Chapter 22: Showcase
1028 Words
-Weak... Worthless...
There were red flames everywhere.
-Weak... Can't protect anyone... Everyone you love left you to die...
Fire got bigger and bigger, engulfing Rekka in flames.
He jumped jumped and started sobbing.
-I... It was only a dream...
Rekka looked up and saw the flustered old man trying to extinguish a fire.
-AIGHT! Where did this come from! – Said the scared man.
After he put out the fire, he looked over at the boy.
-Oh, you woke up! Did you sleep well? – Said Daichi – Sorry if I waked you up, something got caught on fire, somehow.
Rekka remembered all those incidents when he was younger. He was silent for a while, but still said:
-Sorry...
-Huh? – Daichi got confused – What are you sorry for?
-For the fire... I didn't mean to do it.
-Wait... You have fire magic?
Rekka didn't answer and wiped off the tears.
-I know this kid has an unnatural appearance, but he can also use magic? – Old man thought to himself – Its okay kid! Nothing was burnt! – He chuckled nervously and went back to the horses.
-You should leave me... - Said Rekka in a depressed tone. – I'm too dangerous...
-Heh! Don't worry, I'm strong enough to eliminate anyone! – Jokingly said Daichi.
Rekka got mad, however, he didn't say anything.
-In a couple of days we will cross the border and reach my home. – The old man then realized something and got nervous – WAIT! You don't have any relatives at Highhelm, right?
-I... Don't have a home anymore. – Said Rekka.
Old man got relieved.
-Do you know where are we heading? It's a big country named Nissel! It has rare biomes in it! Speaking about rare biomes, were about to go in one!
Rekka got confused.
-A tall bamboo forest! – Daichi said in a confident voice – Don't get scared, all the dangerous monsters there are all dead.
They continued their trip. Rekka still didn't eat or drink anything. Old man got nervous.
-Are you not hungry? I have delicious fruits from my country, you should try them!
Rekka didn't budge. Daichi went to the boy and put his hand on his shoulder.
-Listen pal, I don't know what happened to you, but what you are doing now isn't okay. If you continue like this, you will die. If you're still thinking about the past, think about the future once in a while and the people around you.
Even after his speech, Rekka didn't want to eat, but still did for the old man's sake.
The day after, they got in the tall bamboo forest. Rekkas arm and legs still hurt, but he could walk again. Daichi noticed this and got worried.
-Who is this boy? His legs were broken, but they healed so fast?
Daichi and Rekka didn't talk much during the trip. Old man always tried to start a conversation, but the boy was silent all the time. It started to get dark. The man thought of making a campfire.
-Hey boy, want to make a small camp outside? We can grill food!
Rekka didn't answer, but Daichi still made a campfire and started grilling food. It had a strong scent. Rekka got hungry over it and joined the old man.
-I knew you would come! – Giggled Daichi.
In the middle of eating, Daichi saw bamboos falling over far away.
-We should leave, fast. – Nervously said the old man.
The two put out the fire and started moving. Bamboos rapidly started to fall over and soon "it" appeared.
-Goddammit, here we go again! Don't be scared boy, everything will be fine.
Rekka got curios and looked behind the cart. A giant black and white bear like figure chased them, knocking down bamboo trees nearby.
-What is that!? – Asked scared Rekka.
-Finally talkative, huh? That is a giant panda. Only few wander around this forest, and we are lucky enough to meet one!
Daichi whipped the horses and they started running. Giant panda was right on their tail.
-They have great sense of smell. Probably wasn't the best idea to grill food here!
Panda got close and knocked the cart away, breaking off its wheels. The cart rolled over. Rekka landed safe on the bags, but the same can't be said about Daichi. He broke his arm after the impact. Rekka saw how the giant panda approached the old man. He recalled how Akio was teaching him about monsters. The young boy remembered about the Giant pandas. Despite their large size, they aren't that strong and are put in Threat 3 monsters class.
-What to do? What if I go berserk again? I DON'T WANT TO TAKE ANY MORE INNOCENT LIVES! – Rekka made a promise to himself to not use magic anymore. He was paranoid of his powers going out of control.
The giant panda started approaching Daichi. He was badly hurt, ran and tripped over. As the giant panda was about to kill him, fireballs started hitting the monster, knocking him down. Old man looked over and saw the boy standing with fireballs in the palms of his hands.
-I DON'T WANT ANYONE TO GET HURT AGAIN! – He screamed and continued to rain down fire on the panda.
It got angry and started rushing to Rekka. The little boy stood his ground and put his palms together.
-BE CAREFUL! – Screamed Daichi.
Before the giant panda could swing its paw at Rekka, he blasted it away with a wave of fire, leaving nothing but ashes. The boy rushed over to the hurt old man.
-Are you okay? Let me bring medicine and bandages! – Said Rekka in a nervous voice.
Daichi was left speechless. He was in shock. The forest around them was burning away. Rekka noticed this and snapped his fingers, making it extinguish.
-You're this strong boy? - Asked Daichi. He was scared at the moment, bit didn't show it.
Rekka didn't answer. He treated Daichis wounds and they went to sleep. Rekka feared that after seeing his magic, the old man would leave him and couldn't sleep that night.
- Writer
