There was something wrong with this year’s skystorm.

Through the alleyway of Lune, where the rain was picking its pace and flooding the ground with ocean water, Elaine and Ray were searching for Extinct Formulae Magic as per Dunnford’s instruction. He had left them not too long ago, and despite Ray’s confident—over-confident sounding reassurance of Dunnford’s strength, Elaine couldn’t help but worry.

Are we making the correct choice? Elaine asked herself. She could feel the monsters’ loud hisses and, along with it, faint screams. Should we really be here searching for a possibly non-existent negation magic instead of following Dunnford?

‘I still think we should help him,’ Elaine said. She had to raise her voice, for the falling rain was muffling her speech.

‘Did you not hear what I said?’ Ray responded. ‘Dunnford can handle it. Believe in him and his instructions and just search for the negation magic.’

‘We’re wasting time.’

‘We’ll get confirmation whether the negation magic is a red herring.’

‘We’re wasting time!’ Elaine snapped, no longer could she endure having to ignore those faint, pained screams. ‘We’re here doing nothing when we could be helping Dunnford fight against the monsters!’

‘No,’ he said. ‘You’re here doing worse than nothing. All you’ve been doing is moving your mouth and complaining! You’re not even searching!’

‘It’s just a red herring to throw us off!’

‘We don’t know that! That’s why we’re here to find out! That’s why Dunnford told us to stay! Because we want to confirm whether the negation magic is a red herring! So, stop complaining, stop doubting, and start searching!’

Despicable man! ‘And do nothing about the monsters? Oh! I get it! You’re scared of fighting against the monsters! You’d rather be stuck here, safe and sound instead of helping them! I get it now!!’

Ray’s face reddened with anger. His eyes had a cold rage in them, sharp as a knife for murder. He wasn’t one to take without giving back, and Elaine expected he would stab her. Maybe for real.

Have I gone too far? Elaine wondered momentarily. No. I’m not backing down on this.

Ray opened his mouth, his words were—halted. Elaine observed his distant stare and followed. There, afar, at the sanctum’s location, Elaine saw a giant snake monster having risen toward the sky, its prideful showing of itself suggested victory.

That’s the monster they’re facing against? Elaine doubted her sight. Her instinct told her that it was dangerous. That’s also just one of many! The hisses and presences didn’t belong to just one. How are they planning to win against that?

‘We need to help—’

The monster was then cut to two, its blood splattered circularly; mixed with the rain, and it fell to the ground. Elaine’s feet could feel the slight vibration of its dying crash.

‘—them…’ She was at a loss for words.

Elaine felt Ray’s stare. He only stared. Needed not to justify himself with words.

‘… Fine.’ I suppose I had severely underestimated Dunnford. Elaine had to admit that Ray was right: the knight could handle the situation. ‘Let’s search for the negation magic and confirm whether it’s a red herring.’

***

Continuing their search, walking through the alleyway, through the flooded ground, and through the rain, Elaine reflected on herself. I might have gone too far with my words when I suggested him a coward.

She was on edge because she couldn’t ignore the screams. Perhaps he was too.

Was he?

Elaine glanced at Ray. His body had grown past its childish stature and developed into an adult’s. If Elaine had to be honest, she liked the old him better. The one she used to be—fond of.

It was raining then too…

***

In the past, child Elaine was running away.

She had the hood of her cloak raised to counter the rain and carried a lantern to light her path. Her running made splashes that merged with the whooshes and patters of the wet weather.

He doesn’t understand! Elaine complained in her mind. Why should I learn something so unimportant and boring when I could instead learn magic! Magic is way more important and more interesting!

She needed only a turn now through a corner, and it was a straight path toward the magic laboratory.

Because of the blind spot created by the corner wall, Elaine didn’t see the boy who, coincidentally, was also running and turning. Ultimately, they crashed into each other, their lanterns clanged against one another, and both fell backward and splashed on the lightly flooded ground.

‘Sorry.’ ‘I apologize.’ They both said at the same time.

Insisted also at the same time, ‘No, I’m to blame.’ ‘I wasn’t looking ahead.’ ‘I was running away.’ ‘I was escaping in a hurry.’ ‘I should’ve not run.’ ‘I should have been more careful.’

‘‘It’s not your fault.’’

The last they said in unison, silence hung a moment, and they finally laughed.

The boy wore the same silver royal cloak as Elaine. His hood had been taken aback from their impact, revealing his short, black, ruffled hair. He looks familiar, Elaine thought. Perhaps she should have known him since they came from the same place. But he doesn’t ring a bell.

‘What were you running away from?’ The boy asked as the laughing faded.

‘Political lessons.’ Elaine didn’t understand why a mage like her needed to learn affairs of the court.

‘Aren’t they useful though?’

‘Useful? Prithee, fine boy, how is language of eloquence useful for conversations, save for adding further complexities to what was simple?’ To her, it felt as if her tongue had spitted not words but foreign substances. ‘No, you don’t need to answer that. I don’t want to know. What were you escaping from?’

‘Magic lessons.’

‘But they’re fun!’ I would run toward that; not away! In fact, she was doing just that.

‘Fun? With all those painstaking memorizations that gives headaches? That was a rhetorical question, mind you.’

‘Magic lessons are fun!’ she insisted.

‘And political lessons are useful!’ he too, insisted. ‘Why don’t we prove ourselves then? I’ll show you that political lessons are useful, and you show me how magic lessons are fun! How about it?’

The boy hopped to a stand, then offered his hand for Elaine to take.

‘You can call me Ray. What’s your name?’

‘My name,’ she took his hand, ‘is—’

***

‘Elaine,’ Ray called.

Elaine snapped out of her recollection, glanced around to remember the alleyway she was currently in. Remembered that she was supposed to search for the negation magic. Why was I recalling that meeting with him?

‘There’s the negation magic. Negate it,’ he ordered, not asked.

Right, because past him was not despicable.

Elaine looked at the spot Ray had pointed: at the shifted and tattered saturated red bricks that made a poor wall. There was nothing.

‘Very funny.’ Elaine rolled her eyes.

‘It’s there.’ Ray’s point remained at the spot.

His insistence led her to believe that he wasn’t messing with her.

Elaine looked at the spot once more, with more attention than before. She made sure to focus her eyesight and, fair enough, she saw hints of traces on the brick which her eyes could identify as lines. They joined together to form an Extinct Formula Magic, the negation magic. It had been written on the wall, camouflaged by being painted with the bricks’ same saturated red.

They made the effort to hide it? Elaine thought. Either this was an advanced form of red-herring, or it was never one; hence, the camouflage, to make sure it was never found.

Rationality was pointing to the latter. Regardless…

‘I’ll negate it.’ Elaine approached the wall and crouched down. She opened the ink holder she had prepared and drew a new negation magic. Whilst working on it, upon closer look, she noticed that the negation magic they had found had been so well camouflaged that she doubted she could have spotted it without being told to focus on that spot. ‘How did you notice this negation magic?’ Elaine asked Ray.

‘I saw the colors.’

‘Your eyes are that good?’ She was amazed. ‘The paint’s and the brick’s color are so alike!’

‘No, not the paint’s color; the color coating it.’

‘?’ Since when is he cryptic? Just now? Elaine didn’t understand his answer. However, instead of asking further, she decided to let the matter go.

***

A figure lurked inside the alleyway.

He wore a black raincoat and carried a spear on his back. He was one of the monster worshippers.

There had been a disturbance in the alleyway; he had sensed it. Upon seeing two people, one a black-haired man with a sword; another a mage who was negating the negation magic, he couldn’t be gladder being right. He had made the right call when he had left the sanctum behind.

As he approached, the young man noticed him and turned his head. Immediately, his hand went to the hilt of his sword.

‘Who are you?’ he asked, shouting over the loud rain.

The figure did not shout back to answer; his words pierced through the rain:

‘The leader of the monster worshippers.’