"S-Sylphy!?"
She didn't answer. Her cold, piercing gaze never left line of sight. It was almost mesmerizing. I was too late to react. Before I knew it she had already conjured the mana for a powerful [Wind Slice].
"Everybody get down!"
The crowd all turned their attention towards us, most of them looking confused, while a couple people heeded my advice and ducked down to the floor. Without any time to think, I conjured a well of gravity magic across the entire theater, pulling everyone down to the floor. The legs of the chairs snapped under those who were still seated and chaos erupted as people screamed in fear and confusion.
Sylphiette's [Wind Slice] tore through the fabric of the tent, leaving a huge slash all across the western side. A large beam of light and a biting cold gust of air burst into the tent, adding to the confusion of the crowd.
'I need to stop Sylphy! She's not in control of herself!'
I resolved myself to restrain her somehow, although the thought of using my magic against her made my stomach churn. By the time I had turned back around though I saw that the other side of the theater had been enveloped in a thick fog.
'No! She's trying to escape!'
I desperately scanned the theater with my magic power eye, trying to track down Sylphy's mana signature, but there wasn't the slightest trace left behind. Vita seemed to have full control of all of Sylphiette's abilities, including her incredible control over her mana.
[Wind Blast]!
I tried to blow away the fog, but the effect was somewhat limited by the fact that we were in a mostly enclosed tent. The gash that Sylphy had opened up was the only place for the fog to exit and I was blowing it in the opposite direction.
Still, my spell had some effect, and visibility had improved. I scanned the area in a panic, but couldn't find her. Most of the people in the tent were still cowering on the ground, although several had gotten up to flee after realizing that the gravity no longer held them down.
"Sylphy! Where are you!? You have to fight him!"
I felt my chest tightening from the anxiety. I had no idea where she ran off to. Is she still here? Did she run off? I wanted to chase after her but I have no idea where she went.
'Surely she's still here, right? This whole thing happened because Hitogami wanted to kill me. If Vita is controlling her, then he's got to still be in here, waiting for his moment to strike.'
The fog finally fully cleared from the tent and I was confident she wasn't among the crowd. I tried to calm myself and scan the area for traces of her mana.
Nothing.
Just standing around won't do me any good, so I ran to the side of the tent where she had summoned the fog and lifted up the fabric of the tent, crouching under it. I found myself back in the entertainment district of Sharia. The crowd surrounding the theater had dispersed for the most part, which made Sylphiette's unconscious body stand out like a sore thumb.
"Sylphy!", I called out as I ran to her.
She was unconscious, but still breathing. The whole district was in disarray. Some people gathered near the theater, curious about what was happening, while others panicked and fled. I saw several guards making their way here; I want no part of this if it can be avoided.
I carried Sylphiette, holding her princess style in my arms as I merged with the crowd of people fleeing the area. By the time we made it to the other side of the commercial district, things had calmed down considerably. The only hint that something had happened were rumors about a commotion that took place in the entertainment district; most people likening what happened to a fight. At this point, however, I was starting to attract a couple curious glances due to the way I was carrying an unconscious girl around with me, leading me to set her down in a seat outside a small café, hoping she would wake up soon.
Thankfully, not long after setting her down she slowly began to stir.
"Sylphy? Are you alright? Say something!" I was still a bit anxious.
"R-Rudy? Where are we?"
Her eyes were back to normal; a sign that she was hopefully back in control.
"We fled from the theater after Vita took control of you. Do you not remember anything?"
The moment I mentioned Vita's name, Sylphy's eyes went wide.
"Vita, that's right!", she said as her face contorted in worry. "He told me he was taking control. He didn't make me do anything bad, did he?"
"Um... not really. Nobody got hurt anyway, maybe just a bit of... vandalism?"
Her face flushed red with embarrassment.
"Don't worry about it", I assured her. "I made certain nobody got hurt. It was just one minor wind spell you had cast. Honestly, it's completely overshadowed by my debacle at the university earlier today", I laughed. "More importantly, what happened to Vita? We can't let him escape."
"No!", Sylphy yelled, grabbing my arm. "Just let him go."
"!?"
I was stunned by her response. He had just controlled her and forced her to fire off attack magic in a crowded area. Now she just wants to let him go? He's not still secretly influencing her, is he?
"He released me intentionally", she said as her eyes looked down at the table. "After you tried to attack him, you disappeared and he continued attempting to bargain with just me. He told me that he was going to release me willingly... that you would chase him down to the end of the world if he didn't."
"You've got that right", I muttered angrily.
"Just let it go. He said that his debt to Hitogami is now repaid and he wants nothing to do with the feud between you two anymore."
"When I woke up from his control, I remember throwing up a bunch of blue, sticky liquid. Did the same thing happen to you? I'm worried that he might be trying to trick us."
"Umm, No I don't remember that happening to me. I just woke up here talking to you."
"That's... concerning. How do we know he isn't biding his time while hiding his presence?"
"I don't know. I don't feel anything off."
"Let's just head home", I suggested. "I'll message Orsted. I'm sure he's had to deal with Vita in one of his many loops. I'd wager he'll know of a way to handle the situation."
"But, if he really is hiding in me... Is it really safe to head home? I could never forgive myself if Vita made me hurt one of them."
"Don't worry about it. I'll make sure you don't hurt anybody. Just stick close to me."
Sylphiette smiled, and pulled my arm against her.
"Let's go home", she said.
We reached our home about twenty minutes later, both of us exhausted. The moment I opened the door for Sylphy...
"SURPRISE!"
Sylphy jumped back, genuinely surprised. Even I flinched a little. After everything that had happened today, we both completely forgot about her surprise party. There was a slight pause after the surprise greeting; both parties staring back at one another.
"Sylphy! Rudeus! What happened to you guys? Your clothes are a mess!"
I looked down at my outfit. My robe had several tears in the fabric. Stains and streaks of dirt were all over my outfit. Sylphy didn't look much better.
'We probably should have cleaned up first.'
"Oh no, Rudeus... Tell me you didn't have another mishap. You promised me you wouldn't try using your magic again until I confirmed you mastered your battle aura."
Ghislaine, who stood behind Zenith, took one look at us and assumed everything was my fault. Well, I guess I can't blame her; often it is.
'Wait a moment... I did use my magic. I used it without even thinking back in the entertainment district.'
I peered down at my hand and conjured a tiny flame at my fingertips using the [Fireball] spell, only to have Ghislaine stumble past everyone in a panic and try to tackle me to the ground.'
"Whoah!", I said, sidestepping out of the way.
Ghislaine, having missed the tackle, slid along the grass, stomach first, beside me. She spun around in confusion, shocked not only that I successfully used my magic, but also that I managed to evade her tackle. She lifted up her eyepatch and stared at me.
"Rudeus, You've done it! You're battle aura... it's not perfect, but you've made remarkable progress since this morning. Incredible!"
I dismissed the flame and clenched my hand into a fist. I could feel the strength of my grasp. I felt stronger and lighter than before, but at the same time, it feels so... natural.
'She's right. The feeling of maintaining my aura during Vita's dreams, it feels so natural now. He had been controlling it for me for what felt like days during those visions. I really ought to thank him next time I see him. After I tear him to shreds, that is.'
"It's a long story", I told her. "Let's just get inside and celebrate. Sylphiette's only going to turn fifteen once!"