The teenagers sat in silence, cautious of the creature that sought them out. Yukari glanced around the crate's corner, exhaling nervously upon seeing the apparition facing away from their location. A cursed presence lingered in the air.
"It doesn't know where we are," whispered the purple-haired boy. His voice was shakier than usual. "I'll contact Miss Yamakado."
The teenager took out his phone and entered a passcode. Just after pressing 'call', he let out a quiet gasp.
"There's... no signal."
"The curtain," murmured Mizuki in a frail tone, pointing up at the indigo light shining through the ceiling panes.
Yukari sighed. He set the device down on the ground before unwrapping the scarf from his neck and moving closer to the injured teammate. The purple-haired teenager flinched, staring at the bleeding wound.
It... doesn't matter. It's just a stupid scarf.
After a few moments, he tied the scarf around Mizuki's ankle.
"Thank you," whispered the blue-haired boy with an appreciative smile. "I'll buy you another scarf."
Yukari frowned. "No, it's my fault we're in this mess to begin with."
A distorted voice startled the two sorcerers.
"Where are they?!"
A loud stomp followed the inhuman speech. Mizuki trembled. The purple-haired teenager checked behind the crate for a second time; the apparition was now further away, planted beside a set of broken cardboard boxes. Its picture-perfect stillness had the potential to effortlessly creep almost anyone out. The boy shivered and glanced back at his teammate.
"It's looking for us."
The blue-haired boy sighed in response and closed his eyes. "I wish Hinotori were here."
"Yeah," responded Yukari. "Just what grade is that thing?"
"I'm... not sure. I've never fought anything stronger than a second-grade curse before." Mizuki gazed at the blood-soaked scarf wrapped around his ankle. "But since it can use cursed techniques, it's probably a semi-first-grade at least. There's also the fact it knew how to conceal its cursed energy..."
Another loud stomp sounded throughout the building, startling the two sorcerers. The purple-haired teenager mustered up enough courage to check behind the crate again — yet quickly regretted his decision. The cursed spirit still stood far away, except it now faced towards their hiding spot. Yukari felt his heart skip a beat. He moved his head back reflexively, praying that the apparition's black pupils had not perceived him. The boy held his breath. Silence.
"Where... where are they?!"
The purple-haired teenager exhaled slowly, relieved.
At this rate, we're both going to die. I've got to think of something.
He scoured the factory with his gaze, noticing a rusty red door roughly thirty metres away from where they were sitting. Above it was a bright sign depicting a green humanoid figure running through a white door. Yukari's eyes widened.
A fire exit. This is perfect.
"Mizuki, do you still have your cards?" asked the fourth-grade sorcerer.
"No," replied the wounded ally. "I dropped them when you got attacked by the curse." He sighed again and crossed his arms before making eye contact with Yukari. "Did you have an idea?"
The purple-haired teenager nodded. "Yeah, but there's no hope of getting them without that thing noticing."
A chilling sound caught the boy off guard — one that was fearfully familiar. He shifted his vision to a mannequin lying near the fire door, watching as a collection of aggravated eyes sprouted from its battered body. Yukari froze.
No way... There was another cursed corpse?!
Mizuki followed his teammate's gaze and looked back at him with a dreadful expression. "What should we do?" he whispered in a panicked voice.
The mannequin stared back at the two sorcerers as it struggled to its feet. Impulsively, the curse staggered in their direction with speed. The purple-haired teenager clenched his teeth and clasped his hands, preparing for the oncoming threat.
A white orb shot towards the unsuspecting cursed spirit. An ear-piercing roar echoed across the facility; a mannequin head ricocheted off the wall and landed beside Yukari. A thick, powdery smog shrouded the zone of impact, steadily dissolving to reveal a headless, dismembered mannequin motionlessly hugging the floor.
The blue-haired boy shivered. He glanced at his ally for reassurance. As if hypnotised, the purple-haired teenager silently gazed at the ground. His eyes lit up.
"It'll be fine, Mizuki."
Yukari faced his frightened friend and offered a comforting smile.
"I have an idea."
The sight of a severed mannequin head slamming into a machine and creating a loud metallic 'clang' sound caught the apparition's attention. It scanned the surrounding area, noticing as a teenage boy with purple hair stepped out from behind a wooden crate. The curse's black humanoid eyes widened. Yukari stared back at the monster — a hushed hatred lurking within his light grey eyes.
"Found you!"
The cursed spirit standing before the boy resembled a scarecrow. Its deranged eyes with black irises and white scleras were partially hidden by a frayed straw hat atop the apparition's head — which cast a dark shadow over the rest of its frozen face. The curse lacked a nose. Its mouth consisted of chaotic, complex needlework stitched into an unchanging smile composed of thin, black threads. It wore a tattered, chequered shirt retaining a blue and purple pattern. The monster's arms remained stretched outwards to either side of it as if forcibly held in place by a metal rod embedded deep inside its cursed flesh. In place of the scarecrow's hands were interweaving strands of white yarn, hanging loosely beside it. Furthermore, the apparition had no legs; its body was attached to a slender wooden pole with a black, crow-like talon at the base, which gave the cursed spirit a height of almost three metres.
The purple-haired teenager narrowed his eyes. He thought back to an earlier conversation with Mizuki.
"Can you still walk?"
"Just about, I think. Why?"
"I'm going to keep that thing distracted. Use the fire exit over there to escape as soon as you get the chance. I'll do the same once you're out."
The scarecrow tilted its head playfully, refusing to break eye contact with the boy. The sutures on its mouth began to form a sinister smile.
"No way, Yukari. You'll die!"
"Maybe... but we'll both be dead if I don't do something."
The teenager took a deep breath and let out an anxious sigh, attempting to soothe his racing heartbeat.
Don't dissociate. Don't flinch back in fear. Just focus on running and dodging its attacks.
He felt a bead of sweat trickle down the back of his neck as adrenaline pumped throughout his veins.
I can do this. That's right... I can do this!
"Clutter!"
An orb of cursed energy shot towards Yukari. He sprang sideways — narrowly avoiding the destructive detonation of dust — and sprinted away from Mizuki's location. The scarecrow snarled. The teenager vaulted over a wooden crate, ignoring the explosive echoes flinging serrated splinters into the air directly behind him.
Mizuki saved my life... He got hurt because I wasn't paying attention.
The boy noticed a set of conveyors a few metres ahead of him and changed direction, running past the cursed spirit.
Now that I think about it, I haven't changed at all, have I? I'm just as sad as before.
The apparition turned to face the sorcerer. Yukari registered an approaching orb of white light and instinctively leapt forward. He slammed his eyes shut as dust struck his clothing.
It's not my fault, though. My upbringing wasn't fair. The family I deserved was never there for me.
The teenager stumbled — yet kept sprinting.
Still, feeling like a victim won't change a thing. The only person who can improve my life is me. It seems scary, but it's not like there's any other choice...
A nearby explosion sent metal fragments flying through the air like shrapnel. Pain slashed the boy's right forearm. Blood saturated his sleeve, dyeing the ripped fabric red. Yukari suppressed a silent scream and rushed through the asphyxiating miasma of dust.
After all, I want to smile sincerely, too.
A sonorous sound reverberated at the back of the factory. Mizuki stood in front of the fire exit, unable to unlock the push bar keeping the door shut.
"It won't open!"
The cursed spirit turned around and spotted the injured sorcerer. A glowing orb materialised above its right shoulder.
Yukari's eyes widened. "Leave him alone!"
An unexpected weight threw the scarecrow off balance, sending the explosive yarn into the ceiling. Glass shards showered the facility. The purple-haired teenager's arms and legs ensnared the apparition — eliciting its wrath. The cursed spirit violently jerked its body to the left before launching the boy against the wall with force. Yukari crashed into the concrete and dropped to the floor. He looked up at the monster as blood streamed down his face; the blurry image of white light shining above the scarecrow's right shoulder entered the sorcerer's vision.
No... not like this.
The main door to the building burst open. A teenage boy possessing multi-coloured red hair and amber eyes bolted towards the curse while retrieving a handful of firecrackers from the black backpack slung over his right shoulder. The apparition's eyes widened. It turned to face the newcomer, automatically unleashing its attack. The teenager tossed the backpack to the side and slid beneath the lighting-fast projectile with skilful coordination before smoothly rising to his feet and hurling the firecrackers at the monster.
"Take cover!" yelled the boy while cracking his fingers.
"Clu—"
A blinding red blaze consumed the cursed spirit — a whistling roar booming throughout the entire factory. Yukari covered his eyes and ears. The noise quickly subsided. The purple-haired teenager looked up just in time to witness the final flaming cinders of charred curse disintegrate into thin air, leaving no remains. His gaze shifted to the familiar face.
"Hinotori..."
The sorcerer had a distinctive appearance. His messy short hair was a random mixture of red, blue and white streaks, complementing his vibrant amber eyes. Hinotori's teeth were noticeably sharp. He wore a bright-red, short-sleeved polo shirt, baggy dark blue trousers and white sports shoes, along with a white hoodie wrapped around his waist. Moreover, the teenager was quite muscular and moderately taller than Mizuki. His arms were covered in scarlet burn scars, yet the rest of Hinotori's appearance suggested he was no older than seventeen.
"Damn, that hurt more than usual."
The sorcerer's scars smouldered visibly — contradicting his stoic expression.
"I got a call from Miss Yamakado after she heard an explosion coming from the factory," he announced, his slightly rough voice fairly energetic. "Luckily, yours truly was in the area and made it to the party just in time!"
Mizuki held onto the fire exit's push bar to keep his balance. "That was way too close...!" he exclaimed, unsure of whether to smile or grimace. "Thank you for getting here quickly!"
Hinotori grinned. "You bet! I'm just glad you guys are alive." He went to pick up his backpack and winced upon seeing the countless shards of glass scattered on the ground. "Good thing I didn't get hurt, too. I'm taking both of you to the hospital!"
"Thank... you..." murmured the purple-haired boy as he lay on the cold floor.
Yukari's whole body hurt immensely. He became aware of the growing blood puddle beside him. Exhaustion. The teenager collapsed. His vision darkened as faint shouts echoed in the background — shouts that sounded vaguely similar to the name 'Yukari'. The boy shivered, fading in and out of consciousness. Eventually, silence befell him.
The Neglectful Nurturing Arc — End.