Footprints of memories

Finally, with the coveted book safely tucked inside her satchel, Claire’s heart swelled with a sense of triumph. Yet, there was a faint unease that still lingered, a shadow cast by the rumors of Veronica. She tried to brush it away; there was no time for idle speculation. There was a purpose, a singular goal that pulled her like a magnet toward the Vesper woods. With her satchel already full of berries from the day before and her precious new book, she bid her mother goodbye.

“Mom, I’m going out for a bit!” Claire called out, already a blur with her satchel bouncing against her side.

Agnes, leaning against the kitchen doorway, watched her daughter with a knowing smile. She knew the look in Claire’s eyes—the tell-tale signs of a child concocting a clever story.

Claire hesitated, her steps slowing as she searched for a plausible lie. She knew that the truth would mean a guard, a companion, and the certain death of her solo adventure.

“I… I just found an amazing flower field near the woods yesterday,” she stammered, her gaze darting nervously.

“I thought I would go pick some… for you.”

Agnes’s smile widened at the sight. The satchel, suspiciously lumpy with ripe berries and the tell-tale shape of a book, was a comical sight. Claire’s nervousness and her flushed cheeks were an open book. Anyone else would have seen through the lie instantly, but Agnes found it endearing, a charming display of her daughter’s growing cunning.

“Haha… Is that so?” Agnes chuckled, a warm, melodic sound. “Do you want me to send a guard with you, my sweet little adventurer?”

“Oh, Mom, don’t! I’m fine, really! I can go alone!”

Claire protested, her face a fiery red as she turned and ran, the words a jumble of embarrassment and determination.

She disappeared down the path, her small figure swallowed by the distance. Claire believed she was finally alone, a free spirit on a secret journey. But in the quiet home she left behind, an invisible web of fate was already beginning to be woven.

Back in the kitchen, Agnes’s smile vanished, replaced by a deep-seated worry. The air grew heavy with her concentration as she reconnected via a telepathic link, her mind reaching out for the familiar presence of her trusted friend. This time, there was no friendly exchange. Only urgency.

“Veronica, are you listening to me?!” Agnes’s thought was a sharp cry.

“I hear you,” Veronica’s voice echoed in her mind, sharp and immediate.

“Let me guess, this is about yesterday’s matter?”

“Your insight is as sharp as ever, Wise Witch. Your title is well-deserved. Since you already know, let’s cut to the chase,” Agnes said, a hint of admiration lacing her voice.

“I accept gladly,” Veronica replied without a moment’s hesitation, a near-unnatural speed in her thoughts.

Agnes’s mind reeled.

“Wait, I haven’t even mentioned the reward yet!” she thought, taken aback by Veronica’s instant acceptance.

“Where is she now, Agnes?” Veronica’s voice demanded, cutting through the pleasantries. “I have no time for idle chatter.”

“Most likely, she’s headed to the Vesper woods. She said she met a demon yesterday, around her age… with blue horns.” Agnes’s words tumbled out, infused with a mother’s worry she could no longer hide.

A shocking silence stretched between them. Then, Veronica’s voice returned, no longer calm, but laced with a surprising fury. “Wait a minute! The border forest?! What was she thinking?! And she met a demon?! A blue-horned demon?!”

The last two words were a gasp of horror, a deep-seated fear that resonated deep within Veronica. She couldn’t fathom Agnes’s calmness. Blue-horned demons weren't just mythical creatures; they were a curse made real.

Veronica’s memories flared: the last great war, where a blue-horned demon single-handedly annihilated an entire legion. Legends spoke of them as the coldest, most ruthless demonic race of all, their hearts frozen in pure, malevolent ice. She herself had faced one, a duel that had left her barely clinging to life. She had survived by a fluke, or perhaps, a cruel twist of fate.

“No… there’s no way it was mercy,” Veronica’s mind raged. “That thing is heartless. It slaughtered my entire troop and played with their corpses. If a demon like that has returned, I will kill it. I must!”

With that final, furious thought, Veronica severed the telepathic link, her mind seized by a single, violent, powerful purpose. She abandoned the library, leaving her post without a second thought. Agnes, still awaiting a reply, felt the connection snap. She tried to re-establish contact, her calls echoing into a void.

“Veronica? Are you there? The connection broke,” Agnes pleaded, her voice a desperate whisper in the silence of her mind.

“Veronica?!”

But the line remained dead. Veronica had used her magic to temporarily shut down the telepathic link, her focus absolute. A cold dread crept into Agnes’s soul. She had shared a dangerous secret, a painful memory, and in doing so, had unleashed a force she had so desperately tried to keep contained. Leaving her home, Agnes raced toward the library, hoping to intercept Veronica before it was too late.

Upon her arrival at the library, she found the protective magic woven by Veronica still intact. With a quick incantation, Agnes shattered the spell and burst through the door. The sight that greeted her wasn't her friend, but a chilling emptiness. There was no one inside. Not a single soul.

A sickening realization washed over her. Veronica was already gone. Agnes had inadvertently placed her friend on a collision course with a demon from her past. Without a moment’s hesitation, Agnes closed her eyes, focusing her immense magical power, her brilliant mind calculating possibilities. She cast a powerful tracking spell, searching for the mana signatures of those she held dear.

Three distinct points of light appeared in her mind's eye. Two were incredibly strong, a testament to their great power. The brightest, a blazing star of power, was already deep within the Vesper woods. The other was a familiar dot, the mana signature of her friend, Veronica, moving with astonishing speed. And the third, a much smaller, dimmer light, was just ahead of Veronica, also headed for the same destination.

“Three people,” Agnes whispered to herself. “Two are incredibly strong, the most powerful one is already in the Vesper woods. The other is not far from me, and the third one is also… heading toward the Vesper woods? Did I not see it wrong?”

A sharp gasp escaped her. “The closest signature here is Veronica’s. There's no mistake. What are you doing, my friend…” Agnes groaned, her heart aching with the pain of the past, the memory of a time when their worlds had collided in tragedy. She began to run, her feet barely touching the ground, determined to stop the catastrophe she had set in motion.

Meanwhile, deep within the heart of the Vesper woods, the blue-horned demon sat by the same large rock as before, patiently waiting for a promise. He chewed on the last berry Claire had left behind, his mind surprisingly at ease. Then, he saw it. A flash of white hair and emerald eyes appeared at the edge of the forest, a beacon of light in the dim woods. Claire came greeted with a smile and a wave. He saw Claire had already greeted him, and as soon as she saw him, she immediately ran.

And not long after, came Veronica flying above the sky, following Claire from behind. She was ready to hunt the demon. She saw the demon was running towards Claire, she yelled,

“BLUE DEMON!!”

She pointed her staff and cast her spell,

“Comburere eum et finire eum!”

A pillar of scorching fire erupted from her staff, hurtling towards the unsuspecting demon. He instinctively realized the danger, his body reacting before his mind could. He leaped, his hand outstretched, a magical shield forming in front of him. The spell was too fast, too powerful, and though he managed to protect himself, he left Claire exposed.

A deafening explosion ripped through the forest.

BOOOOMMM

The demon, driven by a desperate, protective instinct, threw himself forward, a pure magical shield erupting from his hands. But it wasn't for him. It was for Claire, a pure magical shield to protect her from the fiery blast. He wasn't fast enough to protect himself, but he would protect Claire, even if it cost him everything.

To be continued.

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