The Black Energy’s Mark

‘A sharp intake of breath~’

‘So, these fox-like features are actually characteristics exclusive to witches? No way! I don’t want to turn into a madwoman!’ The mere thought of Isabella’s visibly deranged state filled Chloe with a creeping dread.

“No, if your theory holds true, then I…” Tia seemed unwilling to accept Doctor Blanca’s deductions. She gazed at her hand, and in a sudden, unsettling transformation, her five fingers began to twist and fuse together, their color deepening steadily, until they morphed into a single tentacle within seconds.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Why would you conjure such a thing! Put it away immediately!” Upon seeing the tentacle, Chloe instantly lost her composure, instinctively retreating behind Doctor Blanca and shrinking her body, staring at the appendage with a flush rising to her cheeks.

At the same time, Doctor Blanca’s shock was no less profound than Chloe’s. She glared at Tia with indignation, stating angrily, “You promised me you wouldn’t use your secret art! Neither of us knows what consequences it might bring upon you!”

Tia remained expressionless, the tentacle on her hand writhing aimlessly in the air until, as if sensing a scent, it suddenly began to undulate purposefully toward Doctor Blanca. More precisely, it was moving toward Chloe, who was hiding behind her. The tentacle’s slimy, soft texture made Chloe’s hair stand on end; as it drew closer, the taut string in Chloe’s mind finally snapped, and she dared not look at it anymore, instead burying her head into Doctor Blanca’s back.

Clearly feeling the girl’s body trembling slightly behind her, Doctor Blanca seized the tentacle that had reached her shoulder and looked at Tia with surprise.

“My apologies, I believed my power would allow me to control it perfectly, but I didn’t expect…”

“Instead, you were controlled by it, weren’t you?” Doctor Blanca interjected, finishing her sentence. She sighed, then said earnestly, “Your secret art is the most unique I’ve ever encountered. Absorbing black energy and converting it into your own ability does indeed fall within a loophole in my theories. However, I steadfastly believe that anything involving black energy should never be taken lightly, as it will never lead to a good outcome.”

“…”

Tia retracted the tentacle, lowering her head and falling into silence.

“Give it up, Tia. With your inherent strength, what is there that you cannot achieve? Why take such a risk? Black energy is intricately linked to humanity’s negative emotions, and there’s a significant chance it could corrupt your mind. If something were to happen to you, how would you protect your sister, and this young girl?” Doctor Blanca offered her kind advice, yet inadvertently touched upon a dangerous topic.

‘My sister… Chloe…’ Doctor Blanca was still unaware of Yilan’s situation.

‘Heh… it’s no wonder she speaks such words, failing to comprehend the true significance of greater power to me.’ Tia’s entire being began to emanate a formidable magical pressure, like a pressure cooker poised to explode. Fortunately, she quickly regained her composure, and her entire demeanor wilted once more.

“Doctor, you needn’t interfere with my affairs. You should continue to focus on Chloe’s problem.”

“But…”

Doctor Blanca was about to retort, but upon meeting Tia’s sharp, violet eyes, she instantly lost her voice.

“Alright… but I still need to bring up your issue. After all, aside from you, it’s almost impossible for magical girls to contain black energy. I believe Chloe’s condition is connected to you.” She continued to gaze at Tia, her eyes seemingly seeking her opinion.

“Connected to me? Go on.”

“Are you currently spending every day with this young girl?”

“Yes.”

“That makes sense then. My conjecture is that perhaps the black energy you absorb has been overflowing, gradually affecting the young girl over time. However, unlike you, this young girl cannot easily accommodate black energy, and its reception has caused adverse effects on her body – specifically, her poor constitution and the manifestation of witch-like characteristics. Fortunately, these issues are still resolvable… How long have you been living with the young girl, counting from when you began absorbing black energy?”

“Hmm… about a week?”

“A week?” Doctor Blanca was perplexed once more; could her theory be flawed again? “By all accounts, a week of living together shouldn’t cause the young girl to be so thoroughly corrupted by black energy. What could be going on?”

Indeed, what could be going on?

Chloe, hiding behind Doctor Blanca, had just parted her lips to raise her hand and speak when Tia cast a threatening glare her way, startling her into retracting her hand and closing her mouth. She had intended to accuse Tia of her daily malicious infusions, but then she remembered that Doctor Blanca was merely an ordinary person; if Tia were angered, Doctor Blanca certainly wouldn’t be able to help, and it might even provoke Tia to escalate her actions.

‘Oh! What a dark future!’ Chloe couldn’t help but mock herself.

After pondering alone for a long while, Doctor Blanca finally shook her head. “It seems I’ll need to conduct further research into black energy to determine what factors might accelerate its corruption… The solution to the young girl’s problem is quite simple: you two should try to avoid being too close to each other on a daily basis, and Tia, you should use your secret art less frequently in front of her. This way, the rate at which magical energy counteracts the black energy will surpass its rate of corruption, and she will slowly recover. If you wish to speed up the process even further, she can drink the potion I’ve formulated. Aside from this, are there any other issues?”

“Yes!” Chloe raised her hand and exclaimed. She glanced at Tia, who was casting a threatening look her way, and said in a soft, sweet voice, “My sense of taste has disappeared; food has no flavor.”

Upon hearing it was only this particular issue, Tia’s gaze softened considerably.

“Loss of taste? Open your mouth and let me see.”

“Ah~”

Her cherry lips parted, revealing pristine white teeth and her small, healthy pink tongue. There were no signs of any pathological changes.

“There appears to be nothing wrong visually. It’s likely a result of the body’s rejection of the black energy, as sometimes fevers or colds can also affect taste. This shouldn’t be a major issue; I’ll simply prescribe another potion for you.”

“But…” Chloe wanted to add something more, but after a moment’s thought, she decided against it.

Having resolved Chloe’s immediate concerns, Doctor Blanca turned her attention back to Tia, her eyes filled with the concern of an old friend. “You see, in just one week, the black energy has already had such an impact on the young girl who has been with you. While no grave error has been made yet, what if more time passes? Think about your sister again; aren’t you worried she might also be affected? Or what about yourself? As your friend, I am very concerned that the black energy might have detrimental effects on your mind.”

Tia avoided meeting Doctor Blanca’s gaze, responding with a resolute voice, “I am fine. This amount of black energy cannot affect my mind.”

“That’s good then.” Having said that, Doctor Blanca walked towards the rows of shelves, searching for a potion. A moment later, she returned with a bottle of utterly black liquid, handing it to Tia.

“This is a potion to accelerate the magical energy’s counteraction against the black energy. Have the young girl drink a small cup of it daily for a week, and she should largely recover.”

Tia took the potion, feeling the cool touch of the glass bottle in her hand.

“Thank you!” It was Chloe who spoke, curiously observing the dark potion inside the bottle. ‘It looks so bitter! But if it’s truly effective, the bitterness will be worth it, especially since I currently have no desire to become a witch!’

The girl’s innocent and sweet voice, like soft cotton candy, made Doctor Blanca’s heart warm. She smiled and gently stroked Chloe’s hair.

“By the way, what’s your relationship with this adorable little girl? I truly envy you, having such a cute sister already, and now encountering another charming young girl. Won’t your Yilan get jealous? Younger sisters usually mind when their older sisters share their affection with others, you know! Heh… you haven’t fallen for this young girl, have you? She’s still so young, don’t do anything foolish!” Doctor Blanca whispered discreetly into Tia’s ear.

“No, I only see her as a sister.”