Chapter 36: What Is Vell?

“Hm? You know Vell?” Kana stared at it with a curious but also strange look in her eyes, as if she was testing it.

{…No, it cannot be. I was thinking of something else…}

{’It cannot be… that thing is alive?’}

It looked nervous, but it tried to act like it was nothing. Kana was quick to catch on. “Do not play dumb with me, bird. You are clearly hiding something. If you know Vell, or even just heard the name before, you better spill it.”

Jolly tilted her head slightly, and she glanced between them. “Wait, what is going on? Who or what is Vell? Why would that name make you so nervous?”

It ruffled its feathers, its nervous energy betraying the calm facade it was trying to maintain. {You two are far too inquisitive for your own good. That name… let us just say it stirs memories that are best left buried.}

Kana leaned back, she crossed her arms, but she kept her piercing gaze locked onto the creature. “Memories, huh? That sounds like excuses to me. Whatever you are holding back might help us.”

{You misunderstand the balance of knowledge, human. Some truths, when they are unearthed, bring ruin rather than clarity. But… fine. If you insist. I will tell you what little I know—that thing is…}

“Huh, why did your voice just cut off?”

{It seems the truth about that thing is still being locked behind the rules of the world.}

“What? Your words make no sense. Explain things properly, dammit!” Her anger was beginning to boil over, she wanted to know what it was hiding.

’Fuck, fuck, this is so weird. Why can I not remember… it is like he came out of nowhere and just joined our lives… what is going on?’

The bird stared at her, it sensed how her mana was raging inside her. {’It seems she is starting to become aware. That thing is not human, it is a dangerous thing that was sealed away. Just when did it escape? I will need to report this when I am better. I am sure this will get me my position back.’}

Kana’s eyes flared as the tension in the car thickened. “You are saying rules of the world? What kind of nonsense is that? Stop talking in riddles and tell me the truth!” Her voice was sharp, but beneath her anger was a deep frustration, an instinctive need to uncover whatever secrets the bird was guarding.

Jolly placed a hand on Kana’s shoulder, she tried to steady her. “Calm down. Let it explain, even if it is not making sense right now. Maybe it cannot just… say it outright?”

She shrugged off Jolly’s hand, she paced as her mana flickered visibly around her like a wild, untamed flame. “I am tired of half-answers and cryptic nonsense! If it knows something about Vell, I deserve to hear it. We deserve to know!” She turned her glare back to the bird, her fiery aura intensifying. “Well? Speak!”

{Do you think I would not tell you if I could? Foolish human. This is not a matter of choice. There are forces far greater than you or I at play. I have already said more than I should. Your anger will not change that.}

Kana opened her mouth to argue, but her words caught in her throat. Something strange flickered in her mind—a memory, hazy and incomplete. She saw a figure, blurred and indistinct, standing before her with an aura that felt… wrong. It was cold, suffocating, yet oddly familiar. Her fists clenched involuntarily, her breathing became uneven.

’Who… who was that?’ she thought, and panic was creeping in as the memory dissolved as quickly as it had appeared.

The bird eyed her with a powerful gaze, it was as if it was seeing something leaving her body. {’It seems the mention of that thing broke a seal placed on her mind, interesting… but I wonder, why did he choose her specifically?’}

Jolly noticed that Kana was breaking down, she took it out on the bird. “What the hell is happening to her, talk!” She grabbed it by the throat, but something was off.

{Humans are really so careless. How are you only now realizing that your power is gone? You have no mana in your body, you foolish girl.}

She glanced at her trembling hand, she realized that she indeed felt… nothing.

“W-What do you mean?” Her voice cracked as she stumbled back, and panic was beginning to set in. “How could I not notice? I am powerless now?”

Kana, though she was still caught in her own internal turmoil, snapped her attention to Jolly. “What? Your mana—” She stopped mid-sentence, her fiery glare shifting to the bird. “You! What did you do to her?” Anger took over, she grabbed the bird by the throat, she squeezed it, ready to snap its neck.

{Foolish human, you dare!}

It released a shockwave that sent them crashing into the dashboard. Kana groaned, she shook her head as she tried to gather herself. Her fiery aura, though it had dimmed for a moment, reignited as her rage boiled over. “You have got a death wish, bird!” she spat, and she struggled to stand.

Jolly, however, remained slumped against the console, she was breathing heavily. Her face was pale, and her wounds were bleeding out. “Kana, wait… do not…”

{You are reckless, human, blinded by your emotions. Had I been at my full strength, that little outburst would have reduced you to ash.}

“Try me. I will turn you into ashes, right now.”

Its gaze shifted from her to Jolly, who was badly hurt. {You really know nothing about the world. Your cores are full of corrupted mana. It is how you are able to hunt and do things that should not be possible. Now use that little brain of yours. What would happen if that mana is removed? Not depleted, but removed, completely.}

She knew the answer to that question, but she just did not want to admit it.

{You want to be free from the hold they put on you, well, that means starting back from nothing… there is no other way… I think that should be enough.} It looked way better than when they found it, as if in that short time it had healed itself.

{Thank you for the meal.} It said, and it stared at Jolly before it flew out of the car and disappeared into the sky.

Kana’s fists trembled as she stared after the bird, her aura flickering with indecision. “That damn bird… it played us!” she hissed through her clenched teeth, her anger wavering as her eyes turned to Jolly, who was slumped against the console.

“Hehehe, it seems so. I cannot believe it used corrupted mana to heal itself. We should have seen it coming, it is a monster after all.”

“Yeah, but next time we meet, I am going to turn it into a turkey.”

“Phew, that should be enough. We have been training all night.”

Yenna said, and she sat down to rest for a bit. Just then, a familiar voice greeted her.

“Well, you look sweaty as hell.”

She turned around, she was overjoyed. She almost jumped up to hug him, but her will was barely strong enough.

“Hey, welcome back. How was your exploration?”

“Not bad, but I think it is time we move on. We have so much hunting to do.”

He smirked.

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