Fear Of The Unknown

The presence grows, the tension with it. In the span of a single moment, I was immediately on the verge of kneeling to the ground from the crushing pressure.

The witch grabs my hand, preventing from falling. A single bead of sweat falls from her cheek, splashing on the ground.

I clench my teeth.

"... We should hurry."

The witch urges. I immediately follow.

We stick close to the walls, making the least amount of sound – or anything noticeable for that matter – possible.

The witch receded her enormous mana, the sudden change caught me off-guard, but the tension was stronger.

With the witch's overpowering mana gone, she looked nothing more than a regular person–albeit an exceedingly beautiful one.

*THUMP*

One step.

*THUMP THUMP*

Two steps.

*THUMP THUMP THUMP*

Three steps.

Every motion that the owner of the presence made my heart beat like mad. The witch tightened her grip on my hand, almost making me squeal.

"–!"

The witch covered my mouth with her other hand, pinning me to the wall. I held my breath.

「Skill 'Instinct' is urgently warning you」

「Skill 'Instinct' is urgently warning you」

「Skill 'Instinct' is urgently warning you」

In the span of a second, my mind was inundated with the warnings of my 「Instinct」.

This is bad…

The thumping grew louder.

This was REALLY bad.

The presence grew larger, it's shadow partly visible from where I was.

The witch muttered something, and the earth around us shifted, forming a dome around us. The shadow looms no longer.

Just as I was about to breath a sigh of relief, the witch tightens her grip on my face.

"Ssssshhhh."

The witch hissed. I follow.

Despite the thick earth covering us, the presence still lingers.

「Skill 'Instinct' is urgently warning you」

I recede my mana as well, copying the witch. I felt no visible change, except for the feeling of shrinking.

「You have learned 'Imbuement'」

The witch furrows her brows, her eyes closed and her lips busy muttering something.

I stay silent, focusing on the mana inside of me, concealing it's existence.

I could still feel the being's presence.

「Skill 'Instinct' is warning you」

Then, the ground beneath us collapsed.

A dark expanse looms just below me.

I hurriedly catch myself, grabbing onto a nearby ledge.

I catch the witch's arm, too, making sure she was safe.

I take a look at the unmoving witch, examining her.

Her eyes were still closed, her face a mask of concentration. Her muttering continues.

The ledge we hanged from was small and fragile, barely enough to carry even just one of us.

So, as one would expect, it would not take long for something like this to occur.

Shit… !!

Then, we were falling. The ground beneath us invisible beyond the darkness.

It did not take long until we reached a wall.

I pull the witch closer to me, using my own body as a shield.

The inner walls scrape my back, peeling the skin and burning my flesh.

I grit my teeth.

With 「Reinforcement」 currently suppressed, I had no choice but to rely on my own body for protection.

My back burned from the friction, the speed of our descent becoming a weapon of self-destruction.

I hug the witch tighter, trying to bear through the pain.

As we fell, the presence's atmospheric tension lessened bit by bit, eventually disappearing.

The witch finished chanting.

A gust of wind envelopes us, slowing our descent.

Eventually, the darkness disappeared, replaced by the brown of the earth.

I hug the witch tighter.

We gently fell down, the tips of our feet landing first.

I looked around, observing the area for any danger, the witch's figure held tightly in my arms.

The witch's waist was smaller than I initially thought.

Soon enough, the presence disappeared entirely.

I let go of the witch, examining her.

She had a few scratches here and there. Covered in soot and grime, she looked like a kid who just came home from playing outside.

The wind disperses.

I take a step forward, my feet guided by 「Night Vision」.

*BOOM*

Then, a loud explosion rang above us, just where we were formerly located at.

The witch chanted something, and the hole we had come up from closed immediately.

She gave me an indecipherable look.

W-what now… ?

She narrowed her eyes, and for some reason, I could not feel the usual cold aura that went with her gaze.

I tilted my head, confused.

Her face reddened immediately, her cheeks puffing up like a squirrel.

I had to admit, it was pretty darn cute.

Then she turned around in one swift motion, clutching her sides, free from my grasp.

I will never understand women

We were walking once more, this time, our destination was unknown.

Along the way, I tried to get her attention. Making gestures and doing all I can to get her to notice me. Sadly, it was all for naught.

No dice, huh…

I gave up. Clearly, she did not want to talk to me.

Instead, I focused on our surroundings.

If I can't ask her, I might as well see for myself

I resolved myself, opting for autonomy. She was nice, sure, but she was not THAT nice. Even somebody like her can have mood swings from time-to-time.

Focusing mana into my senses, I observe the dark passageway.

The witch's mana was still receded, helping me assess our current location.

The passageway was cramped, barely enough to fit one person. We were threading through such claustrophobic halls.

The witch moved through such an uncomfortable terrain with ease. The earth around her seemed to be doing her bidding, bending and even outright changing to perfectly fit her figure.

Stalactites burrowed back up, loose pebbles parted like the Red Sea by her feet, allowing her passage. She paid it no mind, of course, letting the magical event happen around her as if it was natural.

I followed closely behind the witch, following her every step.

I was worried, scared, that the ground would collapse again had I made the wrong move.

I was being a little paranoid.

It was when a small light over yonder caught my eye that it finally caught up with me.

Gurk... !!

My mind felt like splitting. The insides of my head seemed to on the verge of exploding, never reaching the point of detonation.

It was like my brain was being inflated by a pump–or being chopped by a lumberjack. Either way, it really hurt.

Then, I lost it.

My grip on reality and sanity loosened, and I found it a chore to even stand up.

The witch turned around, her eyes full of suspicion.

That gaze immediately fell apart, though. When she found me writhing on the floor, she approached me in a flash, abandoning her stoicism.

"———?!"

She was saying something, her lips parting and closing to form words I did not recognize.

But alas, I was fated to never understand her.

Then, the world turned black.