Elemental Cats

Toz, the cats, and Joshua sat back and relaxed as Hods and Stitches tried to convince themselves that doing the dirty work and hauling tons of jellyfish remains were better conditions than death. The cats' routine hadn't been affected by the addition of the two pirates, but since they got more time with Toz, they appreciated the pirates' sacrifice.

But they didn't slack off for too long. Since Joan was already working on Toz's coat again, the others didn't feel like lazing around. Toz didn't, at least. The cats were more ambivalent. The main reason that Toz had been lying around was so he could recover his mana.

Toz had used almost all his mana when he defeated Kart. The little he recovered after that was used to defeat the jellyfish and then to expand their storage building. Toz wanted to recover as much mana as possible so he could experiment with the darkness magic he had cast on Kart. If it really was an approximation of a spell, nothing was stopping him from developing it into a complete spell.

Thankfully, he had a resident expert and genius at darkness magic that he could ask for advice. When Toz had finally recovered enough mana to use the magic again, he asked Lucy for help. Although Lucy could sense his pride soar and his nose began turning toward the sky, he happily accepted. Since Lucy's use of magic was mostly instinctive, he had difficulty helping others use it. And Toz knew that, but he had still asked Lucy for help. The only way for Lucy to interpret it was that Toz was having so much trouble that despite how difficult it was to understand Lucy, Toz had still asked him for help.

While Toz and Lucy started talking magic, the other cats and Joshua began roaming around the island, trying to find a clue to his inclination and also to show Joshua around.

Toz began by telling Lucy about his inspiration for the magic and what his purpose behind it was, and then the various ways he could tell that the pirate had been affected. However, Lucy tilted his head and said,

"Dunno. Sounds messy. Just use it on me."

"Are you sure?"

"Hmph. Who do you think I am? Darkness magic won't hurt me."

Since Lucy made the proclamation with so much confidence and bravado, Toz either had to trust Lucy or prove him wrong. But that didn't mean he would go all out as he had done against the pirate. After a few moments of preparation, Toz used his magic against Lucy, although slightly weaker than the first time he had used it. However, since Toz was more comfortable with how to arrange the mana and cast the specific magic, it could still spell trouble for Lucy if he wasn't prepared.

Just like the magic had done to the pirate, it swallowed Lucy in shadows before wrapping him in a thin film of darkness. Though since Lucy already looked like he was made of darkness was the difference in his eyes. His black pupils remained unchanged, but his yellow irises and white sclera were both covered in pitch black darkness. Lucy's fur looked more flattened and smoother.

Since Lucy's body also stopped moving as the pirate's had done, Toz was worried that Lucy would be unable to communicate his possible distress with Toz. But Toz could still tell that Lucy wasn't panicking or feeling uncomfortable through his inclination.

Although Toz hadn't been able to tell how bad the pirate had felt during his experience with the magic, afterward, when the magic ended and the pirate's head lay on the ground, Toz had seen it. The pirate's eyes, even in death, looked like the eyes of a madman. It wasn't quite as bad as the victims of Lucy's magic, but it was close.

Since Toz hadn't put as much effort into casting the magic as he did the first time, it didn't take long before the darkness faded away from Lucy's eyes, and Lucy's fur regained its fluffiness.

But Lucy didn't immediately begin giving Toz advice. Lucy closed his eyes and seemed to revel in the feeling that the magic had given him. Toz also realized that for someone who had such a strong affinity for and loved darkness like Lucy, Toz's magic would be more like paradise than torture.

After a minute, Lucy opened his eyes and looked at Toz with the same pride a mother bird might have when her fledgling babies left the nest. Although Toz didn't quite know what to think about Lucy's expression, it at least showed that he had made something even Lucy found impressive. Knowing that he had impressed Lucy with his darkness magic naturally thrilled Toz.

That was until Lucy realized that too much pride and arrogance could lead to laziness and a lacking motivation to improve. So Lucy changed his expression to one of neutrality.

"I guess it's a passing grade."

Though, since Toz had already seen Lucy's initial reaction, he didn't pay much heed to Lucy's attempt at being a stern teacher and responded with a smile.

"Thanks! So, what do you think?"

"You said it was inspired by the void, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then it's pretty bad. Compare your stuff to the actual Void. Do I need to say more than that?"

Toz had no idea what aspect to compare. He had been thinking and looking into the Void for so long he had almost memorized the locations of the stars. And when casting the magic, Toz thought of nothing else but the Void and its infinite darkness. But Toz knew that even if he asked Lucy for clarification, he wouldn't get it. The only thing he could do was ponder on Lucy's words as he compared the idea he had in his mind to the Void all around them.

"What happens if we don' do this?"

Toz's thinking was interrupted by Stitches, who was lying on the ground panting. As a healer, he wasn't as well trained as his fighter companion and, despite being at a level higher, was quickly exhausted by moving the large chunks of jellyfish meat.

Toz had intended to respond by repeating answering as he had done the last time Stitches asked such a stupid question. But the sight beyond Stitches and the island distracted him.