Quite nice that Zatch pulled me out of the house, I really needed that after all. It's my fourth day here and I never saw anything outside school or home, so it was refreshing when the kid dragged me into a nearby town.
I was wrong when I said that the Mamodo World resembles the modern Human World. It's really not. It's actually a cluster of a few different time periods and cultures of various human world countries. For example: this town (ah… already forgot it's name… oh well) is mostly of wooden houses that give off a somewhat medieval-European feel (a.k.a. Your 'average' fantasy town), but there's also a few houses that look like nothing I've ever seen before (I'm surprised I remember what medieval Europe looked like at all… Wonder if I was a European back in my past life).
Overall, I really enjoy the change of scenery.
"... or go fishing, or play hide and seek, or get some sticks and play knights…" I hear kid's talking while we enter a less populated area of the town. Oh right, I wasn't paying too much attention to Zatch childish rambling about games he wanted to play… Was he really talking this whole time we were walking? Oh gosh, I hope he didn't notice that I wasn't paying attention.
"Sounds lovely!" I interrupted him. His eyes immediately lit up.
"Really?!" He looks so happy, like I've agreed to rob a candy store for him. I sure hope I didn't. "Alright! I'll find us some sticks! Don't go anywhere!"
Zatch instantly rans off and all I can do is wonder, why would he need sticks. We don't really plan on robbing anyone, right? Ah shoot, if only I had paid any attention to the kid's talking.
Thankfully, I don't have to worry for long as Zatch returns with two long sticks in hands.
"Here! We're gonna fight like real knights!" Oh… Oh so that's what it was about. I feel stupid for thinking badly about this kid (Robbery, seriously me?). Although, 'like real knights', huh? With fencing and swordplay? I really don't feel like swinging my arms around… especially with how weak those arms are (I mentally look with disappointment at the past owner of this body)
Although… I got a fun idea. I lift the stick with my mind.
"Think you can stand against a ghost knight?" Zatch looks awestruck at first but then his expression changes into one of doubt.
"But how am I gonna win against someone who doesn't have a body?" Ah… Yeah that's… That's a fair point.
"Er… Use your brains, Zatch! Even ghosts have weaknesses. This one for example is…" I frantically look around trying to find something to tie around the 'sword's' handle. Can't find anything. Eh, guess my hairband will do. I take it from my hair and tie it to the handle. "... is actually spiritually bound to a piece of magical cloth. And if you bat it off the handle, the ghost will no longer be able to hold it's sword!" (I give myself five out of five for imagination here)
Zatch looks excited once more and lash out at the 'ghost' in a second. Who knew a mere stick could entertain a kid for an hour?
Of course I have to hold a bit of a mental force behind it and I need to always make sure that I didn't hit the kid by accident, but, all and all, I don't have to do much.
After playing, Zatch gets hungry. I offer to go back but Zatch refuses. Instead he catches a big fish in a river. With bare hands. Alone. Nope, I'm not surprised at all!
He attempts to share, but I politely decline (No Zatch, it's alright! I'm not hungry anyway, please enjoy your lively meal yourself, don't worry about me… just, please, kill fish BEFORE eating it…)
Generally speaking, the day turns out to be very relaxing. Relaxing, but not dull or anything. Playing with Zatch feels like having a younger sibling… It makes me feel a bit melancholic (Wonder if I had younger siblings… Do they miss me?), but Zatch is here to cheer me up.
We part in the evening. Although Zatch is not happy to leave at first, he agrees to go home after I promise to play with him later next week. We go separate ways - looks like Zatch is living on the other side of the town.
I venture back home through dozing off. Ha, houses do look very pretty in the rays of evening sun… Wish I had a camera to take a picture or two. Hm… I do it again - I remember things from my past life but I do not remember where I got that knowledge. Ugh… If not my life, I want at least my memories back.
I sense a familiar sensation nearby. A dread feels me, as I realize that it's Brago 'aura' right behind the corner. Perhaps, I don't need to go through this particular part of the town anyway. I turn around and come face to face with someone's palm holding a fire. I yelp and jump backwards, hitting the wall with my back. I didn't even heard anyone following me!
I see four mamodo in front of me, all look human-like but with various features that sell them out - horns, weird eyes, eye markings.
And all four of them don't look relatively friendly.
"Hey there!" The closest to me starts. Other three quietly but quickly stand to each side of me. Oh… Oh no.
"We don't mean to scare you, we just wondered what a kid is doing here so late, right guys?" There's no way I'll be able to fight four of them at once. there's no way I'd defeat even one of them. Crap, crap crap.
"What's wrong? Don't be shy, we're just trying to help. Wanna come with us? We'll help you find your way home!" Ha, yeah right…
"There's no need. I'm not lost nor I need help. Thank you kindly for your offer, but I really don't need it." I try to look for a way out… Maybe if I used telekinesis on myself instead of wasting it on them I could lift myself off the ground and-
A familiar feeling of fear feels me once more. Brago is here.
"Are you sure? We know all the shortcuts, we could help you out!" For the love of whatever high entity mamodo believes in! Please, make those criminal idiots let me go, I swear I'll never think bad about you ever again!
"I said already, I'm more than capable of…" My voice cracks, I can't even talk while he's close. Something inside me is completely and utterly terrified right now. Crap. Shit. Why the hell did you have to show up all of a sudden?!
The guys seemed more than delighted with how I look. Are those bucketheads don't feeling him? Why?!
"..." The main speaker, I presume it's the gang boss, says something but I can't even comprehend whatever the heck he's saying. I'm too focused on Brago. He entered the alleyway. Ha… guess I'll die today.
"Get lost." Oh, trust me edge-lord, if I could, I'd be lost in a heartbeat! Sadly, future convicts didn't get the memo.
"Are you talking to us, pup?" The guy, who I recognise as the one who used fire magic, barks out. Idiot. It literally costs you nothing to just shut the hell up.
"I said," I can feel the anger boiling inside him. Although Brago is shorter than any of those douchebags, he still manages to look much scarier than them. I sense the guys getting nervous as well. Good. "Get lost."
The boss of the band starts laughing. Slowly, others pick up on that as well. I use the moment of distraction to force my way through them and run away. Thankfully, they don't attempt to catch me as I flee, seemingly too amused by a middle-schooler who thinks he can beat their ass. I'd stay and watch but I really don't want to.
I hear a few screams and an explosion shortly after I get as far away as possible. Not sure if it was Brago's hand doing or if it's a completely unrelated event. Part of me hopes he's alright… But another part screams at the first to keep going! Far, far away from him!
Part of the way home I have to levitate myself using telekinesis because my legs and lungs hurt after running (First time using telekinesis on self… Felt better than using it on others. Definitely gonna use it for travel in the future).
Precious was worried sick, she hugs me with her front legs right when she sees me on the front door. Huh, she does look a bit too worried…
"Zofis, you've missed dinner! I am very happy that you finally have a friend but please, don't forget to come back home before dusk!"
"Ah, I'm sorry, I just… Ran into one of my classmates when I was going back home." I don't want to tell her I was almost kidnapped or mugged. She's already too anxious as it is.
I have a late dinner and head into my room. Can't help it but drop onto the bed and hug the pillow. Today's was… Eventful. Too eventful.. My heart still picks a pace when I replay this evening inside my head. It was… Too much, to be honest.
First - four guys try to drag me away, then Brago shows up and shuts my brain off with a mere presence! Just where the heck did he even come from?
…
… He did save me back there, though.
Yep, as weird and alien as it sounds, it's a fact - Brago, even if unintentionally, saved me from troubles. Some big troubles, may I add.
That gives my brain a soft reboot.
Why did he do that? Were those four simply irritating to him? Probably. He might've not even seen me at all… What if he simply was walking home from the store or something and he just happened to pass by?.. For some reason, an image of Brago walking down the street holding two bags of groceries looks really funny.
To be honest, he doesn't look THAT scary. Yes, he's angsty, antisocial, emo-edge lord who wears type of clothes that even Hot Topic doesn't have. Yes, he gives off a menacing aura and a vibe of a very dangerous person. But he didn't DO anything. Yes he fought Danny but the latter did start it first.
So why am I afraid of him so badly? He's just a guy.
To think about it, Brago didn't do anything to me that could justify my fear of him. At least, not since my awakening as… Me.
I have no idea why I'm afraid of him. Maybe it's not even me but the scraps and pieces of a person who was before me. A muscle memory, an old traumatic event that stuck in my brain like a tiny splinter in a finger.
I glance at the diary that still lies under the pillow, where I left it last time.
…
I don't want to, but it looks like I have no other options. I need to find out more about "old" Zofis ASAP. No excuses this time!
I take the book and open it.
Alright, no turning back this time! I have questions and I will get my answers.
It feels like swimming in a pool of nasty, odorous slime. Some things I read I can't fully understand, but those I do I wish I did not.
Although, I do find my answers.
Zofis was a cowardly, but crafty person who judged others by how useful they can be to him. He could exploit others by lying, blackmailing or using other dirty tricks up his sleeve. He was, however, terrified of people who were stronger than him and who couldn't be used as a pawn in his plans. A powerful person who could turn the cards against him.
The fear of Brago came from the fact that Brago is not just a strong mamodo who Zofis couldn't dig under.
Brago is one of the so-called "elite" mamodo. A very powerful, specially trained to battle from early age mamodo. Physical strength, reaction speed, swiftness, endurance, magic potential… The guy is practically a humanoid-shaped tank of this world. A weapon.
Even adults have a hard time dealing with him.
No, of course Zofis tried to get under the guy's skin but it was useless. After a while he gave up and decided to keep himself as far away from the guy as possible, unconsciously instilling fear of Brago into his mind.
If you ask me, the guy should've just visited a therapist or psychologist (If those even exist in this world).
Putting a literal mental barrier, giving psychological trauma to himself is… Very bad idea. What the actual heck. If old Zofis was still here I'd smack him for that.
Now I have to deal with all this mess on top of an already existing one. Thank you very much for putting sticks into my wheels!
Gratefully, beside a future self-indulgent therapy session, I found something else. Verbal magical spells!
Each and every mamodo has their own unique magic techniques only they can perform. Every technique contains both offensive and defensive spells but almost all the time they are bound to be of a specific nature - for example, water-nature spell casters don't use metal-nature spells and e.t.c.
It's unknown what the limit of spells one mamodo can learn but the number progressively goes up as mamodo practice their magical skills.
Zofis knew four spells so far, and he wrote them down in his diary. Their names, spelling, what they do, how they activate, how much distance you need to be away to not get hit by your own spell - all that. Not sure why he did it, he doesn't seem like a guy who'd forget his own spells… Well, it's not like anyone could steal them and use them, as all spells are unique and finding someone who'd use the same spells as you is not an easy task.
All spells he knew had an "explosive" nature. Literally. All his four spells are just explosions that are various in power. One of them has a little bit of fire but overall they are all more energy based. I'm not sure I want to use them but I learn them anyway… Just in case.
Other info in my diary is just spam (blackmail material, personal information of other people, weird symbols) so I shamelessly skip it all until the very end of the notebook.
The end however does catch my attention.
"Stone Tablets of a past battle, moonlight should do."
Well that's… Mysterious. Ancient Battle?.. Perhaps some kind of great war of the past?
Hm. I will make a mental note to think about it later. Maybe I could ask the librarian about it after school.
For now I put diary back on its rightful place and get ready to sleep.
…
-ah.
I forgot to read the book I took from the library yesterday.
[Author note: hi, my spacebar is working again...
madness ensues.]