Chapter 159: Hidden ability

Not too far away from the chaos.

Ishiki and Filch were running in tense silence behind a building. They were completely hidden in shadows.

Filch led the way, his usual languid demeanor was replaced by sharp alertness. He moved with surprising stealth, picking routes that kept them concealed and away from the dragon’s current hunting ground.

Ishiki followed, each step an exercise in controlled agony. His ribs were screaming and his arm throbbed beneath the gauntlet.

His internal injuries didn’t stay back in making the things worse… every breath he took in felt cool, making him feel like drowning. But he kept moving, his condition was a lot better than it was almost 20 minutes ago.

His [Minor Regeneration] even effected his internal injuries that was quite a good thing to learn.

’No it wasn’t a good thing at all… I would like to stay unaware of it.’ Ishiki corrected inwardly.

After several minutes of silent navigation, Filch finally spoke and still his voice was barely above a whisper.

“Are you sure Yuki is a healer?”

Ishiki’s head snapped up. “What?”

“The princess. Yuki.” Filch glanced back at him, his expression was unreadable in the shadows created by the crimson moonlight. “You said we should find her because she can heal you. But I’ve never seen her heal people.”

For a second Ishiki was very confused and lost. Yuki didn’t heal people?

Ishiki’s mind raced as he tried to recall a scene where he had scene Yuki heal people… but unfortunately he remembered none. He actually never saw Yuki heal other people… himself included.

His understanding of Yuki’s skill and the premise that it could heal others was mainly because he ’believed’ that Yuki had healed him with her skills.

He had never seen that happen. What he had seen was Yuki healing herself using her skill.

But… she had somehow healed Ishiki from otherwise fatal injuries. How did she do that?

There were only two answers… one was that her skill was indeed able to heal others.

Or the second option is that she either posses’ some vestige that can be used for healing or she too has different skills just like Ishiki had.

’Why?’ Ishiki wondered. ’Why would she hide that ability? Healing is valuable. So why keep it secret?’

The answer was simple really. That skill if it is different from her Exclusive skill or not, must cost her a lot and put an unimaginable amount of burden on her body and mind.

Ishiki recalled the scene after they fought the demon in the Crimson canopy and he was mortally wounded. At that time Yuki had healed him and brought him back from the rows of death.

At that time when he woke up, she had already fainted and was helplessly in the grasp of the trees.

’That proves that she is hiding it deliberately,’ Ishiki realized. ’she is pretending that her ability only works on herself, well that’s reasonable… if i had something like that i would be hiding it too.’

Actually wasn’t he already hiding his true powers.

“Hey, Ishiki?” Filch called after studying him for a long time. “What are you thinking?”

Ishiki looked up at Filch’s tall figure, his lips twitching at the edges. ’WHY! why the hell did you have to ask that question at such a time.’

He suddenly felt the urge to blurt out everything that he was thinking. He felt as if his head was going to split apart if he didn’t.

“I… I was just thinking that,” He started speaking, trying to form a sentence that would be least suspicious. “everyone is hiding…some… ”

Filch looked at him with a weird expression and then replied sharply. “Have you finally gone insane? What are you talking about? of course everyone is hiding… I don’t think anyone would be foolish enough to go in front of that dragon.”

“You’re right,” he said quietly. “I… I just assumed. Because she can heal herself so effectively, I thought maybe…” He trailed off, making it sound like embarrassment. “She could also heal other… it’s just a misconception.”

Filch studied him for a long moment, and Ishiki wondered if the burgundy-haired young man could see through the lie. But finally, Filch just shrugged.

“Then we might need to find another solution to your injuries,” he said. “Because you look like you’re about ten minutes from collapsing.”

’Ahh! yes, that’s a given.’ Ishiki added in his head.

But he decided that he would refrain from telling anyone about Yuki’s abilities because if she herself hides it and she had used it on only him. She trusted him enough and that means that telling anyone… would be a betrayal.

He was not exactly a traitor… especially not to someone who had saved him.

They continued walking and moving deeper into the city structure, while also hoping to find some help.

They were stopped along the back wall of a partially collapsed building, trying to get some rest as Ishiki could not handle to run more with his current state.

Somewhere in the distance, the dragon had started its hunting. Time to time they would hear screams and pleas that would make them shudder.

’We need to survive first,’ Ishiki thought desperately. ’Long enough to find Yuki. I can ask her to heal me while no one is looking.’

Suddenly… a sound cut through his thoughts.

It was deep and grinding… like that of stressed stone finally giving way.

The building beside them—the one they had been using for cover groaned. Ishiki’s eyes widened as he pushed himself up.

“Move!” Filch shouted, grabbing Ishiki’s arm.

They threw themselves forward, away from the building, as it began to collapse.

But before they could clear the danger zone, something smashed right through the wall.

A human figure.

It came through the wall like a cannonball, leaving a jagged gash in the stone, trailing dust and blood and the terrible momentum of having been thrown with inhuman force.

The figure hit the ground hard, tumbled, rolled, and finally came to rest not ten feet from where Ishiki and Filch had frozen in shock.

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