Chapter 31: Pointless

The endless blue above him looked so peaceful, with formless clouds spread about. He could just motionlessly lay there as he stared up at the sky. The violent vibrations that shook the forest probably indicated someone was fighting. But his body hurt too much for him to dwell on that.

So now with not much else to do all William could do was think. What had led to this very moment right here? Right, the answer was clear as day was it not? The immense hate that stemmed from his sister. That burning hate that would never diminish no matter what he did.

But why was it that Agatha detested him so? Even 'hate' seemed like too soft a word to describe just how much Agatha detested him. Was it because she alone had the blessing of Isadora, meaning all pressure was placed on her?

That was the reason, correct? Him getting off easy due to not having the blessing and her suffering. But was that truly the reason? He was detested for something he had no control over?

No that was not the reason. There was a fog on his mind that would not be lifted, memories he could not access no matter how hard he tried. There was something more to the hatred his sister felt.

But what was it?

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The forest was eerily silent, save for the sound of leaves rustling in the wind. Suddenly, a loud growl echoed through the trees, followed by the sound of trees being uprooted and shattered. The white wolf, controlled by Agatha, charged at Mikoto with lightning-fast speeds. Its eyes glowed with an otherworldly light as it bared its teeth, ready to sink them into Mikoto's flesh.

But Mikoto already moved to react. He leaped into the air, avoiding the wolf's jaws with ease. The wolf continued its charge, crashing through trees and bushes as it pursued Mikoto. The ground shook beneath their feet as they moved, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.

As Mikoto landed on the ground, he saw the white serpent slithering towards him. Its mouth opened wide, revealing its fangs. He kicked out with his leg, striking the serpent's face with a deafening crack. The serpent reeled back, its body writhing in pain.

"C'mon Agatha, I'm stronger, faster and I have more mana." Mikoto's voice echoed throughout the forest and hopefully towards Agatha. "Your pets aren't stopping me you know! And why the hell are you fighting me in the first place?" Yet his words were merely unheard as he turned to the sky, to face Agatha's now third creation. Like the wolf and serpent it was overly large, it feathers overly white and it possessed azure eyes. This one seemed to take after an eagle.

The white eagle creature soared through the sky above them. Its feathers glinted in the sunlight as it dived towards Mikoto. But he was ready for it. He raised his arm, and a sudden chill filled the air. Ice erupted from his fingertips, engulfing the bird creature in a flurry of frozen fury. Mikoto turned away from the frozen creature and turned to look behind him.

"Be reasonable Agatha." Mikoto spoke to the blank faced blonde as he heaved a sigh.

"You're in the way." Came her immediate response, her wolf and serpent came back to her side as the eagle creatures form dissipated into glowing particles beneath the ice.

"Jesus, you really must hate William." The sheer hate radiating off of her reminded him of the hate he himself harbored once upon a time. She really did hate William, enough to maybe even kill him. That was not normal, just what happened between them?

"Simple hate does not do what I feel justice, Mikoto." Mikoto watched as the wolf and and serpent beside her burst into particles, disappearing as if they were never there.

"So you want to kill him, is that it?" Mikoto questioned.

"I want him to suffer." She corrected.

"That so? Well it ain't happening."

"I will not let you stop me." Her mana flared as she glared into his eyes.

"Yeah, well you don't have a choice." Mikoto idly tapped the face of his mask as he heaved a sigh. "Like I said Agatha, I'm stronger than you. This is not a statement, opinion or a mere declaration. Fight me and you'll lose."

"I will succeed."

Agatha, raised her hands high above her head and whispered an incantation that sent ripples of energy through the ground. Suddenly, great gnarled tree roots sprouted from the ground, bursting forth with an unmatched speed, their massive forms tearing through the forest floor towards Mikoto. The limbs snaked and twisted in an intricate pattern, resembling a pack of hungry serpents aiming to strike their prey.

Mikoto merely raised his palm at the torrent of roots. A fierce torrent of freezing cold water and icy winds erupted from his fingertips, swirling and dancing in a display. The icy tempest enveloped each and every root, encasing them in a shimmering layer of ice. Despite their massive size and imposing force, the roots were reduced to mere frozen pillars, rendered immobile under Mikoto's spell.

Unperturbed by the outcome of her initial attack, Agatha skillfully evaded the encased roots and casted another spell. With a flick of her wrist and a concentration of her magic, she brought fourth illusions. As her incantation wove its way through the air, her form blurred, and suddenly an army of Agatha clones materialized, scattering throughout the thick grove of trees.

Witnessing the sudden multiplication of his opponent, Mikoto narrowed his gaze in response.

"Think little tricks will help? Please." Mikoto merely scoffed.

Gathering his mana, he infused them with the elements of fire and electricity, forming a potent combination. His hands cupped together, he drew in the raw energy and released it in an explosive burst.

A tremendous wave of fire-lightning surged forth from Mikoto's palms, crackling and sizzling as it spanned outward across the forest. The illusionary clones, unable to withstand the sheer force exuded by fire and electricity, disintegrated into nothingness. But Agatha, unleashing her own magic, erected a translucent barrier that shimmered with mana. Within its protective embrace, she stood unyielding, her eyes burning into his.

The blazing wave of destruction crashed against Agatha's magical defense, causing the barrier to quiver and tremble under the immense pressure. Her barrier absorbed the fiery onslaught, protecting her from the raging inferno that surrounded her.

Mikoto surveyed the aftermath of their clash – the frozen roots encased in ice, the dispersed illusionary clones, and the resilient Agatha defending herself behind her impressive barrier. A momentary pause settled between the two adversaries, both contemplating their next move as the forest grew still around them.

"C'mon Agatha, could we stop fighting and just talk?" Mikoto asked but he already knew the answer.

"Stay out of my way then I might." She shot back.

"So you can go ahead and torture William?" Mikoto questioned. "Not a chance, Agatha."

"You have no business in this." Agatha's eyes narrowed as she glared at him with malice.

"Maybe not." Mikoto admitted. "I can empathize, to some extent."

"How could you possibly understand?" She scoffed. "You hardly know why I harbor this hate."

"Yeah I don't know, maybe William is a terrible person or maybe not." Mikoto sighed. "You hate him right? Then kill him."

"What?" Confusion replaced her glare quickly.

"Go ahead and kill him, butcher him, slaughter him, exterminate him. Hell torture him, tear of his nails, peel of his skin." Mikoto scoffed as he stared at her confused expression. "Honestly it should be easy for you, no? I don't know what he did to make you this angry, hell I don't even know why I'm fighting."

What the hell was he doing? He was playing school. No progress, he was still right where he started. And now he was playing hero? This was all so wrong, did he really have to go out of his way to defend William like this? Surely Professor Fergus would have stepped in.

"Tell me Agatha, do you want William dead?" He asked.

"I want him to suffer." She spoke those words without pause, yet for a brief moment there was a bit of hesitation, though it was barely audible.

"That so?" He really did not have any right to interfere, that much true. All this served no purpose, but still William was a friend. That should be enough reason to fight, no? But still maybe he had been going about this the wrong way. "Go ahead then." Mikoto then turned around much to Agatha's confusion as he prepared to walk away but he was promptly stopped.

"Wait." Agatha spoke as she narrowed her eyes at the masked boy. "You're walking away after all that?" She questioned befuddled.

"Isn't it what you wanted?" Mikoto asked back.

"But why now? I thought you cared for my brother." She stated as Mikoto merely shrugged.

"Professor Fergus will probably stop you before you can go crazy." Mikoto stated. "And I probably don't have any right to get in the way of your revenge now that I think about it. I know how much it would've irritated me." Of course Agatha took close note of his words as she spoke.

"Earlier you said you could emphasize with me."

"Yeah I can understand what you're going through to some extent." He confirmed. "But tell me, what exactly is your story, Agatha?"

"Why do you care?" She questioned.

"I don't I'm just curious, is all." He clarified. At least they were not fighting anymore, now he could hear their story.