "Sorry, I just got lost in my thoughts. What were we talking about?"
---
"I will win next time," I said, giving Arthur a handshake.
"Only if I hold back." He replied.
We then walked toward Akeno, who was talking with Le Fay.
Seeing us approaching them, Le Fay walked up to me and asked, "Hey, before you go, can you give me your phone?"
"Um... Okay?" I then took out the phone I had stolen.
During the month here, I changed the sim card and got myself a charger, "Here," I said, giving her the phone.
She did something for a while before giving it back to me, "If you need help in the future or just want to talk, call me."
"Sure I will," I replied with a smile.
I looked at Akeno, "Ready to get back." I asked.
"Yes," She said, then started the Teleportation Spell with our first stop, Italy.
We can't teleport directly to Japan, but with a few stops, we will arrive in a few days.
Then, the magic circle appeared, and light temporarily covered our sight. When the light dimmed, we were in an alleyway.
I noticed Akeno was slightly out of breath. Teleporting two people isn't easy, especially for a novice.
I checked our position on my phone.
It seems we are in Rome, the capital of Italy.
It will take a couple of hours before Akeno's mana reserves replenish.
We were close to the Vatican, and I wanted to go there to ask for help, but I knew it would be dangerous for Akeno.
I couldn't risk it.
"Hey, Akeno, why not go around the city and get food while we wait?"
"Sure! How about pasta? Le Fay told me they have good pasta in Italy," She replied.
Seeing her act like this made me want to stay away from Japan a bit longer so she wouldn't be reminded of what happened and Aunt Shuri.
I stopped myself from leaking any killing intent as anger rose within me just thinking about the group of devils that killed her.
I promised myself that if they survived that day, I would hunt them down and make sure to end them.
Just a few more days, and we will be back...
"Hey, Akeno, slow down!"
"We need to hurry; otherwise, every restaurant will close." She said.
We passed by a clothing shop just before we saw a restaurant with a sign about Today's Pasta Dish, after converting to euros, which would cost around 4 euros per plate.
We entered the small restaurant. It looked like a family-owned restaurant.
As we entered, we were greeted by an old man, "Hello, are you lost kids? Where are your parents?" He asked.
I guess seeing two kids enter alone isn't normal, "They went to the clothing store and told us to buy some food." I replied.
"I see, so what do you want?" He asked with a polite smile.
"Two Today's Pasta plates," I said as we sat down at a table.
"It will be here shortly," He said, leaving to the kitchen.
I looked around the restaurant. Another customer was a two-meter tall, white-haired old man with wrinkles and an extremely developed muscular build.
He looks like he could rip my head off with his bare hands. I kept myself from shivering just by thinking that.
...
..
.
Our plates arrived after a while.
Two plates of what looked like cacio e pepe. It was a simple yet delicious dish.
We ate in silence, and I still got a weird feeling from that old guy.
I stayed alert and ready to grab Akeno and run at any moment, just in case he did something.
As we finished eating, I paid for the food with the money I stole from that devil, and we left the restaurant.
It was getting late, and we needed to find somewhere to rest for the night.
We didn't walk far before I sensed someone following behind us.
"Akeno, in three seconds, start running," I whispered, and she nodded.
3...
2...
1...
I augmented my feet, and Akeno used Enhancement Magic, which she recently learned.
We started running at inhuman speeds.
"Hey, wait, I'm not going to hurt you," I heard the shouts of an old man. Taking a quick look, it was the guy from the restaurant.
Like, I'm going to believe that. That's something someone who would try to hurt me would say.
Besides, if he wanted something, he could have talked to us when we were in the restaurant and not after.
Yeah, I'm not risking getting into shit again.
But there was a question I had in my mind.
Am I going to be chased every time we teleport somewhere!?
I'm starting to think running away from those fallen angels was better than this grandpa, who looked like a tank.
We started running in the crowds and narrow passages so he couldn't go through.
We didn't know if we had escaped, but after hours of running, we were completely out of breath.
I leaned on a wall with Akeno doing the same, "Haah, haah... I think we lost him..." I said in between heavy breaths.
"Yeah, I think so too, haah..." Akeno also replied in between heavy breaths.
I missed my wings so much! Escaping someone by flying away was so much easier than running.
If I could regain my wings without losing my swords...
I took out my phone and opened the map before searching for any cheap motels we could rent for the night, "How was your memory manipulation spell?" I asked.
"It should be good enough to change crucial memories. Why?"
"We are going to rent a motel room for the night, but without any adults, we wouldn't be able to do it."
"So you want me to alter their memories to give us the keys to a room?" She asked.
I opened my mouth but then closed it. I was thinking of making them think we had adults, but getting a room for free was a better idea.
...
..
.
"Here you go, an extra key for your room. Tell your parents to not lose this one."
"Thank you, miss. We will tell them." I replied and took the key.
Akeno changed that woman's memories. She now thinks our parents rented a room, lost the keys, and asked for new ones before making us pick them up.
We entered the room. A small room with two beds, a small TV and a toilet.
I quickly went to the room to check we were alone and the windows were not two-way mirrors before locking the door and lying on the bed.
We would get some rest before setting out tomorrow.
"Hey, El..." I looked over at Akeno, who was fidgeting and looked slightly embarrassed, "About that time when I kissed you..."
Oh, this is going to be awkward.
---
Author's Note:
Thank you for reading this chapter.
If you enjoy this story, remember to vote and leave a review if you haven't.
