His heart was beating like crazy. However, what he read only put his already low state of mind even lower. His big sisters were still missing, but their bodies hadn't been discovered yet, which gave him a little hope.
The next day was a bit better as he got to kill a couple of chickens and pluck their feathers.
His life force has increased today so he went to the fighting class where he practiced sword use, it was not enough for him to go all out and fully work out and at the end of the day he was still lacking energy.
At this rate, he would not be able to grasp enough life force to use his curse's abilit, which he was dying to know if it would bring Lilly back even for a short moment.
When the supply of pork was about to run out, he asked the butcher to teach him how to do it, and the old man agreed.
They first stunned the pig. As Sola approached with a large, sharp knife in hand, his heart pounded in his chest, but his hands remained steady. He drove the slender, sharpened blade into the pig's chest, aiming for the heart, and in the next moment, it was dead.
The sight was unsettling, but Sola had no choice. He stood by, watching as the old man drained the blood, peeled away the skin, and carved out the good cuts of meat while pretending to be interested.
The life force he received from killing the pig was far greater than what he had gained from killing the chickens.
He felt full of life and energy and decided that it would be good idea to use the ability of his curse today.
He headed to the dojo first and began practicing with a sword while rejecting the fights with other students.
After the lesson ended, teacher Beth asked him to stay for a bit because she wanted to talk to him.
It wasn't anything serious. She simply told him that if he wasn't fighting the other students because he was afraid, he might lose control of his emotions, it was okay, and she was here to help him with exactly that.
After opening the door and exiting the room, he heard a familiar voice.
"Hey, you seem a lot better today."
It was Freide, wearing her usual happy yet serious expression, which made her seem both friendly and focused.
"Thanks, you look as energetic as always."
She grinned a little before talking again.
"Where are you headed? Do you maybe want to have another fight?"
She was by far one of the strongest fighters in class.
Before he could answer he saw Jean walking right past them, it was difficult to not notice that creepy looking guy with gloomy expression on his face.
" No, not today, sorry. Do you know where the nearest restroom is?"
She looked at him, trying not to laugh while answering.
"Yeah, go straight and then left, but who uses the public restrooms when you've got a private one, you psycho?"
He brushed off her advice with a wave of his hand, thanked her, and went to the bathroom.
Even though he knew almost nothing about her, she was pretty friendly with both him and Edric, and they often ate at the same table in the cafeteria.
After finishing his business which took his good dozens of seconds we went to the sink and splashed water on his face.
Then he locked the door of the whole restroom and decided to use his curse.
He concentrated and gave mental command to activate the [Night bloom Grace].
As soon as the ability was activated, he saw a black mist forming in front of him. He could feel it draining his life force, his heart pounding loudly in his chest. The mist was rising from his own body, and when he lifted his shirt, he saw the moon-shaped tattoo fading away as the mist fell. Then, something unusual in the mirror caught his eye, and he turned to look.
The mark on his forehead was back — more menacing than he remembered. As he stared into the mirror, his eyes caught a figure standing behind him, in one of the toilet stalls marked with a sign saying it was out of order. The door hung open, and there stood a young-looking man, about Sola's age, with gloomy, unsettling eyes. His hair was black, his skin pale, and his face completely devoid of any beard.
It was Jean.
He was looking at him with an amused expression on his face and before Sola could say anything Jean opened his mouth.
"You devil… I knew something was off about you when you didn't get scared. A mere Ashen enduring the mind assault of my ability."
Sola saw a blade manifesting itself in his hand as he said that.
"What is that are you trying to summon, a devil?"
He continued while sola remained silent looking at him directly while the axe manifested in his hand, Sola felt that the night-bloom grace was about to finish forming as well and he could already saw a figure of a girl with a long hair.
After a second, Jean was already attacking. Staggering back, Sola dodged the slash and countered, but his axe was deflected by Jean's sword. He was at a clear disadvantage — Jean's weapon had greater reach, and Sola couldn't get close. Desperate, he dashed forward and swung his axe in a horizontal arc, but Jean was fast too. Their weapons clashed, Jean's sword parrying the axe and sending it clattering to the floor.
Unarmed, Sola knew his only chance was to close the distance, and he paid for it. A sharp pain shot through his stomach as he lunged in. Both of them crashed to the ground, Jean's sword slipping from the wound and falling beside them. Blood smeared the bathroom floor as they traded punches, Sola biting down hard to stop himself from screaming in pain.
He fought with everything he had, throwing desperate, furious punches, but with just one arm, he was outmatched. Jean wrestled him down, straddled his chest, and began hammering his face. Each blow rattled him, his head bouncing off the blood-slick floor.
Then, just as another fist smashed into his face, Sola's mark awakened. A surge of power jolted through him, though he was still in a bad position. Straining, he freed his only arm and landed a punch to Jean's face, stunning him for a brief second.
Sola spotted his axe lying nearby. He stretched his hand as far as he could, but it was still about thirty centimeters out of reach. He struggled, trying to shift his body closer, but before he could, a heavy punch crashed into his face. His vision blurred, and he felt himself on the verge of passing out as another fist came speeding toward him.