The Hidden World

‘How?’

 

This was the first thing that popped into Yuki’s mind when he registered what it was that Akira had just announced. He believed her when she said that she could come out to the physical world, but Yuki wanted to know how she would do it.

 

[It was just a little idea that I came up with,] Akira answered. [Let me try it first then I will explain it as well as I can.]

 

‘Alright,’ Yuki replied, giving her permission.

 

Akira quieted and Yuki waited. Soon, Yuki felt the tattoo that was engraved on his right arm begin to warm. He looked toward it and saw it giving off a faint glow. Then he watched as tendrils of what seemed to be mana flow out of it and pool in front of him. The mana grew thicker and started to form a humanoid shape. The model made of mana flashed and Akira was standing in front of Yuki, naked.

 

“Where is your dress?” Yuki asked, tilting his head slightly.

 

She looked down and let out a small squeak of surprise. Then she looked back up at Yuki, her cheeks rosy. Yuki turned to his closet and took out a sweater and a pair of sweatpants that he then handed to Akira who accepted them with a relieved expression.

 

“I’m sorry,” she said as she put on the clothes. “It seems that my dress wasn’t actually a physical dress.”

 

“That would make sense,” Yuki said, watching her change with impassive eyes. “You did grow up with me without going out to the actual world. You shouldn’t be wearing any clothing since you never received any.”

 

“You didn’t see anything right?” Akira asked quietly, her facing tinted red.

 

“If you are referring to your female parts, then that isn’t something that you should worry about,” Yuki replied.

 

“You’re right,” she sighed. She put the sweater over her white body and finished changing.

 

“How do I look?” she asked, twirling in front of Yuki.

 

Yuki looked at her with a critical eye before he gave her his opinion. As he did this, he sat down on his bed.

 

“The sweater could be a different color that’ll suit your hair and skin better,” he replied. “Tighter fitting pants would look better on you. But in general, you look nice. It’s a change from your usual dress.”

 

Akira smiled then sat next to him.

 

“Thank you,” she said. “Though, I do prefer my dress.”

 

“You look better in one,” Yuki said. “So, how did you come out?”

 

“It wasn’t easy finding a way do it,” Akira answered, her smile being replaced with a slight frown. “The situation that I was in was quite unique. I couldn’t find any recorded cases of a chimaera growing up within the body of another being.”

 

Yuki nodded. That would make sense. The situation seemed strange even to him who didn’t know anything about this subject.

 

“So I needed to change the way I thought about this problem,” she continued. “It was when you asked me about our bond mark and spirit beast bonds that I came up with a hypothesis. Maybe the bond between us was more similar to spirit beast marks than I had thought. After that I started to research on how spirit beasts merged with their partners when they are resting and how they materialize into the physical realm.”

 

“But how did you know that you had a physical form?”

 

“I could just feel it,” Akira replied simply. “I knew that I had a tangible body since I am a physical being. I was just that I didn’t know where this body was. My research of spirit beasts ultimately revealed its location. It had turned into mana and was floating around within you.”

 

“You body was mana and flowed within me?” Yuki repeated. “That seems oddly intimate.”

 

“I didn’t really think about it like that,” Akira said, scratching her neck. “Anyway, once I found my body it was a simple process to get it out. I just followed how spirit beasts did it and pushed it out through the use of our bond mark.”

 

Nodding slowly, Yuki processed the information within his head. Everything seemed to make sense. His head stopped moving and he started to look at Akira with narrowed eyes.

 

‘Hello, Akira?’ he thought. He noticed that he could still feel the bond between them and wanted to test if it still functioned that same way.

 

Akira’s ears flicked and she glanced over at Yuki.

 

[It seems like this still functions even in the physical world,] she replied back, her mouth not moving.

 

“It would seem so,” Yuki said out loud. “I have a question. Actually, two questions. How quick do you think you can go in and out and does it take any mana to do?”

 

“Un, it does take energy. Not a lot though,” Akira answered. “I’m not sure how quick I can do it. Maybe around five to ten seconds. Why?”

 

“We need to hide you right?” Yuki asked.

 

“Oh, right,” Akira said, nodding her head. “We don’t want anyone to know about me.”

 

“I’m fine with letting you go around in a physical form as long as it’s in my room or out in the city but I need to know how quickly I can hide you if someone comes,” Yuki explained.

 

“I see. Speaking of the city, can we go explore it?” Akira asked.

 

“Right now?”

 

“Mhm, right now,” she repeated. “You have time right?”

 

“I was planning on training tonight,” Yuki answered.

 

“You have time for that whenever. Can’t you go on a break for one day?” Akira pleaded.

 

Yuki sat there on the bed, thinking quietly with Akira shaking his arm. Then he sighed.

 

“Alright,” he said. “I’ll go out in my elf form. I don’t want anyone recognizing me. Let me change.”

 

He gently shook off Akira’s hold on his arm and went to closet. Then he took out his usual outfit of a long sleeve and snug pants. Without a single thought, he started to take of his clothes with Akira watching him with slightly widened eyes.

 

“What?” he asked as he put on his shirt.

 

“Ah, nothing,” she said quickly, turning her head away.

 

Yuki shrugged and finished changing. He walked out of the his bedroom, Akira following him closely, and went to the door of his dorm. With a little mana, Yuki wiped off the disguise from his face.

 

“You look so much prettier like that,” Akira remarked.

 

Yuki ignored her and slid open the thin wooden door. Peeking his head out, he checked to see if there was anyone around. But since it was so late, the hallway was quiet. Confirming this, Yuki exited his dorm and started to walk toward the entrance of the Academy.

 

Five minutes later, they left the Academy and entered the Junction. Akira walked around with Yuki with her eyes wide open and sparkling as her ears twitched. Together with Akira clinging to Yuki’s arm, they wandered around the city. Yuki gave her a small tour of the areas that he had been too and later they explored the areas he hadn’t. The city was quite crowded despite the time and Yuki noticed that the he and Akira caught the attention of many men. But he wasn’t too worried about them as they were sure to recognize the design of the smartwatch on his wrist that signified him as a student of the Academy.

 

As the sun began to rise, Yuki took Akira to one last stop on their exploration of the city. They sat down at the bank of the river that flowed through Junction. Around them were a multitude of flowers and lush grass and behind were the towering glass buildings of the city.

 

The peeking sun bounced off its shining rays off of the river and colored it hues of orange, red, and gold. The sky was beginning to return to its shade of blue with the stars that ordered themselves in unrecognizable patterns still winking softly. The river, too, sparkled as it flowed lazily along the path it had carved for hundreds of years.

 

Yuki felt something lean against his shoulder and turned to see the head of Akira on him. Her long eyelashes fluttered as she blinked, watching the calming scene before her. The sparkles of the river reflected off of her soft brown eyes as the her white face was basked in the golden light of the rising sun.

 

‘She really is beautiful,’ he thought to himself quietly.

 

“Thank you,” Akira suddenly whispered.

 

Yuki turned his head away from the beautiful canvas next to him and stared at the sunrise. There they sat, soaking the rays of the golden sun until time forced them to part.