Chapter 5: The Blue Whip
The bandits offered Fayrouz a deal—join them, and they would spare Fulan's life. But before she could respond, Fulan lunged at their leader, unleashing his power. A faint, almost imperceptible white aura surrounded him. He struck with precision, managing to take down four of them. Yet, the remaining five vanished into thin air, using their ability to disappear.
Every second counted. One wrong move could mean death. These thoughts raced through Fulan's mind as he assessed the situation:
"I have two choices—rely on that girl's ability to sense Menma or swing blindly at the air like an idiot. I don't know which is the right move, but standing still is the worst thing I can do!"
Whoosh!
Fulan vanished from his spot, darting to the left at an astonishing speed. His attack was impulsive, without strategy, but his sheer power was undeniable. He swung his arm, his fist tearing through the air with a sharp, thunderous crack—like a bullet breaking the sound barrier.
The bandits, their bodies concealed like chameleons through their ability to vanish, watched him with tense, terrifying eyes, their presence entirely absent, with no shadows. They recognized instantly that had that punch landed, it would have incapacitated any of them, just as it had their fallen comrades.
Some of them were terrified and began to consider retreating, while one of them was smart enough to notice something important. It was the same young man who had suggested to the leader to include Fayrouz in the team, as he pulled a dagger from his belt, it was invisible as well. His thoughts raced as he dashed toward Fulan. he's fast and strong, but he can't sense us or pinpoint our location. All he's doing is blindly swinging, and from this angle, his back is completely exposed!
The young man had read Fulan's movements with chilling accuracy, anticipating his next step with deadly precision.
Grab!
But just as the dagger was about to slice through Fulan's kidney, a faint blue light wrapped around it, stopping it mid-thrust. The bandit's eyes widened. His head snapped to the side, following the glow to its source—Fayrouz. Her eyes burned with an intense, sky-blue light, the same hue as the glowing bands that now restrained his weapon.
The glow disappeared from the blue threads tightly gripped by Fayrouz, which were wrapped around the dagger, transforming into the shape of a dark blue scarf. It was as if she had turned the bandages of eyes into a scarf in an instant, pulling it taut to stop the thrust before it could land.
Whoosh!
In that instant, Fulan reappeared directly in front of him. A wave of dread crashed over the bandit. His mind reeled in horror.
"Wait… this isn't possible. I forgot about her! She can track Menma! Damn it! Just one second—"
Bang!!
Fulan's punch landed squarely in his gut. The impact was devastating. The bandit's eyes rolled back as his body was launched through the air, completely knocked out.
Before Fulan could make another move, Fayrouz's blue eyes flickered. She clenched her fists, and the glowing scarf twisted and shifted, transforming into blue serpents. Though not alive, the serpents coiled around an unseen figure, constricting tightly.
The bands weren't just for capture—they constricted around the man's body, tightening until blood trickled from his mouth. His choked screams filled the air:
"Stop, stop! I can't take this anymore!!"
Fayrouz looked at him with disdain through her blue eyes, which resembled the ocean, while a breeze ruffled her black hair, streaked with blue strands at the tips.
With that, six bandits had been defeated, including the one Fayrouz had squeezed into unconsciousness. The battlefield fell into a brief silence—until the sound of hurried footsteps shattered it.
At the same moment, Fayrouz's voice rang out, sharp and urgent:
"They're trying to escape. There's one to your right, five steps away!"
Whoosh!
Fulan reacted instantly, vanishing in a blur. He appeared behind the fleeing bandit, delivering a devastating kick to his back. The sheer force sent the man sprawling forward, nearly shattering his spine. Meanwhile, Fayrouz extended her glowing blue bands, capturing the remaining two with ease.
Something was changing. The bands had grown significantly longer, more fluid, almost like living entities. Were they a miraculous weapon? Or was it just her ability?
Fulan let out a deep breath, as if realizing only now that he had been holding it for too long. His chest rose and fell with heavy panting as he scanned the fallen bandits, making sure none of them could move.
Fayrouz, meanwhile, observed him closely, her thoughts swirling:
"The Menma particles in his veins… they've returned to being colorless. What does that mean? Wasn't speed his ability? If so, the Menma should still be white. This boy… he's definitely hiding something."
Once he had caught his breath, Fulan walked over to Fayrouz, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
"That was some good teamwork. So, those bands of yours work like a miraculous blue whip, huh?"
His gaze flicked briefly to the bandits still bound by the glowing restraints. But when he finally turned to look at Fayrouz, something unexpected happened.
For a moment, he felt as though he was sinking into the depths of the ocean. Her eyes, which had once been the bright blue of the sky, had deepened—now a rich, mesmerizing shade, like the sea at twilight. It was common for people's eyes to glow when using their abilities, a sign of active Menma particles. But hers… hers were different. Hypnotic. Otherworldly.
For three whole seconds, Fulan forgot everything around him.
Then, just as suddenly, he snapped back to reality when Fayrouz spoke, her voice calm yet tinged with curiosity:
"What's wrong?"
Fulan didn't let on that he had been momentarily captivated by Fayrouz's eyes. Instead, he kept his tone casual as he asked,
"Nothing. By the way, do you already have a name for that thing?"
Fayrouz glanced down at the bands, watching as their glow softened into a gentle blue. Slowly, they began to shift, their length and form altering until they resembled a dark blue scarf. With effortless grace, she draped it around her neck, her expression unreadable as she replied,
"It's not a weapon. Just an old gift from my mother. I used it in the carriage to block the light from my eyes."
"Really? When we got in, you were already wearing it like that, so I didn't notice. In that case, the name I gave it seems pretty fitting. The Blue Whip
"The Blue Whip? Why would I need to name it?"
"Don't you use it in battles?"
"Only because it's the closest thing I can touch."
"Which means there's no harm in giving it a name."
Fayrouz fell silent, her brow furrowing slightly. The logic behind naming a mere piece of cloth seemed unnecessary to her. Regardless of it being a gift from her mother, to her, it was just a practical tool—nothing more, nothing less.
Meanwhile, Fulan ran a hand through his messy black hair, his gaze shifting toward the unconscious bandits.
"What should we do with them now?"
"We'll take them to the guards of Saikono village, of course," she replied with a cold tone.
He let out a frustrated sigh, his voice thick with irritation. "We've still got over half an hour of walking ahead. You don't expect us to carry all of them, do you...?"
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At the gates of Saikono Village, the closest settlement to the Kingdom of Saita, two guards stood watch. Their black uniforms, resembling ancient ninja attire, gave them an air of authority. Each bore a badge on the left side of their chest, engraved with the words:
"Recognized Guard of the Kingdom of Saita."
They seemed to hold a higher rank and significance than the guards of the former Petita village. Standing with disciplined posture, their eyes scanned the horizon with keen vigilance. Yet, despite their discipline, the quiet, uneventful day had lulled them into a state of boredom. The sky remained overcast, with clouds lazily drifting past, occasionally allowing sunlight to break through.
The strange December weather in this part of the world was unpredictable. Its nights could be as cold as ice, while its afternoons could burn with searing heat. Yet, despite the scorching sun just hours ago, autumn clouds now veiled it slightly.
One of the guards yawned so deeply that his eyes shut for a moment. But when he reopened them, his gaze landed on the rural road ahead—and suddenly, he stiffened.
"What's that?" he muttered.
The other guard followed his line of sight. At first, the figures in the distance were nothing more than hazy shadows. But as they drew closer, the shapes became clearer—two people, one of them carrying something large... or perhaps dragging it.
A wave of tension gripped the guards. They exchanged wary glances, hands tightening around their spears. But as the figures moved into clearer view, their apprehension turned into confusion.
It was a girl and a boy.
The boy had short, messy black hair and wore a simple black jacket over gray pants. The girl, on the other hand, had long black hair and was dressed in a dark blue-black coat with loose, silky black trousers.
Yet, it wasn't their clothing that caught the guards' attention.
It was the strange belt-like structure around the girl's waist.
The blue appendage extended behind her like nine tails—each one wrapped tightly around a motionless figure. The bodies, encased in a shimmering blue fabric, hung weightlessly in the air, only their heads exposed. The eerie glow of the fabric matched the soft luminescence in the girl's eyes. She wasn't straining, nor did she seem burdened by their weight.
She was carrying them effortlessly.
The first guard stared, wide-eyed.
"It's like… a super spider carrying its prey," he muttered in awe.
The second guard, however, was quicker to piece things together. His gaze darted from the glowing blue binds to the captured men. Then, a realization struck him.
"Wait. There are nine of them wrapped in that blue stuff. That means..."
At first, his companion just blinked, trying to process the information. But the moment it clicked, his eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
"Are you saying these kids took down the bandits all by themselves?!"
By the time Fayrouz and Fulan reached the gate, the guards had tightened their grips on their spears, their eyes filled with uncertainty. They weren't sure whether these newcomers were allies or threats.
Fayrouz, unfazed by their tension, placed a hand on the glowing blue belt at her waist. Her tone was calm—almost indifferent—as she said,
"They've lost consciousness three times so far. They'll wake up for the fourth time soon. You should probably lock them up before that happens."
The guards exchanged glances, then shifted their focus to the captured bandits. Their faces were bruised and battered, barely recognizable under the dimming blue glow of the fabric. A single thought crossed both guards' minds:
'Are you saying you knocked them out every time they woke up? That's... brutal. It's like an execution.'
As Fayrouz spoke, the blue bands began to shrink, their glow fading as they condensed into a more compact form. Because of this, the unconscious bodies of the bandits collapsed to the ground.
The once-elaborate structure continued to compress until it was nothing more than a simple blue bracelet. Fayrouz picked it up, slipping it onto her wrist before pausing to stare at it in silence.
The guards stood frozen, still trying to process what they had just witnessed. They had never seen an ability like hers before.
Breaking the silence, Fayrouz turned to Fulan, who stood beside her, and said,
"You were right. It's much lighter like this."
Fulan walked past her, heading toward the village gate with an easy stride. He smirked and commented,
"I'm still surprised you never thought of this before. I mean, how long have you been using that scarf? You should've considered turning it into a bracelet or a ring, especially in the hot weather. Though I guess the scarf form would be useful in the cold."
Fayrouz followed him, her expression thoughtful. "You mean as a scarf in the cold?"
"Yeah, as a scarf. But in battle, use the name I gave it. The rest of the time, just call it a scarf. Otherwise, your mother's gift loses its meaning."
She walked in silence for a few moments, letting his words sink in. Then, finally, she spoke.
"By the way, I never agreed to that weird name."
Fulan gasped, dramatically placing a hand over his chest. "What? But it's awesome—The Miraculous Blue Whip!"
Fayrouz scoffed. "No, it sounds childish. Knights don't name their techniques."
"But you're not a knight yet, so it's fine."
"Hmph... Maybe I'll think about it..."
The guards, still standing at their posts, listened to the exchange in stunned silence. Their seamless back-and-forth made it seem as though they had known each other for years.
But in reality, it had only been a day…
One of the guards glanced at the pile of bodies before them and asked,
"Hey, remind me—what bounty did the Kingdom of Saita place on these bandits?"
The other muttered, his eyes glinting with greed,
"4,500 Diamo per head."
Saliva gathered at the first guard's lips as he stepped toward the unconscious bandits, grinning.
"This is my reward for wasting years at this dull gate. If we multiply that amount by nine, we'll have a fortune. With that kind of money, I can buy a house and finally marry my fiancée. Her family has always looked down on me because of my job."