Impossible as It May Seem
“I heard you’re offering a way to turn someone into an awakener?”
The truth was simple. The reason mana-incompatible people couldn’t endure their bodies was because they simply weren’t built to handle it like actual awakener physiques, or because they lacked the internal strength to hold that much mana.
So the fix was obvious. Make their bodies awake in the exact same way.
“I’ve heard no such method exists.”
But of course it wasn’t that easy.
I already knew someone had been trying for years.
Who would refuse an awakener who could fly, hit like a truck, and heal the sick?
Yet no one had ever succeeded.
They’d tried on toddlers, ordinary civilians, trained soldiers, even animals. Every single time it ended in death for the subject.
In the end, it looked like forbidden human experimentation.
“Yes, no such method exists,” Skull Mask said, as if he’d been waiting for my reaction.
“But the failed attempts are everywhere.”
“Then that means…”
“Exactly. You can’t give someone superhuman strength like the awakener class, but we have managed to squeeze even a weak trace of the mana source itself.”
The thought hit me like a spark.
Even a weak trace.
That meant I could delay Elena’s periodic mana extraction far longer.
Her body could now tolerate far more mana, so instead of twice a month, once every two months.
“Where is it?”
“You actually believed me? You don’t think I’m lying?”
Why would I? In this business, the most important thing is customer trust. You of all people should know that.
After all, you’re the guy who sells resurrection stones.
Probably contains concentrated awakener healing power or something ridiculous. If anything like this existed, it was you.
“Hohoh, the first time you’ve shown real interest in my wares. How glorious.”
If that were possible, things would be so much better.
Monthly medical bills that bled me dry would shrink, breathing room would return, and I could actually live with Elena under one roof.
Once every two months I could just visit the hospital. It would be enough!
And the strain on Elena’s body would drop.
“Tell me where it is. Right now.”
“…It won’t be easy. The crows are already circling, you see.”
Crows.
Skull Mask said the word straight-faced.
For a moment my triumphant mood crashed. I had to bite my lip.
The crows he meant were the mafia.
The big northern one that had swallowed the original Capella—the Corvo Family.
†††
“Ah, you’re here, sis?”
“Yeah. Bought honey buns on the way. Want one?”
“Thanks! I’ve been craving something warm.”
“Eat carefully, it’s hot.”
Lena blew on her cream-filled honey bun and took a bite.
“What about you? You’re not eating?”
“I already had one on the way. See? I’m eating carefully.”
I wiped the cream from her lips, then thought about how to say it.
“Where did you get these? They’re delicious.”
“At the station shop.”
“…Isn’t that thirty minutes away by car? It’s still hot.”
“Awakener speed is different.”
The floor-B buildings were packed, so running was faster than fighting traffic.
“No need to dodge people or cars on the ground.”
“Awakener, huh. That’s amazing.”
Lena’s shocked little face was adorable.
“Some people can even teleport. What’s the big deal?”
I ruffled her white hair and opened my mouth carefully.
“Lena… I’m going somewhere far soon.”
“Ah… work again? You said you could take next month off.”
She gave me a slightly pouty look. Elena was a child who treasured life more than almost anyone. She once gently caught a mosquito that flew into the room and released it outside.
If it were me, I’d swat it and call it dinner.
“Sudden trouble came up. It’ll probably take a week, maybe a little more.”
“Hmm… a week is long.”
“Well, when I get back, there really will be no work. We’ll spend real time together. I promise.”
The only person who ever left for days was me. Because of “family.”
I was at the age when kids should be getting their fill of love, yet I barely managed to take care of myself, let alone anyone else.
“I’m fine, but I’m worried about you. You worry about me? All the things you do are so dangerous.”
“This one’s not so bad. Worst case, I might be gone for a while.”
I still hadn’t decided.
The drug that would increase the mana capacity ordinary humans already had.
It wasn’t that powerful, but mana was everything to an awakener.
Whether you were lifting mountains, casting magic that bent physics, or bringing back the dead—it all ran on mana.
If an awakener took the drug, the total amount in their body would increase, maybe triple it, no questions asked.
Any awakener would want it.
“Is that true?”
“The place I’m going is overseas…”
The problem was the Corvo Family was also eyeing it.
Getting tangled with them could be worse than meeting the Golden Witch last time.
Maybe I’d die.
Of course my own death didn’t matter. I’d killed only a handful of people in my life. They’d probably just shrug and say karma.
But if I died, Lena would be alone.
That was the only thing that could stop me.
“Hmm… if it’s work, then it can’t be helped. If you’re willing to say it, it must be unavoidable.”
Lena forced a smile.
“Don’t worry about me. Just come back safe. Oh, and when you get back, make sure you buy me a souvenir, okay?”
The way she worried about me made it impossible to just walk out.
Maybe I should just wait for the drug to hit the market. Expensive, but next year it should be available…
“…Lena?”
“Yeah? What is it, sis?”
Drip—
“Drip—”
Thud!
“Lena!”
An alarm blared from the mana monitor. Lena couldn’t hold herself up and collapsed.
When I caught her, her body was burning hot.
“I-I’m fine… don’t worry too much… I’m used to it…”
I tried to comfort her with words while her fever kept rising.
This meant her body had reached the limit of what it could handle.
Five minutes later doctors and nurses rushed in and started an emergency extraction surgery.
I still didn’t understand why.
They had taken it out before Christmas. The next scheduled extraction should be at least a week away.
Why now? Why so early?
“Impossible as it may seem,” Skull Mask had said.
But in the end the doctor had to explain.
“The guardian is an awakener, so you know. People who awaken young naturally grow stronger as their mana capacity expands with age.”
My mind went blank.
I had forgotten.
Awakening was determined at birth.
The exact moment one’s true strength would bloom varied by person.
Only ten percent of mana-incompatible children awakened late.
I awakened at B-rank at first, then stopped growing like the original Capella in A-rank.
“It’s the same for mana-incompatible people. The mana inside them grows with the patient’s growth. Elena is the same case, so in the end…”
The doctor trailed off awkwardly.
“Can’t we just get surgery every week? We’ll find the money somehow!”
“No. Her body wouldn’t survive it. Forcing mana extraction puts a huge burden on the system. Even if an S-rank healer came, there’s nothing we could do for a weakened body.”
The doctor’s words were a warning: prepare yourself.
“It’s not immediate. But if this worsens, next year might be too late.”
A baby who’s been mana-incompatible since birth reaching ten is already a miracle.
It was big enough to make the news, yet the guardian had tried everything. Time to stop worrying.
Forcing someone to live is suffering.
I left the room with that thought.
The sight of Lena lying in the ICU felt emptier than ever today.
After the surgery, she slept peacefully.
As I watched, a question formed.
What if Lena left me first?
Then how would I keep living?
I had spent ten years only to keep the promise I made to Capella and save my only sister.
What if one day I suddenly lost my reason to live…
What would become of me?
“… ”
I didn’t want to think about it.
I didn’t want anything. No favorite thing, no favorite person.
But I already knew what would happen.
That was exactly what the original Capella had done.
The Capella in the novel hadn’t chosen to kill people while high on the drug. The cursed world had forced her to.
“Impossible as it may seem.”
I made my decision.
I put a necklace around Lena’s neck, then left the hospital.
What had I been hesitating over?
I was actually scared of those crows. How pathetic.
†††
I spent time at home for the first time in a long while.
Without work, home was just a place to shower and change clothes.
When there was work, it was different.
Especially when it involved risking my life.
The only thing Lena and I had in common with the original Capella was the same reason we all needed a home.
“The drug must be stored somewhere…”
To me, home was nothing more than a warehouse.
Not a weapons store—my personal storage for things only I needed.
I couldn’t leave knives, guns, or dangerous explosives where Lena might hear them.
“Anxiolytics and sleeping pills…”
I gathered the medications and put them in a bag.
Everything was ready.
I hated the cold, but strangely, it didn’t feel cold at all.
---
Impossible as It May Seem