As I stood between the two attacks, one side with purple rays, the other side with light beams, I gulped and closed my eyes. I knew that I couldn't escape being sandwiched between two attacks, so my only choice was to stay in position. Tension pumped by blood and darkness of my eyelids was what I saw.
I waited for the impact to take me to another world. A world of pain and most likely unconsciousness, but I would learn to deal with it. That would be something I would have to learn if I was ever going to complete this mission.
The contact of the two attacks was strong just like I expected it, and hurt like the hell-stabbing pain it was supposed to be. Once the purple rays mixed in with the light beams, I knew it was over. A cloud of dust caused by the impact's explosion sent me flying all the way to the other side of the cliff. I was sure I almost fell off, but I think I was spared.
I was glad the attack was over with, but why did it hurt so much? My limbs felt like they weighed ten tons and as weak as a limp corpse on the grounds of a cemetery. Even after the whole phase was over, my heart still beat with the highest velocity known to man as I laid on the floor, helpless. I struggled a lot to get up, breathing hard every now and then, taking sharp breathes, but none of it helped. This mission would become complicated, I realized.
In the corner of my eye, I saw the Minor pose a worried look on his face. He was most likely surprised that he saw me about to be sandwiched between two attacks. I guess he knew that the girl was there all along? Either way, he quickly ran to my side and desperately tried to help me up. He put my arm over his shoulders and helped me up while I was half asleep, my head nodding down and my glare stuck on the floor like a snail. "Are you okay?" he asked me, lifting my body with ease. I tried to lift my head but it was too hard. Damn it, don't fail on me now! I thought.
I coughed out a big cloud of dust. "Yeah," I said through a choked voice. This guy's good for a beginner Minor controlling his powers. But his attacks were still unfocused and weak. I've seen Kakori do so much better with his light and plant attacks.
"Hey, you over there!" called the punk looking girl again. She didn't seem concerned for my safety at all. She actually looked happy that I was knocked down by such a strong attack that my body felt weak all over after. God, what an unsympathetic hole, I thought loudly in my head. The Minor looked back to her, my arm still around his shoulders helplessly.
"What?" he asked, trying to put a mean look on, I saw. I guess he was one of those hyper, happy people. He didn't look to serious all the time. But at least he was considerate. I coughed out another thing of dust again. He didn't show it, but I could sense his feelings of protection with a hint of fear.
"Why the hell are you taking care of a kid? I came here to kill you without any interruptions. Do I really need to kill some 7 year old too?" she snickered under her breath.
"I'm ten," I struggled to tell her, still coughing and hacking out dust. "You stupid old hag." So I'm short for my age. Shoot me. There's no need to assume.
She scoffed. "Whatever, you're still a kid," she pointed out. "A stupid, naïve kid."
"Leave him alone!" my protector yelled. "He didn't do anything to you. This is just between you and me," his voice louder now, his short, white hair swaying softly with the light breeze.
"You're right. Thanks for pointing that out," the girl declared, moving her arms again for another attack.
PoVS (Point of View Switch! Remember it!)
Why this lady wants to kill me I have no idea. But I knew one thing. I couldn't just let this kid die in the middle of a cliff. I had to get him out, but how? That pain is casting another Luck Spell. And what could I do? I could barely control my powers. Plus, why was this kid here anyway? Didn't matter, I guess. He was here, that's all I needed to know.
"This is for calling me an old hag!" that annoying girl yelled in her cackling voice, sending another set of purple waves in my direction. I picked up the kid and ran for it. We made it barely, hiding behind a tree trunk. I began to wonder, did this kid try to save me? Is that why he jumped in? He coughed a cloud of dust in my face, stinging my eyes. Real polite, I thought.
We were safe behind the tree trunk for now, but I didn't know how long we could hold. "So, tell me," I began to talk to him. "You're that kid from the ramen store aren't you? Why did you try to save me?" I asked him, his body limp in front of me, our presence dark from the shadow of the thick enough tree.
He cleared his throat. He obviously had too much dust to breathe in. "Because, it's my mission to protect you." He coughed yet again. His mission to protect me? What was he, a guardian angel or something? Am I going crazy?
The tree trunk behind us suddenly snapped and fell down, leaving our identities revealed behind a cloud of dust. "You didn't really think you could hide from me, did you? Honestly, how stupid do you think I am?" she scoffed at us, one hand at her side.
"Stupid enough," I shot back at her comments. I picked up the kid in my arms again and ran for it once again. We were blasted by Luck shots one after another. I was beginning to wonder how long we could keep this up.
"So," I began to talk to him again, hiding behind another tree with a grassy base and larger trunk. "What do you mean by it's 'your mission' to protect me?" I asked with cheerful eyes, and a careful grin.
"I mean…" he coughed again. His voice was raspy, and he needed water fast. I felt like he was going to choke right then and there. "You're a Minor… I know it. That light attack you made. You can't explain why you can do that kind of stuff all of a sudden, can you?" he asked me. The same exact question I had been thinking since last night. I don't even remember much of it, really. What really happened? Did this kid know?
"A Minor? What's that?" I asked him, desperate for answers.
"I can't explain now," he said with a raspier voice this time, then coughing another dust cloud. "Too…dangerous and weak…" Why was he acting like this? My light beams shouldn't have harmed him that much. "More importantly, do you know that girl?" he asked me, his eyes seeming heavy.
"Yeah. She's been following me since this morning. I don't know why though. Do you have any idea? I'll answer all your questions if you answer mine." I didn't get a reply from him, just a smile and a laugh. I smiled back. I liked to make kids laugh. But this wasn't the time for that. I looked behind the tree to look for the girl, but she had disappeared. Where had she gone? I crawled out of our hiding spot to find her right there on the other side of the trunk! I took in a sharp breath as she hit me with a luck spell so hard that it made my body twist and roll out of control on the floor all the way to the tip of the cliff. My clothes were now covered in dust and the kid was still there, weak. I left the kid behind, I realized. I shouldn't have left him in order to look for the girl in the first place.
My arm felt numb and broken all of a sudden, and purple sparks were flying from it. Crap, that was a hell of a spell, I thought. I felt like my fate was sealed.
"Had enough yet?" the fellow teenager asked me, walking closer towards me. I took a few steps back. I was close to falling off the edge, but I needed to be ready to avoid her spells. Who knows what affect it'll have on me next. Probably turn into some kind of lizard-mutant thing, I guessed. I didn't answer her question. I just thought she was a snob and should go to hell. "Apparently not," she told me, firing another wave at me.
I tried hard to dodge this one, I really did. But it made a direct hit anyway, and I almost fell all the way down off of the cliff but thankfully, I clung on to a cragged rock protruding off of the cliff's side. My left arm was rendered completely useless and I wondered how I could climb back up with only my right arm. I was dead, I realized.
"I think after all this time, we haven't gotten a chance to introduce ourselves," she said, standing on the edge of the cliff, looking down on me with that evil smirk of hers. "My names Kabuki Mizuurai. But you can call me Hazard. Thrilled to meet you," she said as she gave her hand out to me, offering to help me back up.
Should I trust her? No, I decided. No way! Not in a million years! "My name's Dylan," I introduced myself, "and I'm never thrilled to see you." I said these words as a ball of light shot from my hand that was desperately still clinging on the rock and hit Hazard right in the face. I could control this power pretty good for a beginner, I thought. I snickered at my victory. But I had more troubles. That kid back there really seemed like he was about to faint, and I have no way of getting back up there. What to do, what to do? I thought, thinking hard.
"Bastard, you'll die for that," she told me, using one hand to hide her left eye which I had probably blinded for a momentarily period of time. "Rest in hell," she spoke, sending another spell with her palm through the cliff. The humming of the waves took over my ears and so did the crumbling and cracking sounds right after it. Pieces of rock started falling from the cliff-edge, and the shifting of stone was heard. No way, I thought. She's trying to make the whole cliff collapse! I held on to dear life as more rocks paraded down to the crashing of the ocean. The hungry seas beckoned for my downfall below.
All I could do for now was hold on, and I knew for sure that I was dead. Until I saw that figure appear behind Hazard. "Wha-?" I muttered as I looked hard to see who it was. It was that kid from before! He was standing up! But something's different. His eyes weren't right. I'm sure that they were dark brown before. Why did they look so dark and black now? And what's with that emotionless expression on his face? He didn't look right. He wasn't the same kid with those weak eyes and friendly expression anymore.
"What're you muttering about?" Hazard told me in a scolding way as she turned to find the kid a few yards behind her. "You again? What's up with you? Don't you ever give up?" I could see she sent a luck spell at him, too.
Oh, boy. "Kid! Get away! Dodge it!" I told him, desperate to rescue him just like he tried to do so for me. But he didn't listen. He just stood there, with that expressionless face and dark, ghostly eyes. He looked like he was possessed, waiting for the attack that could've been easily dodged. But it was too late. It was getting too close, now.
The smell of fresh oceanic air, rock dust and sounds of the ocean crashing waves was all distracted from my mind now. I tried so hard to climb up with one arm, I think it was actually working! I kept my stare on the kid all of the time, trying to figure out what was wrong with him. He looked so cheerful back then, even when he was coughing like a choking goat. So what's wrong now?
Just as the attack was inches away from his body, the attack, strangely, got sucked into this huge portal that came out of nowhere. It defended the boy, sucking in all of the spells that were cast around the area, including the one that disabled my left arm. Perfect, I thought. I climbed my way back up, and watched behind Hazard as the portal went on vacuuming everything it could.
The trees shifted wildly and the shrubs were swaying crazily with no resistance. Hazard's hair was swinging out of control, too, and I felt like I was being sucked in closer. Where did that portal come from? It was so sudden, like a dream. It had streaks of purple and black turning counter clock-wise into it, like it was some kind of deadly black hole. "What the hell do you think you're doing, kid?" I heard Hazard yell, blasting another wave of spells in his direction. It was no use, the attacks just got sucked into the portal like the rest. It even seemed to grow bigger as it sucked in more things, the gravity pulling us toward it growing stronger. I knew I couldn't resist it for long. Why is my life full of death involved situations lately?
I couldn't see if the kid was safe, if he had been sucked into the portal, too. It was too big by now. I had to make sure he was okay. I climbed the cliff and got up on my feet and tried to stay in place as best as I could. I ran past the portal that was constantly growing, feeling the strong vacuum trying to pull me close. and saw the kid standing behind the portal. He was safe! I thanked god for his safety, but who should I consult about his weird expression? His eyes were surely dark brown before, and now I know that they're black. They almost looked… evil. What was wrong with him?
"Kid! Kid!" I called out to him. Maybe I could wake him up. I snapped my fingers in front of his face as I bent down and put my hands on his shoulders. What's possessing him like this? What's going on? I shook his whole body to try and bring him to his senses, but the only thing I got back was a long, blank stare. I looked back to where Hazard was, but couldn't. The portal had grown too big and created a gap between the edge of the cliff and our side.
I returned to the boy in front of me, who I suspected created the portal. "Oh god, kid, wake up! This isn't a time to be like this! I need you to answer my questions, remember? You said I was a Minor. What's a Minor? Just what is it? Why is it your mission to protect me, huh? Remember, you said that you had a mission to protect me? Do you remember that? Why do you have to protect me? Why is that your mission?" I asked him multiple questions with a rising voice after each one. I was so much in shock and totally freaked out, I didn't know what else to say to him.
But thankfully, I didn't have to think of anything else. Soon after my words his eyes faded back to their dark brown and the color came back to his face. I felt the portal disappearing behind us, allowing the sunlight to shine on us once more. The portal was so strong it even absorbed sunlight? No way. Totally impossible. Was it? The light of the sunset spilled on his face, and darkened mine. As the facial expressions became available to this young child again, I was grateful that he was safe.
"Hi," I said. I didn't know what else to say, give me a break.
"H-Hi. What happened?" he asked me, his eyes full of confusion.
"Er… nothing. That girl…" I began to tell him, and turned back to where "Hazard" was. But she was nowhere to be seen. Where had she gone? I looked back and saw nothing but a pool of blood smeared all over the floor. "Oh… "I groaned in disgust. No way… Did this kid really kill someone without realizing it? Was it his fault? Should I give him another chance?
"What?" he asked, trying to see behind me.
"Oh! Nothing!" I laughed, blocking his way so he wouldn't see what he had caused. I guess he really didn't know he killed that Hazard girl. "It's just… that girl ran away after I showed her my awesome moves. See, I can defend myself. For a Minor." I smiled.
"Huh?" he asked, still pretty much confused. "What-?" he began to think, I saw. He looked around in confusion and then returned his stare to me.
"Would you mind explaining what a minor is exactly? Since you told me I'm one of them?" I asked with a wide smile. I fixed my sweater and headband and prepared for him to tell me. The oceanic air and fresh tree's scent returned to the scene. Everything was peaceful again.
"Oh… Sorry," he told me, feeling his head. "My head just hurts a little, I don't know why. Anyway…" he continued. He told me the whole story. The whole story about this White Cloak guy and how he released the Half Spirits and about the pendant and the Ingrain move I used when I was eating those spicy noodles, and every bit and detail. We got to talking and I told him I'd help him search and come with him. No way would I get killed by White Cloak.
"By the way, do you know who that lady was?" he asked me as we started walking back to the market place, night time beginning to rise.
"Well, my best guess would be that she was working for White Cloak, don't you think? You said that White Cloak wouldn't know where you are, so maybe he has people working for him to kill the Minors for him. Does that make sense?" I asked him, trying to figure out the rest of it.
"Yeah, I guess, but we can't be too sure," he told me with a smart look in the eye.
We continued to walk through the market place. The stores were finally closing down for the day and would return tomorrow. All the items and merchandise were being taken down, he stalls and stands being taken apart. It seemed so empty now that there weren't crazy crowds of people shopping during the day time. It just looked dead now. The scene was painted orange by the almost-finished sunlight, and we were soon out of the whole place and into the road that lead to the next city when I remembered something. "Hey," I told him.
"Yeah?" he asked, turning his face to me, still walking.
"Well, you've explained so much to me, and in the end, I still don't know you're name. What is it? Mine is Dylan," I told him with much confidence.
"Mine is Jeremy," he told me with a wide smile, feeling his golden locket that the Council had given him.
"Nice to meet you Jeremy," I told him as I shook hands with him. I still had a few questions though. Not about this whole "mission" thing. About what happened back there. He told me that the Council adopted him because they sensed he had great power that he hadn't noticed yet. Is it really because he had never used it before, or is it because he keeps forgetting he uses it? It would be a question to ask the Council when we meet them. If I meet them and don't die along the way, that is. Because if that was an example of his real power, the ability to create a black hole out of nowhere and recover from his raspy voice status and his weak state, then lots of people could be in loads of danger in the future. Being all normal after being so weak and worn down as he was in a period of 5 minutes isn't that regular, you know?
We continued to walk away from the Market Place and into the new road. It had lots of curves and hills, I saw. But it was okay. I knew we'd get lots of people to help us along the way. I looked back to find the half-half circle of sunset still smiling upon us, shining its orange light on the road to guide us in the future. And with that guidance of light, we continued to walk down the path of life to find what would be in store for us next.