the moon will forget its promise || l. faust

- Chapter 1 -

"I suppose I can name you Steve. You'll be my pet fish once I shrink you to fit into my future pond," Hilda smirked as she playfully tapped a finger on the photograph of the creature as if she were poking its cheeks. "Just wait for me once I gather my materials for my polaroid films."

Leaving the photographs of her looted items besides for the creature within her table drawer, she slid the rather shocked and pitiful sea chimera into her waistcoat pocket. Her broomstick landed softly in her grasp as Hilda left her residence once again to feel the sun leaving trails of golden warmth kissing her skin beneath the luscious trees. Unlike Quinn's atelier, the island of her residence was bustling with humans hungry for research. Many of them despised the sentiment of powerful wizards living amongst them, and while they couldn't possibly judge the mana or identity of a wizard with the naked eye, countless wizards have already been driven out over time. Hilda recalled a myriad of situations where her residence would be the arena for human researchers to discharge mechanical weapons, calling her home the 'target', and expecting her to either curse, kill or cry.

There were also never situations where she had to fight Northern wizards ravenous for mana stones. Wizards who pass away would solidify into a colourful rainbow stone called 'mana stones', and other wizards fed on it to amplify their strength. Modern humans shortly became dependent on mana stones for their own inventions, leaving wizards in a difficult position. Langrenus Island being the renowned home of hot-headed human researchers was nothing useful for Northern wizards to invade, especially with them hating on the eccentricity of the latter country. Like that, hundreds of years passed where Hilda could live comfortably amongst the humans never ready to slaughter her.

A soft breeze brushed through her hair as she rested her bottom on her broom, her presence gaining the attention of her nearby neighbours scurrying about with papers in their arms.

"Going to visit your boss again, Miss Hilda?" One of the female researchers greeted her with a mechanical gauntlet in hand.

"Not this time. My camera's run out of film, you see. I need materials," came her reply while her broomstick lifted into the air. The researcher burst into a fit of laughter, a habit that many Langrenus Island residents do whenever they see a fellow researcher in a predicament before raising her arm with the gauntlet installed as fists without warning.

Immediately, burning hot balls of flame glid from the fist of the gauntlet and surged forth towards the witch with murderous intent.

«Aestas Scaena»

Numerous magic circles appeared before her body, shielding each of the fiery orbs from laying a single touch on her. The female researcher scrunched her face up at the sight of Hilda's effortless defence.

"Oh, it's got some aiming assist?" Hilda formed an 'o' with her lips, intrigued by the targeting of the gauntlet's fireballs. "How did you program that?"

"It follows the concentration of mana stones," the researcher answered, tapping her pen on her papers to write about her results. "The gauntlet itself isn't made with pure mana stones, but a depleted mana stone."

"A depleted mana stone...so a mana stone lacking the mana within it? I've got no idea things like that existed."

"I've extracted quantities of its mana while leaving only a little speck."

"In other words, it's hungry for mana itself," Hilda murmured to herself.

But that's dangerous. Mana stones also power many appliances here. If who you're shooting at has less mana than...that huge ship also powered by mana, for example, you might just be aiming at the wrong thing.

I won't say that, though.

"Clean up the mess you've made with your gauntlet."

"Y-Yes! Oh, I forgot to mention, but if you're planning to look for materials you should travel to the Eastern Country's night market."