Chapter 20: A Bolt from the Blue

Several peaceful days passed, yet Liangyin’s condition showed no sign of improvement; on the contrary, she only grew sleepier, as if even twelve hours a day were not enough. Zizi seemed to follow her lead, growing lazier as well; its already tiny eyes now appeared almost invisible, and Moumou couldn’t help but suspect that, to Zizi, the world had dwindled down to nothing but two parallel lines.

The purple-haired girl still showed no intention of speaking to anyone. After some careful observation and stealthy tailing, Moumou discovered that every afternoon, the purple-haired girl would disappear deeper into the forest to hunt—or, more accurately, to train. She would not return until well into the night.

To save on provisions—and perhaps for the taste of fresh game—Moumou had adopted the same routine, heading out with the purple-haired girl each day, trailing behind her to pick up leftovers and bring back fresh meat to improve their meals. Having just discovered the correct method of magical cultivation, Moumou’s magical power had surged dramatically, and occasionally she could even lend the purple-haired girl a small hand. The purple-haired girl, for her part, tacitly allowed Moumou’s presence.

This day was no different. Moumou followed closely behind the purple-haired girl, wooden staff in hand, as the sun dipped toward the horizon and the forest grew alive with sounds. In a hushed tone, Moumou asked, “Have you noticed that the magical beasts turn especially aggressive and irritable at dusk?”

The purple-haired girl strode deeper into the woods without so much as a glance, clearly uninterested in conversation. Moumou hurried to keep up, afraid to be left behind should the girl’s mood suddenly sour.

Suddenly, a strange birdcall pierced the sky, followed by a rush of wind hurling straight toward them. In the days spent working alongside the purple-haired girl, Moumou’s first reaction upon sensing a large magical beast was no longer to flee. Fixing her gaze on the commotion above, she began gathering water magic at the tip of her staff, preparing a watery shield.

Though the water shield was neither as offensive as fire nor as defensive as wind, Moumou stubbornly maintained the façade that she could use only water magic, as if she’d completely forgotten about the night she’d absorbed all four elements at once. Since Moumou never mentioned it, the purple-haired girl acted as though nothing had happened, as if she’d truly slept through the entire event.

On this unspoken agreement, the two continued as before. With Moumou’s recent diligence in training, her magical reserves had soared; with a little more refinement, she was not far from the power of an intermediate mage. Her magical barrier now could withstand basic attacks from magical beasts.

A screech tore through the sky as a giant bird of prey, jaws agape, hurled a fireball straight at Moumou. Here, deeper in the forest, the magical beasts no longer relied solely on claws and fangs; those capable of magic attacks were far more formidable than the low-level creatures at the forest’s edge. Yet, after these past days, Moumou was unfazed. She raised her watery shield; with a crackle, it neutralized the fireball, prevailing by elemental advantage.

Noting the bird was a fire-type beast, Moumou grinned and shouted, “Leave it to me!” The purple-haired girl wordlessly stepped aside. Moumou, eyes glinting, eyed the “dinner fowl,” condensed her water magic into ice, and, adopting a bowler’s stance, sent it hurtling at the bird.

The bird tried to dodge, but flying so low and hemmed in by trees, it had nowhere to go. The ice struck true. Dazed, the bird saw a sky full of stars, only to hear the whisper of wind as a blade sliced through the air; its neck grew light, and death claimed it painlessly.

“Splendid swordplay!” Moumou flattered, eyes glued to the long sword in the purple-haired girl’s hand. “Would you, brave lady, help me carve up this bird so I can bring it back for supper?”

The purple-haired girl frowned slightly, raised her sword to eye level as if consulting it, then, after a moment, nodded in assent.

Delighted, Moumou stepped aside and pulled from her pocket a book titled “Nourishing Foods.” Flipping through the pages, she mumbled, “Here it is—the Winged Fowl. Its meat is said to nourish the blood and invigorate the spirit. Perfect for Liangyin, who’s been as listless as a hibernating bear. Half in a stew, half roasted—just right.”

“Liangyin?” The purple-haired girl, wrapping the fresh, bloody meat, finally spoke for the first time in days. “Is she the one lying in bed?”

“That’s her. Are you interested in her?” Moumou busied herself tying up the meat and smearing the bundle with plant sap to mask the scent of blood, chattering all the while. “Don’t be fooled by how lazy she is now—she’s a powerful mage when awake. When we first entered the forest, we relied on her alone to drive off a pack of wolves…”

“She won’t live long,” the purple-haired girl interrupted, her tone as nonchalant as if she were discussing tonight’s menu.

“What?” Moumou’s hand slipped, dropping the supper bundle to the ground.

She stumbled through the rest of the day in a daze, only coming to her senses after following the purple-haired girl back to their cabin.

Awakened by the commotion, Liangyin rubbed her eyes and shuffled over. “I’m hungry. Feed me!” Zizi, draped across her shoulder, stared drowsily, not fully awake.

The purple-haired girl’s words echoed in Moumou’s mind: Liangyin, in wielding the Eternal Staff, had unleashed a torrent of magical energy far beyond her body’s limits to defeat the wolves. That overwhelming power, which her body could not withstand, was now eating away at her from within. Only the Eternal Staff’s strong magical affinity slowed the destruction, allowing Liangyin’s internal defenses to respond. She slept more, seeking stillness to further slow the magic’s corrosive effect—yet even so, she was being consumed bit by bit, and sooner or later, it would claim her life. The purple-haired girl had looked at Moumou in bewilderment, wondering why even Zizi sensed the danger and stayed close to Liangyin, while Moumou herself noticed nothing.

Moumou broke into a sweat—was she supposed to explain that she’d just thought those two were a pair of lazybones?

“Are you feeling alright, Liangyin?” Moumou asked tentatively.

“Perfectly fine, I’m just fine,” Liangyin replied, nearly burying her face in her bowl. After a long pause, she added, “Once I’ve slept enough, I’ll be ready to set out again!”

“Zizi…” The little creature lifted its head from the food, weakly announcing its presence.

The purple-haired girl, as ever, ate in silence.

Looking at the motley group before her—one useless, one incapacitated, and one of unknown value—Moumou suddenly felt the weight of responsibility settle heavily on her shoulders. She made herself a secret promise.

Of course, it was a promise she would come to regret bitterly in the days to come—so much so that she would want to beat her chest, jump up and down, and wish she could rid herself of her meddlesome self with a single stroke.

But that, as they say, is a story for another time.

Stardust Chronicles 020_020—Thunderbolt on a Clear Day—update complete!