Yumix; Unveiled Chapter 18: What Comes Unbidden

Read chapter 18 of Yumix; Unveiled by iiPilix on NovelPedia.

The Original LightNovel Project Volume 02, Chapter 03: [ What Comes Unbidden ] Original work, all rights reserved to the Author ‘Pili’, until we get an adaptation contract "W-What’s happening to me?" Hiroki's legs felt heavy like lead as he stumbled towards an outdoor washbasin next to the P.H.G. The panic gripping his chest wouldn’t release. These visions were like an unending nightmare. Splashing cold water over his face, he hoped to clear his thoughts, but the haunting images he just saw only grew more vivid. As he stared into the rippling water, he saw his own face, exhausted and pale. "This isn’t real… It can’t be…" he muttered while his trembling fingers gripping the sink’s edge. With a frustrated groan, he slapped his cheeks hard enough to sting, forcing himself to focus. "Dang it! My friends are waiting for me. I don’t have time for this." He took a deep breath and straightened his posture, pushing through his fear. After a minute of walking, he arrived at the training grounds. Ayuri was the first to notice him. Her eyes softened with some concern as she hurried over to him. "Hiroki, are you okay? You’re late. I thought… I thought something happened to you," she said, her expression softening with relief as she hurried over. He showed her a brief smile, trying to brush off his situation. "I’m fine. Just a rough morning. Nothing to worry about." Ayuri’s eyes lingered on him, showing some concern a bit, but then she nodded. "Fine…" Yoru, who was sitting behind on a stone shelf, with her chin resting on her palm and her elbow on her knee, gave Hiroki a casual glance. "Tch. Took you long enough." Kenji, leaning against a nearby wall, grinned mischievously. "Yoru's been whining non-stop. She thought we were going to start without you." "YOU BASTARD, I’ll take that head off and then your silly tongue!" Yoru growled at his remark, feeling a bit embarrassed, causing her to quickly turn her head. Hiroki chuckled weakly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry to keep you all waiting." Yoru sighed and turned her head to the side and muttered, "Heh… Doesn’t mean I’m wrong." "More importantly…" Hiroki said, his voice steadier as his gaze shifted to the object in Ayuri’s hands, the golden book. "What’s that doing here?" Yoru, who was still idly relaxing, added. "It’s her idea anyways. She believes that with our training today, you might be able to handle it." Hiroki stared in amazement. "The book? Wait, Ayuri now knows about it too?!" Ayuri nodded, her expression turning serious. "Yeah. I knew all the details from Miyu's researches, and same from others. At first… I couldn’t believe all of this myself." "But… What does that mean to you?" With a tone of bewilderment, Hiroki enquired. "This book isn't just some artifact…" Ayuri clarified. "Since you were the one to find it, there’s a chance it’s connected to you." "Connected?" Hiroki repeated in confusion. "You mean something like magic?" Ayuri nodded. "Something like that. If we’re right, it could be a source of immense power. But… to understand its full potential, we need to see if it reacts to you." "It seems like endless questions are piling up, that’s not what I was hoping for. But from what I can see, Ayuri doesn’t know much about the book itself…" Hiroki pondered for a moment, feeling gloomy and cold but only in his mind, then frowned as he glanced at the book again, "And how we will be doing that?" "Based on what I’ve learned from some sources," she said as she handed him the book to hold, "You have to close your eyes while holding it, and think of something like golden mana flowing out of it," Though skeptical, Hiroki took the book as he sighed. "Alright then…" He closed his eyes and tightened his grip. Seconds went by, and the book's weight seemed for him to grow heavier in his grip. He tried to follow as she instructed and imagine the energy Ayuri described, but… Nothing happened. Ayuri gave her chin a contemplative scratch. "Hmm… nothing seems to have changed." "I told you t