Hope born of solitus

*

The sky was rapidly getting darker, once it's completely night it'll be too hard to see the bat Trace. Right... It hasn't shown it's unique ability yet. Meanwhile I've only been revealing my own cards. I'm not sure if it's intelligent to make use of that information, but it'll at least be more cautious knowing I could hurt it.

Before I had noticed, I landed safely on a building's rooftop. The barrier was successful in slowing my fall, but it didn't mean it completely stop the force of the fall. Some parts of my leg have fractured, but they were still functional. The bat Trace reaches in closer, brandishing its sharp talons. It swipes at me while mid air, tracing a path at high speeds.

I dodged by bending my knees and turning my head. It must intend to use its own altitude as a safe haven, to chip my flesh down with hit and run tactics.

*Ping, crack!*

I kept my barrier up all this time, and my caution bore fruit. So that's what its magic was. An invisible attack, it must be a bullet of wind judging from how the damage is concentrated at a point. It wasn't in a slash pattern, but it followed a strict and powerful trajectory... I see, it was deliberately hiding its own magic for a killing ambush. But why did it chose to kidnap me instead of killing me at the start? Could it be...?

It boosted its own speed with the wind magic, it's intelligent so its aim must be to destroy my barrier. Even if it risks its own safety by coming close, as long as it destroyed my barrier it could simply retreat and fire wind attacks from a distance to bombard me. I was unable to resist due to its abnormal strength from both claws constricting my arms. I released my barrier and jumped up. I slam my left palm onto its body, gripping its fur, then I swung it into the concrete rooftop ground. The building responded with a light tremor and a web of cracks.

It was an intelligent Trace that tried to preserve its own life as much as possible. So when it swung by, it flew at a higher height that would cause it to only collide with the barrier rather than my body. Thanks to that, its trajectory was predictable. I picked it up and slammed it into the ground again, then I swung my right fist into it.

"Haahaa~ fufu I'm sorry. I'm sorry my magic isn't anything special, you'll have to die slowly by my fist instesd... Blame yourself for being so durable..." (Lastia)

I pulled back my elbows and swung, and swung... Blowing more cracks into the building. The inhabitants must think that there's an earthquake. I have to finish this quick. My knuckles are sore but the bat's insides must have been smushed from the repeated pounding.

Basic application - coating. This is what I did with {Feed} earlier, I wrapped a thin layer of it over my shoulders and had it act on reality, decomposing the bat's talons. [Coating] and [Slowing my fall], I've created 2 new applications to my unique ability, {Feed}. I'm sure if the previous Laatia's had discovered these ways of usage they would have written it down in the diary. It was one more thing to write down later tonight. This time I wrap {Feed} around my fists, {Feed} primarily functions like a fire, my magic acts as the lighter and it consumes the enemy's energy to continue persisting.

Trace's bodies are mostly composed of magic, they are like spirits or fairies in folk tales where they are less physical but more mental existences. Contact with my magic alone is enough to damage them. Just like the first day I saw my magic, when I swung my fist into its body once more, a dark scarlet lights devours the Trace. It began as a tiny spark originating from my palm, but it grew to the size of a car in an instant, painting the bat Trace in its own hue. The light seeps through every pore, every bit of its orifices and floods its body, breaking it down into simple magic to be used by me. It was being consumed.

No... Consume suggests the idea of ingestion. I am not biting or tasting anything, I am decomposing things while they are outside of my body... Just like using a venom. You... You attacked me first, so you have to be prepared to die right? Die... Die...

My body, it's so exhausted... My limbs might go numb and keel over, so I have to finish this quick... Using magic... It's taking too much physical stamina, like repeatedly flexing my muscles for long periods of time... It hurts so much since I'm not stopping. As if my muscles have split apart from numerous tears. Similar to muscle training, I mentally can't increase the output any higher. But it's going fine now, I don't have to increase the output, I just need to hold out a little longer. After a few minutes that felt like eternity, my mind gave out.

My body flopped to the ground as I fainted. I couldn't tell how long but not much time had passed since then when I woke up. {Feed} will not let my body tire, that's why I could keep up the magic for so long. Imagine if you had the physique to maintain a completely muscle flexed body for a long time, naturally what's left would be a grave imbalance with the mind. Mental strength would give out first, causing my body to faint for a short moment, but swiftly wake up again from the wealth of physical energy siphoned.

I see, even if I had the advantage of not losing physical stamina, my mind would still create such a weakness. Fufu, I have many things to tell you, Lastia. How I wish... I had the time to. I'm feeling drowsy... My eyelids are heavy and my body still felt battered despite having energy. Fatigue can aid in sleep, but it isn't necessary...

My knuckles grew white as I pushed my body off the ground, I have to stand. If I continued to sit, I'll just fall asleep. I need... To write everything down... My footsteps are steady, yet irregular. I can't seem to pace myself properly, rather than walking it's more like I'm falling forward.

*Pat Pat Pat Pat*

My shoes drag across the ground and land heavily. My shoulders wobble to the sides with each step, my short sleeve and dress turns into bright glowing light and vanishes, leaving my original clothes in their place. Ugh... It's... It's so hard. I could collapse into a sleep at any moment, but... When I think about the next Lastia... I can't abandon her.

I remember the times when I would feel aimless, in my less than 24 hour long life. It was the worse... I need to give her every bit of information I can. That is my duty.