Escape Back Home

Stumbling for a moment, Mitsuna stopped at the edge of the foliage.

Looking back and seeing the house she had spent a good amount of her life in, she bit her tongue and proceeded.

Running as fast as she could with all her stamina skills activated, Mitsuna couldn't think. Or rather, she refused to.

'I can grieve later. Right now, I need to get home.'

And just like last time, her ultimate goal turned out to be the same. To get home.

Her eyes glitched for a moment and before she could realize it, she was already miles away from her teacher's house.

Stopping for a moment, she tried to ignore the sudden change in scenery. Observing the surroundings, she saw a similar floating capital.

Touching the bag on her side out of instinct she felt that it was strangely light.

During her run, it had ripped and all the food and clothes were gone.

Noticing another oddity, her hand had returned, or rather regenerated.

Shaking her head while looking back and forth from the floating city and the South. Mitsuna grit her teeth as she made a choice.

'It would take some serious travel to get home by foot. Without any food or another set of clothes, I would end up running back half-naked and starving... Damn it.'

Turning towards the city, she ran.

'This is my one and only stop. Just a jacket, pants and some dried meat is enough.'

Using an element that she has barely ever used, Mitsuna created small explosions of flame beneath her feet, providing her with enough momentum and height to grab onto the island's side.

Climbing up the side, Mitsuna reached the sturdy stone wall that was blocking any and all chances of entering.

With only enough room from the edge to the wall for her to stand on her toes, Mitsuna couldn't climb the wall since it was too smooth and the way to the nearest gate had basically no room for her to stand on.

Racking her head as fast as she could, Mitsuna could only rely on her Techniques.

'If I use ice or flame the sound or mana usage could be traced. Think... think!.. I have Sakura Step, the principle of that is blocking sight from the enemy and repositioning myself. Reposition. F*ck it. I'll try...'

Holding her wooden sword with both hands almost like praying, Mitsuna was slowly being covered by Sakura Petals.

Soon she was completely covered by them and as she opened her eyes the petal storm dissipated and Mitsuna was nowhere to be seen.

Meanwhile on the other side of the wall, a few tens of meters away.

A single black and orange petal fell on the ground before disappearing in a cloud of black smoke.

Mitsuna then appeared at the location of the petal that had disappeared.

Standing up, she sighed in relief before trying to take a step forward but ending up falling on her face.

Turning back, she could see her left leg stuck in the ground.

Pulling as hard as she could, it didn't budge.

Looking further behind her she could see the wall. It was at most 40cm away from her leg.

A drop of sweat ran down her face. She almost ended up encased, fully.

Crouching down, Mitsuna used her sword to chip away at the stone.

The stabbing barely scratched it.

Furrowing her brows, Mitsuna used Cresent Eclipse four times, trying to get her foot out of the stone. Another four and another. Soon her foot was surrounded by slashes and only stuck in a small square of stone.

Using Sakura Monsoon, Mitsuna sent every petal to slowly carve out the bottom of the square and after a minute, pulling with all her strength, her leg was freed.

'I wasted too much time.'

Lifting her leg with a bit of difficulty, she smashed it against the nearby wall.

The stone cracked and after one more kick, it broke apart.

Stretching her leg for a moment, Mitsuna started running through the alleyways.

Too focused to notice a 'W- wait-!' behind her, she took the nearest right and kept running.

Finding herself on a main street of sorts, she continued to run through to the other side and continues to explore the various shops in the multiple small alleys and side streets.

Running past a small girl being bullied by angels, Mitsuna jumped over the group while beheading one.

'It's not my problem. but.'

Petals fell from the sky along with blood and a severed head. The man's companions were furious and started pursuing Mitsuna.

While the girl sat there bright-eyed, a shine appeared in her eyes as she soon after flew away.

A few turns later, Mitsuna ran past someone strange.

A feeling of danger and death lingered around the man, but Mitsuna tried her best to ignore it.

Mitsuna thought she was seeing things as the man changed appearance multiple times in a second.

At one point it was a black trenchcoat and short jeans with shamrock green, long hair. Then a complete 180 with a yellow button-up shirt, long black jeans and a rose pink curly afro. There were other outfits and hairstyles besides those two but Mitsuna couldn't keep track of them all.

The only things that stayed the same were his handlebar moustache that had a strange colour and his eyes that held a hint of crazy.

As she sprinted past, she made quick eye contact with the man.

Feeling shivers, she made another turn, still hearing the flapping of angel wings behind her.

Yet after one more turn, all she could hear was an 'Ah.' almost like a sigh, and with that, the flapping wings stopped.

The man she had left to wander now had a slightly calm look in his eyes as the strange colour of his moustache slightly dissipated.

...

'Barely 2 minutes here and already been through 2 strange situations. One more than the other.'

Taking one more turn, Mitsuna finally found a clothing store. Till now all she had found were blacksmith stores and bakeries.

Jumping in through the window, Mitsuna took a glance around while hearing an 'Eek!'.

Grabbing some leather shoes, a light brown trench coat and black pants, she jumped out of the window backwards while swinging her sword at the owner's hand who was trying to grab her.

Skidding across the hard, stone ground, Mitsuna kept running.

After a few more turns and thankfully no more strange people along the way, she stopped and changed her clothes.

Finding a cloth mask in the pocket of the trench coat, Mitsuna examined it since it possessed a trace of mana.

Finding that it boosted the amount of stamina recovered per second, Mitsuna put it on.

'So trades happen like this even in cities. I guess that was why the owner looked so desperate.'

Mitsuna thought as she ran past a few more bakeries.

Soon after, she found a deli. Breaking in the same way, Mitsuna was greeted by a flying cleaver.

Parrying the thrown weapon, Mitsuna didn't wait for the owner to start talking as she stole a nice bag and a bowl of jerky while the workers tried to stop her but only ended up with scratches and bumps.

The owner, looking strangely proud then approached with his hands folded.

"You have some skills. I can give you a job here so you no longer have to resort-"

Yet before he could finish, Mitsuna jumped out a different window, used Sakura Step and escaped.

'You know nothing.'

She thought to herself.

Looking at the position of the sun, she started running South.

'Since it rises from the East and will set in a few hours in the West, South is that way.'

Taking another turn, Mitsuna took a few extra turns to dodge any flying or walking knights just in case and soon found herself at a large wall.

Holding the sword with both hands, Mitsuna breathed in heavily as petals started surrounding her.

A moment later, a voice.

Breathing heavily as if out of breath 'Y- you... hey.'

Yet the moment Mitsuna opened her eyes, she only spared a glance before disappearing.

Only momentary eye contact was made.

Appearing on the other side, this time a meter or two away from the wall, Mitsuna started to plummet.

'That kid looked familiar.'

She thought as she remembered the out of breath kid but dismissed it half a moment later.

Looking around, she could see multiple angels flying around, barely a few even noticing her.

Looking down she could see a few flying beneath her.

Using the fire element with both hands as she fell in a starfish formation, she crossed her hands above her head and created a small explosion.

Launching herself back, she was falling at full speed towards a solitary angel.

'I won't make it.'

She thought as she created threads of mana.

If she continues to fall with no cushion, she would die. Plain and simple.

Before falling past the angel, Mitsuna created two balls of ice around the tips of the thread and threw them at the angel.

Manipulating them the best she could, she spun them around the angel's neck.

Before the angel could react, Mitsuna used fire yet again to propel herself back some more.

With the threads tensing up, the angel was pulled back. Trying to stay afloat, Mitsuna used the innocent bystander as a sort of swing.

And just like every single kid in kindergarten who had access to a swing, when she got high enough she let go and jumped.

From this height, all she would suffer would be a broken knee at most or strained legs at least.

Turning to face the ground, Mitsuna used fire once more to slow her descent.

Falling on her hands, she pushed the ground and flipped up.

Looking up at the angel who untied the thread and ice around their neck, Mitsuna couldn't really care as something else took her attention.

A similar man. Well, similar would be lying. He still constantly changed appearance.

He stood on top of the walls of the capital. Holding his hands up to the sky as if praising the sun above him.

Lowering his head, he stared at Mitsuna for a moment before hundreds of angels surrounded him.

Readying their spears, swords and shields they got ready to attack.

But.

Not even a millisecond later. They all died in a unique and different way compared to one another. It was almost as if the man stopped time and took an hour, maybe a few days for each angel.

One was skewered another drowned. One was sliced open and another beheaded. One bled out another fed bread till he couldn't breathe.

The man had not moved an inch. He still stood there, looking at Mitsuna.

Yet he did not linger for long. As he look back up at the sun, closed his eyes and let out an 'Ah.'.

He then disappeared in a breeze.

...

Mitsuna had sweat across her back. No amount of mana was used and it definitely wasn't any esper ability that her brother had taught her about.

That man. Him and whatever he had just done. It was Insanity.

Mitsuna turned to the forest and started to resume her run back home. Making a mental note and promise to herself to never make contact with that man again.