Chapter 328 Bonded Companions
Lucia cracked an eerie grin, her jagged maw revealing itself. Because Aleshia was directly in front of Nathaniel, he could see the subtle change in the hat. His body instinctively jolted backward at the sight, and a moment later, his mind processed the change. He shouted, "Whoa, that is not normal! Get that thing away from me!" He cowered in fear of the strangeness.
At his strange reaction, Aleshia turned around and prepared a spell, trying to locate what had startled Nathaniel so she could protect the cured and herself from the possible monster or invader. When she realized that there was no one else in the room, she became confused. Just a moment later, she could hear Lucia's cackling through their link. Aleshia could infer from her reaction that she was what had startled Nathaniel. She facepalmed before turning back, saying, "Oh, that? That's nothing to be afraid of."
Nathaniel pointed above her, "That thing on your head, why do you even let it rest there? Isn't it dangerous?" he asked, trembling.
"It's not a monster," Aleshia retorted defensively, but then she paused for a moment. "At least it shouldn't be. It's like a companion to me, and I can talk to it, so there's no harm in having it with me and, for that matter, in wearing it."
Nathaniel was confused by Aleshia's defensiveness about the witch hat. In disbelief, he asked, "Companion? There's no way that thing can speak or be anything like a friend to a human."
"Oh, you'd be surprised by what things can and cannot talk, and even more so by what can understand language," Lucia stated, or rather transmitted into Nathaniel's mind like a disembodied voice. Once again, Nathaniel was startled and confused by what had just happened. "Who said that? That doesn't sound anything like how a person speaks," he said, moving his head in an attempt to find the source of the voice.
"That was Lucia," Aleshia said, gesturing at the witch hat on her head.
He was even more confused by her statement, which led to even more questions. "Wait, so that voice or whatever came from that, Lucia?" he asked in disbelief. "Why does it have a name? Isn't it just a monster or, like, just a hat or something?" He continued to bombard her with questions, driven by a sense of desperation.
Aleshia struggled with his endless questions but eventually explained, "You understand why people form attachments to horses, right?" When Nathaniel nodded, albeit unconvincingly, she continued, "Those who bond with horses often see them as companions and give them names. The same is true for the witch hat, Lucia."