Shadow Color (NEW VERSION)

Chapter 10

By the time they reached Macaria's home, everyone was exhausted. They treated Natsuki's hand and wrapped it in a bandage. The shards of shadow energy must have vanished the moment the white-haired man disappeared. By the time they had finished helping Natsuki, Simon fell into the recliner next to the couch where Macaria and Natsuki collapsed. "Why did they have to show up when we were there? They had all day yesterday to do so," Natsuki complained.

"Who knows," Simon sighed. "Maybe they did show up yesterday and decided to do one last check this morning."

"Did anyone find anything?" Macaria asked as she grabbed a black and white patterned blanket from the back of the couch and threw it over her legs. Natsuki shook her head as she pulled some of the blanket over hers too.

Simon yawned as he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small yellow plastic bottle with a white top. "The magic they used was the same as the magic residue I found everywhere when I found you. Those must be the people that attacked you." He then stood from his seat and made his way to the kitchen sink and began to open cupboards in search of a cup.

"If they were after the girl, then why did the one guy attack you? Was it because he saw you behind the trash cans and thought you were a threat?" Natsuki asked.

He was acting a bit strange. The way he walked around the other guy and how he kept looking in your direction. It was almost like he knew you were there from the start, Hoshiko mentioned.

After a bit of searching, Simon managed to find a glass cup and filled it with water from the kitchen sink. "I think it's because he might have been able to sense you. Some people are sensitive to magic and can detect them from spots where they can't see them. The guy that attacked you may have remembered your presence when you first obtained your powers and that was how he was able to find you." Simon replied as he popped a pill into his mouth and took a sip of water.

Natsuki looked to her left and stared at Simon, "How do you know all this?" she asked. It seemed he knew more about unknowns than she did. How irritating.

Simon finished the last of his water before gently setting the cup on the counter without making a sound, "Because I had to research myself when I was younger. My parents were not unknowns and most people in the village where I grew up in were ordinary."

Macaria leaned forward and looked in Simon's direction, "I thought you mom was an unknown."

He shook his head, "You mean my adoptive mother? She wasn't, neither is my adoptive father." Simon turned around to refill his glass, "Besides, if she was, she would have killed the bastard who shot her instead," he said in a low voice.

"What? Speak up! You're too quiet," Natsuki complained. There was no answer from him. Maybe it was for the best that they didn't hear him. The silence was beginning to bother Macaria, "But why would they attack me? I didn't see their faces until this time. I didn't know anything besides their magic type when I first saw them. Was there something that I saw that I wasn't supposed to see? And who was that third person that showed up just before they vanished?"

That's a good question. The third person must have been responsible for that fireball. They must have thrown it knowing Natsuki would attack it which caused a smoke screen to obscure everyone's vision so they could gather the other two without taking the chance of being seen.

"Huh, I never thought about that," Macaria said in a low voice. The sound of Hoshiko's voice reminded her of the memory flower she had in her pocket. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the flower.

"That's right, you said you were going to explain that" Natsuki pointed to the flower. Simon looked back and noticed the memory flower in Macaria's hands, he had almost forgotten about it. Simon returned to his seat and set his glass on a small table between the couch and the recliner. "Yes please, do tell."