Tales of a Ninja Magician: Of Where We Come From

Phantasmal Maturity

Mana took careful and planned steps so that she didn't trigger the overwhelming onslaught of pain which would've sent her grunting on her knees. When the cut in her gut was moved it let itself be known by completely crippling the youngster. Each and every step was agonizing but it also took the girl closer to her team, to where she could've gotten help. Mana wasn't sure how far away from her team she was. She's been tracking the Nekomata member for quite some time and she was moving at her top speed which was nothing short of a speeding vehicle. Then again the woman could've lead her in circles...

Mana didn't know what was worse – the pain she felt with every step or knowing that an incredible amount of steps she needed to take was left. Each and every step took her closer to help but the number of total steps compared to each individual step just made her getting to her final goal that much more impossible. Mana tripped on a large root and fell onto the mossy ground. The girl whined for a while but picked herself back up. She felt pain but none of the release that dying offered – she was very much going to survive it but having the suffering in mind it was not much of a relief at that moment.

The magician took a brief moment to examine her wound, it didn't appear to be bleeding, it used to spit blood in torrents before slowing down, then completely closing in. Such was the ninja metabolism, injuries like this tend to heal quite fast as long as the ninja was out of battle and let their chakra circulation enhance the natural processes of the body and treat the wound somewhat. This wasn't some sort of a miracle, it didn't work in a middle of battle but it also didn't take care of the wound, it just kept it from killing the ninja. One stronger bump, one irregularity in one's chakra flow could've reopened the wound again and that would've made it all worse again.

Mana's steps were trembling, her entire body was fighting off the impulse to take another step. Her mind was determined, completely set in stone with its decision to make it back to her team in the camp. Her body gave up however, it wanted for the pain to stop, the battle itself didn't exhaust Mana but having to power through the pain of her various injuries tired her physically. Taking each and every step took a toll on her, it not only made her power through pain but convincing herself started to tire her mind as well, her iron will started appearing less iron every second.

"Ugh..." Mana grunted putting her back by a tree and sliding down on her butt, she looked onward into the darkness of the forest and felt the first gentle rays of light warm her cheeks. 

These weren't her final moments, not yet, this was just a trial for her to power through, it was something she had to do, a pain that was inevitable for her to continue existing yet this trial felt so impossible. She may have tracked the woman for hours, how long it'd take with this turtle's pace to come back? No... It wasn't worth it! She was just a useless weakling, she trained for so long yet she hesitated to fight the cat woman with her very best from the start.

"Really? Of all the people to prove me right, you'd disappoint me the most..." Mana heard Tanshu's voice and noticed the man's brownish locks and thick beard in front of her, wearing the same messy clothes he always did and looking with all of his disapproving glory at the teen girl.

Mana didn't respond, she just turned away, that was how it happened, huh? At some point, everyone encountered a challenge that was so strong and made one suffer so much that they had to turn away, give up on their lifelong dreams and become the grey mass that comprised this world.

"Where did all that bullshit about everyone's life go? Were you just showing off? Were you just a filthy all-talk little shit!?" Tanshu started yelling at Mana. The magician was so tortured by her own exhaustion and pain that she didn't even question the appearance of her dead mentor in front of her. Mana breathed in and out.