Shades of the New World

Chapter 283: Illusions

Even if Lupin told him the truth right in front of him, Khunichi still wasn't convinced. He felt that he was much more capable than what others thought of him.

'I thought he was taking me seriously, but I guess he's the same as everyone else,' he thought in his head.

"You know what? Try me. Throw at me anything you can think of and I'll prove that I'm capable," Khunichi said confidently, but thinking about the matter a bit more, he added, "Just, don't do anything that'll kill me instantly."

He was a bit scared that he'd offended the mage, but Lupin didn't seem to mind it that much. As far as he was aware.

"Alright, if you can hit me once, I'll let you join me. To make it even easier for you, I'll stay as still as a statue and only use one spell from this point on. But, if you are unable to, you have to tell me everything you know regarding the secret base," the mage suddenly said.

'He's underestimating me too much,' Khunichi thought smugly, suddenly feeling that he might be able to join the Paradra if he pushed hard enough.

"Alright," he answered, but just as he was about get up and walk over, he felt his knees giving up, forcing him to kneel on the ground on all fours. It suddenly felt like an invisible hand was pushing him from above, trying to shove him to the ground once and for all.

'I mustn't let it push me down completely!' Khunichi thought, knowing that if he fell to the ground with his belly, his chances of getting up would disappear completely. It was best for him to struggle through the sudden weight and reach Lupin in that manner. After all, the man was only three steps away from reach. Khunichi could have probably also reached Lupin even if he fell on his belly, by wriggling on the ground like a worm but that was much too unsightly for Khunichi's standards.

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Courageously, he tried to lift one of his arms from the ground, but he stumbled, and lost balance entirely. Very quickly, he found himself lying on the ground in a very awkward position. His forehead was glued to the floor, his knees were stuck between the floor and his stomach, and his two arms were stuck above his head. In whole, he looked like he was praying to Lupin, who was standing in front of him.

It was a bit awkward, but at least this position allowed him to take a small break and think about his situation. 

'This should be one of those Heavy World spells! If I'm not mistaken, these things cost a ton of mana to uphold,' Khunichi thought, remembering the things he learned when he got his horn for the first time.

Unlike Khama, who headed home immediately after getting his horn, Khunichi stayed in a Tribe to learn a bit more. But unfortunately, he couldn't last long in the Tribe, as he fell sick a month later to an external injury. But, he did manage to learn some details regarding mages and he mage sure to remind himself of these details occasionally.

Thanks to this knowledge, Khunichi knew that Lupin's spell would have to end at some point. If he waited for that exact moment when the spell's effects disappeared, then he'd be able to make a dash and reach Lupin. Though there was a slight worry in his heart, one that felt the spell's effects getting stronger over time.

"Oh, if you're thinking of waiting out my spell, then I'm afraid I have bad news for you. The pressure on you will indefinitely become stronger and stronger until you become a puddle on your bedroom floor. Well, maybe that's an overstatement. But it is true that your bones and organs will shatter under the pressure, most likely starting from your fingers and toes. In any case, I think you should either try to reach me now, or give up entirely."

Lupin was quick to dash Khunichi's hopes. And the graphic description of his potential death did its job of scaring Khunichi out of his wits. He tried to pull his body up using his arms, but all he could manage was to hopelessly scratch the floor with his hands. He then tried to push himself against the floor using his feet, but that failed too, as there wasn't enough friction between him and the painted wooden floor.

But his problems didn't end there. Now that he was aware of the increasing strength of the spell, the toll on his mind became stronger as well. It was like the hand on top of him was slowly turning into an unconquerable mountain.

Just as Khunichi was struggling on the ground, randomly flailing his hands above him, he heard a snapping sound. He wanted to see how the sound came to be, but he couldn't, as his forehead was glued to the floor. Suddenly, a wave of pain assaulted his mind, making Khunichi panic even further.

'Your bones and organs will shatter under the pressure starting from your fingers and toes,' Lupin's words appeared in his mind.

'Is my finger crushed?' Khunichi simply couldn't rid his brain of this idea. 

"Snap!" The sound appeared once more, followed by the wave of pain.

At this point, Khunichi didn't have the willpower to plow through this experience. He opened his mouth to declare his defeat, but his tongue suddenly fell under the effects of the spell and became stuck to the dirt of the floor.

"Hurrrrrggghhh," in the end, he could only groan out something unintelligible.

"Do you wish to surrender?" Lupin's voice entered Khunichi's ears followed by another "Snap!"

"Huuurrrghh!" Khunichi groaned out once again, with a bit more emotion this time.

"I'm sorry, I can't quite understand what you're saying. Please repeat it clearly."

"Hnoo Hmoo!" Khunichi managed to mutter out a 'No more,'.

"Alright, I'll stop bullying you for now," Lupin said.

Khunichi's vision went black for a second, before he saw himself sitting on his bed again. He fearfully looked at his fingers, and found them looking the same as ever. But the pain of his fingers getting crushed still lingered in his head, which was very unsettling, to say the least.

"You've only fallen under an illusion. No need to panic so much," Lupin chuckled, "But I will need you to speak of the information I require. The sooner the better."

With this, Khunichi didn't feel like trying his luck anymore.