"Take control of the water."

*nods*

Nora extracts mana and ignites it after I let go of mine, controlling the water before it could hit the ground.

A mage can take control of another mage mana if it isn't ignited. When a mage extracts mana, he forms a link with it. That link is fueled by "attention". The more a mage focuses on the mana, the stronger that link is. If one wants to take control of another's mana, he needs to overwhelm that link. In other words, he needs to be more aware of that mana than the original caster. He needs be aware of the form, location and amount.

This trick is mainly used by teachers to train young children to concentrate and focus.

Since it requires too much focus, it is not used in combat. As anyone can imagine, when fighting we don't have the luxury to stop and focus on one piece of mana, when the enemy could launch more or attack us physically. And considering one of the basics of magic is to keep our mana moving, meaning it constantly changes form and location, makes things more difficult.

Location and amount are easy to detect, almost instinctively in fact, but the form is another story. When controlling mana, we are basically making it orbit a point. Mana doesn't have a solid form, so when we move the point, it follows it like a liquid or a gas.

So in short, detecting mana is like looking at a page with small letters. We know the page is there (location), we estimate how many words it has (amount), but we don't know what is written unless we focus on reading (form).

"*gulp*, Ugh..." - Nora reluctantly drinks some of the water.

"Trust me, there are worse sources of water."

"I prefer to not put that to the test."

She throws away the rest of the water.

"Well, we better get moving."

I'm still behind Nora. I carefully get up and help her lean on the tree where I was leaning.

I walk to the now extinct fire and use Wind Magic to blow away the ashes. Then I use Physical Magic to open a hole to bury the burned wood. I look at the sun. A huge desire forced me to stretch. With both arms in the air, I curse myself for falling asleep earlier. Well, at least it worked out for the better. The only danger we faced (and still face) are the guards. Other than that, this forest is pretty safe and there shouldn't be any monsters around.

I let my arms fall. I'm painted in red all over. Then I look behind, Nora is looking at her injured leg.

... What a mess. Our only hope is that I can take her to a doctor before they start searching for us. And our hair colors will only make our life harder.

The closest town is the one near the inn where we were staying, West of here. But going back is unquestionably a bad idea, they must be already aware of us. There was another town Northeast, Alryne, but I doubt they rebuilt it...

We either go for the previous town or head towards another one further away:

- If we go back, I might be forced to kill more guards and force the doctor to heal Nora (by force if I have to);

- If we go to another one, that is further away, Nora will be in serious danger and might die before we can reach it. Using Accel Magic while carrying her is out of the question. It will worsen the wound and make it bleed again. But at least there's a good chance that the news didn't reach there yet.

Both options are terrible...

When I notice it, my hand is on my chin while looking at nothing.

"Al? What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking where we should go."

"Isn't that obvious? We should go to Alryne."

"What?"

"Alryne. The town... North of this forest I think?"

"Northeast."

"Yeah. Unless you have a better idea?"

"No, I thought that Alryne was destroyed."

"Maybe? I don't remember if Alryne was one of them, but some towns were partially destroyed 900 years ago during the war. All of them were rebuilt."

What the...

She notices my silence and confusion. - "Something wrong?"

"No, it's just... I'm just surprised they rebuilt that town."

It doesn't make sense. I saw what happened and that town was nothing more than ashes and rocks. It's a taboo to rebuild in completely destroyed places. Unless... That town was never destroyed?

Well, great. Just great. More questions to add an already filled cup.

"You remember the war?"

"You could say that, in a weird way."

"That's... Very helpful."

"You're welcome."

I walk to Nora right side and pick her up carefully.

"Hmm...!" - She groans.

"Sorry."

With her now in my arms, I look at the sun.

"If that's East then..."

This is Northeast. Better start moving.

There are two main roads that connect to Alryne. One which heads to the North and the other that goes to the capital city. So even if we miss the town, we'll find one of the roads.

"Wait, what about the blood?" - She looks at where the pool should be. -"Oh... Nevermind."

"I hid it with dirt after you fell asleep."

We make our way through the forest.

...

Walking at a fast pace, I hear the wind passing through the plants and trees, the birds chirping... It's strange. I will never get used to this feeling. On one hand, we are in a very dire situation. On the other, looking around, it's almost like we don't matter at all. It's so peaceful. The atmosphere is the inverse of our situation.

"Do you have an idea of what we should do after our visit to the doctor?" - I ask.

"Well... We probably should contact my family. They will know what to do."

"Ok. Where can we contact them?"

"In Bellmare. You know where it is?"

"Yeah..." - It's a coastal city, on the South coasts of Coeburg. I can see why her family has a house there, it used to be one of the main points of trade of this country. And probably still is. - "It's far."

"I know. But if anyone can fix this misunderstanding, it's my father."

If we go there, that means we'll have to travel East, reach the coast and head South to avoid the capital and the Royal Guards.

...

"Hmph...!"

Nora is trying her best to not show, but she groans occasionally. It's clear that her leg is hurting.

"How are you feeling?"

"Pretty bad..."

"Hang on just a while longer."

"I hope it will be alright..."

"It will. You will be treated this afternoon. That's a promise."

"..."

Give a man hope and he will move mountains. Similar to injured people. Give them hope and they can survive hell itself.

And to be completely honest, we are pushing our luck. She shouldn't be moving. I'm literally asking her wound to start to bleed again. If that happens, she's dead.

"What are we going to do about our hair?" - She asks.

"Hmm..."

"We'll be easily spotted if we walk with our hair like this."

"I'm sure there are dyes we can borrow in town."

"Dyes? But even if we stain another color..."

"We're going to dye with black."

"Black? But black dyes don't exist."

"Miss Nightingale, you still have much to learn."

"...?"

"Today I'll teach you a trick. Until then, be patient."

Thanks Christine, I owe you again.

Dyes are expensive and are sold by shops that specialize in hygiene products, like perfumes, soaps and the like. However, not just anyone can buy them. To buy it, one needs to be at least 50 years old. And the dye must be the same color as the mage hair.

When a mage gets old, his hair starts to lose color, but not entirely. It becomes whiter but it keeps the original color shade. Most mages buy dyes when that happens.

A yellow mage could try to use a red dye, but it just doesn't work. The hair becomes red but anyone can notice it was dyed. The color just doesn't look natural.

There aren't black dyes because it's too expensive for most black hairs. One would think that mixing blue, red and green (or all dyes) would make a black color just like with ink, but it doesn't work. The materials they use to make dyes don't allow the colors to mix. If you mix the dye, you just get a rainbow mixture.

However, Christine taught me that there's a way to make black dye with the others.

...

.....

.......

We finally reach a road. In front of us, opposite side of the forest, there's a cornfield. It's noon. Thankfully, the wound didn't give any problems.

I don't know which road it is. It's either the road that comes from the capital or the one North of Alryne.

Looking to my right, I see a sign down the road at least 200 meters away from us.

*Type: Inner magic - Location: Eyes - Enhance*

Now I can read the sign... It says Alryne. The sun is in the same direction as that sign. We found the northern road then.

I go back to the forest and follow the road from afar, out of sight.

...

.....

.......

We see the town 700 meters away from us while hiding among the trees of the forest. It was almost an hour walk.

"We're almost there, hang in there just a little longer."

*nod*

She's exhausted. I don't have time to play around.

Even if they didn't receive the news yet, it's better to be safe than sorry and not show ourselves. Also, a bloodied shirtless white mage walking in with a red mage in his arms would leave quite the impression. Then the royal guard would have a solid clue that we were here.

"Ok, I'm going in there and bring you help."

I put her down carefully close to a tree.

"Wait, you're going to leave me here?"

"I'll be quick. I promise."

Nora hesitates a little, but then nods.

"Look, if anything happens, order me to come as fast as possible. But only if something happens ok?"

"... Y-yeah, ok..."

"Nora, look at me."

I crouch down and put my reddened hands on her face and force her to look at me.

"We need to be on the same page alright? If you panic, take deep breaths and talk to yourself. But whatever you do, don't call me unless absolutely necessary, ok?" - I look directly into her eyes.

"... Yeah *nods*. I'll be alright." - She answers with determination.

"Good girl." - I let go of her face and get up. - "I'll be back as soon as possible."

*Type: Inner magic - Location: Whole body - Two Times Accel*

I start running towards the town.

My strategy is simple: run through the fields and jump to the rooftops, and hope no one sees me. From there, I just have to look down and pay attention to the signs. The clinic must have a double cross sign.

I hope Nora has enough resolve to resist the fear. Leaving someone alone in the middle of nowhere will make them panic. They'll start wondering if they were abandoned, then if they are going to be alright, then if someone will rescue them, etc. From there, the questions and worries will keep piling up. They will suffer a panic attack sooner or later. And this is especially true when that someone is injured, like her.

...

I ran through the fields and I'm 10 meters away from the first two story building.

*Type: Inner magic - Location: Both legs - Five Times Strength*

Putting force into my legs, I jump to the rooftop and grab the tiles.

"Shit!"

The tile my right hand was grabbing on comes loose. I hanged on the left hand for a second before grabbing another tile and getting up on the roof.

"Now, where is that doctor..."

I start running, but carefully, towards the center of the town.

...

This place is nothing like I remember. It's bigger and the streets are different, it's almost like a city. My memories are completely useless now, even if they weren't before.

I've been careful to not let my shadow appear in the streets below. Sometimes it can't be helped, when I have to jump to another rooftop for example, and I just hope that the people down there think that the shadow they saw was a figment of their imagination.

But the worst part is that I can't find the damn clinic!

...

.....

.......

It's been one hour and a half since I left Nora alone.

"Dammit dammit dammit."

As I run through each street, I say "dammit" each time I see a sign that is not what I want.

An intersection is coming up.

"Please be right."

Instead of jumping to another rooftop and head forward or left, I head right.

"Dammit, dammit, damm-- Finally!"

A double cross sign! It's on the building on the opposite side of the one I am on.

"But there are too many people down there, how do I go about this..."

I look across the street, and then see drying clothes hanging between two buildings.

"That will do."

I prepare to use Physical Magic.

"Time to push my luck once again."

If there are any mages in the area, like Mage Guards, they will detect me extracting mana.

I use the magic to bring me a brown cloth. Then I put it n my head to hide my hair.

"Time to get down."

Looking around, I see a small alleyway on my right side. No one will see me jumping there.

...

I jump down. As expected, no one is here. I head for the street.

As soon I leave the alleyway, some people gasp, others look at me suspiciously, mothers hide their children... Everyone gets away from me. No one can blame them. They are seeing a shirtless man, red all over, with a brown cloth in his head.

"Who is that man?"

"Ignore him. He's got nothing to do with us."

"Mom, why is he painted red?"

"Don't look Marie, avoid people like him."

Maybe I should have cleaned up myself a bit earlier? Well, no matter. As long they don't see my hair it's fine.

I head towards the clinic. Then I violently open the door.

"Is there a doctor in here!?"

Inside there's a waiting room. There are at least 9 black hairs sitting on chairs, waiting for their turn I assume.

A young violet mage girl, at least 13 years old, appears from another room.

"Can we hel-*gasp*!"

She quickly goes back to the previous room. A few moments later, a blue mage in his 60's, comes out of the same room hurriedly.

Lower ranked mages like violet, blue and light blue are still nobles, but they are not as important or rich as the higher ranked ones. While the big ones have important roles in politics and international trade, the small have important roles among the black hair population, like doctors, administrators of small villages, Mage or Royal Guards, etc...

"Are you injured young man?"

"No, my friend is. I need your help."

He looks me up and down. Then:

"I'm sorry, but you have to bring your friend here."

Understandable. Considering my appearance, he must think I am from some gang or something. Any sane person would never follow such suspicious character.

"Please, I really need your help. She's just a girl and is not going to last much longer." - My hands point to the blood on my stomach.

The man gasps. - "Alright, let me grab some medicines."

He quickly goes back inside and I hear him grabbing something, bottles I assume from the sound. Then he comes out with a bag.

"Darling, take care of the patients while I'm gone." - He says.

"Yes father, you can count on me."

"That's a good girl." - He kisses her forehead, then looks at me. - "Lead the way."

I nod. When I exited I noticed the people whispering to each other behind me.

...

The man follows my hurried steps.

"Where is she?"

"That alleyway."

"..." - He hesitates a little. Then asks. - "If she's so close, why didn't you bring her?"

"She's not IN the alleyway, we have to go through the alleyway."

"..."

He's suspicious, but I only need him to step inside the alleyway.

I reach the dark alleyway. The man stops before entering, but then takes a deep breath and follows me.

Then...

*Type: Inner magic - Location: Whole body - Two Times Accel*

*Type: Inner magic - Location: Both legs - Triple Strength*

I jump over him and get behind his back. With the cloth on my head, I quickly use it to cover his mouth.

"HMMMPH!!!!"

*Type: Inner magic - Location: Upper Body - Triple Strength*

I easily pick him up on my right shoulder and jump to the rooftop.

"HEMMP! HEMMMP!"

He is struggling, but there's nothing he can do. You just can't compete with someone stronger when that someone is grabbing you.

Then he tries to remove the cloth. I put him down, hold both of his wrists behind his back with my right hand and pick him up again.

I quickly make my way to Nora.

...

.....

........

"Al!"

Nora calls my name when she sees me approaching.

"Hmmph!"

"..." - She's looking at the man on my shoulder.

I put the man down on the ground.

"Sorry for that, but as you can see, I didn't lie."

He quickly removes the cloth. - "WHY DIDN'T YOU BRING HER TO MY PLACE!? Why did you do this!?"

"Because reasons. Now please, take a look at her."

He grumbles but walks to Nora side.

"What's the problem dear?"

"Here." - She points to her thigh.

"Ok, let's see..."

He removes the pieces of cloth and looks at the wound. He makes a painful expression.

"Sorry about him... I hope he didn't do anything bad."

"Don't worry about it now. But tell me, are you the rumored Master Nightingale and her S Servant?"

"Yes. He is the first S Servant in history."

"I see... Then it must have been him who casted magic earlier. Well, despite the circumstances, it's a pleasure meeting you."

"What else did you hear about us?" - I ask.

"Huh? Only the rumors that an S Servant was summoned by a Nightingale. Why?"

"Just curious." - That means that the news didn't reach here yet.

He finishes his examination.

"That's a very deep wound. I can heal it, but you'll limp for at least a week."

He extracts mana and directs it towards Nora wound. A few seconds later, the wound closes.

"The magic I used cleaned up the wound and closed it. It's not completely healed however. Your body has to do the rest on its own."

"Thanks doctor. I feel a little better now."

"Wait, take this." - He grabs a small green bottle from his bag. - "Drink a little of this per day. It will prevent the pain."

He gives the bottle to Nora.

"Do I drink it now?"

"Yes. But just a little. Just enough to wet the tongue."

She opens and drinks it. Then he gets up.

"I better get moving. This one on the house." - He smiles.

I get close to him and grab him by the collar.

"Ah!?"

Then I throw him against a tree.

"Gah!!"

His back hits the tree and falls on the ground.

"What are you doing!?" - Nora screams.

I get close to him and put my foot on his neck. He tries to breath while I put a little force on my foot.

"Listen to me and listen well. You never saw us. You followed a thug and were beaten up. Then you woke up in the middle of the woods. Are we clear?"

"Ga-Yes!" - He barely says. This is not enough. I have to put some bruises on him for the sake of the story.

I let go of his neck. He puts his hands on it and is gasping for air. I kick him in the chest and send him flying against another tree (the Inner Magic is still active in my legs).

He's screaming in pain and gasping for air. I probably broke some ribs.

"Ahh-! Please stop! I never saw you! Gah! I promise!"

----------------

What is AL doing!?!? He helped us! Why is he hurting him so much!?

I get it!!! I get it!! It's to protect us right!? Al wants to make sure he doesn't denounce us when the news reaches Alryne. But is this much violence really necessary!?

"Please stop! I never saw you! Gah! I promise!"

I'm so perplexed that I can't mutter a word. The idea of ordering Al to stop doesn't even cross my mind.

Al crouches down and looks into the man eyes.

"If the thought that you will break your promise ever crosses my mind, I'll pay a visit to your daughter. I'll gut you in front of her and make sure she is bathed in your blood. Are we clear?"

"YES! YES! I UNDERSTAND!"

"Good." - Al gets up - "You have ten seconds to get out of here. One."

"Hiii!"

The man, terrorized, gets up.

"Two."

And runs away as fast as he can.

"Three."

He disappears moments later, and Al stops counting.

I... I don't know what to say. This was just... Surreal. I feel disgust and aversion to what happened.

Al comes to my side.

"C'mon, let's move. Can you stand up?"

He lends his hand. I hesitate a little, but I grab it and get up. My leg doesn't hurt anymore, but it's weird standing up on it.

"Sometimes you have to do the hard thing." - He says.

"..."

"I know what you are feeling. Don't think I'm not feeling guilty or disgusted. I'm just used to it."

"I. I just need a minute. To process what happened..."

"Sure."

Al helps me walk. We are going in the direction of the town.

"Now we just need some dyes." - He says.

********