Now that we had all the keys, we might as well spend the time in someone’s home than risk an ambush. Tsubasa’s was the closest from where we were. The day was still brightening, and I hoped to snag a nap after lunch.

Where Ahio’s side of town held increasingly spacious houses and well-kept gardens, here were cottages with stables, untidy pastures and the occasional glimpse of the forest beyond Heikisato. If I squinted, I could see little white flecks at the edge of the forest— the hundred-meter stones. I wondered if anyone actually fought for the keys so far away, even though we were allowed to. The nearest hospital would be half an hour away, in case anyone got serious injuries.

Tsubasa’s home was a blue, two-storey building full of sloping gables, little arched windows and chimneys aplenty. It looked like one of those rustic houses in snow globes or the ones in the children’s books I’d read as a toddler. Only an overgrown hedge separated it from the road.

‘M-mum, ma, I’m h-home!’ He said as he ushered us through the doorway.

The inside was just as cosy as I’d imagined. Flower-patterned curtains were drawn to allow sunlight to bathe the room in a warm glow. A fluffy beige carpet covered the floor, its edges a little worn out, and lots of scenic pictures adorned the walls. Two older ladies, perhaps in their fifties, lounged on a couple of rocking chairs by the windows.

Tsubasa introduced them as his mothers; Mrs Himari, a broad-set lady with salt and pepper hair who was finally happy to meet ‘Tsubasa’s little friends!’; and Mrs Sana, a tall woman with frizzy curls who hugged us tighter than Cho ever did.

After a hearty lunch of rice noodles and various side dishes, we split up. Kei sauntered off to the backyard to work out, and Daisuke rushed to the library as soon as Tsubasa mentioned his mum had one. I was tempted to follow, but there was something else I’d wanted to see-- the horses. I’d always loved animals, but my parents had never let me have pets. Mum considered them a waste a time, and Dad thought they were a waste of money. This was, perhaps, the one thing they agreed on.

Tayo on his shoulder, Tsubasa led me to the stables.

An earthy smell hit me as we entered the wood-panelled building. Bits of hay were littered on the ground and several hoof prints were faintly visible on the hard soil. A few horses gazed out at us over their gates, neighing as we entered. I bounced on my heels and a smile burst out of me. This reminded me of the trip to France we took as a part of my dad’s business trip when I was eight. The horses had been a welcome relief after listening to my squabbling parents all day.

I reached out a hand to pet the nearest one, a beautiful palomino with a fluffy white mane and inquisitive blue eyes, but drew it back as the equine jerked its head forward.

‘D-don’t worry.’ said Tsubasa, stroking the horse’s cheek. ‘I’m k-keeping her c-calm.’

‘Is someone there with you, Tsubasa?’ said a male voice further in the stable. The door to the last enclosure was open, and a man stepped out, his brown bun of hair falling apart and sweat staining his clothes. He held a grooming brush in one hand and moved a straggling lock of hair away from his face with the other.

Is that his mentor? My heart rate picked up as I recalled what I knew about him. He’s from outside the continent! I let out a silent prayer. Please Tsubasa, don’t mention I’m not from Saishuu Riku.

‘T-this is T-Tahro. He’s my f-friend’ Tsubasa said with a smile. ‘H-he’s also f-from outs-side the c-continent, you kn-know?’

I stifled a groan of frustration.

‘Is he now?’ His mentor gave me a small smile. ‘I’m Cesar Alvare, Tsubasa’s mentor.’ I gave him a nod. Hopefully, he won’t ask me which country I’m actually from. But he turned back to Tsubasa, stretching his arms. ‘Can you fetch me a glass of water? I’ve been grooming them all day, and Jun is still not done.’

Tsubasa hurried out, assuring me that the horse, a mare called Kin, was gentle and wouldn’t bite my hand off. Mr Cesar went back into the enclosure, murmuring something to his horse, Jun. With a sigh of relief, I turned back to Kin.

I ran my fingers over her coarse fur, along her muzzle and around her ears. She grunted as I rubbed her neck. My muscles relaxed and a wave of contentment spread across me. All the stress from the last few days, all my worries, melted away like ice cream on a summer’s day. The only thing that existed was this beautiful horse.

‘So, what kind of mage are you?’ Mr Cesar’s voice came from far too close to me than it should. I jerked around to find him leaning on the gate opposite Kin’s, his eyebrows quirked.

It took me a moment to comprehend his words, but even when I put them together, the question made little sense. ‘What do you mean? I’m not a mage.’

He snorted at that, narrowing his upturned eyes. ‘Really?’

‘Yes!’ I said, knitting my brows.

‘You must have run from something. Even Tsubasa’s birth parents,’ he snarled at the word, ‘abandoned him to the streets as a toddler. He would’ve ended up like you if his mothers hadn’t been kind enough to take him in.’ I opened my mouth to tell him he’s got me all wrong, but he shot me down with a wave of his hand. ‘Or do you expect me to believe a completely normal boy braved the storms to get to Saishuu Riku just to become swordsman?’

‘Well, that’s exactly why I came.’ I narrowed my eyes. ‘Wait a minute, how do you know that?’

‘I have my sources,’ he said with a smile that this time, didn’t reach his eyes.

A chill crawled up my spine. Who was the source-- Minister Banji? Was he trying to see if there was any credence to the theory that I was a spy? Or was this something else entirely?

‘My reasons are my own either way. The law says so.’ I curled my fists.

Mr Cesar waved his hand again. ‘The law! No one’s listening in on us, and no one would care.’ Does that confirm he’s acting on Minister Banji’s orders? He took a step closer, and I moved away, my back hitting against Kin’s gate. She trotted further into her enclosure, though whether on her own accord or because Mr Cesar made her, I couldn’t say. My palms prickled with sweat and my heart rammed into my ribs.

‘Now, you can’t be an elementalist. There hasn’t been one since what went on in the graveyard of stars.’ His gaze locked onto mine as if he was looking for a reaction. I glared back. ‘Not a nature whisperer with the way you handled the horses, though perhaps you’re good at hiding your ability. Not a seer, or whatever country you were from would’ve locked you up to use your power. Then perhaps, a witch?’

‘I told you. I’m not a mage.’ And even if I were, this was none of his business.

‘There’s one way to check that.’ He smirked. ‘Allow me to control your life spirit. Then I could tell if your supplementary spirit can be pushed out as easily as a witch’s.’

He was crazy if he thought I might agree to that. Back in the day, or based on Tsubasa’s past even now, nature whisperers were feared for how easily they could kill. They didn’t even need to push someone’s life spirit out. They could simply make a person walk to their own death off a cliff or into the ocean. With sufficient will, any human or animal could throw off their control. But if I allowed it? He’d have too much control of me too soon. I trusted Tsubasa, but not Mr Cesar.

In fact, if he wanted to kill me, he could do so right now, by forcibly pushing out my life spirit. My muscles trembled at the thought, but I clenched my fists harder so he wouldn’t see. I need to get out. Now!

‘I’m sorry, but no. It was nice...nice talking to you.’ My voice cracked as I walked away. The stable now seemed to constrict, closing in on me. Outside the door was escape, away from this insane man and his could-be plotting with the Minister.

My hands stopped short before I could turn the doorknob. Something like a faint breeze tickled within me then spread out and enveloped every part of my body. It clouded my senses like I was stuck in heavy smog. Mr Cesar! I struggled to scream as it latched on to a tug in my gut, the fog creeping across, away and out. Out to my other self.

The haze flickered away.

‘Stop!’ I yelled, swirling around. But it was already over, and the last faint grasps on my inner spirit were gone. My pulse beat into my ears like a drum. I wanted to run away, but his expression stopped me in my tracks. His tan complexion had lost its colour, and his eyes were wide with fear. Had he learned something?

‘What...what are you?’ he asked, voice in a whisper.

‘What do you mean?’ Dammit, has he figured out I live in two worlds? What would happen to me now? Even if he figured that out, he wouldn’t know about the manga. But would they lock me up, trying to see if I was a new kind of mage?

‘Your life spirit...a part of it is outside your body.’ He stared at me as if waiting for an explanation. His brows crinkled and the fear morphed into concern.

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ I said and rushed out of the stable.