Weeping Witch

I let one slow, long breath from the exhaustion of stretching my focus.

"…"

It has been week since the witch and I started this meditative training.

In the beginning, the witch had instructed me to only do it once a day. However, since the first time she observed me absorbing and purifying mana into my body, she had insisted to keep at two, sometimes even three if I was still in good condition after the initial two.

Still, it was not without cause. Ever since the fifth day, I have felt various improvements in my magical abilities.

For one…

I open my eyes, ignoring the witch's intense gaze. A translucent black barrier surrounded me in a half-dome while I sat at a small rock that was barely above the center of the lake in front of witch's house.

The witch, perhaps to test me further, instructed me to keep my barrier. She said it was to 'better assess my abilities' or something, but to me, it was more of a burden—a weight added to my already mentally-straining training. Of course, that also meant that the results would be greater once I actually use my improved mana manipulation.

The barrier shatters immediately, creating black motes for a brief second. The invisible pressure on my shoulders made my back sag. I did not fight it.

The back of my head dips into the water, cooling my exhausted head.

Soooo~ coooool~

"…"

I let the relaxing sensation envelope me, ignoring the piercing gaze of the witch.

"Hey…"

…

"I know you're awake."

I wasn't even trying to pretend that I weren't

"How did you do that?"

With my foot.

"Gross! Get that out of my face!"

Deterrent: complete. Mission: successful.

She grabbed my shoulders. Damn, was that not enough…?

"Tell me how you did that. Now."

I'm pretty sure she's just threatening me at this point.

"The fact that you can absorb mana as easily as that still astounds me, but that's probably because of a rare attribute or something, so I don't really mind it much. The other part is what concerns me."

The witch let go of me, giving me a questioning look.

"How did you purify and attract mana like that? Even if it is the same as your innate element, to be able to just… command it like that is amazing. Leaving aside the purification process, how did you do that? Actually, scratch that last part. How DID you purify it that quickly? And so naturally, it would seem…" Her voice trailed off, seemingly going off into her own world.

I stealthily escape from her grasp, using her own curiosity against her. The very moment I make distance, I will the dark attribute mana to envelope me, blending in with the shadows.

With this…

"You really should have waited until AFTER you left the lake to use that."

… Huh?

The witch appeared in front of me in the blink of an eye.

"That spell is useful, and I'm glad that you managed to find a way to use that barrier more practically, but you clearly don't know it's limitations yet. For example…" She flicked her wrist along with a short chant, and the light coming from the glowing crystals grew brighter for a brief second.

Ow! My eyes…

Rubbing my blinded eyes, I fall to ground, on my knees. The dark attribute mana around me disperses, my new spell deactivating.

What the hell was that…?!

"Hmmm… so it's weak to light. Good to know, good to know. Oh, you should probably remember that, too. It might be helpful. Also, I could clearly see you even when it was activated. It's probably less effective in bright places, which make sense. It's a spell from the dark attribute, after all."

What is that supposed to mean…?

Just as I was about to make a complaint, though I do not know how, a rumbling shook the dome-shaped cavern.

*rumble rumble rumble*

"Damn, again…?"

The witch knitted her brows in annoyance, looking somewhere to the left. Her gaze seemed to pierce the very earth itself.

…

After a while, the rumbling stopped, and it was only then did I notice that she was floating in midair.

Showoff

She then looked back at me.

She pinched her nose. "You reek of sweat, take a bath." Ouch, even I have feelings…

A little while later.

Finishing mystery soup no.15 of this week, the witch beckoned me over as I was washing the dishes.

*wave wave*

What does she want now?

Quickly finishing up, I follow the witch into an unfamiliar room—the one she told me not go into.

*creak*

Does this world not have oil or something…?

As soon as I opened the door, I was met with a messy, barely-kept room. Cloth of varying colors was everywhere, along with leather from various beasts. Some looked familiar, like the scales and pelts—while others were not.

I examined the unfamiliar ones first, trying to see if I could recognize them. I could not.

There were racks and hangers of an assortment of materials, along with bottles of even more mysterious liquids. Just as the thought of ingesting the mysterious liquids crossed my mind, the witch beckoned me deeper into the room.

"Here." She said causally as she stuck out her hand from a partitioned section of the room.

I follow, a little disturbed by the contents of the room.

Moving the curtain that separated the room, I find a very surprising sight.

A… dressing room?

There were clothes everywhere of varying design, from casual to… well, special occasions, let's say.

"Come on!" The witch beckoned as she led mw hand-in-hand to sheet-covered mannequin.

"Ta-da!"

Umm….

"Huh?... Oh!" She pulled off the sheet.

"Ta-DAHHH!"

The sheet fell to the ground revealing a dark-blue coat. It had a hood and had a golden lining as well, when I looked closer, I could see that the golden lining was actually small runes.

I give the witch a meaningful glance.

"Go ahead." She nodded proudly, a real, genuine smile on her face.

I pinch the edges of the coat, feeling the cloth. It was pretty slippery, almost like the scales of an animal. The inside, however, was very soft, kind of like cotton.

"Put it on!" The witch said excitedly, practically bouncing on her feet.

I did as told, slipping one arm and another.

I glance to the mirror on the side of the room. It was nice, the coat suited me very well, like it was made specifically or something. It fell just below my waist, making it easier to move in.

*hic*

… Huh?

I turn around quickly, seeing the witch's crying face. It was neither beautiful or repulsive, it was real. Perhaps the most 'real' thing I've seen since our promise.

Crap, did I do something wrong…?!

Just as I was about to take off the robe, the witch's hand fell on my shoulder.

"No, it's fine. I'm fine. It's just… this is the first time I've ever made something for anybody else… so…" She wiped her flowing tears. "D-don't worry about it."

I pull her in for a hug, feeling every sob.

The witch wept.