The sun barely peeked through the window of the shed when Jake opened one eye, groaning as if a demon had run him over with an industrial steamroller.
The ceiling spun above him. He was half inside and half outside the shed, sprawled on the grass with his arms spread wide. His skin still bore black patches from the "little" combustion he suffered at the church; Jake's hair now looked like a nest of electrocuted crows.
—Ugh… I feel like I've been blessed with acid —he muttered, sitting up halfway.
He tried snapping his fingers to light a small flame —something routine— but only a blue spark appeared, dying out immediately.
Silence.
Jake blinked multiple times, bewildered. He tried again, but only another spark appeared, and nothing more.
—…What the hell? —he whispered.
A cold sweat ran down his back.
—It can't be… n-no mana.
He focused harder than a kid trying to memorize the seven times table, searching for the energy flow inside him. All he found was a dry void, as if someone had sucked his reserve completely dry.
—Great —he huffed—. Burned myself so badly in that church that I literally melted what little mana I had left. Perfect, Jake. You've really screwed yourself this time.
From the hallway came a sweet, teasing voice.
—Talking to yourself again? —asked Hikari, peeking in with a towel on her head.
—Hikari... I think I'm sterile —Jake said in a mournful tone.
Hikari jumped. —Eh? For real? That is a problem.
—Magically speaking —clarified Jake.
—Say that first, you idiot! —she said, drying her hair with a face that screamed "talk properly."
—Anyway… does anything hurt? —Hikari asked, changing tactics.
—My pride. My dignity —muttered Jake.
—Did you ever have any of that? —Hikari asked, laughing.
—You wound me —Jake replied, crawling out of the shed.
—Anything else? —she pressed.
—My mana. It's gone —he said, raising a hand that still smoked.
—And that's bad? —Hikari asked, genuinely concerned.
Jake looked at her with a dead expression. —How do you think I'm supposed to open the portal back without mana, genius?
Hikari froze. —Ouu... yeah, that does sound serious —she admitted.
At that moment Kairus appeared in the doorway with a piece of bread in his mouth and the aura of a man who tolerates everything but forgives nothing.
—What's all this noise so early? —he asked in a hoarse voice.
—Jake says he's out of mana —Hikari explained.
The knight raised a brow. —Out of mana? How the hell did you manage that? Even guild rookies don't hit zero.
Jake shrugged, defeated. —Let's just say being on fire with bluer flames than the Radiant Candle for fifteen minutes isn't exactly healthy for the energy system.
Kairus burst out laughing. —That girl sure knows how to ignite a man's heart! —he said, winking.
Jake glared at him. —Son of a *****, you wouldn't understand. I literally can't feel my lower body.
—That's from the diarrhea, don't lie —Kairus shot back.
—What diarrhea? —Jake said just as he let out a blue fart that twinkled in the air like a sparkly effect.
Kairus froze, jaw dropped. —You seriously need to get that checked, man —he said, genuinely horrified.
—You shouldn't be laughing —Jake said seriously—. Without mana we can't go back.
Kairus's smile faded. —You're right... —he murmured, looking down.
—Now we're in real trouble, Kairus —Jake said tensely—. I don't know any other way to return… do you get how serious this is?
Kairus stayed still. —No… I wasn't aware of how bad it really was —he admitted, guilt creeping in.
Jake sighed heavily. —Well, you better start realizing it. This isn't a setback; this is being trapped here indefinitely.
Hikari clapped her hands to cut through the tension. —Hey! Moping won't help. We need to distract ourselves.
—Distract ourselves? —Jake repeated.
—Yeah —she said with a mischievous smile—. If you're in a bad mood, the best cure is to drink. I know a great bar nearby.
Kairus instantly raised his thumb. —I second that. Sake solves almost everything. Let's get drenched! Maybe you'll figure out how to recharge your mana.
Jake sighed. —Well… a little sake won't hurt. I'm in.
—Perfect —said Hikari—. But first, help me lift him —she said, eyeing the situation.
Kairus took in the scene: Jake, a total wreck, half lying inside the shed he called home.
—Bro —Kairus said with a grin.
—What?— Jake replied.
—This is gonna hurt. Clench your cheeks.
—Wait, wait! —Jake yelled just as Kairus, with the solemnity of a warrior, executed a completely improvised chiropractic maneuver. A legendary crack echoed through the neighborhood.
—Aaah! Bring the wheelchair! —Jake screamed, rolling on the ground.
Right then, a couple with a child happened to pass by.
—What are they doing, Mom? —the boy asked, alarmed. —Nothing, sweetie, nothing —the mother said quickly, covering his ears. —You're gonna kill him, dude —the father muttered seriously.
---
A few hours later…
The bar was alive. Warm lights, laughter, the smell of fried food and sake everywhere.
Jake, a cup in hand, relaxed for the first time in days.
—See? —Hikari said, smiling as she drank—. Sometimes you just need to enjoy the moment.
—Yeah... sure —Jake replied, staring at his drink.
Kairus, already on his fourth mug, slammed the table.
—Let's toast, my friends, let's toast!
Everyone in the bar looked over.
Jake laughed. —You… do realize we're not in Nocturne, right?
—Bah, alcohol transcends worlds —the knight said solemnly.
The group's contagious laughter spread across the bar, drawing strange looks. A couple of men at the next table started whispering and mocking their talk of another world.
—Hey, weirdos, what's up with that Nocturne thing you keep yapping about? —one joked—. Is it an event or just plain schizophrenia?
Jake tried to ignore them, but Kairus slowly turned his head, eyes burning.
—Schizo... what? —he asked dangerously.
—Leave them, not worth it —Jake said, raising a hand.
—Yeah, wouldn't want them to curse us or something —another mocked.
Kairus smiled —the kind of smile that precedes a massacre.
—Excuse me, are you mocking the comrades of a knight?
—Hahaha sure, a knight, and I'm King Arthur, give me a break —the man said.
Kairus's mug shattered in his hand.
—Well, looks like you don't understand warnings. Don't worry, that's easy to fix.
Jake sighed. —This won't end well…
Seconds later, a chair flew.
Then another.
And in under a minute, the bar was in glorious chaos: overturned tables, shattered bottles, Kairus fighting like a berserker, and Jake trying to stop him with magic… which barely worked.
—Damn it, light up, damn you! —Jake shouted, trying to conjure a barrier.
Only a small gust of wind came out, flipping a woman's skirt.
—P-pervert! —the woman screamed, throwing a plate.
The plate hit him square on the head.
Kairus, meanwhile, knocked two guys out with a single punch, climbed onto a table, and raised his broken mug.
—For the honor of warriors! —he roared.
Jake staggered to his feet. —And for what little dignity I have left, cheers! —he yelled, raising his glass.
Both clinked cups amid the chaos, laughing like idiots.
Behind them, a huge shadow stretched across the wall.
The music stopped. The air grew heavy.
—Well, well… looks like you punks enjoy brawls —a deep voice said.
Jake and Kairus turned in unison.
The bar owner —a man the size of a bear, with arms like concrete barrels— was glaring at them with a terrifying smile.
—T-this isn't what it looks like —Jake stammered, holding a glass in one hand and a broken chair leg in the other.
From behind a flipped table, Hikari peeked out with a pale face.
—T-this definitely wasn't part of my plan… —she whispered before ducking back down.
Outside the bar, a new sign hung by the entrance, showing crude caricatures of Jake and Kairus with a big red X over their faces and a message below that read:
"ENTRY FOR THESE TWO IDIOTS IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN."
---
Later that night…
Hikari walked down the street with the two draped over her shoulders: Jake leaning on her left, Kairus on her right.
The three of them wobbled like an elephant on a spider's web.
—Out of all the bars in Yokohama… why'd you have to wreck that one? —Hikari grumbled.
—I didn't… break… anything… —Jake mumbled half-asleep—. Actually… I think… they broke me.
—Translate that —Hikari said.
—He's more dead than alive —Kairus replied, then tripped and slammed face-first into a lamppost.
They finally reached the bakery building. Jake was humming a hymn in a strangely familiar language with one arm raised, while Kairus argued with a lamppost, insisting it was his lost horse.
—Please… don't let anyone see us —Hikari muttered through clenched teeth, trying to fit the key into the lock without dropping either of them.
With one final push, she opened the door and dragged them inside.
—Alright… mission accomplished —she sighed, dropping Jake onto one counter table and Kairus onto another with a solid thud.
Jake lay back. —The ceiling… it's moving...
—Shut up and sleep —Hikari said, rubbing her face.
Kairus, half asleep, stretched out his hand and murmured wistfully: —Snowflake… don't leave me behind…
Hikari let out a tired laugh. —Can't believe I ended up babysitting these two.
She went to close the front door, turning off the lights one by one.
Silence filled the place, and for a moment everything seemed calm.
Then, just as Hikari turned to climb the stairs, a familiar voice broke the silence from the dark hallway.
—I'm home— said the voice, serene yet heavy with exhaustion.
Hikari froze.
From the shadows, a feminine silhouette slowly emerged, revealing the glint of a suitcase and a travel jacket.
Her eyes stopped on the scene:
Two strange men sprawled across the tables —one snoring with his mouth open, the other hugging an empty bottle— and Hikari, frozen mid-stairs with a nervous smile.
The newcomer tilted her head and raised a brow, half incredulous, half resigned.
—Well, well… what a welcoming sight. —She paused briefly—. Should I even ask what's going on here?
Hikari swallowed hard and turned slowly. —H-Haruna?... you're back.
The silence that followed was so thick even the dripping sink added tension to it.
A gust of wind shut the front door with a dry click.
The room dimmed, leaving Haruna standing at the entrance, her gaze sharp as a blade.
—I think it's time for a sister-to-sister talk.
End of Chapter 12.