When The Time Comes

Seventeen

We were on our way back from the grocery store. It was a normal Sunday morning. I had finally decided to try making the doughnuts. Chiyo was at home, guarding the house as Terasaki-san had asked her to. We didn't have much further to go either. That was when I felt it.

"What is it?" Terasaki-san asked when I turned to look over my shoulder briefly.

"I felt... weird."

"You did?" He asked. "What kind of weird?"

"Like, you know... a sort of gaze... on me. I don't know how to explain it." I admitted. I definitely felt something. "What was that?"

"I see you've become conscious." He said, his eyes straight ahead.

"Conscious? You mean, I sensed a spirit or something?"

"Yes."

I... did? "Wait. That means that we're being followed."

"Yes."

Oh crap.

"Now what?"

"You keep walking with me."

That's it?

"We'll get away from the main street first."

"Is it another Kage?"

"No."

Oh. I've seen Terasaki-san handle Kage and other weaker entities well but they were, at worst, the medium-level entities, right? What could this one be?

We soon entered a street that had just a few people around. Terasaki-san stopped immediately and turned to the entity following us. When it materialised, it essentially looked like an orb of light to me but the light was not a pleasant sort of light. It reeked of a desire to burn.

"What is that?" I asked.

"Naming these things won't help you at this point."

"Still."

"The Dark White."

"That's what it's called?"

"And, you felt it too, didn't you? It's made of pure malice. No matter what you do," he took up a fighting stance. "Don't let the light surround you."

By the time I had realised it, the few people that were present around us had stopped walking. Literally. They had frozen in place. It was as if time itself had frozen over. The only movement was from Terasaki-san and the Dark White. And I just stood there watching it all.

I could take a guess as to what was happening and who exactly was doing this but it still looked like magic to me.

Strings of light lashed out from the orb at Terasaki-san. Terasaki-san used his hands and his spirit, I guess, to deflect it all. He even managed to cut off a few of those light-strings and they immediately dissipated. I followed his movements carefully with my eyes. I wanted to learn. I was worried about him and the fight but as long as I was the one standing back and being protected, I had no choice but to just worry. I wanted to be able to stand by his side and fight. I wanted to be able to support him myself.

In between the continuous barrage of attacks and with Terasaki-san either deflecting or cutting them off, one of the stray strings of light went straight in the direction of a frozen woman. Before I could even react though, it had passed right through her.

Huh?

She was unhurt...

That meant that the people around us wouldn't get hurt?