'Eh, I fell asleep. Am I awake yet?'
Yuzuriha slowly felt herself regain consciousness and by the looks of it, her vision had gone back to being black. She could tell because….well…she couldn't see anything again.
It appeared to be the next day, though she couldn't be sure. But she could tell by the whiff of the atmosphere and sudden drop in temperature.
Her eyes might have been opened but she couldn't tell whether she was awake or still dreaming.
'Wait, no, I'm definitely awake. In a dream I'd definitely have my eyesight back, or some visual clue. Maybe, I don't know. I don't really remember whether I dreamt or not'
Then again, most people tend to not remember their dreams so it couldn't be helped. After all, dreams are fragile memories that can be easily forgotten.
Also, could blind people even see in their dreams? Her brows twitched.
'I should really stop that. Comparing myself to whatever half baked trivia I remember from my past life. This is a different world. It has magic and stuff! Dream science is probably irrelevant! Or different here!'
With a deep breath, Yuzuriha confirmed herself to be awake, although she could still feel the dizziness in her eyes. Her current state of being was lying down on something soft, her twitching fingers verified it to be a bed.
'Oh. Huh. I'm in bed. So I did fall asleep. How careless of me'
After everything she's been through, it honestly felt like it has been ages ever since she had any sleep or just felt the comfort of a bed. Even so, that couldn't take away how careless it was to pass out randomly like that.
Unpleasant things tend to happen to vulnerable little girls. That was a harsh lesson she had learned during her time with her mother. Even with Junichiro, her husband, Yuzuriha had always made sure that nothing was out of the ordinary before she went to sleep.
It was a habit at that point. It may have seemed like paranoia to him, but it was just the way it was for her. Blame her upbringing!
And now, she fell asleep without any sort of insurance, and she was still fine…
'Maybe I was really being paranoid…'
Yuzuriha took a moment to process it, she blinked, not that it did much. Taking another deep breath, she tried to push herself up but immediately froze right after.
'Huh, what the hell is that?'
There was something on top of her. It wasn't really heavy, but it was definitely enough to pin her down. It draped across her torso, pressing her down ever so slightly, not suffocating but still…annoying.
'Well, that's not going to work. Maybe…oof'
She tried to move her body to the side but was blocked by something else. Warm, solid and soft at once. Someone was leaning against her. Close….very closely.
'...Okay. That's a person and…that scent'
Yuzuriha subtly leaned her head toward the right and twitched her nose. Taking in the scent that came with it.
'Lavender and pine, mixed with iron and something floral. Yep, this is big sis Marcille'
That scent tickled her memory of the first time she met her, to when she leaped into her embrace like the doting older sister she is.
"...!"
It only took a moment but after remembering how Marcille almost killed her last night, Yuzuriha's face contorted to that of dread.
'Eeek!'
Her heart raced as she gingerly lifted her hand and reached up toward the thing holding her down. Her fingers brushed against bare skin. As she caressed around it, she felt an arm, yep definitely an arm, Marcille's arm!
'What the hell…?! Is she trying to strangle me in my sleep?!'
She strained the panic at her throat, since she was still unfamiliar with the situation, she couldn't risk letting them know she was awake ...wait, was she awake?
'The last thing I remember is Marcille tapping on my forehead, I felt weird after then passed out…'
Then the next thing she knew was waking up to her older sister's breath, ruffling the stray strands of hair that hung over her temple. It was like someone was blowing wind through tall grass.
'She's…sleeping. With her arm around me?'
Yuzuriha blinked again, but this time with meaning. No, she was just confused and a little horrified by the thought that popped up in her mind.
'W-wait, I didn't die again, right? Please, someone tell me this isn't one of those funeral vigils where the grieving family sleeps next to the corpse, is it?'
If she really had died again then that would explain the weird blue line she saw yesterday, perhaps that was just her soul passing over to the other side.
'No, that wouldn't be right. Unlike before, I couldn't feel or see anything, however I can still feel my body. I'm not dead again. But I still can't see'
Even so, she felt relieved and happy to be still alive, but that couldn't quite mask the mix of emotions bubbling beneath it.
The person who tried to kill her was right there. Holding her like a toddler holding on to a toy. Even in sleep, she didn't let go.
She wiggled her shoulder, adjusted her weight and carefully slid an arm out. But that was all in vain because the second she got an arm free, Marcille placed it back in place. A means of unconsciously telling her to stay still.
Yuzuriha caught her breath, her eyes wide from the sudden jolt of movements. Realizing that Marcille wasn't going to let her go, she stayed like that for a while before sighing internally.
'Okay. Fine. You win. I'll stay put'
Finally coming to terms with her current status, she laid back against the mattress, allowing herself to be surrounded by warmth, by silence and yes, by blackness too.
'Ah well. Might as well use this time to get some answers to my questions.'
She might have been clueless as she was, but she still had some knowledge about this world. And also, she was basically the only one she could rely on.
And so, Yuzuriha turned to Sawatari to which the Manifestation responded.
'Sawatari, as much as I'm interested in knowing what Spirit Arts are. I can't shake this off. Tell me, why does my voice suddenly disappear when I need it? And what were those lines that I saw yesterday?'