Chapter 32: Privacy

Chapter 32: Privacy

Privacy Field, Naiad spoke, the words whispering with power.

A tingle swept through me, and I shivered, turning to look at the girl as she gave me a soft smile.

A simple spell. It will make it so nobody can hear our conversation. It disables electronic surveillance too.

I gave her a nervous nod, and she leaned against the wall, folding her hands in front of her.

First of all, I want to make something clear. I know it can be a bit jarring to get used to at first, but Magical Girls tend to be older than they look. Ive been doing this for four years now, making me twenty. Thorina, who looks the youngest of us all, has been a Magical Girl for five, and both Ever and Gild have been working together for six. What Im trying to say is that we have more experience than our age or demeanors might suggest at first.

I carefully nodded, unsure where this was going exactly. The tension in my chest was already squeezing my lungs tight, and I had to force myself to remember to breathe normally.

I tell you this to let you know I have quite a bit of experience as a medic, and also a doctor to some extent, Naiad said slowly. Ive taken classes at the academy, and I know what Im talking about. I also take what I do very seriously. All Magical Girls who specialize as healers are taught the importance of patient confidentiality, because with our magics, we can see quite a bit of personal information if we want to.

My blood froze, but I kept a neutral expression on my face as she continued.

Which leads me to my second point. Due to the extensiveness of your injuries, I had to perform magical surgery on you and do what is called a full dive, meaning I had to use the full extent of my observational magics in order to heal you. I did this to save your life, but it was, nonetheless, without your permission. Because of that, I know quite a bit not just about your physical condition, but also your bodys past injuries. In that regard, healing magics are very revealing. I apologize for that.

She gave me a searching look, but I could only stare back at her, my mouth dry. My heart was beating much faster now, and I clutched the blanket tighter around myself. Naiad continued after a moment, keeping her tone soft.

Now. Theres obviously precedence for a situation like this. Magical Girls have gotten injured badly before, and others have had to operate. The general rule of thumb is to just move on. Healers pretend they saw nothing and never share any information. Its a rule thats been upheld for as long as I can remember, and the few cases where it was broken quickly resulted in the healer being punished and ostracized from the Magical Girl community. So, on that part, you have no need to worry. In fact, I swear on my soul gem that your personal health information will be kept confidential. I will share it with nobody, nor will I make any suggestions or remarks that may lead others to find out the same information. I will also be signing a geas as soon as possible to cement your privacy. For future reference, this is a request any Magical Girl can make of another who used extensive healing magics on them.

A small weight lifted from my shoulders, but I kept my face a careful, expressionless mask. Id been in this same situation before, and if I wasnt mistaken

However, Naiad continued, concern emerging on her face. While I wont share what Ive observed, I was hoping youd be willing to talk about it.

And there it was. I stared at her, and she gave me a friendly smile.

Youre a Magical Girl now. I dont know what youve been going through, but whatever it is, Im not here to judge. I just want you to know Im here to help you if you need it, or even if you just want somebody to talk to.

My pulse was beating in my ears now, the thorns of anxiety shooting through my like lightning as I forced myself to remain as still as possible. I took in slow, deep breaths through my nose, trying to ignore the pressure trying to choke me. Making myself swallow the lump in my throat, I looked at Naiad.

She had a gentle, compassionate look on her face. So far, shed gone out of her way to save my life and to keep my privacy intact. Every interaction Id observed, shed been warm and kind, even giving me the blanket my fingers were currently clutching. Shed taken care of me, spent points on getting me pajamas and medicine, and generally just treated me like a normal person.

I had no reason to lie to her.

So, I took a deep breath, forced a smile, and shook my head.

Thank you for your concern, I recited. But everything is fine.

The concern on her face changed to one of worry.

I dont mean to argue with you, but you have several things going on with your body that tell me things arent okay. Some of your bones havent had completely smooth heals from previous fractures, and your weight and size are concerning.

Everythings fine, I repeated, flinching at her words as shame stung into me. Im manaborn. I have some health issues because of that, just like other manaborn.

But thats not-

There was a whip crack of air, and I snapped my head to the side to see Selene tails bristling.

[Magical Girl Naiad,] she said, her normally gentle voice gaining a serrated edge. [When you came to me with your concerns, I believe I told you I would be monitoring the situation and looking out for the well-being of my Guardian is my duty. If my Guardian wishes to discuss her personal health issues with you, that is one thing, but I believe she has given you her answer. I ask that you respect it.]

I stared at Selene with wide eyes before turning back to Naiad. She was likewise frozen for a moment before blinking her eyes a few times. She turned her head away, an ashamed look on her face.

Of course, Naiad whispered. I apologize to both of you. Im not your doctor, and I shouldnt have tried to pry.

She took a deep, shuddering breath, and when she looked back to me she was smiling beneath the slight sheen in her eyes.

Alright. How about we go over what treatment I provided you, then?

I watched her carefully for a moment before giving a hesitant nod, the pressure pounding in my head beginning to lesson. I realized Id barely been breathing during the short exchange, and I forced my muscles to relax themselves as I took in a deep breath.

Okay, Naiad gave a wavering smile. So. You received quite a multitude of injuries. The major ones were two fractured ribs, a punctured lung, moderate damage to your intestinal tract, and your severed left arm. What complicated things when we arrived was that you were already at your healing limit.

Naiad must have seen my confusion because she stopped herself.

Healing magic isnt something that can be done infinitely on somebody, she quickly explained. As healing mana permeates the body, you become saturated with it to the point that more healing magic has a hard time finding purchase. Its like watering a plant, you cant just keep pouring water into the soil and expect it to continue having the same beneficial effect. Everyone has a set amount of healing they can receive before any further healing becomes much less effective. It isnt impossible to heal somebody over the limit, but you have to spend much more mana and effort to get the same effect.

[People with higher Vitality have larger healing limits as well,] Selene added helpfully, and I frowned.

But why was I at my healing limit?

[The healing items you used throughout the day were magical in nature. Because they were only common rarity, also known as tier one, they were relatively ineffective at how much they healed in comparison to how much they raise your healing limit.]

Generally, items bought from Vaults arent as effective as magic from a Magical Girl anyway, Naiad added. They dont have a caster with stats and Class bonuses to make the healing more efficient. If you ever have a choice, healing magic is almost always better than items.

She let out a breath, seeming to steady herself as she went on.

So I performed full-dive surgery. What this means is instead of just saying the magic words and letting the spell heal you, I hmm its a little hard to explain. Basically, I narrowed down the scope of my attention to just the inside of your body. Its kind of like I hyper focused, using a microscope to see all the tiny details of your anatomy. This allowed me to not cast healing spells at your body in general, but at the specific injured parts. I would see a broken bone and begin mending it, or a severed vein and stitch it back up. For every small tear or break in your body, I had to figure out the best healing spell and what intensity to cast it at all while focusing on keeping your vitals stable. I worked at a micro level instead of a macro one, working past your healing limit by casting the spells and focusing them to just heal one small issue instead of just throwing a spell at your body and trying to brute force it. Does that make sense so far?

I nodded, but it was hard for me to imagine the scale at which she must have been acting. With how many injuries I had, she must have been fighting a miniature war of her own.

That sounds complicated, I hedged, and she gave a lopsided grin.

Its not called surgery for nothing. The full dive part comes from how much attention it takes from a healer to do it properly. In terms of mana and healing limit efficiency, its much better to do the micro-level healing, but we often dont get that chance in combat. Anyway, that should give you an idea of how I went about healing you. I managed to fix all of the injuries you received, but it took the entire week to avoid putting too much of a drain on your body while I fully regenerated the damage to your lung and intestines. Organ damage always takes longer to repair properly than something like a broken bone or even a severed limb. We decided it would be best to keep you out of a hospital and away from prying eyes partly because Im a high enough level for my magic to easily be capable of taking care of an unconscious individual for extended periods of time.

She paused for a second, glancing away.

Im just below level 200, meaning I can cast tier two spells. That means Im capable of healing past injuries that didnt heal quite right, including scars. I didnt touch any of those, because I didnt have your approval. If you want I could heal them for you. No questions asked.

My throat tightened, and I quickly shook my head, not trusting my words.

Okay, she whispered. Well I think that covers everything I wanted to go over with you. All your injuries should be fully healed, but if you have any problems like tingling or phantom pains, please let me know. I have quite a bit of experience doing these things so I dont expect any issues, but it never hurts to be careful. I can remove the IV now, if youd like. Its a Zenith mix of fortifying elements thats given to people undergoing major magical healing. Nutritional supplements and things like that.

I nodded, and she walked over, gently grabbing my arm and going to work. Feeling the IV slide out of my skin was always a strange sensation, but I managed to suppress a shiver until she finished. She grabbed the IV pole and started wheeling it out, stopping at the door to look back at me.Follow current novels at novelhall.com If you ever change your mind about your scars or even just want to talk Im here. Okay?

I let out a weak little laugh, and Selene glanced at me, tails curling with concern.

Sorry, I sent to her. I just realized Ive been looking for motivations and angles so much I almost missed the fact the video was deleted.

Selene dipped her head in acknowledgment, and I giggled as a weight was lifted from me.

Before this, I was clueless about what I was going to do about that video. Ever since Katie took it, every day of school had been a fearful hell as I wondered if she was going to show it to more people. Id already been lucky enough Katie and her group had made the wrong assumptions, but I was under no illusions what could happen if the wrong person saw it. Or if Lily saw it.

I sighed, letting some of the unconscious tension in my muscles bleed away. Lily. I wanted to see her again. It felt like an eternity since we separated to save Brian and his sister. There was so much to talk about like the fact I was a Magical Girl now.

A twinge of discomfort and anxiety shot through me, and I felt the relief inside me hardening to worry. Quickly, that worry gained a razor edge, my breath hitching for a moment. The very thought of telling her made my heart begin to race, my muscles coiling with tension. Claws squeezed around my lungs, and it was suddenly difficult to breathe.

Why Why does the thought of telling her scare me so much?

[Mai?]

Selenes voice made me jump, and I turned to see her looking at me with a concerned expression, her tails still except the occasional twitch.

S-sorry. Just lost in thought.

Selene gave me a slow nod, her tails resuming their swaying after a moment.

[As much as I would like to give you more time to process all the information youve received, I do believe Everglaive and her team are waiting for you. Perhaps it would be best to begin the process of creating your Astral Shift?]

Right I nodded, taking a shaky breath. Um, what do I do, exactly?

[Lay down on the bed and close your eyes. I will take care of initiating the process.]

I went to follow Selenes instructions, then paused. Quickly getting up, I went to the bedroom door and locked it. I wasnt sure why there was a separate lock for the door when this was a hotel, but this was my first time in a hotel, so maybe that was normal. It wasnt like the lock would stop any of the Magical Girls from getting into the room if they really wanted to, but it still made me feel better anyway.

Returning to the bed, I followed Selenes instructions, laying down and making myself comfortable before I closed my eyes.

[Astral Dress Construction Initialized.]

[Mana Resonance: 127%]

[Soul Gem Stability: 100%]

[ERROR: Grimoire desynchronization detected.]

[Analyzing Source found: Unawakened Signature.]

[Calculating Minimal divergence expected.]

[WARNING: Astral Dress may require adjustments after Grimoire and Signature Awakening.]

[Continuing.]

[Testing Stat integration Complete.]

[Reformating Reflection Room Complete.]

[Arranging Creation Room Format 07 Complete.]

[Loading Familiar Suggestions Complete.]

[Beginning Astral Dress Construction.]

A rush of text flowed past my closed eyelids, and I was barely able to keep up with it. When it finished, I felt a weird, refreshing sensation roll through my body almost like a summer breeze on a hot day.

[You can open your eyes now,] Selene told me, and I did.

I let out a gasp, sitting up on the bed as I looked around. My surroundings had changed from the hotel room to what I could only describe as the worlds largest clothing shop. Rows and rows of clothing racks surrounded me within a modern looking store of white tile floors and marble pillars. The store itself was multileveled, escalators on either side of me leading to the next floor while a simple full-length mirror stood in front of the bed.

[In front of the mirror, please.]

Pushing myself from the bed, I walked to the mirror, hesitating before I looked into it. I appeared the same as I did when I last looked at myself. Selene hopped up onto a stool next to me, tails swaying excitedly.

[Excellent. Now, a few points of information. Your Astral Dress is free to customize as you see fit. You can change its appearance once per day, but staying consistent is important to establishing a brand image. When you activate your Astral Shift, any clothing you are currently wearing will turn into mana and be stored while your own mana weaves together your outfit. As such, you will be selecting everything you want to wear in your Magical Girl form from undergarments to accessories. Some items you buy from the Gate can also be attached to your Astral Shift, essentially storing them and then being retrieved with your transformation. For instance, you could have a gun holster as part of your outfit and put a handgun you purchase inside of it. When you deactivate your shift, your handgun would disappear with your outfit and safely be stored, reappearing with your outfit the next time you transformed. Do you understand me so far?]

I nodded, and Selene continued.

[Besides choosing clothes, you can also make minor alterations to your physical appearance. Everglaives pointed ears, Gildscales dragon scales, and Naiads aqua skin are examples. Other popular options include cat or fox ears, and some Guardians even have tails. Your hair length is completely adjustable and may be changed to any style you wish. As you reach a higher level, more dramatic cosmetic options become possible.]

What about my eyes? I asked. Most of the Guardians Ive seen have pupils that look different.

[Your pupils will automatically change to reflect some part of your nature as a Magical Girl, but you wont have a choice. Im afraid youll have to wear contacts if you wish them to appear differently. The same goes for eye color. Eyes are the windows to the soul, and as such, are not something that can be naturally adjusted. I expect your eye colors to remain the same and your pupils to change to crescent moons if the symbology adorning me is any indicator. We can check in a moment once the room finishes settling. For now, I was wondering if you had any ideas in mind for your outfit or Magical Girl name.]

I faltered, rubbing my hands against my pajama pants nervously. I wasnt really big on buying clothes. My only real concerns were if things were cheap and fit me decently.

Um Not really. Gildscale seemed to know what he was talking about, but I dont really know what I could make look good.

[Thats completely fine,] Selene said, excitement building in her voice. [It just means well have to try all manner of combinations. This entire store contains an endless multitude of options, but I understand picking items one at a time may be a bit overwhelming. If youd like, we can begin with some completed outfit ideas Ive developed and work backwards from there, replacing things that dont work until we achieve something ideal.]

Okay? I said, slightly unsure. How does that work?

[Simply hold still a moment, and we can look at the first outfit idea.]

An involuntary yelp escaped me as the sensation of my clothes abruptly disappeared, and I looked down to see theyd transformed into motes of violet light in the outline of my pajamas. As I watched, the outline shifted, the light flowing like water into a new shape. The energy settled quickly, and with a flash, manifested back into physical clothes. I let out a sigh as the glowing light disappeared, peering closely as the outfit revealed itself to me and-

I let out something between a squeak and scream as my hands flew to cover myself. I fell into a crouch, trying to hide as much of my body as possible.

Selene! I squeak-screeched at her, my entire face burning as I shot a look at my Familiar. She sat on the stool innocently, tails flicking with something like amusement.

[Is there an issue?] She asked innocently, and I glared at her as I hunched further in on myself. [I think this outfit looks quite cute on you! It even has an animal theme to make you more distinct!]

I dont care how cute it looks! I hissed. I am not going to wear a bunny girl outfit!