Nausica could still manage herself with one arm supporting Angor, but when Angor went into a shock and added all his body weight on her, she began to lose her balance quickly.
“Angor! Angor?!” Nausica yelled between her teeth and received no response. She forced her stressed neck to turn around and shouted to Sailum, “Sailum! What happened to Angor?”
Sailum had been focusing on keeping his precious book safe. Upon hearing Nausica, he quickly looked Angor’s way.
“I think he fainted! He got blood all over his face!”
Nausica’s heart skipped a beat. With Angor unconscious, she could not keep up for very long all by herself. But she could not just give up Angor either. The woman squeezed up all her remaining strength and hoped that the gale would end soon.
Nausica reached her limit after another two minutes. Sweat had covered her entire body, and visible blood vessels had bulged on her forehead, neck, and arms.
Several sweat drops went along her arm and dropped on Angor’s face, clearing up Angor’s mind just a bit, which was enough to drag him out of the muddy state of trance.
He opened his eyes and saw Nausica’s terrifying, pain-stricken expression. None of her usual charms could be found.
Nausica realized Angor was awake when Angor grabbed onto a tree vine and greatly loosened her pressure.
“Thanks!” Angor yelled at Nausica in the wind.
Nausica only panted heavily. She rested a bit before replying, “Hold on yourself, I don’t have the stamina to help you anymore.”
Before Angor could answer, a stronger gust of wind invaded them, causing Angor to lose grip of his vine.
Angor was thrown away by the wind and fell. His body span like a stone in the air.
“Angor!!” Nausica and Sailum were both stunned at the terrible scene.
They did not want to think about what would happen if Angor reached the ground from this high in the sky.
Endless self-accusation covered Nausica’s mind. If she could just hold on to him for a little longer…
Angor free-fell at extreme speed. The giant leaf which was Falling Cloud Stop became smaller and smaller above him.
His mind went all blank. The only thing that repeated itself in his head was: Am I going to die?
Not in the Nightmare Realm, but here.
He did not have the time to feel regretful yet.
“Oho… It’s you, blond boy? You didn’t come to drink tea, but you have the time to commit suicide?” A lazy, female voice suddenly reached his ears.
Angor opened his eyes quickly and saw the figure of a woman made of floating mist looking at him in midair.
“I’m not suiciding,” said Angor. He recognized the figure and felt hope. “Lady Mirror, help me…”
The woman was one of the three ancestor souls in Brute Cavern, the spirit living in the mirror world, Lady Mirror. Angor met her once when coming into the mirror world.
“Help you?” Lady Mirror inspected Angor’s face and mumbled, “Alright… since you look pretty fine to me.” Lady Mirror reached out a hand, and a lump of white mist surrounded Angor’s body, stopping him from falling.
“But it’s not for free,” said Lady Mirror. She appeared beside Angor and said, “You’re going to pay me something that equals to the favor.”
Angor was still terrified at his near-death experience. The only thing he knew right now was endless gratitude toward Lady Mirror, so he answered without hesitation, “No problem. Anything, Lady Mirror, and I’ll do my best!”
Lady Mirror carried Angor upward using her mist.
“I don’t know what I need yet. Let’s… note it down for now, and I’ll come up with something later,” Lady Mirror spoke in a carefree manner. She only saved Angor for his above average looks and was not really expecting a newbie apprentice to pay her back.
“I’m going to repair a plane wound caused by the appearance of the world’s consciousness. Where are you heading to? I’ll send you there,” said Lady Mirror. She looked at the dark clouds in the sky in frustration. Her beauty sleep was interrupted when an avatar of the world’s consciousness suddenly descended and created a giant hole in the mirror world. She had to bear her rage for getting dragged up from her bed and go repair that hole, so the mirror world would not crumble on itself.
Angor considered. He wanted to join his friends at Falling Cloud Stop, but with such disastrous weather going on, he would just get blown off again.
He finally decided. “Can you send me to Professor Sunders?”
Lady Mirror was surprised by it. “Professor Sunders? You’re his new student?”
“Yes. Mister Sunders is my current mentor.”
Lady Mirror remained silent for a long time, without speaking or moving. Angor thought she had some grudge again Sunders and regretted his decision. He should have asked Lady Mirror to send him to the ground instead.
A moment later, Lady Mirror finally spoke in a somewhat small voice, “So Sunders is your professor. Just about right. I know what I should ask now…”
…
In the center of Phantom Island.
The wind was still raging. Angor stood behind Sunders, so he did not feel anything this time.
Toby also returned to him. The bird stood tall on his shoulder.
“Professor…” Angor spoke.
Sunders looked sideways at Angor through his gold-rimmed monocle. Angor was not sure of Sunders’ emotion with the glass covering his eye.
“Lady—Lady Mirror said that…” Angor thought about Lady Mirror’s request and felt really weird.
“Just disregard anything she said.” Seeing Angor’s hesitance, Sunders thought about Lady Mirror’s temperament and quickly realized what she wanted.
“But Lady Mirror saved my life.”
“Because you’re too weak. You can talk later. The Sorcerer’s Garden is about to complete. Watch closely.”