[One Punch Man] Warped

Chapter 9: Home

1981 words, 9 minutes

Forgetting about the rabbits Genos had roasted, they traversed through the sparse forest and onto a pathway similar to the one Saitama and Genos took to get out. But the girl crossed it and continued heading straight, eventually reaching a slab of elevated dirt that she lifted to show stone stairs. Purple silk covered the dirt the architect dug through to prevent dirt from falling and to provide a mystical aura as a bonus.

"We must hurry," she urged. "If all the planets are still aligned, I may be able to return you guys to the future."

"She makes it sound like we're lost and found," whispered Saitama to Genos, bringing a hand over his mouth as if he were telling a secret.

Genos shrugged. "As long as we'll be able to get back, that's all I care about."

They descended down the tunnel, the girl shifting the slab of compact dirt back over before leading the way again. The tunnel-like structure was lit up with a few purple torches that still burnt, their essence smelling like lavender oil and the centre of their flames white.

She walked up to one and gently touched the torch with her fingertips. "Mama's gonna be angry if she finds out I didn't relight the torches," she mused.

"Your mentor is your mother?" asked Genos.

She chuckled and shook her head. "No. I just call her that," she clarified. "She's always been like a mother to me since my actual mother died after giving birth to my little sister."

She looked ahead, remembering fond memories that brought a smile to her face. "She raised me like I was her own daughter, and once she discovered I have magical abilities that have to do with time, she dedicated all her time into raising me to understand and practice the art of magic."

She scoffed, remembering the irony. "I'm surprised she didn't think about using me for more evil purposes."

Saitama didn't properly process what the girl said because of the Spoilers™. He was still looking at the dim torch before turning back to face the back of the girl. "Can't you just make them go back to when they were all bright again?" he asked as if it were obvious.

The girl turned around and eyed the dim torch. "That's such a good idea!" she exclaimed, rushing up to the torch. She imagined it were back to the time its light was brightest and, just like that, it was burning as bright as it was this morning. With a proud smile, she walked past them again. "That's gonna save so much resources for us! Lavender oil's hard to come by."

Soon after, they made it in front of 2 large purple curtains that she pushed aside. "Welcome to my underground magic home," she gestured, swiping her hand across the air to direct their eyes towards all the gear her mentor had.

There were shelves stocked full with dusty spell books and stories for her to read, crates full of bizarre ingredients like eyeballs, seaweed, tree roots, vials of various liquids and mutilated animal limbs, a small cast-iron cauldron positioned over a fireplace and hung with wood, tarot cards, empty bottles, potions, a few brooms Saitama hoped were used for sweeping and a little table covered in a pink satin cloth with a crystal ball placed on top of it.