ã€ŠThe Tale of The Dragon Guardianã€‹


 Chapter no. 1 - The begining

    Aomori prefecture, which is part of a small but unique island, hides not only majestic mountains, deep forests and untamed seas, but also a small town in the middle of forests. In this town is our hero, Iruka Huro. He''s about to have the greatest adventure earthman could ever have. But let''s not get ahead of ourselves and start all over again.

    "Have you packed everything? Aren''t you forgetting something?¡±

    "Yes, I don''t have many things.¡±

    "True . . . well, here''s something from me.¡± A woman approached me and held out her hand with a neatly arranged stack of bills.

    "I can''t do that, Momo..."

    "You have to! I don''t want you to end up somewhere God knows where on the street. It''s until you get a job. I''ve been saving it since you were 8. But don''t tell the others." She winked at me.

    I stared at her in disbelief. The woman standing in front of me was my governess, Momo.

    "Thank you. Thank you very much."I bowed deeply and took one last look at her. Momo was already a mistress in years. Thin white strands laced her black hair, and small but noticeable wrinkles adorned her face. She had beautifully bland eyes that made you want to immerse yourself in them. They were always reassuring and full of joy as was her smile. She was the same height as me. I couldn''t believe it. I''m leaving the orphanage. I''m 18 years old. I won''t see her every day anymore. We both couldn''t hold our tears and both started crying. I hugged her tight right away.

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    "I''m going to miss you so much." I whispered.

    "So do you, my little one. Promise me you''ll at least write me letters. Promise to visit us. Promise me you''ll get a job.¡± I squeezed her harder to comfort her.

    "Yes, I promise.¡± We stood like this for a while before Momo pulled away.

    She wiped the tears from my face and smiled at me. I picked up my backpack and made my way to the entrance. There were already children waiting impatiently to bid me farewell. When I was older, I helped Momo take care of the kids. They''re like siblings to me. It stung my heart to see their crying faces. Saying goodbye to them, but I''m afraid I can''t be here anymore. That''s the law. One last hug. Last words of advice. But certainly not the last visit. Unlike the others, I''ll visit regularly. I''ll take care of you. I promised myself in my mind. I waved to them one last time, and to my new life.

    "Hmm. dustman plumber Exterminator? Window washer? Hmm none of this is for me. I don''t have any experience with it. Oh, I can''t stay in this hotel for another month unless I get a job.¡± For the money I saved, I rented a room for a month in a cheap hotel. There was a bed, a bedside table, a bathroom, and noisy neighbors. It wasn''t a luxury. It was tiny, but that''s all I had. I also bought a suit to look serious in interviews, but have yet to be accepted anywhere. They say I don''t have enough knowledge of experience or they just didn''t like me.

    "Ahhh...I need a job."I lay down wearily on the bed and continued to run through the newspapers with the advertisements.

    "Huh? What the? Family servant. No degree required. I''ll take good knowledge of the cookery. organized character Willingness to clean. Guaranteed housing in the house... Hmm and for how much? What? 8,000 yen an hour. The job must be mine!¡±

    Determinedly, I got up and went to get ready. An address was left on the ad. I''m going to go straight there today. I rinsed my dark brown long hair and adjusted it back to look as elegant as possible. I donned my dim worn blue suit. I picked up my tie and adjusted myself in the mirror. "Iruka, this is the job you''ve been waiting for. This is made right for you. Thank you gods for your opportunity." I said to myself out loud and headed out.

 Chapter no. 2 - Interview

    The address that was written on the ad led me out of town. The wide asphalt road ended abruptly, and ahead of me was a dense forest. I was about to turn around and surrender, but I noticed a little sign that had the street name engraved on it. Iruka don''t worry. This is your chance for a better life. I said to myself and set out on the forest path. So the road was a hell of a long way, and my faith grew increasingly flaccid when I caught a glimpse of a modern grand villa in the trees, with wooden cladding that was complemented in places by a white facade.

    "That''ll be it!" I cheered.

    I joyously ran to the house. No one was standing around, nor was there a fence to border unwanted. Why is that, too? Who would go so deep into the woods in search of a rich villa? I thought. I adjusted my long dark brown hair for the last time and rang the bell. I could hear the resonant ton carrying through the grand house. What if they''re not home? Why didn''t I call first? What if it''s no longer current? What if it was prank. I started to panic. Again, my anxiety and disbelief returned to me. It was too good to be true. I can hear the creaking of the floorboards from the other side. Someone went. My heart started to feel like a bell. My self-assurance was gone. My knees were shaking. The door opened slowly.

    The door opened and I finally saw a figure. Well, it''s more like I saw the belly of something. I looked up. Above me stood a good two heads taller young man. God, he''s so tall. I couldn''t hold my thought and almost said it out loud.

    "H-Hello. I found your ad and-and I''d like to apply for the job if it''s still vacant of course." I pointed out a newspaper clipping for proof.

    There was an awkward silence. The man looked me up and down. He leaned toward me slowly. I closed my eyes for a second as I opened them, the benign face of a young man before me. I got a chance to get a look at the man. He was no older than me. He had light blonde hair that fell into his uncharacteristic piercing green eyes. And a very warm smile played on his mouth. His whole energy was suddenly so positive. All my embarrassment splintered out of me.

    "I was afraid no one would accept it. Come in." He smiled and straightened up again.

    He stepped aside and allowed me to enter his mansion. I had a wonderful room, which I could only dream of imagining. As on the outside and inside, the house did not bear the traditional hallmarks of a Japanese house, but was styled in a lavish European mansion. There was a beautifully polished marble flagstone on the ground, as well as massive stairs directly opposite the front door. I didn''t have time to take a closer look at the foyer, as the man took off his shoes and made his way to the room on the right. I quickly took off my shoes, too, politely and quietly said hello, and followed. The room was transformed into a cozy parlor. The walls were plastered with oil wallpaper with tiny ornaments of flowers. On the windows were long satin curtains in the same color. The lounge featured a mini bar with three bar chairs. There was also a billiards room and one whole wall with shelves full of books.There was a red sofa in the middle where he sat down with the blonde, two more chairs and a glass coffee table around it.

    I sat down opposite the lad and waited to see what was going to happen, but again the awkward silence began, and he merely regarded me more intently.

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    ¡°Excuse me..." I said quietly, clearing my throat.

    "I''m sorry. Can I get you anything? My brothers will be here shortly to discuss everything. In the meantime, tell me, what is your name?" He had a honeyed voice and was so nonchalant. So resonant. So charming.

    "My name is Huro Iruka. I''m 18 years old. I know I''m young, but I have a lot of experience cleaning and worrying about the house. Though not that big. I look forward to working with you!" I stood up and bowed tactfully after my monologue.

    "Hmmmm. I only asked for a name, but thank you at least I know ahead of time. You have beautiful language. I like that. Please sit down. I''m Haru. Naruno Haru. You can only call me Haru."He was still smiling charmingly at me.

    "Nice to meet you, sir. "

    "Nice to meet you, too. Will you excuse me? I''ll go get the geeks. Have something to drink."

    He smiled amiably and disappeared. I sat still, trying to calm my nerves.

    I heard a terrible thud. Is there a herd of buffalo running around or something?! I looked suspiciously at the closed door. Instinctively, I duck into the sofa. The door bursts open into the booze. I don''t know if I should say thankfully or unfortunately it wasn''t a herd, but another tall, red-haired boy this time. He was laughing from ear to ear.

    "There he iiiiiiiiissssss!!!!" He shouted.

    ¡°Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"I yelp as I was startled by his very loud welcome.

    He came running up to me and grabbed my arm like some little kid and started rolling with me. He was laughing his head off and spinning me around. I stared at the kid in disbelief. The kid was about the height of Haru. He had his long red hair up in a half ponytail. He had a wonderful smile, too, and the same smile as Haru. I saw the resemblance there. I stared into his eyes for a moment. His eyes were deep yellow. Yes yellow. It''s the lenses, Iruka. I thought at once. I''ve only just realized that this stranger is making me feel like a little baby. I was about to start buckling when someone stopped the psychopath.

    "Let him go, Natsu!"

    "Why are you hitting me again?"

    "Because it''s not really welcome like this."He was rebuked by a new figure who appeared here.

    The redhead stuck his tongue out at him and turned to me and said:

    "I''m so sorry. I hope it didn''t offend. I was thrilled that someone had applied for the position. I won''t have to clean anymore. Hehe." And grinned.

    I just smiled wanly, still processing what had just happened.

    "Natsuu.."He was chastised by the young man who saved me from him. They were both already drawing breath for words, and I suspected an argument was brewing. God, where am I?

    "That''s enough for the two of you. Where''s Fuyu?"He asked Haru, who had come.

    "He said we should make that decision for him."He replied casually to Natsu and sat down.

    Haru gestured for me to sit down again. This time there were three of me, and I was even more nervous about it.

    "Good. Iruko. These are my two brothers. Natsu and Aki.¡±

    I bowed politely and looked at the so-called Aki and gave him a quick look. It was the same height, and it radiated a different aura from Natsu. He was so mysterious and cold already d look. I didn''t know what he could be thinking. He had thick chestnut reddish-brown hair cut at the sides and slightly longer at the back. He wore glasses on his eyes, but took them off and put them in his shirt pocket. His eyes were also very strange. His right eye was yellow and his left eye was red. The lenses gave him even more mystery. Haru''s voice jolted me from my thoughts.

    "So we would love to take you to our humble house and offer you the position of servant. that is, if you believe you can take care of the whole house on your own and cook for us."

    "Yes I can! I promise I won''t let you down!¡±

    "Well done, then we''re set." And he held out his hand. I took great pleasure in squeezing it.

    And so begins my new life.

 Chapter no. 3 - Fuyu Naruno

    I never really imagined the interview would be so easy and especially so special. But I have a job that''s amazingly paid, so I''ll be able to provide momo and the kids at the orphanage at least a little bit.

    "I''m sorry, Mr. Haru, but you haven''t explained the exact points of the job.¡±

    "You didn''t tell him anything? What were you doing here with him?" Aki hissed.

    "I''ve been looking into whether he''s the right candidate." And smiled sincerely. Yeah too obviously. I thought to myself Aki sighed and sat back in his seat. We all did the same thing.

    "The two and only important things you''re going to have to do with us are cook and clean. The whole house to be polished and mopped and stuff like that so that when we go away for a couple of weeks it''s still in perfect condition. The only exception is the third floor. Please don''t go there. It''s just the four of us, and we don''t wash guests here. Iruko can you cook?¡±

    "Yes very well.. I would say so.¡±

    "Excellent. Of course, we will also ask you to clean our rooms and take care of our clothes. Isn''t that a problem?¡±

    "Not at all.¡±

    "I''m very happy about that. The last question I''m interested in is, do your parents mind if you move here? We want 100% service. Aki could be seen fearing that I would refuse.

    "It''s not a problem. I''m an orphan. I recently left home. That''s why I''m used to all this stuff, and I''d say I''ve had a pretty big practice.¡±

    "Oh. I''m so sorry..¡± Aki gave me a sympathetic look, and with it Haru and Natsu.

    "That''s good." I waved my hand casually and smiled at them.

    "Good. Come on. I''ll show you your room." Haru offered, smiling happily again. I bowed to Aki and Natsu, who immediately objected that I didn''t have to do this in front of them.

    Haru took me up the meaty stairs to the first floor. Here we went to the right and stopped at the very end.

    "Sorry. It''s not very big, hopefully it''ll be enough.."He said despondently, and stepped back so I could have a look at him.

    "Are you kidding? It''s huge. It''s beautiful!" I blurted out enthusiastically.

    The room was like a dream. A giant black-wood canopied bed was covered with snow-white coatings. She looked so soft just to look at. In the corner I had a dark blue armchair with a round glass table. There was even a sort of shaggy rug. On the other side of the corner was the bathroom door, which was white marble. It was like a castle. On the other hand, I still had a big splendid almara waiting for me. What am I going to put in it if I only have one small suitcase of stuff? For some it would seem small, but for me it was all I could ever wish for.

    "It''s a beautiful room." I exhaled with elation.

    "Well, I''m very glad. Do you think you''ll be able to move today? We can get you a service to help you with things. It''s a little late... "

    "No, that''s good.. Sorry I''ll go get my own stuff. I only have one suitcase. If you don''t mind, I''d be happy to move right in.¡±

    "Not at all. We''ll just be glad.¡±

    I didn''t waste another minute and started walking back to the hotel. I threw the stuff into the trunk as quickly as I could. I couldn''t believe it. Is this really happening?? Not only do I have a very good salary, but I will live there for free. That''s all the money I have left. I''ll buy new clothes. New phone. computer All I''ve ever dreamed of. I checked out of the hotel. The receptionist was on the pier again and I wasn''t in the mood to talk to him, so I just left my keys on the counter and left. I mustn''t ruin such an amazing day. It was already dark when I reached the Naruno brothers'' villa. I knocked and in an instant he opened Natsu for me.

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    "You''ve had a great time. Come on. We have a little surprise. He took my suitcase and ran upstairs with it. I quickly took off my shoes and followed him. The boys were standing by the closet, all smiling.

    "Huh? What''s going on?¡±

    "I hope we guessed the right measurements, but while you were gone, we went into town and bought some shirts and suits. You have to come here at least in some decent trousers and a shirt." Said Haru.

    "Not like what you''re wearing right now." Natsu grinned at his comment.

    "I¡­ I don''t know what to say. You are very kind and thank you very much."As much as I could, I bowed to express my gratitude.

    "You don''t have to say thank you. It''s nothing. Just don''t keep bowing and calling us names. No sir."Haru smiled warmly.

    "Understand!" I smiled back.

    "Then we''ll have you unpacked and see if he can fix us a late dinner. Won''t that be a problem?" Aki asked me.

    "Yeah, I''m hungry. "He noted Natsa and clutched his stomach.

    "Sure. I''m going to wash up, change, and get on with it.¡±

    "Okay. Then there''s a bell in the kitchen, so ring it when it''s all done." And they left.

    I couldn''t hold back and you went to feel your new clothes. It was so soft. And so it smelled of novelty! I buried my nose in my white-clean shirt. If this is a dream, I don''t ever want to wake up from it. I couldn''t dawdle, the boys were hungry. So I went quickly to the shower and put on my clothes afterwards. I ran downstairs and went left instead of right, where the dining room and kitchen were. They had it beautifully furnished. No rusty pots, broken cookers, and the fire burned on all the hobs. I opened the fridge and couldn''t believe my eyes. It was crammed with food! Never in our orphanage has our fridge been so full.

    ¡°This really is heaven." I whispered to myself and set about cooking.

    In less than an hour I had a meal ready. I decided to set the table again and, to deliver the effect, lit the candles that were on the tables. I found a tiny golden bell on the kitchen counter. I adjusted myself further. went out to run and straightened up as much as possible. I shook the little bell, which, despite its size, gave off a strong and resonant ton. I heard a door slam and a stamping sound. Natsu. I said to myself. And it was.

    He barely said hello and disappeared into the cafeteria. Let''s hope he doesn''t eat it before the others come. Haru and Aki were on their way, working things out. They smiled at me and said hello. I smiled and greeted them back and turned to face them and saw them sitting down with Natsu. Then I turned and another figure appeared on the stairs. He was the fourth brother. Fuyu, if I remember correctly. I couldn''t take my eyes off him. All three brothers were decidedly young and handsome men, but he didn''t seem out of this world. The height was definitely inherited in this family, as it was also very high. You could see how big he was, too. Not a lot, but I''m sure the muscles were familiar. His skin was beautifully alabaster, and he had snow-white restless hair. Only now did I realize the expression he was looking at me with. He was so cold, so lethal! The cold was all over my body. His eyes were piercingly pale blue and cold, like the stiffest of winters, yet I could not stop looking at the chill in his eyes. He walked past me without saying a word. He didn''t even look at me.

    He sat down and they all started eating together. I stood quietly at the kitchen door, watching the boys taste good.

    "Iruka, it''s delicious. You weren''t lying when you said you could cook." He praised Haru.

    "Thank you very much.¡±

    After a long pause it did not give me, and I spoke: "I''m sorry, Haru, but can I ask you a question?"

    "Just ask. Just ask."

    "Your mom was some kind of season fanatic when she gave you those names? Not that they don''t suit you, but it''s funny."I rubbed my face with my finger and smiled a little.

    Everyone stopped chewing. Even Natus''s silverware fell out. Ouch... I probably shouldn''t have.

    Fuyu got up at lightning speed and took me by the throat and pulled me up at his eye level. I was kicking my feet to feel the ground, but my 160 centimeters wasn''t enough. When did he get to me so fast?! His look was terrible. His eyes were terrifying. They stabbed me through and through. I started shaking and panicking.

    "Hey, you motherless bastard, I guess they didn''t teach you what decency is in your lousy cubbyhole. One more similar reference to our family and you''re dead."

    He was cursing between his teeth. Suddenly he swung at me and I ended up in the corner of the room. The searing pain ran through my body. I was knocked unconscious for a while. I thought it had been hours, but when I opened my eyes only a few seconds had passed.

    "Don''t forget what you may. . . maid."He said in a deathly tone and walked away. Haru rushed over and helped me to my feet.

    "Are you all right?"

    "Yeah, I am. It''s just a headache."And I scratched the back of my head.

    "At least you can see to keep your mouth shut."

    "Aki! stop" Natsu chided him.

    "I''m sorry, but my brother doesn''t like to talk about our parents. He''s just such a grump. It''s just... it''s just like cold."Haru laughed.

    "Yeah, now I get your names. You''re really like those seasons."I chuckled.

    "Nothing I''m ok. Finish your meal in peace before it gets cold." I added and stood up.

    Haru gave me another worried expression. I smiled and nodded to the table. You sat down and the three of them quietly finished eating.

    "Thank you. One more for the food. Serve breakfast around 10:00. We sleep late and I don''t even know if we''ll all arrive."

    "Good. Well, have a good night."

    "You, too, Haru."

    "Night, Iruka!"

    "Good night, Natsu."

    "Good night, Iruka."

    "Good night Aki.¡±

 Chapter no. 4 - Secret

    Young Iruka Huro has just left the children''s home. Perhaps by pure chance or force of fate, he got a job at a remote residence that housed four brothers. But what are these brothers hiding behind a secret? Why are they hiding so far from the city?

    The fleeting rays of sunlight that fought their way through the curtains forced me to open my eyes. I just stared at the ceiling for a while. It wasn''t a dream. I have this great job from which I will easily be able to send my earned money to an orphanage. The children will finally have food. I remembered how sometimes for dinner we just had a crust of bread because there was no money. Momo''s governess, she raised money and sponsors as much as she could. Unfortunately, unsuccessfully.

    I got up and went to the bathroom. I washed my face and took a shower. Warm drops fell on my toned body. It was refreshing. Afterwards, I opened the curtains. The sun was just climbing the trees up into the sky. The sky was a brilliant yellow with pink tones over the branches of the trees. I climbed into the closet and pulled out a snow-white long sweater. I ran down to the kitchen. I put on my tea and took the rest of the rice and eggs out of the fridge. Meanwhile, the kettle heated the water and I poured myself a green tea. I sat on a bar stool in the kitchen. I didn''t go sit in the cafeteria. I don''t know why, but I didn''t want to sit where my masters sit. And given what was clearly suggested to me yesterday, I didn''t want to cause any more unnecessary problems. I happily embarked on a breakfast consisting of plain rice and an ox''s eye. And he put one foot on a chair. When I finished eating, I was enjoying the peace and especially the luxury and happiness I have. I closed my eyes for a moment, lost in the memory of Momo''s breakfast. We had this so-called Big Breakfast every Sunday. Momo always made it work in mysterious ways. We always had a piece of fish with warm rice and a bowl of miso soup to warm up.

    "What are you doing here?"A hoarse voice cut through the silence.

    "Eeeeeee" I was so scared I almost fell off my chair. I spilled on my sweater, but I didn''t care at the time. I quickly stood to attention. I recognized the voice immediately.

    "Sorry, I didn''t know anyone was going to be awake, sir."And I bowed.

    "Uh-huh."Coldly, Fuyu struck me.

    He sat down at the table. I kept a low profile. He was more disheveled than usual. He was kind of cute. He reminded me of sleepy babies. He was wearing only sweatpants and a T-shirt, but even in this outfit he gave me the creeps.

    "Are you just going to stand there or are you going to get me something to eat?"

    "Yes, sir. Coming right up. Will eggs be suitable?"

    "Yeah, whatever, and do it already.¡±

    I quickly went to prepare a meal. God, what''s eating this kid so bad? I let it go. While I was preparing my eggs in the skillet, Fuyu stepped into the doorway and leaned against the doorframe. He followed me for the rest of the time. I didn''t say anything. He just stood and watched. It was unbearable. I was nervous for him and my hands were shaking. I''ve had it. I served it neatly on a plate and wanted to break into the room, but what I saw pinned me in place. Fuyu stood smiling slyly. It was strange. He looked like a normal human being. They were only slightly raised corners, but still counted as a smile. My cheeks were blushing. I looked down quickly and reached out a little with my plate.

    "Here, sir. Your breakfast." Fuyu paused and put his icy face back on.

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    He picked up a plate and sat down at the table with it.

    "Bon appetit, sir."I whispered as I walked past him. He said nothing. I expected it, too, and went on to change.

    Afterwards, I went to prepare breakfast for the others.Breakfast time was almost set. I made them an omelette with vegetables and rice. Fuyu is no longer here, so he can''t complain that he had anything else. Haru, Natsu and Aki appeared for a time.

    "Good morning, Iruka."I was greeted by each of them and they sat down at the table.

    "Good morning, sir."I answered everyone and disappeared into the kitchen.

    I went to clean the kitchen. The boys ate it immediately and were nice enough to bring my plates to the kitchen.

    "Thank you. You could have left it there in peace. I''d collect it."I said gratefully.

    "We can still pick up a plate and take it away. Otherwise today Iruko will be helping Natsu in the garden this afternoon."Haru reported. Natsu smiled warmly at me.

    "Well, after I''ve washed the dishes and tidied up the first floor a bit. I''ll come help you, sir."

    "First of all, I''m no master of yours. Just call us Haru, Natsu and Aki. Second, when you clean up here, don''t go to the third floor, okay?"

    "Well. . . Understand."

    "Super. See ya in the afternoon ." The boys disappeared like steam over a pot and I went about my business. And the fact that I''d had enough of her. Like I said, I swept, dusted, cleaned their rooms and mine. Afterwards, I made lunch for the boys. Then I ate and washed the dishes again, and then I finally went to see Natsu.

    There was a giant garden behind the house. They normally had sit-ins with a fire pit, flower beds and herbs. At the back, the rays bounced off the surface of the samll lake, and last but not least, they had beds of vegetables and some fruit. And that''s where Natsu worked. Haru was also here, tending the beds of herbs. It was beautiful weather and perfect for gardening. I wiped my sweaty hands on my pants and went to help.

    "Sir. . . Sorry, Natsu, here I am."I announced.

    "Cool get a hoe and get to work.¡±

    We''ve been here for at least three hours. The sun is slowly falling over the horizon. Luckily, we were almost done. I was rummaging in the dirt when suddenly I came across a piece of glass hiding in the soil.

    "Damn it!"I swore. I sliced my entire palm in two.

    "Iruka, what happened? He asked Natsu worriedly.¡±

    "Nothing. I just cut myself."I replied, showing the hand that slowly began to ooze blood.

    Natsu froze. He was staring at my palm. He totally mesmerized her.

    "Natsu, what is it? You don''t like the sight of blood?" I asked carefully and started to hide my hand.

    Natsu said nothing. Suddenly, something incredible happened. I thought this could never even happen. Natsu''s whites turned black. His yellow eyes were richer, and his dolls narrowed into thin lines. It was something creepy. I screamed at the top of my lungs. Natsu just smiled, exposing his long fangs to me. I started to back away from the front. I got up and tried to run, but I tripped and fell. That broadened his smile more.

    "Oh, no." Haru sighed, terrified, nearby. Before Haru could react in any way, Natsu rushed toward me. That''s the end of me. I close my eyes tightly and pray for salvation.

    Waiting.. waiting.. But nothing happen. I open my eyes and Fuyu stands in front of me holding Natsa. Where did he come from so fast?!

    "Natsu, stop!"He shouted at him briskly, but Natsu was still trying to get to me. Instinctively, I recoiled again.

    "I want him." He rasped.

    "Aki! Haru! Help me get him to the basement!¡±

    Both showed up at their place in a flash and helped drag him away. He kept looking at me. His eyes and those sharp teeth. It''s not Natsu. That''s a monster. I have to run. I got up quickly and ran away. I gotta get out of here. I won''t be here another minute. What are they? Vampires don''t exist! Vampires don''t exist! I screamed at myself and continued to trudge along the way. I was running god knows where. I couldn''t quite see the road, either. It was getting dark, and the forest was getting denser. I ran for at least 20 minutes. I couldn''t do it anymore. I stumbled on a protruding root. I fell to the ground, but the dirt beneath me began to crumble. All I know is how I roll down the cliff. The precipice was full of bumps and rocks. I felt the searing pain of capture. My body was slowing down when I hit right in my temple on that last blow. The muffled pain spilled through the body. I can just feel my eyes closing. I need to rest for a while.

 Chapter no. 5 - Family

    The Naruna brothers'' secret has come out! How will Iruka cope with this situation? Will he continue to work for them? Is he sure he wants to be in a house full of vampires?

    Dream:

    It was a sunny summer''s day. I was playing in the garden. I was flying and trying to catch butterflies. I was just a baby. I was about a year old and barely able to walk, but I was so fascinated by butterflies that I gladly ran after them. However, someone grabbed me from behind and began to film with me. I couldn''t see the face, it was shrouded in blackness, but I could hear the sounds all too well. It was a laugh. A coarse, strong male voice laughing. I laughed, too. He spun me and spun me. Suddenly, I don''t know how, we appeared in a library.

    "Someday I''ll teach you all this, Iruka."The voice said again, but I didn''t know what. What will he teach me? What''s that supposed to mean? It was all gone again and I was in bed. The room was lit only by a burning candle. I felt scared. I was afraid of the dark. But the gentle touch put it all away. Someone was stroking my face. The fingers were soft and soft, as if an angel himself were touching you. A woman was bending over me. Her face was as veiled as the man had been. But I didn''t mind. I felt safe. The feeling of security warmed me all over. The woman began to hum what song. The melody was slow. There wasn''t much to pick up on, but the words played in my head.

    "Have all or nothing. To be a lowlife or a prince.

    Land far away, there are spells.

    Land far away, there are strange things.

    But do not be afraid, my dear.

    Welcome them and be vigilant. Protect her, cherish her like a mother.

    Well, she''ll give you a paw in tight spots, too.

    Iruka, the land is far away.

    This is where it all began and this is how it is.

    This is where it all ends and that is how it is. Iruko that land away.

    Don''t worry and keep going."

    As soon as she finished her song, she disappeared. And with it, everything. I found myself alone in the woods. I was so scared. There was no one around. Why did they leave me?

    "Mother..Mootheer!!¡±I screamed and I woke up.

    All dewy, I surged into a sitting position and tried to calm myself. I had this dream quite often in the beginning when I came to the orphanage. I was four years old when I was brought into the orphanage. He said I''ve had nightmares for half a year. Most likely from that solitude. I don''t remember them, but this dream was my awareness. It''s like it''s not a dream, it''s a memory.

    I immediately started looking around the room. It was my room at the brothers'' residence. I was in my bed. I sighed and lay down in bed. I closed my eyes for a moment and thought. It clicked right away.

    "Oh, my God, I''m at their house!"I yelped for the second time and surged up into a sitting position again.

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    I didn''t stay in it this time. I uncovered the covers and started to get up, but a whiff sped past me and I ended up lying in bed again. It was Haru. He held me and tried to smile, but it wasn''t the smile of a raccoon. There was something sad about him.

    "Calm down. We''re not going to hurt you."

    "Yeah, I could see that.." I said.

    "You have to lie down. You were unconscious for two days."

    "Two days?!"

    "Yes. You fell off a cliff. Fuyu went to look for you right after the incident. You''ve been hurt pretty badly."His voice was contrite.

    I felt sorry for him. He felt sorry for the incident. My heart sank. I wanted to see him laugh again. It didn''t suit him when he was sad. Mostly it made me feel sorry for myself. I was sorry I thought they were monsters, but they treated me well all the time. And I thought such horrific things about them. I''m sick of it.

    "Natsu''s not evil. He''s just... he''s not very good at controlling himself. We were going to tell you at the appropriate time, but because of the accident, events have turned out a little differently.."He smiled a little.

    "Natsu really regrets it. He sat here all day checking to make sure you were okay. We were all worried about you."

    ¡°You..are..worried about me?"I couldn''t believe it.

    "When-when you know me only briefly. How can you trust me? I can turn you in."

    Haru began to laugh at the top of his lungs. I cocked my head in puzzlement. What did I say now?

    "Turn us in? If you wanted to do that, you wouldn''t have left alive."Said the newcomer.

    The poisonous comment belonged to Fuyu. Haru glared at him.

    "Don''t scare him. He''s already confused."He rebuked him.

    Fuyu chuckled.

    "Could I ask you, I''d like to be alone for a while and sort my thoughts out. After all, I never believed vampires existed."

    Haru just nodded and got up. He walked slowly over to Fuyu and tapped him on the shoulder. Fuyu didn''t move, though. He focused his gaze on the window. He watched and said nothing.

    He watched and said nothing. I figured he must have been trying to tell me something, so I didn''t object.

    "Th-thank you. Thank you for saving me. For standing up to Natsu. Even for bringing me back. Thank you very much, sir. I''m indebted to you." I got out of bed and got down on my knees and bowed deeply.

    "Oh, my God, get up right now, you moron. You fell off a cliff. You''re lucky you only have bruises and scars. And you''re laying there on the ground. Are you crazy?!"He yelled at me from across the room. At vampire speed, he came running up to me and took it and threw it into bed.

    "Ouch! This isn''t helping me either!"I croaked.

    "Shut up." I just looked down and got more comfortable in bed. Why is he looking at me so worriedly? Do I look that bad?

    "Lift up your shirt."

    "Please?!"I caught my T-shirt and pulled it off more.

    "I''m a doctor. So shut up and roll up your shirt."

    "Pfff. I''ll trust you on that. ¡° I said ironically.

    It was as if a dark aura had formed around him. His face had turned black, and all you could see were the glowing blue eyes. I take it back. He sometimes looks like a monster.

    ¡°How dare you talk to me?! Take that shirt off!"He said in a deep and very stern voice.

    "I am so sorry, sir."

    Because I know what he does to people when they piss him off and when I add that he''s a vampire. I don''t want to tempt him. Haru had promised not to hurt me, but I wouldn''t be so sure about Fuyu. I took off my shirt and lay back on the covers. I looked at myself and I really looked terrible. My scars and chest were all over the place, and I had blue spots all over it. My right hand was tied. It was only now that I realized how badly my arm was hurting.Fuyu put on an icy expression again and began to feel my stomach and ribs in different ways.

    "Don''t wiggle. I need to see if they''re healing properly.¡±

    "But that hurts."

    "Then you''re not supposed to fall off a cliff."

    "You should have told me at the beginning."

    ¡°Are you still going to talk me back so casually?¡±

    "Excuse me, sir."And I looked down.

    "I''m not your owner to call me sir."

    "Understood."

    "That doesn''t mean you''ll talk to me as an equal. Just don''t say it too often, sir. It gets on my nerves."

    "As you wish.¡±

    "You seem to have it all bruised. It would be nice if you just lay there for a while, let your body regenerate in peace. Aki will bring you food afterwards."He said casually, and walked away.

    "Fuyu?"

    "Yes?"

    "Thank you."

    "Don''t thank. I will always protect you...Iruka."And he disappeared.

    I sat up like a scalded dog. I will always protect you.. We were worried about you.. What he said to me leftover is what blissful warmth you are. I feel... like I''m part of a family.

 Chapter no. 6

    I couldn''t sleep, as Fuyu had advised. I had to think about my dream. Why did he come back? Why did he dream like that to me now? Is that a memory? Were they really my parents? And that Fuyu..damn it... Why did he say that? Will it hurt me to hurt myself again? What''s all this about? I thought vampires didn''t exist. I want to go to an orphanage. I want back. I want to live in sweet ignorance. I miss the kids. I miss the governesses.

    "I miss you Momo-san..."

    "Who is Momo-sama?"

    "Aki?! What do you want here?!"

    "Hey, relax, why are you fuming? God, you''re terrible.."He snorted aloud. He was right. I went after him for no reason.

    "Sorry.¡±

    I looked down and started squeezing the covers. Aki smiled a little, put the tray of food on the bedside table, and sat down beside me. I was still playing with that piece of duvet. It was reassuring and I didn''t have to look at Aki. Aki, however, grabbed my wrist and, in doing so, stopped my action and forced me to look up at him.

    "Who''s Momo-san? Your mommy?"He asked, carefully and as quietly as if we were being listened to.

    "No. Well, yes, actually. be. I mean, she was my governess. She took care of me like her own. The beginnings were a little rough for me.."

    "How so?" He squeezed my hand a little harder as a sign that I didn''t have to worry.

    "Well . . . I was a very quiet kid, and most of the time I was more of a partisan. I didn''t excel at anything at school after that. I wasn''t the smartest, or the best in sports, or funny. I was more of a bag that everyone loved to kick. The only person I was talking to was her. I helped her, with cleaning and cooking. Then as an elder with younger children. But I was still mocked. She was my light in the dark."

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    "Oh . . . I understand when someone tells you you''re weird. That you''re...different." Aki''s voice cracked.

    He began to stare blankly into the corner of the room. I guess he remembered. I took my other hand and put it on his. He stared wide at my hand, and then at me. I smiled and urged him to talk.

    "I tried to go to school here on Earth. As a child, I was interested in the human world, and I think I''m pretty smart, so I thought some prestigious high school would amuse me. So I got in, but people didn''t like my eyes. I thought those people would be more intelligent when they were in a school like this. But the opposite was true. I suffered their insults. They called me a monster. I was trying to make friends with them. To show them it was a lie, but there was no point. And so I accepted who I was. monster"

    "No! Not Aki. You''re not a monster. None of you here are monsters. You''re good. And your eyes are amazing. Beautiful and original. They are a reflection of you and who you are. You''re a unique Aki.¡±

    I looked into his eyes. But not just superficially, but in depth. I searched and imploded in them. There was something different in each eye. In his right yellow eye, Aki was smiling, cheerful and carefree. He was like a little boy who liked to play with fallen leaves and enjoy the sunny days of autumn. But there was another self hiding in his red-tinted eye. His intellectual quiet self. A boy who was a vampire and could destroy everyone, but he was afraid. He was terrified and tried to run away from it all.

    Aki broke away and went to the door.

    "Thank you, Iruka. You are kind to us."

    And he closed the creaky door behind him. I looked at the table. There was rice with meat on a stick and steamed vegetables. I licked myself and got on with it. Oh dear, where does Momo-san come in? This is delicious! All right. Enough loitering. I have to go do something or I''ll go crazy. I scrambled out of the wonderfully fluffy duvet and got something to wear and went. I took the tray and went into the kitchen.

    "Oh, my God!"I yelped.

    I mean, Aki cooks great, but the mess does three times better than the food.

    "I''ll kill you, Aki."It was hard to get through the teeth.

    "Why?"Aki asked suddenly, standing behind me. I jumped up to the ceiling, startled by him.

    "What are you doing here?!"

    Aki smiled a little and began: "First, I heard my name. Second, Haru sends me for you because she thinks you should know all the facts now. So come on. ¡°

    Despite the horrific incident and the realization that my four employers are vampires. I decided to stay.

 Chapter no. 7. - Revelation

    We went up the stairs. Suddenly, he turned toward the stairs to the third floor. I stopped.

    "Aki? I''m not allowed to go there but."I said, almost soundlessly.¡±

    "Don''t worry, you''re allowed to now."He turned his head and smiled over his shoulder and moved on.

    I quickly caught up with Aki. Well, not much of a corridor. Old broken walls. Paintings of landscapes hung on the wall. They looked too beautiful, like it wasn''t ever from our world. At the end was a black door with a golden ball. We waited for nothing and stepped inside.

    The boys were sitting normally in their chairs. Behind them were portraits. I didn''t recognize any of them. There was a sign burned into the wall in the middle. They were four cross-shaped ripples bounded by a circle. Then, as I learned in the future, it is a hallmark of the Naruno genus.

    "Iruka, sit down." Natsu said. We sat in a wheelbarrow and waited to see who would start first. Haru took the floor.

    "Then, Iruka, listen. Let''s not drag this out any longer. There are things here on Earth that are mere fairy tales or myths, but not in the other worlds. So... I''m sure you learned in school that the universe is infinite with lots of planets. What they don''t teach you is that they don''t have so-called aliens living on them, but different beings that you''re more familiar with in fantasy. And these beings can travel between planets. "Aki took the floor.

    "Imagine it''s like some fantasy game where you can travel to different places using a portal. So that''s the way it is. These beings can summon a so-called gateway. To show you the gate, you need the keys. These gates and keys were founded by the founders of the universe, the Titans. It''s not quite what scientists on Earth have been explaining for centuries. No bang just happened. It was through magic. The magic of titan has given life to thousands of planets, or whatever we call them worlds. The Titans forged original keys to each world, too, and showed how to copy them so-called.¡±

    "Even here in the world, are there people who own a key?"I asked.

    "No. Once upon a time, the country lost its keyholders, who created the keys to the portal. For some reason, the People of Earth have done something that has left them at the mercy of exile."Fyuy replied.

    Aki nodded and continued.

    "As you do here on Earth, you have a government. That''s how it works in space, but they''re called Councils. It''s a complicated system because hopefully everything has some advice that you''re answering to. A council of worlds, a council of a separate world, a council of different kinds of beings or crafts, and so on. "

    "And these Titans can''t help returning Earth to the Council?"

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    "The Titans are long gone. After they taught the key-bearers their art. They send off and no one knows where.¡±

    "Oh. And who are you? You''re vampires, aren''t you? Are you the same as they say on Earth? Are you like Dracula?"

    "It''s complicated. We''re different from the others.. The thing about vampires is we can die. However, there is a substance in the air on Earth that strengthens our bodies and makes us virtually immortal here. We call it netrix. We are essentially immortals here on Earth. Our regeneration in the other worlds works, but more slowly and not for all injuries. Our speed and power is what they say, but when it comes to garlic and silver, they''re just stories."

    ¡°All right... I still get that, but what do you eat? You only eat animal blood, don''t you?"

    Natsu burst out laughing. The others chuckled, too. That''s gross. I don''t know anything about them, and they''re like this. bastard

    "Animals? Hahaha... Of course we eat people''s blood."Natsu smiled, and his teeth sharpened ever so slightly. I shuddered a little.

    "Don''t worry. We''re taking packages from the hospital. We don''t hurt people. Unless there are bad people like murderers, criminals, etc.¡±

    "Ugh. I was startled."And I smiled again.

    "How come you''re different?"I haven''t forgiven myself for the question.

    They gnawed at me from the very beginning. Everyone fell silent and looked down at the ground. Their faces paled. Only Fuyu found the courage to tell me.

    "We''re not purebred vampires. Our father was a vampire and our mother a magician. Once, wizards fought a war with vampires. Vampires didn''t enact the laws of wizards for centuries, until war broke out. My mother was a member of the council of magicians. She believed we shouldn''t handle this with violence. She was a naive pacifist."He smirked and went on:

    "She met a young man she fell in love with once. What she didn''t know was that it was a vampire. When she found out, she was expecting me. But she still loved him, and decided to stay with him. Unfortunately, even though we lived undercover and cut off from the world when Aki was born, someone turned us in. The father was burned and the mother expelled. The council took it hard that a council member fell in love with a vampire. But thanks to their love, the war is over, and now for more than 1,000 years our world has lived in relative peace. We''ve been driven here, to Earth. We''ve inherited some of her powers. Unfortunately, she couldn''t live on Earth, her magic, which was entwined with her life, couldn''t handle human conditions. Her strength came from nature itself, which gradually began to leave here. After her death we went for a while, each traveling on his own, but then together we returned to Taiy¨­. Which is a neutral world, one of the few in the universe. They trained as hunters, and now we hunt down defectors who do damage here. Not everyone wants to be nice. I loathe any Council, but without them, the universe would be in chaos."

    His cold eyes stopped watching me and pointed at the portrait.

    There was a young woman in a blue and blue dress. Her golden hair fell around her round face and ended up on her breasts. They were shiny and slightly wavy. There was a silver tiara in her hair and a kind of malachite or emerald in the middle. Her skin was as white as snow. Except for two pink-tinted cheeks. A beautiful smile played on her face. Her white teeth were capped with red lipstick that matched her dark brown eyes perfectly. There was joy, tenderness, love and goodness in the picture.

    "What was her name?"I thoughtlessly asked.

    "Gaia." Aki replied.¡±

    "I''m sorry."

    "It''s been a long time. You know everything now, so you can go about your business."He hissed grumpily at Fyu and disappeared.

    "I''m sorry about him." Haru apologized.

    "That''s good. I get them just like that."I smiled.

 Chapter no. 8 - Dryad

    Many weeks have passed since the Naruna brothers'' secret. It was complicated to understand, but he''s got used to And he loved working with them. Everything went like clocks. But something wasn''t right. Iruka did not find the vampire''s life so peaceful. I mean, until now, he thought so.

    ¡°She''s finally come out of hiding! Here we go! Where are you all?!"He shouted Natsa all over the place.

    We were all in the cafeteria. I made a fruitcake. I kind of didn''t understand what was going on.

    "Finally."Fuyu smiled a little.

    "What''s going on?"I asked.

    "What led us to Earth after so many years was a creature called a dryad. But she''s been good and shrewd here for the best part of 12 years."Haru replied.

    "Dryads are a bitch. They can take another person''s form and memories, so you can''t tell the difference until they reveal themselves. They won''t last very long, but this dryad has been terrorizing for a long time. We thought she was just killing misery and indulging in the suffering of her host. But this one is different. And since, as of the few hunters, we have a base on Earth, we are responsible for it."Aki added by way of explanation.

    "Quickly. Let''s go before he disappears again. Where you saw her."He ordered Fuya.

    "At the orphanage."

    "I want to come."I blurted out. I was terrified for Momo-san and the children.

    "No!"

    "Why not?!"

    "Fuyu is right, Iruka. You''re only human and you must not be threatened."With a cool head, Haru explained to me about fuyu, who in turn had his eyes glazed with anger.

    I just nodded.

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    There was a draught around me and everyone was gone.

    "I can go now."I smiled a little and ran quickly into the garage. I took my bike and raced to Momo-san

    The children ran screaming in all directions. They were all over the streets, trying to get as far away from the care home as possible with panic in their eyes. I didn''t see my governess, but I didn''t see my governess, so I continued. I braked in front of the entrance. He jumped off his bike and ran to the back garden. I stopped. I locked eyes with the person on the ground. That''s impossible.

    "MOMO-CHAN!!!"I quickly ran after her.

    She raised her green eyes to me and smiled at me.

    "Not Iruka!" Fuyu yelled at me.

    I didn''t listen to them and kept running. I was almost there. She rose and held out her hand. I''ve caught her before. Momo-san smoothed her over and grabbed me by the throat.

    "You stupid bastard."

    Her voice sounded different from what I remember.

    "It''s finally breaking out. You''re the apprentice all the time."The devil''s laughter echoed in my ears.

    "What are you talking about?" Natsu shouted.

    "Vampires are really stupid. Can''t you feel it? That smell of magia. Mmmmm. Old magic."She soaked up my scent and her eyes suddenly turned purple.

    The whole thing started falling apart in pieces. Her skin was gray on her arms and over half her face. A long, frayed hair of fire was rampant from her head. Her clothes also turned into a bit of green fabric. I felt long, sharp nails on my neck. Another finger grew out of her hand. It was revolting as the whole thing grew slowly. A claw protruded from her elbows.

    "Momo-san?" She began to laugh horribly again.

    ¡°The fat crone''s been dead for over a year. She saw my transformation into another body. So she paid... with hers. Hahahhahaha!! But you. How''d he hide it so well all this time, huh? Say!"

    "I don''t know what you''re talking about." I burst into unstoppable tears.

    What has this woman done? Momo-san... is she dead? How could she? She killed the only thing I could call family. All memories flooded in immediately, darkening my head. Everything was piling up and piling up. I didn''t want to believe it. I couldn''t. What am I going to do without her? How did I not know it wasn''t her? I''m lost without her. Without it, I''m dead. The creature''s laughter brought me back to reality. I started shaking my head.

    "You''re lying.."

    ''What did you say, silly? "

    "You''re lying!!!"I screamed at the top of my voice.

    Suddenly, her grip relaxed. It flew a few feet away from me. It''s like I pushed her away. I fell to the ground.

    "You bastard!"

    She swore and was about to lash out at me again, but they put her in the way. Natsu and Haru.

    "Where do you think you''re going?" Natsu asked her. "

    Ha. You''re still here. No chance, vampire." Natsu snorted.

    "Vampires, eh? Bring it on."Haru challenged her.

 Chapter no. 9 - Fight

    Aki quickly took me and carried me to safety on the roof. I couldn''t even blink and I was gone. Fuyu sat at my right side and Aki at my left.

    "So you want to fight, do you? Hahaha. Do you poor vampires know who I am?"

    "Just a simple dryad.¡± Natsu retorted.

    "Ordinary?! I''m from the Doraiado Alliance. I''m Gina, you fool!"She yelled at them in her high-pitched voice.

    "What''s he talking about?" I asked.

    "There are a lot of alliances in the world. It''s kind of like one-of-a-kind tribes. They''ve got different names and really powerful ones. The one in the alliance it''s from is the Dead Forest Dryad Alliance. They live in the forest and their specialty is that they have silver in their bodies. That''s why his skin is gray. The speciality is that they can make thin threads of silver in your body that can burn through your skin to the bone.. We call them spiders."

    "That''s terrible! Shouldn''t we be helping them?"

    "No! Natsu and Haru know what to do. We wouldn''t be doing this job if we were incompetent." Fuyu retorted.

    I didn''t say anything anymore. And he continued to watch the duel.

    Natsu laughed at her. Gina stood scalded. Haru chuckled, too.

    "And do you know who we are?" He asked Natsu darkly. Natsu''s left hand suddenly flared. Gina took a backward step. She couldn''t believe it.

    ¡°You- you''re the Naruno brothers?!" She stammered.

    All the brothers present bared their white teeth. Gina quickly shook herself, however, and resumed her smug expression.

    "Come on, you bastards!!" She screamed and spread her legs in an attacking position. Natsu and Haru both imitated her stance.

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    "What? Do you have powers?!" I exclaimed thoughtlessly.

    "Yeah. We''ve told you.¡± Fuyu spluttered. God why does he always have to respond in that nasty tone.

    "I should have sensed it."

    "It''s probably not true that dryads can sense species of beings."He spoke casually to Haru.

    "Bastards!!"

    Thin silver threads shot from his fingers. They were barely visible.

    "Look out!" I warned, but the boys disappeared because of their speed.

    Soon they were back in place. Both had turned white. It was scary. Their eyes began to shine brighter. The dolls were as thin as a snake''s eyes. Natsu''s hands flared.

    "I''ll burn you, you beast." He drilled Natsu and ran against Gina.

    He reached out and it looked like he was going to get a good fist from him, but it didn''t. She dodged! How come she can be so fast? She fired her threads again. Unfortunately, Natsu has not shied away. She bound him with her threads, like a fly caught by a spider.

    "Natsu!" I stood up and tried to stop it, but Aki pinned me to the ground again.

    Gina began to laugh ominously. It hurt Natsu. He writhed in pain. Gina, however, forgot that Haru was still here. The one from the far tree watched the action.

    "Treecage!"

    Haru roared, and the tree branches began to move. Indeed, the branches began to form around Gina''s cage. Natsu melted the fibers and freed himself from it.

    "The flames of hell!"

    The whole cage burst into flames. That bitch won''t survive. I thought. When the smoke died down, there was a shell of silver in the middle of it all. It slowly began to destroy itself, until finally all the fragments flew away. Unfortunately, Gina came out of them.

    "I''ve had enough." She said through her teeth.

    She started growing out of her back as she went along. Are those branches? There were really branches sticking out of her back that resembled wings. All of a sudden, guys are throttling blades of grass from underneath. The boys tried to flinch but couldn''t. Gina broke the silence again with her laugh. She spread her arms and wrapped them around her threads. Boys moan loudly. Aki, too, was a little shaken with fear. Fuyu didn''t budge. He still had his stony face. Haru, however, began to laugh, too. That quieted Gina.

    "What are you laughing at?!" She yelled at Haru.

    "To you."Haru replied.

    Gina sank into the ground. Only her head was left sticking out.

    "Next time, watch where you''re going."Haru added, extricating himself from the thread. Even Natsu tore her threads. Unable to focus on her abilities, Natsu and Haru took advantage.

    "I said you''d burn."He smiled and set it on fire.

    Her screams were unbearable. We had to cover our ears. When the screaming stopped, where Gina had been, the ground just closed back to its original state. Natsu merely turned to us and solemnly embraced Haru.

    The crisis was sparked.

 Chapter no. 10 - Memories

    The fight was over, and I moved silently to the inside of the building. Sadness caught up with me before I could get my head around what had happened. I went to see Momo-chan''s room. Why did I treat her so badly at first? Oh, I''m so sorry. Our unnecessary arguments, over nothing. I had so much anger in me. So petty and useless everything seems. I was going to have it all burned down and along with it. Her chest was so excruciatingly heavy. I thought I was carrying a ticking bomb in it that would go off if I tried to breathe.

    I went to our showroom wall. We''ve been taking pictures for generations and adding them to the wall here so we don''t forget. I stopped by my picture. I sided with the kids. Both in the photo and normally. But one thing in that photo was perhaps more precious to me than everything. One person at my side. The only person who cared about me despite my lack of interest. The only person who''s ever been there for me. Momo-san.

    "What''s that?"

    "Pictures. Such a tradition."

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    "Oh, and where are you?"

    "Here." He stood behind me, looking over my shoulder where I was pointing.

    "Eh. I see you''re still the same little guy."He whispered in my ear.

    I quickly turned around and took off right after him

    "Look, if that''s all you came for, you can get out of here again!"And I tried to punch that indifferent face of his.

    Fuyu caught my hand as soon as I threw it. He stared at me for a moment with his trademark cool expression. Then he just smiled a little and said: "Momo-sama must have been a fine woman."He made no comment.

    Great? She was divine! Sadness wrapped his hands around my heart and squeezed it tight. I burst into unstoppable tears. Fuyu pulled me close and held me tight. The ticking bomb snapped and could not be stopped. It was, perhaps, more pain than it had been a few minutes before. It was all drilling to the surface in a giant avalanche of blubber. If he hadn''t held me, I would have fallen to the ground by now. When I calmed down, I pulled away from him a little.

    "I will always protect you. I won''t let anything happen to you. Not just me, but all of us."He said very clearly, almost proudly, aloud.

    I never thought I''d hear something like that. Most of all, I didn''t expect those words from him at all. His brothers are so lucky to have an older brother as strong as Fuyu.

 Chapter no 11 - Apprentice

    It''s been a few weeks since Momo-san''s death and the battle with insane Gina. Iruk, unable to bear the bitter sensation in his chest, immediately returned to work.

    I was wiping dust from the third-floor candlesticks. God really can''t clean it? I was moaning more abuse at those pigs that look like people when I heard their voices. Their door was slightly ajar. As quietly as I could, I approached them and listened.

    ¡°Do you think what Gina said was true?"

    "I''m sure it is. Driads really have a great sense of smell to recognize beings and their origins." Aki replied to Haru.

    "But how come we didn''t notice? Was it some will of a higher power to come to us? What is he, then?" He spouted questions from Natsu and they were quite spot on. And the others had no answers.

    It''s Iruk. Nothing about him has changed. He''s still the same guy we hired."Aki said matter-of-factly.

    "Fuyu... Do you think Iruka knows?" He asked Haru with a serious expression.

    "What am I supposed to know?"

    Oh, shit. I said it out loud. Absent-mindedly, I pushed open the door and asked straight away*. That wasn''t a good idea.*

    "Actually . . . can I dust here?"I tried a weak smile and scratched nervously at the back of my head.

    Everyone was staring at me in amazement. I looked at them and had strange feelings about their expressions. Natsu was grinning as always. Haru smiled pleasantly at me. Aki had his quiet, vague expression. And Fuyu? I shouldn''t have even looked at him. He had that strange darkness about him again, rippling. And his eyes were like the eyes of the devil.

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    "Eeeee! I''d rather go elsewhere. Or you know what? I''ll pop into town to do some shopping. Bye." I started to run away, but Fuyu grabbed me from the back of the collar and pulled me back.

    That''s my death. Momo-san, I''m coming to you. Fuyu threw me into a chair and sat back in his seat. All eyes were on me. God, why are they staring? I just stirred a little, and they immediately added to the intensity of their gaze. Fuyu cleared his throat, drawing attention to him.

    "Iruka?"

    "Yes?¡±

    "What do you remember about your parents? Do you remember anything outside the children''s home?"

    That question completely derailed me. She hasn''t been asked in a long time. When was the last time? 11 years ago? My fear was gone, replaced by sadness. I hung my head and settled more into the chair.

    "I don''t know."I whispered after a moment of silence.

    How much I wanted to remember their faces. How much did I look like them? Why did they leave me? They didn''t love me? I was the waste that made life difficult for them. I was just a mistake in their lives. I''m nothing to anyone. I felt a touch on my knee. It was Haru''s hand. He smiled at me, and wiped away a tear as carefully as he could. I didn''t even notice I was crying.

    "I don''t remember anything. I have only fragments for voices and for faceless figures. But I don''t know if they''re just fabrications or real memories. I don''t know how or why I found myself there. I just woke up there outside the door."

    Aki nodded meaningfully. Fuyu rested his chin on his hand, thinking. Natsu stared at the ground. Haru squeezed my knee a little and made me look at him.

    "It doesn''t matter that you don''t remember. We didn''t know you had that." He soothed me with words.

    There was a pause. No one wanted to go on, but I have a lot of questions. I was gnawed by what Gina said about me. I needed to know. It''s time for answers.

    ¡°W-what do I know?"I asked, my voice a little shaky.

    ¡°Why did Gina call me an apprentice? What does that mean?" I went on with a slightly firmer voice.

    There was silence. I waited to see who would answer. I watched Fuya because I knew he would answer me, but he had a strange expression. Was there fear behind that stony face? What''s going on?

    "Y-you''re not human . . . y-you are."Haru''s voice broke. He couldn''t pronounce it.

    ¡°You''re a wizard."Aki said, loud and clear.

    Wait... what? It can''t be..

 Chapter no. 12 - Magician

    Iruka Huro has lived for eighteen years under the assumption that he is an unloved useless boy who only survives. But what if he finds out he''s more than just an ordinary person? What did fate have in store for him? And what does it mean to be a magician?

    Okay... I have to process this. One... two... one...two... no I''m not giving it... I got up and started running madly around in the wheel. Yes normal people would sit and try to process it, but no I have other methods. Running and screaming around the room, he''s more savvy.

    "God, what is it? Should I be worried? Will I have another skin too? I don''t want to be gray! What if I''m purple? I don''t want to be blueberry! Ahhh, what''s going on here?! Will I have a wand from now on? I get into a secret school, what''s in Scotland? ¡°

    Fuyu''s patience ran out, and as I ran past him, he punched me and I fell to the ground.

    "Fuyu, are you normal?!¡± Haru chided him and rushed to me at once.

    "My ears hurt." He answered him curtly, as if nothing had happened. Haru just glared at him and shifted his attention to me.

    "Are you all right? Are you in pain?"

    "No. It''s okay. I needed it."

    "That''s why I did it."

    "Fuyu shut up!"Haru called him again.

    He helped me up and back to my original seat.

    "What does that mean, then? What is this apprentice? Am I from another planet? Am I going to change? This is too much for me. You''re crazy haha.. no I''m crazy. This is some stupid dream."I was literally panicking.

    "Calm down. We''ll explain everything." Haru said.

    "Perhaps you''ve heard stories about wizards, and what they can''t do?"Aki asked.

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    "Yes, but what of it is true and what is not? With you, it''s not all true either."

    "Well, you''re right. Let''s start with your skills, then." Aki cleared his throat and began.

    Your powers are actually dimensionless. Everything you''ve heard is true. You can do anything. There are clouds and clouds of magic. That is why wizards are recognised in all worlds. You''re splitting into three groups. Apprentices, wizards and wizards. It''s down to how strong you are."

    "And can I tell what category I belong to?"

    "Good question, Iruka. You have levels. You''re level one, but this doesn''t really cut it. The important thing is the exams, which are done every year. You just have to have a certain level, but it''s all decided by tests anyway."

    "So I don''t have to deal with those levels super. The world is a little easier.¡±

    Aki frowned at my cynical response.

    "Well, you can''t really deal with it, but there''s an institute that records and polices it." Haru replied.

    "What are the tests? Like at school?" The boys burst into unstoppable laughter. I''ll probably kill them soon and there''ll be peace. I thought.

    "No, silly. Wizards fight each other, and the strongest ones get on some left. To become an apprentice, you have to pass three left-field exams." Aki explained to me again.

    "Wait for the apprentices are exams, too?!"

    "Yes. As I told you, this is a recognised position and the council will not allow anyone to be a magician. Since a magician isn''t limited to race, it''s more of a position, and it''s a lot harder to hold that position.¡±

    "Welcome to the magic game, the great wizard.¡± Natsu joked.

    "So what''s going to happen to me now?"

    "We''re going to Taiyo. We''ll be there for a while to book you and teach you some magic. We have to go anyway because of that monster Gina" Fuyu said.

    I went pale all over. Should I leave this place? Who would have expected these things to happen when I left the orphanage threshold? Where are the old carefree days? I can''t believe it. My employer is four vampires. My governess was a freaky dryad for a year that killed her in cold blood. And now I''m supposed to be a magician? Is that even possible? I''m nothing. Unloved, unwanted, alone. I''m just a lost soul with no place..

    "Iruka, don''t worry. The first exams are written. You don''t have to worry. You just cram in the basics and it''s in your pocket. Then we''ll go back and practice here. We''re not asking you to move into the unknown."Haru spoke to me, noticing that I was saddened.

    I didn''t answer. I had to remember. All previous and temporary memories have returned. But one decided it all.

    "Good. Here we go." I''m determined.

    I want to be a magician. I thought of Momo-san and how the beast had killed her. I wasn''t there, but it still hurts. I must protect this world, even if it costs me every penny.

 Chapter no. 13

    It''s a deep and windless night outside. There are thousands of shining sheep in the sky and their pimp in a silver jacket. I lay in the grass and watched them graze. I couldn''t sleep. I still can''t understand it. There''s no way I''m worthy of that kind of power. I''m just a man. What if I can''t do it? What if I''m not needed in anything?

    I sighed and put my hands behind my head. I was thinking about how the boys told me I''d go hunting with them to work my magic. What if I don''t even give the basics? I''ll be useless again. So many things I can''t do. I won''t be as strong as they are. I''ll just be disappointed.

    "What are you doing outside? You want a cold?" I open my eyes and a pair of yellow eyes bend over me.

    "It''s warm. And hopefully I can move around as much as I want."

    "Yes. That''s right." Natsu grumbled.

    He lay down carefully beside me. I turned my head and looked at him.

    "What are you doing?"

    "I''ll keep you company."

    ¡°Well okay..."

    I stared into his eyes. They were magical. So playful and wild. They made me watch all the time.

    We were lying there, looking at each other. Nobody said anything. We didn''t need to. After a ten-minute pause, we began to talk about various serious and stupid things. Unfortunately, sleepiness caught up with me, and I slowly closed my eyes. Natsu cut off our eye contact and got up. He took me in his arms and carried me back to the house. I was already half asleep, but the smell of it kept me awake. His fragrance was a combination of salty sea breeze and sand on which the sun''s harsh rays beat all day, but it also smelled the sweetness of orange blossoms and spiced ginger. He put me on the bed. After a while, the bed went under his weight. He stayed by my side as a faithful guardian before my invisible hands pulled me into that realm.

    "Good night, Iruka."He whispered and kissed my hair.

    ¡­.

    "Don''t you want to get up, Sleeping Beauty?" I peel my eyes away from me. God, it was going so hard.

    "Get out of my room."

    "This is my room . . . baka."

    "Your. . . room?¡±

    I look around, and there''s really nothing I recognize. I lay there contemplating for a while, and then it hit me.

    "Your room!!"I screamed and sprang quickly into a sitting position.

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    "Wait. Where are my pants? Where''s my shirt? What have you done to me?!"

    Natsu pulled on his jeans and gagged at me. His fiery red hair was sleeked back. He looked better that way. He sat next to me shirtless. He had a perfectly sported physique. Above all, the muscles of his hand were wide and drawn out, and he had the slight outline of a six-pack on his stomach. I was beside him like bone and skin.

    "I undressed you. I hope you wouldn''t sleep in your clothes. "

    "But..but.."

    "Your stuff''s over there. So get dressed. You''ve got to make us breakfast."And he grimaced again.

    I quickly got out of bed and started pulling on my pants. Good thing he didn''t strip me whole. I thought. Natsu pulled back his T-shirt and walked away. When he slammed the door shut, I quickly put on the rest and ran to make breakfast.

    I made pancakes with fruit for breakfast. The boys at the table sat quietly and ate. Since Momo died, I''ve been able to eat with them. It''s been a few weeks, but they want to keep an eye on me for eating healthy. They know full well what it''s like to lose a parent and how to keep an eye on a person. It wasn''t like they were standing over me guarding my every move, but they were watching over me from afar, and it helped me more than I expected. Even Fuyu let me sit at the table when they eat, so I''ll take that as a pretty big gesture. At least from him. My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by his resonant voice.

    "Iruka, what were you doing in Natsu''s room?¡± Fuyu asked.

    What? Oh, yeah. He saw me this morning. How do I leave my room and... put my shirt on...God, what do they think of me now? I don''t want him to think something that isn''t true.

    "He slept at my place.''Casually, Natsu replied.

    "Why?"He asked Fuyu coldly.

    ¡°Because we were talking at night and he fell asleep so I took him to my bed."

    He couldn''t have said it any worse.

    "To bed, eh?" Fuyu said, raising one eyebrow.

    "Nothing happened!"I blurted out.

    They all looked at me with exactly the same surprised expression. They really looked alike now.

    "Well, then you can come sleep at my place tonight, too, and we won''t be doing anything."Aki said wryly.

    I swelled up and, furious, took the plate from myself and the others and went to wash it.

    "Inane, unbalanced teens."I was chattering at the sink.

    "We heard you."They''ll say at once. I growl loudly and continue to scrub plates.

    "When you''ve cleaned up, pack up. We''ll go to Taiyo." He said softly, Fuyu leaning against the doorframe again.

    "Good."I''ve been whispering and getting on with the job.

    Fuyu came and hugged me from behind. I''ve stopped all activities. Perhaps I had stopped breathing, too. My heart wasn''t beating.

    "What are you doing?"I scooped through a lump in my throat.

    "Don''t worry, I''m just getting napkins." It all came back to me.

    God, it was so embarrassing. He was really just taking napkins out of me. And I thought he was hugging me. I''m the naive one. I hung my head and kept going.

    All right, here we go. I''ve got everything packed. I''m told we''ll be staying there for a few weeks. They have a house somewhere that we''re going to live in. I put the last button on my shirt and followed the boys to the third floor. Everyone was standing there. They had no backpacks with them. It dawned on me right then that they weren''t needed. Aki pulled out a gold key and said: "Open to Take to Taiyo! I''m a ferryman and I''m ordering you to open up!¡±

    Suddenly, a keyhole appeared. Aki inserted a key and a giant golden door was revealed. They contained carved ornaments resembling flowers. In the center was a great sun that would have sucked like heat itself. The gate opened. There was pure light in it. Aki smiled a little and stepped inside. Haru and Natsu followed. It was my turn. But I was afraid. I started shaking. Fuyu grabbed my hand. I looked at him with a question in my eyes.

    "Come on." He pulled my arm, and we melted into the light.

 Chapter no. 14 - First Kiss

    We were somewhere in the middle of a long grassy meadow. I began to look around enthusiastically, but, like my enthusiasm, I tasted disappointment. Nothing special compared to Earth. It was all the same. One sun. Blue skies. Lovely weather. Nothing unusual. As I suspected. My imagination isn''t too exuberant to imagine anything more interesting.

    "Then welcome to Taiyo."Haru said.

    Haru took a step to the right, and a giant city seemed to conjure up behind him. At first glance, I was intrigued by the fleshy stony walls. Just a few steeples and tips of houses, you could see over these walls. Without saying a word, we made our way to the city, and my whole body was flooded with endorphins again. I couldn''t stand to walk in peace, trotting at a slow pace toward a closer adventure.

    I stopped in front of an enormous wooden gate. Such as I had always imagined in medieval times, and adorned with a black flag adorned with the ornament of a yellow sun.

    "Iruka! Come on!"Natsu chided me. I recovered quickly and ran after them.

    We were immediately sucked into the vortex of the city. Outside the gate was a square of souvenirs and various food stalls. The sounds chirped with the bustle of the city, and the smells of the familiar and the unknown tempted me to go and see the stalls closer. Traders were addressing passers-by, trying to sell them their wares, the best they could find here, they said. I didn''t feel like leaving the market at all. I tasted a small piece, but I wanted more, yet Natsu was already pulling me away. Beyond the market were houses. They were different sizes of shapes and colors. The only thing that connected them was the material they were made of. The most common and probably most used was stone and wood. Everything looked like something out of a picture of a European village that I had glimpsed as a child in a textbook. Everything here was so magically beautiful and old. Except for the clothes, that is. They have the same thing as me. It''s kind of a modern medieval or fantasy game.

    "We have to go to City Hall. She''s this way come on."He explained to Haru and turned into the right alley.

    "Iruka, stick with us."He ordered Fuya. I nodded and followed.

    I don''t even know which way we went. We kept turning and swerving. I have no idea how, but we found ourselves in another square that was much bigger than the one at the beginning. In the center was a tall building with two turrets. A sign above the door read ''Town Hall.'' Fortunately, the writing here was the same.

    I kind of had a weird feeling. My hands started sweating. That''s not a good sign. I even stopped in front of the entrance and couldn''t go any further. The muscles in my legs went completely limp and I couldn''t move. It was horrible. I don''t have good experience with officials. All they did for me was callously dump me. And they were still mean to me.

    "Come on, Iruka, let''s go."I was spurred on by Aki. I shook my head and became more stunned.

    "Come on. They won''t hurt you there."

    "I''m not going."

    "Come on!"Fuyu chided me with that horrifying husky voice of his.

    "No."I said take it easy. I wasn''t scared of him at all. Somehow those officials scared me more.

    "Hey, Iruka, I''ll give you a choice, either you come with me or Fuyu beats you up here in front of everybody and you don''t want that, do you?¡±

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    They cajoled me like that for another five minutes or so. Rather, they were raising their voices to me. I was hardened like a jackass. Not one step further. And guess who cracked the first nerve? Fuyu slung me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and went in with me. I immediately started hitting him on the back and shouting at the whole office:

    "Let me go! Let me go you...you... I don''t want to go in there, you hear me! Officials are mean. They''ll eat me! hear I have an officephobia. They make me panicky. You can''t take a man with an officephobia in. I''m going crazy. Please... let me go!!!!"

    Well, I drew attention to myself again, even though I didn''t want to. Everyone turned behind us, and whoever listened a little to my laments burst into unstoppable laughter.

    Fuyu carried me up to the second floor, where he threw me on to the sofa.

    "Ouch!"I hissed in pain.

    "Shut up."He said through his teeth and knocked on the door.

    I''ve had a little rest from my vocal cords. Everyone focused on the voice outside the door. That was my opportunity. I crept slowly away.

    "Come in!" It sounded and Fuyu entered.

    I was already gone when Natsu grabbed me by the collar of my T-shirt. And he dragged me through the door.

    ''I don''t want to go!!"I screamed and didn''t stop until the door closed.

    Like Fuyu, Natsu threw me into the chair and left me there.

    "Oh my sweet brothers Naruna!!" There was a man''s voice, which sounded rather effeminate. I look at the table and there''s a guy in a pink jacket. I guess it''s clear to everyone what I thought of him at the time. But it wasn''t meant to be mean more sarcastic, I swear!

    The man rose from the table. He was even wearing trousers of the same hue. Fortunately, he was wearing a white shirt, but on the other hand, a purple tie with a tiger design. His hair was blonde with gel slicked back.

    "Hello, F¨¢bio." The boys said hello in a chorus. F¨¢bio came up to them and kissed each side of the face. How disgusting.

    "What do you boys want here? You didn''t just come to visit F¨¢bia, did you? That''s not your style."And winked at Fuyo. He just rolled his eyes and continued to stand with his arms folded across his chest.

    ¡°We''ve come to register a magician. We found it just by chance on Earth. He didn''t know about his background until now." Haru replied and stepped back so I could be seen. Fabio''s blue eyes brightened.

    "Oh dear, you''re so sweet. What''s your name, baby?" I stood up and smiled nervously.

    ¡°I am Huro Iruka. Nice to meet you."And I reached out to shake his hand.

    "Oh, what a hand. Come on!"And he gave me a kiss!!!!

    "Whaaaaat? How dare you, sir!!!"I flew out of my skin.

    The way my first kiss was! He robbed me of my first kiss. He''ll pay for it.. I tried to punch him, but Haru grabbed me and held me close.

    F¨¢bio put his hand in front of his mouth and began to hype.

    "Sorry, I got carried away."

    "I got carried anway you..."

    "Enough, Iruka!"Fuyu chided me. I''d rather quit.

    "I''m at peace now, demon."I said, though I said the comment about the demon quietly.

    "So, Fabio, we want to register him, so come on.¡±

    Fabio nodded and walked to his desk. He took out the scroll and unfolded it. He put his hands over it and closed his eyes. Letters began to rise from the scroll. They circled us, slowly landing on me.

    "What the..."

    "Don''t worry. move"Haru calmed me down quietly.

    The letters began to sink into me, gradually disappearing. Suddenly they were all inside me. Fabio opened his eyes and looked at me.

    ¡°You''re now officially registered as a category one magician. Don''t worry about the letters. They won''t hurt you. It''s just a kind of sign that we''ve registered you here. Sort of an ID card. You don''t have to worry. That''s how we''re going to monitor your magical level. You can come and see her anytime."He said in a frighteningly normal voice.

    "Good. thank"I answered and smiled sincerely.

    "Come on, guys, good to see you. I hope to see you again sometime. Maybe come visit sometime. We''ll have fun together."And he licked himself sweetly.

    Who is this guy? I thought.

    "Let''s go. I have appointments here that are urgent."

    I sincerely regret that client.

    "Thank you, Fabio, and goodbye." Fuyu said goodbye and I just waved to the others and we left. Finally out of that institution. I hope I don''t have to come here anymore.

    "Now what?"I asked.

    "We''re going to our house and we''ll take you to rehearsals tomorrow."Aki answered with ease.

    Oh, great. Things are getting better around here.

 Chapter no. -15 New Friend

    The next day came so quickly, it was as if someone had snapped their fingers and the new day was out in the world. I made a little breakfast this morning. They didn''t have much here, but it was enough for ordinary omelettes. We ate with bullets together at the same table. It was an amazing feeling to eat with them and sit so close to them. That''s when I remembered our first time at the table. I mean, more like the way Fuyu threw me. I had to smile. It hurt me, and I''m more afraid of Fuyo than I am of the officials, but it''s a mix-up.

    "What are you smiling about?"He asked, with his mouth full, Natsu.

    "Nothing. I''m just in a good mood."I replied, smirking more.

    "Don''t worry, he''ll get over it."Said Fuyu, smiling slightly.

    He''s really weird when he smiles. I don''t mean it the other way around. He looked good.

    After we finished eating, the boys went back to the town hall. I clearly said I wasn''t going, so I set about cleaning up. I''m still being paid, and even if we''re not on Earth, I have work obligations either way. I tied my hair back in a little ponytail and went for it.

    An unreal mess, as always. It took me two hours and I just wiped the dust, swept, and washed the dishes. It''s been awful here. But somehow I''ve gotten used to it. As I was cleaning things back to the cubby, I heard the door click.

    "We''re here!"Haru yelled at the whole house.

    "Yeah. I''m not deaf."I croaked and walked out of the cubbyhole.

    "Oh, sorry. I thought you were upstairs."Haru apologized to me on my arrival.

    "All right. So are we going to sign me up then?"

    "You''re kind of excited for me."Aki smiled faintly.

    And he was right, I was really looking forward to it. I wasn''t exactly the type to like to try or discover noc¨¦ things, but it''s completely different here. Hell, I''m on another planet where there''s magic! I thought. This is where my new life begins. In fact, since I left the orphanage threshold, my life has been like one big adventure for me. So why not look forward?

    I didn''t answer Aki. I got lost in thought. All of a sudden, someone''s poking me in the face. I wake up from a trance and see Natsu''s finger stuck in my face.

    "Yeah. He is live." He spoke to Natsu and grinned.

    "Sorry. I pondered."And had his teeth uncovered. "Okay, me and Aki will go with you. Haru and Natsu have some work to do here."He said Fuyu and took the handle again and opened the door.

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    "See you then."I said goodbye and followed them.

    "Hi. Good luck." Haru yelled, and Aki closed the door. Without hesitation, we broke into a whirlwind city.

    ¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã¡ã

    We''re outside the wizards'' main building. I have to say, I expected a little more and not an ordinary house like this. Anyone could live in that house, or have a shop here. If it hadn''t been for the wooden "School of Wizards" sign above the door, I''d have passed in peace.

    ¡°It''s not a shack, maid."Fuyu retorted.

    I just stared him down and went in. Unfortunately, the white-haired moron was right. Inside, it was giant and modern. This is exactly how I always envisioned university. A long, dark wooden staircase with railings where at each end was a giant sphere of some interesting mineral. Walls high and ornate with oblong images of different people or landscapes. On the ground, the red carpet, and here and there shelves of books that scented the room along with the ink.

    Both Aki and Fuyu smiled smugly and continued up the stairs. I stared up for a moment, still dazed by the beauty. People here were young old human and inhuman. It wasn''t until we got to the right floor that I awoke from the dazzling trance imposed on me by this school. I don''t even know what floor we''ve stopped on, we''re already in line for our entrance exams. Well, truthfully, I was afraid I''d be the only one here who was 18 years old, but luckily there were a few, give or take, individuals of the same age.

    "Hey, Iruka, wait here, we''re just going to grab a drink. Fuyu is getting on the nerves of so many people."Aki said derisively.

    I just laughed and nodded my head. Aki grabbed Fuya and they disappeared.

    "They must be fun, right?"Said an unknown voice. I turned and there was a young boy about my age. Again, I had to lift my head a little because it was taller, but not as much as the Brothers Naruno.

    "Yeah. They''re like kids now and then."I answered and smiled at him, too. He extended his smile, and dimples formed on his cheeks.

    "I am, Samara Kenji."A blond young man introduced himself and held out his hand to me. "

    Hi. I''m Huro Iruka."And I shook it.

    The flames of happiness glistened in his sapphire eyes. It was clear we were both glad to at least know one soul here. He seemed very likeable and I was hoping to share a class with him.

    ¡°Then how did you come to be a magician?" Kenji asked. I chuckled at this memory.

    "Well, a dryad told me. "

    "Oh. Well, they''ve got a good sense of this."

    ¡°Yeah, they do. And how did you come up with that?"

    "Well, it runs in the family." He said dryly.

    "Oh.¡±

    I wanted to add something, but the lady at the counter interrupted. I wrote down my name and a questionnaire and a stack of papers were thrust into my hand. I was leaving and reading a questionnaire. Normal questions. The type of where I''m from, how old I am, how many times I apply, my parents and so on. I had to wonder about that. Who am I supposed to write if I don''t have anyone? Bad thoughts crept into my mind, but fortunately kenji''s voice stopped them.

    "I don''t like the woman."

    "How so? How many times have you applied?"

    "The second time. I wanted to try as a kid. Those 10-year-old kids flying around, not many of them actually make it at such a young age. Their strength is yet to develop because. He must have great courage to try. "And he nodded to the crowd, where there really were little kids I hadn''t even noticed before.

    "Yeah. I''d be scared to come here at that age, too."

    "Anyway, I''ve got to go. Nice to meet you, Iruka. See you at the tests."

    "Nice to me to you too, Kenji."I said goodbye to him, and they went their separate ways.

    I found the boys halfway.

    "Now let''s go to the library. To study!¡± Aki grinned.

    I just sighed loudly and followed with slumped shoulders.

 Chapter no. 16 - Study

    The library was endless! Giant shelves full of books. It''s like every being in the world has written a book. It was incredible. Stunned, I watched Aki lead me, God knows where. We stopped at a table with two chairs and a lamp.

    "Okay. Wait here and I''ll bring you books with basic spells and things that every magician is supposed to know."

    "Good."

    Aki disappeared into the labyrinth of books, and I settled into my chair a little more. I closed my eyes for a moment and thought. From the waiting, I finally fell asleep.

    Dream

    "So where''s my urchin? You know I''ll always find you."

    I laughed. I was hidden under the table. Suddenly I heard footsteps. be approaching The footsteps grew louder and louder. I pressed myself against the corner of the table and perhaps stopped breathing. For a moment there was no sound. Where is he? Where is he hiding? Suddenly, a face with no face appears beside me. I exhale and come out. The fear left me at once.

    "How do you always find me? It''s not fair!"I''m going to shout at the character.

    "You are my son, Iruka. We have the same blood that unites us. And that means I''ll find you wherever you are, my son. It''s the most powerful spell in the world. And you know why?¡±

    I squirmed.

    "You can share this magic with everyone and not just a member of your family. They''ll always find you."

    "Dad, I don''t get it. How can I have it with anyone if they''re not my family?"

    "You''ll understand that when you grow up."

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    And he tousled my hair. Looking at myself in my dream, I was maybe 3 or 4 years old. I don''t have any pre-orphanage memories at all, but if this isn''t just a figment of my imagination and it''s real I don''t want to wake up anymore.

    "Now go. I have to work here again."

    "But daaad...I want to study with you." Dad smiled a little and folded his arms across his chest.

    ¡°When you tell me the wizards'' three ground rules."

    "1. Follow your mind and not your heart. 2. There is a power in knowledge that you seek. 3. Magic is proud."

    "Hahaha. proud That too, but it''s supposed to be clean." I puffed out my cheeks and put my hands on my chest like my father''s.

    "Iruka, now listen. Those rules will never be there for you in your life. It''s just nonsense invented by a handful of stupid old men. Always follow what feels right to you. Your heart doesn''t deceive your mind, it just helps to look at things in other ways. Yes, my urchin?"

    "Yes, Dad." And I hugged him.

    "Iruka! Iruka, get up."Aki was shaking me.

    "I''m sorry, I fell asleep."I answered automatically. I''ve always answered Momo like that at the orphanage.

    "We haven''t even started, and you''re asleep."He was teasing me.

    I didn''t say anything to him and grabbed the first book. I started scrolling through it, looking at the pictures.

    "So Iruka, you as wizards, have three sacred rules. They''ve been given for the thousandth time. Today, only the elderly follow them. There have been plenty of votes on change, too, but some other time. The rules are as follows: 1.Follow your mind and not your heart. 2. There is a power in knowledge that you seek. And three.."

    "Magic is pure."I jumped in mindlessly.

    "How do you know?"He asked, raising his eyebrows.

    For a moment I wondered if I should tell him, but then I decided I''d better let it go. It was just a coincidence. "Here from the book."I answered after a moment''s hesitation. Aki probed me a little longer, suspiciously, but luckily he let it go.

    "Okay. We need to teach you the theory of magic. Then when rehearsals are over, we''ll leave and start training. But don''t worry, you''re lucky, and you have four of the greatest experts in the elements as your masters. So we''ll teach you how to control them all. If you want, that is. Of course, there are plenty of other magicians with other magic. If our magic doesn''t suit you, you can go into teaching to them"

    "Noo! I want to learn from you."

    "Good. I''m glad."And he smiled sincerely, and you could see the relief in his eyes as well.

    I smiled back and was happy to immerse myself in the study.

 Chapter no. 17 - Exam

    Those two days have gone by like water. I have the most important exams in my life in two hours. I hope the boys get more wind of it than I do. I mean, not Fuyu, of course, but the others well I had to leave them at home and walk to school by myself, because perhaps I''d be even more nervous than I am now. I stood in front of the building. I tilted my head back and stared at the bungalow. How is it so giant on the inside and so small and ordinary on the outside? My mind began to fill with thoughts. What if I don''t make it now? I''ll disappoint the boys. I don''t want to let anyone down.. What if I''m not prepared enough. Maybe I''m not a magician. Maybe the woman was wrong.

    "Irukooo!" Someone called to me from a far away, and in doing so jolted me out of my mind. I turn my head, and in the distance I see a blonde squid running.

    "Kenji!"I exclaim, and my lips spread wide into a smile.

    "Well? Are you nervous too?"He asked when he reached me.

    "Truthfully? I am goosey as hell."And I started laughing, and Kenji joined in.

    "Then at least I''m not the only one who feels that way."Kenji said.

    "I think that''s how everyone''s going to be."

    "Yeah, right. "We both paused for a moment.

    "Let''s go, then?"He said carefully, Kenji.

    I took a deep breath and exhaled and said: "Here we go.¡±

    We climbed into the building. Well, neither of us knew which way, but fortunately there were signposts that got us to the right class. We reached a class that was half full. The benches were in three rows and only for one. I sat in the fourth pew and Kenji was behind me. We talked and repeated for a while longer.

    Then it rang and my heart stopped at that moment. After a while, an elderly gentleman and some young men came into the classroom. The boys went to either the walls or the window. Afterwards, we learned that they were security guards. The old man measured and scanned us with his eyes. Then he threw the papers in the air and they came down on each of us on the bench.

    "So I''m your number one examiner. In these trials, it''s about answering the right questions and demonstrating your basic knowledge. The men around the perimeter of the class room will be watching to make sure you don''t cheat. Whoever cheats will be excluded from the exam and won''t be able to come for another three years. So there''s no time to waste. Start working. You have an hour."

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    I quickly turned over the paper and began to read through the questions.

    ???????????????????????

    I dropped my pencil and wiped my sweat when the teacher told us to quit. It''s taken a lot for me, but I''ve got everything. The papers went straight back to the teacher like dutiful sheep. I turned to Kenji. He was lying on the bench, finished. I smiled a little and turned back.

    "You have an hour off now. Then we''ll call you. See you later."The old man smiled and left, and the other young men with him. The other "classmates" left, too, and we were left alone.

    "Kenji, get up."

    "I blew it, buddy."He muttered into the board.

    "Oh, no come oon. That''s not true."

    "Oh, yes, I''ve got a lot wrong there." I get up and give Kenji a big hug.

    "Trust me. All will be well."I whispered in his ear and you sat back down. Kenji finally raised his head and smiled.

    We began to discuss the questions, and after a while the class began to fill up again. Again the old man returned after an hour, as he put it, but no longer accompanied. He didn''t have a stack of papers in his hand anymore. They were rolled-up diplomas.

    "Let''s not drag it out. Whoever lands a degree on the bench has passed. And before you go, I have important information for you. These diplomas are merely confirmations that you have passed the wizards'' basic test. The next test will be a year from that day. Your task will be to find as many useful spells as possible, which you will then apply in the next test. The best way to do that is to find the masters to train you. My advice to you is to choose your masters very well and don''t underestimate your preparation. What lies ahead will determine whether you become esteemed magicians or not. I wish you the best of luck."

    And he disappeared. Diplomas began circling the room after his disappearance, circling like birds in the sky. It was beautiful.

    "I love magic."I whispered enthusiastically.

    Suddenly they stopped and fell. I couldn''t believe it. The diploma fell on my desk!! I turned to Kenji with glee. He sat frozen and stared at his bench. He was there, too. My smile widened further. Kenji finally took his eyes off her. We screamed solemnly and began to embrace. Just an indescribable joy. When we finally calmed down, we started out.

    "So who do you want to go to?"I asked him as we walked down the stairs.

    "I''d like to find the Naruno brothers and talk them into teaching me. I have heard that they are wonderful and excellent magicians, despite the fact that they are of mixed origin in many worlds, their name has great glory. I just don''t know what they look like or where they might be. What about you?"

    My chin dropped to the ground after his words. Oh, what a joke. I wanted to say something, but another voice beat me to it.

    "I see you did it."Hooted Natsu. I smiled and turned to Kenji.

    "These are my masters. Kenji I want you to meet the Naruna brothers."

    Kenji gave everyone an enthusiastic look. I just smiled beatifically and watched a beaming Kenji.

 Chapter no. 18 - Earth

    "Hi, guys. I want you to meet Kenji."And pointed to the shaky kid standing next to me.

    "Very nice to meet you. I have an awful lot to ask you."He spat out quickly.

    "Hi. I''m Haru. Feel free to ask."

    ¡°I know Iruk is probably your apprentice here, but I''ve always wanted to be your apprentice, too. You''re heroes to me! And I want to learn from the best. And that to me is you! Please humbly make me your apprentice. I''ll do anything for it!"

    They all stared, taken aback. I guess his speech got to them. Fuyu cleared his throat and was the only one able to speak.

    "Of course, we''re happy to accept you, but we''re going back to a world called Earth, where we''re rather busy hunting. I don''t know if your parents will let you."

    "Yes. We''ve been through this and they''d let me go. I wanted to go and look for you before my friend here told me about you."And he smiled at me.

    My insides were filled with happiness. That was the first time anyone had ever said they were friends, among other things. There was a pause. It seemed as if they would not accept him, and my heart tightened rapidly.

    "Oh, well, that''s enough. Of course you are. Pack your things. We''re going from there to the constitution."He said Natsu and tousled his hair.

    ????????3 hours later????????

    We arrived at our modest villa. Well not mine, exactly, but so what do I live here and now kenji with us. "C

    ome on, I''ll show you around."I squealed in the doorway. We threw our stuff away and ran to the kitchen.

    "Hey, what about those things?"Aki shouted, but we ignored him.

    "Let them. They''re just kids. You''ll pay them back at tomorrow''s lesson."He laughed amusedly at Haru and patted him on the back.

    Aki just sighed deeply and went into the room, too. I''ve done Kenji all over the place except on the third floor, which I know was sensitive for the boys and they certainly wouldn''t be keen to let a stranger in. Aki then found us during our search and went to show us where Kenji would now live. After checking out his room, I''m carrying out my duties. His room was a complete copy of mine, so there was nothing to see. to

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    "You want help?¡±

    I turned to my voice and there was Fuyu.

    "If you want."I smiled indifferently and went to lay the meat on the line.

    "I''d love to."He replied. I stared at him in amazement, thinking he was merely being sarcastic, but he meant it.

    I took the knife and was about to go cut the meat when Fuya''s hand on mine stopped me. My heart immediately began to pound frantically.

    "Give it to me. I''ll slice it."He whispered in my ear and squeezed my hand.

    I dropped the knife and stepped to one side. Fuyu smiled triumphantly and began to cut the meat. What the hell was that? Finally, my pulse began to calm. The rose was disappearing from my cheeks, too. I was so out of my mind that I just stood there and stared into the douche. "All right?" Fuyu asked, a little worriedly.

    "Huh? Yup I mean, yes, yes I am."I said, "I went to the stove to guard the potatoes.

    Within a couple of hours we were all at the table eating.

    "So, Kenji, how old are you?"Aki asked to start a conversation.¡±

    "I''m nineteen. I''d ask you, too, but I know you''re 25, 24, 23 and 22."

    "Really? And you know we''re vampires, too?¡± He asked Natsu glowingly, licking his fangs on purpose.

    "Yes, I know. Then you''re probably the most famous."He laughed and put another bite in his mouth. The others started laughing, too. Natsu laughed sarcastically and continued to eat.

    "Mmm Iruka, this meat is delicious!"He praised Haru.

    "I didn''t do that."I said coyly.

    "And who?"

    All the brothers'' chins dropped.

    ¡°Fuyu cooked??? Well, it takes a celebration."Natsu laughed.

    "Shut up. I can cook unlike you." Natsu just laughed at him, and Fuyu looked like he was about to jump at him. Instead, the water from his cup started to levitate and ended up on Natsu. Natsu''s hand flared. His eyes began to shine again. Even Fuyu stepped into an attacking position.

    "Okay. calm down It''s early days for your typhoon season."Haru stepped between them. They stared at each other murderously for a moment, then sat down in peace.

    "Sorry."They apologized at once and attended to the food.

    "What''s a typhoon season?"I asked.

    "They have these periods where the two of them can''t even see each other. They are so different that every once in a while there is a conflict of interest."Aki explained, and couldn''t keep from laughing.

    "And when will it start again?"

    "Don''t worry, it''s all right." Fuyu hissed.

    "Good."I muttered and attended to the rest of the meal.

    It''s been a long day. Luckily, Haru and Kenji offered to do the dishes for me. I had a lovely long and warm bath. I brushed my teeth and fell into bed. Before I did, but I fell asleep remembering what had become of Fuyo today. The memory made me blush. The butterflies began to rustle in my belly. God, Iruka, relax. It was nothing. I said to myself. I shook my head, rolled over on my side, and fell asleep.

 Chapter no. 19 - Blood

    The morning went as usual, we ate together. Somehow, Fuyu no longer minded me sitting down with them. It was getting more relaxed. I began to feel like a member rather than an employee.

    "Hey, Iruka!"He flew into my room, Kenji.

    "Can''t you knock?"I asked him. And pulled on a T-shirt.

    "Do you feel like I''ve seen something I haven''t?"He sneered at me. I just stuck my tongue out and cleaned up my robe.

    "So what did you want?"

    "You know, something doesn''t go to my head. Have you ever seen any of them drink blood? They''re vampires, and I haven''t seen them drink blood yet. I''ve been here a while, but I still can''t get my head around it, but I wonder how they eats.¡±

    "They say they have plasma in their bags."

    "Yeah, where?"

    "I have no idea. But once a week, they always disappear. So I guess they go hunting, but I don''t know where or what."

    "I wonder where. It''s weird."

    "I don''t like your look, Kenji.."

    "What''s that?"

    "The one he put on a while ago and you''ve got it now. That smile is scary."

    "Don''t worry. I have an idea."He stretched out his words and smiled even more.

    "What is it?¡±

    "We''ll be watching them today! I hear they''re going somewhere today."

    "Why would we do that?"

    Kenji was a little sad.

    ¡°It''s just... Vampires largely kill innocents. I don''t want them getting killed either. I know it won''t be their case, but I''ve heard stories of them killing relentlessly on sight because of insatiable hunger. And so... not that I believe it, but it kind of blows my mind. You know, they''ve been my role model since I was a little boy, and I''ve always stood up for them. Well, now that I finally know them personally, I just want to make sure."

    I understood that. I''ve often asked myself if they kill the right ones. And what''s right, exactly? Good is subjective. We all feel differently, but this.... I thought about it for a long time and was afraid of their answer, but now I can find out the truth with Kenji.

    "Okay, I''m in."

    "Niice!"He cheered. I had to laugh.

    ????????????????????????????

    The sun swung from one horizon to another, and night soon fell. I sat in the lounge with Kenji and played pool. Suddenly all four of them walked in. They were nicely dressed.

    Haru wore a white T-shirt with some text on it and a dark blue jacket over it. A pair of pendants hung from his neck. I recognized a cross and some beads. He was wearing black skinny pants and black shoes. Next to him was Natsu. He had his hair loosely dissolved. It was all falling into his eyes, but he looked hot. His outfit was composed of a checked shirt and dark blue jeans. To his right stood Aki. He was wearing a gray sweater and a chain. I didn''t notice the pendant. He had it tucked away. His pants were in the same style as everyone else''s. Well, at the end of the day, Fuyu was there. He also looked very handsome like the others. He was wearing a black hat. Plus a plain white T-shirt and a denim jacket. And black pipes, too.

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    "Let''s have fun. You be good here. Your lesson starts tomorrow." Haru reported.

    "Sure. enjoy"Kenji said, waving his hand casually. I also said goodbye to them with a wave and went on with the game.

    As soon as the door was slammed, Kenji and I ran to the back door. We took our bikes and kept a low profile behind their car. This town is so tiny, there''s probably only two clubs they can go to. They drove up to the club. They immediately crawled into it. We followed them. I knew this club by reputation. They let people in since they were 18. So it was quite a familiar place in our orphanage, too. The older siblings from the orphanage allegedly went to that club to drink their so-called release.

    "Where are the runts?"He asked the secutrite and blocked our way.

    "Well, for a party."He replied calmly to Kenji.

    "You might, but this midget isn''t 18 yet, is he?"

    Is he kidding me?! Just because I''m small doesn''t mean I''m not 18. I pulled out my ID angrily.

    "The fact that I''m small has nothing to do with my age."I hissed.

    "Sorry. Go on then."He smiled and let us go.

    "What''s that thing you''ve been showing him?"

    Kenji asked curiously. He didn''t know anything about Earth. I explained to him only lightly how things worked here, but he didn''t know a lot of things anyway. He''s never been here, he says, but I''m not surprised when the boys say this planet is excluded for some unknown reason.

    ¡°This is like an identity sheet here as it is for magicians, so here on Earth there are cards like this that are registered in the system and they prove your age, for example, as you''ve seen."

    "Oh, that''s an interesting system."

    Inside, it was an orgy. Loud music. Drunk people. drug laser all at once.

    "So these are parties on Earth, huh?"

    "Awful, I know."

    "No, they''re good." Kenji marveled.

    "Come on, let''s go find them."

    ????????????????

    The search was unsuccessful, so we decided to go drinking and dancing while we were there we couldn''t resist the dark, brazen atmosphere. We even had some girls clinging to us. We enjoyed their company. For a while, I felt like a regular kid. But then I saw Haru, and it was clear to me that my reality was different.

    "Kenji! there"

    We quickly left the girls and walked closer to him. He didn''t notice us and I think that''s a good thing. He had his vampire eyes and looked pretty hungry. He watched a girl dance with a man. The girl looked pretty drunk and the guy wanted to take advantage. They went to the bar for a drink. The man threw some pills into her drink when she wasn''t looking. The girl was already mindlessly reaching for her glass and wanting a drink, but Haru took it. The guy got mad and yelled at him. When he looked into his eyes, he was horrified. He tried to run, but Haru grabbed him and bit him on the neck. He started sucking it dry.

    "Oh, my God, they''re very different than I know them."I said quietly.

    "Tell me about it. I can''t believe it''s Haru. He looks terrible. And the blood coming out of his mouth."Kenji agreed.

    "Come on, Kenji. We got everything we wanted."

    We turned around and hit someone. I looked up and saw a pair of glowing blue eyes. Oh, shit.

    It was Fuyu and Aki. Well, it''s more just what they looked like. They were really far from our friends. Blood flowed down their chins. Fuyu smiled and showed off his bloodied fangs. They really weren''t the guys we knew.

    They caught us and started dragging us somewhere.

    "Fuyu let me go! Don''t you recognize me?"

    "I recognize, Iruka. And I''ve been wanting to taste you for a long time."He said in a dark but sensual voice. I started to panic. What a stupid idea again. We couldn''t, but we had a hunch that they would become this. We tried to talk them out of it the whole way or somehow bring them to their senses. listen We''ve reached the mountain. Here we were separated and each was taken to a different room. Why are there any rooms at all? I cursed the club in my head.

    "Kenjii!"I yelled one last time before the door closed.

    Fuyu threw me on the bed. It was a hard landing.

    "Ow."I hissed and grabbed my head, which I hit. Fuyu began to approach slowly.

    Fuyu began to approach slowly.

    "Please don''t. Fuyu you don''t want to do this. ask"

    Fuyu kept coming. It didn''t move him at all. I pressed myself on the bed. Fuyu grabbed my leg and pulled it under him. He trapped me under him.

    "Stoop! Come oon... You promised!"I started yelling at him hysterically.

    How the hell am I supposed to bring him to his senses? This is not what I imagined. But I will take the blame for my mistakes. Momo-chan will see you again shortly. I closed my eyelids tightly.

    "Don''t worry, it''ll be quick."He whispered in my ear and licked my carotid artery.

    I could hear his fangs ejecting slowly. I*''ll tell you the nasty noise. I knew it was coming. Just a moment and I''ll be dead.*

    "Do it."I whispered in resignation for the last time.

    "Eros nec libero!!"

    That sentence saved my life. Fuyu flew into a corner and fell unconscious. Kenji stood in the doorway.

    "Come on! He''ll wake up in a minute. Come on."

    "Thanks."I breathed a sigh of relief and fell out of this horror movie.

 Chapter 20. - Air (1.)

    Last night, Iruka and Kenji almost lost their lives. Iruk seems to have made some friends for trouble. How are you, the two of them going to lead the way in teaching?

    "You two are such idiots. no You guys are assholes. Yes Colossal assholes. What were you thinking following us? You think we don''t hire you because we don''t want you to get drunk or like what?!"

    Now I want to be able to disappear. Fuyu was yelling at us from across the house. He was angry...again. But I think it''s probably mostly myself.

    "How can you two be adults? When you have no responsibility!"

    Well, I''d answer that, but he''d probably break my neck. Neither of us fought back. He was right. It was childish and they really could have killed us. They go to such lengths to do nothing to us, and we didn''t appreciate it. I understand that by their feeding once a week, it makes them what they were yesterday. I don''t want to say monsters because they''re not, but I was afraid of them yesterday.

    I hung my head and continued to listen to the expletives until Fuyu calmed down.

    "That''s it, then. At least now you know. And you know you''re not supposed to come after us. I guess you had your reasons. Feel free to keep it to yourself. Let''s put this whole incident behind us. Now go. We''re about to start classes." He said Haru in a gentle but firm voice and walked away.

    I looked at Kenjih.He was having an eye-to-eye fight with Aki. They looked at each other so strangely. Kenji began to breathe raggedly. What''s it doing to him? I couldn''t stand to look at the two of them like that, so I gave Kenji a little nudge on the shoulder.

    "Don''t stare at him like that."And I chuckled under my breath. Kenji smiled at me, but said nothing.

    He got up and left, and Aki suddenly chased after him. In the living room, I was left alone with Fuyo. I just had a quick look at him. He sat down. He said nothing for a long time.

    "Iruka?"

    "Yes?"

    ""I... I wanted to ask... when. Well, when I was in that trance and you almost got bitten. So at the end of the day, you told me to do it.. Why did you want this?" I knew he''d ask. I asked myself that, too.

    "I don''t know.. When it was almost over, I made my peace with it. I don''t really know what to tell you.. I guess if I was going to die, by your hand..."

    He grabbed my chin and turned toward himself.

    "I won''t kill you. I promised to protect you."

    I stared into those clear blue eyes of his. Like water, indeed. They were so beautiful. So unknown. Calm, but still indomitable. So pure, yet so mysterious. Quiet, but also loud. It was all there, but it was all one feeling. Concern.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    "I''m going to have to go away for a few days."

    "Where?"

    "Gone. But don''t worry, I''ll be back. I just need to figure something out."

    I got kind of sad. I don''t want him to go anywhere. I want him here. And I certainly don''t want him riding alone. We had a very special relationship. It wasn''t like Fuya with either of the Naruno brothers. A lot of times I didn''t know whether he even liked me. Whether he wishes to teach me, but after that there will be times like these, and I don''t even know how to breathe. Especially today, he was so tenderly open- minded. He had never behaved like this before. Why is that, but is it? I mustn''t think about it so unnecessarily. I reasoned in my head and continued to hear his words.

    "Haru will come with me. I thought I could control myself, but yesterday you could see how terribly wrong I was. I need to work on myself."

    "No, please. What happened, happened. Don''t go anywhere. Don''t change for us, we were just wondering whether you''re killing innocents or not. "I started to cry.

    Now I could see the sadness in his eyes. But then there was relief. I closed my eyes and calmed down a little.

    "And what did you find?"And raised a curious eyebrow.

    "You''re good."I laughed.

    Fuyu uncovered his white teeth. Beauty I couldn''t describe it to you any more.

    "Will you stay?" be quiet I raised my eyebrows. nothing He got up and walked away.

    "We''ll see."He delivered at the door and disappeared.

    ??????????????????????????

    We all met outside. This is where our classes will take place. Our first master was supposed to be Aki. Haru, Natsu and Fuyu sat down near us and listened to Aki unload.

    "Okay. I can''t tell you that controlling the air is easy. None of the elements are easy to control, but you have us. Don''t worry, with us as teachers, you can do it. "He smiled smugly and continued.

    "So the air isn''t just a gust of wind, tornadoes, that sort of metrological phenomenon. The art of the wind also includes mind-reading, how to control the thoughts of others, or how to protect your thoughts. These things are very advanced, and controlling them takes time. So don''t worry if you can''t do it right away. Then there''s speed. I''m sure there''s more, but that''s all we''ll be learning for now. So let''s start with the mastery." And he clapped his hands.

    "Close your eyes and start seeing the air around you. Concentrate as your skin caresses. The way he plays with leaves, with grass, with your hair. When you think you''re connected to it, try to drop that empty bottle using the air. Good luck."He smiled and went to sit with his brothers.

    We started to follow his instructions and try to drop the bottle.

    ????????????????????

    Concentrate Calm down and breathe. I haven''t done it yet. It took Kenji less than 3 hours that day. At my place, three days have passed and still nothing. Every minute I spend in the garden, trying to connect with the elements of the air. The boys have always watched me. Aki''s only had a few words of advice about calming down. My mind feels like a swarm. chaos So many thoughts. I can''t concentrate. I''ve had enough! Here we go. I took a deep breath and tried to clear my mind. All of a sudden, my mother''s lullaby popped up. It calmed me down. Just like in the mirage. She finished singing and I felt it! The air in my blood. It flowed past my veins and towards my heart and brain. It''s like a new world has opened up for me. A completely different way of looking at the world. I was so calm. balanced It''s like I''m just floating around not caring. It was a nice feeling of harmony.

    Having enjoyed it enough, I began to focus my newfound strength on the bottle. It began to move, eventually flying away. I was startled. What a strength I''ve developed in myself.

    "Oh, boy! excellently You did it. We''ll be able to move on to your first spell."He cheered, then calmly announced Aki.

 Kind of difftent perspective - Special chapter

    Author¡¯s notes:

    I decided to write a different point of view from Iruka. I''ve spent a long time trying to figure out whether to do this, but for better story-telling and even reading, I''ve decided that in some parts someone else will tell the story. You can always tell that there will be a name written on top of the text, of who it is. I hope you continue to enjoy the story anyway.

    Kenji

    What happened between Kenji and Aki? Is Kenji hiding something? Did something happen that night?

    Iruka and I went to a party. I was really interested in who the boys were killing. I don''t believe they could kill someone innocent. If I did, I''d have to deal with it. And I didn''t want that. I don''t want to be a snitch, but the relentless feeling I carried in my genes, despite vowing not to use this power, so the lure was stronger, so I persuaded Iruk to go and check on them. I''ve never been to an earthly party. We don''t really talk about Earth. It is rather known as Wakai wakusei. Fortunately, as I''ve been told, they use the same language in these parts of the world as we do. So it''s not hard to understand.

    We decided to have a little drink and relax. We''ve even had some pretty good-looking ladies join us. We danced and drank, and if I had any more, I''d be drunk. But Iruka saw Hara. We kept a low profile. He was like an animal on the prowl. His victim was a dancing drunk woman and a slimy guy who tried to seduce her. Great opportunity to see who he chooses. In truth, his impending reaction sent shivers down my spine. I hope he makes the right choice. The moment before he made his choice came to me endlessly. But then he bit into a guy. A giant and very heavy stone has just fallen from my heart. They''re nice. I was foolish not to believe them, but now we have to get out of here. The sight of a laughing Haru, his mouth covered in blood, was not pleasant.

    I turned and bumped into someone''s chest, and so did Iruk''s. I looked up a little bit. eye The demon''s eyes were burning through me. I liked his eyes, how different they were, but now they were intimidating. His accomplice, Fuyu, grabbed Iruku and dragged him away. Even Aki grabbed me and pulled me away. I started to panic. They were swapped. They weren''t listening, and they probably didn''t recognize us. What the hell have I gotten us into? I cursed my curiosity until they stopped. There were two rooms upstairs. That''s not good. Aki broke into one at a brisk pace.

    "Kenjiiii!!"I heard Iruka call out to me in desperation.

    I didn''t even have time to answer, and the door closed. With vampire power, Aki threw me on the bed. Luckily, I hit a soft one.

    It already looked like he had calmed down, but then his eyes went to my carotid artery, which was throbbing with adrenaline and fear. His snake eyes narrowed further. I knew it didn''t bode well. My fear surged into my eyes. I felt my eyes gradually turn red and fill with tears. It wasn''t long before the first drop of saltwater was sliding down his face. He leaned in beside me. I knew he was going to bite me, but his eyes suddenly disappeared, replaced by Aki''s sympathetic gaze. He looked at me for a moment and I looked at him. I was taken aback. He''s really fine now. He leaned toward me and linked our lips.

    There was an explosion of feelings in my heart and in my head. It''s all out of my control. Everything started screaming for an encore, and without giving it any more thought, I started to kiss him back. That''s when I forgot what preceded it. Now it was just this moment that mattered. I wanted his kisses. I''ve never kissed anyone in my life and not especially a guy, but it''s like everything about him has me confused suddenly makes sense. I longed for him. From the first moment I saw him, I fell under his spell. Aki pulled back and pulled my T-shirt slightly away with his fingers. I could see the bare skin of my shoulder and collarbone. I''ve got goose bumps. Everything inside me was screaming for him to do it. Kiss me, please. I begged in my head. Aki leaned into my neck muscle, which connected the neck to the shoulder. I could feel his warm breath on my skin. Just a short walk away from pleasure.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    "How I like to play with my food." He hissed.

    His eyes suddenly regained their form. He drew his fangs and bit lightly. Noah! He can''t do that!

    "Eros nec libero!!"I screamed.

    Yellow and white light poured from my palms, striking Aki. It flew two metres away from me. He was knocked unconscious straight away. I caught a cut. Fortunately, it wasn''t deep. Just a superficial scratch. I made a quick run and went to rescue a friend. I used the same spell on Fuyo. It was a close call, too. We disappeared together after that.

    ???????????????????????

    The next morning, I woke up and was called straight into the living room. Half-asleep, I threw something on and went. Well, I didn''t expect a wake-up call like that. Fuyu screamed at us for over a quarter of an hour. It looked like the catheter on his forehead was about to burst. I turned my gaze away with a slight smile. I didn''t see much of it. I was up all night thinking about what might have happened. Yes, I was examining my conscience. Luckily, I knew the magic. My eyes clashed with Aki''s. He stared at me fiercely. It''s like he wants something.

    My eyes clashed with Aki''s. He stared at me fiercely. It''s like he wants something.

    You want to look inside my head?

    Aki stared at me, taken aback. Then he put on his neutral expression again and came on at last.

    How do you know how to do that? You''re not even a level one apprentice.

    They just taught me. Even how to keep an eye on your thoughts, but yours seem a bit agitated. And I chuckled inwardly. And I chuckled inwardly. I finally have the winning cards.

    And are you surprised? I almost bit you.

    Now I stopped. The fear of last night came back to me. And that kiss. I don''t know if he even remembers her. I got a little sad about that. I kept looking into his eyes. I didn''t read his mind anymore. I just watched and thought about it.

    "Don''t stare at him like that.''Iruk whispered and rubbed me in the shoulder.

    I didn''t say anything. I noticed everyone was leaving. I guess it''s over. I got up and went to my room. When I closed the door. Someone''s hands trapped me and I was forced to stay put. It was Aki. And he didn''t look happy. I pushed myself against the door with fear. I took another look at his strong arms to see if I could get out of the way. I''m not going anywhere. I thought.

    "There''s one thing that smacks terribly of me. How do you know the magic of vampire hunters?!"

    ¡°I-I''ve heard a few."

    ¡°And you just learned that?!"He growled.

    "No. I''ve been practicing. Alone¡­ Doesn''t matter?! At least I''m not dead!"I rode out, too.

    I don''t know where it came from, but suddenly I even got away from the door and was in close proximity to his face. Aki slumped his arms. And looked down at the ground in defeat.

    "You''re right." He whispered.

    I didn''t give him any answers. I just stood there and looked at him. He raised his eyes a little after a while. He took my chin and turned his head to one side. He looked at two tiny wounds.

    "It''ll go away."I said simply, trying not to let him know how upset I was by his touch.

    ¡°It won''t go away. Not out of my head." He looked at me.

    There was sadness and regret in his eyes. I wanted to cry. I felt sorry for how sorry he was. I wanted to stroke his face, but he grabbed me with vampiric speed and traded us. He grabbed the handle and walked away slowly.

    "Training''s about to start."

    "Good."I answered, almost inaudibly.

    I stood there a moment longer, looking at the door where he had been standing.

 Chapter no. 21. - Air (2.)

    "Oh, good. I expected it to take you a month or so, but you did it in less than a week. You have potential."

    Kenji and I smiled at each other and high-fived each other. I think it''s good to be happy with a commendation, especially if you don''t know when you''re going to hear it again. But when we turned back, on Aki''s face, he was rather aloof. That''s not a good sign.

    "Well, since you''re so talented, I''m canceling the rest of the class. I''m going to give you an assignment. Learn to read minds. I think it''s going to keep you busy for a long time. I mean, like who."And he turned his eyes to Kenji for a moment. He didn''t think I''d see it, but I noticed.

    ¡°Wait what?! You''re kidding, right?!"I got up and walked over to him.

    "You''re good with jokes, but seriously, when do we start?"

    "I wasn''t kidding. You have to focus on the minds of others. There''s nothing else I can tell you. You can do it or you can''t."

    ¡°What?????!?!"

    My magical career is over. I slumped to the ground.

    "Don''t exaggerate, hysterical." Fuyu spoke.

    I hope there''s a spell to kill people without being caught. Hmmmm. Like woodoo? Let''s go make little Fuyu.. I thought mischievously.

    ??????????????????????

    After dinner, I went to the lounge with Kenji to play pool. We kind of liked it. It''s quiet. We can have a chat while we''re at it. At least we''ll have fun here. You know, it''s pretty boring here. It would take some excitement here and there.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    "So how do you think they manage to control those thoughts?"I asked my friend and tapped the white ball.

    "It''s what he said. There''s no feint to it. It was on those questions in the test, too."

    "I know, but I was just expecting a type.¡±

    "Don''t worry, you can do it."

    I paused for a moment. I fumbled my thoughts about Aki words. I lost sight of the game. I leaned against a wooden pole and brooded.

    "Hey, what did Aki mean by how who?"

    "I don''t know. Doesn''t matter?"

    "What do you care?"

    "It''s just irrelevant. You''re supposed to learn to read minds."

    "What me?? Don''t you?¡±

    Kenji just laughed and flicked the last ball.

    "I seem to have won."He said triumphantly. I didn''t answer. Kenji was suddenly on his way out.

    "Kenji?"

    "Yes?"He stopped. I walked over and looked into his sapphire eyes.

    "I know you''re hiding something from me." Kenji looked puzzled, but then his eyebrows came back to one level.

    "When you learn to read minds, I''ll tell you.¡±

    "No I want to know now!"I grabbed his arm and started crushing it. Kenji''s expression suddenly petrified.

    I can control minds. So let me go now.

    I automatically let him in, but not with my will. It was him.

    Now you''re wondering who I am. It''s me. Same old Kenji, but I''m warning you. Don''t stick your nose in. I don''t want to talk about it. His voice in my head sounded very threatening.

    What the hell is this?! how Why won''t she tell me? Kenji had already disappeared when I came out of my shock. I went to my room.

    I kept thinking about Kenji before bed. Why is he hiding something from us? They don''t believe me? Maybe it''s painful? But I could be supportive of that. On the other hand, I should therefore be sympathetic. I don''t talk about my dreams and things like that. Maybe that''s why he has his reasons. But is it right? Maybe we can help him.

    I got out of bed and went to Kenji''s. I knocked on the dark brown door. I didn''t even wait for an invitation and burst into the room.

    "Kenji. apologize I don''t want to know how you do it anymore. I know you''re a good person and I shouldn''t doubt you. I''m so sorry." After my fervent speech, I immediately fell to my knees and apologized profusely, as was customary.

    "Iruko''s all right. Can you go pro-pleeaase now? I''m not right now.. Aaaah... I can''t." I lifted my head and tilted it to one side.

    "Huh? You want to sneeze? Are you sick?"

    "Get out!!"

    I shrugged. And left. I''ll make herbal tea for his cold tomorrow.

 Chapter no. 22 - Shield

    Several weeks have passed since their last lesson. Iruka started training on his own. How''s he doing, though?

    Concentrate concentrate Concentrate Iruka!

    "Shield!" A faint silver shimmer began to form in front of me.

    "Yes! I''ve mastered the classic shield!"

    I broke the spell and fell happily into the soft grass. The straws were tall and beautifully green. A slight wind blew around and played on these splendid straws.

    Aki bailed on us. I''m told it''s up to us now if we''re going to get better at the art of air ourselves. Those two things are the bottom line. Well, I only fulfilled one of them. I can''t read minds. So don''t block. After a month of trying hard, I gave up and started focusing on the rest of it. My life now revolves around cooking, cleaning, coaching and studying in the library. I borrowed books on the fourth element and wrote important spells for me that might come in handy in my life. If that''s how the rest of the classes are going to be, which I suppose I should do, then I should move my bed to the library. I sighed. I didn''t think it would be easy, but...somehow it''s not what I expected... I feel kind of alone.. Fuyu is confined to his demon chamber, which you just don''t want to climb into. Haru''s been gone lately. He''s talked to me quite a bit, but lately he''s been kind of brooding. I wonder what''s happening to him, but when I ask him, he just replies:

    "It''s okay. Focus on training."

    And Kenji. Well, either he''s training somewhere, or he''s with Aki. The two of them spend too much time together. Come to think of it....

    Memory

    "Kenji! Kenji!" I burst into his room again. Aki was there, his hand under his shirt. They looked quite surprised. I mean, even I was a little...a little...a lot..

    "What did you want?"

    "Just. Uum.. Do you want to go practice tomorrow?"This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    "Of course I do."He smiled a little nervously.

    It better not be. The demon with each eye different burned through my eyes the whole time. I probably messed up something for him.

    So scary... wait Does that mean that...Aki and Kenji...are...together? Hahahahhahaha. I don''t think so. They''re both boys. But there''s nothing wrong with that. A lot of guys are coming forward today. Oh, nooo. Kenji and Aki are friends, but the idea of two as husbands...

    I pictured them together as a classic couple who sugarcoat each other all the time and call each other over-the-top nicknames.

    "Hahhaahahaha. I think I''m going to wet myself.. Hahahahaha."

    "What are you laughing at?"

    A familiar voice spoke to me. I got up into a sitting position and looked at the person standing in front of me. He covered the sun perfectly, but I couldn''t see his face. There wasn''t even a need. Just by his fiery red hair and his peculiar tone in his voice, I knew it was him.

    "Natsu? What are you doing here?"

    "You''ve been spending time alone lately, avoiding us. So I came to check on you."He smiled at me and sat down with me.

    "I-I''m just practising here."

    "And how''s that working out for you?"

    "Well, now I''ve fully mastered the shield."

    "Really?"He chuckled. Suddenly he was standing across from me. He was like six feet tall. Flames of restlessness danced in his eyes. What the hell is he up to? His hands flared. Oh, shit.

    "Bring it on."He shouted at me and his wild flame was pointed at me.

    "Wait!!"

    I screamed. Instinctively, I put my hands out in front of me and closed my eyes. If this doesn''t work, I''ll die. concentrate

    "Shield!"

    For a moment there was no sound. Or rather, I was so out of it that I couldn''t hear a thing. Only then did Natsu''s cheering make me open my eyes. Its flames splattered sideways. My shield worked! So I''m not going to die today!

    When Natsu quit, he ran to me and hugged me. Well, it''s more like he threw me on the ground.

    "Natsu. Natsu you''re strangling me quite a bit."

    ¡°I''m looking forward to training together."

    "All right, all right. Now let me go." He loosened his grip, but continued to sit on me.

    I stared into his yellow eyes. Orange sparks danced in them. Proof that Natsu really is the element of fire. He''s unfettered, brash, straightforward, distracted, and a lot of other things that people don''t have to do twice, but he had a good heart despite it. He''s been good to both the brothers and me. He took my hand and put it on his chest. Right to the heart. His pulse was so steady. The heart beat regularly and rhythmically. One two. One two. It was comforting.

    "That''s the kind of fire you''ll have in your heart when I teach you."

    "Uhm."

    "Now get your hands off me and come on. I want something to eat."He got up and walked away.

    Even though Natsu is who he is, I could never imagine him being any different. He doesn''t want to admit it, but he''s nice at heart.

 Chapter no. 23 - Goblins

    Time passes like water, and autumn has come. Autumn in the forest villa was like a fairy tale. Colorful trees, golden-brown grass, a cool gloomy misty morning, yet beautiful. Just fall as it should be. But how did Iruka and Kenji fare in their ability discovery? Are they ready to use them in practice?

    I was sitting on the roof of my perfect home. I was looking at this beautiful forest. He didn''t seem as depressed here as I''d had him fixed for years. He was different here. He was cheerful, enigmatic, calm, colourful and so strange. It was like watching Mother Nature paint her masterpiece and the sun punctuate the whole thing with its glittering rays. It''s a magical sight. A cool breeze from the north brushed my cheeks. I shuddered a little. I was wearing nothing but a hoodie and sweatpants that didn''t match the temperature of an autumn evening.

    "You want a cold in here?" I turned to Kenji with a smile. He smiled and sat beside me.

    "I''m fine here."I answered after a while.

    "I''m not surprised. It''s such a beautiful view."

    "Yeah. It''s like...."I looked for the right words to describe it, but Kenji beat me to it.

    ,,Aki..."He whispered to the wind.

    I turned to him, astonished. But he did not notice my expression. He was staring ahead, probably thinking. A beatific smile played on his face, and his eyes sparkled strangely with happiness.

    What do you think he''s thinking? I took the moment to read his mind. It''s the only ability I haven''t mastered. I can''t even stop them or control a person with it. I don''t know any of it. I can move things, but in terms of the human mind and all that goes with it, I can''t do anything. I closed my eyes and concentrated. Unfortunately, it came what it always did... Nothing but the emptiness in my head and the blackness in front of me. I opened my eyes in defeat. Kenji was aware of the present again, looking at me with a worried look.

    "Don''t worry, you''ll learn someday."He smiled and tousled my hair. I just frowned a little and looked at the woods again.

    "Kenji? Are you dating Aki?"I whispered.

    Kenji froze. He stared ahead and said nothing. I just checked his reaction with my eye. Afterwards, we were both silent. The wind started to pick up a little. He combed our hair and stroked our face with cool fingers. The leaves swayed like dancers in the wind, creating a kind of river that flows through the trees.

    "Yes."He whispered softly, but I could still hear it.

    "Get over here quick, everybody!!" Natsu yelled. Kenji quickly got up and headed for the window, which is the only exit from here.

    "I''m so glad you''re together."I spoke to Kenji.

    "Thanks, Iruka." We both smiled at each other and went downstairs.

    Everyone was already down. We sat on the seat and waited for Natsu to drop out.

    "A band of goblins is hiding on the north side of the forest. I''d destroy them myself, but they''re wetland goblins." Everyone but me held their breath.

    Huh? Huh? Someone will explain it to me. I turned my head in all directions, waiting for an explanation. Nothing. God, why do I have to ask?

    "Who are the wetland goblins?"

    "Sort of the tallest of the goblins. It''s their kind of royalty. They are known for their skill in handling weapons well. They don''t conjure, but their shields and weapons can be resistant to some spells."Aki explained.

    As always, he explained everything perfectly to me. He was just supposed to be some professor and not a hunter. And he smiled inwardly at the thought.

    "So it will be. We''re all going to see them this time. We don''t know exactly how many they are or how fit they are."He ordered Fuya.

    "Yeah, let''s go get them."I screamed with delight. It was supposed to be my first event, and I''m so excited.

    "You''re not going anywhere."He stabbed me through the heart of Fuya.

    "Why not? I can do some magic already, and how am I supposed to prepare for rehearsals if you''re not taking me anywhere?"

    "Yeah! Iruka is right. We want to go too!"Kenji stood up for me. But his murderous stare did not frighten me. Not now. Because I want to go.

    "Fuyu, come on. Let''s need every hand." Haru spoke.

    "Fine.."He resigned and went somewhere.

    Haru winked at us. And we smiled back at him.

    "Come on! You have to choose your weapons."Fuyu shouted at us.

    We all followed them into the basement. What the hell are so many rooms for? I thought, as we walked past all these scary doors. It wasn''t long before we appeared in a room full of guns. The Naruno brothers immediately went to their weapons. Haru reached for a bow of some white wood and a quiver of arrows. Fuyu had a giant silver sword in his hand. The handle was littered with sapphires and crystals. It was a nice sword. Natsu picked up what a small dagger he had made of white gold. He swung it like a ninja a couple of times, and the dagger unfurled into spears. Aki took the long pole. It looked like it was made of iron, but I''m not too sure.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    "So what do you know about guns, anyway?"Fuyu asked contemptuously. He knew I couldn''t handle anything like that.

    Kenji beside me just smiled. He broke for the silver sword.

    "Are you sure?"Aki asked, a little worried.

    He took it firmly in his hand. He rolled it around in his hands a few times, then just smiled at them. "I think so."He answered triumphantly. I wanted to applaud him. Brushing guys off like that doesn''t really happen.

    "Well, what about you, Iruka?"Natsu turned to me.

    I just hung my head. I think everybody got it. "Here."He said to Fuya. I looked up at him. He was holding a ¨¦p¨¦e. It was beautiful and his blade was thin as a needle. The handle was braided with golden strands. I took it carefully from him.

    "He''ll be good for you. When we get back, I''ll teach you about him."He whispered that last sentence in my ear and smiled at me afterwards. With red cheeks, I just nodded.

    "We leave in ten minutes!"The commander ordered a sourdough and left.

    ????????????????????????????

    "So how many did he count, Haru?"He whispered to Fuyu as Haru returned from his tour. We''re crouching here in the bushes, and I feel like my heart is about to run out.

    "A dozen or so of them."

    "Good. Then we won''t prolong it. Let''s go get them." The boys jumped out of the bushes and went straight to them. Me and Kenji went after them, stunned.

    "I expected better tactics." Kenji whispered. I just nodded with a smile.

    "Hello, spoof."He greeted a suspiciously cheerful Fuya. Fuyu enjoyed the hunt. It made me see another side of him.

    Startled, the goblins rose to their feet and immediately regrouped together. They looked like I thought they would. Revolting from long pointed ears with grey to green colour. I just didn''t imagine them that big. They''re about the same height as me. I was hoping they''d be smaller.

    "Who are you? What do you want?"

    "Excellent question. I''ll answer both of them. We are the Naruno brothers, and we have come for you." As Fuyu put it, they all drew their weapons. They''re really well-known. The boys'' eyes changed right away.

    Natsu quickly ran after the gang and charged.

    "Fireballs."But two of them noticed and put their swords over it.

    ¡°So your swords are eating my fire. nice Let''s take it the old-fashioned way."He took out his lance and began to fight them.

    The others didn''t much care, preferring to watch the others. Two on the right were caught by branches. Haru took care of them. Aki began choking two others. I guess everybody''s gonna have two. They got away with it thanks to their shield, which broke the spell. Fuyu didn''t even use the spell, and immediately pounced on them.

    "You will be my puppet from now on."Kenji said. Their black eyes suddenly seemed to disappear, replaced by whites. Furiously, they began swinging the sword and attacking the others. I''ve got the last two left. The two of them figured it out, too, and began shuffling toward me. I clenched my hands into fists. Here we go.

    "Winddisks." A pair of white disks burst from my hands. hit They both went down. Unfortunately, it didn''t knock them out. I didn''t hesitate to continue.

    "Tornado!" They were spinning in grey dust. When the tornado was steady, they were on the ground again, but after a few minutes they got up.

    Scumbags. I swore to myself. They started reaching for their guns. I swung my hand, and the sword that lay there rose into the air. Aki''s training doesn''t seem to have gone to waste. I didn''t hesitate to put a weapon through the heart of an orc without a weapon.

    The other goblin, meanwhile, had seized his weapon and was already attacking the sword in my power. He swung it furiously until he managed to hurl the sword to one side.

    "Arrows." Unfortunately, he fended them off.

    I tried the tornado again, but it avoided. Damn it.

    "Iruka, look out!"He was yelling at me, Kenji, when the goblin suddenly jumped me.

    He pushed me to the ground. He smelled awful. He started strangling me immediately. I tried to get him off my chest, but he was heavy. I was starting to see black dots. That''s not good. He''s going to kill me like this.

    "D-dragon wind."I croaked between asphyxiations.

    The wind surged. It was as if a blizzard was coming. I had no idea that worse would materialize. A giant dragon rose from the air. He was almost translucent, but his blue eyes indicated that he was here. Everyone was looking at the giant creature. It''s as if they weren''t fighting a while ago. The dragon roared mightily. The goblin''s grip suddenly loosened, petrified. He couldn''t move a muscle, just stared at the creature looming over him. The dragon just looked at him and immediately snatched at him. The goblin disappeared into his mouth, as fast as someone peeling a raspberry. The dragon dissipated as my head fell heavily into the grass. Kenji quickly ran up to me.

    "Are you okay? You have the dragon power? How come you never told me you had dragon power?!¡±

    I wanted to answer him, but even I don''t know what just happened here. I didn''t even know this spell. I stared wearily at Kenji, searching for the right words, sadly interrupted by the head of the goblin behind Kenji.

    "Kenji behind you!"I screamed. Kenji swiftly drew his sword and stabbed the goblin with it. The one with the high whistle fell at my feet.

    "Then get up."He said with a smile and held out his hand.

    I was happy to take it and watch the boys fight. Kenji and I had had enough, so we stayed on the sidelines and watched quietly. We took it one at a time and watched each one of them. After all, we didn''t want to get in their way, hoping to learn something.

    "Leaf storm!"

    The colored leaves began to leave the trees, attacking the orcs. They hid behind a shield, but in doing so they made a mistake. Haru got his arrows ready, and when the storm stopped and they uncovered, he hit them square in the forehead. Both fell instantly to the ground.

    "Hellfire!!"Natsu called from the opposite side.

    The ground beneath the goblins began to glow slightly, and in an instant a giant flame burned them to dust. Natsu must have figured out the weakness of their fire shield. The foul smell of scorched flesh wafted through the air. I almost threw a sabre out of it. Aki was strangling the last of his rivals. I did such trivial spells and almost paid for it. I need to think carefully about what spell I choose next. I witnessed fuyu''s use of his ability for the first time. I knew he had water, but I never saw him show his magic.

    "A water bomb." Giant water balls began shooting out of his hands, bringing his opponent to the ground. He then got to them with vampiric speed and pierced their hearts.

    I expected a little more. I don''t know why, but Fuyu wants to be mysterious about his charms, too. I guess it''s better. The opponent doesn''t know what to expect from him. Definitely a better tactic than mine.

    "Okay. We''re done here."Fuyu said, wiping his sword on the clothes of the dead goblin.

    ???????????????????

    We didn''t really talk about it at home. They definitely all wanted to ask me about the dragon, but I preferred to sneak off to my room. I don''t know what to say to them. We''re pretty dumb about it ourselves. I sat on the bed and stared at my palms.

    How did I do that? What kind of power is that? I could tell from Kenji''s reaction that it was probably not usual.

    But I don''t want to be special. I want to be a normal average magician. You''ll never be that.

    "Who said that? Kenji? Aki?"

    No one answered me. I got up and went back to the door to take another look. Maybe someone was standing there. Unfortunately, I was wrong. I walked back and lay down on the bed. Suddenly the voice spoke again, I didn''t realize it, but I passed out on the ground and found myself again in my vision or memory?

    "Dad, why don''t you want to be friends with me? They say I''m different. I want to be, but normal." The faceless figure stroked my hair.

    "You''ll never be that. Accept your lot. Take advantage of your extraordinary. Everyone is different."

    The rest of my memory dissolved before my eyes, and I fell into sweet black unconsciousness.

 Chapter no. 24 - Dragon Book

    Iruka discovered another ability in himself. Is that a good thing or not? Iruk''s life seems to be getting pretty complicated. Will he ever find the answers to his questions?

    I awoke from my unconsciousness on my own. The sun was setting outside, so I just rinsed off and went about my chores. I didn''t sleep at all last night. I kept thinking about my new ability. I''m sure there are some explanations, but when will I find them? There are more and more questions and no answers. I got up and felt the door to the room in the dead of night. I headed to the library. I kept to the wall so I wouldn''t trip over something. Unfortunately, even the wall didn''t warn me about the stairs to the third floor, and I sprawled on the stairs.

    "Damn it!"I swore out loud.

    I hope I didn''t wake anyone up. Yes, I could have turned on the light, but that would have drawn attention and that''s not what I wanted at the moment. I climbed the stairs on all fours. I stopped on the last step when I saw the light coming out of the library. Someone''s awake. Cautiously, I followed the light. Gently, I pushed the door open and entered the room. I didn''t see anyone.

    "Hello?"I called uncertainly into space.

    "Iruka?"

    "Fuyu? What are you doing here?¡±

    I was a bit confused when I saw the white-haired girl. I took comfort in the fact that he had the same look of surprise as I did.

    "I''m looking to see if we have a book. Aki likes to collect books from different worlds since he was a little girl. So I wondered if there might be something more written in one about dragon power."

    My pupils dilated further. How does he know it''s bothering me? And he wants to help me?

    "W-Why?"I stammered in confusion. Fuyu slapped his forehead, then put his cool face back on.

    ¡°Because you could see how confused you were and it''s obvious you have a lot of questions. So don''t stand there and come help me. The fact that you''re going to stare like that won''t answer your questions."He chuckled and returned to the bookshelves. I just smiled and went to help him.

    ??????????????????

    It''s been, like, two hours since I got here and we haven''t found anything. While I was in it, I was standing at one of the shelves, where there was plenty of space available for books. Then a little black hole came out of nowhere, and it sounds like a book popped up. The book, with rainbow scales on its back, was at the very top.

    ¡°Fuyu...?"I called to him nervously. I started reaching for it. I was already touching the book with my middle finger, but I was too small to grasp it.

    "Shit, why am I not taller?!"I muttered to myself, staggering on my toes.

    Suddenly, another hand grasped the book. Fuyu took off the book and walked away triumphantly to the table. I''m sure he was pleased to see me struggling with the height the book was at. I walked up to him. He sat there and watched me come in. He didn''t touch the book.

    "Then read it."He encouraged me to sit across from him. I didn''t say anything. I squee

    zed the hem of my T-shirt a little and started walking toward the chair. A lamp shone on the table, illuminating the book''s binding. The scales shone brighter now. I turned it toward me. There was a sign in the middle. It was a coiled Chinese snake with a red stone in its mouth. Above it was written ''Ry? no g¨¡dian''.

    "The Dragon''s Keeper."I read aloud to myself.

    I stared at the cover of the book for a while, hesitating, but it wasn''t that long, I wanted at least a few answers. The page was blank. I looked blankly at Fuyu. He, but he turned his eyes to the book. The golden writing gradually began to appear.

    Me and my comrades have found another of the new gates. He already seemed to be hiding evil behind him, but what an unknown to us he was. We inserted a wrench with strange wings that were not birdlike or anything like that into the lock. For a while, nothing happened. Then the silence cut through a terrifying sound I''d never heard before. The gate, which was interwoven with iron and brass, began to open slowly. The creaking sound and harsh light drew us into paradise. Or so it seemed at first glance. I remember my guardian and the other people on my expedition complimenting me and patting me on the shoulder. Now I wish I could change that. Bring so many lives lost back to life. How many of us would have survived if we hadn''t opened that gate?This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    For several days of wandering and exploring, we found nothing out of the ordinary. Only virgin nature surrounded us. Perhaps nothing lived here except birds and insects¡­.

    It''s all changed, but one day it''s changed.. We were walking through the woods when one of my companions suddenly saw a monster. They all cautiously ran down to him. There were four monsters in the clearing. They were huge and scary. They looked like lizards with wings. Sharp claws and no hands. Their leg was four times my size. We then called these monsters dragons.

    So many men died examining them. Over a hundred of us arrived, and maybe less than twenty survived. They didn''t die in vain. The long-standing exploration of these monsters across their country has borne fruit. We found over 500 species. We understood their behavior. We found out what they did for a living, what conditions suited them or not, but all of this was irrelevant compared to all of it. We found that these dragons also had some magical powers. They were no ordinary animals. She was very intelligent, perhaps more intelligent than most of the races I know. Soon we began to make contact with them, and five years later they began to teach us their charms. People, my people, paid a heavy price to get dragon magic. We named ourselves dragon guardians and returned to our lands. Me and a few other dragon spells were only left in the family, but most of us didn''t follow that selfish gesture. And that''s how the great age of dragons began.

    And yet both the great age of dragons had come and ended quickly. It was as fast as a raw, which suddenly bursts into flames with great and dazzling fire, but dies at the same speed. As always, some races began to abuse this power, and especially the dragons that later joined us. I wish I could have stopped the carnage sooner. Dragons and humans were dying out faster than anyone could tell. The council passed a judgment ending that era. Slaughter all dragons in all countries. I couldn''t watch it anymore. I closed the gate and cursed her. I hid the key so no one would find it. If anyone is worthy of breaking the spell and finding the key, I hope they hear this story and keep this ancient and very powerful magic locked away. Enough has been shed of the dragon''s blood because of their celestial power. I''m old now and I''m dying. These are my last words. I''ve spent my life studying dragons, but I haven''t been able to protect them. They trusted me, and I failed them. I plucked them from their paradise and brought them to hell. All they have experienced here is death, suffering and grief. Perhaps one day she will forgive my folly....

    T.

    "What''s that supposed to mean? How come I have the power then? Am I descended from one of the expeditions?"

    "I can''t tell you. The magic of dragons was once taught in the same way as, say, the magic of the elements. But what''s more important is that you remember, and what''s so certain is that this power is no more. The author of this book experienced both rise and fall. From now on, you have to be careful and you can''t tell anyone. No one really knows why the council suddenly issued a council to kill all dragons and their guardians. This book, too, is very rare, and I''m mystified as to how it just appeared here. When you described it to me, it doesn''t feel like a familiar spell to me. Even if you don''t have a dragon with you, like the dragon guard once did, you can''t even use these spells for nothing. Is that clear?¡±

    "I don''t understand. Why is this magic no longer used? How come I have a dragon? You''ve seen it yourself."I blurted out to him. His words made me more confused than reassured.

    ¡°A lot of wizards have been killed for this ancient magic. They all wanted that enormous power, and they could do anything to do that. You understand that the magic of dragons is really strong and few who could tame it. With you, the only answer is that it''s hereditary, but we don''t know for sure."He hesitated for a moment to finish, but he didn''t have to. Then he went on: "But with a lot of creatures, this magic is at odds with their magical capacity, and so the force was able to kill them."Fuyu lectured me.

    You could see it was probably serious. I thought there was no other way to be different in the world of magic, but there seems to be.

    "What about the dragon?"I asked after a moment of silence. There was so much information that at one point I thought sweet ignorance would be preferable.

    "I think your dragon is merely like a ghost or an aura. It''s not real, when the spell ended, it flew right back into you. "

    ¡°O - ok."I stammered and kept thinking.

    Fuyu came up to me and drove his hand into my hair. He grabbed them tightly and made me throw my head back. I stared into his magically blue eyes, trying to read at least a little emotion from them.

    "Don''t be afraid of your power. You''re no different or weird. You''re delicious. We don''t think you''re a monster, don''t worry. Unfortunately, I only know a tiny bit about this magic, there aren''t many records. We''re all taught that this power no longer exists, but as you can see, the opposite is true. be afraid"He whispered softly. It was strange to hear him talk like that. With such kindness and attention. I wasn''t really used to it, especially from him. He took his hand off my hair and was on his way out. I couldn''t just leave it at that. I got up quickly and hugged him. I could only reach his chest, but hopefully he''ll understand that I''m very grateful.

 Chapter no. 25 - Earth (1.)

    "Iruka, get up! Come on, we gotta go!"

    Whoever it is, shut up. My first thought in the morning wasn''t exactly encouraging. I hear your first thought in the morning will affect your whole day. Well, then I''m screwed.. Poor Haru has taken away this vile thought. Ugh, he can''t read minds. I didn''t get much sleep last night. I was getting to know my new ability, and I was reading the book at least an hour after I got back to my room. But I had completely forgotten that training with Haru was starting today.

    How old do you think it is? I felt for the alarm clock on the table and pulled it toward me. I opened one eye very hard and looked at the time. Is he kidding me?! It''s 5:00 in the morning?! Did I just sleep for two hours? No way! I''m going to bed. I burrowed and went back to sleep.

    I felt like I''d been forgotten, and I''ve been sleeping here for, like, three days, but sleep-deprived time is different from reality. Because after Haru came and yelled at me again, it was only two minutes. Drowsy, I scrambled out of the warm nest and went to the shower to sort myself out. Luckily, I packed my things yesterday, because I don''t think I could have done it in that condition. I took my trousers, T-shirt, hoodie and backpack and headed downstairs. Down below, Kenji and Haru were putting on their shoes.

    "Good morning." He greeted a sleepy Kenji. He also didn''t seem too happy about getting up early.

    "Hi."I said in the same tone and put on my sneakers.

    We went outside. All was dusk, and the cool wind of autumn filtered through my warm jacket. I fidgeted and crossed my arms. Haru jostled happily into the woods. Perhaps no human could be so action-packed in the morning.

    That''s what I said.

    Hey Kenji! Don''t read my mind, okay? This intrusion is private!

    I''m sorry, but I couldn''t help overhearing.

    We just smiled at each other and, like two zombies, followed the blonde.

    "Here you go. These fruits kick in more than coffee."

    We gratefully accepted the red berries and carried on. They really started working. I felt as alive and sleep-deprived as I''d ever felt, even though I knew it wasn''t.

    "Now that you''re awake and you can perceive, listen. Now we''re heading to the heart of this according to the forest. I want to help you and make it easy for you, so that''s why this expedition. It''s a long way away, but it''s a better place to connect with nature. No matter what planet you''re on, nature is the same everywhere. At first glance it may not look like it, but at heart they''re the same and that''s what''s so amazing about the element of the earth. As you have discovered, with the elements, there are endless spells. In fact, it''s up to each of you what spells you''ll want to learn or make for yourself. That''s another elemental positive. You could say me and my brothers are the guardians of the elements, so you have a huge advantage. We can''t teach you other spells or anything, but I think you two are smart and proficient. Now, that''s enough chatter. I''ll make the rest of my speech on the spot."He smiled and focused on the road again.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ???????????????

    The sun was already in the middle of its journey. Fortunately, a dense forest shielded us from its harsh rays. But then clouds obscured the sun and the forest darkened. It was scary, and I rallied closer to Kenji. He looked pretty nervous, too. There was movement everywhere, and I felt like we were being watched. An uncomfortable feeling, but we have Haru with us, and it brings me back down to earth with firm feet.

    "Here we are."He declared.

    He grabbed the branches of a bush and brushed it away. In the midst of all this darkness was a glade that shone. Everything around it glowed greenish. It was mystical. Something as charming as I''ve ever seen. A small trickle of water ran through the glade. There was even a small waterfall to clear the water. There was a wonderful singing of birds around, hidden in the treetops. Cautiously we stepped in and followed Hara, who was again three steps ahead of us.

    "So many colorful flowers."I gasped in amazement.

    Butterflies flitted around us as close as if we were flowers ourselves. We crossed a small spring of crystal water and found ourselves on the other side of a clearing. There were no flowers here. Just grass, but there was something magical about it, too. It was so deep green, as if the painter had knocked over a dark green colour and spilled it on to this grass. She was like something out of a dream or some other world. I sat down carefully. So soft!! It''s like sitting in cotton. I lay down and enjoyed the softness. I''ve never seen anything so wonderful, especially in the fall.

    "So this is the heart of this forest."He said Haru, looking at the beauty in a startled way.

    "I can see why you''ve been away lately. I''d run to hide in such beauty, too."Kenji quipped.

    "Haha. It is. Autumn is a difficult time for me, so I hide where nature never sleeps. Now, let me tell you a few things about my element."I swung into a sitting position and fixed my hazel eyes on Haru.

    "The earth is all around you. Plants, rocks, animals. You have to blend in with all that. Easy to say, I understand. But here is the strongest concentration of the country''s magic. Show her your insides and she''ll show hers. Be kind to her and she will be with you. It''s all about your attitude about nothing else. I''ve left you alone with a list of basic and effective spells. So when we get back, I believe you''ll learn them immediately. But now let''s get in sync. That''s the whole key to controlling the elements. Lay down on the grass and close your eyes. Try to sense the heat coming out of the soil. Feel how plants breathe., how they speak to you. become loose"

    I lay down next to Kenji and started to follow instructions.

    "Don''t worry. We can do that."I was comforted by Kenji''s white teeth and he closed his eyes.

    I smiled, too, and began another pilgrimage to the next element.

 Chapter no. 26 - Earth (2.)

    I don''t know how long I''ve been lying here on this earth. I''d forgotten all about Kenji lying next to me, even Haru I hadn''t thought about. I feel like I''ve started to become part of the country. And they do. My arms and legs were trapped in the soil, and my body was slowly falling under the spell, too. Strange I didn''t panic at all. I let it consume me. I wanted to be consumed by it. I won''t find sympathy if I''m afraid. The darkness suddenly parted in front of me, and I was right in front of it. Gaia, mother of the Naruno brothers.

    "How?" I blurted out and bowed quickly.

    The woman smiled a little and put her hand on my shoulder. She squeezed it and began to tug at it slightly. I understood I was to rise. I stood and faced her oaky brown eyes again. She was wearing the same blue dress she wore in the portrait.

    "I''m in this nature."She spoke and smiled slightly.

    "But Haru..."I wasn''t able to make a sound sentence, but luckily she understood me and was able to explain it to me.

    "Haru and no one else knows. Haru talks to me and sees as you do, but I''m in disguise. I don''t want to cause them pain. They''ve been through a lot and I can''t stop them from living. She has to live it her way. My life ended when I saved them from certain death. Promise me, Iruka, you won''t tell them. I''m not here for them right now, I''m here for you."

    "Me? why"

    "You want to adopt the element of the earth, and I''m simply the element of the earth. I''m helping everyone who''s applying."

    "Oh, so you''re still in Kenji''s head now, are you? What do you say she''s dating your son? Come on, what?"

    Yes, it''s still me. I''m an expert at making jokes in inappropriate situations. But hey, it doesn''t always have to be so boring. Mostly, the smile suited her. And now she was laughing beautifully.

    "Yes, I am, and about 300 more apprentices, but for me the two of you are the most important thing right now. And I see you both like to make jokes about each other."

    "What? What does he say about me?"

    Gaia just laughed out loud and went on: "Will you say yes then? I don''t want Haru to start worrying about you. He''s so caring to others. Now come on, I''ll take you through my world."

    And she reached out to me. I gladly accepted it and walked with it towards the white light.

    We''ve been through every corner of the Earth. We passed through the rainforests of South America, a dry yet beautiful desert in Africa. We''ve been through and through the tundra in Canada. I was able to travel the Earth, despite the fact that I never left Japan. Suddenly, we began to travel on other planets that perhaps no Earthling knew.

    "May I ask?"

    "Of course."

    "You''re the element, then?"

    "Well, not exactly. The element has no form. It''s intense. It''s like imagining a pebble that''s stronger than anything in the world. I''m carrying the stone inside me. I was chosen by a stone to be its living essence. "Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    "Isn''t this a prison for you?"

    "No, silly. I''m glad he chose me. I am the only creature this power has chosen. The other elements have not taken this action. They chose the guardians."

    "Guardian? You mean your sons?"

    "Yes. They didn''t want to risk putting some of their power into the wrong person, so they used my pregnancy to put some of their power into my sons. I persuaded the elements of the earth to put some of their power into Haru. They had to stick together like ancient elements. They wouldn''t be equal without him."

    "Oh. Do the boys know?"

    "Yes. They are aware of their power."

    I just grunted thoughtfully and kept on marching among nature.

    "Here we are. Before you go, someone important wants to talk to you. This is where I give it to you for what you''ve come. Please keep an eye on them for me."

    The woman touched my chest, and I felt a new force pass through me.

    "Thank you. Don''t worry, I will."

    "You''re as kind as your mother. Goodbye, Iruka."

    "G-Goodbye."I stammered.

    She knew my mother? I was out of my mind. If she knew my mother, she knows what happened to her and where I''m from. I wish I could talk to her the same way Haru did. But one paid off. My mother was good. She wasn''t a bad fury, like the orphans at the orphanage had said. To them, my parents were evil, but I know my parents were good. A terrible roar snatched me from my paralysed mind.

    "Eeeeee!! What the hell is that?"I turned and started to back away.

    The ground began to shake and trees around it fell. Where the hell am I? I have to go. I started backing up, but I tripped over the root and fell. The monster was almost here. Only two more trees stood unveiled.

    Screech. Wham!

    The trees fell. A bloodcurdling roar cut through the air. What it said paralyzed me. dragon Another dragon! It had pale green scales. He spread his wings and showed me his immensity. He was scary, but he was beautiful. He had a nice slender long neck. His body was as graceful as his neck, but there were hints of massive muscle. Sharp spikes ran down his spine from head to tail, which I certainly wouldn''t want to impale myself on.

    "Don''t worry, I won''t hurt you. We have little time. Gaia only allowed me to talk to you like that for a moment."

    "Wait, where am I?"

    "You are in my country. For a while, Gaia connected your mind to my country. I''m your new dragon. I want you to see what I really look like and listen to my words." I just nodded in agreement. I didn''t really know what was going on and let him talk.

    "I want you to be careful. Our power is strong and could hurt you. I want you to hear that I''m going to die for you. We''re together from now on, to the death. And I won''t let anyone hurt you. It may take you time to fully connect, but I still wanted to tell you that we are behind you and we trust you. You have to go back now. They''re calling you." The dragon smiled at me and turned to leave.

    "Wait!"I screamed at the top of my lungs.

    I got up quickly and ran towards him, unfortunately some power was pulling me back.

    "Nooooo!"My screams and the sight of the dragon''s graceful footsteps were the last thing I saw of this expedition.

    "Iruka?! Iruka? Are you okay?"He asked Haru fearfully, shaking me.

    "Yeah. forgive There was something else I had to take care of."

    "So what?"He raised his eyebrows curiously.

    "Dragon of the Earth!"

    A green light shot out of my hand and formed my new friend with the leaves around him. Frankly, I wasn''t sure if I could summon it, or if my call would be heard, and the Tee was already dormant in me anywhere. The boys were gasping when they saw the monument. It was beautiful, but it was even prettier in the flesh.

    "I forgot to thank you and say something about it, too.. I won''t let you down. I''ll be the best dragon guard you could ask for. I swear I will never let you die through my guilt. From now on, you are my friends, and I will protect my friends."

    The dragon smiled at me and, full of throats, roared and disappeared. With a smile that played on my lips, I looked at the two of them with their mouths in the hooch.

    "Lock her up before anything goes in.¡±

    I laughed and grabbed my backpack.

    "I''m quite hungry. go" Only afterwards did I realize that the sun was no longer over me, with its fluffy clouds, but a dark sky filled with stars.

    "Whaat? Is it night already??"

    Now, for a change, the boys started laughing. I didn''t hold back and joined them.

 Chapter no. 27 - Fire (1.)

    The Naruno brothers sit in a room with portraits of their relatives and discuss. What can they even talk about? And where are Iruk and Kenji?!

    "You saw their mother, too, didn''t you?" Kenji followed up with a new theme.

    "Yeah. And I heard you made fun of me." I gave him a little nudge on the shoulder.

    "What? You''re the one who started it. She knew I was with Aki. You must have talked her out of it."

    And he hit me back with a nudge.

    "Nah! I told her, but she didn''t look surprised, so she already knew, baby boy."

    "Who are you calling a boy!? I am older than you! But.. Don''t worry, in return I told her you were going after Fuyu." "

    WHAT?! I don''t want it. I''m into girls!"

    I''ve only been poking him a little bit until now, but now I''ve really pushed him. How dare he put me in a heap with that walking reaper who murders people with that look of his.

    "What do you mean? Come on!"

    Kenji threw me over, and we got into an eye-popping fight. I mean, I hope it was fake.

    ¡°You want to fight?!"I challenged him.

    "Yeah! Let''s do it. Let''s try our new spells!"He said all the greedy fighting and got off me.

    "Okay!"I agreed, and he surged quickly.

    We were both standing about a hundred yards apart. We were like boys. Wait we''re the boys. It would be boring if I couldn''t fight anyone here.

    "A gust of wind."Kenji cast the first spell on me.

    The wind began to rush past me. If I hadn''t stopped him with my shield, the gust would have increased, leaving scars on me.

    "Leaf storm."

    "Winddisks."

    I started dodging his spells and trying to get close to him. The closer I get, the better I can beat him. I was determined not to give up. We haven''t fought since the goblin attacks, and now we have a new power. We have to test it.

    "The force of the westerly wind!"I shouted, and the strong wind was on Kenji. It was swiftly avoided, but I had counted on that.

    "Speed."I whispered, and as the spell is called, it works. I quickly got to Kenji and was able to strike. From the height from which I had now leapt upon him, I shout another spell.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    "Bear''s paws."

    My fist was wrapped in a green light that looked like a bear''s paw. I aimed it squarely at his astonished face and approached him with a cry of delight. Suddenly I stopped. I couldn''t move. I fell to the ground.

    "It''s not fair!"I protested and spat out a piece of grass.

    "Sorry. It would hurt me. And your mind can''t block this, so it''s easy." Kenji stood over me and watched me murder him with my eyes. He just smiled and shook my hand. I gladly accepted it and continued my standing defense.

    "Yeah, but if I could, you''d lose!"

    "I''m not denying that. You''re a very good magician. You look aggressive in the process of fighting, and you''re scary, but you''re good. I think you''ll pass the exams."

    "So are you. but. I probably won''t win if I''m up against you."

    "You don''t have to be against me. According to the rules, you can make a non-offensive pact with one person. So they won''t pit you against each other. I mean, until it''s necessary, but I don''t think it ever will be."

    "Really ? That''s great!" My eyes suddenly lit up.

    I didn''t want to fight Kenji. He''s a friend, and I know I have to become stronger to beat him. Kenji is very strong, though he hides it, he''s an amazing magician. So far, he''s always been the first to resonate with the elements. I know it''s not about speed, but I think it''s already showing his great potential.

    "Don''t worry, I want to enjoy you in the end."And smiled mischievously.

    "You bet! It''s gonna be a blast!"I smiled back with the same coin.

    "What are the four of them talking about, anyway?"I asked and looked up at the mountain to the house.

    "I don''t know.. Are we going to find out?"

    "That you''re hesitating."

    We both made a quick dash back to the house. We ran up the first two floors as fast as we could. We slowed down at the third floor and went slower.

    We have to be like mice. They''re vampires, and they hear everything. I stepped gingerly on to the first step. The one below me creaked a little. I looked at Kenji, who was halfway up the stairs. We both froze. Now you wouldn''t even feel our pulse. We still don''t have much access to their room. Well, it''s more like their office or something. The voices continued to come to life, and I continued to climb. We were there. We squeezed against the wall and shuffled carefully toward the door. Now we''re undercover spies. We were both even wearing black clothing. How ironic. We got to the door and there they listened to their conversation.

    ¡°In Taiyo something''s going on. I don''t know what, but it''s coming soon. I''ve heard rumors before, they were gossip, but we know it."Aki said in a serious tone.

    They all looked solemn. Even Natsu, for whom it was a miracle.

    ¡°We''ve got to hurry up in training. I have bad premonitions, too."Haru agreed.

    ¡°Yeah, it''s just weird that the wizards have moved up the trial to next week."I heard Fuyu''s voice.

    Kenji and I both froze. This is a joke, right? Why they did it. Kenji began to hop strangely from one side to the other behind me. He was probably scared. I''d reassure him if the klutz didn''t push me and I''d fall out of the doorstep.

    "You idiot! Why did he push me?!"I yelled at him.

    "It wasn''t him, it was me."He said, in a murderous tone, a blue-eyed demon standing next to a trembling Kenji.

    I, too, began to shiver and sweat. Hell, he knew about us. How long do you think he''s known about us spying? Eeeeh Iruka, you''re dead. I looked him in the eye. They burned through me even more. It''s that dark aura around him again. He''s so scary.. I laughed nervously and scratched the back of my neck.

    "Ha ha. Fuyu! Friend forgive I didn''t know about you."I tried to iron it out, but judging by his expression, it was too late.

    "You''ve been spying again?"He called from Aki''s office.

    "No no no. We. We. We were just passing by."Kenji explained, but he didn''t get away with it much either.

    "Well, at least now you know you don''t have much time. Within a week, you must learn to control fire and water.¡± Fuyu chuckled.

    "So no dalliances. Let''s study! Right now!"He shot Natsu out of his chair and grabbed us both and threw us over his shoulder.

    "And then it''s my turn." Fuyu whispered, so that only me and the blond man could hear.

    We''re going to die.¡­

 Chapter no. 28. - Fire (2.)

    Why has the Wizards'' Council suddenly decided to postpone the trials? Whatever is going on, nothing good is going to come of it.

    "To hell with it. Let''s go! We''ll be back by nightfall."

    "Somehow you believe yourself, Natsu. Do you think you can teach them that in three hours before it gets dark?" Aki asked provocatively.

    "I don''t think so, I know. You said they''re teachable, so there''s nothing to worry about. I''ll feed them on time, don''t worry." He called from the stairs and quickly caught up with us.

    "I hope you''re as hot as I am?"

    "Of course we are! But tell me, where are we going?"

    "Well, away from our garden. I don''t want to burn Haru''s flowers, even if they are withered. I did that once and well... It was worse than any natural disaster. I advise you to be careful. Touch his flowers and you''re dead.

    Kenji and I both laughed out loud and left.

    We ended up in a small clearing in the woods. Natsu immediately fell into the grass. We carefully walked up to him and leaned over him. He just opened one eye and watched us intently for a while.

    "What is it? I don''t need to tell you that you need to concentrate. I think that''s twice enough for you. You have to look within yourself. Your inner fire. Come on, let''s get to it. I''m gonna take a nap before I bite into something juicy." He finished his big teacherly lecture and put his hands behind his head and closed his eye.

    I sighed out loud and sat down in the grass a little ways away. Kenji echoed me and we both went back into meditation mode.

    No avatar of fire or perhaps Gaia herself visited my thoughts. It was like the first time. Alone in the darkness. I had to find the light. I ran, but I couldn''t find it. I didn''t even want to stop. I''ll just find the fire in me.

    An hour later

    I finally see the light. I quickly run to the small flame. It barely glows. It''s staggering and looks like it''s about to go out. The flame reflected in my eyes and I was completely hypnotized by it. Carefully and slowly, I began to reach out to it. I had no idea that I might get burned. I didn''t even feel anything as I approached. Maybe it was my previous hypnosis. The flame began to flicker more. It started to go out! Oh, no! I quickly reached into the flame. The flame suddenly flared up. My whole arm, even me, started to burn. But it didn''t hurt at all. I closed my eyes and let my inner fire take me. How could my fire hurt me? I would be a coward and not control it if I was afraid of myself. I may doubt myself sometimes, but I''ve been more sure of myself in the last few months than ever before. In fact, since meeting those four leeches, I''m different.

    I suddenly woke up. No darkness, but a bright light. I blinked rapidly and gradually got used to the daylight. I was still in the same place. Just me, Kenji and a sleeping Natsu. I''m glad I made it. Judging by Kenji''s blissful expression, he did too.

    "So we''re done. We only have one more to go." I said proudly.

    "Yeah. Now let''s go fool around. You got her!"If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    He slapped my hand and started running.

    "What are we, five?" I asked with a giggle and took off running after him.

    Yes boys will always be boys. We are a shining example of never growing up. We''re almost 18 and 19 and we''re flying around playing baba like five year old caparts. But in our defense, it was fun. It''s nice to have a little fun now and then. Especially after such a hard journey. It seems easy to get the element, but every time I get it, I get a five-minute migraine. I can suppress it, but it''s not pleasant. And what better cure than fooling around.

    I almost had Kenji. He used to smile at me and stick his tongue out like a baby. And that was a mistake. He tripped over a bump on the ground and fell. Unfortunately, he fell on a root and hit his temple.

    "Kenji!" I yelled and quickly ran up to him.

    "Are you okay? Let me see."

    I gingerly touched the red strand that was flowing from his head.

    "Yes I am. It just hurts."

    "It''s gonna be okay just..." I stopped mid-sentence when I heard a loud swipe of his nose.

    Shit, Natsu. Natsu was already on his feet, full of form. He smelled Kenji''s blood, and it derailed him again. He would''ve held on if he was fed, but now he was hungry, and he looked pretty hungry. I stood in front of Kenji to cover him up a bit and he wasn''t looking at the blood.

    "Okay Natsu. I know you''re hungry, but you don''t want to eat Kenji." I appealed to him, but it wasn''t believable enough. I was scared of him and my voice was shaking.

    "No, you''re right. I''ll eat you both." And he licked his lips hungrily.

    His face wouldn''t normally scare me, but his vampire eyes and fangs made me decide to fight back any way I could.

    "Sorry, Natsu, but you''ll thank me later." I said in a slightly more firm voice.

    I held my hands out towards a tree nearby and ordered him to cuff Natsu. The branches immediately began to wrap around Natsu''s body. He twitched, but didn''t stand a chance. I turned to Kenji. He was staggering between consciousness and unconsciousness.

    "Kenji, don''t fall asleep. Just sit here and sit." I whispered softly in his ear and pulled him over to the tree I was leaning against.

    "Okay. Just don''t sleep." I patted his cheek and smiled.

    I turned my attention back to Natsu. He had stopped moving. He gave up. Thank God. I thought to myself when suddenly he was all on fire and my feet were there.

    "Hell''s circle." He whispered, and a circle of fire formed around him and me.

    Damn it. I''d forgotten about it. He controls the fire even in that state. What now? My earth and air spells won''t work on him. I don''t know enough of them to stop fire yet. And I don''t know any fire spells either. What now?! I wish I had a fire dragon. Wait, what if I have one too? I can try to summon it! No, Iruka, you have to control it or you and Kenji will die today.

    "I was really hungry for you, but now I''m going to burn you to the ground. The flames of hell!!"

    I didn''t heed his words or the spell he cast. Reality didn''t exist for me at that moment. I plunged back into myself and tried to find that flame inside me again. Never in my life had I been so focused to run somewhere in my awareness like that. It was strong, but not strong enough to defeat Natsu, of that I was certain. Suddenly I see an egg in the fire. A fire dragon? I have it inside me? I jumped into the flames and grabbed the egg. That''s when I woke up. Its flame was almost upon me. Instinctively, I crossed my arms in front of me.

    "Shield of the Fire Dragon!" I yelled at the last moment.

    The flames of hell struck, but fortunately did not kill me. My dragon shield protected me. The flames ceased and so did my shield. Now it''s my turn.

    "Dragon..." I reached out for my counterattack. A dragon was even beginning to emerge from the flames, but suddenly I was interrupted.

    "Stupefaciunt!" Kenji coughed out, interrupting me.

    The spell instantly hit Natsuo and he collapsed to the ground. My flames ceased and my dragon disappeared.

    "Hey you! Dragonlord!" Kenji shouted at me in amusement.

    I walked over to him and stared at him in incomprehension.

    "Don''t waste that amazing power on someone like Natsu." He chuckled.

    I couldn''t help but feel the corners of my mouth lift up as well.

    "I had to protect you at all costs."

    "Don''t worry, he''s unconscious now. Then pull out your cell phone and call the guys. You''re not gonna get us both home and that''s enough for today."

    I had to laugh again. He was making fun of me like he always does. I immediately took his advice and called Haru and explained everything to him.

 Chapter no. 29. - Water (1.)

    It''s been five days since the injury. Fortunately, Kenji didn''t have any serious injuries, but no one wanted him to switch. The poisoning went well, but now they only have two days to control the water. What will the training be like with the legendary torturer Fuyu Narun?

    Fear. That''s what I''m feeling right now. I woke up a few minutes ago and the harsh reality reminded me of what I''m going to do today. Training with Fuy begins today. Aaaaaaaaaa! I''m dead. I stay in bed, he comes and kills me. I get out of bed, he comes and kills me. There is no scenario where I survive alive... Goodbye, my dear life. I loved you. With a great deal of compulsion, I crawled out of bed after a 10 minute fight with myself. Walked over to my closet and pulled out my jeans, shirt, sweater and jacket. I threw it all on the bed and went to take a shower.

    "Mmmm yummy." I grumbled contentedly and ran a hand through my long auburn hair.

    I turned off the tap and climbed out. There I wrapped a towel around my waist and hair and moved on to brushing my teeth. At this I wondered a bit how lucky I was to actually have such great friends. For a long time I had had so little and sometimes nothing, but now I had everything I could wish for. I hope you can see that, Momo-chan. I''m happy.

    Now in a positive mood, I put on my shirt and jeans and went to prepare breakfast. I still have my duties as a servant. At least I think I do. But let''s face it, I liked cooking. And I was, as always, up early.

    I took an egg, milk and a jar of blueberry jam out of the fridge. Then I took out some more flour and other things and set about making pancakes.

    An hour later I had a good stack of pancakes and judging by the choking and screaming I heard, I guessed Natsu was awake. And I guess the others, too, since he''s stomping. He stormed into the dining room and took his seat.

    "Good morning." I peeked around the corner of the kitchen and then went back to flipping pancakes.

    "Good. I hope you got something decent to eat." He mumbled aloud.

    "You went hunting yesterday, didn''t you?"

    "Yeah, but that was just blood. That''s what the vampire part of me needs. My human part is craving some human food right now."

    "Tss. You really are a bunch of weirdos." I shook my head and picked up two plates and walked over to him.

    I placed a plate in front of Natsu and next to him.

    "Mmmm pancakes. Thank you, Iruka."

    "You''re welcome."

    As I walked back into the kitchen, the door creaked open. Inside stood Haru and Aki, with Kenji at his side.

    "Good morning." They greeted in chorus and sat down at the table.

    "Good morning." I waved at them and took their plates and brought them over.

    I put more jam on the table and wished them well.

    "Where''s Fuyu?" I asked after a while when I saw that he wasn''t coming.

    "Probably in his room." Natsu replied icily, already digging into another plate of pancakes.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    I picked up the plate of pancakes and jam and followed him upstairs. I knocked lightly on his door.

    "Come in." There was a muffled sound.

    I didn''t hesitate and entered the room. Fuyu had a very nice and big room. It was painted light blue, almost white. He had a huge mahogany bed in the middle. Opposite was a tall white wardrobe and on the other side was a desk also made of mahogany. The villa was very modern on the outside and more European-built than typical Japanese houses, but his room still felt like it was from another time. It was like stepping back in time, but actually not really there were definitely modern touches. I don''t know how to describe it, the room was, in a word, nostalgic.

    "I brought you food." I whispered, peering around to see where it was.

    He wasn''t in bed. Maybe in the other room that had the door partially ajar. But I was afraid to peek into what that room was.

    "Yeah thanks. Sorry I got held up in the shower. I went for a run this morning."

    He walked out of the room, buttoning up his white shirt. He wore simple black jeans with it. He was gorgeous and my heart skipped a beat at the thought. I quickly cocked my head to the side so I wouldn''t stare at him and blush even more.

    "Good, I was just worried." I spoke the sentence quietly, still looking to the side.

    "It''s okay. You don''t have to worry about me." He said and ruffled my hair.

    I frowned a little, but I was still unable to make any movement. Fuyu stood looking at me for a while. He looked me over from top to bottom, as if he had x-ray eyes.

    "Then go eat too. Then let''s go train. We need to get this over with quickly."

    I just shook my head and quickly disappeared. I closed the door and leaned against it. I had to breathe fast and loud. I leaned forward and tried to calm myself down. My heart almost skipped a beat. I sighed out loud and ruffled my hair.

    "Let''s eat." I said to myself and pushed away from the door.

    ??????????????????

    I put on a warm jacket. You put on your boots and ran towards the lake at the end of our garden. We should be there in two minutes. And I ran at the last minute, as I was still doing my duties as a servant and cleaning up after breakfast.

    "Speed." I murmured, and my running picked up.

    Everything around me was so dim and blurry and all I could see was my direct line of sight, but I was getting my bearings. I got there just in time.

    I stopped and breathed a little sigh of relief. Kenji was silently taunting me and Fuyu...well he was killing me in his mind again.

    "S-sorry." I stuttered and looked at him.

    "So listen. I won''t be like the others. I''m not just going to teach you how to control it, but I''m going to teach you a very important spell. So let''s get started. I''m going to attack you, and you can''t defend yourself with anything but water. There''s a spell I''m going to teach you that goes along with that. It''s a wall of water. It''s actually a water shield, but more effective against fire attacks. If you use water spells, believe that you will always be attacked by fire, but fire is not always stronger than water. You have to be more clever than fire mages. Fire is impulsive and usually spontaneous, but water is the opposite. Calm, deliberate. That''s the power of it." He paused a bit over his monologue and looked at us.

    "So enough of the bullshit. Let''s do it. If I use my magic to get you into the lake, you''ll lose and have to stay in it for at least 20 minutes. Now get undressed."

    "WHAT????!!" Kenji and I came out at the same time.

    I don''t know what was more shocking. Staying in the cold water for 20 minutes or wrestling with him in just his boxers. I hope he didn''t mean everything.

    "It''s, like, 10 degrees..." Kenji whined.

    "Any objections?!" Fuyu raised his voice a little, his face becoming more petrified.

    We both started shaking and shaking our heads in disagreement. You just don''t want to antagonize him.

    "So for that remark, you go first Kenji. Take your clothes off."

    Kenji swallowed dryly and began to undress.

    In a moment Kenji was standing in nothing but his dark blue boxers with pink hearts. I had to start laughing out loud.

    "Stt-ooped iiit." He gritted his teeth and scowled at me.

    "Guess you weren''t expecting to get naked today, were you?" Laughing, even my stomach, which I was clutching spasmodically, began to ache.

    "Stop it, Iruka. I want to see yours later." He chastised Fuya, but you could tell he was suppressing his laughter. I better shut up and pay attention.

    "Let''s get started." Fuyu announced, throwing off his coat.

    He straddled his legs a bit into an attack position. Kenji did the same, though he was shivering with cold. Suddenly, water gushed out of his hands.

    "What! Without saying anything!" I blurted out at the voice.

    Even Kenji was surprised. But he couldn''t think about it right now.

    He nimbly dodged the oncoming current.

    Fuyu only slightly lifted the right corner of his lips to smile.

 Chapter no. 30. - Water (2.)

    Kenji slowly picked himself up off the ground, but Fuyu paid no mind.

    "Water sphere rotation."

    Thousands of sphere-shaped streams of water flew at Kenji. He had nowhere to turn. I waited eagerly to see what Kenji would do, but he seemed to be at a loss. He put his hands in front of him and let the spell hit him. This moved him closer to the lake, which was only two steps away.

    "Kenji you can do it!" I tried to give him some encouragement.

    He kept his hands still in defense and his breathing ragged. He was absently studying Fuya, as if perhaps he wanted to get inside his head. Fuyu started laughing loudly and then tapped his finger on his temple.

    "Are you trying to control me, Kenji? I''m a vampire. You just can''t get in here." He smiled smugly and tapped his temple.

    "And most importantly... You broke a rule, and now I''m going to punish you for it." He said in a more serious voice now and began to stretch.

    "Fuyu no! You''re overreacting!" I yelled at him, but he didn''t heed my words.

    "Water ecstasy!"

    I opened my eyes in disbelief. He did it! A giant wall of water appeared in front of Kenji, blocking the mass of water.

    "Kenji..." I wheezed in disbelief.

    My eyes glowed, looking at the spectacle. Kenji was looking as mesmerized as I was. Then everything stopped. Kenji slumped a little to the ground.

    "I''m fine." He yelled.

    I was a little scared, but his thumb on the mountain calmed me down. Fuyu had reached him in the meantime. He watched for a moment as he sighed tiredly. He can''t be scolded, can he! I was afraid of what would come out of that demon.

    "You''re a great magician." He said simply.

    Kenji shot him a disbelieving look. My chin dropped to the ground too. Did he really say that?! He praised someone and even without sarcasm.

    Fuyu gave him a hand and helped him up. It''s hard to believe, but Fuyu is right. Kenji is amazing. He has so much potential and talent. He''s going to be a powerful magician one day. Kenji rolled down next to me and I started to wonder where the hell I was going to get a towel, but Fuyu beat me to it. He walked over to his bag and pulled out a dry towel and threw it at Kenji.

    ".Thank you" He sputtered and started to wipe himself off.

    Although Fuyu is a terrible adversary sometimes, he''s actually awfully nice inside, but he doesn''t show it despite his cold persona. I wonder if he was always like this or if life made him this way? I couldn''t think about it anymore since, Fuyu took me out of my thoughts.

    "Now Iruka."

    Okay I take it back, he''s not nice.

    "Hahahaha. And you laughed at me? Look, you have ducks on them." Kenji mocked me.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    Well laughing at others is not good. Karma really does exist. Trust me. Fuyu laughed too, which made me feel pretty bad.

    "Now Iruka."

    Okay, I take it back, he''s not nice.

    "Hahahaha. And you laughed at me? Look, you got ducks on them." Kenji mocked me.

    Well laughing at others is not good. Karma really does exist. Trust me. Fuyu laughed too, which made me feel pretty bad.

    "Stop staring at me. Idiot!" I snapped angrily at him without realizing what I just said. Fuya''s rather cute face disappeared and was replaced by an ice cold death stare.

    Oops.

    "Water cannon!"

    Holy shit why I said something. I jumped, but not in time. The shot hit me in the left shoulder. I fell to the ground. Before I knew it, I had waterballs pointed at me. I rolled backwards and rolled over. Suddenly my foot slipped and my toe hit the still lake water.

    "What? When did I get so close." I yelled.

    Suddenly, another pump of water was pointed at me. I quickly got up and ran to the side. Finally on my feet. I really wanted to use some other spell, but I knew that would be wrong. And more importantly... I want to get the element of water. As I was thinking that, I didn''t notice that there was another stream of water coming at me. I registered it too late. The spring hit me and I ended up in the lake.

    Icy!!! I quickly swam to the surface. I spit out the water I had poured in after the fall and got my bearings. Fuyu was standing by the shore and... laughing at me? He was laughing at me?

    "You''re such a case. Rule number one, always focus. Now you''re, give it 20 minutes in the lake. When you come out... Well, I''ll send you back in." He announced haughtily and started to leave.

    I don''t know what happened to me, but somehow all the anger from maybe my entire life had built up inside me and just needed to vent out. I would never describe myself as explosive, but from the moment I touched that egg in my subconscious, something dark kept growing inside me.

    "Hey!" I shouted at him.

    He just looked back over his shoulder with disinterest.

    "I''m not done with you." I said angrily.

    The water began to bubble unnaturally around me. Sharp, high waves began to form everywhere. Fuyu now turned around with full surprise in his eyes. I knew exactly who I had summoned.

    A huge avalanche of water in the shape of a Chinese dragon emerged from the depths. Fuyu stared in disbelief and took a few steps back. The dragon roared mightily. We now shared the same fury.

    "Go ahead and attack." I nodded my head a little towards Fuyu to signal a challenge.

    Fuyu lifted one corner of his mouth.

    "Then show me if you can water wall."

    He bounced off the ground and waved his arms.

    "The Wrath of Aquarius."

    His hand lowered perhaps a sea of water. Unbridled and seemingly dangerous, the water headed towards me. The dragon behind him only roared at the avalanche of water.

    "Water barrier!"

    A wall three times the size of Kenji''s appeared in front of Iruka. And perhaps it was better that way, because the water wall wouldn''t have held it otherwise. It didn''t take long for the spell to disappear, and with it, the dragon. Iruka swam to the shore where he began to crawl out of the water. Someone picked him up and set him on his feet as if he were made of feathers. I didn''t even have to look at him to know it was Fuyu.

    "I''m sorry. A wall of water wouldn''t work against your magic." I squeaked, my arms wrapped around his waist.

    "It''s okay. I''m not angry. You considered it exactly right. Just be careful with the anger next time." He lifted a finger to my chin and forced me to look at him.

    "I''ll work on it." I smiled awkwardly.

    "Then dry off. Now let''s go home and talk some more there."

    ???????????????

    Kenji and I sat by the crackling fireplace, gnashing our teeth like two skeletons. Everyone was here, just waiting for Fuyu to give us more information. Well, we about the wolf and the wolf at the door. Fuyu strolled into the lounge and started:

    "Well, I want to congratulate you both for making it through our speed training. Unfortunately, we had some more plans for you, but you two can handle yourselves. Just before I start talking about what''s next, I want to say that I was very surprised today. My goal was to put you in some kind of dangerous situation. I think the trigger for new spells is self-preservation. And you have it perfectly. So that''s it. Tomorrow we''ll go back to Taiyo. Your exams start on Monday. So pack your bags. We''re leaving tomorrow." He finished. He turned on his heel and left. Natsu left to much cheering, and Haru with him.

    So that''s why I was leaving my warm bed ? I''m gonna beat that kid up someday...

 Chapter no. 31 - The Ghoul

    Towards the afternoon the boys went to Taiyo. The giant stone walls welcomed the pilgrims again and the busy streets surrounded their hearing. It was quite different from the quiet secluded villa on Earth. Perhaps even Iruk missed this bustle.

    "Okay... What''s for lunch?" Natsu asked as soon as he crossed the threshold of their home.

    "What? Now you''re here!" I shot him a look.

    "I''m hungry too." Fuyu announced, preferring to look around the house as if he hadn''t even uttered the sentence.

    I growled angrily and stormed off to my room.

    "Stupid vampires. I don''t even have time to unpack and they''re already asking me for something." I muttered to myself.

    "We heard you." The boys said in chorus.

    Ugh, Kenji wasn''t here. Kenji had rented an apartment in town during rehearsals, so he went to see if the apartment was still available. His apartment was closer to the castle where the nobles live. When I asked Kenji how much the rent was, I couldn''t believe my ears. It was 300,000 yen. The yen here had the same name as our currency on Earth, but looked quite different in appearance, but even here 300,000 is a large sum. Kenji didn''t mention how he came up with such a large sum to be able to pay rent for it, but that was our mysterious Kenji. After I unpacked everything and changed into a comfortable shirt and pants, I started to go visit Kenji. I admit, I was curious about his apartment.

    "Irukoooooo, I''m hungry." The whiny tone of a hungry Natsuo reached my room.

    "Right. Right. I''m going to go cook something now." I yelled back.

    ?????????????????????

    After lunch I set off to see Kenji, hoping to explore the city more. The streets were narrow and high. The smells of spices, food, perfume and other various things wafted through the air. All kinds of people walked around me. Women, men, children. Adults or old. People who were just walking around like me or those who were in a hurry. I may not have been a total fan of busy streets, but today I welcomed it. Solitude in the woods is nice, but going out among the people now and then won''t kill anyone either.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    The street began to widen until I came upon a square. From there, as Kenji had instructed, I was to turn right and go to the next street. I looked at the fountain where the children were playing. It was a sunny day again and the children were frolicking in the water. The weather never seems to change here. I thought to myself.

    I was walking down an alley when I heard a girl screaming from a side street. There was a girl about 17 years old and a bunch of pretty slimy guys around her. They definitely didn''t have good intentions with this girl. I had to stop it.

    "Hey!" I shouted, drawing attention to myself.

    It was obvious they weren''t normal people. Their mouths were watering and their eyes were bloodshot. They smelled pretty bad from a long distance away.

    "Who are you? You smell awful." I asked, waving my hand in front of my nose to get some fresh air.

    "We be ghouls."

    Ghouls? Where have I heard that before. I couldn''t think too much because the three guys lunged at me.

    "Fireball!"

    Two of them dodged, luckily the third one didn''t. It hit him and he burst into flames. His screaming was unbearable, it was ear-splitting. But it wasn''t long before he passed out from the pain and then burned up. The redhead just clamped her mouth shut in disbelief and pressed herself harder against the wall.

    "So now there are only two left." I said to myself.

    They were already close to me. I had to think fast.

    "Landslide."

    The ground beneath them began to sink, and they with it. The ground swallowed them whole and then returned to normal. I watched for a while to see if anything was wrong, but nothing. I finally looked up to the girl and was able to look at her.

    She had beautiful fiery orange hair that was waist length. She was about the same height as me. There was a glint of fear in her green eyes, but also relief. I stepped closer to her.

    "Are you okay?" I gently touched her slim hand.

    "Yes I am. Thank you. If it weren''t for you, I''d be dead." She blurted out and hugged me.

    Wow! I didn''t see that coming. I stood with my arms outstretched, waiting for her to pull away. I''m a hero after all.

    "You want a ride? I''m going to see my friend who lives down the street."

    "Yes, I''d love to. We share the same road."

    "Okay. Otherwise, I''m Iruka." And he held out his hand to her.

    She squeezed it gently and shook it.

    "I''m Dylia." She replied, smiling a little.

    I returned her smile and walked back to the main street with her. Suddenly there were people walking by again and we merged with them. I left Dylia and went to Kenji.

 Chapter no. 32 - Back to School

    It''s Monday. Ten o''clock in the morning. The room where the first rehearsal took place is full of people again. All unfamiliar faces for Iruka and Kenji.

    "Where did so many people come from that the classrooms are full to bursting?!" I asked Kenji in amazement.

    "Well yeah a lot of people were waiting for these exams and everyone was supposed to take them at a different time next year, but because of the emergency, everyone taking the apprentice exams is here." Kenji explained calmly.

    I looked around our classroom. There were dudes and nerds here, some weirdos., posers like me and neutrals. Just like a normal class.

    Everyone seemed to know each other, even Kenji ran off to talk to one of his friends. I was left alone. Again.

    I put my head on the board and looked out the window. Outside it was that pleasant weather when the sun is shining and it is warm, but a flock of clouds is sweeping across the sky and thus covering the yellow disc here and there. That was my favourite thing, according to the weather. I closed my eyes a little and started playing with the wind. I always enjoyed that. Seeing the wind play with the leaves. The tree opposite swayed gracefully to the rhythm of the wind. I couldn''t hold back and had to chuckle. This is just the best for boredom.

    But the boredom ended when I heard a commotion in the classroom. I turned my head to the class and watched disinterestedly what was going on. Some dude was picking on a guy I didn''t know. Mr. Tough Guy started shoving him until he fell to the ground. By the time I could think about what I was doing, I stand up.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    "Hey! Stop it!" I stood up abruptly until a chair fell behind me.

    The boy tore his gaze away from his prey and began to focus on me. He smiled a little, but it wasn''t a pleasant smile. Slowly but surely, he began to approach me. As he approached, I realized I was about two heads shorter. He was almost upon me now, and the adrenaline began to pour into me rapidly.

    "Hey, hey guys! The names are already posted!" A young man shouted and everyone started to clear the classroom.

    My salvation. I sighed in relief. The kid slowly started to turn around, but before he left, he spoke:

    "I hope I''m up against you, stinker!" He hissed and walked away.

    Hm? What does he mean?

    With my head hanging low, I headed for the blackboard. Here were all the kids in the building, each of them trying to get as close to the boards as possible. They were shoving, swearing, just to get their name.

    "Oh there you are." Kenji grabbed my shoulder.

    "Ugh. I was afraid I wouldn''t find you."

    "Don''t worry. You may be a little guy, but you''re not unmissable." And he laughed at me.

    I just threw a stony face and didn''t comment further on his stupid insinuation.

    "Hey, what''s this test all about?"

    "It''s a duel. One on one. You can take on anyone in this hallway."

    "What? Well, that''s nice." I said ironically.

    "Don''t worry, I think our spells will be enough for them."

    He patted me on the back a little and I gained a little more confidence from that.

    We finally made it to the board. A moment of suspense came. And it was too damn long. My heart was pounding a hundred and six. I had drops of salt water on my forehead. I flipped through the pages looking for my name. And then it came.

    "Iruka Huro versus Hiro Yamadashi." I read it quietly, but so Kenji could hear.

    "Kenji Samaro versus Ten Yushina."

    "I hope I''m rooting for you."

    "Don''t worry, you''ll be too much if you want to."

    "Well, I hope I''ll be rooting for you."

    "Don''t worry, you''ll be too if you want to."

    We both smiled at each other. That smile was a smile of support. Now the real trials begin. We have to make it through. We all came here hoping to fulfill our dreams, but only a few of us will make it.

 Chapter no. 33 - Kenji Samaro vs Ten Yushina

    Kenji

    I entered an arena of sorts. Well, more like an outdoor simulation. There wasn''t much here, some trees and rocks. Sand on the ground and a few other plants. The walls were plain concrete. There was a room far enough upstairs for spectators and the birth attendants. They sat safely behind glass. I saw a chestnut long hair. Iruka. I smiled and waved to him. He immediately stuck to the glass and waved back. He''s a freak. I chuckled and began to focus on the slowly opening door across from me. My opponent was coming.

    A guy about the same height with purple hair walked in. He had dark blue eyes and fully red lips or was that lipstick? He was wearing what I was wearing a t-shirt and jeans. So what more do you want to take when guns are banned.

    We both made it to the middle of the arena where the referee was waiting for us.

    "Here are the rules, guys: No guns. You cannot mortally wound your opponent. The fight is over if one surrenders or is unable to continue fighting. Do you understand?"

    We both just nodded. Neither of us smiled. Why should we? We both have the same dream and therefore must destroy the other.

    "Then shake hands and let''s get started."

    I squeezed his hand tightly.

    Oh, he''s got a grip.

    That''ll make it easy. He can''t control his thoughts, but I''ll save my manipulative ability for someone else just in case. This is about showing what magic I can do. Anyone who knows my family knows we''re invincible at manipulation.

    We''ve taken a step back from each other and taken an offensive stance. That started it.

    "Lullaby pollen!"Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    With a wave of his hand.

    I waved my hand to ward off his spell. The wind is on my side.

    What''s that? He just deflected it!? My strongest spell... I''ll have to do it another way...

    That was the strongest spell? It was. Unfortunately, my friend, I hear your thoughts and I know what your next move will be. I''m just gonna win this one.

    He''s running against me. So, fistfight. Okay. All right, let''s go. I blocked his right hand and kicked him in the stomach. The oxygen left his lungs loudly.

    "That''s not gonna work either." I whispered triumphantly.

    "It will. Green magic!"

    "What?"

    A green shimmer from his hands hit me and I flew two meters away. I coughed and slowly stood up.

    "I know who you are. So I have to watch my thoughts." He stated disdainfully, preparing for the next spell.

    "Leaf Storm."

    I stepped to the side and nimbly picked myself up. That''s it. I''m bored of this.

    "Ring of Fire."

    Fire surrounded him. Well done. I gathered from his spells that he only controls the earth. That''s not enough for me. Or so I thought. The flames began to sway and gradually die out. So he''s controlling the air, too.

    I jumped onto a branch for cover and to think of my next move. It doesn''t look like it, but it''s pretty good. But not enough to make me give up. I jumped out of my hiding place and attacked.

    "Water pump."

    Tons of water left my palms and ended up on purple hair. His shield couldn''t take it and he slammed into the wall. He was out.

    LJo!" I cheered quietly, waiting for the referee''s verdict. He just stared at Yushin for a moment to see if he would wake up. He knew. He turned around and just with his slight smile gave me a clear indication of my theory.

    "Kenji Samaro vs Ten Yushina. The winner is Kenji Samaro!"

    I looked up. I saw Iruka cheering and I couldn''t help but cheer as well. I mean, I wasn''t jumping like a madman like Iruka, but I had a genuine smile of joy on my face.

    "Congratulations, Mr. Samara." The referee complimented me and shook my hand.

    "Thank you very much." I shook it and shook it hard.

    Meanwhile, Ten had woken up. He had a nurse with him, but he manfully batted her away and got to his feet himself. I walked over to him with a serious expression. We fought for a while more using our serious expressions, but I relented. I had already beaten him once. I bowed deeply.

    "It was an honor to fight with you." I said and straightened up again.

    Yushina bowed as well.

    "Me too. Your family must be proud of you."

    I just smiled. Well, depending on who. I said to myself and left. I passed my second test. I can''t think of a better feeling than success.

 Chapter no. 34- Iruka Huro pro Hiro Yamadashi

    My turn. I wait in the dark until the tall door in front of me opens. I''ve had so many thoughts running through my head, it''s driving me crazy. How strong will the other one be? Will I beat him? What happens if I don''t beat him? Will the guys be mad at me? Am I strong enough? Shouldn''t I back out? Will I win or not?

    The drops on my forehead trickled down to my neck, where my jugular vein was throbbing rapidly. If there was a vampire here, he''d bite me quick. I chuckled a little and continued to check my body. My chest was rising quickly. Perhaps to the point of being unnatural. The inside of my chest wasn''t much better. My heart was beating fast and then skipped a few times, as if it was having a heart attack, but then it was going again. I felt a slight tremor in my limbs and a strange tickling in my fingertips.

    It was all over when the door slowly began to open and I was struck by a sharp light. Here we go. I braced myself and proudly stepped into the arena.

    It was the same as Kenji''s. I''m glad to see that hasn''t changed in any way. At least one positive. The referee stood in the middle and motioned with his hand for us to go to him. While I walked to the middle of our ring, I looked at my opponent. I couldn''t see much of his face because his head was down. All I could see was the long raven hair that fell in his face. He was dressed in a burgundy suit and a white shirt to go with it. He was also wearing a tie with.... bears? I had to hold myself from laughing all the way round.

    The referee cleared the rules for us and left. Yamadashi, as the referee formally introduced us, didn''t even shake my hand. As soon as the ref finished, he turned on his heel and walked away.

    "Begin!" Yelled the referee one last time.

    Hiro raised his head as a sign. His eyes were bright orange. His pupils narrowed at the sight of me. His lips widened, showing white beads that were all to the tip. God, what kind of a freak is this?! I cringed more and put on a focused expression. Just like that, he doesn''t scare me. All I have to do is beat him. His deranged laughter cut through the silence. My grimace turned to one of surprise. Even in the stands, they wondered what was going on.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    "You...hahaha... Are you a boy?! You look like a girl and your hair... Hahahaha.."

    "Uh? You have hair like a girl!" I started yelling at him. My blood suddenly started boiling.

    He suddenly stopped laughing and took a deep breath. It was more like he was breathing something out.

    "Mmm such a lovely smell. So girly. Hahahaha."

    "Ggrrrr. Fireballs!"

    "Spliced."

    What? Where is it? Where is he?!

    "Get the hell out, you coward!"

    "As you wish."

    Unfortunately, I didn''t react in time and he pulled me down by my hair. I winced in pain. He pulled me down harder and harder. Of course you want to trap me. No way. I jerked my head to the side, breaking free from his grip. With a few of my hair ripped out, he went back to the ground.

    "You bastard." I growled.

    "Such a lovely smell." It echoed behind me.

    He stood there, sniffing my plucked hair.

    "What are you? Some kind of hair pervert?" I yelled at him.

    He made a fake hurt face and then burst into another fit of laughter.

    "I''ll destroy you for this." He said suspiciously serious and spit on the ground again.

    "That''s what you think."

    I opened my arms and roared:

    "Stand up."

    The ground suddenly began to rise, as if forming hills. Here and there, rocks flew around, not stopped by the sudden change, and floated in the air.

    I jumped into the air and set my hands against the ground.

    "God''s flames."

    Giant yellow flames tore through the ground, and with them came Hiro''s pained cry.

    "You''re mine now." I yelled aloud.

    "Water imprisonment."

    The flames disappeared and were replaced by water, trapping Hiro in a giant sphere. I used my hands to spin it.

    "That''s what you get for that, you son of a bitch."

    I swung my hands apart and the water splashed sideways.

    With a scream, Yamadashi fell to the ground. I waited a moment to see what would happen next. His hand came up. Damn, this is bad. He held it in the air for a moment, but then tapped it twice on the ground.

    "Yeeeeees!!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

    "Iruka Huro versus Hiro Yamadashi. Iruka Huro won."

    Yes. I did it.

 Chapter no. 35 - Hard Times

    Tiredly, I climbed out of the arena. My magical energy was almost at zero. I should really learn to control myself. I thought to myself, remembering Fuyu''s angry face.

    "Iruko that was awesome!"

    I could only manage a slight smile.

    "You were cool too..." I hissed.

    "Huh? Are you okay?" Kenji looked at me worriedly.

    Those blue eyes of his could see through anything.

    "Yeah. Just my magical energy''s a little low right now. I overdid it again." I chuckled.

    My legs did their duty at that particular moment and I slumped to the ground.

    "Iruka!"

    Kenji immediately leaned towards me, his tormented gaze now burning me.

    "Can you help me to my room?" I whispered quietly

    Kenji smiled and was already bouncing me on his back. We''re staying here during rehearsals. This multi-purpose building, which is nicknamed the school, has rooms for students as well. I have to stay here with Kenji for the whole week until the exams are over. Really this school is amazing there is so much here that whenever I discover a new room I get disillusioned. I rest my head against Kenji''s back and close my eyes for a moment. Our room is about three floors down from here and even though I was so exhausted my thoughts kept going back to Yamadashi Hiro. His words really hit me harder than I could admit. I''ve worn my hair long since I was a kid and have always been a laughing stock for it. I stayed small, and that only made it worse. My nickname became little girl. I''d almost forgotten it, but this fight reminded me of my dark past in the orphanage. I remembered the laughter of all the kids at the orphanage. The way they pushed me away and no one wanted to play with me. The way I was beaten and bullied when the governesses weren''t looking. I was all alone. I was the black sheep of the orphanage, and just because I was a tiny, skinny kid who was an easy target. My only salvation after that was Momo. The thought of her made my heart sting. The pain of her death hasn''t faded, even though the memories are fading. But despite the pain, I''ll know she was always there for me.

    We reached the room and I opened my eyes with great displeasure.

    "Here we are." Kenji said, laying me down on the floor.

    "Thank you for bringing me here."

    "It''s okay. You''re light as a girl."Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    Another stab to my heart. I clenched my hands into fists and tried not to direct my anger at him.

    "I''m going to bed. We have another rehearsal starting tomorrow and it''s well past the hour." I hissed softly, grabbing the doorknob of my bedroom.

    "Oh yeah. It''s going to be almost ten in the evening. We were one of the last ones. Haha. Well tomorrow we''re supposed to be in class from two o''clock, so sleep tight."

    "Yeah, thanks. Night."

    "Good night, Iruka."

    I opened the door and crawled into my room. A cold wind blew over me. And I was greeted by my tiny room. The emptiness. The darkness. The cold. Like in my heart. I walked to the open window and closed it. I collapsed wearily on the bed. I just lay there, staring absently at the ceiling.

    It''s fascinating how just a few words from one freak can get to you. I guess that was the final push into the abyss known as depression. Everything started to fall apart like a house of cards. Why is everyone calling me a girl? It''s not my fault I''m little. Go away. Get out of my head. I don''t want those voices. I don''t want the thoughts.

    "Momo-saaan!" I screamed and burst into tears.

    The rivulets of salt water left my eyes so quickly, but the pain wouldn''t wash away with it. I want someone here right now to hold me and tell me it''s going to be okay. I want him to lie to me that beautiful lie that I will foolishly believe and smile. But no one will come. No one sees me. No one hears...

    I hid my face in my hands and continued to sob. Who''s here? Somebody tell me who''s here? My thoughts were unstoppable. I went from nine to five. Every thought caused me more and more pain. Until I came to the one that''s locked deep in my heart.

    "Why did you leave me?" I whispered.

    The tears stopped after saying that question. I placed my hands beside me and stared dully at the wall. The pain became unbearable. I felt like running a knife through my heart to make it go away.

    "Why did you leave me?" I repeated without a hint of emotion.

    That question was the most painful memory for me. The memory of not being wanted. Not even my own parents loved me. I was thrown to Earth like a piece of rag. Wasn''t I good enough for them? Did they want something more from me? But what?! What the hell did I do to them!

    "Tell me what I did?!" I raised my voice.

    Again, the answer was devastating silence. I don''t remember what my parents look like. Do I look like them? Are my memories real or just a figment of my imagination to protect myself? Is there anyone in this world who will love me?

    Sadness mixed with anger. I got up and went to the bathroom. I''ll end it. I''ll put an end to my misery. If this is the only way I can be happy, I''ll do it. I don''t want any more of these stupid insults. I don''t want the pain.

    I stood in front of the mirror and just stared at myself for a while. One last thought. One last hesitation. If I do this, will I be better? Is that what I want? I looked closely at my tearful, pain-ravaged face. Then I just frowned at myself.

    "Yes, it''s what I want."

    I pulled a sharp metal object out of a drawer. It was cold as death. I took another look at myself. I want to see myself like this one last time.

    The room fell into a sepulchral silence. The only thing that disturbed it was my intermittent breathing. The moments before important decisions are the longest in life, but the actions that come out of them are unforgettable, and so they will be for me. I picked up a sharp object and............

    began to cut.

    Therefore, to become a good magician, I must forget the petty things I experienced in the orphanage. These stupid memories will be there to strengthen me and show everyone that the new me will never give up and never let myself be brought down like this again.

    "Goodbye old me." I whispered, cutting off another piece of my hair.

 Chapter no. 36 - Shika Yui

    I got up in the morning with a clear mind. Last night won''t happen again. I definitely told myself. I carefully touched my newly cut hair. It felt strange not to feel the hair on my shoulder. I got up and walked over to the mirror to check myself. I may not be a hairdresser, but my haircut was pretty good. I''m just going to go to the hairdresser after finals to get it straightened after all. I laughed and grabbed the back of my head, feeling much stronger. Without the dark moments, we wouldn''t have been able to be stronger the next day. There''s always a way out of the endless darkness. There''s always a way to escape.

    "But enough dark thoughts. Let''s go take a shower." I said to my reflection in the mirror and stripped.

    I walked to the bathroom and got straight into the shower. I turned the faucet and let the cleansing water hit me. When I got out, I cleaned up the bathroom some more. I''m not letting my hair roll around in here after all. What if that pervert Hiro comes in and starts drugging it again. I had to laugh out loud at the thought.

    With my towel wrapped around me, I made my way back to the bedroom. I was still wiping my wet hair with the other towel when I stop and stand like a post in a fence.

    "Huh? What do you want here?" I blurt out in surprise.

    "Oh shit... What have you done to your head!" Kenji yelled to the entire room.

    It was 100% heard all the way down the hall. I got to thinking while he was yelling.

    "I was just getting a haircut. Don''t comment on it if you don''t like it."

    "Don''t. It''s lean. You''re even cuter now!" He squealed.

    He walked over to me and ruffled my hair. I growled in protest.

    "Don''t touch me like that."

    "Why not? I like it." He frowned and repeated it.

    By then, I''d pulled his hand away and was walking to the closet.

    "Hey, you wanna get out?! I want to change." I hissed at him.

    "Not really. I''d love to see what you''re hiding under that towel." And he laughed again.

    "Excuse me?! Try that on Aki. Now get out of here, or at least turn around before I put my shorts on."

    "Yeah yeah. I know you belong to someone else." He made one more comment and disappeared behind the door.

    "I wonder who, idiot." I muttered and pulled on my clothes.

    After I changed and did some hair, we made our way to the dining room. The room was filled to bursting. We arrived at the exact time when the line was the longest. Blondie and I got in line and waited our turn.

    "Hey, what''s the next rehearsal?" I asked when I got tired of just standing there quietly.

    "Well we''re split into groups of three and we''re going to be given a sort of mission to complete."

    "What? So I''ll be with someone else?" I gave him a hurt and rather desperate look.

    "No. Luckily we''re together and we have a mage named Shika Yui assigned to us."

    "A girl?"

    "Yeah, but I don''t know who she is. It was just posted on the information board this morning. So hopefully we can find her somehow so we can discuss strategy before we start."

    "Yeah. Just make sure he''s okay. I suppose it''s going to be a team effort here, so don''t let him ruin it for us."

    "Don''t worry, he''ll be fine."

    "What about you guys?!" I was interrupted by the voice of the cook who was passing out the food.

    The next difficult task came. Where do we sit? I looked around and found nothing. Everyone was sitting in groups, or at least two by two. Only Kenji and I were milling around looking for open seats.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    "Hey you! You''re Samara Kenji, right?" A soft female voice addressed Kenji.

    A girl about the same height as me stood in front of us. Maybe even a little shorter, I''d say. She had long crimson hair tied in two ponytails and two braids braided in it. Despite how she had it tied, it was thick and long to her waist. She looked pretty fragile and awfully cute too. Maybe it was the giant purple peepers that did it. She was really sweet. She was wearing a blue dress that ended above her knees. . But I think what struck me most about her were her slightly pointed ears. Could she be an elf? But I could be wrong.

    "Yes I am." Kenji replied, finishing his inspection as I did.

    "I''m Shika Yui. Your new companion. You''ll be Huro Iruka, right?"

    "Yes. Very nice to meet you." I replied with a smile.

    "It''s an honor to meet a person like you, especially you Kenji." And she smiled at him.

    It''s going to be disappointing when he finds out he''s not his type. I giggled mischievously in my soul.

    "Eeehm yeah. Nice to meet you too." He scratched the back of Kenji''s head uncertainly.

    "Do you have a spare table somewhere?" I asked her.

    I got tired of standing around like this. First of all, people were looking at us and my feet were hurting. And my stomach was screaming with hunger.

    "Yeah, over there." She pointed and led us there.

    When we sat down, we both happily dug into our food. Shika looked like she had finished eating.

    "Wow not only are you eaters, but your souls are so strong." She uttered in amazement, looking somewhere above us.

    I looked at Kenji in puzzlement and then at Shika. Kenji probably didn''t understand much either. At least I''m not the only one. When Shika could tell from our dumbfounded expressions, and slow chewing, that we didn''t understand much, she triggered.

    "I can see your souls. Every mage has such an invisible beast that personifies his magical power. The more the animal glows and is similar to a normal animal, the more powerful it is. You, Iruka, have a dragon. Which is strange, because a dragon is a very rare animal in itself. You, Kenji, have a cougar, and a very strong one."

    "Ahaaa. What do you have?" Kenji asked.

    "I have a lark." And she chuckled.

    I couldn''t take my eyes off their ears the whole time. It''s really weird, but they just fascinated me.

    "Shiko, are you an elf?" I questioned.

    I couldn''t find a better way to ask. The redhead paused for a moment, but then smiled.

    "Half. My mom was an elf and my dad was a mage. I inherited my mother''s eyes, as opposed to her ears. They are quite small and uncharacteristic of elves. I''m surprised you noticed."

    "Sorry, I''ve never seen an elf."

    "No? How so? You''ve never been to Idile?"

    "Iruka is from Earth."

    "What? But there are no mages there, right?" Shika wondered.

    "I was probably dropped off there by my parents. I found out about six months ago when I was staying with the Naruno brothers."

    "Twice what! You know the legendary Naruno brothers?"

    "Well... Yeah... I live with them and Kenji. They teach us."

    "Oh, my God. You''re lucky. I didn''t have any masters and you had four right away, and hunters, mages, and vampires all rolled into one! Amazing."

    I just smiled. If she knew what kind, they were pigs. At that moment, I also remembered all the nasty things the famous Naruno brothers do. They can''t wash dishes. They have a mess in their room that I''m surprised they can find their stuff. They can''t do their laundry. They act like children. And I could go on and on.

    "I was out of my mind too when they agreed to teach me." Kenji stated with a laugh.

    Shika looked rather dreamy. Kenji, meanwhile, finished his last bite. I wet my full stomach with water. We all finished eating.

    "So Shika, what are your strengths in magic? We need to know by the stragia. We have to have one, because this isn''t going to be a cakewalk." The blond asked seriously.

    "Well on the elven side, I have a gift for healing magic, so I''m pretty focused on the magic here, but I''m also proficient in star magic and have started to learn earth and air magic." She told us her skills without any inhibitions.

    "Excellent. The medic will come in handy. It''s good that you''re improving, despite your genetic abilities." Kenji complimented.

    "Ooo Thank you so much."

    Shika almost melted away at his praise. The one from Kenji was visibly infatuated. As much as I understand it, Kenji is really beautiful.

    "Well, what about you?"She asked when she came back down to earth again.

    "I control all the elements and stuff, too."He answered evasively. But it was enough for her.

    It''s like she knows who she is. Even thinking about it, how else would she know him if she didn''t know something about him and didn''t see him? Kenji is hiding something from us, and it''s starting to annoy me that he doesn''t want to tell us, but now Shika''s here. You''re on tape, Kenji. My evil self laughed throatily in my head, but he had to stop when he was rubbing kenji into me.

    ¡°I did the same thing and well..." I faltered.

    Should I tell her? Fuyu advised me not to just honk it, but to trust me if I didn''t tell her. I looked desperately at Kenji. He knew she didn''t know whether to tell her. He looked at the red thread for a little second. It was immediately apparent to me that he had read her mind. It''s nasty, but it''s effective. We have to be careful, even though the inner hassle told me I could trust her. The blue eyes ended back on me, and he nodded only slightly.

    "And I have dragon magic."I muttered.

    The girl squealed madly. Was it joy or fear? I said to myself. Kenji told her right away, but told her not to yell.

    "Is that why you have the dragon? What dragon do you have? Is he strong? Where did you get it? What''s his name."

    She started spouting questions at me, and with each question she leaned across the table closer to me. Terrified, I rolled my eyes at the ceiling. That girl is nuts. That''s a good one for us. It said my inner self. Unfortunately, he was right about that.

    "I have four. Earth, wind, water and fire. I don''t know the names, I haven''t really talked to them. Actually, I can''t do it yet. I haven''t had much time to study, this technique."

    I answered nervously. She smiled gleefully and nodded to the sign that this was quite enough for her.

 Chapter no. 37 - Team 3

    The church clock strikes two o''clock in the afternoon. Iruka and now his two companions are waiting outside the forest for further instructions. What will the next test consist of?

    "Tss... We''re kind of short here. I don''t like it." Muttered Kenji to himself.

    "Maybe we''re supposed to be so few." Shika replied.

    "Nope. There were more people at lunch than there are here."

    Kenji was right. Lunch was interrupted and there''s barely a quarter of them here. And on top of that, there''s that black-haired boy from class among them. I gave him a quick glance. He was staring at me, not trying to be conspicuous at all. My inner self was really screaming. I had to turn around to calm myself down.

    There was a group of people heading straight towards us from the forest. The group consisted of some young men in uniforms, and an old friend was leading the way. Probably something like our class teacher, I thought, as I couldn''t guess his role. They finally reached us and the man rubbed his long white beard. He cleared his throat and started:

    "Welcome to the third, and final, exam. This test lies in working with the other mages. There are six crystals hidden in this deep forest. The team, however, is 8. So I guess you know what that means, my clever children. The next thing you should know is that the crystals move. That means they can move outside the forest and you lose another stone. So it''s not even guaranteed that 6 teams will pass you. Besides, along the way groups can clash and be trapped in an arena that only one team will come out of. Also, there is a lot of wild and aggressive fauna. If you can''t fight it off, you''re automatically finished. You have a time limit to find the crystals. It lasts until tomorrow morning. 8:00 a.m. sharp. That''s it for the test. We will now release you after 8 minutes. At 3:00 p.m., when all the teams are in the woods. We''ll start the clock. These guys will be there to make sure you''re playing fair. So good luck." He curtsied and disappeared.

    "Okay team one step up." One of the young men ordered.

    "So, team eight. You are the last. Good luck."

    Yes, we were last, but it''s not about how many times you go.

    "Yes. Thank you." I said thank you and walked into the spooky looking forest. After a few hours of wandering and trying to figure out the fastest tactic to not go crystal, we decided to just keep going and find water first.

    "This forest is beautiful." Shika sighed.

    "Heh. I have a different idea of a beautiful forest." Kenji replied scornfully.

    "It''s beautiful, but sad. People are afraid of it. The trees are crying. So loud. They scream. I... I... I can hear... Stop... stop... ouch... it hurts sooo much."

    Shika suddenly slumped to the ground.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    "Shika!" I shouted and ran towards her.

    "What''s wrong with you? What''s wrong with her?" I confusedly asked Kenji, but he was just as confused as I was. I ran my eyes all over her body. She was squirming. Her eyelids were tightly together and she was whimpering. She was in pain and we didn''t know what to do.

    "Shiko! Shiko! Where''s your pain? Talk to us!" Kenji was trying to talk to her now.

    Nothing.

    "Tsss. You fools. You can''t help her like that. She''s under the spell of my illusion."

    I raised my head to the treetop where the voice was coming from. There stood a girl with brown hair and blonde highlights.

    "You!" Kenji growled.

    Suddenly, the light blinded us. A sort of blue translucent barrier formed around us. I hoped we wouldn''t run into anyone. I guess we weren''t meant to pay tribute.

    "Looks like we''re supposed to fight you."

    Another voice joined in. It was a boy. He was black haired and had freckles. Next to him was a boy who looked quite similar. Only he had red hair and wasn''t freckled.

    "Team 8 against us, Gaji, Erik and Nana, Team 3." Said the redhead. Erik, that is.

    "When we''re done with you two. We''ll come get you and show you the magic of reality." I motioned to the girl upstairs and pierced Gaji with my gaze.

    Gaji will be my opponent, it seemed. He switched places with his companion. Though his angry grimace looked frightening, I wasn''t worried. I must not be afraid.

    "Then show yourself." Erik said scornfully, stabbing Kenji next to me.

    "Fireball!"

    Gaji didn''t take too kindly to that and sent a spell against me.

    I swung my arms and after casting the spell, a wall of water formed in front of me. I also didn''t wait and launched a counterattack.

    "Water Sphere Spin!"

    He couldn''t avoid them. In fact, he didn''t move. Wait, what?! He stopped them? I stared frantically at the orbs levitating in the air in front of him. What now? Oh, yeah. I have an idea!

    I slammed my hand into the ground and cast a spell:

    "Roots rise."

    Before he could react, the thick tendrils of roots were wrapping around his limbs. Gradually, they began to wrap around his entire body, until finally he was trapped in the ground.

    Kenji, meanwhile, was battling with Erik on the other side of the field. I didn''t even notice when he left. He finally succeeded by getting into his head. He''s worse than a worm. I thought to myself.

    "So where are you, Nano?" I swung into the void. She''s not where she was anymore and neither is Shika, which worries me a lot.

    However, my question was answered by Shika''s terrible scream.

    "Dooost!" I yelled and tried to run, but where to?

    I was left standing. I turned my head in all directions. I was getting dizzy. Where the hell is that bitch? I panicked. The world was spinning around me and I was standing still. Shika''s scream echoed again, but it didn''t stop. It just kept screaming and getting louder. It was unbearable. I plugged my ears, but it didn''t help. She kept raising her screaming an octave. It had stopped belonging to Shika. It was a different wail. I knew that wail, but whose was it? What the fuck is going on? Help! Help! Stop screaming. Grrr.

    "Aaaaaaaaaaa Mooooooom!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

    Black. And quiet. A beautiful and delicious silence. Any more and I''d have gone crazy.

    "Iruka? Iruka, are you okay?"

    I know that voice. It''s Kenji. I cracked my eyelids hard. The harsh light and the hazy outline of blonde hair. I''m back.

    "What happened?" I rasped.

    "She got you. While I was dealing with Eric, you were about to go over to Shika and then you broke down. I quickly took her down from the tree, and when she was upset, I climbed into her head and gave her a taste of her own medicine as administered by my embedded thoughts. Then the barrier broke down and you stopped shaking. Her spells probably worked, just up to a point."

    "A-ah... And Shika? Is she okay?"

    "Yeah. I just need to wake her up. So get up. We can''t stay here. It''s too open and dangerous."

    I just nodded my head. Kenji smiled and walked over to Shika. That was a close call then.

 Chapter no. 38 - Merging with nature

    They won the first battle, but can they win the whole mission?

    We''ve been trudging for about six hours now. The sun has bid us good night and the moon has welcomed us. I don''t think there''s any chance of cold nights in Taiyo. Which I was glad of. I wouldn''t have the clothes or equipment to camp in the winter.

    "Shall we take a break?" I asked out of the blue.

    "Yeah, I agree. We''ve been coming around here long enough and not finding anything." Kenji agreed.

    He walked over to the giant tree. It would take about ten people to hug its trunk. He must have stood there forever. I looked at it fascinated, from the few protruding roots to the huge crown that hid in the endless night.

    "Put your hand to it." Shika urged.

    I just gave her a puzzled look. She jerked her head towards the tree and smiled. I moved closer to its trunk and gingerly touched the hard bark. Suddenly the tree itself showed me its memories. Its thoughts and feelings. Memories of generations of children who wandered here looking for those crystals. He had always enjoyed listening to them as they racked their brains or just talked and made acquaintances. It was incredible to see through his eyes. He had experienced lots and lots of things here. Big fire. A thick and unrelenting flood. War and reconciliation. Children. Different creatures. Everything.

    "Wonderful! You have a beautiful life." I said to him in my inner voice.

    "I''m glad I could get to know yours, Iruka. I can see you have a long and troubled road ahead of you, but you have your friends and they will help you." The tree replied.

    I just smiled and returned to my consciousness.

    "Amazing, isn''t it? That''s what they call blending in with nature. It''s a beautiful spell." Shika explained and stroked the tree gently.

    "This magic comes from your people?"

    "This spell comes from the elves, yes. Not from my people. My people specialize in healing magic, but of course this magic is also used a lot by us."The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    "You have beautiful spells."

    Shika just smiled and walked to her pack. I slid my back down the trunk and sat down. I tilted my head and watched the stars. Elves must be amazing creatures. Haru would get along with them a lot, though with his familiarity I bet he already knew elves. I wonder what the boys are doing now? I''m done imagining what those four assholes are doing now.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­.

    My restless sleep was interrupted by a kind of roar.

    "What is that?!" I exclaimed.

    "Shhh." Kenji hissed, motioning with his hand for me to go to him.

    I quietly crawled over to them. They were crouched in the bushes, watching something. Kenji just gestured with his hand and I discreetly peeked out from my hiding place.

    There was a giant lizard. And it wasn''t just one. There were three in all. I crouched a little in fear. They were scared, and pretty scared. Suddenly, I hear someone starting a fire. The lizards were encountered by a team. I think it was team 7, I''m not sure. They fought valiantly. A boy was casting fire spells and two girls were fighting with wind magic. I had the urge to help them, but my legs were numb. We''re mainly here to get the crystal. They''re our enemies, and if we went near them, a barrier would be triggered and we''d still have to fight them. This mission is very fierce. You have to watch every corner. You never know what''s lurking around, but on the other hand, it will prepare us for the outside world. Out there, it''s the same and worse.

    "Come on. We have to get out of here. I don''t want them to swallow us or anything." Kenji sputtered.

    I smiled a little and quietly crept back to my stuff. We quickly packed up and left. I don''t think the guards would let them eat us, but one never knows.

    The sleepless and dark night gave room to think. We don''t have much time left and we have no idea where the crystal is. If there is one left. Oh, where the hell did you...?

    All three of us were silent, aimlessly searching for clues. At least a small sign. Anything.

    "I''ve got it!" Kenji exclaimed happily after about half an hour.

    "What did you come up with?" Shika asked eagerly.

    We both fixed our peepers on him, waiting for his plan.

    "It''s not like anyone said we couldn''t ask someone."

    "Huh? When there''s no one here." I objected.

    "But there is."

    Kenji smiled mischievously and walked over to the maple tree next to him.

    "Merging with nature." He mumbled, his eyes closed as he immersed himself in conversation with the forest.

    "That''s a wonderful idea!" Shika exulted, joining in with another tree as well.

    "Kenji you are indeed clever." I muttered, turning slightly pink from the flattery towards him.

    I don''t know how to compliment someone. Especially ones that are truly out of place. I waited with a rueful smile to see what the two of them would find out.

    At the same moment, they both moved away from the tree. And there it is. I looked at the two of them with a questioning and hopeful look on my face.

    "We got it!" Kenji said simply, yet with a smile.

 Chapter no. 39 - The goal is within reach

    The crystal is at hand and with it the victory of the last mission. But will they make it?

    New hope has infused life into our bodies. Even though we''re sleep-deprived and grumpy, this was like a rebirth. We stumbled over giant roots. The surface became muddy. We must have been approaching the swamps. The musty, foul smell was becoming more and more intense.

    "Ugh. Disgusting." Shika stammered.

    However, no one commented on it. I fully agreed with her and Kenji the one focused on our target. We arrived at a vast wetland. It was getting dark around us. Time was running out.

    "Where to now?" With a stuffy nose, I reached Kenji.

    He hung his head and shook it.

    "I don''t know."

    "Guys look! There he is!"

    Something glimmered faintly at the end of the swamp. The greenish color in the darkness was easy to make out, and you could probably tell it wasn''t an animal. We took a step forward, but the newly raised barrier ruined everything. Someone must be here.

    "So they say the winner gets the last crystal." The mysterious voice spoke. Three silhouettes approached us.

    What the hell?! The black-haired idiot. He and his team are one mission away from completing the mission. His raven hair was neatly cut into a ponytail. His physique was well-developed. Broad shoulders and muscular arms. Something in me shuddered at the sight of his physique, but it immediately disappeared when I saw his haughty face.

    "And look at you! Now you''re the one I''ve been wanting to submit to for a long time!" He said, enhancing his dude face even more.

    Standing next to him was a brown haired boy a few inches shorter and a small blonde with a rather large bust. God why doesn''t he cover it up! One thing they had in common though...their expressions. That smug, haughty expression.

    "That goes for me too." I growled at him. I trusted my team. We''re strong enough to beat them.

    The familiar smell of battle was in the air again. But now it''s more. It''s everything. The loser loses and fails the mission. The first rays of the sun were beating down on the sky. There''s not much time left. The sunrise was late enough today. The sun wanted to give us time. But now it''s gone, and we must use it as we should.

    "Then catch me." He said with a sly voice and disappeared.

    Suddenly he appeared on the surface of the swamp. Who is this boy?!

    "We''ll take care of those two." Kenji said.

    I just nodded and ran after him.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    "Shiko take the girl. I''ll get on with it."

    "Sure."

    Shika ran towards the blonde. Kenji was the only one left standing. The boy across from him pulled his eyebrows into a single line and spread his legs slightly.

    "I know who you are, scion of the famous Samaro family. Trust that your manipulation won''t work on me."

    Kenji clenched his hand into a fist. He was angry. And a lot of it. A flame of rage seemed to flash in his eyes.

    "I don''t need these spells to defeat you."

    Kenji recoiled in one motion and disappeared in his speed spell. He ran past the brown-haired man, delivering one punch after another as he should. The brown-haired man had no idea what was happening. For a moment, anyway. Suddenly he grabbed Kenji at his full speed, by the collar of his shirt.

    "Gotcha." He hissed and smiled.

    His brown eyes turned orange.

    Who the hell are you?

    Kenji thought to himself. The boy put his hand on his chest and spoke again:

    "This is going to hurt you. Lava bomb."

    A giant orange light came out of the hand he had placed on Kenji''s chest. Kenji, thanks to the hit, flew about three meters away. However, with a heavy wheeze and a clearing of his throat, he got up after a moment.

    "Agh. Ugh. So lava huh?" chuck , "Then I''ll have to cool you down."

    "Water cannon!"

    Kenji''s shot hit, but the brown-haired man got up anyway. Kenji stared in disbelief for a moment. He hoped it would kill him off.

    "I found your weakness. You can''t quite defend yourself against powerful water magic yet. Now you''ve lost." The blond stated.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    Kenji waved to the water from the swamps. The water rose out of the trough and approached Kenji.

    "That''s your end." He whispered to himself.

    "Nooo! Lava heat!"

    "Neptune''s Trident!"

    The water from the swamp formed a giant trident and went against the powerful flood of lava. But the trident came through with a hiss and hit the brown-haired woman. He slumped to the ground and never got up. Kenji also collapsed from exhaustion.

    "You''re good, brown-haired boy." He spoke exhaustedly to him and continued to rest.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.

    "Stop!" Shika shouted at the blonde.

    The girl finally turned around.

    "You know you can''t escape."

    "I know. That was part of the plan now you''re stuck." The girl smiled evilly and waved her hand.

    Shika stood in the middle of the mud that was starting to sink in. Shit! That I didn''t realize.

    "Branch handles."

    Unfortunately, nothing happened. Instead, the blonde burst into hysterical laughter.

    "You''re really stupid. I ran over here so nothing could help you. You don''t have a tree here. You don''t have anything."

    I panicked. I started squirming trying to get out. Something brushed against my leg from below.

    "What the hell is that?!" I yelled.

    "Meet my friends. I''m introducing you to my earthworms." She giggled.

    Something started wrapping around my legs. It went gradually upwards. Soon the heads of the giant earthworms started to climb up. They crawled up my shirt and began to slime my skin. They even got under my bra!! Then they came out of my cleavage and wrapped themselves around my neck and arms.

    "That''s it!" The blonde exclaimed excitedly, watching with a strange smile on her face.

    "Mmm. Enough!"

    They started climbing all over me. Worst of all, as they rubbed against my clean, soft skin. Their skin was cold and sticky. It was disgusting. I was up to my chest in mud and the giant earthworms started choking.

    "Constellation of Scorpio!"

    The constellation of the scorpion shone in the sky. The stars came down to me and began to illuminate those disgusting creatures. The earthworms quickly loosened their grip and retreated back into the ground. The blonde no longer had her smug smile. She cried out in incomprehension and continued to watch her babies disappear. I took advantage of that.

    "Roots!" Two roots emerged from the soil, grabbing me and pulling me out of the mud.

    "You always have to be two steps ahead of your opponent." I said happily, because her uncomprehending expression was truly unforgettable.

    "While I was in the mud, I had time to talk to the roots of the trees. The trees are far beyond my abilities, but the roots. They''re almost everywhere here. It wasn''t easy to get them up here, but I made it." I explained.

    "You bitch! You''ll pay for that!" She yelled at me.

    I tried to imitate her smile. I think it worked pretty well.

    "You did. Star Arrow!"

    The stars from the constellation regrouped into an arrow and hit the blonde right in the stomach. She fainted with a scream.

    "Ugh. Now I''m going to have nightmares of earthworms for the rest of my life. Ugh." I was stitched up.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..

    "Ah. Ghhh." I hissed through my teeth.

    This idiot is strong. I can''t even touch him. His power lies in displacement. He can teleport quickly.

    "Still not enough?" He swings at me.

    I wipe the dirt off my face and shake my head.

    "I never have enough." I growl through my teeth.

    "Water cannon!"

    Blackadder repositions himself again.

    "That doesn''t apply." He says by my ear and holds out one.

    I''m going down. I spit up blood and get back up. It''s getting harder, but I can''t give up. I see Kenji handing the other man. He''s not giving up either.

    "Your friends are wimps, I see." And he jerks his head to signal me to turn around again.

    I see Kenji lying on the ground. Barely breathing. I look behind the black man. There''s Shika fighting something I don''t even know what it is. And then the idiot starts laughing softly.

    My eyes watered with anger. He and his gang have allowed themselves too much. Nobody hurts my friends like that! I growled loudly.

    "Oh the lord is angry." He said ironically.

    "Wait... Circle of Hell."

    A circle of fire formed around us. The flames were red. The heat felt as if I might be in the fire itself.

    "Cage of fire!"

    The flames rose, blotting out the sun that had already appeared in the sky.

    "You can''t escape me now." I said as darkly as I could.

    I could see the fear in the black-haired man''s eyes. My rage took hold of me and I didn''t really know whose I was. I have to help my friends. I''ll get rid of him quickly... But the boy suppressed his fear and put his expression back on.

    "All right. You want to keep me prisoner here. Then enjoy it. Electric shock!"

    All of a sudden, a huge jolt of electricity shot through me. It came from the ground. It was him. He was touching the ground, and I realized that these were his attack spells. He controls electricity.

    "Aaaaaaa!"

    I fell to my knees in pain. He finally lifted his hand off the ground, and the electricity left my body as well.

    "I have to say, I admire that courage. Holding on like that for nothing. That''s good. You''re going to lose anyway. Go back to where you came from. You''ll never be a magician. You and your friends are trash."

    Another wave of rage swept through me. Maybe it''s just the rage that''s still keeping me going.

    "No one insults my friends like that!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.

    "Now know my true power. Fire Dr-"

    "Iruka no! Don''t summon them!" Kenji interrupted me.

    He was right. I mustn''t draw attention to myself with my special powers. And a dragon wouldn''t help. Although... I don''t exactly need to summon a dragon. Just a part of it.

    I ran towards the black-haired boy. I won''t summon the dragon, but I''ll borrow a piece of it. I hope it works...

    "Ry¨± no g¨¡dian: dragon''s claw."

    My right hand burst into a kind of red flame. It wasn''t fire. It was something new. My instincts had brought me a new gift of control over my abilities. My right hand hit its mark. The flames spilled over the idiot like a claw, throwing him all the way out of the circle. The circle disappeared and the boy ended up fainting next to his friend.

    The barrier disappeared and we made our way as quickly as we could across the swamp to the stone. There he was. It didn''t glow so much, thanks to the morning light. We don''t have much time left.

    "Come on, let''s go! Two minutes to go!" Kenji urged us on.

    I gave it my all on this run. I wish the water wasn''t here, it was making it pretty hard to run. We''re tired enough as it is. We were grinding out the last of it, as they say. Shika suddenly tripped and slapped herself into the water.

    "Shika!" I called out.

    "I''m fine, go."

    I went back to her and grabbed her hand.

    "I can''t. We have to have him as a team. We couldn''t have accomplished the mission without you."

    Shika turned all red. I swung her up to a standing position and caught up with Kenji. I held her hand tightly so she wouldn''t fall again. She just trudged for a while, but then my words finally gave her courage and she was running beside me.

    "Kenji catch him!" I shouted.

    "But..."

    "Come on!"

    Kenji jumped for the stone. At that moment, I jumped too and grabbed his leg. I gripped his leg and the redhead''s hand tightly. When Kenji touched it, a light engulfed us. We ended up on the hard ground. It wasn''t the same rotten, wet ground in the swamp. I opened my eyes. Our familiar old man was bending over me.

    "Congratulations. You''ve passed the last test."

 Chapter no. 40 - The Ceremonies

    Mission accomplished. Iruka, Kenji and Shika are officially first level apprentices!

    Now I have another test of the worst kind! The Ceremonial Ball, where we''ll officially be given our title. Why the hell does it have to be public? So grand? Can''t it be like the exams? Give everyone their degrees and leave. What I wouldn''t give for that right now.

    I slammed the trunk shut and snorted loudly. I looked around the empty and nicely cleaned room. I may have only spent a few nights here, but I''m going to miss it. After all, I did get my hair cut here! Yes, I had a sort of emotional attachment to my hair, probably like anyone who has long hair of any kind. How do you think the guys are gonna react to that?

    Idea number one - they''ll all have heart attacks. Idea number two, they''ll laugh. Idea number three (and probably the most plausible) - Haru will compliment me on it. Natsu will triple over with excitement. Aki will just smile and not comment. Fuyu... Well, he''ll be icy as always and make a snide remark.

    "This is going to be terrible." I muttered to myself.

    "Come on, Iruka! We have to go!" My good friend burst into my room.

    I shook my head to push my thoughts away and walked away.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.

    "THAT''S AWESOME!!!"

    "Iruka, you look beautiful."

    "Good Iruka."

    As I expected. Their reactions were exactly as I thought they would be. Now all that''s left is to say hello to Fuya. He didn''t show up again. No one worthy of his attention came to greet him. Perhaps not even the King, if he showed up at our door. I climbed the rickety stairs and made my way to his room. With a full dose of nervousness, I knocked.

    "Come in."

    I opened it slowly. Fuyu was sitting at his desk with his back to me, writing something down.

    Fuyu put down his pen and stood up. He turned around and froze. I fidgeted and squinted at the hem of my shirt. I finally tore my gaze from the ground and looked at him. I expected an answer right away. Some sort of retort or something, but he stood there, staring at me in disbelief. His pale cheeks caught the pinkish tint as well. I don''t believe it! He''s blushing! Is that... Is that... Cute? I certainly caught the blush in my cheeks myself at the sight of him.

    "Your hair..." He finally blurted out.

    I cocked my head to the side, preferring to keep looking at the ground. The floor was safer than him.

    "Well...I... I... cut my hair... It needed a change... I guess it doesn''t look good."

    "No you''re beautiful... I mean...I mean, you look good. You''re not a girl now. Now you''re just a dwarf with no beard."

    I gave him a questioning look. Though in his case, I couldn''t really help it. He walked up to me and I got my scared puppy face on.

    "I''m glad you made it. I know about the ceremony. It always is. I''ve made all the arrangements for the ball." He said and ruffled my hair.

    I grumbled petulantly, but I still liked his fingers in my hair. I looked up at him. He was looking me over. I don''t know if in a positive way or not. He was just looking, but I could feel myself blushing again.

    "Get out of here."

    Well, the blush was now one hundred percent gone. I didn''t say anything to his very nice dismissal.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.

    The day went by like water. As always, perhaps, when something important awaits you in the evening. As Fuyu said, everything was set up in my room. A beautiful hand-stitched suit that fit like a shell. Shoes of the same color that also sat, perfumes from the ground. They''ve prepared everything here perfectly. For the last time, I outnumbered my hair and started down. I was wearing a black tuxedo with a white shirt and a dark blue bow tie that somehow held its shape. Kenji, Aki, Haru and Natsu were waiting downstairs. They all looked so elegant. Beautifully sleek hair. Neat and proper. Kenji, Aki and Haru wore the same shade of tuxedo as I did. Natsu wore it more dark blue than night, yet it matched his red hair nicely.

    "Well, Iruka? Are you nervous?" He hooted natsu as I climbed down the stairs.

    "Y-yeah a little. But I''ll survive."I smiled.

    "Just Fuyu, then."Sighed Haru. "I''m already here!"He said, rapidly coming down the stairs.

    He looked very different. In a good way. He looked very handsome in a tuxedo. Black suited him. He looked even more charismatic than normal. Formal attire and a sleek bill also gave him more authority. Fuyu gave me that strange feeling I couldn''t identify. As I read vampire books on Earth to deepen my knowledge of the creatures, I read about their so-called Charms. They were able to force people to control themselves even without mind control. I think tot Fuyu had it in him. The irresistible charisma and I, as the mortal, make me feel that very strange feeling. It''s not that I like him. It''s pure nature. He''s like a beautiful flower that draws attention to her variety and I''m a butterfly that''s attracted to this variety. But if I succumb to it, the plant will kill me.

    "Let''s go then?"He spoke again in his cool tone and looked at everyone and then rested on me.

    ''Yeah let''s party!" Natsu cheered, and he and the others started for the exit.

    "Iruka, wait.¡±

    Fuyu grabbed my hand and pulled me close.

    "Huh? W-what is it?"My nervous tone, which I tried to hide, could still be heard through it.

    "Your bow tie is badly tied."He noted and untied my neck brace.

    I watched his long, thin fingers dance and create that beauty. I wish I could, too. I looked at him. He had a slight smile on his lips, but his eyes were full of concentration to tie the bow. My heart began to beat excruciatingly fast as I looked more into his blue eyes. They were so azure and beautiful. So innocent. There was no chill in them, what everyone saw, and in the beginning, so did I. There''s concern and tenderness. He''s shunned and he''s still holed up somewhere, but he''s still watching over us and taking care of us. We became members of his family and that''s more than I could have ever asked for. Being with him and others and having these adventures about it wouldn''t dream in my wildest dreams.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    "So done. You look nice now."He whispered in my ear and walked away.

    God, I got my toes all the way from that goosebump. Wide-eyed, I turned and went after them, too. We already had a few stars on the way, and the closer we got, the more they got. It''s as if they''re coming with us to the ceremony. We crawled in and the intoxicating music of the forehead, the violin and the transverse flute came to my ears. The melody immediately pulled you into the auditorium. She was so magical and timeless. It''s the most beautiful thing I''ve ever heard. There were a lot of people dancing in the hall. The ladies wore lavish gowns that literally shone in the circle of dancing. Their accompaniments or dancers were merely in elegant dark shades to give the space to raise their partner''s profile. Come to think of it, was it really a ceremony for us?

    "Yes, it is."Kenji replied.

    "Hey! Don''t get in my head!"

    "Sorry, you had such a beatific expression that I wondered what you were thinking."

    "Tss."I snorted and continued to watch people. The boys and I were slowly making our way to a table.

    From the top of the stairs, those people looked better than they did down here. I don''t like squeezing between people. Fortunately, it was short-lived and we reached the table. I look around and in the crowd I see a figure with fiery hair coming towards us. Shika.

    "Iruka! Kenji!"She squealed with enthusiasm.

    Both Kenji and I stood up and went over to greet her. She looked beautiful. She tamed her thick hair into an elegant bun. Just a few wavy strands on either side of her left loose around her face. In her hair was a silver tiara, shaped like interlaced twigs with assorted petals and flowers. She was wearing a gorgeous turquoise dress. The top was made a bit like lace, but opaque, and the skirt was decorated with tulle fabric with stones, of course. She even wore heels for that, so she was taller than me.

    "Are you that nervous, too?"

    "Yeah."Kenji and I agreed in unison.

    "Yeah Shika, we want you to meet someone."I said.

    Shika tensed with curiosity. I stepped to the side a little and pointed at our escorts. "Shiko, this is Haru, Natsu, Aki, and Fuyu Naruno. Guys this is Shika Yui."I introduced.

    The boys smiled at her and, as one, uttered the classic phrase for introduction. Shika looked like a stake out of a fence.

    "Y-y-y-you... I-I-I..."She stuttered, then swung to the ground. And I don''t mean that metaphorically. She really fainted.

    "Shika!?"I leaned in anxiously. She rose quickly. I was even a little startled by the reaction.

    ¡°Yes hehehe... I thought I dropped something on the ground, but it didn''t hehehe."She was scratching the back of her head, and she had a rather strange smile on her lips.

    "Okay?"I said, raising one eyebrow.

    She quickly stopped scratching and put on a kind of sexy look.

    "Anyone want to dance?"She asked. Doesn''t that girl have a concussion? I cocked my head to see if he was really all right.

    "I''ll go."Natsu volunteered.

    She parted her lips in a devilish smile. That girl scares me.

    "Good."She said demonic.

    What in god''s name is wrong with her?! I don''t think I''ll ever understand women. Natsu offered her his arm and went off to dance with her. The dance here looked a bit like a waltz, with just a few extra touches. Besides, I can''t dance either. I''m glad I can even make it out. Kenji started laughing beside me. I looked at him with a question in my eyes.

    "The girl''s funny."

    "No, he''s crazy. Did you see that devilish smile?!"

    "Yeah. It was funny." "In retrospect, yeah." We both guffawed.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.

    Kenji and Aki disappeared like steam over a pot. Probably off to the sidelines to dance. I ended up with Haru and Fuy on what balcony they were on, where they were talking to some important people, I guess. Well, they certainly looked the part.

    "I hear you''ve stopped a bunch of super Minotaurs now."One of the men began a new conversation.

    "Yes, it looks like they''re powered by some kind of magic. We''ll have to investigate further." Replied Haru

    "Magic? What a load of nonsense. Minotaurs aren''t that smart."You snorted. "Then how do you explain a Minotaur who can summon a shield?¡± Fuyu asked.

    "Maybe you just can''t do magic. After all, you''re only half wizards. If it wasn''t for your mother."

    "Watch your language."Fuyu growled.

    I didn''t like his behaviour either. Naruno are the best magicians I''ve known. Who does he think he is?! I closed my fist angrily and continued to silently watch the conversation.

    "Maxitraime."The other man shouted at him.

    ¡°You know they''re excellent magicians. I wouldn''t question their judgments!"

    "On top of everything else, they''ve been commissioned by King Taiyo himself to check it out."He added calmly. "Oh, yes, the king. How lenient he is with half-breeds like you."

    "That''s enough!"I shouted.

    "Who do you think you are?! Preaching about people like that, like you''re more than that. The boys here are wonderful magicians and deserve respect and recognition. Thanks to their training, I took the exams. I owe my whole life to him for their teachings. So kindly keep this, will you?" Oops. I guess that was too much.

    They all froze, looking at me. Fuyu, in particular, looked with incredulous eyes.

    ¡°You''ve got guts, boy. But the fact that you''re an apprentice now doesn''t make you a magician. You better watch who you''re yelling at."

    ''You..."There was something else I wanted to tell him, but Fuyu covered my mouth and grabbed my waist.

    "I don''t think you have any idea who you''re talking to."Haru growled, and Fuyus dragged me away.

    We reached the terrace outside. I was let go here. I started going back and forth in anger.

    ¡°What does that old fart think of himself?!"I thought to myself. Haru looked at his brother and then at me.

    "You''re going to pacify him."He added and walked back to the auditorium.

    ¡°An old man. Just because he''s going to talk patronizing doesn''t make him someone very important. Who the fuck is that?! I''ll smash his face in if he talks like that again." Fuyu chuckled. Well, I didn''t find it funny at the time.

    "It''s Maxitrime Takashiko. He''s a magician, and he''s also a mage council candidate. He is very powerful and rich, which makes him such an important master. His family has always believed in purity and does not approve of beingmixed in any way. You''ll hear this shit from him all the time."

    ¡°No, because I''ll trick him first and then... And then...?." I ran out of words, but Fuyu braved it.

    He grabbed my hand again, but this time he pulled me into his victims. I died for a little while. That piece of icebreaker hugged me?! All my organs and muscles in my body froze.

    "Thank you for sticking up for us. Nobody''s done this for us in a long time."

    "You''re my family to me. I will always protect and stand up for you."I muttered into his chest.

    Fuyu smiled and said: "I''ll protect you, too. Me and the others."

    The atmosphere got to me. She just found me and swallowed me up. I pressed against him more and smiled contentedly.

    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

    It''s finally started what we''re here for. Our good old man took the stage and began his monologue:

    "Good evening ladies and gentlemen, we are very honoured to have you here tonight. This year''s exams have been very special, but I think they''ve gone very well on the other hand. Of course, we are gathered here today to officially introduce our first-level apprentices. Welcome them to the podium with a round of applause."

    As he put it, all six teams, including us, emerged from both sides. We took the stage to exuberant applause when I noticed who was coming against us. What''s that black hair doing here?! Kenji!!

    He heard my thoughts and looked at him. The whole team was there, him and his two cronies. Already, Shika had noticed.

    Team 5 cheated and took away their rock. It came to that, and they were rightly given the title. supposedly. Shika respons.

    His smug expression rattled my nerves. I had to look away. I beat him, and he''s still so demented.

    "Now, namely, we''ll give everyone a diploma. Please step forward when I say your name."

    It''s just for show anyway. I said to myself.

    "This is where I give my diploma to apprentice Shika Yui, who was on team number 8." He handed Shika his diploma and shook hands.

    He took a sidestep and stood by Kenji

    "This is where I give my diploma to apprentice Kenji Samaro, who was on Team 8."

    My turn. "This is where I present my diploma to apprentice Iruka Huro, who was also on Team 8."

    I walked toward him in front. He gave me his diploma and his hand.

    "Congratulations."He whispered.

    "Thank you."

    He took a step over and I rested on all the people applauding me. I also saw that scoundrel Takashiko burning through my eyes. I just twisted my eyebrows and looked back down. He finally reached the brunette. I''ll finally know their names. But first there was the blonde, and then the brown hair.

    "I pass the diploma to apprentice Ayako Miro, who was on Team 1."

    "I give my diploma to apprentice Misaki Yamaro, who was the No.1 on the team." Finally, him. So what''s your name? I don''t even know why I wanted to know, but you just want to know the name of a guy you don''t really like.

    "I''m handing over my diploma to apprentice Tori Takashiko, who was the No.1 on the team."

    Takashiko?! So he''s his son?

    That explains everything..

 Special bonus - Introduction

    Iruko

    Basic information

    <ul>

    <li>Date of birth: 11.04</li>

    <li>Age: 18 years</li>

    <li>Sign: Aries</li>

    <li>Blood Type: A</li>

    <li>Height: 160 cm</li>

    <li>Weight: 60 kg</li>

    </ul>

    Pros

    <ul>

    <li>Hard working</li>

    <li>Puts family above all else</li>

    <li>Naturally smart, but not above average</li>

    <li>Selfless</li>

    <li>Can''t say no</li>

    <li>Shy at first, but when he gets to know you well he is very communicative</li>

    <li>Inquisitive</li>

    <li>Kind - always trying to help others</li>

    <li>Combative</li>

    <li>Doesn''t like to give up</li>

    <li>Brave to the point of pushing it beyond its limits</li>

    <li>Big dreamer</li>

    <li>Not afraid to speak his mind</li>

    </ul>

    Cons

    <ul>

    <li>Quick to get angry</li>

    <li>Has a strong tendency to overwork/train</li>

    <li>Easily trusts people he hasn''t known that long</li>

    <li>Distrustful of self</li>

    <li>Has been bullied so keeps his distance from people but is not afraid to interact with them</li>

    <li>Impatience</li>

    <li>Naive</li>

    <li>Very impulsive</li>

    <li>Depression, anxiety and fear about being abandoned</li>

    </ul>

    Most popular food

    <ul>

    <li>Apple pie</li>

    </ul>

    Least popular food

    <ul>

    <li>Natto</li>

    </ul>

    What he likes to do and what he likes to do

    <ul>

    <li>Always liked to help with the housework, especially cooking</li>

    <li>Reading books</li>

    <li>Walking or any outdoor activity</li>

    </ul>

    What he doesn''t like and doesn''t like to do

    <ul>

    <li>He doesn''t like to do anything he is forced into and has to pretend</li>

    <li>Dislikes attending social events (of any kind)</li>

    </ul>

    Fuyu

    Basic information

    <ul>

    <li>Date of birth: 22.12.</li>

    <li>Age: 25 years in vampire, Earth age: 1000 years +-</li>

    <li>Sign: Capricorn</li>

    <li>Blood Type: 0</li>

    <li>Height: 190 cm</li>

    <li>Weight: 79 kg</li>

    </ul>

    Pros

    <ul>

    <li>Smart</li>

    <li>Mysterious</li>

    <li>Hardworking</li>

    <li>Family is everything to him</li>

    <li>Elegant/Charming</li>

    <li>Caution</li>

    <li>Fearless</li>

    <li>Keeps a cool head at all times</li>

    <li>Sarcastic</li>

    <li>Lascivious</li>

    <li>Responsible</li>

    <li>Strong</li>

    <li>Protective</li>

    </ul>

    Cons

    <ul>

    <li>Cool</li>

    <li>Truthful</li>

    <li>A bit cocky</li>

    <li>Distrustful</li>

    <li>Not concerned with the feelings of others</li>

    <li>Gets angry easily but tries to hide it</li>

    <li>Skeptical</li>

    <li>Realistic</li>

    <li>Jealous</li>

    <li>Unforgiving</li>

    </ul>

    Most popular food

    <ul>

    <li>Zaru Soba</li>

    </ul>

    Least favourite dish

    <ul>

    <li>Wasabi</li>

    </ul>

    What he likes to do and what he likes to do

    <ul>

    <li>He reads books quietly</li>

    <li>Studying earth medicine</li>

    <li>Spending time alone</li>

    <li>Meditate</li>

    <li>Interested in bonsai</li>

    </ul>

    What he doesn''t like to do and what he doesn''t like to do

    <ul>

    <li>He does not like to be in the company of the elite</li>

    <li>He dislikes hateful people towards his mixed age</li>

    <li>Noise</li>

    </ul>

    Picture inspo

    Haru

    Basic information

    <ul>

    <li>Date of birth: 20.3.</li>

    <li>Age: 24 years in vampire, Earth age: 1000 years +-</li>

    <li>Sign: Pisces</li>

    <li>Blood Type: B</li>

    <li>Height: 185 cm</li>

    <li>Weight: 73 kg</li>

    </ul>

    Pros

    <ul>

    <li>Good</li>

    <li>Compassionate</li>

    <li>Very empathetic</li>

    <li>Sensitive</li>

    <li>Calm</li>

    <li>Tries to maintain good relations with everyone</li>

    <li>Very friendly</li>

    <li>Kind</li>

    <li>Listens well</li>

    <li>Trusting</li>

    </ul>

    Cons

    <ul>

    <li>Doesn''t trust himself as much as other brothers trust themselves</li>

    <li>Considers himself the weakest of the brothers</li>

    <li>Easily manipulated/abused</li>

    <li>Quick to take offense and cry</li>

    <li>Can''t say no</li>

    <li>Very passive</li>

    </ul>

    Most popular food

    <ul>

    <li>Chikuzenni</li>

    </ul>

    Least favorite dish

    <ul>

    <li>Fugu</li>

    </ul>

    What he likes to do and what he likes to do

    <ul>

    <li>He gardens</li>

    <li>Herbalism and potion making</li>

    <li>Studying healing magic - especially elven magic</li>

    </ul>

    What he doesn''t like to do and what he doesn''t like to doThis text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    <ul>

    <li>Arguing with or seeing someone argue</li>

    <li>Pulling Natsuo out of fights</li>

    <li>Cruelty</li>

    </ul>

    Picture Inspo

    Natsu

    Basic information

    <ul>

    <li>Date of birth: 21.06</li>

    <li>Age: 23 in vampire, Earth age: 1000 years +-</li>

    <li>Sign: Gemini</li>

    <li>Blood Type: B</li>

    <li>Height: 189 cm</li>

    <li>Weight: 81 kg</li>

    </ul>

    Pros

    <ul>

    <li>Very friendly</li>

    <li>Chatty</li>

    <li>Sociable</li>

    <li>Funny</li>

    <li>Protective</li>

    <li>Light-hearted</li>

    <li>Empathetic</li>

    <li>Kind</li>

    <li>Energetic</li>

    <li>Loud</li>

    </ul>

    Cons

    <ul>

    <li>Very lively</li>

    <li>Excitable</li>

    <li>Arrogant</li>

    <li>Sloppy</li>

    <li>Jealous</li>

    <li>Irresponsible</li>

    <li>Easily provoked</li>

    <li>Easily loses control</li>

    </ul>

    Most popular food

    <ul>

    <li>Yakitori</li>

    </ul>

    Least favourite dish

    <ul>

    <li>Peas</li>

    </ul>

    What he likes to do and what he likes to do

    <ul>

    <li>Any event</li>

    <li>Food</li>

    <li>Adrenaline</li>

    <li>Company</li>

    </ul>

    What he doesn''t like to do and what he doesn''t like

    <ul>

    <li>Boredom</li>

    <li>Peace and quiet</li>

    <li>Reading books</li>

    </ul>

    Picture Inspo

    Aki

    Basic information

    <ul>

    <li>Date of birth: 23.09</li>

    <li>Age: 22 in vampire, Earth age: 1000 years +-</li>

    <li>Sign: Libra</li>

    <li>Blood Type: AB</li>

    <li>Height: 190 cm</li>

    <li>Weight: 75 kg</li>

    </ul>

    Pros

    <ul>

    <li>Very intelligent and clever</li>

    <li>Strong sense of justice</li>

    <li>Quiet</li>

    <li>Polite</li>

    <li>Elegant</li>

    <li>Sense of Etiquette/Behavior</li>

    <li>Tactful</li>

    <li>Logical thinking</li>

    <li>Poise</li>

    <li>Empathetic</li>

    <li>Balanced</li>

    </ul>

    Cons

    <ul>

    <li>Mysterious</li>

    <li>Often hides his feelings</li>

    <li>Distant</li>

    <li>Shy</li>

    <li>Overly clever</li>

    <li>Smug and conceited</li>

    <li>He doesn''t confide</li>

    <li>Impatience</li>

    </ul>

    Most popular food

    <ul>

    <li>Tonkotsu ramen</li>

    </ul>

    Least favourite dish

    <ul>

    <li>Any dish with curry</li>

    </ul>

    What he likes to do and what he likes to do

    <ul>

    <li>Studying mainly physics, mathematics and chemistry</li>

    <li>Interested in earth academies</li>

    <li>Books</li>

    <li>Logic puzzles and brain teasers</li>

    <li>Tea</li>

    </ul>

    What he doesn''t like to do and what he doesn''t like to do

    <ul>

    <li>Too many strangers</li>

    <li>Noisy events</li>

    <li>Stupid people</li>

    </ul>

    Picture Inspo

    Kenji

    Basic information

    <ul>

    <li>Date of birth: 02.07</li>

    <li>Age: 19 years</li>

    <li>Sign: Cancer</li>

    <li>Blood Type: 0</li>

    <li>Height: 170 cm</li>

    <li>Weight: 65 kg</li>

    </ul>

    Pros

    <ul>

    <li>Smart</li>

    <li>Friendly</li>

    <li>Social</li>

    <li>Kind</li>

    <li>Caring</li>

    <li>Perceptive</li>

    <li>Sensitive</li>

    <li>Fearless</li>

    <li>Funny</li>

    </ul>

    Cons

    <ul>

    <li>Secretive</li>

    <li>Quick to change moods</li>

    <li>Distrustful</li>

    <li>A little manipulative</li>

    <li>Doesn''t like being backed into a corner - gets defensive then</li>

    <li>Short-tempered</li>

    </ul>

    Most popular food

    <ul>

    <li>Earthy fast food</li>

    </ul>

    Least favorite food

    <ul>

    <li>Stuffed acorns (a specialty of his world)</li>

    </ul>

    What he likes to do and likes

    <ul>

    <li>Exploring the mundane world</li>

    <li>Spending time with Aki</li>

    <li>Fencing</li>

    <li>Horseback riding</li>

    </ul>

    What he doesn''t like and doesn''t like to do

    <ul>

    <li>His family - especially his father</li>

    <li>He doesn''t like insects</li>

    <li>His duties</li>

    </ul>

    Picture Inspo

    Shika

    Basic information

    <ul>

    <li>Date of birth: 24.11.</li>

    <li>Age: 18 years</li>

    <li>Sign: Sagittarius</li>

    <li>Blood Type: A</li>

    <li>Height: 157 cm</li>

    <li>Weight: 55 kg</li>

    </ul>

    Pros

    <ul>

    <li>Sensitive</li>

    <li>Bold</li>

    <li>Empathetic</li>

    <li>Naive</li>

    <li>Quick to get excited about everything</li>

    <li>Adventurous</li>

    <li>Not afraid to speak her mind</li>

    <li>Generous</li>

    <li>Honest</li>

    <li>Kind</li>

    <li>Kind</li>

    <li>Optimistic</li>

    </ul>

    Cons

    <ul>

    <li>Stubborn</li>

    <li>Lack of self-confidence</li>

    <li>Untempered</li>

    <li>Anxiety</li>

    <li>Spying on others</li>

    <li>Tactless</li>

    <li>Short-tempered</li>

    </ul>

    Most popular food

    <ul>

    <li>Agedashi dofu (it''s called something else in elvish)</li>

    </ul>

    Least favorite food

    <ul>

    <li>She doesn''t have</li>

    </ul>

    What she likes to do and what she likes to do

    <ul>

    <li>Taking care of flowers</li>

    <li>She loves flowers</li>

    <li>Dancing and singing</li>

    <li>Playing the flute</li>

    <li>Shopping in the mundane world</li>

    <li>Watching the boys practice</li>

    </ul>

    What she doesn''t like to do and what she doesn''t like to do

    <ul>

    <li>Bad people and rude</li>

    <li>Beings who berate her for her origins</li>

    <li>She doesn''t like being ordered around</li>

    </ul>

    Picture Inspo

 Chapter no. 41. - The Audience

    I was awakened by the gentle rays of the sun. It was nine o''clock in the morning when I looked at my watch. I listened to the sounds of the house. All was quiet. So I woke up first and closed my eyes for a moment with relief. Cautiously and with difficulty I open my eyes and begin to look around. The wounds are heavy, I tell myself. I climbed out of bed and climbed straight into the shower. I took a nice long hot shower. I got out of that bathroom I had converted into a sauna and got dressed. I went downstairs to make breakfast when someone knocked.

    "I''m coming." I nodded.

    I open the door and there stands my friend, Shika. Her brothers let her stay in the guest room because she hadn''t secured accommodation.

    "Good morning!" She greeted and smiled warmly.

    "Morning. What do you need?"

    I was a little out of it from her visit.

    " What an ugly welcome." Her face contorted into a hurt expression.

    " Can I come in? I don''t want to talk about it here."

    "Yeah right. Sorry, I just got up and wanted to go make breakfast." I said and went inside.

    "Cool. Let me help you." He says cheerfully turning one hundred and eighty degrees and heading towards the kitchen.

    "So what do you want help with?"

    "You can chop the vegetables while I fry the fish."

    Shika lunged for the vegetables and a knife and began cutting the vegetables.

    "So are you going to tell me now?" I asked after a long delay.

    Shika put down the knife and looked at me.

    "I want to be with you! All through the ceremony, I''ve been thinking about how it''s going to be now. If you''ll forget me or how. And as we stood there on the stage, I realized I don''t want to forget you. I still want to be a team. You''re the only friends I have right now. I''ve only known you for a short time, but you''ve grown on me. And I want to become as strong as you and Kenji. That''s why I want to ask the Naruno brothers to teach me what you can do." She spat out one sentence after another.

    I froze all over. I had completely forgotten that we wouldn''t see each other again after the ceremony. How could I not have thought of that?

    "I love you, too, and I want you to be with us. Besides the boys, you''re my only friend. And don''t worry, they''ll take you." I winked at her.

    Shika beamed and jumped on my waist. I''m glad she put the knife down earlier because I was really scared of her.

    ?????????????????

    They''ve all come for breakfast. She took the miso soup I made with local ingredients from the market and spilled it on them all. Then we put the bowl of rice and vegetables on the table together and got the fish already on the plate. We wished each other a good taste and set to it.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    "I..." Shika said softly.

    We all turned our gaze towards her. Shika was nervous that she was unable to eat almost anything.

    "I would like to be your apprentice! I know you already have two, but Kenji and Iruka are my friends. I don''t want to leave them even though I don''t know them that well yet. I want to be as good as they are! I don''t have a master and I''d like to have... Please accept me!" She blurted out with the same fervor she had when she announced the news to me.

    Her look was very confident. Her words were very sincere. Her eyes were sparkling. I was amazed by her courage. I smiled inwardly and then like the others present, looked at Fuya. After all, he is the eldest of them and has the final say. Fuyu enjoyed his mouthful with his eyes closed. Everyone was nervous. I could feel the tension. I wished he''d say yes myself. He has to say it. He opened his azure blue eyes and pinned Shika with them. I gasped a little. I felt sorry for her that she had to endure his gaze. I looked at her and she... She was looking as murderous as he was! Jesus, what are you doing?! Don''t do that, he''ll kill you!!

    "All right." He said after an eternity of silence.

    "But you''ll have a harder time because we''re busy now, so you''ll have to learn the tribute mostly as you go. We don''t have time for this.."

    "Fine on the fly! I can do it!" She snapped at him.

    Fuyu just grinned smugly.

    "Whatever. Haru will be in charge of you first. You''re an elf so you shouldn''t have a problem with Haru. But put it off for today. After we have breakfast, we have to go to the castle. Like I said, we have work to do. All of us."

    To the castle? As in to see the king? Is it about what Takashiko was talking about yesterday and with the other guy being the king in charge?

    ???????????????

    As Fuyu said, so it happened. We all went to the castle. The castle was in the middle of the city. It was like the exact castle I drew when I was little. The walls, the tall stone towers, the beautiful garden behind the palace. Flags flying high and guards watching every inch.

    "Where are you going?" One of the guards guarding the main entrance to the palace asked.

    "We have an audience with the king. We are the Naruno brothers." Fuyu answered him.

    "Ah. I apologize to you." And he and his colleague put the spear away.

    We passed quietly. We walked down one hell of a long corridor. There were giant glass windows and stone columns. The ceiling was sky-high. I couldn''t really see the end. In contrast, the floor was so shiny every inch of it that I could see my reflection in it. They clean with toothpaste, don''t they? I chuckled inwardly at my biting remark. The castle must look tidy. After all, this city here is like the center of all dimensions from what I understand.

    We entered the throne room. In the middle of the room, where there was almost nothing, was a huge throne on which sat a noble king. His hair was already quite grey and his face was full of wrinkles and scars from the war, but his expression was warm and kind. He did not seem evil. But authority oozed from him as it should from any ruler. We stood before the throne and all bowed respectfully.

    "Welcome! It''s been a long time since I''ve seen you." Said the king joyfully, rising from his throne.

    He walked over to the brothers and hugged them all. They put on a beaming face. Even Fuyu was smiling. Strange... Very strange...Then he looked at the three of us. We were standing behind them. We crouched down a bit as his eyes surveyed us.

    "So that''s you. The new apprentices. Iruka Huro, Kenji Samaro. The boys told me about you. I mean, I only knew about those two. Who is this lady?"

    "I am Shika Yui, Your Majesty. Their new apprentice. I was with their apprentices in a group rehearsal to find out who they were apprenticed to. I begged the Naruno brothers to start teaching me as well." Shika replied and bowed.

    After her words, he finally smiled. A stone fell from my heart.

    "Enough chatter then." He put his aloof king mask back on.

    "I have a task for you. The other Minotaurs have returned. Again with magical powers. Your task will be to find the source of it. This is getting serious. More and more of them. They''ve ravaged an entire village in the north. And we''re not the only ones. Today, other worlds have confirmed a magical Minotaur attack. They''re powered by a strange dark power. I fear that evil is awakening again. We must suppress it. People call me an old fool, but you can never be too careful. Where else would they get such power? Especially the Minotaurs. Someone has to be behind this, and certainly not someone with good intentions. You know what to do. I''m counting on you."

    "Don''t worry, King. He won''t let you down." Fuyu replied firmly.

 Chapter no. 42. -Andronie

    Iruka and the others have been given a new mission directly from the King. But how will they handle it?

    We''ve reached home. Fuyu at the door ordered us to pack up immediately. All the brothers looked very serious. I was worried. This will be our first mission. We barely got our diploma yesterday. I guess this is what it means to be an apprentice of the famous Naruno. Evil never waits.

    "Their auras are quite stressed. What''s going on here?" Shika whispered.

    However, she had forgotten that the boys were part vampire and could hear whispers as well.

    "What auras?" Haru asked.

    "You know I have this gift. I can see the aura of all magical beings. Most of the time it is formulated like an animal. Different colors mean different emotions. Each of you has a different aura or patron as they call it in some worlds. Iruka has a dragon. Kenji has a puma. You, Haru, you have a wolverine. Natsu has a phoenix. Aki has a fox, and Fuyu has a wolf, and a pretty big one at that. All your animals were red, which indicates how nervous you are."

    "Wait. So you have aura magic? It''s very rare." He said in amazement.

    "Yeah it is. I''ve read that those who can see auras, of others, can then control the aura and manipulate the mage itself. It''s rare and dangerous magic." Aki joined the conversation.

    "Yes, but don''t worry. I can''t control the aura. I can only see them."

    "And what else can you do, Shiko?" Fuyu asked.

    "I can control earth and healing magic. But that was obvious to you, given my background. But most of all, I know star magic."

    "That''s great! A healer will come in handy on this mission." Natsu smiled at her.

    ??????????????

    After a short discussion in the hall, I ran up the stairs and went to pack. What am I supposed to pack? Where are we going? God, I''ve only been an apprentice for a day and I''m already on a deadly mission. What if I''m not ready for it yet? Panic was rising in me, but I was snapped out of it by the sound of a faint knock. Haru came into my room.

    "Hey, sorry to interrupt. But I noticed your worried expression, so I thought I''d help you pack."

    "That''s okay. I just don''t know what to bring so I don''t have too much."If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Haru smiled and walked over to my closet. He started rummaging through it, throwing out some of my clothes.

    "Always take at least one thing if you don''t know where you''re going. Not everywhere has weather like this."

    "I understand. "I just smiled and slowly started to put my clothes in my backpack.

    "Hey Iruka..." Haru spoke.

    He immediately grabbed my hand and pulled me to him. I let out a little yelp. He was so close and smelled so good. Like violets and cut grass mixed with the smell of rain. I took in a little bit of that smell. I was completely engulfed. I got goose bumps on my arms. I looked up. I could see his lips, which were soft to look at, and his snow-white teeth. The tingles in my belly completely spilled out like milk in a cup.

    "Don''t worry. We''ll protect you. All of us. You, Kenji and Shika. Do you know why?"

    I shook my head slightly.

    "Because we''re all family, and family protects each other. Just like you want to protect us, we want to protect you. Don''t worry, I won''t let anyone hurt anyone, especially you."

    His words made me so happy. All that joy filled every cell in my body. This was what I needed to hear right now, that nothing was going to happen to us. He was right, I would protect them and they would protect me. We''re family and friends watching each other''s backs. Nothing''s gonna break us. Whatever evil it is, it can''t beat us.

    Haru gave my shoulder a little squeeze. That took me out of my thoughts.

    "Thank you Haru."

    "Y-you''re welcome." He whispered timidly.

    ???????????????????

    So we''re packed. Now we just go to the basement to get the guns. They''ve got guns everywhere! I don''t know why they have them in the basement. The scariest place I''ve ever seen. I hate basements. There''s hardly any light in here. Just flickering candlelight. That''s never good. For all you are, I come as a prisoner being led to the torture chamber. We entered the armory. The boys have chosen their weapons. Shika and I stood and looked at the collection of weapons.

    " And I thought there''d be fewer of them in here."

    "Fewer? Haha. Rule number one is to have enough arsenal at each base. " Natsu stated with a sneer as he twirled his weapon in his hand.

    "Shiko pick what you like. Though I think I know what it will be." Haru winked at her.

    Shika looked over all the weapons carefully. Meanwhile, I took my sword and watched to see what she would choose. She took two daggers and a round sharp thing that in my humble opinion would be very dangerous. ALe Shika studied it carefully, assessing its heft.

    "Well I expected you to take a bow." Haru laughed.

    "I''ll leave the bow to you. I''ll take something else instead."

    And she reached for the black katana sheath. She took the black and gold handle and pulled out the blade. It was as narrow and cold as death. The blade glistened beautifully. Shika inspected the piece she had pulled out thoroughly and then she sheathed it again. She strapped the katana to her slim waist.

    We went out. We ducked into one of the dark side alleys. It was busy everywhere, and the gate couldn''t be summoned easily.

    "We''ll go for the last point of attack. The people there don''t like very probing questions, so don''t ask anything unnecessary. They get angry easily and we don''t want that." Fuyu instructed us.

    He twisted his wrist and suddenly had a golden key in his palm. He held it out in front of him and shouted:

    "Andronie!"

    A wooden door with a golden keyhole appeared before us. He put the key in the keyhole and the door opened. With a good deal of curiosity and a touch of apprehension, I stepped into a new land called Andronie.

 Chapter no. 43. - Gruzvity

    We found ourselves in a dense forest. The silence was chillingly dead. We all stood in silence. The boys tried to get their bearings and we waited for their instructions. The keys will take you to another place, but not exactly where you want. Suddenly, Shika grabbed her heart and hissed.

    "What is it?!" I blurted out, running over to her right away.

    "The forest is sick. It hurts so bad." She cringed in pain.

    "As an elf who comes from the forest, she''s a little more sensitive to this than you and Kenji. Wait, I have something for you." Haru explained as he rummaged through his backpack.

    Shika was right. Some higher power was trying to grip my heart, like lianas wrapped around my heart, trying to strangle me. The forest was really suffering here, and something was pulling all of its strength from it. But why? Was it the monsters'' fault?

    "There you go. You''ll feel better later." He handed her some dried herb.

    Shika took it and chewed it. She swallowed loudly. Fortunately, the herb had a quick effect and Shika straightened up, hanging her hand from her chest.

    "Thank you."

    "Let''s go!" Fuyu ordered.

    Haru just smiled at Shika and walked forward with Fuyu. Behind him walked Aki and Kenji, with Natsu beside them. I was the last to go with Shika. We chatted, wishing that our journey out of that painful forest would go by quickly.

    ??????????????????

    At last the forest was coming to an end and the tall dark brown trunks were replaced by light green grass and meadow flowers. A mile or so away was a small outcropping on which grew a small settlement. This must be the village of Gruzvitry. This is where the last attack took place. Fuyu told us this information on the way out of the palace.

    "Let''s do it, my friends." Natsu announced and took a step in front into the tall grass.

    Soon after, the meadows turned into fields, already being worked on by the hardworking villagers. I won''t lie to you. We became an immediate target. Everybody kept their eyes on us and whispered something. The closer we got to the hill, the more pairs of eyes grew. The village was spread all over the hill. It was even bordered by wooden stakes. Fortunately, the gate was open. Our destination was at the top of the hill. Here was their leader and we must speak to him first.

    "Hello. Who are you?" Asked one of the guards who was keeping watch outside the entrance to the town hall.

    "Excuse me. We are here by order of the King of Taoi. We''re here because of an attack that happened here. They should be expecting us." I showed a document with the king''s crest and signature. The document said exactly what Aki said, that we are here on the orders of the king.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Aki should really become some sort of interpreter or diplomat. The stone faces and deadly stares of the guards seemed to disappear by magic. We were easily led to the local mayor.

    "Hello, sir. These are here because of an attack that happened. Our prayers have been answered. The king sent them here."

    "Hello, sir. I am Fuyu Naruno and these are my three brothers. We are hunters. These three are our apprentices with great potential." We introduced ourselves with a hint of a small bow.

    The mayor stood with his back to his table of food. He waved his hand somewhere to the side. The guards bowed and left. Only when the men had gone did he turn around. It was an old man with a long white beard in a robe. He was kneeling down, chewing berries in his mouth that he had picked from the table.

    "So the king sent the famous Naruno commando. How wonderful! I guess the king realized that this situation was quite serious. After all our letters begging for help."

    "The King was aware of the situation all along, sir. We were just trying to fend off invasion in other countries. You are not the first or the last."

    "Yes, yes. You''re right. I heard."

    "Well, sir, let''s cut to the chase. Do you have any clues as to how we might find them?"

    "Yes, I do, and a big one." He popped another grape into his mouth.

    "What kind, sir?" Fuyu pressed for an answer. I noticed that he was a little grumpy despite his best efforts to be patient. He definitely wanted to get it over with.

    "That this wasn''t their last attack."

    We all paused at his words.

    "What do you mean?" Haru asked.

    "Their last attack wasn''t that successful. They were looking for something. More specifically, they came to steal the Book of Time. Andronia is a land of chroniclers and farmers. All the chronicles are stored in this village. The chronicles are stored beneath us in the depths of this hill. They want a chronicle called the Book of Time. Fortunately, we repelled the attack. The book is protected by a powerful protection spell and the only entrance is through this town hall."

    "And how do you know they''re after them?" Aki asked the question now.

    The old man put down the grapes and leaned against the table. He rubbed his eyes and sighed.

    "My daughter... She was kidnapped... They say they''ll kill her if I don''t open our library... But I can''t publish the book. I... I need you... It''s the only thing I have... I''m old and I want at least one of my descendants to survive."

    "Don''t worry, sir. We will do everything we can to protect you and your village." Shika walked up to him and patted him on the back. Shika put all formalities aside and showed her fervent sympathy for the man who was worried about his child. The man wiped his tear and smiled.

    "You know, I''m probably an old fool, but...you remind me of my youngest daughter." He paused for a moment, and it was obvious that he had given himself over to his memories. "Sadly, she died along with her brothers and mother of the plague 5 years ago. It was a difficult time for the Gruzvites. We all lost a lot and now this. 5 of our men have died. Our village is not as strong as it was in its golden days. Where will this lead, my child?" And he patted her shoulder in gratitude.

    Shika smiled sadly. We all now shared the same pity for the old man and the villagers. Fuyu gave a good talking to about not sharing. They may have been once, but now they are destroyed. Humbled by their own grief. They no longer have the pride to refuse help. They''ve lost everything.

    "Don''t pay any attention, folks. I''m an old and sentimental man now."

    "Don''t worry. We''ll help you. We''ll return your daughter and peace to your village." I said firmly.

    Shika gave the mayor one last sincere smile and let go of the old man.

    "Will you excuse us?" Fuyu asked.

    "Yes of course." And waved his hand towards the door.

    "I have a plan." Kenji said as he left.

    Those beasts are going to get the brunt of this.

 Chapter no. 44. - Plan

    Broken villagers. Dark forces. Strange Minotaurs. Old books. What''s behind it all? Why is all this happening?

    "So what''s your plan, Kenji?"

    We were all sitting at the table with one beer mug. Kenji was playing Mr. Mysterious. He didn''t speak from the town hall to the pub. Does he even have a plan?!

    "Yes, I do, Iruka!" He growled.

    "Hey! Stop getting in my head, you little..." I started yelling at him and slamming him.

    "I wasn''t examining your thoughts, I was examining others''. I don''t want them eavesdropping. What do you know who might be spying here!" He shouted at me and scoffed.

    "So. First. Defense. What they want is the books. The great thing is, there''s a spell protecting them, but we don''t know how strong. We can find out, though. Our priority is the villagers. We should look around for a building where we can hide them all and protect them. They can''t get in the way. They could be killed or used as hostages again. Minotaurs are rather stupid creatures, but these are no ordinary minotaurs. We must ensure the safety of the villagers. And now, secondly. Our attack. We''ll set a bait and trap. I''ll create an illusion in their minds before they get here. I''ll rebuild the entire village in their minds. We''ll make it a maze. The bait will be used to point them in the right direction. We need to catch at least one of them alive to find out the location of their camp and who''s behind it. It''s a simple but effective plan. We''ll split into teams. Agreed?¡±

    "That''s a wonderful idea, honey!" Aki stated, lifting one corner of his mouth.

    "How many times have I told you not to call me that in front of them!!!"

    Kenji turned all red. I don''t know if from anger or shame. After all, he was making nice with Aki. Like I did with him two minutes ago.

    "Wait what?! You two are together?!"

    Oops. Someone somehow forgot to tell Shika.

    "Y...y...y...y...you...two...t...t...together?!" She stuttered the next sentence, but couldn''t say it.

    "I agree with the plan." Fuyu tried to change the subject and it was as if the last conversation didn''t happen.

    What a spectacle it was! Kenji was still snapping and cursing Aki, and Shika was looking at them rather strangely now. Like a lovesick fanfiction writer about her friends mixed with death envy and...god again that weird aura. Fuyu had transferred it to her! Maybe I have it too. Oh my god... Oh, no! Fuyu''s already starting to froth... That''s too bad...

    "That''s enough. Let Fuyu get angry, right? Hehe." I tried to calm everyone down.

    Kenji looked at Fuyu. His murderous look was enough for Kenji. He quickly let go of him and squatted down again.

    "So back to the plan. I''ll create the illusion then. Natsu will cover for me. Iruka and Fuyu will guard the settlers. Aki you will keep an eye on Shika from afar. Shiko will be the bait. Haru, you will be at the forest. See if you can find out where the monsters are coming from. Any objections?"

    "Except I''m bait, so no." Shika muttered.

    "Okay. So I''m going to find a suitable place to gather with Iruka. Meanwhile, Natsu and Aki can announce our plan to the mayor and gather the people. Meanwhile, Kenji and Shika can go find somewhere to lock the beasts up."

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    We all nodded. We finished our last sips of beer and left the tavern.

    We walked through the entire settlement. Everyone looked at us strangely, but I''m getting used to it. All the time, there was silence between Fuy and me. I didn''t know what to talk to him about. I didn''t want to disturb him. He seemed to be fully concentrating on our plan.

    "What about your dreams about your parents? Do you still have them?"

    I was quite taken aback by the question. I had told him so long ago that I thought he had just forgotten. I couldn''t make a sound, how surprised I was.

    A memory:

    I was sleeping. I was cold. It was the next night that I learned their secret. I dreamt of my parents again. I don''t know exactly what it was. I only remember little snippets. There was so much at once. My brain was running at full speed. I didn''t even feel like I was asleep. I felt like I was running a marathon. I was sweating and breathing fast. Everything was getting more and more intense until it led to me screaming not only in my dream, but in reality, and that woke me up.

    "Mom?!" I exclaimed.

    "No. It''s me. I came to check on you. He was mumbling something and twitching terribly... Did you have a bad dream?"

    Fuyu''s skin was so white in the moonlight. He looked like he was glowing. At that moment, he reminded me of an angel sent from heaven. Everyone sees vampires as monsters of darkness. Creatures that only hurt and destroy others. It wasn''t like that for me. It doesn''t matter what race or being you are, it''s how you treat others. How you want the world to see you. No being is evil unless they choose to be. It''s in us. We must choose the side of good or evil.

    That night I told him about my memories and he helped to confirm them. That night was one of the nights he was good to me. That there''s someone there for you who will listen to you without any problem. To help. To be your mentor. Your willow and shoulder to cry on. That''s priceless.

    "N..no.. I mean, no. It hasn''t seemed like a while. I have other things to worry about."

    "Yeah, I can see that." He said and just snorted.

    "What do you think of this building?" He asked, pointing to a large barn.

    "That''s our shared barn. This is where we store our hay and then it is divided equally for everyone." An old woman spoke as she walked past us.

    She was petite and quite old, but something energetic radiated from her flabby wrinkled face. It was a kindness the villagers here didn''t just show.

    "Thank you." I reply with a smile.

    "Madam, may we ask you to take your necessities like food and drink and hide there. We will bring the whole village there in a while. You need not worry."

    The lady just nodded and limped towards her house. We made our way to the town hall. There they were all as we had agreed and announced our plan to the old man. The mayor came out in a moment. The villagers who were in the square gathered and waited for the mayor to speak. They had already been taught, so they didn''t make any noise. They stood quietly and waited

    "My fellow citizens, we want to avoid further loss of your life, so I beg you, go hide in our barn. As you may have noticed, we have here the famous hunter Narano and their apprentices. They will take care of you and protect our village. So please move to the hay barn with your essentials. Let everyone know!"The councillor told them.

    With a great deal of noise, the crowd began to dissolve into their houses and then immediately headed for the barn. The mayor apologized, too, and went to get his stuff. I looked back and saw Haru, Kenji and Shika coming towards us.

    "What are you wearing?"I''ll ask Shika with a choked laugh.

    "Well, a sexy cow costume. They''re half bulls and I have to entice them somehow.¡±

    I looked down and went all the way up. She wore high-heeled boots. On top of that, she wore a pair of strappy shorts that revealed more than they should have. She also wore a shirt, which she tied on top of her chest to show off her belly button, and the buttons weren''t buttoned up to her neck, either, if you know what I mean. She wore her horns to it and tied her hair back in two ponytails. By the end, she had a bell on her neck, too. I stared at her in disbelief, then turned to Kenji with an expression: ''Have you bewitched her into agreeing to this??''

    "Well, I think it''ll work. And not only to them but also to... " Natsu didn''t even finish his sick thought. Aki punched him in the stomach.

    "I don''t have good news.."He broke Haru''s good humour. His gaze was far too hard. I never liked Haru with his straight face. He must have had some bad news.

    "The Minotaurs are coming. They''ll be here within the hour."He added. That''s fast.

    "Okay. Everybody take your seats. You know what to do."He clapped his hands to Fuyu to get us out of our trance.

    No one said anything about it. They all turned around and went straight to their seats.

 Chapter no. 45 - I need milking

    A tremendous choking noise was coming from the forest. The normally bustling and hard-working village now crouched quietly in the barn. The minotaurs were approaching. Every minute brings more and more nervousness and adrenaline. And the same question is on everyone''s mind. Will Kenji''s plan work?

    "It''s coming." Haru whispered to himself.

    He waved his hand in a sign to Kenji and Natsuo.

    "Kenji get ready. Haru gave the signal." He waved at him from the watchtower where his station was.

    The dozen Minotaurs were getting closer and closer. They were fast and scary, just as we know them from Earth myths. Bull-headed with great horns and nostrils that let out giant puffs of hot air. Their human chests were sculpted to the smallest millimetre. Bodies were robust, about three times the size of all of us here. Their giant hooves clinked against the ground like chains. Kenji was waiting at the gate. It''s all on him. If he can''t outwit everyone with his illusion, all will be lost. He has to be close to make it work. One slip up means a loss. This isn''t a test that could be fixed the next day. This is pure ruthless reality. Kenji crouched a little so he wouldn''t be seen in his hiding place. Last five hundred meters to go.

    "Okay, Kenji you''re going to make it. This is a piece of cake for you." He chuckled.

    He rested his index finger on the tip of his nose. One last heavy exhale. Now it takes concentration of the highest caliber... 400 meters... 300 meters... 200 meters... 100 meters... 50 meters...

    Shiko, your turn.

    That thought in the redhead''s head gave the signal to move on to the second phase of the plan. Shika emerged from her hiding place directly onto the main path that led away from the gate.

    "Hey guys!" She hooted at them. All eyes were on her.

    "I need to be milked." Shika stammered softly and leaned forward properly. Her costume and innocent little voice worked just as it should. They all stuck out their tongues and ran after her into the maze.

    Meanwhile

    Fuy and I sat inside the barn with the settlers. I was playing with a piece of hay and killing time. Suddenly, we heard a choking noise from afar. The villagers started to huddle together and the children started whining nervously. I significantly put my finger up to my mouth and try to remind them that they must be completely silent.

    "They''re coming." Fuyu says quietly.

    "I hope Kenji makes it." I reply in a shaky voice. Yes, Kenji is indeed good at mind spells, but judging by his choking, he''s a lot of them. I hope he can do it...

    The choking has stopped.

    "He did it." I sigh.

    Even Fuyu stops being so tense. We turn to the villagers with a smile on our lips.

    "It''s okay now." I reassure them.

    They all smile and cheer when a little girl in the front row starts screaming and points her finger behind the two of us. We quickly turn to the door. I can already tell who it is by the silhouette. Two Minotaurs. We''re both gonna get into attack position. The entire village is crowded into one corner to give us space. The Minotaurs will come out of the shadows and approach us. They both hold giant axes made of dark steel that glistens in the sunlight.

    The room is filled with the sounds of humming and snorting. God, you stink. I say to myself, wrinkling my face. I notice the swarm of flies circling silently around them.

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    "Sure. I got it. The others were to distract the villagers. Meanwhile, you''d be scrounging around looking for the books. What do you need them for?"

    "The Lord needs them moo... Give them to us." One of them boomed.

    "Who is your master?" I asked.

    The minotaurs didn''t answer. Instead, they drew their axes.

    "Fine. We''ll find out." I said.

    Fuyu pulled out his sword that was on his back.

    "You better not even draw that saber." Fuyu chuckled.

    "Don''t worry, I don''t plan on it." I smiled. I need to practice my swordsmanship. I barely pulled the sword out of its sheath. I chuckle inwardly at the memory. There''s so much I have to learn.

    The minotaurs have come running towards us. Fuyu, like a bolt of lightning, ran out too. In a second he was upon them, but one of the minotaurs crossed his path with his axe. Fortunately, Fuyu is a skilled swordsman and blocked the attack with his sword. The other continued.

    "So you''re mine." I whispered to myself.

    "North wind."

    The freezing wind came out of my hands. This spell is supposed to immobilize the opponent, and it seems to have worked. The bull froze in mid-motion. But my rejoicing was premature. I had forgotten that they also had magical powers. The bull''s eyes turned orange and suddenly he was engulfed in fire. He didn''t make a sound. Even though his body was on fire, the fire didn''t hurt him.

    "So you can conjure the phoenix''s flattening. How are you going to deal with this? Stix River Springs."

    The dark blue strands caught him and began to snake down his body until they began to strangle him. But he broke the watery bonds and ran towards me, and I narrowly managed to dodge to the side.

    "A gust of wind."

    I threw him to the side. He stopped burning for a moment, too, and I took advantage of it.

    "Leaf storm!"

    Unfortunately, the leaves burned in his fire shield.

    "Okay. Then fight fire with fire." I got to my feet.

    "Flames of the fire dragon!" I roared belligerently, and an incredible amount of dragon-shaped fire came out of my hands, accurately hitting the Minotaur.

    The Minotaur was burned to ashes. I learned this spell from the dragon book, but this is the first time I''ve used it. I can feel my fingertips vibrating. It was a very powerful spell. No spell has ever been like this before. So... omnipotent. Suddenly my legs gave out and I collapsed to the ground. Someone tapped me on the shoulder a few times.

    "I didn''t know you could breathe fire."

    "Yeah, me neither." I reply to Fuyu.

    I look up and see his opponent lying with his sword in his chest. Fuyu gracefully and silently whispers as he washes away the hay on the right side of the barn, which thanks to my magic has begun to smolder to the point of burning.

    "Did you defeat him with just your sword?"

    "Of course. Unlike some, I know more than how to use magic."

    "Yeah? Like sinking my fangs into people."

    "Yeah, that too. So watch your neck..." And he ran his finger over my jugular.

    "Ts. I need a drink." I spoke up, looking for something to drink.

    Fuyu smiled mischievously and reached for his sword. He wiped it with a piece of hay and put it back in its sheath. Then he threw a flask of water at me so I could wet my throat. The villagers suddenly began to cheer. In the heat of battle, I had forgotten they were here.

    ????????????????????????

    The finish was close, but Shika was catching up more and more.

    "Pocem pocem. We''re gonna milk you, cow boo!"

    "Yes, we will. Come on, come here moo.."

    Shika looked back. A herd of horny, drooling bulls was catching up with her.

    Shika, hurry up. I can''t hold out much longer.

    I''m not there yet, hold on.

    She looked behind her again to assess the situation.

    "Phew. They''re disgusting. What have I done again!" She squealed and added when she felt a fleeting touch on her buttocks.

    "Aaaa! I''m going to kill you guys!!" She screamed.

    Finally the cage was in front of her. She smiled mischievously and stepped up with the last of her strength. I''m almost there. The bars were already just ahead of her. She climbed into the cage. She held out her arms and started jumping. The minotaurs paused for a moment, all spellbound, watching her chest move up and down. Their tongues were perhaps now dragging on the ground. They all started pushing and shoving at each other and scrambling into the cage. They were almost holding Shika when someone grabbed her arms and pulled her out. The bars closed that morning.

    "We got them!" Natsu yelled from the doorway.

    Haru held Shika tightly around the waist.

    "Good." He complimented and pulled her more tightly against him.

    "Thanks..." Shika said, who was blushing from Haru''s gesture.

    The bulls began to pound on the bars.

    "Let us out!" They yelled over each other.

    "Well done Shika!" Swung Aki.

    He was just coming up with Kenji, whom he was supporting. Kenji could barely walk. He was exhausted. His breathing was irregular and he looked pretty tired, but he was smiling despite that. Iruka and Fuyu had also caught up.

    "Great job, guys." Fuyu complimented them.

    The plan had worked out perfectly, despite the minor complications. The villagers left the barn, and when they saw our work, they broke into a raucous cheer. We saved them, but our mission is not over yet.

 Chapter no. 46 - The Dream Team

    The mayor immediately came running up to us and sang our praises. It was nice of him, but we didn''t have time for anything else. Our unknown adversary was still hiding in the shadows of the unconscious.

    "Please stay for dinner. "The mayor begged.

    "But what about your daughter?" I asked.

    "Don''t worry, Iruka. We''ll find her, but it''ll be dark soon and we won''t be looking for her at night. To everything we have to question them. So don''t worry sir, we are still thinking about your daughter, but for now let us accept your offer." Fuyu replied gallantly. I just rolled my eyes and walked over to Kenji.

    "Thank you for thinking of me like that. Okay. I''ll have the cooks prepare some authentic gruzvits cuisine then. Now, one last round of applause for our saviors!" He roared the last sentence solemnly and a huge applause rang through the village.

    I looked around at all the nice people. There was no more fear and despair in their eyes. There was joy, humility and above all hope. Perhaps we could give them back some of their dignity and self-confidence. If this is the way of the true wizard, I never want to do anything else.

    People started to disperse when a little boy came running up to me and hugged me. I didn''t know what to do, let alone say. But the little guy beat me to it.

    "When I grow up, I want to be a wizard like you."

    "Hanatashi! Come here."

    His mother pulled him away from me in a reprimanding tone.

    "Excuse me, sir. He''s always so eager." And she bowed to me.

    "No. It''s okay." The lady bowed again and left with her son.

    "Wait!" I caught up with them.

    I knelt down next to the black man and smiled at him.

    "I believe you will become them. You just have to believe in yourself. There you go. I hope when I see you, you''ll show me what a great mage you are."

    I fumbled in my bag and pulled out my lucky bead bracelet. It''s from Momo-san. M Dala when I was just a few months old at the orphanage. She used to tell me how it was magical and made dreams come true. That she got it once to make her dream come true, so she gave it to me. But I don''t need it anymore. My dream has come true. I help people who want my help and are grateful for it. The boy put it on while I was wandering in my memories, and he got toothy.

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    "Thank you."

    "You''re welcome." I ruffled his hair.

    I stood up and smiled at my mother. She smiled back and we said goodbye. I''ll never get that touching moment out of my head now, and I hope he doesn''t either. He is now one of the dream team.

    ???????????????????

    I was sitting under artificial candlelight. It was dark everywhere, and all you could hear was the mooing of the cows. I offered to go to the interrogation with Aki. I think it''s logical that he went, although Fuyu could have done it too, but after all, he doesn''t have the patience that Aki does. Aki had remarkable abilities. I mean, not only is he a vampire, but he''s also very skilled at mind control and manipulation. I think even I, compared to those ungulates, have better stamina to retain my thoughts. Aki chuckled stifledly.

    "I would doubt that much, Iruka. The only thoughts so far are yours. These ungulates, as you called them, have their thoughts blocked on purpose. Someone seems to have blocked their minds on purpose."

    "Tsk. Damn it." I hissed.

    Aki just smiled and glanced fleetingly over his shoulder at me before turning back to the monsters. I got up from the skeletal chair and walked over to him. The minotaurs started to rake their hooves a little. They were pretty uncomfortable.

    "Can you handle it?" I asked him a little embarrassed.

    "Of course. I just have to find the weakest one. They can''t all have such a resilient barrier. Some of them have to be weaker. Everyone has a weakness. Like you and your thoughts. If they could do that, they could read them. "

    He put on his sly smile again.

    "And would they even see the way you almost bit Kenji?" I replied bitingly.

    Aki paused and thought for a moment. His face showed both joy and fear mingled together. I don''t know what happened that night. We didn''t talk much about it, but it was probably just as wild as Fuy and I were. I mean... Well... You know what I mean.

    "I got him." Aki said coldly, shaking his head.

    It was one of the back row. He already looked weak from the looks of him. His body wasn''t as worked out as his comrades. He had a lot of scars on him, which must have weakened him a lot. That''s an advantage for us. Aki closed his eyes to concentrate fully. He was probably strong too, but not so strong that Aki couldn''t find out what we needed. The boy next to me was still twitching the corners of his mouth and blinking rapidly for a moment when he stopped and his lips took on a creepy smile. After a while, he started talking:

    "The desert. Orange rocks. That''s where their base is. It''s not here... It''s Sichi... Not Nichi...Nichisankoku... Planet Nichisankoku. He''s transforming them there. They chase them there and then do strange experiments on them. "

    "Who''s doing this, Aki?" I ask him eagerly.

    The truth is at hand. We can''t let happiness leave us now. Please make it work. Aki struggled with his minotaur thoughts for a while longer.

    "Some magician. No. A druid. Yes it is a druid. He''s hooded, I can''t see his face. He''s giving everyone orders. I hear his voice, but I don''t know who he is... Wait a minute... One of the commanders is running... He''s shouting his name... It''s Aza... Aza... Azazel. Yes, Azazel. That''s his name."

    So the druid Azazel. Looks like we have to go to Nichisankoku, wherever that is.

    "Well done Aki. Let''s go tell the others. I need to talk to Mr. Azazel urgently." I said almost devilishly and he smiled stupidly to boot.

    Our mission isn''t over.

 Chapter no. 47 - Kita, Hikaru, Riku & Toru

    Nichisankoku. Planet of the Wastelands. Nothing but sand rocks where almost no one lives, which is perhaps why evil chose this place, but fear not, our heroes have not delayed and are now exploring every part of this arid wasteland. Azazel is near...

    "All right, this is where we''ll spend the night. Tomorrow, we''ll climb those rocks. Get a good night''s sleep, whatever is out there, I don''t feel good about it. Hopefully we''ll still be safe here. We have the advantage of surprise, at least I hope our enemy doesn''t know about us."

    Fuyu was right. We were about five kilometers from the rocks. We had been wandering aimlessly for three days, and perhaps had begun to doubt a little that there was such a thing as orange rocks. And now they''re here. Giant steep rocky peaks looming under a dark blue sky. Perhaps I should call them mountains rather than rocks. We''re tired. Wandering is hard, especially with the relentless sun beating down on you all day. I sit and look at the stars for a while. It''s amazing how you find a different constellation on every planet. I also stargazed on Gruzvita the night before I left. They were beautiful and bright. Here the stars were very close. You could see the pink and purple milky way and the three moons. Are the stars symbols of the planets that are here? Are these the lands to which we hold the key? Is it possible that my parents are out there somewhere? If they live at all.

    "Oh, I wish I knew someone who knew them..." I muttered softly.

    My gaze traveled down to the rocks. It was too dark near them, and perhaps even the stars wouldn''t shine there. I frowned worriedly and went to sleep instead.

    Dream

    I was walking through nothingness. Probably like every time before my stupid subconscious formulates a dream. And as if on cue, I had a door in front of me. A plain wooden door with a brass handle. I grabbed it and opened the door. I found myself in a room full of books. It was my father''s good old library. This time I was in the position of a third person looking at my memory of my dad, faceless, teaching me the rules of magic, despite the fact that I could barely speak. It was nice to hear my father laugh. I wish I could have seen my father''s laughter.

    "That''s my favorite memory. '' Said an unfamiliar voice beside me.

    I turn my head and my fire dragon is standing next to me.

    "You?! What are you doing here? And how do I hear you?!" I started to spout questions at the poor guy.

    He just sighed and curled his tail. He was much smaller and cuter than when I summoned him. He''s some kind of small version of what appears in my spells I decided.

    "We''re all here." Said another voice.

    It was my water dragon rushing towards me along with the others. They were really cute.

    "We are a part of you. We know your memories, wishes, dreams and feelings. We share it all with you." Now my earth dragon spoke.

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    I sat down on the ground. This was something I had no idea he shared with me.

    "So I can talk to you outside of the dream?"

    "Not yet. Right now you can only hear us in your own dreams." He answered me again.

    I sighed sadly.

    "But Iruka, you haven''t seen or heard us in your dreams so far. Your power is growing, but you must give it time. You know our power could hurt you." The firebender said worriedly.

    "Yes I know..." And I lowered my gaze.

    "Do you have any names at all?"

    They all shook their heads in unison. I put on my hard-thinking face and tried to think of the best names for them.

    "Are any of you even girls? I just....don''t know the anatomy of dragons...Hehe." I scratched the back of my neck and grimaced.

    The air dragon raised her hand.

    "I am."

    As soon as she spoke, it was obvious. I couldn''t have been more embarrassed really...

    "I got it! You, my air princess, will be Kita."

    "I like that. I like that a lot." She smiled.

    "You, my firebrand, will be Hikaru."

    "That sounds pretty hot." He replied, wagging his tail like a four-legged pet.

    "I''ve come up with the name Riku for the earth dragon and Toru for the water dragon. I hope you like it."

    "They''re wonderful." Said Riku.

    "I agree." Toru chuckled.

    I was happy that they liked my names. I turned back to my memory. I watched the dream like a movie. Suddenly, I noticed something. On the wall was a large sign painted on dark wood. I never noticed it. In my dreams I was rarely third person and it never, as they say, hit me in the eyes. Now, somehow, it began to fascinate me. I was approaching the sign. It was two hearts. One was black and the other was gold upside down. What a sign.

    "Who does it belong to?" I asked aloud.

    "We don''t know." Kita replied

    I suddenly woke up. Someone was gently groping me. There was light everywhere, but the sun was being blocked by someone above me. I looked into the violet eyes and immediately realized who it was.

    "Sorry, Fuyu said to wake you up. We need to get going. There''s more and more evil around those rocks."

    "It''s okay , Shika." I say and scramble up onto my elbows at least.

    I see Fuyu and Haru waking up the others. I look at the orange rocks. Dark blue clouds have gathered around them. That alone sends shivers down my spine.

    ?????????????

    We arrived just before the rocks. Now we have to climb.

    "I think all those minotaur beasts are hiding up there in the rocks. I want to tell you one thing, if we tell you to run, you''ll run. Is that clear?!" Fuyu tightened his grip.

    He was talking directly to the three of us. I looked around at my friends. I don''t need to read minds, their response was the same.

    "Don''t worry. We''re here as a team. We''re apprentices. Mages, and we want to save the world. If we are to fall, we must fall together. We are one family." I''ll say it.

    All the Naruno brothers look at me with a look of wonder on their faces. It''s as if they''ve dropped bees, while their expressions are very stony and confident to me. No one, not even that devil Fuyu, will take away my decision. We''re family and we have to stick together. I don''t want to watch my friends die, so I''ll give it my all, even if it costs me my life. I''ve only just stepped into this magical world and I don''t know everything for sure, but today everyone will get a taste of the power of the dragon guardian. Azazel, no matter who you are, I will not lose to you.

    "All right, let''s go."

    Meanwhile, on top of the rocks

    "Sir, they''re here..."

    "Yes yes, I know." A hooded man interrupts him.

    The minotaur looks on, puzzled.

    "But how sir?"

    "I''m Azazel, you stupid ox. "

    "But I am a bull, my lord."

    "Bunch of idiots..." The druid sighs.

    "Taurus, take care of them, but the little brown-haired one, let me. I have a feeling he''ll be fun." And smiles devilishly.

    "Yes, sir." The bull replies and walks away.

    "So you''re going to threaten me. I accept your challenge well." The druid says to himself and pulls back his hood.

 Chapter no. 48 - I Believe in Us

    Like mice, Iruko and the others are closing in on the trap...

    The sun has risen and is beating down on our backs with its full force. We''ve agreed to leave our unnecessary belongings below and now we''re climbing up the rock. The path is steep and narrow. One wrong step and we''ll end up in endless sand. None of us dare to speak. I don''t know if it''s me, but my fingertips are beginning to itch as if something is hanging over us. Something dark. We''re going right, I think.

    "The path is widening." I pinch myself.

    Fuyu and Natsu walk in front, their right hands held tightly to their weapons so they can draw them at any time. Aki and Haru are covering us from behind. They''re experienced, and judging by the itch in my fingers, which is slowly starting to move to my back, I assume we''re in the right place. Something tickles my back a little more, and I notice a minotaur with an axe charging at us from the right corner.

    "Fuyu look out!!!" I yell at the top of my lungs when I see the minotaur heading towards Fuyu.

    Fuyu, thanks to his vampiric ability, nimbly escaped. Natsu didn''t hesitate for a minute and quickly lunged at the minotaur. With two light moves, he knocks the minotaur down, but another group is coming at us from the peaks. I gasp. I didn''t expect so many of them here. We all instinctively press against each other to cover our backs. Natsu steps out of formation and lunges for the next bull, which is approaching at a relentless pace.

    "Go!" Natsu yells, swinging his dagger, which immediately unfurls into a spear.

    "But..."

    "Go, Iruka! Don''t worry about me." He cut me off before I could protest in any way. His face completely changes. I''ve never seen such hardness and coldness in him. He reaches out to run. His back foot digs deep into the ground. Natsu takes a deep breath and uses his vampire speed to shorten the distance between him and his opponents. He stabs his opponents with ease and chilling precision.

    "I think it''s going to get pretty hot in here now." Natsu said to himself.

    " Let''s go while there''s still time." He orders Fuyu and we ran on down the rocky path.

    In a few moments another obstacle awaited us in the form of another group of bulls. They were blocking our direct path to the entrance of the cave, from which a cold and deadly evil was pouring out. The enemy had a distinct advantage. There was only one way in and one way out. Adrenaline began to spark within me, and I seemed to grow tighter and tighter like a bowstring with each step. My muscles tensed by the second, but my brain kept screaming against it. Doubt and anxiety grip my legs and they seem to grow heavy. What am I doing here? When I could die. Oh, my God, I''m not ready for this yet. What if I die today and never get to be with my friends again. My thoughts spiral, but I''m snapped out of it by someone''s voice.

    "I think I''ll stick around, too." Haru said close to my ear, pushing in front of us to clear the way.

    By force of will, I ran with the others. What if I lose one of them?

    "Be careful." I whispered, but it was more like I was saying it to myself.

    I mustn''t think about this. We''re strong. They''re the best hunters in the universe. I''m strong too. I have ancient dragon power. I can''t use it enough, but I do! I talked to four of my dragons last night. I''m not alone! I have four dragons. Not one, not two, but four, and that''s got to count for something. I took a deep breath and put all my anxiety behind me. There''s just no time for it now. The cave entrance was five hundred meters ahead and I was about to smile, but more minotaurs came out of the shadows of the cave. A horde of them! We have to get rid of that damn Azazel. I don''t even know when, but Kenji and Shika took them on and we kept running.

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    Inside the cave, we slowed down. I was breathing loudly, trying to get my breathing under control. Aki put his hand on my shoulder to help me in my task. I stopped and closed my eyes to take a deep breath. I open my hazel eyes and meet Aki''s unrelenting gaze. I just give him a slow but significant nod and continue on my way. The corridor continued into the depths of the mountain. The path was choked with hooves, but uneven and unkempt. Torches lined the corridors, shining a dim, warm light on the path. The deeper we went in this dark cave, the more I felt the presence of evil. I don''t like it at all. Every muscle in me tensed. Every cell was now in a state of maximum security. My eyes darted from side to side. Evil can strike from anywhere. Our enemy is everywhere and yet nowhere, and it''s the most stressful situation I''ve ever experienced.

    "Watch out!" Aki stops me with his hand.

    There are no torches in front of us anymore. Only darkness and nothingness. I listen in and hear the quiet buzzing of flies. I take a few steps back and pick up the torch. I carefully shine it into space. There''s nothing there. I take a few steps forward. I drop the torch with a startle and it goes out in a flash.

    "Iruka, what is it? Where are you? Are you okay?" Fuyu yells.

    "Yes I am." I reply in a shaky voice.

    "What''s in there?" Aki asks me.

    I shake my head dismissively, but they can''t see that. Despite the smell of the cave, I hadn''t even considered that this could be hiding here.

    "Iruka..." Fuyu says softly.

    His voice rings in my head like the softest melody. Dropping my shoulders I begin to slowly form a line of fire in front of my feet. Gradually, the carnage begins to unfold...

    Ten dead, disappeared villagers were pinned to the wall. They made a sign saying ''Welcome!'' Blood was still flowing from some of the poor boxes. They tortured and tortured them and then displayed their bodies like this. At the sight of this, they both became loudly horrified. There were no words to describe it. It''s against the laws of life. Only a monster would really do that. It''s all him! It''s him, it''s a monster. My blood really started to boil. I wanted to close my eyes before, but I can''t. I have to see it. I have to look the truth in the eye. Anger flared up in me like a match. The blood burns under my skin and the anger inside me begs to come out. I want it out. I want that anger to kill whoever is responsible for this.

    Suddenly, there was a giant choking noise behind us.

    "Looks like there''s another one coming. Anyway... I think I''ll join in." Aki smiled faintly and took off towards them without another word. Like Natsu, he moved as gracefully as a dancer on stage.

    "Let''s go!" Fuyu said icily. He grabbed my hand and turned right into a side hallway I hadn''t noticed before.

    There was another long path ahead. This was literally a labyrinth through which only the clicking of our shoes could be heard. My heart was again enveloped in fear for the others. The anger disappeared in a flash and was replaced by concern for everyone. My emotions were like a seesaw that was so strong and fast I couldn''t even control it. I try to calm myself down again with deep breaths as Fuyu and I run forward down the hallway. After a few minutes of running, I''m able to calm down and think for a moment. It''s all too easy. It''s strange. Azazel is nowhere in sight. How big is this place? Are we even going in the right direction? Were they all minotaurs or are there more? No one''s chased us or surfaced in front of us since the split with Aki, and it''s been a long time. I sighed out loud.

    "What the little o..." Fuyu was stuck in his question. I knew what he wanted to say, but I was more interested in what was going on.

    "What?" I ask a little quietly.

    "I can hear them. There''s another one coming. Iruka, you have to go."

    "Me? But I''m not strong enough to handle it." I confessed and lowered my eyes sadly.

    Fuyu grabbed my shoulders and forced me to look at him.

    "Iruka, you''re one of the strongest people I know. I''m not worried about you because I know you can do it. I trust you, just like I trust everyone else. I know this is all new to you. We''re all strong, but there''s more strength in you than you think. So go. I''ll take care of this and then I''ll catch up with you, okay? I''ll be with you on the count of five." And he smiled.

    It''s really rare to see him smile like that. His lips were so beautiful when he smiled. It gave me courage. Without a word, I started running. I couldn''t say a word to him. Just smile and go. Actually, there''s nothing to say. We''re not saying goodbye. He''ll be with me soon. He''s strong, and so must I. I won''t let them down. I have to end this. I won''t let him hurt anyone else, especially my family.

    "I believe in you, little one." Fuyu said to himself and drew his sword.

 Chapter no. 49 - I will not give up

    Natsu

    The minotaur horde isn''t getting smaller, and rather the opposite, I feel like reinforcements have arrived. Dam it if they were normal minotaurs I''d be over it by now. I''m lost in thought for a minute when a minotaur''s fist strikes me in the right cheek with force. Insane pain shot through my face and I flew backwards two meters using physics. My mouth fills with the familiar burning iron liquid. I spit blood on the ground and wipe my lips.

    "I feel like this place needs some heat." I spray between my teeth.

    I make a couple of lunges at the minotaur, who wanted to grab the chance while I''m down. I finally have solid ground under my feet. From my left, another axe-wielding foe lunges at me. I take a deep breath to get as much oxygen into my lungs as I can, and once I have the minotaur within arm''s reach I grab him below the neck before he can dismember me with his axe. I feel the familiar transformation in my eyes as I release my inhibitions and the vampire''s power engulfs me fully. I return the spear I hold in my right hand to its original dagger form. I tighten my grip a little more and the minotaur''s head suddenly explodes in all directions, blood splattering over part of me and the surrounding area. The bulls stop for a moment in horror. Good thing I needed that. I hear their heartbeats quicken. I can hear their giant hearts pounding like church bells. And the sweet blood rushing through their veins as fast as if an imaginary dam had burst and torrents of water flooded their bodies. It''s not enough for their hearts to strike again, and I''ll rush at each of them with vampiric speed. Not one of them can react and I rip the heart from their body without mercy, breaking ligaments and sucking blood. If the others were here I would never lose control like this, but this is what fills me up as I do my job. I am judge and executioner in one. The power I have and the strength I have to help spread justice while feeling most alive. I am stopped in my rampage by an electrical discharge that passes through my entire little body and I fall to the ground. The bull holding the staff from which the discharge came smiles darkly.

    I forgot they have magical powers too. I scramble back to my feet and feel everything start to spin around me. I shake my head to get rid of the feeling. My yellow eyes seem to be engulfed in fire and I cry out:

    "Open the gates of the seven circles of hell."

    All around them, giant flames burst forth. There were exactly seven small groups of 5, surrounded by different colored fire. They all fell into a considerable panic. Three of the seven groups were engulfed in infernal flames. Their last screams pierced the mountain silence. An axe flew through the fire, aimed directly at me. I barely dodged. The rings of fire disappeared and the bulls were free again.

    "Ow." I hissed, fixing my eyes where my right hand held my left upper arm. My arm is whole, but the axe has scratched me, and even through my arm, rivulets of blood run down my arm.

    "My axe never misses." The minotaur leader utters with a sinister laugh. Suddenly my knees buckle and I fall to the ground. My vision begins to blur.

    "And it''s definitely not just ordinary. Now feel my poison, you insect."

    The bull stretches out his hand and the axe that was stuck in the dirt lifts up of its own accord and rushes back to its owner with lightning speed. And the owner doesn''t wait and throws it at me with all his might. I quickly roll to the right side. My vampire powers are working, but for how long? My eyelids begin to grow heavy and I feel the venom in my system rush as fast as it can towards my heart. Not now. I can''t let them leave here. My family is counting on me. Memories of brothers and friends flash before my eyes. Childhood memories of his mother hugging him. Of laughing with Kenji. The way he danced with Shika. And the times Iruka told him he wasn''t a monster. Yes. I''m not a monster. I''m not like them. I''m not a monster of darkness. I lifted my left corner a little in a mischievous grin.

    "I am Natsu Naruno. I am a hunter of magical creatures, and you now know the heat of my fire. The Phoenix Flare!"

    My entire body was consumed by fire. My wound instantly coagulated and retracted. I reach into my sheath and pull out my dagger. I raise my dagger hand in front of my face and stroke my dagger along its entire length with my fiery hand.

    "Fire blade." I utter and my weapon bursts into blue flame.

    I swung it and it immediately transformed into a familiar sharp spear. With a battle cry, he ran towards the others and once again put his speed into it, attacking the minotaurs with battle lunges. I was just a quick orange beam, letting them catch fire one by one when only the one with the staff was left.

    "Your turn." I whispered in his ear.

    The minotaur froze, but after a second he turned around at the sound and then back. The silence was cut by the noisy dropping of the bodies of all the soldiers who were decapitated or burned to the bone. Only the dust on the ground became animalistic under the weight of their bodies.. this is the power of Natsuo Naruno.

    The bull didn''t even blink, and like the others, I cut its head off from its body. The bull just made a panting sound and fell to its knees. My body stopped burning. And I leaned towards the bull with a triumphant smile and whispered one last time.

    "So who''s the insect?"

    The bull immediately slumped to the ground. Its head separated from its body and rolled toward the rest. I just wiped my blade on the rest of the body and lowered my weapon.

    ?????????????????

    Shika

    "Shiko behind you!" Kenji yells at me.

    Instinctively, I make a lunge and use my sword to stop the axe that was coming at me from behind.

    "Star Magic: Orion''s Staff." I immediately lunge out, not wanting to give my opponent a chance.

    "Stop!" Kenji waved his hand and the bulls remained motionless.

    "Well done Kenji!" I praise him.

    "You too."

    The two of them smiled triumphantly at each other as the bulls started to move normally again, and the ones that had been hit by the elf got up as well, and it was as if nothing had happened to them.

    "What?" They said in chorus.

    Minotaurs have more magical power than I expected. The bull in the middle reaches out and our hands drop our weapons as we feel the burning heat within them. It''s the bull. I think to myself. Another minotaur reaches out and throws an axe at us. Kenji pulls me to the side in time, but that gives our opponents, who are two long jumps away, a chance. Kenji lay on top of me to protect me, but before we could get back into fighting position, the bull took Kenji and threw him against the wall with all his strength. The blond bull bellowed and you could see all the air evaporate from his lungs and he slumped to the ground. I sat on the ground and watched the scene in silence. Then I turned my gaze to the minotaurs who were smiling darkly above me. I began to back up as fast as I could. The minotaurs slowly shuffled towards me and I could feel the panic rising in my body. My legs felt heavy and my mind was closing in. Their faces didn''t bode well, and I already knew my entire body was paralyzed with panic. My eyes darted from one to the other, hoping that maybe I could get one of them to stop with a look. My eyes suddenly anchored on Kenji, who lay motionless on the ground behind the bulls. I gasped.

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    "Kenji are you okay?" I slowly let out a shaky voice.

    "Kenji? Kenji?! Wake up!" I started screaming. The minotaurs were enjoying my despair watching my face fall into despair. They weren''t in a hurry, and that was much worse. I hit the wall and gasped out loud. I kept trying to contact Kenji telepathically, but silence was the answer. Paralyzed by the situation, I didn''t know what to do. My magic and my power seemed to have faded from my body. The bulls stopped. They were only a step away from me.

    "We got you, you little bitch." One of the minotaurs growled.

    I began to shake my head dismissively. No way. You''re not dead. I don''t believe it... I repeated to myself. It was as if a sliver of light illuminated my darkened, lame mind and I came back to my strength.

    "Pegasus'' wind shield!" I shouted at the top of my lungs and instinctively stretched my arms out in front of me.

    A giant, silver-transparent Pegasus leapt out of my hands, flapping its wings mightily and hurling the minotaurs five metres to the edge of the mountain. Two of the minotaurs fell, but that didn''t bother me as I quickly ran over to Kenji. I knelt down and turned his face towards me. Kenji showed no signs of consciousness.

    "Kenji..." I whispered.

    I placed my hand on his chest and checked to see if his heart was still beating. The minutes it takes to find out the truth are as long as hours. Tears fell from my eyes like streams of water and landed directly on Kenji''s mute face. He was alive, but his heart was very weak.

    "Please..." She whispered, uttering spells in Elvish.

    My voice escalated until I was almost screaming again. The wind began to swirl violently. Dust and pebbles suddenly knew no gravity and floated in the air like light fluffy clouds. Suddenly, a giant glow engulfed us. My tears receded. I know my spell was successful. The blood on my temple stopped flowing and the skin slowly healed. His barely beating heart took a second wind. His chest rose gradually and regularly. Until he finally opened his eyes. The pale blue irises saw the light of day again, and most importantly, my blissful smile. Tears of sadness turned into tears of happiness. The glow around them receded and the stones returned to the ground. Unfortunately, it wasn''t over. The clatter of hooves indicated that the minotaurs had survived and were coming. But I could feel my body screaming with fatigue. Not physically, but rather my magic was at its limit, but I made it. I saved him, and my consciousness falls into darkness.

    Kenji

    "Thank you. I''ll take care of it now." I whisper and stroke her cheek.

    I don''t have time to take care of Shiko since the minotaurs are coming back.

    "So four against one." I chuckle.

    "I''ll send you back to all the devils." I said, reaching out as if to throw something at them.

    "The power of the water element: Wrath of Poseidon!"

    At that moment, it was as if all the water on the planet had accumulated and formed into a trident shape above my head, where I held out my hands. With all my might, I cast a spell against the minotaurs. I didn''t have enough power, so I put it all on one spell. It was either them or me.

    The magical trident impaled them and threw the minotaurs against the wall on the other side. The water regrouped and started drowning them into one. Now they didn''t stand a chance. We won. I thought to myself.

    I couldn''t keep my footing and one of my legs fell to the ground and I started breathing heavily. I don''t have much left in me, but I need to get us to safety. I hobble over to Shika and scoop her up in my arms. And hide us behind a bigger boulder that provides the best hiding place around. Shika regains consciousness and mumbles something, but I can''t understand her. I stroke her cheek and smile at her.

    "Just get some rest. You''ve been great. That old bitch almost got me." I say and put a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

    ?????????????????

    Natsu just ran up to Haru. He had just fought the monsters with his powerful roots.

    "Go get them, brother." He said teasingly and sat down. His arm was tightly secured with a piece of cloth to slow down the poison.

    "Shut up. Or I''ll deal with you too."

    "Then hurry up. The others may need us." Haru frowned at his words. He was all too aware of the gravity of the situation.

    "The voice of nature!"

    Roots reinforced what green dust he thought. More wrapped around their thick necks and suddenly crunched.

    "Did you say something?" Haru asked over his shoulder with a smirk.

    Natsu smiled weakly at him. The poison was advancing.

    "What''s wrong?"

    Suddenly they heard a muffled sound. Behind the stone, a brown husk emerged. Haru and Natsu were about to fight when suddenly a little girl peeked out from behind the stone, her mouth taped shut. Her brown eyes rest on the brothers. She immediately starts to say something, but can''t be understood through her scarf.

    "The mayor''s daughter?" Natsu asks in surprise.

    Haru immediately rushes over to her. Her hands were tied. The girl started to back away from Haru.

    " Don''t worry little one. We''re here to save you. Your father sent us here."

    The brunette stops backing up and looks up with hope in her eyes. Haru reaches his hands out to her cautiously. Seeing that the girl is no longer afraid of him, he quickly begins to untie her. The brunette didn''t wait for anything and lunged for Haru''s throat.

    "Don''t worry, you''re safe now."

    ?????????????????

    Aki had already finished fighting and began to take down the poor dead bodies. He then began to slowly carry everything outside, where he met up with the others. They helped him, of course, and then headed back into the cave to see Fuy and Iruka.

    Fuyu

    I was breathing heavily. There was only one opponent in front of me, and probably the strongest one... My vision is blurry and the pain is so unbearable that I don''t even know if I have any strength left in me. I was outnumbered by a hundred burly minotaurs equipped with powerful magic against myself. I have a dislocated shoulder that I reattached during the battle, but it hurts like hell. My ankle feels like it''s been crushed. Bruises all over my body and I can''t see one eye swelling and too much blood coming out of my body.

    "Your turn." I growl at the last minotaur standing, but my voice doesn''t sound as threatening as I''d like.

    "I think this is your end leech." Replied the enemy.

    I automatically reached for my sword, but was unable to grab it. My wrist is dislocated? I''m thinking in my head. I frown at my shattered hand. A minotaur named Taurus burst out laughing.

    "How are you going to defeat me if you don''t raise your sword and your magic doesn''t work on me?"

    I clench my hand into a fist. I don''t have room to waste my time here. I have to see Iruka.

    "That''s what others have said before you, that they''re immune to my magic. And now they''re in the depths of hell, where I''ll send you too."

    "Then show yourself, leech." The bull smiled slimy.

    "Blackness!" Taurus roared, and indeed a black cloud came out of his hands.

    I quickly dodged to the side. And I smiled.

    "I see I found Azazel''s main pet."

    "I am the commander of his entire dark army! Don''t you dare mock me or my master!" He shouted, repeating his spell.

    I cannot dodge endlessly. I dig my feet in tight and prepare to face his spell.

    "Water Expansion!"

    The two spells slammed into each other with all their might. We fought over who was stronger, but I know I''m stronger. Taurus increases his onslaught and my feet dig deeper into the earth.

    "No one can get hurt, Iruk. I promised to protect him." I sputter between my teeth.

    Suddenly, Iruka and his huge and infectious smile flashed before my eyes. Exactly. Someone''s waiting for me, and I''ve made a promise to protect him no matter what. I unleashed my magical powers more. I know I haven''t used my full potential from this, and I know this opponent is nothing to me. With my other hand, I swing and a water blade flies out of my hand, slicing the bull in half smoothly and quickly. It''s over I think to myself and smile triumphantly. I take a step forward, but my body isn''t pointing forward, it''s pointing towards the ground.

    "Iru...ko..." I whisper softly.

    ?????????????????

    Iruka

    I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. I don''t even know where. I ran straight and didn''t stop if the minotaurs were chasing me. The uneven stone path was suddenly replaced by pavement. I stopped and looked at the ground. There was normal shiny flooring everywhere. I peeked, and before me was a corridor decorated with long stone columns. At the end of this corridor was a giant ornate door. I quickly ran towards it. I hesitated for a moment to wait for the others, but there was no sign of them. I turned my head back to the door. The rage flared up in me again at the memory of the innocent bodies. I leaned against the door and opened it heavily with a loud creak.

    He was there. Right in front of me at the far end of the room. He sat there in his throne, not moving. His hood was thrown over his head. I couldn''t see anything of his face.

    "Welcome, Iruka."

    I could hear the darkness in his voice alone. The dark druid Azazel. I said to myself. The door closed behind me. I stared at him, straight and determined. It''s between us now.