ã€ŠMagica Storiaã€‹


 Chapter 0 - Prologue

    It was late in the evening.

    In a large city by the bay, there was an island.

    On that island, there stood a large castle.

    Within that castle was a spacious, sprawling office.

    A young man sat behind a large desk, writing down on a journal.

    He had finished with his duties and paperwork today. Right now, he was just writing just to unwind.

    Knock! Knock! Knock!

    ¡°Come in!¡±

    The door to his office opened and a young clerk had entered.

    ¡°Master, are you still here?¡±

    ¡°...How many times do I have to tell you not call me ¡®Master¡¯...?¡±

    ¡°You are the Guild Master. You have to be appropriately addressed. Or will you prefer the other title?¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t. It makes me feels like an old man with a prestigious title. I¡¯ve only just turned seventeen!¡±

    ¡°That is a title. And it¡¯s the duty of a member of this Guild to respect the one who holds that title. Speaking of duties, have you signed the letters already?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I have...¡± The ¡°Master¡± indicated to the stack on his desk with a loud sigh. ¡°Seriously, what was idiot thinking? Wrecking a port in the middle of a job? How reckless can he get?!¡±

    ¡°I thought you¡¯d be used to his antics by now...¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t when I have to be the one to write down these apology letters!¡±

    ¡°Oh! But it seems you¡¯re writing something else. Writing in your journal again?¡± He asks when he takes notice of the journal on Master¡¯s desk.

    ¡°Ah, well I find writing down things as a way to unload.¡±

    The clerk takes stack of letters and makes his way to the door. ¡°As your Deputy, I advice that you should be calling it a night, Master Benjaimn...¡± He added with a sly smile as he closed the door.

    The young Guild Master whose name is Benjamin sighed even louder. He leaned back on his chair and looked at a picture frame on his desk. It was a photo of him together with three other friends. It was taken on the day their Guild had officially opened.

    ¡°Master, huh? I¡¯ve only been Master for a few years now... That means it has been a while... since I came to this world.¡±

    He thought back to how it all began. The days that led up to how he became an Adventurer.

    It was weird how he began as an ordinary middle school student and the events that led him to a life as an Adventurer. And how he co-founded and became the Master of one of the most famous Adventurer Guilds in the world.

    Master Benjamin Estrella continued writing down his story as he looked back to when it all began.

 Chapter 1- Summer Begins

    It was noon time in a certain place¡­

    The sun was shining high in the sky, its scorching hot rays beating down the earth causing the ground to be dry and arid. It was evident that there hasn¡¯t been a single drop of rain in a while. Nobody in their right mind would be walking around in this kind of place and at this time of the day not unless they would want to get heatstroke.

    Yet in the middle of this desert landscape there was such someone.

    A lone person was walking across the desert.

    The only protection he had from the heat of the sun was the hood of his cloak covering his head while the rest of it flapped in the hot wind. However, he was also carrying a thickly loaded bag and what seems to be a sword strapped behind at his back. Even with the weight of his belongings and the intense heat, he didn¡¯t seem bothered by any of it at all though.

    He continued to walk until finally he reached the edge of a large canyon.

    ¡°This is the cliff overlooking Tindill Canyon. So if the directions are correct, their hideout would be right around here.¡±

    He started rummaging in his bag and pulled out a long rope. He tied one end of the rope to a large rock and threw the other end over the cliff. Leaving his bag by the rock, he began climbing down the rope.

    There underneath the cliff, he saw his goal: a large stone fort.

    It was sheltered from heat of the sun¡­and from any prying eyes. It¡¯s a perfect hiding place for anyone who didn¡¯t wish to be seen.

    The boy lowered himself further until he reached the end of his rope. Even then there was about a hundred foot drop to the canyon¡¯s jagged rocks below.

    He began swinging himself to and fro towards the mouth of the crevice. Normally this move would be incredibly dangerous but he was no ordinary boy. He had face dangers worse than this.

    He timed his swinging as he let goes of the rope.

    He flew straight in the air and into the crevice! He landed just a few feet from edge of the roof, nearly skidding across it!

    ¡°Blistering Blazes, I thought I wasn¡¯t going to make it! Now then-¡±

    He kneeled down, pressed his ear to the roof and listened carefully. He could hear loud voices underneath him. Confirming that it was them, he stood straight up. A huge grin spread in his face.

    And with that he pulled out his sword, it was a katana. At first glance it didn¡¯t look all that special. In fact, it looked as though it had seen better days. It was chipped in some parts and the blade looked tarnished.

    However, the moment he raised the blade upward, it started to glow red!

    ¡°Let¡¯s get things heated up!¡±

    He stabbed the roof and cracks spread throughout the roof! The whole roof caved in and collapsed, leaving a gaping hole in its wake! Yells and screams from below could be heard.

    ¡°What¡¯s the-?¡± someone below cried.

    ¡°The roof!¡± someone else yelled, ¡°It just fell in!¡±

    ¡°Here I go!¡± The boy said loudly as he leapt into the hole and landed dead-middle of a huge tavern full of bandits.

    ¡°Something else came down!¡±

    ¡°A ghost?¡± a bandit yelled.

    ¡°You idiot, can¡¯t you see?¡± another snapped, ¡°It¡¯s just a kid!¡±

    ¡°You guys must be the Redcliff Bandits, huh?¡± the boy¡¯s nose wrinkled as he caught a whiff of their smell, ¡°Blistering Blitz! This place smells sure like rotting Platypus-chicken eggs!¡±

    That was definitely not the right thing to say to a group of armed bandits.

    He was soon surrounded by a huge number of angry bandits. Each of them took out a weapon that could easily take off his head!

    Which might exactly be what¡¯s on their mind right now¡­

    ¡°Is that all you guys got? I¡¯ve hoped that there¡¯d be more of you¡­¡± He shook his head said, sounding disappointed.

    ¡°Ah, well, I¡¯ll just take my time!¡± he says as he grips his own-- sword tightly.

    ¡°Get him!¡± the bandits shouted as they launched themselves at him.

    The boy raised his sword and swung. He made several quick swipes and sent several of them flying in different directions.

    ¡°Is that all you bandits are capable of? I was expecting a better fight than that! ¡± he said with a smirk.

    ¡°What the devil is going on here?¡±

    Suddenly a large bellied man, holding a gigantic axe over his shoulders approached.

    ¡°Boss!¡± several of them cried.

    So he¡¯s the leader huh? The boy thought.

    ¡°You sure got the guts coming in here, kid! I¡¯ll give you that¡­but it was the biggest mistake of your life coming here!¡±

    The boy raised an eyebrow, ¡°And you are?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know who you¡¯re talking to?¡± a bandit on the huge man¡¯s immediate right snapped at him.

    ¡°This is our boss!¡± The bandit on his left motioning to the large bandit with almost sort of reverence, ¡°The great and powerful leader of the Redcliff Gang: the one and only, the Chopper ¡®the Axe¡¯ Redcliff!¡±

    The whole hoard of the bandits roared and cheered. Redcliff snorted in acknowledgement, as though he had heard this a thousand times.

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± said Redcliff, ¡°Before you stands the mighty and famous, Chopper Redcliff!¡± he raised his axe as the bandits cheered again, ¡°Tremble before me and be honoured that you are in my presence, for I will make sure your end is-¡±

    The boy simply cut him off and shrugged, ¡°Never heard of you before, Fatso...¡±

    All the bandits went silent in disbelief. Some of them looked at him with outrage. A few of them flinched away from their boss in fear.

    It was only Redcliff alone who was seething in anger.

    ¡°So you haven¡¯t heard of me, huh? Don¡¯t worry you¡¯ll learn who I am soon enough¡­¡± The bandits¡¯ leader raised his axe, which also burst into flames, ¡°But first, how about I teach some manners first, you little brat!¡±

    One of the bandits laughed.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to get it now!¡±

    ¡°Our leader isn¡¯t the guy you should¡¯ve mess with, kid!¡±

    ¡°Be quiet or you¡¯ll be getting yours next¡± Redcliff snapped at his cronies, all of whom cowered away from him.

    Redcliff turned back to the boy with a nasty grin, expecting the boy to cower in fear begging not to be hurt. To his surprise, the boy stood his ground, not looking the least bit frightened.

    Rather, the boy looked strangely amused

    ¡°So you¡¯re finally starting to get serious, huh?¡±

    The boy held out his sword in front of him. The hilt looked worn and the blade was chipped along the edges. Compared to the huge axe of the bandits¡¯ leader, it looked pretty pathetic.

    The bandit¡¯s leader laughed when he saw that crumbling old sword. ¡°You¡¯re going up against me with that? You¡¯re better off fighting with those gloves, brat!¡±

    ¡°I trust this sword with my life. And besides...¡± He grinned, ¡°...it took down half of your grunts already!¡±

    Undaunted, Redcliff gripped the axe with both hands and raised it over his head, ¡°We¡¯ll see about that!¡± he yelled as he swung the axe down.

    Any person in their right mind would dodge.

    But the boy didn¡¯t even try move!

    Instead, he stance himself ready and as the axe came down he blocked it! The axe, despite its huge size, didn¡¯t cause the blade to snap in half as he expected it to. In fact, the blade didn¡¯t move an inch downward when the axe made contact!

    All of the bandits stared in shock.

    Redcliff was even more stunned than they were. He was still trying to bring the axe down with all his strength but the boy was actually holding him back!

    The boy grinned, ¡°So this is your Magic Weapon, huh? And it uses Fire Magic too!¡±

    The boy swung his blade and pushed the axe back, much to the bandit leader¡¯s surprise.

    What kind of sword was that? And for a little kid¡­he was insanely strong!The bandit thought.

    ¡°My turn!¡± the boy pushed his chipped sword against the axe.

    The moment he did the blade of the axe began cracking!

    He quickly pulled away from the boy. Several parts of his axe were crumbling away.

    ¡°Is that it? Mr. All-Talk-And-No-Guts?¡± the boy taunted.

    Redcliff roared in anger as he rushed at the boy again and brought down his axe.

    At that same moment, the boy slashed his sword!

    As his blade touched the axe¡­it caused the whole blade of the axe to shatter completely into pieces!

    ¡°M-my Vulcan Axe!¡± said Redcliff, staring at his broken axe.

    The boy stared at the shattered pieces as well, he sighed in disappointment.

    ¡°That¡¯s it? I guess you bought that from a second-hand shop? Oh well,¡± He sheathed his sword back. ¡°It¡¯s a waste of time bringing this out. You weren¡¯t worth it.¡±

    ¡°You think just because my axe is broken, that I can¡¯t ring your sorry little neck?!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can try?¡± the boy grinned, beckoning his hand.

    That was the last straw for Redcliff!

    The bandit rushed forward raising his arms as though to grapple someone.

    The boy however was surprisingly speedy as he quickly swerved in and flipped the man over by the side of his sheathed blade.

    The man tumbled over in the air for a moment before the boy turned towards him.

    ¡°You really weren¡¯t worth it¡­¡±

    The boy clenched his fist and in a flash it blazed in flames! The boy gave the man a punch right up the jaw! The impact was so strong that it caused the man to fly upward and smash through the roof screaming!

    ¡°What the-¡°

    ¡°Boss has...¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s been defeated by a kid?!¡±

    ¡°No way..!¡±

    ¡°W-who is this kid?¡±

    The boy looked at all his foes; they looked a little fearful now.

    ¡°Ha! I guess so much for his boasting!¡± The boy chuckled, which served to anger the enemy even more.

    But the boy was neither concerned nor was he afraid. In fact, this was what he was waiting for. He deliberately said that in order to get them all riled up.

    ¡°Bring it! Let¡¯s see what you pushovers are made of!¡± he taunted again.

    The foes rushed in at him, all of them raising their weapons. But in a matter of seconds, everything was consumed by a large of explosion flames! All of his enemies lay on the floor burned to a crisp, but the boy stood at the center unharmed. He had not a single scratch on him!

    ¡°Is that all you got?¡± he grinned, however his ears perked. He heard slightest shuffling sounds from behind.

    He turned on his feet and saw a few of them escaping through the back door!

    ¡°What the blitz?!¡± he shouted as he started to give chase. ¡°Get back here!¡±

    They tried to shut the door but he easily kicked it down. They wasted no time in trying to escape via a secret path.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere!¡± he yelled at them.

    He had to catch them! Otherwise the client won¡¯t pay him! Again!

    ¡°Mr. Estrella¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve asked for this!¡± the boy clenched the hilt of his sword and felt the familiar rush of energy and heat.

    ¡°Mr. Estrella¡­ Wake up!¡±

    ¡°Flame Dragon Style: Dragon Roaring Fire!¡± he slashed his sword. The whole area was soon engulfed with red flames.

    ¡°MR. BENJAMIN ESTRELLA!!!¡±

    He woke up with a start, ¡°YES?! Wait, what?¡±

    Muffled giggling and snorts of laughter around him. At first he couldn¡¯t see anything clear in his right eye and it was a little foggy, he also felt something weird on his face. It was actually because his glasses were lopsided on his nose! Quickly adjusting his glasses and soon everything came into focus. His classmates had expressions as though something funny had just occurred.

    Then he realized thathewas what they were laughing at.

    He looked up to find the teacher was looking at him sternly.

    ¡°Benny¡­ You¡¯ve fallen asleep in my class again!¡± his teacher shook his head disapprovingly.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m s-sorry, Mr. Alamat!¡± Benny stammered, as he sat up straight.

    ¡°Just because today is the last day of school doesn¡¯t mean any of you can just suddenly take a nap in my lecture.¡±

    ¡°S-sorry¡­sir¡­¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t have this kind of problem with your brother when he was your age.¡± the teacher said as he returned to the board.

    Benny slumped on his seat, completely red with embarrassment. Some of his classmates were still casting some smirks at him but one of them stood out the most.

    ¡°Had a good nap, Crusoe?¡±

    Benny turned to see a spiky-haired boy wearing a headband grinning at him,

    ¡°Stop calling me that, Ace...¡±

    Ace leaned back on his chair as though he didn¡¯t care.

    ¡°Mr. Alamat sure has one heck of a volume! I¡¯m pretty sure the class in the third floor heard him all the way from here,¡±

    ¡°Speaking of volumes, it was your fault I hadn¡¯t had a decent wink of sleep the past few days!¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t blame me! Those little imps keep sneaking into my room to play pranks on me!¡±

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t bother to at least keep that tone of yours to a minimum? I know they¡¯re annoying but do you have to yell about it to the whole street at eleven in the evening?¡±

    ¡°They put itching powder in my pyjamas! Just you wait! I¡¯m going to get back at them one way or another. That¡¯ll make them regret it BIG TIME!¡± Ace banged his fist on his desk, unaware he had also shouted that last bit of his sentence.

    Benny had sweatdropped at his action and quickly looked away.

    ¡°Is there something you wish to share to the class Mr. Unos?¡± Mr. Alamat said in a clipped tone.

    ¡°N-no sir!¡± says Ace sat up right.

    Another raucous of laughs erupted, which Mr. Alamat had to shush them down.

    Benny had to sum a lot of willpower not to laugh. His best friend always had a way of cheering him up, even if it were accidental.

    RIIIINNNNGGGG!!!!

    A familiar loud school bell rang throughout the school. But this was no ordinary school bell. It was the most anticipated sound of the school year to most students. A loud cheer erupted from his classmates. Benny felt a sigh of relief he didn¡¯t have to endure his own embarrassment long.

    ¡°Alright, alright, class is dismissed! Have a great summer!¡± Mr. Alamat started to packing up his books, ¡°And don¡¯t forget that your report card will be delivered this Saturday!¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    A lot of them groaned upon hearing that. (Ace himself included and whose groan was practically the loudest.)

    As expected, the last day of school is met with enthusiasm. And forSt.XavierMiddle School, this is no different. A flurry of students were leaving the school, excitedly talking about their vacation plans.

    Benny and Ace were now skidding along the road on their bikes with plans of their own.

    ¡°Free at last!¡± Ace yelled to the horizon.

    ¡°What did I just say about keeping down your volume?¡±

    ¡°Oh, come on! Don¡¯t rain on my parade! I thought this day would never come!¡±

    ¡°Seeing as how there was a good chance you nearly had to spend the rest of vacation in summer school, you must be very happy.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s easy for you to say! You haven¡¯t had a grade in the line of D since I¡¯ve known you!¡±

    As they were talking, they stopped at a crossroad and going again when the light turns green.

    ¡°You¡¯re only saying that because I have an A+ in Algebra 2. In case you haven¡¯t forgotten, I have three B minuses in my other classes and a couple of C as well.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I noticed¡­¡± Ace threw a smirk at him, ¡°You¡¯ve been holding yourself back, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯ve been trying my hardest but I still get B¡¯s and C¡¯s!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just lucky to scrape a D in Biology.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re forgetting. Hmm, let¡¯s see¡­there¡¯s Algebra 2, English and Literature¡­oh yeah, and World History. You really should pay attention to school, Ace. At least study at night if you can¡¯t pay attention in school!¡±

    ¡°¡­says the guy who fell asleep in class!¡± Ace quipped at him.

    Benny turned red hearing that.

    ¡°It¡¯s because you kept me up last night!¡±

    ¡°I told you it was those little twerps¡¯ fault for sneaking in to my room last night!¡±

    ¡°Ever tried using the lock on the door?¡± Benny swerved to the right to avoid a jogger.

    ¡°It¡¯s been broken ever since Pops kicked the door open when I tried to hide my last report card from him.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the Head of Security for the Perlasreyna Group for you¡­¡± Benny mumbled to himself in an amused way.

    This boy was his friend, Voltaire Pablo Unos, who goes by the nickname ¡®Ace.¡¯ He is, by Benny¡¯s own definition, his exact opposite. Benjamin Luke Estrella was a shy and quiet fourteen year-old, who doesn¡¯t stand out much in anything (and prefers it that way). Ace was loud and rather active kid who often catches everyone¡¯s attention. One can tell he is obviously the sporty type. His has tanned skin, a built figure and his signature sports headband he wears to keep his hair up from his eyes. And unlike Benny, he¡¯s the best player in just about every physical sport, whether its soccer, basketball or even softball! Hence, his teammates gave him the nickname ¡®Ace¡¯, although Benny had called him that way longer than anybody did.

    However, like most sporty types, his greatest weak point: Academics.

    Benny had to tutor him in several places. Despite being academically challenged, he manages to scrape at least a passing grade.

    Yet despite being completely different from each other, with Ace being a sporty, popular kid and Benny being a nerdy, average-to-nobody kid (again...his own definition), they were very good friends. They¡¯ve always stood by each other. Ace always dragged Benny along for adventures and shenanigans. Benny always made sure he kept within the line (Although there were numerous times that he wasn¡¯t so successful.)

    The boys soon reached the part of road where it went uphill. It was too steep to pedal so they had to walk, dragging their bikes with them.

    ¡°Hey, Crusoe!¡± shouted Ace, ¡°Are you listening?¡±

    ¡°Ace, quit calling me that!¡± Benny snapped in annoyance.

    ¡°About tomorrow,¡± Ace continued as if he didn¡¯t hear him, ¡°What did you get for Anna¡¯s present?¡±

    ¡°Say what?¡±

    ¡°Anna¡¯s birthday present for her birthday party at their beach house tomorrow, remember?!¡±

    Last week, Benny and Ace were invited by their other childhood, friend Anastasia Perlasreyna (popularly known as Anna) to her birthday party on her dad¡¯s huge beach house. Anna is the only daughter of the president and CEO of the Perlasreyna Group, one of the biggest manufacturing companies in the country with many subsidiaries. That basically means Anna is practically the riches kid in school.

    One would wonder how two ordinary kids like Benny and Ace became friends with her. It is simply because their fathers are all well acquainted. Ace¡¯s father is the Head of Security at the Perlasreyna Group Headquarters building. Benn¡¯s dad is Mr. Perlasreyna¡¯s attorney.

    The three of them had been good friends since elementary but of course, one big problem is what kind of present to give her when she has shiny black credit card in her wallet.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t forgotten about it, right?¡±

    ¡°Unlike you, no, I haven¡¯t. In fact, I already got her a present and it¡¯s all wrapped up!¡±

    Benny could¡¯ve sworn he hear Ace cussed in a low voice. ¡°So what is it?¡±

    ¡°Nothing too special¡­¡± Benny twiddled with his fingers against his bike handles, ¡°It¡¯s just that pink hair band with a tiny bow we saw last week.¡±

    ¡°Is that all? Figures that you¡¯re so cheap, Crusoe!¡±

    ¡°Quit calling me that! And I only have 500 pesos a week allowance! Not much to buy if you spend 90 a day for lunch! Speaking of which, what did you get her?¡±

    Ace cheeks turned red and looked away, ¡°Well¡­I¡­um¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who forgot, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Oh, shut up! I¡¯ll scrounge something up for her. There¡¯s a ton of things in the attic!¡±

    ¡°Ace, there¡¯s no value in that! You¡¯re just going to give her hand-me-downs?¡±

    ¡°Hey! What can you give a rich man¡¯s daughter?¡±

    ¡°Something you can give with your effort! Not something from your attic!¡±

    ¡°Hey, Anna likes antique items. We have a ton of that!¡±

    Benny rolled his eyes. If there¡¯s one thing Ace was good at aside from sports it was finding excuses.

    ¡°I won¡¯t bother if you won¡¯t bother with my present.¡±

    ¡°Agreed.¡± nodded Ace.

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s not the veil of your Mom¡¯s wedding dress again like last year. I still remember the look in Anna¡¯s face when she saw that in the wrapper.¡±

    ¡°Hey that was accident! I thought it was the old scarf my nana made long ago. I meant to give that to her.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you were trying to give your grandma¡¯s old scarf! Well, at least it¡¯ll stand out of the other¡¯s gifts!¡±

    ¡°Speaking of others, who else are coming to the party?¡±

    Ace was clearly trying to change the subject.

    ¡°Come to think of it, I did see her trying to invite Martin Benedict from Home Ed Class.¡±

    ¡°That American exchange student she likes? Figures she¡¯d tried to invite him.¡± Ace rolls his eyes.

    ¡°Although, I haven¡¯t told her that Martin¡¯s going back to the US for the summer¡­¡± Benny shook his head.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell her, obviously! She¡¯ll bawl her eyes out! But do you know? I¡¯ve heard Anna invited her clique along. You know those Divas?¡±

    Benny stared at horizon dismay, ¡°Them of all people¡­¡±

    The Divas was a term used by the two to call Anna¡¯s circle of popular friends. Although Anna herself is childhood friends with Benny and Ace, she is part of group of the most popular girls in school.

    But none is the most popular among them is as Courtney, who is Anna¡¯s best friend. (At least that¡¯s what Courtney says.) Courtney and the rest of the popular students have a way towards the rest of the students like any typical popular group. They treat those who aren¡¯t cool like dirt under their shoes.

    Ace being a soccer star is okay with them, although it was a bit one-sided as Ace never really liked them.

    As for Benny¡­well, they just treat him like any other nobody in the school: like he was part of the wall or a rock. And if he ever got under their radar, it wasn¡¯t so pleasant.

    The two always tried to avoid them if they can. Benny and Ace couldn¡¯t understand how Anna, who was so sweet, kind and carefree (and albeit of an airhead though they never told her that) could hang out with them. They especially couldn¡¯t understand how she could stand Courtney who acts likes the whole world revolves around her. Both assumed however that she and the ¡°In¡± crowd probably only liked Anna because her father¡¯s a super rich businessman.

    ¡°Yeah, I know right.¡± Ace said catching the expression on Benny¡¯s face.

    ¡°I wish those Divas all came down with Chicken Pox or something. Let¡¯s see how they like it when they get pockmarks all over their skin and get commented on that!¡±

    ¡°Dude, that¡¯s one dark comment. Though I guess it¡¯s better them than instead of Ken. At least he doesn¡¯t comment about our shirts every time we pass their lunch table.¡±

    Benny couldn¡¯t help but smile back at that.

    Soon they reached the top of the hill, getting on their bikes, both boys sped onwards making several turns and stops before finally reaching Narra Street. This was where Benny and Ace¡¯s neighbouring homes were near the banks of a small creek. Benny and Ace were not just best friends but were also neighbours.

    Usually the place was quiet and peaceful but today something was a little different.

    ¡°Hey! What¡¯s going on?¡± says Ace when he first catches something was off. There were an unusual number of cars parked in front of their homes. ¡°Is there a party or something?¡±

    Benny notices an SUV with a familiar car plate.

    ¡°Maybe¡­Wait a minute! That¡¯s Uncle Eddy¡¯s car!¡±

    ¡°Hey bro, doesn¡¯t that one belong to your cousin Richie?¡±

    Ace points to a rather expensive red Mercedes that belonged to Benny¡¯s maternal cousin who was a top IT exec.

    It did not take long for them to realize that the rest of the cars belonged to Benny¡¯s relatives.

    ¡°Why is all your family here? Are you guys the one¡¯s having a party or something?¡±

    It was then that Benny remembered important and slaps a hand to his forehead.

    ¡°Dang, I forgot¡­¡± he slumps to the side of a vehicle. ¡°KuyaEm andAteCathy¡¯s welcome home party is today!¡±

    ¡°So there is a party! There¡¯s a party in your place and you didn¡¯t bother tell me?¡± Ace says, clearly offended.

    ¡°It was on short notice.¡± Benny said as they walked towards his house, ¡°KuyaandAtejust got back home the day before yesterday and we were just planning a simple family dinner. But when Uncle Eddy got wind that they were coming back he had other ideas. He demanded that we host a party for the whole family.¡±

    Ace shakes his head disapprovingly. He looked less annoyed now.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that uncle of yours have better things to do than parties on your dad¡¯s wallet?¡±

    ¡°What can Dad say? Apparently the whole family backed Uncle Eddy up on this. After all, who wouldn¡¯t celebrateKuyaEm¡¯s andAteCathy¡¯s return from abroad?¡±

    Amongst all his siblings, Benny stood out the least. And for good reason: they were probably the best about everything and were well known.

    They were five in the family, seven including their parents.

    His elder brother, Emmett is a medicine student in a scholarship in a high strung university inAmerica. He apparently made several thesis and breakthrough researches that are being reviewed and praised in the medical world. Some of which had been published in some periodicals and books.

    His elder sister is a champion in the international junior volleyball and lawn tennis tournaments. She is currently in studying fashion design in a big university inBarcelona,Spain. Despite being a fashion student there and she was already getting some of her designs made!

    Even his little brother and sister were high achievers for their age. Tom is an excellent artist with one of his paintings was once featured in a major gallery as a prize in a junior competition. Lily has awards in her ballerina competitions.

    Only Benny, the middle child didn¡¯t make such an impact in any academics, sports and creative talents.

    It¡¯s safe to say that he was the most average of his family.

    ¡°Yeah¡­it is¡­¡± Benny admits with a sight, ¡°I better not keep them waiting. Are you coming?¡±

    ¡°You go on ahead. I better head on home.¡± Ace nods to his own house, right next door.

    Benny gave him a look, ¡°A while ago you demanded why you weren¡¯t invited and now you don¡¯t want to come in?¡±

    Ace gave a fake look of being shocked. ¡°Geez, that¡¯s harsh! And besides it¡¯s your own fault for not telling me!¡±

    ¡°Err¡­sorry about that. So now will you come? It¡¯s likely that there¡¯s a buffet in there¡­¡±

    Benny said that, knowing Ace to be such a big glutton. But Ace caught on to what he was trying to do.

    ¡°Nice try! But no, I have plans tonight.¡±

    ¡°What plans?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?! It¡¯s the ¡®beating the dungeon boss and becoming the Hero of Arendal!¡±

    Ace said that with fierce determination and Benny responded by nearly falling face-forward.

    ¡°You mean you¡¯re going to play Ancient Rune Wars Online again?¡±

    Ancient Rune Wars Online is the most popular online game of the year. Benny himself plays it but Ace has been addicted to playing that game almost every night. If only he were that pumped up on his studies...

    ¡°That¡¯s right! I¡¯m just a few levels away from reaching the dungeon boss! Are you going online tonight?¡±

    ¡°If I can escape Emmett¡¯s monologue lecture about his new medical breakthrough, you know how there¡¯s a hundred percent chance of that happening.¡±

    To which they both laughed. They then fist bumped and went their separate ways, with Ace disappearing behind his front gate. Benny rolled his bike over to the garden shed and headed up the front porch. He heard some very excited voices from the inside, recognizing some of them.

    ¡°Well, I might as well get it over with.¡±

    He enters the main hallway where several of his relatives were busy chatting away. And the first to see him was no other than his older brother, Emmett.

    ¡°Benjamin! Finally you¡¯re here!¡±

    ¡°Hey,KuyaEm¡­¡± says Benny, albeit quietly.

    Emmett looked the same as always, he was tall and very built young man. His hair was sleek and neatly combed. Like Benny he wore glasses, except his were rimless and made him look grown up.

    Benny¡¯s glasses, on the other hand, made it a clear sign he was a dork.

    ¡°You know I¡¯ve only just notice but you¡¯ve grown taller a bit since I¡¯ve last seen you.¡± he ruffles Benny¡¯s hair.

    ¡°What are you talking about? You saw me this morning¡­¡±

    Benny fixes his hair. He hates it when people do that.

    Entering the hallway he got a full view of the crowded living room. A lot of their family friends and relatives all over the city were here right now, catching up with each other. He waved to a few of them but as ever it was like he never met their gaze.

    ¡°So where¡¯re Mom and Dad?¡±

    ¡°Dad¡¯s out back talking with Atty. Ascenas from the firm.¡±

    Their father, Atty. Jacob Estrella, is a high powered attorney and a partner incity¡¯s top firms. He is well respected and just like the rest of Benny¡¯s relatives, is quite well known. Benny should¡¯ve known that he would invite some of his colleagues over.

    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll talk to him later, better not disturb him. What about Mom, Ate and Abuela?¡±

    ¡°Mom¡¯s in the kitchen and I think Catherine¡¯s in there helping her out. Abuela is upstairs taking her late afternoon nap¡­¡±

    ¡°Thanks. And I¡¯m glad you seem to be enjoying¡­¡± but he barely got the words out when a large bellied man came to them.

    It was Uncle Eddy, a rich business man and a class-A sycophant/spot-light hog.

    ¡°There you are Emmett! Come on, everyone¡¯s been waiting to hear how¡¯sAmericabeen like!¡±

    ¡°H-hi Uncle Eddy,¡± Benny greets him.

    Uncle Eddy looks down at him and was a little bit surprised, ¡°Oh! Hello there, Benjamin! Didn¡¯t see you there,¡± He nods at him before turning toKuyaEm. ¡°Well come, Martha¡¯s been asking for you for a whole hour now!¡±

    ¡°Alright¡­ Excuse me, Benjamin.¡±

    He and Uncle Eddy went into the living room, leaving Benny in the hallway.

    Benny sighed not being the least surprised that he was easily brushed off. Benny proceeds down the hallway and enters the kitchen. Mom and a couple of his aunts were working in the kitchen, garnishing the remainder of the dishes. He also finds his sister lending a hand with setting the plates. From her conversation, she seemed to be talking about her experiences inSpain.

    ¡°And you wouldn¡¯t believe how huge the Sagrada Familia church is! I keep going there for Mass every Sunday and I¡­ Well, look who¡¯s finally back from school!¡±

    Cathy had her auburn hair tied to a sleek ponytail and she was wearing some of clothes she designed herself.

    ¡°Welcome home, dear!¡± Mom approached them with a tray of potato gratin.

    ¡°Hi Mom, I¡¯m home! Where¡¯s dad?¡± he asked even though Emmett had already told him that. He only said that to show he was a polite child looking for his father.

    ¡°Oh, your father¡¯s out back with some of his co-workers from the firm,¡± says Mom, turning to the oven.

    Despite her age and being a mother of five, Rachel Estrella has quite the natural youthful complexion. Often she was mistaken to be Benny¡¯s elder sister (much to his embarrassment.) Being half-Spanish, she had brown eyes and auburn hair, which was elegantly style for the occasion.

    ¡°Hello Benjamin! You¡¯re looking so well!¡± Aunt Cecilia greeted him with a smile, setting a tray of potato gratin on the counter.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time! My, you¡¯re wearing glasses now?¡± Aunt Josephine peered at him. ¡°You look so much like your father and brother with those on.¡±

    Benny adjusted his glasses on his nose.

    ¡°So how was school?¡± asks Mom, as soon as he was done.

    ¡°F-fine¡­Never been better!¡±

    Benny never bothered to mention that he slept in class, otherwise he¡¯d be told off for a good whole hour.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good!¡± She says as she pulls out a roasted chicken that sent a delicious aroma in the room. Benny saw the dining table was also filled with a lot of her home cooking.

    ¡°So¡­you were talking about something inBarcelona?¡± Benny asked his sister.

    ¡°Oh it was amazing! Let me tell you I-¡±

    But at that moment a loud beeping sound rang from her pocket.

    ¡°Excuse me, give me a minute!¡± she motioned to him, before she answered. ¡°Kara! It¡¯s been a long time girl! No I just arrived!¡±

    Benny could tell this could take more than a minute.

    ¡°Dear, you should go up and change into something nice. It¡¯s almost time for dinner!¡± said Mom hurrying him out the kitchen.

    ¡°S-sure Mom¡­¡±

    Benny he walked out the kitchen and headed for the stairs. As he does so, he passes by the living room where he caught sight of Emmett being congratulated by another uncle.

    ¡°He looks like he¡¯s enjoying himself.¡± murmured Benny.

    Benny made his way up the stairs. But just then some of his younger cousins began stampeding down in a flurry.

    ¡°Whoa! Watch it! Don¡¯t run in the stairs!¡± Benny says at them, sidestepping to avoid being knocked down.

    ¡°KuyaBenny, you¡¯re home!¡±

    Benny looked up at the top of the stairs to find his younger brother and sister standing at the top step. Tommy is Benny¡¯s ten year old, younger brother. Auburn-haired like their Mom but has the same wide dark blue eyes as Benny¡¯s, though without the glasses.

    ¡°Kuya, Kuya,¡± Lily shows him a large stuffed teddy bear. ¡°Look at whatKuyaEm gave me!¡±

    ¡°Wow! Isn¡¯t that nice?¡± Benny pats her in the head.

    At age seven, Lily is the youngest of Benny¡¯s siblings. She is the spitting image of their mother in miniature. She had her hair tied into to two pony tails and was wearing a frilly dress for the occasion.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t he fluffy?¡± She snuggled the teddy bear. ¡°I¡¯m going to call him Andy!¡±

    Benny smiled at her, ¡°Well, take care of Andy okay? Oh yeah, Mom says you two have to get down for dinner.¡±

    ¡°What about you,Kuya?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to change first. You two go on ahead¡­and no running in the stairs! You¡¯ll wake Abuela.¡± Benny added sternly.

    ¡°I won¡¯t!¡± Lily says but as she made their way downstairs, running like the rest of the cousins.

    ¡°She totally ignored what I just said¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t beat yourself up,Kuya!¡± says Tommy, before following their little sister downstairs.

    Benny made his way into his room, which was at the end of the hallway. Benny¡¯s bedroom was strangely the biggest room amongst his siblings, about twice the size of the other bedrooms. Benny always wondered with how he got the big room and often tried to ask his parents about it. They always said that it was mix-up from the contractor who built the house.

    He tried to use as much of the space as he can. He had a couple of large shelves were he kept his school and research books in one and kept his anime manga and character figurines in the other. He had a wide desk with a desktop computer that once belonged to Emmett, complete with a printer and modem. There was a closet where he kept his clothes on one side. In the corner was a beanbag chair with a reading lamp over it. He also covered some parts of the walls with anime posters.

    But as much as he tries to utilize the space the room felt as if it had something missing.

    But it was no time to dwell on that.

    He had a party to attend and wasted no time as he tossed his bag on the floor and hurried to the closet. To his surprise he finds a new set of clothes lying on top of the old ones. There was a note written in his Cathy¡¯s handwriting taped to it which read:

    ¡®These are my latest designs! I think they¡¯ll suit you better than those clothes you always wear.¡¯

    The clothes looked nice but the problem was they were not his style! Benny preferred more comfortable ones than stylish ones. The one¡¯s Cathy made looked a little too glitzy for him. If Ace saw him wearing these, he¡¯d laugh his head off!

    ¡°Thanks but no thanks, Sis.¡±

    Benny folded the paper and began rummaging the closet for some decent clothes. Just as he scanned through a couple of shirts he heard a loud yell from out the window. He looked out the window and saw Ace¡¯s silhouette moving around from behind the curtains of his room. One of the things Benny liked about his room is that one of his windows faces Ace¡¯s bedroom window.

    Because of this, Benny and Ace can talk to each other without using the phone.

    Right now it seems Ace was chasing his two little brothers, the twins Jim and Jay out of his room. Benny knows all too well how they act like angels in front of their parents but when they weren¡¯t looking they become the most annoying pests. Their favourite victim for pranks is their older brother, and occasionally Benny if he was ever unlucky to get mixed up in it.

    ¡°GET OUT!!!¡± Ace yelled again.

    Benny could hear peals of childish laughter.

    ¡°If I see one thing missing from my room again, I¡¯m gonna-¡±

    ¡°Pablo!¡± A tall silhouette appeared in the windows.

    Uh-oh, looks like Ace¡¯s Mom has come to the twin¡¯s rescue again.

    ¡°How many times do I have to tell you not to scare your brothers?¡±

    Ace¡¯s shadow looked like he flinched and cowered away, ¡°S-sorry Mom-¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize to me, young man! Say it to your brothers.¡±

    Benny tried not to laugh out loud. He didn¡¯t want Ace to find out that he heard the whole thing and wind up facing his wrath the next time they meet. That was the downside to having their rooms near each other. So he draped the curtains over windows. But as he did, something caught his eye. The window also had a small view of the street below. It was now dark and street lamps were on. But usually it didn¡¯t have anything interesting to glance at.

    But now there was something there.

    A strange figure wearing some kind of robe with its hood over its head was standing there underneath the streetlight. He was holding a long staff that glinted in the streetlight. From the looks of it, the figure was staring directly where his window was.

    Benny quickly adjusted his eyeglasses. But when he looked again the person was gone.

    ¡°What the-¡± Benny squinted at the street lamp, ¡°Was I just seeing things?¡±

    But he didn¡¯t have long to ponder as there was a knock. Benny jumped in fright as Mom entered the room.

    ¡°Benjamin? Have you changed out of your uniform yet, honey?¡±

    Benny hastily covered the windows, ¡°Um, not yet!¡±

    ¡°Are you okay? You look a little pale.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­just a little tired.¡±

    ¡°I see, well you better get the move on it.¡±

    She saw the clothes on the bed and smiled.

    ¡°Oh! So you found the clothes your sister bought for you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but they¡¯re not really my style¡­¡± Benny admitted.

    ¡°I know. Cathy bought these for me to wear as well¡­and they¡¯re a little too glitzy for my taste.¡±

    She motioned to the red dress she was wearing, which Benny didn¡¯t notice it before because she had an apron over it. It looked like something a runway model would wear in a red carpet premier. And although Mom looked like she didn¡¯t like wearing in it at all, she did look rather good in it. She was like a supermodel, he had to admit.

    ¡°Cathy said these are the latest style inEurope! So she personally designed her own line!¡± she took the shirt and placing it in front of Benny¡¯s chest, ¡°And this is just your size too!¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re nice and all but they wouldn¡¯t suit me at all!¡±

    ¡°SO doesminebut I¡¯m just wearing this so your sister will be happy when she sees it. Well, hurry up and change into them!¡±

    What? Mom isn¡¯t thinking¡­Benny thought,

    ¡°You want me to change into these?¡± stuttered Benny.

    ¡°Well, of course! Your sister will be so happy to see you wearing her new fashion line. Plus it will be like putting a little fashion show to our guests! Now hurry!¡±

    She tossed the rest into his arms and with a rush she made her way out the door.

    ¡°B-but Mom¡­¡±

    ¡°Dinner is about to start soon and we can¡¯t keep the guests waiting! Yes, yes, Cecil! I¡¯m heading down!¡± she said to Aunt Cecilia before heading out the door.

    Benny tried to protest, ¡°B-but Mom! There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to wear this¡­¡±

    ¡°Be down in three minutes!¡± she says, evidently not hearing him.

    There was a moment of silence as Benny was left alone.

    Benny sighed in defeat, ¡°They do look nice but not on me! Not that I have any choice though.¡±

    He started to take off his uniform when a cold breeze blew through the windows. The sudden cold sent shivers down his spine, prompting Benny to head towards the windows and close the panes. But as he did so, he glanced out of the window, to make sure if what he saw was still there.

    There was none¡­

    ¡°I must have imagined it.¡± He said pulling the window pane down.

    Benny then turned his attention to a more pressing matter, taking the shirt gingerly, ¡°They¡¯re going to think I am some kind fashion wanabee. I guess it won¡¯t matter anyway¡­ It¡¯s not that any of them are gonna notice anyway.¡±

    Benny caught his reflection in the mirror.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way someone like me is going to stand out at anything¡­I just hope this party is over soon.¡±

    As Benny began to change out of his uniform¡­unaware that hewasn¡¯tseeing things.

    Someone was indeed watching his window.

    A lone figure was standing in the middle of the street watching the lit window of Benny¡¯s bedroom.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that¡­It¡¯s only just begun!¡±

    The person swept his cloak and disappeared.

 Chapter 2 - A Jobs End

    -----There exists a world that is both similar but at the same time different from Earth.

    It is both close and at the same time distant. There are mountains and seas. There are plants and trees. There are animals and living creatures. And of course, this world has its own people with their own towns and cities. Yes, this world has everything similar to the world of Earth but in one sense they are unique.

    So what sets this world apart from Earth one may ask?

    This world has one thing Earth doesn¡¯t have: Magic.

    This is world of Mundo Magica: a world filled with Magic.

    Creatures that exists only fairy tales and legends thrive in this world. Things that would normally defy reality on Earth are a part of the daily life in Mundo Magica. Whereas Earth has its electricity and technology, this world has Magic and magical tools to keep daily life running. In this world, Magic is an integral part of the people¡¯s daily lives. The people of this world rely on Magic to sustain everything. Some trade and sell it in a variety of forms. From using Magic to fuel transportation to cleaning homes, Magic is used in a variety of ways.

    But far and wide, Magic is used as a major source of livelihood and a way of life for a certain group of people. And just like how there are many forms of Magic, there are many groups of people who specialize in a certain use of Magic.

    But there¡¯s one word to describe them. They are the Adventurers.

    Adventurers are a special group of people who have an affinity for Magic and are able to utilize it in ways one can only dream of. As a means of livelihood, Adventurers take on job requests and are paid for their services.

    And it just so happens, a certain young Adventurer happens to be on the job right now.

    But before that, let us turn our attention to a certain man who was running down the alleyways of Tin Town.

    ***

    His breath was short. His heartbeat was racing in quick rhythm. He was breaking in panicked sweat. He kept looking behind him to make sure he wasn¡¯t followed. Just a moment, ago he was planning with his comrades for another heist¡­and the next thing he knew an Adventurer just burst in on them. Despite being alone (and worse, a kid!), that little Adventurer defeated their boss in one hit and took down the rest of them with as much as breaking a sweat! They tried to escape the hideout and headed straight into town, hoping to lose the kid. But that didn¡¯t stop his pursuer from hunting them down. The ones who tried to escape with him tried to fight back. But unfortunately for them, just like their boss the Adventurer defeated them. He was the only one left on the run.

    The man stopped for a moment, gasping for breath, ¡°I think I¡¯ve lost him¡­¡±

    KABOOM!!!

    The wall beside him blew apart, which sent the man flying, slamming straight to the opposite wall. In his confusion he looked at where the explosion occurred. From the dust and debris, a lone figure emerged.

    The sword on his hand was glowing bright red. The hood of his coat draped over his head, casting a shadow over the majority of his face. The overall effect made this young man look albeit sinister.

    Despite that, the guy cowering was the bad guy.

    ¡°Where the blitz, do you think you¡¯re going, huh? You and your pals have been giving me a hard time tracking you all down!¡±

    The bandit quickly got up to his feet and took out a sword from his sheath, ¡°D-don¡¯t come any closer, kid! If you know what¡¯s good for you!¡±

    Even from the shadow, the bandit could see a grin was spread in the boy¡¯s mouth, ¡°A sword user? Let¡¯s see if you have the skills to try!¡±

    The man tried to swing his sword but the boy simply dodged the attack. He tried slashing the sword again and again, but the boy kept leaping and dodging his attacks. Getting desperate, the man rushed forward and slashed again.

    This time the boy didn¡¯t dodge. Instead, he waited for the right moment and when he saw it he sidestepped to the right. The man¡¯s attack caused him to go off balance. The young Adventurer took the opportunity to swing the hilt of his sword straight to the man¡¯s stomach! The Adventurer¡¯s attack caused the man to be blasted through a wall. And several more brick walls after that! By the time he reached the last wall, the bandit lay crumpled amongst the debris, completely defeated.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°That¡¯s the end of that!¡± the boy strode over the debris and approached the bandit.

    The man was still albeit conscious, as he was still able to glance up at him.

    ¡°W-who are you?¡± groaned the bandit.

    ¡°Who am I?¡±

    He removed the hood off his head, revealing a young man with flaming auburn hair. He pulled back his goggles over his hair, revealing sharp red eyes that were fierce and brave.

    ¡°I-I know you!¡± the bandit gasped, ¡°You¡¯re Tenryu Fyreroar!¡±

    ¡°So you do know me? Well, that makes things easier!¡± Tenryu grinned, cracking his knuckles a terrifying glint appeared in his eye. ¡°Now are you going to come quietly, or not? Cause I can do this all day!¡±

    The bandit bowed his head. ¡°I surrender¡­¡±

    ¡°I thought so.¡± said Tenryu, with satisfied smirk, ¡°Now it¡¯s time for me to get my reward!¡±

    ***

    A while later, in the Office of the Mayor¡­

    Tenryu sat in the chair fronting the mayor¡¯s desk. The mayor was sitting opposite to him, yelling at him in outrage.

    ¡°All in all, just what do you think you were doing?!¡± the mayor snapped at Tenryu, who didn¡¯t as much flinch.

    ¡°I just did what you requested of me! I captured the bandits that were bothering this town!¡±

    The mayor slammed his fist on the table, ¡°Yes, but did I ask you to destroy half of my town in the process?!¡±

    ¡°Those bandits managed to escape into town. I had to do something! And what do you mean by half a town? I only went through a few buildings!¡±

    ¡°And that something involved burning ten private homes, smashing through five commercial buildings and destroying the local market! Who does that just to capture a bunch of thieves?¡±

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not my fault those punks went into those buildings! If anyone¡¯s to blame, it¡¯s them!¡±

    The mayor looked like he wanted throttle him, but seemed to think better of it.

    ¡°Well, you can go and blame them for getting nothing as your pay!¡±

    Tenryu looked at him in disbelief, ¡°W-what?¡±

    ¡°Do I have to repeat? You¡­Get¡­NOTHING!¡±

    ¡°What the blitz?¡± yelled Tenryu, incensed with outrage, ¡°That¡¯s not fair!¡±

    ¡°Oh? Did you actually think you can get any amount of reward for all the damages you¡¯ve caused?¡±

    ¡°But I capture the bad guys!¡±

    ¡°And for that, I won¡¯t be throwing you into jail for reckless impudence resulting into destruction of property! Now get out!¡±

    The mayor pointed towards the door.

    With a fiery grumble, Tenryu got to his feet and walked out the door, slamming it with unnecessary force. Unbeknownst to him, it caused the expensive paintings hanging in the office to fall down and crash to the floor. The mayor screamed and ripped his hair off in consternation.

    Tenryu left the mayor¡¯s office and headed down the street.

    ¡°Blistering Blitzes...It¡¯s the fourth time this month I didn¡¯t get any reward!¡±

    The boy ranted as he strolled down the street. He passed across the badly burnt houses, and ruins of several buildings. Streams of smoke were still rising into the air.

    All of which were of his own doing.

    It would a have been considered a feat considering that this was just done by one person. But neither the owners nor his client, the mayor, had appreciated this one bit. Tenryu soon noticed he was attracting stares from the locals.

    And those stares weren¡¯t the friendly kind...

    Clearly getting the idea that he wasn¡¯t wanted, Tenryu quickly made his way to the train station and boarded a train out of Tin Town.

    Here in Magica, the trains may look like 1920 steam locomotives but they are actually as fast as Japanese bullet trains! This is just one quick way to travel in this world.

    Tenryu sat alone in his compartment still grumbling to himself about his recent failure.

    As soon as the train started moving Tenryu feel drowsy. He rubbed his eyes and yawned.

    ¡°Blast it¡­I haven¡¯t been getting enough sleep. ¡°

    Aunt Magma had been on his case with his recurring dreams that had been preventing him from having a decent sleep.

    ¡°Is it about those weird dreams again? Maybe we should see the Parish about that. Those dreams have been troubling you lately.¡±

    Is what she always said and he would always reply.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t need to see the Parish about some bad dream.¡±

    That strictly wasn¡¯t a lie. Though they bothered him they weren¡¯t that typical bad dreams where a monster chases you.

    His dreams were about weird things like large moving vehicles that were powered by something other than magic, buildings that looked as if it were made entirely of glass, words written in a different language, people dressed in weird clothes. But as strange as it may seem to him, all of it looked albeit familiar. He just couldn¡¯t put his finger into it as to why?

    But what bothered him the most was that there was always a certain kid there. Every dream had him in it. Tenryu couldn¡¯t make out the features because his image was slightly blurry, as if it were through a glass. But it looked like the boy was wearing glasses, had blackish hair with a slight tint of blue and was about the same height as he was.

    He couldn¡¯t understand that he felt as though he knows this person but at the same time not having a clue as to who this person is. What is even more frustrating is that just when he could reach out to the person or even ask who he is, the dreams ends with Tenryu. With no answer and feeling so sleep-deprived that he has become very easily irritable lately.

    ¡°It¡¯s still a long way from here to Tin Town. Maybe I should take a nap. You don¡¯t usually get dreams from naps.¡±

    At least, that¡¯s what Tenryu hoped. Either way, he couldn¡¯t keep his eyes open anymore and soon he drifted off to sleep as the train zoomed along the tracks.

 Chapter 3 - Heirlooms

    At that same moment¡­in the world called Mundo Gaia (also known as Earth)

    A loud ringing sound caused Benny to wake up with a jolt. He grabbed his pillow and covered his ears trying to muffle the sound.

    ¡°Five more minutes¡­¡± He mumbled.

    But the alarm kept on going, much to his annoyance. Benny sat up and slammed a hand over the alarm.

    ¡°Why is this thing setting off? It¡¯s already summer¡­Huh? What¡¯s this?¡±

    He noticed the sticky note attached to the clock face. He put on his glasses to see what was written on it.

    The words ¡®Anna¡¯s Party, don¡¯t forget!¡¯ was written in his own handwriting.

    ¡°Damn! I¡¯m gonna be late!¡±

    Benny quickly jumped out of the bed. Within five minutes, he took a shower, changed his clothes and was heading down the kitchen with his backpack in tow.

    He found the rest of his family all enjoying breakfast.

    Dad was in his suit and tie as usual, reading the morning newspaper with his narrow reading glasses perched on his nose. Emmett was wearing a bathrobe over his flannel pajamas (a habit he must¡¯ve picked up in America), sipping coffee as he was marking something off in his day planner. Cathy was busy talking in her cell phone again but was wearing her lawn tennis outfit. Clearly she was fresh from the court as her hair was sticking to her forehead with sweat. Lily had brought her stuff bear Andy with her to the table, pretending he was having breakfast as well.

    Abuela wasn¡¯t there but since she always wakes up very early she probably ate.

    ¡°Morning, Kuya Benny!¡±

    Tom greeted him as he took a bite out of French toast. He was wearing his favorite Pok¨¦mon pajamas.

    ¡°Good morning, Kuya!¡± Lily waved at him.

    ¡°Morning!¡± says Cathy before turning to her phone. ¡°No, I was talking to my little brother¡­¡±

    ¡°Morning Benjamin!¡± says Emmett in between sips of coffee, giving a warm smile.

    Benny didn¡¯t return the smile and avoided meeting his gaze.

    ¡°Hey? Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, Kuya¡­ Just a little tired.¡±

    ¡°Good morning, Benjamin.¡± Dad didn¡¯t even glance at him but simply nodded before turning a page of his paper.

    ¡°Good Morning, Dad¡­¡± Benny murmurs as headed to the counter where Mom was busy laying out some bacon and eggs into a plate. From behind her, Benny could see that there were still some piles plates left over from last night¡¯s dinner party.

    ¡°Good morning, dear! Here¡¯s your breakfast.¡± she said offering him the plate.

    ¡°Thanks Mom¡­¡±

    Benny took the plate and grabbed some toast and quickly made an egg and bacon sandwich, which he began to eat.

    ¡°And you know last night was such¡­¡± Cathy was still talking to her phone.

    Mom approached Cathy with her hand held out, ¡°Cathy, there¡¯s a time for calls and there¡¯s time for breakfast. Now hand it over.¡±

    ¡°Mom¡­¡± Cathy rolled her eyes.

    ¡°Now, young lady,¡± Mom said with her eyes narrowed with a glint.

    Cathy quickly backed down and whispered to the phone, ¡°I¡¯ll call you later¡­¡± she flipped the phone closed and gave it to her mother¡¯s opened hand.

    ¡°Good! Now finish the rest of your toast before it gets soggy.¡±

    Mom placed the phone on the counter.

    Benny glanced at his watch. It read 8:15!

    Panicking, Benny quickly wolfed down another toast and slice of bacon in panic.

    ¡°Easy on the toast, little brother!¡± says Emmett with a chuckle, ¡°You¡¯re going to choke on it if you don¡¯t chew properly.¡±

    Sure enough Benny felt something stuck in his chest and began to cough loudly.

    ¡°See? I told you,¡± Emmett shakes his head, before handing him a glass of orange juice. ¡°Here, drink this, it will clear up.¡±

    Reluctantly Benny took the glass of orange juice and drank it down to clear his throat.

    ¡°Thanks¡­¡± he managed to say, feeling slightly abashed.

    ¡°Good thing we have a Medical student here. You should¡¯ve listened to him, Benjamin.¡± Dad chuckles as he turns a page.

    Benny felt his cheeks turning red.

    ¡°Why are you such in a hurry? I thought your school ended yesterday.¡± asks Cathy.

    ¡°I¡­just¡­have something important to go today,¡± Benny mumbles.

    ¡°Oh? Is it a date?¡± she peers at him with sly smile.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous! It¡¯s just something important-¡± grumbles Benny.

    ¡°Oh, come on! Tell me!¡± Cathy crows, with familiar gossiper¡¯s glint in her eye. ¡°I can give you some advice if you want. I know how a woman thinks.¡±

    No, I don¡¯t think you do¡­ Benny thought.

    ¡°Cathy, cut it out! Benjamin isn¡¯t old enough to go out on dates yet. He¡¯s only fourteen, for God¡¯s sake!¡± says Emmett with a stern look.

    Technically speaking, a lot of people in Benny¡¯s age group already proclaimed to be madly in love with their boyfriends and girlfriends. But he didn¡¯t dare to say this out loud at the table, (not that he has any girlfriend to boast because he obviously doesn¡¯t.)

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have something important to tick off from that day planner?¡±

    ¡°As a matter of fact I already did. And speaking of something important¡­¡± Emmett stood up, ¡°I have to get ready or I¡¯ll be late for the seminar.¡±

    Emmett had mentioned last night that he was invited to a seminar on their medical specialty. Something that was announced a little too proudly by sycophantic Uncle Rene who said this was expected of him to pursue his studies even in vacation.

    ¡°You don¡¯t mind if you give me a ride to the mall today, eh Kuya Em?¡± Cathy says sipping her tea. ¡°My old Bakarda and I are going to meet there today for a little R&R¡­¡±

    Emmett gives her a suspicious look, ¡°Why? I thought you already got your driver¡¯s license?¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t have a car!¡± Cathy moans, as she glances at Dad, who catches her eye.

    ¡°Nice try, Princess, but not until you finish college,¡± says Dad.

    Cathy opened her mouth to say something else but Dad was quick for her. ¡°And I need to take the car for work so no, you cannot borrow it.¡±

    Cathy then turns her attention to Emmett, ¡°So you see even if I want to, I can¡¯t. At least you have rental!¡±

    She begs him looking all puppy dog eyes.

    Emmett rolls his eyes. ¡°Sure¡­¡±

    ¡°Yay, I love you, Kuya!¡± Cathy cheers.

    ¡°She¡¯s changes her mood fast, huh?¡± whispers Benny to Tom.

    ¡°I wonder how she¡¯ll find an honest boyfriend if she keeps manipulating guys like that¡­¡± Tom snickers back.

    Quick as a flash, Cathy smacks them both in the heads.

    ¡°OW!¡± The two brothers yelped, rubbing the tops of heads. Even for an athletic girl, Cathy was quite unnaturally strong.

    ¡°Care to repeat that boys?¡± she said, cracking her knuckles.

    ¡°Now, now, not at the table¡± Mom¡¯s steps in to the rescue, ¡°Catherine, you should finish your breakfast and take a shower. And that goes for you too, Emmett. You don¡¯t want to be late.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t let the girls see me looking all sweaty from my tournament practice.¡± Cathy snatches her phone from counter and heads for the doorway.

    ¡°She has tournament practice? I thought she was in vacation?¡± ¡± repeats Benny, confused.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t she tell you? Ate Cathy is practicing for the lawn tennis tournament that¡¯s going to be held here town next month. She says she wants to keep in tip-top shape as she is the home team.¡± explains Tom as he takes another toast.

    ¡°That¡¯s your sister! She¡¯s always the winner!¡± chimes Mom happily. ¡°You kids should look up to your older brother and sister. They¡¯re the perfect role models for you!¡±

    Tom and Lily nodded agreement.

    Benny didn¡¯t say anything and drank his juice quietly.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that though Mom,¡± says Emmett.

    ¡°Why¡¯s that dear?¡±

    ¡°We all have our quirks¡­and the boys were right about her though.¡± He winks at Tom and Benny and head out.

    Benny looked away again.

    ¡°Kuya Benny? Why are you looking so down?¡± whispered Tom, noticing Benny¡¯s subdued look.

    Benny sits upright, ¡°Oh, um, nothing, so I heard that you got an award for your painting in that art competition?¡±

    Tom beamed at him, ¡°Yeah! I did! There¡¯s an award ceremony soon¡­ but I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m going¡­¡±

    Benny knew his little brother was extremely shy in front of other people, so it¡¯s not surprising he said this. Benny opened his mouth to give him some words of encouragement but Tom had decided to change the subject to something else.

    ¡°Oh! It¡¯s Ate Anna¡¯s birthday today, right? Is she having a party?¡±

    Benny nodded, ¡°Yeah, at their beach house.¡±

    ¡°A party?¡± says Lily, ¡°I want to go! Mom, can I? Please? Can I?¡±

    Mom shook her head, ¡°No sweetie, only your brother was invited. And besides you have ballet class today.¡±

    Lily pouted, ¡°Oh phooey!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that!¡± smiled Mom. ¡°Besides your teacher told me your class is about to showcased in live T.V. so you have to practice well!¡±

    Benny drank the last remainder of his juice and stood up, ¡°Well, I¡¯m off!¡±

    ¡°What time will you be coming back home?¡± asks Emmett, looking up from his paper.

    ¡°Maybe before dinner time¡­¡± Benny says as he slung his bag over his shoulder,

    ¡°Just be back before six.¡± says Dad, turning a page, ¡°Your brother is taking us to the Chez Lamont tonight for dinner.¡±

    Whoa! Seriously, he got Chez Lamont? Benny thought.

    He knew that fancy restaurant has gourmet meal prices to pay a whole semester in school!

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that an expensive restaurant, Mom?¡± asks Tom.

    ¡°Your brother¡¯s been working part-time all this time in America, that little rascal! He works so hard for his future!¡± Mom chimes fondly as she pours maple syrup on the pancakes. ¡°I guess it really is a day for celebrations! I mean I just good deal with Rosa Gutierrez the other day to plan the decorations for her big party!¡±

    Benny nearly dropped his bag. ¡°Rosa Gutierrez?¡±

    ¡°Rosa Gutierrez?!¡± says Cathy popping back in the kitchen, ¡°Did I hear, right? The Rosa Gutierrez, mom?¡± asked Cathy in excitement, ¡°The actress who co-starred in the movie ¡®Don¡¯t You Break My Heart?¡¯¡±

    ¡°Same one¡­¡± Mom winked.

    Cathy shrieked in excitement, ¡°Mom! How come you never told me?! Can you introduce me to her?! I hear she has the best dresses!¡±

    ¡°Princess, she is your mother¡¯s client not a social contact. Anyhow, that¡¯s wonderful news Rachel!¡± Dad kissed Mom in cheek as she poured him more coffee.

    ¡°That¡¯s great, Mom!¡± says Emmett.

    ¡°Congrats, Mom!¡± says Benny.

    ¡°Oh, now stop!¡± she giggled. ¡°By the way Jacob, how are things with your client?¡±

    ¡°Fine¡­ Actually it¡¯s more than fine!¡± says Dad, looking a tad proud of himself. ¡°We just won this client over! He¡¯s just about to sign the contract!¡± Benny knew this client was a big international bank that Dad has been trying to gain as a client for his firm. Everyone was voicing out their congratulations to Dad as well.

    Although Benny was giving a cheery fa?ade he did feel left out, especially seeing all of them looking mighty pleased with themselves for having achieved something.

    While he did not¡­

    Benny stared at Emmett, who was now discussing the plans for tonight¡¯s dinner to Dad.

    So now Emmett can pay a fancy restaurant, huh? Isn¡¯t there something else he can pay? Like a trip back to the U.S. for example? Benny thought, feeling resentful.

    ¡°Is there something wrong, Benjamin?¡± asks Dad.

    Benny jumped in surprise. He took a nervous glance to find Dad surveying him with a piercing gaze. Sometimes Benny has the feeling that his Dad seemed to be able to read minds. A lot of his clients kept on saying that he has the tendency to guess what they were thinking correctly. He already proved that with Cathy loads of times.

    ¡°N-nothing Dad!¡± says Benny quickly.

    With a nod, Dad turned his attention back to his paper, ¡°Well, you better get going then or you¡¯ll be late. Ector should be waiting outside.¡±

    Ector Unos was Ace¡¯s dad and the Head of Security at the Perlasreyna Group Headquarters.

    ¡°Take care, Sweetie!¡± says Mom, took away the discarded plates.

    Benny made his way to the hallway and was about to change into his shoes when he heard a sound of light footsteps and a clonking of a cane. Looking up, he saw Abuela, slowly climbing down the steps.

    ¡°Let me help you down!¡±

    Abandoning his shoes, he quickly climbed up to the steps and escorts her down the stairs.

    ¡°Thank you, Benny-Iho. But you know I¡¯m fully capable climbing a few steps!¡± she gives him a warm smile.

    Glinda Estrella, fondly known as Abuela, is the family matriarch.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    One might mistake her for Benny¡¯s mother.

    But in reality, she is their great-grandmother. Despite being over eighty, she doesn¡¯t look nor acts like one. She looks more middle-aged than in her eighties. Not as wrinkled and sunken. She always keeps her hair in an elegant crown braid and bun, which is too formal in Benny¡¯s opinion. Since before he could remember, she carried a peculiar cane that was intricately carved and had a a clear orb for the knob.

    ¡°We¡¯re almost there, Abuela. What where you doing up there in the first place?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I was just looking for something the attic.¡± she pats a small wrapped parcel in her free arm.

    ¡°The attic again,¡± Benny says in consternation, ¡°Abuela, that place is thick with dust! What if you get allergies or asthma?¡±

    Abuela laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Iho. I¡¯m still healthy as a Pegasus-horse!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it was nothing! Just a slip of tongue¡­¡± Abuela chuckles as they finally reach the last step.

    Benny looked at her in concern. ¡°Maybe you should go back to your room and lie down.¡±

    ¡°As a matter of fact, I am heading there, right now. But could you accompany me to my room, dear. I have something to show you¡­¡±

    She clutches the wrapped package again.

    Benny looked at his watch, ¡°Actually, Abuela I really have to get going. Ace and Mr. Unos are waiting for me.¡±

    ¡°Well, they can wait a little more, now come! This is something important!¡±

    Abuela took his hand. And wow, she has a grip! It¡¯s obvious who Cathy inherited her strength from.

    Benny had no choice but to follow her down the hall to her room.

    Abuela¡¯s room is on the first floor of the house. Every time Benny enters that room, it smells like homemade perfumes and flowers. The room was filled floral-themed decorations, including a flower painted teapot and tea cozy. The room had a nice view of the garden which just so happens to be filled with flowers Abuela herself grew.

    ¡°Come here, Benny-Iho.¡± She says as she sits on her bed. ¡°I want to give you something. So sit down.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not getting younger, Iho¡­¡±

    Benny obediently sits beside her.

    ¡°Benny-Iho, I believe it¡¯s time to give you this.¡± she took a small gold chain around her neck and pulled out something hanging from it.

    ¡°Abuela¡­Isn¡¯t this?¡± Benny stared at the object she was holding.

    It was his great-grandmother¡¯s most prized possession: a golden pocket watch.

    Benny knew that pocket watch very well.

    Apparently, it¡¯s made mostly out of gold, the whole gears and all. But what really catches the eye is the huge oval gemstone set on its cover, surrounded by intricate designs was a large, oval-shaped gemstone. It was deep blue that had speckles and streaks of gold and silver, like the night sky had been painted on it. But its slight transparency revealed that encased within the gem was a small blooming rose that seemed to have been frozen in time.

    It was a special and rare type of gemstone called blue amber.

    Benny had heard many people who have seen it to say it was unlike any other. The whole family, even his Mom and Cathy had set their eyes on this watch. Not just because it was so pretty to look at but because it was obviously worth a lot of money! But that was not the only thing that made this antique item so precious. Abuela had this item on her since she was very young. Abuela always wears this pocket watch like a medallion underneath her shawl. And she never lets it out of her sight. A lot of his relatives have apparently been claiming dibs on it in case something happens to her.

    But Abuela always said (and quite firmly) that only she will decide who will inherit it.

    ¡°I want you to have this.¡± she places the chain around his neck.

    Benny felt the cold chain touch his neck. He couldn¡¯t help but get mixed feelings about this. He was thrilled that he was getting the precious family heirloom but¡­

    ¡°Um, Abuela, I really honored.¡± says Benny trying to break it down gently, ¡°¡­but I can¡¯t accept this.¡±

    He tries taking off the chain, but Abuela takes his hand.

    ¡°And why don¡¯t you?¡± She didn¡¯t even sound surprised as though she was expecting his reaction.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you give this Ate Cathy or Mom? Or¡­oh, I know! What about Aunt Josephine? She¡¯s a jewelry collector and I know she¡¯s been begging you to sell it to her.¡±

    Abuela shook her head.

    ¡°They¡¯d only see it as a flashy jewelry or an investment or some collector¡¯s item. But there¡¯s a sentimental value about this that I can¡¯t just hand it over to anybody else. For instance, take a look what¡¯s inside.¡±

    Benny looked at her puzzled, ¡°Why? Is there something in it?¡±

    Abuela smiled, ¡°Open the latch and see.¡±

    Benny did just that and clicked the latch on the pocket watch. At once, Benny could see what she meant. The dial on the watch was clearly unique. Instead of numbers, strange symbols circled around the dial. The hands of the watch were clearly made of gold and intricately designed.

    ¡°Take a look over here¡­There¡¯s a little secret.¡±

    Abuela pointed at the lid of the watch. There was another kind of latch holding what looked like a pair of tiny doors.

    Benny clicked the little latch and to his surprise, two swinging windows quickly popped open from the lid. There was a picture held on each window: one of which was a photo of him and Abuela. He was probably six years old at that time. He was wearing her sunhat while the both of them sat on a park bench. Benny was looking up to her with a wide, mischievous grin on his face while she looked at him with the same fond smile she was giving him right now. Strange enough Benny couldn¡¯t remember ever having that photo taken. Despite that, he was touched that she kept a photo of them always with her.

    ¡°I always kept that photo. It was the last time we went to the park before that¡­well, never mind. Look at the other picture.¡±

    Benny turned his attention to the other window. The other picture was an old, faded, black-and-white photograph of a couple: a young man wearing pince-nez glasses, and a young woman in a very flowery dress. The woman looked very familiar.

    ¡°Is that¡­you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me before I came to this country. I used to live in a faraway place with my friends and family.¡±

    Benny has heard that before.

    Abuela came to the Philippines by herself when she was only eighteen and was pregnant at that time with Benny¡¯s grandfather (which she discovered only later). She never did gone into details of why she came here or even where she came from that matter, even when her grandchildren offered to cover the expenses for her to visit her homeland.

    But she always said it is place that one cannot just travel into. Whatever that means¡­

    ¡°It is long story, right?¡± says Benny tactfully.

    ¡°Yes. You know your great-grandfather was quite the charmer. That¡¯s him in the photo.¡±

    Benny looked at the photo with sudden interest. So the guy in the photo was his great-grandfather. Now that Benny looked closely he did share some similar features. There was that bit of hair that stuck up at the back like a cowlick. They shared the same shape of nose. They even had the same shape of eyes except his great-grandfather had a determined look in them as though he were a soldier looking forward to battle.

    ¡°We were so happy together. And when I was eighteen we were supposed to get married. But then that terrible accident happened and it was never meant to be.¡±

    Benny stared at her, completely stunned. She never mentioned that before! There was no word of an ¡°accident.¡± In fact, everyone in the family thought that she had a fling and got knocked up (not that they dare to mention this to her outright.) It was clear that they were very wrong.

    ¡°Did he die?¡±

    ¡°No, dear¡­we were just separated¡­¡±

    That must be her way of saying it.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡±

    She looked at him fondly ¡°You know you are so much like him, Benny-Iho, almost completely the spitting image. You¡¯re just as handsome as he was when he was your age.¡±

    Benny felt his face growing hot upon hearing that.

    ¡°Um¡­thanks, Abuela.¡± says Benny, slightly embarrassed.

    ¡°And in attitude, you both have that sweet, patient and gentle personality. But of course, you both do have that tendency to become strong, fierce and violent when needed be.¡± She added that bit with a slight smirk.

    Okay, that for sure, Benny thought was a little bit of an exaggeration. Sure he got strict with Ace once when Ace pulled a prank on him involving a fake boa constrictor that landed both of them in the E.R.

    But that was only one time.

    ¡°What was his name? My great-grandfather¡¯s¡­¡±

    She gave him another sad smile. ¡°His name was Abraham, I always called him Steeple.¡±

    Benny blinked, ¡°Steeple?¡±

    ¡°Because when he was a little boy he got his foot caught on a rope that was supposed hoist the church¡¯s new bell in the steeple and instead he got hoisted up instead. So from then on, I always called him ¡®Steeple¡¯¡±

    Benny didn¡¯t know whether she was telling the truth or not. But he did give a loud snort of laughter.

    ¡°Yes, that nickname always riled him up.¡± says Abuela, also chuckling merrily.

    Okay, now that was something Benny and his Abuelo had both had in common: they both hated their nicknames.

    ¡°But it didn¡¯t bother him if he was the one calling us with nicknames.¡±

    ¡°And what did he call you?¡± asks Benny, who couldn¡¯t resist.

    ¡°He called me ¡®Glinda¡¯¡±

    ¡°Glinda?¡± repeats Benny in confusion. ¡°But isn¡¯t that your name?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you a little secret, Iho. When I arrive here in this country everyone came to know me as Glinda. But my true name is Sarah.¡±

    ¡°Sarah?¡± Benny¡¯s brain was clicking furiously.

    The name his family had been calling their great-grandmother wasn¡¯t her real name at all?

    ¡°Does anybody in the family know about this?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t bother to correct them. When I registered as a citizen here, I used the name Glinda instead of Sarah.¡±

    ¡°Why¡¯s that? Were you being chased by someone?¡±

    Abuela jolted for a second. Did he say something on the mark?

    ¡°I-I had my own reasons. I wanted to start over. And in a way that name was like a memento from your Abuelo.¡± She sighed sadly.

    ¡°So why did Abuelo call you Glinda in the first place? Was it like the Good Witch in the Wizard of Oz?¡±

    ¡°Actually we never heard of that story when we were kids. But there was a woman with a rather large set of lips and had hair worn like that wife of that monster made of dead bodies?¡±

    ¡°You mean the ¡®bride¡¯ of Frankenstein?¡±

    Abuela chuckled, ¡°I don¡¯t know, but she was named ¡®Glinda¡¯, so he thought it would annoy me if he called me ¡®Glinda¡¯ as well. But in truth I found that name really nice. In the end, he kept calling me Glinda and I called him Steeple, much to his shame.¡± She looked a little smug but then a look of sadness passed her face. ¡°I still miss him every day though¡­¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you try to contact him at all?¡±

    ¡°I never heard from him ever again¡­¡± she said vaguely but again failed to elaborate.

    It was clearly hard for her to explain. She explained so much already.

    Benny snaps the photo frames back in place and closes the pocket watch. His eyes fell on the parcel on her lap and knew it was time to change the subject, ¡°Umm, Abuela? Is this what you were looking up in the attic?¡±

    ¡°You were always so sharp, Iho¡­ Yes, this is what I have been looking for some time. I could¡¯ve sworn I hid it behind that old chest of your grandpa¡¯s belongings, but it turns out that it was hidden behind that awful picture of your Uncle Eddy in that Einstein outfit when he was younger.¡±

    Benny struggled to keep himself from laughing. He had seen that picture a couple of times. Uncle Eddy tried to dress up like Einstein but his puffy white wig gave him a look similar to a giant dandelion flower instead.

    ¡°Your Uncle Eddy has always liked to associate himself with good standing peers and basking in the same spotlight as them. I think he takes after your other great-grandmother in that aspect. She was always starry-eyed and was such a social climber. Come to think of it, Catherine-iha might have inherited that blabbing mouth from her as well.¡± She continues on, as she unwrap the small package in front of them.

    Benny had to smile a bit.

    He and Abuela had that special relationship in the family.

    Despite his siblings¡¯ accomplishments she dotes on him more and appreciative of even the littlest things he does. And although nobody admits it, it is pretty clear that Benny is her favorite in the family. After all he had the coveted pocket watch to prove it.

    ¡°Benny-Iho¡­do you remember what this is?¡± She pats the item that had been underneath all those wrappings.

    It was just an ordinary old book.

    ¡°A book?¡± answers Benny innocently. Thank you, Captain Obvious!

    ¡°Yes, it is a book.¡± Abuela says patiently, ¡°But do you remember it?¡±

    ¡°Um, no¡­¡±

    Abuela sighs, ¡°I suppose. You were still so young then and of course there¡¯s that¡­ Well, if you must now this is no ordinary book. See for yourself!¡±

    Benny took the book and held it in his hands. It was strangely light in spite of its apparent thickness. A twelve-pointed diamond star, a dodecagram, emblazoned in gold on its cover. The cover bore the distinct signs of ageing but still looked in good shape.

    He looked at his great-grandmother who was looking back at him with anticipation.

    ¡°Go on!¡± she urged him, ¡°Open it!¡±

    Benny did what she asked and opened the book. The pages were a little yellowed and old but the texts were still clear.

    ¡°Do you see what is written?¡±

    Benny stared at the texts as he traced a finger over them.

    e?k??ltu?r??t??nh??m

    To a normal reader, the book was written in a strange ancient and foreign language. But to Benny, he knew its strange texts very well. Abuela had been teaching him how to read and write in this language! It was one of the languages she drilled into him.

    Strange enough, he was the only one she taught this language and nobody else. Benny always wondered why she didn¡¯t do the same for the others and she always replied that it was something special only for the two of them and he would need this one day.

    Benny wasn¡¯t so sure about the latter part.

    He tried to consult his history teacher what these languages were and the teacher thought he was playing a joke on him. So Benny assumed this must be some made up language. But it did come in handy several times. In fact, he has been writing this way on his journal and it has been proved to be very successful in keeping snooping people (take Ace and Cathy for example) from reading his private secrets.

    Nobody else in the family knew how to read this but him and his great-grandmother, since she says she never bothered to teach them.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this our secret language?¡±

    ¡°It is¡­¡±

    Benny stared at the book again.

    ¡°But this book is old¡­¡±

    ¡°Indeed it is. Can you guess how old it is?¡±

    Benny frowned at the book, trying to guess, judging from the aged look he had a rough estimate of forty to fifty years. Benny told her his guess.

    Abuela smiled in amusement, ¡°No, Abuela. That figure is too small.¡±

    Too small she says? Benny thought, ¡°So how old is it?¡±

    Her smiled widened, ¡°Believe it or not this book is over a thousand years old.¡±

    Oh, right a thousand. Wait. What?

    ¡°Come again?¡±

    ¡°This book is over a thousand years old.¡± She repeated as though she was saying something out a fact book.

    Benny felt his jaw drop as he stared at his great-grandmother. It must be a joke, he was expecting her to laugh and say it was a joke.

    She didn¡¯t.

    She was looking at him with a very serious look in her face. Abuela never looks like that.

    He had seen books in the library that were over fifty and there weren¡¯t as good shape as this one! A book can¡¯t stay in this state for a millennium!

    ¡°But Abuela, this doesn¡¯t look a thousand¡­¡± says Benny.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just say it has been well cared for¡­¡±

    Benny has seen documentaries about papers and precious documents from 10<sup>th</sup> century, but even then, those documents were so worn and almost unreadable except to scholars and their high-tech machines.

    ¡°It has been in the family for centuries. Though our name changed over the centuries we still carried on with our family¡¯s legacy¡­¡±

    ¡°Legacy?¡± repeats Benny in bewilderment.

    ¡°Yes, our Family Legacy¡­¡±

    Abuela patted the old book¡¯s cover.

    ¡°You see, Iho. It was given to me by my father when I was your age. And it was passed to him by my grandmother. And so on and so forth.¡±

    For a moment, Benny though this sounded a little clich¨¦. Abuela might still be joking and was putting quite a good act on it. But still he couldn¡¯t help but feel completely rapt by Abuela¡¯s words.

    ¡°And now¡­the time has come for me to pass this on to you.¡±

    ¡°W-what?¡± stammered Benny, ¡°Why me?¡±

    ¡°That is because you are the only one in the family who is worthy to possess this.¡± says Abuela

    ¡°Worthy? But I¡¯m not-¡± Benny took a deep breath, ¡°Look, Abuela maybe you should give this Emmett. I mean he likes books.¡±

    Abuela laughed a bit, ¡°You want to give Emmett a book that he can¡¯t even read from?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­¡±

    ¡°Emmett-Iho wouldn¡¯t appreciate this book even if he could read it.¡±

    ¡°Why? Isn¡¯t it a thousand year old family heirloom book, right?¡±

    Benny still wasn¡¯t sure about that fact.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll-¡±

    ¡°No, you misunderstood. What I meant is that the contents of this book, is something Emmett-Iho nor your father can never understand even if they could learn how to read this language. No one else in our family can¡­except for you and me.¡±

    That didn¡¯t really make sense, ¡°What do you mean? What kind of book is it?¡±

    ¡°Benny-Iho, this book is a special,¡± Abuela gave him a tender smile, ¡°Just as you¡¯re special. In all our family, you are truly unique.¡±

    Benny bowed his head shamefully.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know about the ¡®special¡¯ part but I am definitely unique¡­¡± Yeah right, I¡¯m unique because I¡¯m NOT special, Benny thought.

    ¡°You¡¯re unique because you¡¯re not special? Is that what you¡¯re thinking?¡± says Abuela raising an eyebrow.

    Benny jolted as he stared at his great-grandmother in disbelief! That¡¯s exactly what he thought! How did she know?

    ¡°Um, no I wasn¡¯t thinking like that!¡± says Benny, a little too defensively.

    Abuela shook her head, ¡°Benny-Iho, I know that you¡¯ve been always feeling overshadowed by your siblings.¡±

    ¡°N-no, I¡¯m not!¡± says Benny defiantly.

    But he couldn¡¯t help but feel she was on the mark.

    ¡°So are you telling me that you aren¡¯t bothered Emmett¡¯s academic achievements, Catherine¡¯s athletic wins or even Thomas¡¯s artistic skills?¡±

    Benny could only open his mouth but no words could stream out. He always thought he masked his feels of being inferior quite well. But apparently Abuela was actually more observant than she looked.

    ¡°If this is any consolation, you are truly special.¡±

    ¡°But¡­Abuela, what is it that makes me special?¡± Benny asked, truth be told his mind was really getting dizzy now.

    ¡°One day, soon, you will realize what I mean.¡±

    Now that was a little disappointing to receive such a vague answer. Benny so much wanted to know what she meant right now.

    ¡°But for now, I think it¡¯s time to pass the ownership of this book to you.¡±

    She took his hand and placed it on top of the cover of the book together with hers.

    ¡°Benjamin Luke Estrella, will you promise me on your honor as a descendent of the Ambrosia Clan that you will protect this book for as long as you live?¡±

    Descendent of the Ambrosia Clan? Honor? Protect?

    Benny was finding it a little laughable. Not only was his full name said aloud but the way Abuela was talking, it sounded like he was being knighted or inducted into some Sacred Order, or something.

    ¡°Will you?¡± she asked him again, that already serious look in her eye getting more serious by the second that it really made Benny uncomfortable. ¡°And you must say as you mean it!¡±

    ¡°I promise.¡± Benny felt himself whisper.

    The moment he said that, Benny felt himself jolt as though a course of electricity surged from his hand to whole body! Soon a new sensation came to his hand! What was that?

    Was the book growing warmer?

    But no sooner Benny thought that, suddenly the book shone in bright light!

    For a moment, Benny was blinded with the light and had to shut his eyes. Underneath his hand the book felt like it was burning hot? It lasted only for a few seconds then both the light and the heat from the book were gone.

    ¡°It is done. The book is now yours.¡±

    Abuela said as she opened her eyes and finally letting go of his hand.

    ¡°Abuela, w-what just happened?¡± Benny stared at the book in panic. ¡°The book shone and it grew hot!¡±

    ¡°Which means the ownership has passed on to you, Iho.¡± She nods contently.

    ¡°But, Abuela¡­What just happened?¡± Benny repeated, feeling really confused and strangely weird (not the regular weird. Weird as in something changed within you weird.)

    Abuela was about to say something when, his cell phone shook in his pocket.

    He took a look at the screen to find text from Ace. It read:

    Hey, Crusoe! We¡¯re gonna be late! Get your butt out here or my dad will throw a fit!

    ¡°Dang it¡­He¡¯s getting ticked!¡± Benny muttered underneath his breath.

    Abuela chuckled, ¡°Get going! Your friend seems to be in hurry.¡±

    ¡°Um, okay!¡±

    Benny got up and was about to leave.

    ¡°And take the book with you.¡± she called after him.

    Benny stopped in his tracks, ¡°W-what?¡±

    ¡°Take the book. You will need it.¡±

    ¡°Abuela, I¡¯m going to a party. I don¡¯t see why I need to-¡±

    Suddenly another text from Ace appeared:

    ¡°Crusoe, we¡¯re leaving! Hurry up!¡±

    ¡°Sorry Abuela, I have to go-¡°

    ¡°Take the book with you. You promised me that you would protect it.¡±

    ¡°But-¡± this was getting really awkward. Benny didn¡¯t want to bring the book for two solid reasons.

    Number one: There was something weird about this book.

    And Number Two: what is there to protect it from?

    But Abuela looked as if that her life depended on her request for him to bring it.

    ¡°Please, Benny-Iho. Bring it.¡± Abuela voice was practically beseeching him.

    ¡°Alright!¡± says Benny, ¡°I¡¯ll bring it!¡±

    Benny didn¡¯t want to see her that way so gingerly he took the book and stuffed it into his bag.

    Abuela¡¯s expression changed back into a normal smile. But for a moment there, did he saw a flicker of relief?

    ¡°Um, Abuela thanks but can you explain everything later?¡±

    For a moment, Abuela gave him blank stare before her mouth broke into a smile.

    ¡°I will try¡­¡±

    What did that mean?

    Still feeling unsure about what her answer meant. Benny bent down and gave her a kiss on the cheek. The next thing he knew she pulled him into a tight hug.

    ¡°A-Abuela? What-¡±

    ¡°Just remember, Iho¡­ The greatest miracles come¡­ from believing in yourself¡­.¡± She peers down at him and strokes his cheek. ¡°Trust your Sight and your heart.¡±

    ¡°My sight and heart? What do you mean?¡±

    He did not understand what she meant by that either. For a few seconds, he just stood there in her embrace.

    She released Benny from the hug. Benny was looking at her completely bewildered and looking very flushed. But knowing he didn¡¯t have much time before Ace would send another angry text again.

    ¡°Um, bye Abuela and thanks for the¡­you know¡­everything.¡±

    Benny walks out of the room feeling awkward at what just happened.

    ¡°That was weird¡­¡±

    He murmurs to himself as he headed to the foyer.

    He wasn¡¯t able to catch the words Abuela whispered as he closed the door.

    ¡°Be strong, Iho. Your journey has only just begun¡­¡±

 Chapter 4 - Traveling

    Benny leaned at the door, letting off a shuddering puff.

    ¡°What was that all about? And this book¡­¡± The mysterious book formed a significant lump in his bag so Benny could feel it from the inside. ¡°Just what is this thing?¡±

    ¡°Benjamin?¡± Mom appears at the doorway of the kitchen. ¡°You¡¯re still here, honey? I thought you left already?¡±

    ¡°Oh well, Abuela wanted to talk to me for a bit.¡±

    BAM! BAM! BAM!

    Benny to jump in fright, thinking it was the book in his bag. Only to realize that it came from front door.

    ¡°Now who could that be?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s only Pablo, Mom!¡± Benny said quickly as he makes his way to the door.

    Benny opens the door and finds Ace standing already on the porch, looking very irritated.

    ¡°Err¡­morning?¡± Benny gave him a wan smile.

    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®morning¡¯ me! What took you so long?¡± He snaps at Benny, who flinches in response to his loud voice, ¡°Did you stay up all night at that party?¡±

    ¡°No, and I rather not speak about last night¡¯s party.¡±

    ¡°Good morning, Pablo! A little energetic this morning?¡± says Mom, as she walks up behind him.

    Ace does a double-take, clearly surprised to find Benny¡¯s mother standing there, ¡°Morning Mrs. E! I¡¯m here to pick Ben up!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be going now! Bye Mom!¡± Benny snatches up his shoes, pushes Ace out the door.

    As soon as they were out the door, Benny sits by the porch steps to put his shoes on.

    ¡°So what took you so long? It¡¯s rude to keep people waiting-¡±

    Benny cleanly cut him off, ¡°Abuela wanted to talk to me for a bit. She was annoyed that you kept texting¡­¡±

    Ace suddenly begins to backtrack. He knows full well that even Mr. Unos was deathly afraid of Abuela. ¡°Oh, um, okay¡­sorry about that. But Pop¡¯s gonna grill us both for the next barbecue night if you don¡¯t hurry up!¡±

    ¡°I think I can convince him not to ¡®grill¡¯ me but I think it¡¯s you who has the problem.¡±

    Ace quickly regained his composure, ¡°Dang right! Now hurry up!¡±

    The two boys quickly headed for the next door¡¯s garage where Ace¡¯s father, Mr. Unos (or as he is more popularly called Chief Unos as he is the head of security of the company he works for) was waiting for them in the driver seat of his company car.

    ¡°We¡¯re here, Pops!¡±

    Chief Unos leaned out of the window, looking rather irritated and impatient as his son was earlier, ¡°Took you boys long enough!¡±

    ¡°Sorry, Chief Unos¡­¡± Benny apologized, ¡°Abuela wanted to speak to me so I-¡±

    ¡°Y-you mean, M-Madam Estrella?¡± Chief Unos stuttered, looking quite uncomfortable, ¡°Well, if she wanted to talk to you who am I to argue! Well, hurry up and get in the back or we¡¯ll be late.¡±

    Benny and Ace looked at each other. Abuela was probably one of the only few people the Chief Unos was afraid of (next to his wife, that is). According to Ace it was because he fell of a ladder onto her flower beds a years back and got a ¡°scolding¡± he would never forget. Ace never knew what exactly transpired and couldn¡¯t tell him, Benny was sure he had heard his dad say that the shovel in the garden shed took a strange shape after that incident.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have to be reporting to the company at this hour, Chief Unos?¡± asks Benny as he and Ace climbed on to the back seat of the car.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry kiddo. I have something to personally report and deliver to Mr. Perlasreyna anyway so taking you boys there will be like killing two bird with one rock!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s stone, Pops. Not rock.¡± Ace rolled his eyes.

    Benny snorted in attempt to keep his laughter down. Chief Unos has a penchant of saying famous sayings but getting them wrong every time.

    ¡°Buckle up, boys! As you know, safety begins!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s safety first! Seriously Pops¡­¡± says Ace, looking exasperated.

    Ace had already put on his seatbelt. Benny, on the other hand, was fumbling around for the clip.

    ¡°You¡¯re sitting on it, Crusoe.¡±

    ¡°Knock off with the nickname already.¡±

    ¡°Duck your heads. I can¡¯t see the driveway!¡± says Chief Unos as he was revving the engine, preparing to back the car out of the driveway.

    Chief Unos drove the car onto the road and soon they were speeding down the highway, heading straight for town.

    ¡°So Benjamin, I hear that your brother and sister are back in town?¡± Chief Unos asks Benny.

    ¡°Yeah, but Kuya Emmett¡¯s here only for a couple of weeks though. He¡¯ll be heading back to the US next Saturday.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t sound sad by that though?¡±

    ¡°Err¡­No as much, sir. We still keep in touch through Skype.¡±

    Technically speaking, they don¡¯t Skype directly to each other. Emmett would Skype to the whole family and Benny would only say a few words before excusing himself to do something else while the rest of the family chatted.

    Chief Unos shakes his head. ¡°That¡¯s not the same as being here physically though. I would enjoy the time I have with my own brother before he heads back to someplace far if I were you¡­¡±

    ¡°But you don¡¯t have a brother, Pops.¡± Ace snorted, ¡°Just a brother-in-law and one you don¡¯t even get along with.¡±

    ¡°We just don¡¯t see eye-to-eye, Pablo.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, and the last time you and Tito John saw each other it ended with a black eye. Two of them, remember?¡±

    ¡°Err, well, that brother-in-law of mine was always such a¡­¡±

    Benny sat silently in his seat.

    What Ace¡¯s dad said really clicked on him. He and Emmett have never been that too brotherly with each other. Emmett was still too busy with his studies while Benny stayed to his own devices. Although what happened last night had really drew the line between them. At least for Benny, as Emmett didn¡¯t seem to realize how bad it had gone on Benny¡¯s end. He was still a little resentful than usual of Emmett at the moment.

    ¡°Hey Bro, you didn¡¯t log in last night. Did something happen last night?¡± whispers Ace.

    ¡°I told you I could if I can escape Emmett¡¯s ¡®little¡¯ discourse.¡± says Benny, rummaging his bag.

    ¡°Let me guess, it was that long, dull and boring?¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it was boring to the adults, they were eating up every word he said. But I sure didn¡¯t understand half of what he meant about those diseases he said he was tackling in his research. And he spoke for two hours straight! It¡¯s medical miracle already that he didn¡¯t ask for water the whole time.¡±

    Ace snorted in laughter, ¡°Wow, and just when school was out, you get a med school lecture?¡± he says, leaning back on his seat, ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have asked to excuse yourself?¡±

    ¡°I did but everyone kept on shushing me every time I tried!¡±

    ¡°Harsh. And I thought Pops could be brutal¡­¡±

    ¡°What was that, Pablo?¡± says Chief Unos, peering at him from the rear view mirror.

    ¡°N-Nothing! I didn¡¯t say anything!¡±

    Benny smirks at Ace.

    ¡°So what about Tom or Lilly?¡± asks Ace having dropped his voice to whisper, ¡°Or even that elder sister of yours? How were they able to withstand listening to that? I don¡¯t think science appeals to her as much as Kuya Em, right?¡±

    ¡°She wasn¡¯t¡­she said she needed to get some rest saying she was tired from her trip. So she was excused before he even started.¡±

    Although now that Benny thought about it, that was probably a ploy to get out of it. He was sure that when he woke up at two in the morning to get a glass of water, he saw her through the crack of her bedroom door that she was still texting on her phone.

    ¡°So it¡¯s lucky her, huh?¡±

    ¡°Tom and Lilly, on the other hand just fell asleep on the couch. Apparently it was okay with the rest of the family if they fell asleep.¡±

    ¡°Looks to me that you got the worst end of the stick there,¡± says Ace

    Ace didn¡¯t know that half of it. Benny would never dare to mention the embarrassing part of Emmett¡¯s discourse because Ace would never let him live it down.

    ¡°Hey Crusoe, you okay? You look a little run down.¡±

    ¡°Oh, nothing, nothing at all¡­and stop calling me that!¡±

    To get his mind off things, Benny quickly rummaged in his bag and found a pack of salted sunflower seeds.

    Ace eyes the pouch, ¡°Sunflower seeds? Don¡¯t you get tired of eating those?¡±

    ¡°Hey! They¡¯re delicious and healthy!¡± says Benny, feeling a little defensive about it.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you try chewing some roasted peanut brittle? I¡¯ve got some here¡­¡±

    Benny quickly backs away, ¡°Get that stuff away from me!¡±

    ¡°Whoops! I forgot you were allergic to them!¡± says Ace, takes a few sticks and stuffs the can back on his fanny pack.

    Benny noticed that his mouth was breaking into a wide grin. Ace was clearly pulling his leg.

    ¡°¡®Whoops! You forgot?!¡¯ Did you forget the last time I ate peanuts? I got rashes all over me!¡±

    ¡°Relax I was only kidding!¡± Ace laughed as though this was something said in passing.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re kidding, huh?¡± Benny grumbles as he watches Ace stuff several more peanut brittles, ¡°You look thirsty. Would you like a drink?¡±

    ¡°Now that mention it, I am a little thirsty. You got some water there?¡±

    Benny shakes his head, ¡°Nope. But I have some milk if you want to drink down those peanuts?¡±

    Ace instantly did the same reaction, albeit more intense. He jumped away from Benny, planting himself against the wall of the car. To which, Benny burst into a fit of laughter.

    ¡°Dude, that¡¯s not funny!¡±

    ¡°Whoops! I forgot you were lactose intolerant!¡±

    Ace looked annoyed for a bit before breaking into a grin, ¡°Touch¨¦!¡±

    ¡°Pablo?¡± Ace¡¯s dad called from the front, ¡°Could you come up in front and help look at this road map? I can¡¯t pinpoint where that beach house of your friend¡¯s is.¡± he says as he pulls over.

    Ace¡¯s hand was already at the door handle when he stopped, ¡°Wait. Why do you need a road map? Didn¡¯t we install that GPS the other day?¡±

    From the rear view mirror, Ace¡¯s dad turned a shade of pink, ¡°I couldn¡¯t figure out how to work this damn thing! Just come and help me look for it!¡±

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just ask for directions?¡± Ace crosses his arms defiantly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t trust the directions you ask of someone out in the sidewalk! Now get in here and help find it!¡±

    Ace was grumbling underneath his breath as he stepped out of the car. ¡°So is asking help from a kid¡­this is why we have the GPS!¡±

    ¡°Just go before he pulls a pistol on you!¡± says Benny, in an undertone.

    ¡°Tasteful joke, Crusoe¡­¡± Ace whisper back as he gets out of the door.

    Benny was about to tell him stop calling him by that nickname but Ace already closed the door of the car. Chief Unos also gets out of the car and lays the road map on the hood.

    ¡°It should be around Palm Cove.¡± says Ace points at the map.

    Chief Unos frowned, ¡°Well, judging by the traffic at this time of the day we should take this detour route but that will take us-¡±

    Benny had to smile as he watched the father and son work together, feeling slightly jealous that he and his own dad weren¡¯t close as they were. Jacob Estrella was always too focused with his work in the firm that he barely gave time for any for leisure, unless it involved his brother winning some award or something high social.

    Benny leaned back on the seat. He had to admit the seats were comfortable. He felt his eyes suddenly getting droopy. It was still a long way before they would arrive and it was still early in the morning¡­

    Benny closed his eyes and letting the sleepiness overtake him.

    ***

    Tenryu Fyreroar woke up from his nap.

    He felt a little better and recharged though he had those dreams again.

    ¡°That dream again,¡± he says as he stretched his arms, ¡°Just who was that kid?¡±

    He sat up and took a glance out of the window. He saw the landscape had now changed from desert to a thick forest. A forest filled with trees that were white as marble and with leaves that shone like emeralds.

    ¡°Marble Forest¡­that means we¡¯re nearing Marble Town.¡± Suddenly, his stomach began growling, quickly reached into his belt pouch, ¡°I know I still have some of that in here¡­ now where, aha!¡±

    He pulls out his a snack provision he always brings on his journeys: a meat jerky. Tenryu reclines on his seat and takes a big bite.

    ¡°We are now entering the middle section of Marble Forest. Please be patient as we will be arriving in Marble Town shortly in two hours. Thank you and enjoy your trip.¡±

    A lady¡¯s voice boomed through the loudspeaker overhead.

    ¡°Two hours? With nothing to do but to look at a bunch of trees¡­wish something interesting would happen right now!¡± Tenryu grumbled in his seat.

    This is where we say be careful what you wish for.

    KABOOM!

    A loud explosion rocked the whole train!

    The train screeched abruptly into a halt! All of the passengers were screaming as they flew out of their seats. Tenryu himself was thrown off his seat and collided headfirst into the opposite seat.

    ¡°Ow! What the blitz?¡±

    He got from the floor, rubbing his forehead. Several of the passengers in the carriage got up from their seats, completely disoriented as he was.

    Several thoughts coursed through his head. Were they being attack? Were there bandits raiding the training? What¡¯s going on?

    Tenryu was actually getting himself worked up for another fight.

    Suddenly a man came out of the door, holding what looked like a weapon.

    ¡°Oh no, you don¡¯t!¡± Tenryu yelled launching himself at the man.

    ¡°Wait! What-?¡±

    He pulled the man into a headlock and threw him down the floor. As the man tried to get up, Tenryu slammed a foot down his chest to keep him from getting up.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t pulling a fast one buster!¡±

    ¡°Um, excuse me¡­kid?¡± a passenger called out to him.

    ¡°Not now! Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m busy dealing with this bandit?¡± snaps Tenryu.

    The passenger looked a little disturbed. ¡°Err¡­that¡¯s just it. I think you should look a little closely at who you¡¯re beating up there.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Tenryu looked at his so-called ¡°bandit¡± and his ¡°weapon¡± except neither of those was actually true. The man was no bandit at all¡­he was the train conductor! And that weapon was actually a ticket clipper.

    ¡°Oh, blitz¡­Sorry, I thought you were bandit!¡±

    Tenryu got off the guy, who looked a little livid.

    ¡°Offense non-taken,¡± The train conductor grumbled. Who contrary to what he said, looked as though he really minded it a lot. The conductor stood up and pulled a megaphone. ¡°Attention, all passengers! We are sorry for the inconvenience but there has been a severe engine problem. So I am afraid we are stranded until we have finished the repairs.¡±

    Everyone began to complain in unison.

    ¡°What in-?!¡± snaps someone.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me!¡±

    ¡°We need to be in the next town!¡±

    ¡°Mommy, I am hungry!¡±

    ¡°Not now, sweetie¡­¡±

    The train conductor raised his voice over the hubbub. ¡°Everyone, please calm down!¡±

    Tenryu himself didn¡¯t appreciate this news. So he went to his seat and heaved his bag over his shoulder and proceeded to climb out of the window.

    ¡°Excuse me, sir! But where are you going?!¡± The rain conductor yelled through the megaphone.

    ¡°Huh? Who? Me?¡±

    ¡°Yes! You! Just what do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± the train conductor said in a really ticked voice. The passengers already stopped complaining and were staring at Tenryu.

    ¡°Well, the thing is waiting isn¡¯t really my strong point. So I¡¯m just going to head to the next town on foot!¡±

    ¡°W-what?!¡± says the train conductor, ¡°You can¡¯t do that! We are in the middle of Marble Forest! Dangerous creatures live out here!¡±

    ¡°I can take them if they come at me! Besides I¡¯m a Swordsmage!¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s that crazy kid?¡±

    ¡°Hang on¡­isn¡¯t that kid, Tenryu Fyreroar?¡±

    ¡°The one called Wildfire Wizard?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t he the guy who burned down half of Tindill Town?¡±

    Tenryu got really annoyed at that part.

    ¡°Hey! It was those Redcliff Boneheads that caused all that, not me!¡±

    Tenryu practically roared at them. Satisfied with seeing their stunned looks (although it looked like they were scared) he leapt out of the train¡¯s window and began to head into the forest.

    Tenryu ran deep into the forest.

    The place was filled with the strangest plants and animals you can find. Take for example a horse that had antlers of a deer. Animals weren¡¯t the only things different, so were the plants! In fact Tenryu was now jumping across several giant mushrooms that bounced like a trampoline. As he reached the end of the rows of mushrooms he leapt from the last one and headed stopped at a clearing.

    He reached into his neck pulled a small golden chain. Hanging from it was a golden pendant set with a large red oval gemstone. He flipped it open revealing it to be compass.

    ¡°Show me the way to Marble Town!¡± he commanded it.

    The compass needle began to spin and stopped. Its needle was pointing towards east direction.

    ¡°That way, then!¡± he says jovially as he follows direction to where the compass pointed.

    He could smell the scent of the sea in the air. He must be close to the shore. Tenryu gave a great shudder as he did not like the sea very much.

    Tenryu continued on as he made his way deeper into the forest.

    Unbeknownst to him someone was watching from atop the branches. It was a person wearing robes and a hooded cloak and carrying a staff.

    ¡°And so it begins¡­he is in place¡± the person whispered. ¡°And it is time for you to wake up, Benjamin¡­¡±

 Chapter 5 - The Birthday Party

    ¡°Benny! Wake up, man!¡±

    Benny stirred and groaned, ¡°Five more minutes, mom!¡±

    ¡°I said¡­WAKE UP!!!¡±

    Benny suddenly felt a sharp blow in the head! He could already feel a bruise was swelling on his forehead. Benny sat upright and found Ace standing beside him, smirking.

    ¡°It¡¯s so nice of you to finally join the living! Pops had to carry you in here before he drove to work. You were sleeping like a baby.¡±

    ¡°Where are we?¡± mumbles Benny, still rubbing his forehead.

    ¡°Where do you think?¡± Ace gestures to his surroundings. ¡°This is Anna¡¯s beach house!¡±

    Even for a beach house, this living room is luxuriously decorated. Huge Chinese porcelain pots were arranged in the corners. A large flat-screen T.V. was hanging on the wall. The room¡¯s floor-to-ceiling windows had elegant curtains draped over them. A crystal chandelier hung in the middle of the room, further accented by the magnificent ceiling rose. The rug had had intricate Turkish designs. The marble floor tiles shone like a pearl had been flattened out on the ground. The expensive looking furniture gave this room an even more high-class feel to it.

    ¡°Yeah, I know right? Too fancy for my taste.¡± says Ace, grinning at Benny as he lifts up his bag, ¡°We should get change! That party¡¯s out back.¡±

    ¡°You got your gift for Anna, then?¡± asks Benny, taking up his bag.

    ¡°Yeah, you won¡¯t believe what I got her!¡± says Ace a little too smugly, waving the present in his hands.

    ¡°Not the wedding veil, I hope?¡± says Benny with a sly smile.

    Ace turned pink, ¡°No! I made sure I checked before I wrapped it this time!¡±

    ¡°Well, I just hope it isn¡¯t something from your house¡¯s attic! So what is it again?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not of your business!¡±

    A while later the two boys, already in their swimwear and slathered on sun block, headed outside where a huge party was underway.

    It was a perfect day for a beach party!

    The sun was high in the blue sky, with a not a shade of a cloud in the air. The ocean¡¯s waters were deep blue and the waves were breaking along white sand. The party was being held in a small beach front property owned by the Perlasreyna Group.

    After placing their gifts, on a table laden with gifts, Benny and Ace walked around the beach.

    ¡°Now this is what I call a vacation!¡± says Ace, getting a smoothie from a passing waiter.

    Benny does the same and they walk around the beach.

    ¡°Benjamin! Pablo!¡±

    They both turned to find a girl wearing a pink swimsuit and sunhat running towards them.

    ¡°Anna!¡± says Benny.

    ¡°How many times do I have to tell you just to call me by my nickname ¡®Ace¡¯?¡±

    Whether she heard him or not, Anna completely ignored that and she both hugged them in delight. ¡°You guys came!¡±

    ¡°Happy Birthday!¡± says Benny, blushing slightly.

    ¡°Well, of course we did!¡± says Ace, ¡°It¡¯s your birthday and you invited us remember?¡±

    Anastasia Perlasreyna is often described to be quite pretty and a lot of boys were often seen looking her way. Benny could see the ire on the popularity queen Courtney¡¯s face every time this happens. Anna was wearing pink swimsuit and a pair of sandals n her feet. She had a wide brimmed sunhat on her head. Her long blond hair was braided into two tails.

    ¡°Well, come on! I¡¯ll introduce you to everybody!¡±

    Anna led them along the beach where she introduced them to her fellow guests. It did not take long for Benny to notice that most of the guests, however, were her snotty rich cousins and children of her father¡¯s business associates. Every single one of them kept giving Benny and Ace patronizing glances and smiles, something the two weren¡¯t exactly pleased about. They did notice however that none of the guests at the party were any the two boys knew.

    ¡°So where¡¯s your dad, Anna?¡± asks Benny.

    Anna pointed to a group of men over at the house. ¡°He¡¯s there talking to some of his partners! You won¡¯t believe what my daddy got me for my birthday! I¡¯ll show you later!¡±

    Knowing the Perlasreyna Family, it could be anything. Last year, Mr. Perlasreyna got his daughter a pony and the year before that, front row tickets to the concert of some famous boy band Anna likes.

    ¡°Strange, I don¡¯t see anybody from school.¡± says Benny, as another cousin gave him a curt nod after being introduced by Anna.

    Anna looked a little crestfallen, ¡°I only invited a few and Daddy told me to invite only close friends.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you invite Mark over?¡±

    Anna blushed red, ¡°How did you know that?¡±

    ¡°You invited him in Home Ed and we¡¯re classmates in that class, remember?¡± says Benny, with glint of amusement.

    Anna sighed, ¡°Mark had other plans today so he couldn¡¯t come.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you invite anybody else?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I thought those Divas -Ow!¡±

    Benny had to elbow him in the rib.

    ¡°Don¡¯t call them that, Pablo!¡± said Anna reproachfully.

    ¡°Sorry.¡± Ace said with a wince. ¡°So where are they then? I thought you invited Courtney and the rest of her cronies?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not here¡­¡± she says sadly.

    Both Benny and Ace looked stunned to hear this. Knowing Courtney, she wouldn¡¯t miss a chance to get well acquainted with rich people.

    ¡°How come?¡± They both said at the same time.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s just weird. Courtney and the other girls suddenly came down with chicken pox.¡± She says thoughtfully.

    ¡°Chicken pox?¡± they both repeated, looking at each other.

    ¡°Yes!¡± nods Anna, ¡°Which is weird considering they said they already been vaccinated for it. In fact, Courtney¡¯s face was completely covered with blisters when she called up to tell me that she couldn¡¯t make it. I think she might have caught it from Ken.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what happens when she doesn¡¯t leave people alone.¡± Ace laughed, ¡°Sure wished I could see her face!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d probably puke that smoothie¡­¡± says Benny matter-of-factly.

    Though Benny didn¡¯t mean that as a joke, Ace was practically laughing his head off upon hearing that. This earned a disapproving glare from Anna and several looks from the nearby guests.

    ¡°Err¡­let¡¯s go have some fun in the beach! What do you say, Birthday Girl?¡± says Benny quickly. And for good measure, he also elbowed Ace again to stop his fits of laughter.

    Anna smiled, ¡°That¡¯s a good idea!¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Yeah, great¡­¡± Ace grumbled, rubbing his rib.

    They walked together along the beach, debating whether they¡¯d go build a sandcastle or go swimming. Anna suggested they¡¯d go inside the beach house and play the Xbox tennis game in her console. Benny was up for it but Ace said that wasn¡¯t the point of having a party at the beach.

    ¡°Oh, I know let¡¯s go snorkeling!¡± Anna suggested pointing to the docks, ¡°We have a snorkeling kit on the ready! Or we could try fishing?¡±

    Ace suddenly looked excited, ¡°Snorkeling! Now that is a good idea!¡±

    Benny, on the other hand, didn¡¯t look so enthusiastic, ¡°Actually I was thinking of fishing-¡±

    But before he could finish Ace grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him towards the docks.

    ¡°C¡¯mon Crusoe, there is no way I¡¯m wasting my time waiting for a fish to nibble on a hook, only for us to throw it back! Besides snorkeling is fun! You¡¯d get to see the fish up close and personal!¡±

    ¡°I thought I told you to quit calling me that!¡±

    After being instructed by the guide, they all set a little out to sea on a motorboat and jumped in. They spent an hour or so swimming underwater. Ace and Anna swam all around like a pair of fish themselves. Benny had a little trouble when he got entangled in a growth of kelp, but all-in-all Ace was right. It was indeed fun seeing the undersea wildlife. Especially the starfishes and the weird corral shapes. They even passed by a small school of fish as it swam around them.

    When they had enough they all headed back to shore.

    ¡°So what are we going to do next?¡± asks Anna.

    ¡°I know! Let¡¯s go have beach volleyball!¡± Ace suggests.

    ¡°Right off the bat?¡± says Benny as he patted the water out of his ears. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we take a break first?¡±

    ¡°Now don¡¯t be like that, Crusoe! When in the beach do what the beach goers do!¡± says Ace.

    ¡°Have a sun tan?¡±

    ¡°Err¡­yeah, that too! But of course it¡¯s never a beach party without beach volleyball!¡± declares Ace, with a crazed look of enthusiasm in his eyes. Benny sighed as he relents, when it comes to sports Ace is second to none.

    ¡°I have a beach ball we can use to play!¡± says Anna.

    ¡°Why am I not surprised?¡±

    They were still debating on what to do when one of Anna¡¯s butlers came up to them.

    ¡°Excuse me, young miss, but we have another guest coming!¡± he announced, gestured to a girl heading their way.

    She had a pixie-style haircut and a tanned skin like Ace. She was wearing a dark violet swimsuit which showed that she had a well-built physique.

    ¡°Terri!¡± both Benny and Anna greeted her.

    ¡°Oh no,¡± Ace groaned. ¡°What is she doing here?¡±

    ¡°I invited her!¡± Anna answered as though it should¡¯ve been obvious to him.

    The girl named Terri walked towards them with a smirk-like smile on her face. This girl is an old friend of theirs (Ace not so much), Terri Diamante moved away a couple of years back when her single-parent mom got a new job there.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t seen you guys in a while!¡± she says to them, ¡°And here¡¯s the birthday girl herself!¡±

    Anna gives her a hug, ¡°It¡¯s been so long! I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d actually come!¡±

    ¡°Okay! You can let go now.¡± She pries herself from Anna.

    ¡°How the school over there in Iligan?¡± asks Benny.

    ¡°Not much different from St. Xavier. The math teacher¡¯s just as brutal though!¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t they all?¡± chuckles Benny. ¡°Are you still doing gymnastics then?¡± he adds, noticing her toned arms.

    ¡°Yeah, I joined up the Gymnastics Club as soon as I enrolled there! But enough about me! How are you guys? I¡¯ve seen you changed quite a bit Benny! You¡¯ve gotten taller and you also got a pair of new glasses!¡±

    ¡°Only by a three inches and I had to beg dad to get me a normal looking glasses.¡± says Benny adjusted his glasses, ¡°The last pair were a little too big!¡±

    ¡°And they made you look like a bug-eyed freak!¡± says Terri with a nod.

    Benny blushed a bit. ¡°Well, it¡¯s all thanks to Ace. He punched me in the face by accident and broke them.¡±

    ¡°By accident?¡± repeats Terri she glances at Ace, who looked away pointedly, ¡°Knowing this guy, it¡¯s probably no accident. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±

    ¡°Ace!¡± says Benny, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to greet your cousin?¡±

    ¡°Hello¡­¡± Ace said rather stiffly.

    ¡°Hello Cousin Pabby!¡± Terri smirked at him.

    Ace looked grumpier than ever.

    Terri was Ace¡¯s first cousin as their mothers were sisters. But his animosity towards her was because she was the only person in the world that was toe-to-toe with Ace in any sporting event and would beat him. Something, Ace is greatly shameful about.

    ¡°I see some people haven¡¯t change!¡± Terri rolls her eyes.

    ¡°Well, compared to you that¡¯s a compliment!¡± snaps Ace.

    Terri frowned at him. ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t mean anything! Ace, knock it off!¡± Benny steps in trying to stop the crossfire that was already underway. But it was too late.

    ¡°What I mean is that at least I don¡¯t look like I morphed into a gorilla girl in the last two years!¡±

    ¡°What was that?!¡± snaps Terri, cracking her knuckles.

    Benny stepped in-between them, even though he knew he was probably be the one going to get hit instead. But he knew he had to considering high-profile guests were all around. And the last thing, Mr. Perlasreyna would want is a fist-fight in a party he is hosting.

    ¡°Guys, cool it! We have VIP guests here!¡± Benny adds in a hushed whisper.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± says Anna. ¡°This is my birthday party and what I say goes! And I say no fighting between you two! For once, can¡¯t you put your competitiveness aside?¡±

    Both Terri and Ace looked at each other for a slight tense moment before they grunted in agreement.

    ¡°Fine¡­¡± Ace grumbled.

    ¡°Only because it¡¯s your birthday, Anna.¡± says Terri, still looking a little peeved.

    ¡°Now then!¡± says Anna looking quite satisfied, Benny sighed in relief that he didn¡¯t become a punching bag. ¡°Why don¡¯t we all have fun by swimming in the beach?¡±

    ¡°Good idea! I¡¯ve wanted to go swimming since I arrived here!¡± She says while doing some stretching.

    Ace snorted, ¡°Well, we¡¯ve just gone swimming already!¡±

    ¡°Oh you have, have you?¡± Terri glances at him, ¡°I can see why you¡¯re shivering! The water must be so cold that you couldn¡¯t handle it, right?¡±

    ¡°Shivering?! Nah! I¡¯ve just warmed up!¡±

    Benny knew from the conversation where this was heading already.

    ¡°In fact¡­¡± says Ace, his eyes gleaming, ¡°I bet I can swim faster to that buoy over there than you!¡±

    ¡°Oh really?¡± smirks Terri, ¡°Well, last one there is a rotten egg!¡± Terri sped right towards the sea in a flash.

    ¡°Oh no, you don¡¯t!¡± yells Ace as he ran after her.

    Benny stared at them running off and sighed.

    ¡°I knew that was going to happen. They can¡¯t find one leisurely activity without turning it into a competition between themselves.¡± groans Benny.

    ¡°But that¡¯s what makes things fun!¡± says Anna, before following them to the water. ¡°Wait for me!¡± she yells after them. Some of her guests look at her in surprise and disapproval at her behavior.

    Benny was left with no choice but to follow them.

    The day became pretty much a competition between Ace and Terri. Every single activity they managed to turn it into a competition to see who is best. Anna joined in whenever possible, and only did so because she just enjoyed playing with her friends. Benny often found himself either being a judge (which gets him on bad side of either he declares the loser) or an extra player for it to become a two person team (he keeps getting paired with Ace while Anna teams up with Terri).

    Things got wilder as they shift from one activity to another. Right after their so-called swimming competition, they all went water skiing. Benny had to hang on for dear life when it was his turn. Anna, on the other hand, gracefully skidded across the water. Ace and Terri wound up trying to knock each other off while doing some weird acrobatics, much to the general applause of everyone who saw that. They shifted to watermelon smashing, with Ace winding up slamming his stick on Benny¡¯s foot.

    Right after that, they moved on to sand castle building. Terri and Anna made one that looked like the undersea castle from the Little Mermaid movie. While Benny and Ace made one that summed up in two words: trash heap. It looked like a huge clump of sand had been gathered together instead. Ace tried to pass it off as a sea-monster but Benny though it was stretching a little too far.

    When lunch came, Ace and Terri had an eating contest with Ace as the winner. All the while, the guests start converging wherever they are. Benny, at first, thought he and his friends were making fools of themselves. But he could see everyone genuinely seemed to enjoy watching them¡­ or maybe these snooty rich people just enjoyed seeing non-rich people doing just that: making complete fools of themselves.

    Eventually, they started on beach volleyball, Benny and Ace versus Terri and Anna.

    This time everyone, even the helpers and house staff were watching. Benny felt extremely nervous because now he was sure that he was going to make a fool of himself. His friends however did not seem to be bothered by their audience. Ace and Terri were looking at each other with fierce determination from the opposite sides of the pitch. Anna seems to be enjoying the attention as she waves to her cousins, some of which were nice enough to cheer for her.

    One of the houseboys acted as a referee. He held the ball in his hand.

    ¡°Is everybody, ready?¡± he asks them.

    ¡°Yeah!¡± says Ace and Terri.

    ¡°I¡¯m ready!¡± says Anna, looking gleeful.

    ¡°Err...do we really have to do this?¡± says Benny. ¡°I mean can¡¯t you guys just settle with rock-paper-scissors?¡±

    ¡°NO!¡± both Ace and Terri yell at him.

    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll pass on this one!¡± Benny tried to turn away but Ace grabbed him by the hood of his hoodie.

    ¡°My partner is not abandoning me, you hear?¡± Ace hissed me.

    ¡°Why does it have to be me?¡± says Benny with a groan.

    After the sound of a whistle, Terri makes the first serve!

    ¡°Here I go!¡± Terri slams hard on the battle and it shoots straight at Ace.

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t!¡±Ace manages to counter and send it back right at Terri¡¯s head, where she manages to block but causes the ball fall to the ground.

    ¡°1 point for Team B!¡± says the referee.

    ¡°Oh yeah!¡± says Ace as he punches the air, as some of the guests cheered.

    ¡°Umm, I think you¡¯re supposed to hit ball at the opponent¡¯s field not at each other!¡± says Benny.

    ¡°Who cares? We got a point!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you mean you?¡± mumbles Benny.

    For the rest of game ball keeps shooting between Ace and Terri, while Benny and Anna just stood there and watch. Every time the ball went to either Benny or Anna their ¡°partners¡± would come in block the ball for them. Even though game wound up becoming a one-on-one match, everybody else seemed to enjoy their rather spirited (as well as over-the-top playing).

    Benny had to admit, it was rather fun to watch the whole game. He could tell Anna was getting a little frustrated that she wasn¡¯t getting a turn.

    Benny decided now would be a good time slip away. Suddenly a cool wind blew at him causing him to shiver. At first, he thought it was just sea breeze but then he felt as though someone was watching him. Benny looked around and saw someone standing by the edge of the water, wearing a white cloak and holding a staff! Benny tried to adjust his glasses to see if he was seeing things.

    It¡¯s that guy from last night! What was he doing here? And wait¡­he¡¯s real?!

    Those thoughts were running in Benny¡¯s mind. But then he suddenly heard someone yelling.

    ¡°Benny! Get out of the way!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Benny turned sharply on the spot and saw something flying right at him at breakneck speed.

    It was too late for him to react.

    The next thing Benny knew was something heavy making contact with his face and everything went out.

 Chapter 6 - Camping Out In The Forest

    Tenryu Fyreroar woke with a jolt.

    He had momentarily drifted off to nap but felt that dream was so real. His nose strangely felt sore as though something had hit straight him in the face. He got up and stretched a bit. Knowing he couldn¡¯t make it out of the forest by nightfall he found himself a shelter underneath a large Marblewood Tree. And just in time too, because clouds started to darken signaling a heavy rain. Tenryu, by nature, doesn¡¯t like getting wet. He lit a fire and roasted a large turkey-goose by it. He caught this while wandering around in the forest earlier and is now admiring his dinner as it cooked over the flames!

    ¡°It¡¯s almost done! I can almost taste it!¡± said Tenryu gleefully as drool was dripping from the side of his mouth.

    Just then he can hear something rustling in the bushes.

    ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡± says Tenryu, getting on to his feet and jumping out of his shelter.

    A bush rustled.

    Tenryu braced himself, his hand gripping on the hilt of his blade. The sword grew warm in his touch!

    Then from out of the bush¡­a small creature hopped out of it.

    Tenryu looked at it with anticlimax washing over him.

    ¡°What the blitz?¡± he approached and picked it up. ¡°You got me all blazed up for nothing!¡±

    The little creature wiggled its nose at him. It looked a little cute.

    ¡°Wait a blitzing minute¡­¡± Tenryu got a good look at it. ¡°Aren¡¯t you¡­a Rabbit-Armadillo?!¡±

    This animal looked like a cross between a bunny rabbit and an armadillo. The one Tenryu was holding may look cute but when it matures¡­ they can grow into gargantuan sizes and can be pretty aggressive! Especially when it comes to protecting their young!

    The ground began to shake. Tenryu quickly dropped the baby Rabbit-Armadillo, which scrambled towards the rustling bushes.

    A giant Rabbit-Armadillo that was the size of a truck leapt right in front of him.

    ¡°Oh, blitz¡­¡±

    Its teeth were bared with foaming spit dripping from its mouth. And its furious red eyes were directed at him.

    ¡°Look, I didn¡¯t do anything to it! Your kid sneaked up on me!¡± Tenryu said to it, backing off.

    Obviously it didn¡¯t understand what he was saying as it roared and lunged at him.

    Tenryu managed to make the leap of his life, literally!

    ¡°You asked for it!¡± Tenryu he pulled out his sword, causing it to blaze in flames.

    The Rabbit-Armadillo Mother lunged at him again. Tenryu retaliated with shooting it in the flames. His sword made contact on its snout causing it to be slightly dazed. However, this seems to only serve to anger the beast as it roared angrily and made a quick swipe at him.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    Tenryu leapt backwards to avoid its claws.

    ¡°Let¡¯s fight claws with claws!¡± the flames on Tenryu¡¯s sword began take shape of flaming claw. Tenryu rushed toward the beast and leapt at it. ¡°Flame Dragon Style: Blitz Claw!¡±

    He took a swipe at the Rabbit-Armadillo! The flames looked like a large claw had slashed at the beast!

    ¡°How do you like that?¡± Tenryu leapt away from it, with cheeky grin.

    However as soon as the flames disappeared, he was stunned to find the Rabbit-Armadillo had curled up into a ball. It then uncurled showing it wasn¡¯t the least bit scratched!

    Tenryu has forgotten a very important fact with this beast. It¡¯s the natural defense mechanism of Rabiddillos to protect itself by curling up exposing only its armor-like hide. This makes it all the more difficult to fight it.

    ¡°You¡¯re one tough nut to crack!¡±

    The Rabbit-Armadillo made another furious swipe at him which he blocked with his sword. It did, however, push him back a few feet.

    Tenryu managed to regain his footing as the beast ready itself for another pounce.

    ¡°Flame Dragon Style: Fire Fang!¡± says Tenryu as he swung his sword down, releasing swirling flames at the Rabbit-Armadillo, which quickly curled into hard ball again.

    His attack made contact on the hard outer shell again.

    ¡°Blast it!¡± Tenryu gritted his teeth. ¡°Get out of there, you cowardly shelled fur-ball!¡±

    Tenryu made a series of slashes at it made little dent on the armor-like shell.

    Eventually Tenryu wound up exhausting itself, his attacks were getting weaker.

    ¡°Blasted fire-balls¡­ Get out there!¡± He panted.

    He swung his sword with all his might and he fell to his knees completely exhausted.

    It seems the beast also noticed this as it uncurled itself and raising a large claw and taking another furious swipe at him.

    This time it caught Tenryu from below the knees, knocking him off balance and stumbling to the ground. Tenryu tried to get but found the beast already looming over him. The Rabbit-Armadillo roared while bearing open its jaws and sharp teeth at him.

    Tenryu smirked at it and wasn¡¯t the last bit fazed, ¡°You call that a roar? Roar this!¡±

    Tenryu placed the sword in front of him. He took a deep breath and blew out just like a fire-breather performer, letting loose a huge flamethrower directly at the Rabbit-Armadillo¡¯s face and open mouth.

    The Rabbit-Armadillo yelped and jumped away from him. Its snout was still covered in flames.

    Tenryu jumped back onto his feet, his sword ablaze.

    ¡°You¡¯re gonna get it now! Flame Dragon Style Secret Art: Dragon¡¯s Red Sun!¡±

    Tenryu raced his sword upward creating an enormous sphere of flames.

    The beast seemed to sense that this spell was something not even its hard shell can protect it from! So it turned on its paws and ran away from him as fast it could. The baby Rabbit-Armadillo followed its mother in hot pursuit.

    ¡°What the blitz? Come back here!¡± Tenryu yelled at it before it disappeared into the forest.

    Disappointed, Tenryu extinguished his spell and walked back to his shelter.

    ¡°Blast it! Just when it was getting to the good part too¡­*sniff¡­what¡¯s burning?¡±

    Technically his fight with the Rabbit-Armadillo has charred some of the trees but the smell was different from burnt wood.

    In fact it smelled, almost like-

    ¡°My dinner!¡± shouts Tenryu as rushed towards the campfire. The fight caused him to completely forgotten about his dinner which was now charred black in the flames.

    ¡°BLISTERING BLITZES!!!¡± yelled Tenryu in frustration, causing several bird-like creatures to fly out toward the distance in fright.

    Tenryu slumps to the ground.

    ¡°Can things get any worse?!¡±

    A thunder clapped again, this time followed by sudden heavy downpour of rain.

    ¡°Blast it! I can¡¯t go looking for food in this rain!¡± Tenryu slumped to the ground¡­his stomach growling. ¡°I¡¯m so¡­starving¡­Oh wait! There¡¯s Flare-Ate¡¯s packed lunch for me!¡±

    Tenryu rummaged in his little belt bag and pulled out a large container which was strangely too big for it to fit. In this world magical bags have convenient spaces. He opened the container, and to his disappointment some steamed fish and vegetables were there.

    ¡°Flare-Ate¡­I told her that I hate fish!¡± Tenryu groaned but then he stomach growled again. ¡°Can¡¯t be helped¡­¡±

    Tenryu laid his gloved hand over it and soon it started the food started to grow warm that little steam was coming out of it. Weakly, he took a small bite of the fish he began chewing, although it didn¡¯t suit his taste at least it got some food in his stomach.

    At that moment, a lightning bolt seared across the sky.

 Chapter 7 - Out At Sea

    Benny felt cold sea air blowing at his face.

    Struggling to get up, he felt a sharp pain on his forehand. Raising a hand to it he felt a significant bump. The last few moments where such a blur but he did remember being hit by something hard. He wondered whether he was still dizzy from that hit and everything did still seem to be swaying. But what was strange was that he could he hear the sound of a motor running and the waves splashing around.

    He could¡¯ve seen where he was clearly but someone had removed his glasses. So everything he was seeing was a little blurry. Although he could tell that it was already evening due to coldness in the air and the apparent lack of sunlight.

    Swaying or not though he sat up and felt that cold wind soothe the stinging in his head.

    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s awake!¡±

    Through his blurry vision, he sees the outlines of three people gathering around him.

    ¡°Here¡¯re your glasses.¡±

    A silhouette with Ace¡¯s voice places his glasses on his nose. Everything then comes into focus. He could see the faces of Ace, Anna and Terri looking at him in concern. They had all changed to their casual-wear clothes and Benny only just noticed he was changed into his as well.

    ¡°Pablo helped changed you out of your clothes. If you¡¯re looking for your bag it¡¯s over here.¡±

    ¡°Um, thanks¡­¡±

    ¡°You okay? Does it hurt anywhere? You need ice? A band-aid or anything?¡± asks Ace, looking uncharacteristically sympathetic.

    Benny touched his aching head, ¡°Nah, I¡¯m okay! But it feels like the time I¡¯ve run into the goalpost.¡±

    ¡°Do you remember what happened?¡± asks Anna.

    She was already wearing the pink hair band he got for her and it seemed to suit her.

    Benny thought for a moment and tried to remember.

    ¡°All I remember was something flying at me. That volleyball was sure heavy. Nice shot though, Terri!¡±

    ¡°Thanks for the compliment but it wasn¡¯t me, Ben.¡±

    Terri smirked at Ace, who turned red,

    ¡°What are you talking about? The ball came from your end of the pitch, didn¡¯t end?¡±

    ¡°Who says it was a ball that hit you?¡±

    ¡°Benjamin, it wasn¡¯t the volleyball that hit you¡­it was Pablo or rather it was Pablo¡¯s head that smacked into you.¡±

    ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Ace mumbled, rather lamely.

    ¡°Wait? W-what?¡± stammers Benny.

    They filled him in on what happened.

    Apparently Ace tried to stop a ball from landing by throwing himself and hitting it. He went too far and became a human projectile that slammed headfirst at Benny. The whole thing ended with a massive head-butt that knocked Benny out for hours.

    ¡°After that, the whole thing went downhill from there.¡± says Ace.

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®went downhill¡¯?¡± Benny repeats slowly.

    If you say ¡®went downhill¡¯ during a big party like that...it wasn¡¯t good. He was already dreading the answer.

    ¡°Someone said you¡¯d been shot and the guests began to panic. They acted like someone had been done in by an assassin. I know they¡¯re all rich and like that but come on! What a bunch of whiners! Just because someone was knocked unconscious they didn¡¯t need to freak out like murder had occurred.¡±

    ¡°Freak out?!¡±

    ¡°A lot of them claimed to have seen you stabbed or blood spilling all over the sand.¡± Ace was getting redder with embarrassment as he said it.

    ¡°A few of them tried to call the guards to turn me over to the police! They even said to my face that they know the Police Chief and they could put me in jail for life or something like that. If I only told them whose kid I was¡­¡±

    ¡°Although I had to admit it was quite fun to watch.¡± says Terri with a hint of a smile. ¡°Watching this guy screw up in front of all those socialites was worth it.¡±

    ¡°Ha. Ha. Ha. I knew you were a sadistic witch from the start-¡± Ace grumbled in an undertone.

    Benny clamped a hand over in Ace¡¯s mouth to keep him from saying anything else. Luckily Terri acted like she hadn¡¯t heard it, though she did look offended.

    ¡°It was a little messy but Papa managed to hush them down but¡­ Because of that the party had to end early.¡±

    Upon hearing what happened and learning that he was the reason, Benny was mortified.

    ¡°Anna, I¡¯m so sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to ruin your party.¡±

    Anna waves him off. ¡°It¡¯s not you who should be apologizing.¡±

    She gave a pointed glance at Ace.

    ¡°Hey! It was Terri¡¯s fault that she hit the ball towards Benny!¡±

    ¡°But it was your big head that knocked him out!¡±

    Benny cleared his throat causing the two of them to stop, ¡°Guys it was my fault for not paying attention-¡±

    But he was completely ignored. Ace and Terri kept on bickering.

    ¡°So where are we? Why are we on a boat?¡±

    It looked as though they were on a small, sailing boat. The seat he was sitting on was upholstered with shiny black leather that gleamed in small light. He noticed that the largest sails, even with dim light on the boat, had the Perlasreyna Conglomerate seal emblazoned on it.

    ¡°Yeah, this is my new sailboat, the M.V. Anastasia!¡± says Anna, happily gesturing around her boat. ¡°Papa gave it to me as a gift!¡±

    ¡°Whoa! You have a sailboat? Pretty expensive gift!¡± says Benny, admiring the boat. ¡°Say what are we doing out in sea in the first place?¡±

    ¡°Well, Pablo thought you might need some fresh air after being knocked out. And what a better way to do that is to take my new sailboat out for a spin! Papa gave it to me! This was the gift I told you this morning! Manong Dario is driving the boat for us. Papa had him trained a boating school so he also knows how to drive a ship!¡±

    She points to the control room, which was up a small flight of steps. There he could see a man donning a captain¡¯s hat. Anna opens a hatch in the seat where a phone like device was concealed and presses a button.

    ¡°Manong Dario? Benjamin is awake now!¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Well, that¡¯s good!¡±

    Benny sees him approach the window of the control room. He was holding the same kind of phone-like device on one hand while waving at him with the other hand. Benny recognizes him as Anna¡¯s personal driver. Upon Anna¡¯s request, he sometimes gives Benny and Ace a ride home from school.

    ¡°Hello, Manong Dario!¡± Benny greets him through the telecom.

    ¡°You¡¯re finally up and about?¡±

    ¡°Fine sir¡­¡± Benny salutes him.

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. By the way Miss Anna, I think it¡¯s about time we should head back! I believe a storm is coming!¡±

    Sure enough, drops of rain began fall.

    A loud rumble could be heard from across the sky. The horizon has changed drastically. Minutes ago the sky was as clear as it can be with no clouds in sight. But now the stars were completely covered with dark, rumbling clouds that threatened a huge storm was afoot.

    ¡°It was fine just a moment ago¡­¡± Anna shivers from the cool breeze.

    Was it even possible or did the wind seemed to have gotten colder.

    ¡°That¡¯s odd,¡± Ace frowns at the darkening sky, ¡°The weatherman said clear skies were in tonight.¡±

    ¡°You watch the news? I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be the grown up channels type.¡± says Terri.

    ¡°If my parents control the remote, there¡¯s not much I could do to change the channel, do I? But this is still weird¡­the weather shouldn¡¯t change that quickly¡­¡±

    Anna presses the intercom again, ¡°Manong Dario, go on ahead and please bring us to shore. I don¡¯t like us to get caught in that.¡±

    As soon as she said that, however the rain begins to pour down faster. The rumbling in the sky growing louder and wind was picking up speed. The wind wasn¡¯t the only one that was picking up speed as the waves were getting more turbulent.

    ¡°This is some waves!¡± says Ace, trying to hold himself steady by clinging to the side.

    ¡°Better shift the gear!¡± Manong Dario¡¯s voice responds.

    Benny sees the sails being automatically lowered and the sounds of the boat¡¯s motor becoming louder.

    ¡°You kids better stay in the cabin! Unless you want to get soaking wet¡­¡± as he said so, a large spray hits the windshield of the bow.

    They didn¡¯t need telling, twice. In a matter of seconds, everybody made their way into the cabin door.

    ¡°Is Manong Dario going to be alright?¡± asks Benny.

    ¡°He¡¯ll be fine, he¡¯s trained in it¡­¡± says Anna. ¡°Let¡¯s all stay in the sleeping quarters, we can relax in there!¡±

    The cabin was, in Benny¡¯s description, incredibly luxurious and spacious.

    The floor was carpeted with rich fabric. The walls had expensive wooden paneling. There were a couple of closets on each side were made from the same type of wood. From the cold air Benny could tell the cabin was air-conditioned.

    The cabin itself was divided into two large sections separated by a wall.

    The first part of cabin was a main living area with a small kitchenette that was fully stocked with a microwave and a small fridge. A small dining area was on the side set up like a breakfast nook. On the side was a door with the symbol for a bathroom. There was a set of spiral staircase that probably led to the bridge.

    Entering through another door into the second part of the cabin was the sleeping quarters. It had a pair of bunk beds on each side. But each bunk has a pull-out table, a personal light fixture, its own personal porthole and even a small television. There were draw curtains that provided privacy when needed. The beds had white linen and fluffy pillows, making this quite comfortable place to lie down and take a nap.

    As soon as they were in, Ace plopped on one of the beds.

    ¡°It sure is an awesome boat, Anna! Sure didn¡¯t think it was this fancy from the inside!¡± He says as begins to flip on the TV and began switching for channels.

    ¡°How can you think of watching TV at a time like this?¡± says Terri.

    ¡°What else is there to do in boat while it¡¯s raining from the outside, huh? But it¡¯s not much of a use! There aren¡¯t any channels on.¡± Ace clicked the TV off and lied back down on the bed.

    ¡°With the clouds outside, I¡¯d doubt you¡¯d even get a television signal for the weather channel.¡± says Benny.

    ¡°There is a DVD player and a USB slot though,¡± Anna points at the slot at the TV.

    ¡°Awesome!¡± Ace pulls out a USB hanging from his dog tag necklace. ¡°I¡¯ve got a copy of Skull Crushers 3! Who wants to watch?¡±

    ¡°Pass!¡± the other three say at the same time.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    It was a way too violent film for their tastes.

    ¡°Well! It¡¯s just me then!¡± Ace shrugged as he leaned back on the cabin.

    They each try to pass the time by doing their own way.

    While Ace was watching the movie, Terri tries to do some yoga, although she keeps glancing at the screen where the movie played. Anna was busy brushing her hair with a vintage looking comb, which turns out to be the new gift Ace got for her. Ace had told him in an undertone that he snuck out and bought it at a thrift shop just before it closed last night.

    Benny himself was just sitting at the opposite bed. He kept looking out at the outside window where the rain was pattering quite harder and harder. The rocking was getting a little intense.

    Suddenly feeling hungry, he grabs his bag and rummaged in it for some remainder of the sunflower seeds. It was then his hand brushed on something within the bag that suddenly felt hot, which caused him to suddenly withdraw his hand in shock. His reaction must¡¯ve been something as it caught Ace¡¯s eye.

    ¡°Something wrong?¡± says Ace, munching on a peanut brittle.

    ¡°Err¡­nothing¡­¡± Benny says, but his voice was drowned by Anna¡¯s shriek.

    ¡°Pablo! You¡¯re dropping peanut brittle all over the bed! Thos are brand new silk covers from China.¡±

    Chinese silk for a boat? Talk about imported for class. Benny thought to himself.

    Ace was spluttering an apology although he only winds ups dropping chewed peanut brittle on the bed, much to Anna¡¯s disgust. Terri, in mid-yoga pose, had an expression that showed she was clearly enjoying the scene.

    Benny was at least glad he hadn¡¯t taken out the sunflower seeds otherwise who knows how Anna would react. He quickly shifts his attention to where that source of the warmth came from.

    He finds it almost immediately: the book.

    Benny had almost forgotten about that mysterious book. He remembered Abuela saying it was a thousand years old and that it was in the family for generations. But those shocking facts were nothing compared to what happened next. Benny remembered the extreme heat and light emanating from the book as Abuela declares that he is the next owner.

    He was afraid to touch it but something about it compelled him to take it out of the bag.

    Benny swept a hand across it and after a moment¡¯s hesitation, decided to open the book. The pages were as old and slightly yellowed but the text was still readable in the secret language taught to him by Abuela.

    Benny scanned few pages and found something very odd. The texts seemed to be listing some kind of chants and incantations. There was a short description written as well along with diagrams and image of the supposed effects.

    This book¡­it couldn¡¯t be some kind of Spellbook, is it? Benny thought. It couldn¡¯t be¡­but then¡­what was that earlier?

    ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯m getting off!¡±

    Ace grumbles as he moves out of the bed and sits down on the opposite bunk right beside Benny.

    ¡°What is wrong with these women? I tell you¡­¡±

    Anna takes the pillow and starts brushing off the peanut brittle

    ¡°Uh-huh¡­¡± Benny says, not shifting his attention from the page in front of him.

    ¡°What are you reading?¡±

    Benny soon realizes that Ace was staring at the book and he quickly closes it.

    ¡°Err nothing!¡±

    Benny tries in vain to hide the book. But when Ace get¡¯s his attention on something it was hard to shake him off!

    ¡°C¡¯mon! Let me see!¡± says Ace trying to make a grab for the book.

    ¡°No!¡± Benny says trying to get the book away from Ace.

    However, as strong as he is, Ace manages to overpower him and grabs it.

    ¡°Ha! Got it-ouch!!!¡± yelps Ace.

    As soon as he touches the book he gives a loud yelp of pain and he releases hold. Ace was soon cradling his hand! His shout alerts Anna and Terri.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Cut the racket, will you?¡± says Terri, as she exits a complicated yoga position.

    ¡°Ow! My hand! I think it¡¯s burned!¡±

    Ace shook his hand as though it were still on fire.

    Benny was frozen with shock. His hands fell numb and the book falls to the floor.

    Terri gets up and strode over to Ace. She his hand and takes a quick look. There¡¯s nothing wrong with it as she could see.

    ¡°I don¡¯t see any burns. You¡¯re such a crybaby, Pabby!¡± says Terri, with a roll of her eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you that book burned me!¡± says Ace, pointing at the book.

    Anna looks as well and frowns with her eyes squinting as though to see something that was invisible.

    ¡°It looks fine to me.¡±

    Terri rolls her eyes, ¡°We¡¯ll see about that! Ben, can I borrow that?¡±

    ¡°W-wait-¡±

    But Terri picks up the book. To Ace¡¯s (and Benny¡¯s) surprise, Terri picks it up without flinching and scans it.

    ¡°It¡¯s just an old book¡­nothing weird about it.¡± Terri opens the book and scans the pages. ¡°It¡¯s got some weird language though. I can¡¯t understand a thing though.¡±

    Anna also takes a peak.

    ¡°Strange, it¡¯s like it¡¯s written in those runes Mr. Alamat showed in class. Where did this come from anyway?¡±

    Terri looks at Ace, ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be the bookish type¡­¡±

    ¡°It isn¡¯t mine!¡±

    ¡°Why am I not surprised?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s mine actually,¡± says Benny, taking the book back but still feeling rather stunned at events. ¡°I got it from Abuela¡­she gave it to me just this morning¡­¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s why it took you so long this morning? To give you a book?¡± says Ace as he stared at the book, ¡°What kind of a book burns you when you touch it?¡±

    ¡°FYI¡­you¡¯re the only one who was screaming like a girl as though you were burned.¡± smirks Terri.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know myself. It acted weird when I received it this morning.¡± Benny began to explain to their amazement how the book glowed and became hot as flames.

    ¡°So the book burned you too?¡± says Ace.

    ¡°No, to me it felt like my hand was getting dipped at a hot spring.¡± Benny said, unconsciously rubbing his hand.

    ¡°So what kind of book is that thing then? Last time I check books don¡¯t do that.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know but Abuela said it was in the family for generations! She said it was in the family for a thousand years.¡±

    There was a moment of silence.

    ¡°Did you just say it was in your family for a thousand years?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°That might be stretching the truth to the breaking point, bro.¡±

    Benny scratches his head in confusion, ¡°I thought so too but¡­¡±

    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re great-grandma¡¯s going senile?¡±

    ¡°Watch it!¡± Benny glares at him to which Ace flinches.

    ¡°I heard many tall tales coming from this guy¡­¡± Terri jabbed a thumb in his direction, ¡°but yours¡­Well, that¡¯s way out there!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± says Anna, thinking for a moment.

    ¡°What is it, Anna?¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve heard your father say your great-grandmother was a foreigner who immigrated here. And it is possible in some countries to hold onto cherish prized heirlooms since the middle ages so I think it might be true.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that book is older than the Philippine Constitution?¡± says Ace with a shake of his head.

    ¡°It¡¯s quite possible. Where was your great-grandmother from? That might give us a clue as to what this book is!¡±

    Benny didn¡¯t want to tell them that he had a good guess ¡°what¡± the book is.

    ¡°She never spoke about it. Nobody in the family knows where she actually came from¡­¡±

    ¡°Come to think I never knew much about Madam Estrella. Well, apart from the fact that she¡¯s a pretty good cook!¡±

    Ace is only saying that because he has been coming over since they were kids and Abuela keeps making them treats.

    ¡°Is your stomach the only thing you can think of? Although I do admit, her triple fudge cake is delicious¡­¡±

    ¡°Look who¡¯s talking? Hungry, much?¡± smirks Ace.

    Terri gave him a glare that suggested murder, so that caused him to shut up.

    ¡°But from her accent, I always thought that she must be of European decent too¡­ I mean she still has traces of blonde in her hair and her eyes color is a deep blue.¡± says Anna.

    ¡°Which makes Benny a quarter-mestizo, then? I mean look at his eyes!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s one-eight¡­You really need to study. And what about my eyes?¡±

    ¡°Dude, like you didn¡¯t noticed?¡± Ace jabs a finger at Benny¡¯s glasses. ¡°You¡¯ve got blue eyes as well!¡±

    Benny knew that but never thought much about it.

    This was one of the things that really set him apart from his family. While most of them have black and dark-brown eyes, Benny is one the two people who have inherited Abuela¡¯s special blue eyes that had several silver flecks. The other would be Tom.

    As such, both Benny and Tom had once been referred to in the family as the ¡°gem-eyed brothers¡± due to the similarities of their eyes compared to Abuela¡¯s. Although he thought the gem part must¡¯ve come from the jeweled pendant that Abuela always had.

    ¡°The watch!¡± exclaims Benny as he suddenly remembering the other heirloom.

    His sudden outburst surprises Ace causing him to tumble to the floor, although it probably might have been violent movement of the ship.

    ¡°What the heck, bro? What¡¯s with that all of a sudden?¡±

    Benny ignored him and quickly rummaged in his bag, looking for the secret pocket he had kept golden pocket watch in. He was relieved to find it still safe inside his bag¡¯s secret pocket. If it had gone missing¡­he couldn¡¯t imagine the outcome. He takes it out of bag, for all of them to see. They all gather around to see treasure dangling from the chain.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that-?¡± Anna gasped, her eyes widening.

    ¡°Nice bling!¡± says Terri in admiration.

    ¡°It¡¯s the pendant Abuela always wears! Well, actually it¡¯s a pocket watch.¡± Benny says, for the first time feeling quite elated.

    ¡°Why do you have it?¡± says Ace in accusatory tone, as though Benny stole it.

    ¡°It¡¯s because she gave it to me! Along with the book...¡±

    Benny was not surprise as it was known to family and friends that Abuela absolutely refuses anyone else to touch it. There was the time she gripped Uncle Bartholomew¡¯s wrist when he tried to take it off her neck to do some magic trick. He still says that his wrist was still sore after that.

    ¡°It¡¯s so pretty!¡± says Anna, lifting a hesitating hand, ¡°Can I touch it?¡±

    ¡°Um, sure¡­ Here, take a look!¡± Benny hands her the pocket watch.

    Anna takes hold of the pocket watch in a careful manner like a collector in auction handling fragile treasure. But it seems she¡¯s admiring the stone set on it.

    ¡°Wow! It¡¯s so beautiful, I¡¯m so jealous!¡±

    ¡°Never thought you¡¯d be the type to be interested in jewelry, Crusoe!¡± says Ace as he gives him a smirk.

    Benny blushed realizing it did seemed odd a guy would be given a jeweled pendant by his family matriarch rather than other female relatives.

    ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t ask for it! Abuela gave it to me¡­ And stop calling me that!¡± he snaps in sudden realization that Ace called him by his hated nickname.

    Terri takes a closer look, ¡°Now that I look at it¡­isn¡¯t this a Blue Amber?!¡¯

    ¡°Amber?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fossilized tree resin or sap. It¡¯s been regarded as gemstone since antiquity and has been appreciated for its natural beauty. Many ancient cultures have used amber to decorate priceless artifacts and there¡¯s even a room in one of Russia¡¯s Imperial Palaces that has wall panels decorated in amber. Biologists highly value them because of the fact that actual biological specimens can be found trapped and preserved in Amber¡±

    Everyone stared at her.

    ¡°Okay¡­ So how do you know that?¡± asks Ace incredulously.

    ¡°Our grandpa is a geologist, remember? And it so happens that my mom sells jewelry as a sideline job. You pick snippets and things up.¡±

    Terri turns her eye to the gem, still looking at it appraisingly.

    ¡°But this¡­this is no ordinary Amber either. It¡¯s a Blue Amber! A very rare variety of Amber that many gem dealers would pay tons of cash just to get their hands on one!¡±

    ¡°Whoa! That¡¯s serious cash, bro!¡± says Ace, greedily ¡°We could sell that and buy ourselves the whole games store!¡±

    ¡°I am NOT selling my great-grandmother¡¯s heirloom!¡±

    ¡°C-calm down!¡± yelps Ace. ¡°I was just kidding! Please put away that Acala Stand!¡±

    The other two didn¡¯t take notice as they continue to admire the pocket watch. Anna gives Benny a rather expectant look.

    ¡°Can we open it?¡±

    ¡°Oh! Um¡­sure¡­¡±

    Anna clicks open the pocket watch, she and Terri admires the inside of the pocket watch. Noting how pretty and beautiful the golden clock hands were ticking away the minutes.

    ¡°Hey, there¡¯s some kind of door in here!¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah, that holds some pictures.¡± says Benny as he clicks the latch and the two windows open up revealing the pictures within it.

    ¡°Is that you?!¡± Ace laughs while pointing at the picture of Benny and Abuela sitting at the park. ¡°Nice hat! And what¡¯s with that toothy grin? You even have a tooth missing!¡±

    Benny blushed, ¡°It was Abuela¡¯s¡­and since I was a kid back then, a missing tooth is normal. I think¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, but you look so cute!¡± says Anna, much to Benny¡¯s intense embarrassment.

    ¡°The picture on the other side, is that your grandparents¡± asks Terri, peering at the other window.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s Abuela and the guy beside her is¡­my great-grandfather, Abraham.¡±

    ¡°Whoa! Really?¡± says Ace, ¡°That¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard of it!¡±

    ¡°Abraham Estrella? That¡¯s your great-grandfather¡¯s name?¡±

    ¡°No, Estrella is Abuela¡¯s family name. I don¡¯t know Abuelo¡¯s. But I do know that they never married. That¡¯s why we took on Abuela¡¯s family name.¡±

    ¡°Huh? How come they never married?¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s complicated¡­¡±

    Everyone feel silent. The sounds of the wind blowing, rain falling and the boat rocking were all that could be heard.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­I shouldn¡¯t¡­¡±

    Benny sighed, ¡°No, it¡¯s alright. People are quick to assume that but it¡¯s not really true. My great-grandparent¡¯s loved each other. Abuela told me she was about to get married to him.¡±

    ¡°But what happened?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­she didn¡¯t say what happened or what became of Abuelo¡­¡± Benny noted to himself that pained look in Abuela¡¯s eyes. ¡°And I¡¯d rather not add more drama to it. She¡¯ll tell when she¡¯s ready to...¡±

    ¡°Considering she is nearly a hundred years old when she said this, it¡¯ll probably take another hundred.¡± Ace chuckled.

    However, Benny did not find this funny at all.

    ¡°She¡¯s ninety not a hundred¡­¡±

    ¡°Call it a rough estimate!¡± Ace waves it off.

    ¡°It¡¯s so sad¡­¡± Anna glanced at the photo. ¡°You¡¯re great-grandfather looks like you, Benjamin. He has the same hair-style and he wears glasses.¡±

    ¡°Which makes Benny pretty old-fashioned?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Abuela says that too¡­but Abuelo¡¯s eyeglasses were pince-nez not frames.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t explain why she gave you these things huh?¡± says Ace, scratching his chin again. ¡°Why would she give you an old book that you can¡¯t even read it? No offense, bro, but I think your great-grandmother¡¯s imagination is getting wild at her age. Old people tend to do that, you know?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know and who knows why.¡± Benny shrugged.

    Benny did not tell them that he can read it. But he did feel that Ace might be right, Abuela was getting on with her age and her mind. But Abuela did seem sincere when she said those things. But there was one thing he can¡¯t deny. Both the book and the pendant were indeed special. The pocket watch was special for both its worth and sentimental value.

    The book¡­was a little more mysterious but it was indeed special.

    Abuela¡¯s words then came back to him.

    ¡°Swear that you will protect this book¡­¡±

    What did she mean by that?

    Benny stared at the book in his hands before he placed it back inside the bag. He reached a hand to ask for the pocket watch back.

    ¡°Can I have it back?¡±

    Anna looked a little hesitant, but with a sigh of longing she placed the pendant back in Benny¡¯s hands. He threw the chain over his neck and hid the pendant underneath his shirt.

    Suddenly Manong Dario¡¯s voice booms in the loud speaker.

    ¡°Excuse me, kids. We might experience some rough seas. It seems the storms caught up with us!¡±

    Everyone looked a little worried.

    ¡°Do you need help up there, Manong?¡± says Ace.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine Mr. Unos! Nothing I can¡¯t handle¡­¡± Manong Dario smiles at him gratefully, ¡°Mr. Estrella glad to see you¡¯re well.¡±

    ¡°Just Benny is fine¡­¡± Benny mumbled. He was always rather uncomfortable being referred to as ¡®Mr. Estrella.¡¯ It was usually his dad who was called that. Suddenly, Benny remembered something that made his blood go cold.

    ¡°Dad!¡± yells Benny as he jumps up and nearly tumbles in the motion of the boat. ¡°What time is it?!¡±

    ¡°Past six-thirty, why?¡± replies Ace, checking his watch.

    ¡°This can¡¯t be happening! I was supposed to be back home by six! I should¡¯ve left two hours ago!¡±

    Benny grabs his bag and hurriedly check for his cell phone, ¡°Dang it! Where¡¯s my phone?!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s right here.¡± Ace held it out for him. Why he was holding it was a question Benny will ask later. ¡°It rang awhile ago. Speaking of your dad, he called.¡±

    ¡°My dad called?!¡±

    Benny snatched the phone and quickly checked the log. He found his father¡¯s number registered about an hour ago.

    ¡°He asked for you but since you were still out. I¡­um¡­err¡­told him¡­¡± Ace faltered upon seeing the look on Benny¡¯s face.

    ¡°Told him what?¡±

    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t want to tell him that I knocked out his son so I made up a lie and told him you were exhausted and was taking a nap.¡±

    ¡°You told my dad that I was taking a nap?!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the deal? He only said okay and clicked off!¡± says Ace, sounding indignant.

    ¡°What¡¯s the deal?¡± Benny snapped, ¡°You don¡¯t really know my dad, do you? You should¡¯ve told him the truth! That lie would make him think I wasn¡¯t interested¡­¡±

    Benny¡¯s father, Atty. Jacob Estrella, was a man of word and promptness. He was very strict when it comes to schedules and he doesn¡¯t appreciate tardiness. To him, if you were serious about something you would make the effort to do it and make it on time. Being late in family events are something he wouldn¡¯t be pleased about it one bit unless you had a decent excuse. Benny remembered when well his Uncle Reuben got late for the family reunion because he met a girl in a bar on the way and his dad gave him a long scolding he would never forget. Considering this was a dinner event Emmett planned, Benny dreaded what his father was going to say.

    ¡°Anna! Can I use the bathroom?¡±

    ¡°Um, yes, over there in the main room.¡±

    Benny headed into the cabin. Aware that his friends were giving him some rather uncomfortable stares at his back, he closed the door as soon as he entered. However as soon as he was out of sight, Benny could hear raised voices again. ¡°See what you done, you dunderhead?¡± snaps Terri.

    ¡°What did I do?¡± retorts Ace.

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty obvious what you did! From the looks of things you probably got him in trouble!¡±

 Chapter 8 - The Rift

    Benny made his way into the bathroom.

    Even for a bathroom in a boat it was quite fancy. They somehow managed to squeeze a small bathtub with a shower in here and still leave room to spare. There was tiny cabinet that had several bottles of bath soaps and salts. There was of course a toilet but it had one of those furry covers on it seat. Directly opposite that was a lavatory and cabinet.

    Benny sat down on the toilet and clicked on his phone, scanning for his dad¡¯s number. With a bated breath, Benny clicked the name and waited for the number pick up. It was a tense moment, listening to the dial tone until finally he heard it clicked on the other end.

    ¡°Hello? Dad¡­¡± Benny said with a stutter on to the receiver.

    ¡°Ah. Benjamin, excuse me for a second.¡±

    He says to someone as he hears someone getting up from the table. He could hear Emmett¡¯s voice along with Mom¡¯s in the background. There was also the sound of some kind of violin playing and the sounds of plates scraping.

    Benny did not need to ask where they are. It was clear they already went to the restaurant without him. It¡¯s not like he hadn¡¯t expected it. But he did feel rather left out by it.

    ¡°I see you¡¯re awake now? Have you had a good long nap?¡±

    Dad¡¯s voice was calm and reserved as usual (when he¡¯s not praising Benny¡¯s siblings); however Benny could note the sound of slight sarcasm in it.

    ¡°Actually Dad¡­about that I-¡± Benny tries to explain but he is cut off at mid-sentence.

    ¡°Your friend Pablo told me already. It seems you were tired and you just dozed off.¡±

    ¡°Dad, I wasn¡¯t taking a nap, you see I was¡­Dad, the truth was I was knocked unconscious¡­Ace lied to save face but¡­he wound up hitting me on the head¡­by accident¡­¡±

    Okay, that sounded so lame. He was stammering like idiot.

    A few moments of silence could be heard on the other line until Dad then spoke up.

    ¡°Well, Benjamin, you don¡¯t sound too sure yourself so it makes me hard to believe it. Speak up with confidence just like your brother did last night!¡±

    Of all the things, he had to bring up it had to be that.

    Benny did not like to be reminded about what happened last night. And furthermore he couldn¡¯t believe that his own dad didn¡¯t take his word for it.

    ¡°Dad, please don¡¯t remind me¡­It¡¯s embarrassing¡­¡± Benny mumbled.

    ¡°Embarrassing? What¡¯s there to be embarrassed about? What your brother said was true. You are allergic to peanuts.¡±

    ¡°But he didn¡¯t¡­have to say¡­that embarrassing part¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh? You mean that old story about when you were ten and your allergy flared up when you rubbed peanut oil instead of lotion on your-¡±

    ¡°Dad¡­¡± Benny groaned in embarrassment.

    Dad simply continued on as though it were some trivial matter.

    ¡°Well, like I said it is nothing to be embarrassed about. The human body is like that sometimes. Believe me I know and as a medical student your brother knows better. You should¡¯ve paid attention and going back to our previous subject¡­you should¡¯ve paid attention to our agenda for today.¡±

    The way his dad was seeing this was totally unfair. It seems Dad didn¡¯t even notice how embarrassed he was that Emmett even mentioned that. But no¡­if it was Emmett, Cathy, perhaps even Tom and Lilly he¡¯d turn a blind eye! If it were him, Dad was quick to point out faults and made it vocal.

    ¡°Benjamin? Are you listening to a word I was saying?¡±

    Benny stiffened and didn¡¯t reply. It was a blessing that they were talking on phone and not in person. Otherwise, he would see how livid his Dad would be if he had not paid any attention¡­or probably see the defiant look in his face.

    ¡°As I was saying, we¡¯ve waited for you until six but when you didn¡¯t even call or sent a message, I called up your phone. Pablo told me that you were pretty worn out from the activities today. It seems you made a sandcastle? Given your lack of artistic talent I was surprised you actually went for it.¡±

    Benny felt like someone had slapped him twice on one spot. That was a really low blow and a little too abrasive.

    ¡°I know you should have fun and I am quite pleased that you are mingling well with the fellow guests. But you should¡¯ve kept in mind not to tire yourself out otherwise you wouldn¡¯t be able to continue on with the rest of your of agenda. Take for example the dinner at Chez Lamont Emmett has kindly reserved for us!¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°Dad, I¡¯m really so sorry I couldn¡¯t make it¡­I¡­really wanted to come¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, nothing we can do about that, can we? We had to consider the facts.¡±

    Consider the facts¡­ It sounded like they were discussing a case.

    ¡°It is a long drive going to Mr. Perlasreyna¡¯s beach house and back. We couldn¡¯t cancel the table reservation and disappoint Emmett. After all, he had been planning this for weeks before arriving and he already paid for dinner. And it is nonrefundable, I¡¯m afraid. So we had no choice but to go on ahead without you. Emmett was so disappointed that you and Abuela wouldn¡¯t be joining us. I for one am severely disappointed in you.¡±

    Benny knew this was to be expected but it did not stop him from feeling ashamed for this. But then Dad¡¯s words began to return to him.

    ¡°Abuela?¡± repeats Benny, ¡°What do you mean? She¡¯s not going?¡±

    ¡°She decided to stay at home. She¡¯s making dinner for you and herself.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± says Benny in surprise, ¡°I thought she¡¯d come with you¡­¡±

    ¡°Abuela said she didn¡¯t want you to go hungry. I told her that I was going to send you a message later that we went ahead and you can order a delivery. However, she was insistent. I believe she¡¯s making lasagna.¡±

    The thought of Abuela sacrificing to make his favorite meal for the two of them instead of going out to a fancy restaurant was really heartbreaking to Benny.

    It was worse than bad¡­He messed everything up for everyone!

    ¡°Sorry Dad¡­I didn¡¯t mean for this to happen¡­ I was knocked unconscious¡­¡± Benny trembled.

    Dad¡¯s voice was anything other than sympathetic.

    ¡°If you are going to make some excuse you better save it for the one who deserves it. Emmett for instance, your brother made the effort for this and Chez Lamont isn¡¯t just any restaurant you and your friends eat after school. I admit even I couldn¡¯t possibly make a reservation. The least we could do is to make an effort to show that we appreciate his generosity. It is a rare opportunity and you wasted it. This is a good lesson for you to learn not to be so complacent and be aware. Otherwise you¡¯d be bringing problems.¡±

    ¡°But Dad¡­it wasn¡¯t my fault, I¡­¡± mumbles Benny in a small voice.

    He could hear his dad sighed, and continued in a tired voice.

    ¡°Benjamin, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on with you lately. Ever since your brother and sister have arrived you¡¯ve been out of it. I¡¯ve noticed that your grades have been tilting on average. And I know from your teacher that you¡¯ve fallen asleep in class.¡±

    That part was a shock. He didn¡¯t know Dad was keeping touch with his teachers. It was usually mom or Abuela who did that.

    ¡°But I was¡­I mean¡­it¡¯s just¡­¡±

    Benny tried to find an excuse but couldn¡¯t. He couldn¡¯t even stop the feelings of shame pouring out in torrents.

    ¡°You know, son, it¡¯s that lack of effort and confidence on your part that¡¯s really holding you back. And you¡¯re not even trying! And what¡¯s more, you don¡¯t even try to get involve in family matters. And I¡¯m not just talking about this dinner you missed. Look at your brother and sister! They made a lot of effort to get to where they are now and look what they have achieved. Yet they even try to get involve with family in any way they can. For once, try setting them as role model!¡±

    All of a sudden, the initial shame began to have the resentment starting to build up. Why were his siblings always being held up at high esteem? Why were the rest of them so perfect in the family¡¯s eyes while Benny was seen as the odd one out and full of failures?

    Getting involved in the family¡­they don¡¯t even notice him enough to see him try! It was so unfair.

    ¡°If you put a little more effort¡­then you can be like your siblings. Do you understand now, son? I know it¡¯s harsh to hear this but you need to hear it.¡±

    Benny did not say anything.

    ¡°Benjamin? Are you still there?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Dad¡­I know.¡± Benny says quietly and another few moments of silence followed.

    ¡°Well, now that we¡¯ve got that settled-¡± says Dad, sounding satisfied.

    But this time Benny was the one who cut him off.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m pathetic compared to Emmett, Cathy, Tom and Lilly, right? I¡¯m a failure¡­a loser¡­a total nothing¡­¡±

    ¡°Benjamin?¡± Dad¡¯s voice sounds stunned for the first time. ¡°What are you saying? That¡¯s not what I meant at all!¡±

    ¡°Dad, you keep pointing out my failures and while praising everyone else¡­It¡¯s no use to say that I¡¯m just that¡­¡± Benny said quietly.

    ¡°That¡¯s only to point out where your faults lie and what you need to do deal with!¡± says Dad¡¯s voice, sounding rather exasperated.

    As though Benny hadn¡¯t gotten the point, but what was the point?

    ¡°If you put out a little more effort¡­¡±

    Benny felt the string on his patience snap, ¡°A little more effort? You never even notice anything about me but my failures!¡±

    ¡°Benjamin, that is not true! I do notice¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, for like a minute¡­ at the most! Then you turn your attention to other things. If it¡¯s not some bigger award someone else in the family got or some case you dealt with your clients!¡±

    ¡°Benjamin!¡± Dad says in a steely tone.

    Normally this would cause Benny to stop but he continues his retorts in a very loud voice. Something that surprises not only himself but his Dad on the other line, but he continues on. ¡°And why should I get involve with the family? They never notice me anyway!¡±

    ¡°So this is what it is then? Or are you trying to get noticed?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Benjamin, this is not the right way to get noticed. It¡¯s one step down from delinquent to a prison cell!¡±

    Benny couldn¡¯t believe he was hearing this. Dad was actually thinking he has criminal tendencies? Why was he treating his own son like a client in a courtroom session?

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to be that person then this is exactly why you need to-¡°

    ¡°Don¡¯t say it, Dad!¡± Benny yelled in frustration. ¡°Don¡¯t say I have to put more effort and focus because that¡¯s what I¡¯ve been doing all this time! But it¡¯s never enough is it?! Not enough to be in league with Emmett at the very least, huh?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t raise your voice to your father, young man! Have I not taught you manners?¡±

    But Benny was too heated too take notice. He wasn¡¯t backing down, now that all of his resentment was going out it was hard to stop.

    ¡°Let¡¯s face it, Dad! I¡¯m never going to amount to anything and I¡¯m just going to be the black sheep of the family! I¡¯m just going to remain a disappointment while Emmett and the others¡­¡±

    ¡°Benjamin Luke D. Estrella that is enough!¡± says Dad¡¯s voice.

    He said it with finality. After a moment¡¯s silence, he could hear sigh from the other end of the line, ¡°This isn¡¯t something we can discuss over phone. I will talk to you later when we get back home.¡±

    ¡°DON¡¯T BOTHER!!! IT¡¯S BEST IF I NEVER RETURNED!¡± Benny yelled at the phone.

    He could hear Dad calling out his name but he wasn¡¯t having it. He clicked of his phone and slumped on the floor with tears falling out of his eyes.

 Chapter 9 - The Events in The Storm

    For a while, he did not move.

    He just sat there with his head on his knees, swaying as the boat swayed. He barely noticed the tears dripping down in the side of his face. His phone rang again with Dad¡¯s name on the caller ID but Benny ignored the phone call. It rang a couple more times until Benny finally switched it off completely in defiance. He then slumped to the side, with his back to the bathroom door.

    He was still shaking all over¡­or maybe it was just the boat.

    Benny absentmindedly handled the chain around his neck. He thinks back to Abuela and felt guilty. It was because of him that she wasn¡¯t going to Chez Lamont instead slaving over a stove for a great-grandson that just caused her this expensive treat even after she just imparted her most important heirlooms to him.

    A knock came from other side of the door. ¡°Benjamin? Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Benny tried to sound normal, found his voice croaking from all the shouting his was doing, ¡°I¡¯m fine, just an upset stomach.¡±

    ¡°Oh, um, okay!¡± says Anna, ¡°Well, I just came to get something from the fridge.¡±

    ¡°Like I said it¡¯s upset stomach.¡± Benny lied again, ¡°I¡¯ll be out in a minute!¡±

    The sounds of the outside seemed to have drowned his voice for the most part as the apparent sound of lightning and thunder became rampant. He just hoped the others weren¡¯t able to hear it.

    He walked towards the lavatory and took a glimpse in the mirror. He looked like a mess. His eyes were red, his cheeks were shining with tears and his hair was sticking up in places where he was grasping it earlier. Not wanting to look as though he was on a drama talk show. Benny quickly washed his face and combed his hair. As soon as he deemed himself looking as though nothing was wrong and the he hasn¡¯t gotten out from a huge argument with his Dad, Benny opened the door of the bathroom.

    Ace and Terri were sitting directly opposite each other arm wrestling on a wall pullout table. Though it seems they were avoiding eye contact with him.

    Anna was sitting on the bed, eating a tart. Benny noticed she covered where she was sitting on some kind of covering to prevent the crumbs from dropping on the bed.

    Benny went and sat beside her.

    ¡°Are you okay, Benjamin?¡± she looked at him in concern.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± He lied almost immediately.

    ¡°Are you sure? I thought I heard you shouting...¡± She asked the last part in a whisper but when she saw the expression on Benny¡¯s face she added quickly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the bathroom is soundproofed for privacy and with the motor running along with the rain outside, not to mention the noise they were making so much there¡¯s no way I can hear the conversation. All I hear was a loud sound-¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s fine...¡± Benny cut her off. Whenever Anna was flustered she starts saying too many things. ¡°Though talking with dad really gave me an upset stomach. But I¡¯m fine¡­at least until I hear from my dad when I get home¡±

    Now that Benny has mentioned it he was now feeling apprehensive of returning home. Trying to ease of his feelings, Benny changed the subject.

    ¡°So what are they doing now?¡±

    ¡°They got into an argument about favorite online games and are now settling it with an arm-wrestling competition.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really think arm-wrestling has anything to do with comparing online games¡­¡±

    ¡°Me neither¡­¡±

    Anna was acting as though she didn¡¯t hear anything earlier. But Benny could just tell that she did.

    A loud thump could be heard as an arm was slammed straight into table. Terri yelled in triumph as Ace groaned in defeat.

    ¡°Ha! I won!¡± she smirked at him. ¡°So who¡¯s game is better now?! Huh?¡±

    Ace was grumbling incoherently, evidently framing the insults.

    Suddenly, a huge wave rocked the boat and the tart Anna was eating, flew up from its plate and smacked Ace on the head.

    ¡°Pablo, I¡¯m sorry!¡± Anna apologized, handing him a handkerchief.

    ¡°No biggie.¡± Ace licked the dripping tart on his head.

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you think rocking is getting stronger?¡± says Terri.

    For once, she didn¡¯t seem to find Ace¡¯s discomfort funny. Instead she was looking at something at the window. Before any of them could look out, the boat began to rocked heavily again.

    Something indeed felt wrong.

    The boat was rocking more violently and the sounds of the waves can now be clearly heard as though they were pounding against the hull, trying to get in.

    ¡°You don¡¯t think the storm is getting worse on us do you?¡±

    Ace lounged back completely unperturbed. ¡°Nah, Manong Dario should be getting us to shore by now!¡±

    ¡°Manong Dario should really be careful! Somebody could get-¡±

    But before Anna could finish, there was flash of lightning followed by a loud scream and a bang!

    A second later the lights went out.

    ¡°What the-¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s that screaming?¡±

    ¡°That must be Manong Dario! Something must¡¯ve happened!¡± says Ace.

    ¡°You think?¡± says Terri sarcastically, but the look on her face was full of worry.

    ¡°We have to go topside! Something must¡¯ve have happened to him!¡± Benny said worriedly, as they made their way to the door.

    As they tried to head to door the boat rocked so violently, that it caused all of four of them to tumble down backwards on top of each other.

    ¡°Ow!¡±

    ¡°Get off me!¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t see!¡±

    ¡°Do you mind? Get your butt of me!¡± Ace¡¯s muffled voice grumbled since Terri was sitting on top of him.

    ¡°Pervert!¡± shrieks Terri, smacking him in the head.

    ¡°Who¡¯s a pervert? You¡¯re the one who¡¯s sitting on me!¡± retorts Ace, as he struggles to disentangle himself.

    Benny wound up underneath his friends, his glasses askew and his head a little dizzy. He tried to tell them to get off of him, but the fact that he was being flattened face-first to the floor could only manage a muffled sound. Ace and Terri, however, took no notice of this as they continued arguing which led to Anna breaking them up.

    ¡°Enough you two!¡± says Anna, who happens to be sitting right on top of the pile was looking at the ceiling light with a worried expression. ¡°This shouldn¡¯t happen! The emergency generator should start in case of a machine break down!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a generator in this thing?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the bridge, something must¡¯ve happened!¡±

    ¡°Something must¡¯ve happened to Manong Dario!¡± says Ace as he got up and using the bunk beds as support. ¡°You guys stay here, while we go check!¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m coming with you!¡± says Anna.

    One-by-one, Benny felt their weight letting up. As soon as he was able to breathe normally Ace¡¯s voice called out to him.

    ¡°Crusoe, what are you doing? Get your butt off the floor!¡± Ace said as Terri and Anna made their way up the staircase

    ¡°Stop calling me that!¡± says Benny as he tries to get up but Ace had already exited out the door.

    Benny adjusted the glass on his nose and stood up grasping the sides for support as the motion of the boat was making walking a little too difficult. He climbed up the spiral staircase into the control room.

    What he sees is something horrible.

    The bridge was completely devastated. The tempered glass windows were smashed! And water was pouring inside from the broken panes. Shattered fragments of glass were strewn across the floor. The controls were smoking and were emitting sparks.

    But this was nothing compared to what he could see outside!

    The sky was completely dark with clouds, occasionally lit by the bolts of lightning. It was hard to hear with howls of the wind and the rumbles of thunder that seemed louder than a jet engine! But nothing compared to what was happening to the sea! Mammoth waves that were about ten stories high were moving like giants all around the sailboat. Their tiny boat swaying helplessly as they waves moved, completely at their mercy. Occasionally huge sprays of water beat and splashed all over the boat. The water entered through the broken glass.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    Suddenly, his head began to hurt painfully! His vision began to become disoriented. He kept seeing flashes of image in his mind.

    A storm just like this¡­

    A tiny boat¡­

    ¡°Benny!¡±

    That shout snapped him out, Benny his grip was still on the railings.

    ¡°Benny, come on! We need help!¡± shouts Ace¡¯s voice.

    As his vision and dizziness cleared, he finds his three friends gathered around a moaning Manong Dario. Anna was crying loudly, calling out his name.

    ¡°What happened?¡± says Benny as he skids towards them.

    Manong Dario had zigzag burns all over his arms and legs. It was a typical sign of a lightning strike.

    ¡°Hit by lightning¡­I¡¯m amazed that he¡¯s still alive.¡± says Ace, checking his burns. ¡°Anna, is there an emergency kit?¡±

    ¡°O-Over there!¡± she pointed at a white box with a red cross in it.

    Ace took it and quickly began taking out the necessaries.

    ¡°Terri, go and see if the controls are still functioning!¡± he says to his cousin.

    Terri wanted to argue but Benny prompted her knowing that she had been rather good at those kinds of mechanical stuff.

    ¡°It seems the lightning had destroyed the controls!¡± says Terri.

    That much was clear since there was some of the controls were still smoking.

    Their situation was worse than worse.

    They were caught in the middle of a storm with the ship broken down and their captain injured. And to add more to the situation, the storm was getting stronger! The boat was moving along helplessly along the gigantic, violent waves, rocking as each waved passed. Their vessel was obviously no match for them.

    Benny stood up and headed to the control panel to assist Terri.

    ¡°Any luck?¡±

    Terri shakes her head.

    ¡°The controls are totally fried. The best we can do is to drop anchor to stabilize the ship and prevent ourselves from drifting away.¡± she says to Benny.

    ¡°How are we supposed to do that? And do you even know how to drive a boat?¡±

    ¡°Driving in this storm? Not an option!¡± Terri looks around and finds the manual ¡°Ha, here¡¯s the manual. Give me a second. Let¡¯s see¡­according to this, this do-hickey should release the anchor that way it¡¯ll stop this boat from drifting away!¡±

    Terri grabs what looks like a wench and starts turning the lever.

    A sound of metal gears could be heard and sure enough they could see they hear the sound of something heavy splashing in the water. The anchor managed to help stabilize the ship from moving so much.

    ¡°It worked!¡± yells Terri in triumph.

    ¡°Good going, Terri!¡±

    But then another wave splashed them on the side, causing each of them to topple over again! As they struggled to get up in the slippery floor, Manong Dario groaned trying to get up.

    ¡°Manong Dario!¡± says Anna in relief.

    ¡°Kids, let me! I have to get us to safety!¡± he groans.

    ¡°Forget it, Manong! You¡¯re badly hurt to drive much less move the steering wheel! If there¡¯s any left¡­¡± says Ace who looks at the ruined wheel, ¡°We have to bring Manong Dario below deck and treat his injuries!¡±

    Benny, Ace and Terri help carry Manong Dario back below deck, with Anna following them from behind, carrying the medical kit. They managed to plop him on the bed. Ace had already treated the wounds was already dressing them. It was a good thing Ace¡¯s dad also trained him for emergency situations because he started expertly wrapping and dressed Manong Dario¡¯s burned hands and legs.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go get some towels!¡±

    Benny immediately goes to the bathroom and returned with a large set of towels.

    As they all dry themselves. They kept looking out of the windows. The storm was, if not already, getting worse by the minute.

    ¡°Manong Dario, I thought you were supposed to bring us back? How did we get caught in this storm?¡± demands Anna.

    ¡°Anna! Now¡¯s not the time to get all prissy!¡± Benny reproached her.

    ¡°I did, Anna dear¡­¡± says Manong Dario with effort to sit up. ¡°But instead of going to shore for some reason¡­the vessel seems to be going further out in sea¡­Then, the storm¡­suddenly reached us. The next thing I knew I was¡­struggling to drive the vessel against those fierce waves.¡±

    ¡°You should lie down,¡± Ace pushes him back down. ¡°And try to get some sleep, it¡¯s the best cure!¡±

    Manong Dario did not need telling twice as the man soon fall unconscious.

    ¡°Is he alright? He isn¡¯t-¡±

    Ace checked his vitals. ¡°No, he¡¯s alive¡­just passed out¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try calling for help!¡± says Anna flipping open her phone, but then a look of surprise appeared in her face.

    ¡°I doubt we¡¯ll get a signal in this storm!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it! My phone¡¯s gone static!¡± Anna showed them her phone and sure enough the screen was now completely static.

    ¡°Do you think it got wet?¡±

    ¡°This phone is water proof! And it¡¯s still brand new!¡±

    ¡°Hold on, I left my phone here so it should still be¡­¡± Terri takes her phone which she had left on the bed and clicks it on. ¡°What the¡­ There¡¯s something wrong with the screen!¡±

    ¡°Mine too!¡± says Ace, as he checks his phone.

    Benny takes out his phone. As he turns it back on all he received was a static screen.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? You think the storm might be interfering with our electronic devices?¡±

    ¡°Could be? The generator¡¯s not functioning otherwise we¡¯d still have some emergency lights!¡±

    The boat gave another violent shake as a huge wave just shook the vessel. Anna screamed as she fell down to the floor. ¡°I don¡¯t want this anymore! Why does this have to happen on my birthday! I want to go home!¡±

    Terri tries to calm her down, ¡°It¡¯ll be okay! We¡¯ll be safe as long as we stay here!¡±

    Ace stands up, again using the bunks for support.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna look for an emergency light we can use. It¡¯s too dark to see anything in here!¡±

    Terri also stands up. ¡°See if there¡¯s something we can use to call for help!¡±

    ¡°You think there¡¯s a CB Radio in here?¡±

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s worth a try.¡±

    Anna was still sobbing quietly.

    ¡°This is the worst birthday I¡¯ve ever had¡­¡±

    Benny tries to offer her some words of comfort. But even he wasn¡¯t feeling all the optimistic. Even if they could send word of help, there¡¯s no way anyone would be stupid enough to risk their neck to come in this storm.

    They were on their own. A sudden horrible realization came to him. There was a chance they could not survive this storm and the tiny sailboat wouldn¡¯t be in one piece if it would be found.

    ¡°Benjamin¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Benny looked up.

    Anna had suddenly stopped sobbing and was sitting rigid.

    ¡°Anna? What¡¯s wrong? Are you okay?¡±

    She suddenly grasped his hand tightly.

    ¡°Ow! Anna?!¡± yelps Benny, wincing at her grip which was suddenly strong!

    Both Terri and Ace turned at the sound of his shout.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Benny?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t suddenly shout-¡±

    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong with Anna!¡± Benny cuts them off as he tries to free himself from Anna¡¯s grip but to no avail.

    ¡°What happened?¡± asks Terri as she and Ace approached them.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ She¡¯s suddenly gotten strong and-ow!¡±

    Both Ace and Terri stared at him. Benny couldn¡¯t blame them since Anna was thinner and smaller than he was.

    ¡°Are you pulling my leg, bro? Or are you suddenly turned into a wimp on me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not kidding, Ace! I can¡¯t pull her off!¡±

    With a roll of his eyes, Ace tries to pry Anna¡¯s fingers off Benny¡¯s wrist but to his surprise He couldn¡¯t even budge a pinky.

    ¡°Whoa! She¡¯s got a good grip!¡± Ace grunts as he tries to pull her hand away but couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°You boys are such wimps! Here let me¡­¡±

    Terri tries to pull Anna¡¯s hand off but to her surprise (Benny¡¯s and Ace¡¯s, as well) she couldn¡¯t do it either.

    ¡°Look who¡¯s talking?!¡± snorts Ace.

    Terri glares at him, ¡°Shut up! Seriously, Anna! Are you taking some steroids or something?¡±

    ¡°Anna! Please let go! You¡¯re hurting me!¡±

    Okay, that sounds like something a girl being assaulted would say. Benny thought to himself.

    Anna had been unresponsive all this time and suddenly raised her head. She opened her eyes and they were glowing in bright white light!

    All three of them yelled as they saw this. Both Ace and Terri back away in sheer terror.

    ¡°What the hell?¡±

    ¡°Anna¡¯s possessed!¡±

    ¡°A-Anna?¡± stammers Benny, who couldn¡¯t run away as she was gripping his hand tightly.

    Anna turned to face him. She opened her mouth and spoke with her voice was echoing several times.

    ¡°Light shall pass through the world¡¯s door¡­

    And with Fire shall reunite once more¡­

    Walking by their side is Nature¡¯s Healer¡­

    And one who bears the Gift of the Knowledge-Keeper¡­

    Seven Stars will the Light embrace¡­

    Plume within the Star Sigil shall mark ancestors place¡­

    When the Black shall engulf the White¡¯s light

    The bond shall bring forth Heaven¡¯s might¡­¡±

    No sooner had she finished talking, Anna slumped and fell backwards. Benny just barely managed to catch her.

    All of them were frozen in silence with nothing but howl of the wind outside.

    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± breathes Ace at last.

    ¡°Anna? Anna!¡± Benny shakes her.

    After a few breathless moments, Anna opened her eyes again. This time they were no longer glowing.

    ¡°Benjamin? What happened?¡± stutters Anna. ¡°What am I doing in the floor?¡±

    Nobody answered. They were still too stunned by what just happened. Anna rubbed her forehead as if she had a headache.

    Benny quickly shook his head, ¡°Anna? What happened to you just now?¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know. I guess I must¡¯ve blacked out-¡±

    ¡°Did you remember anything in the last minute?¡± Terri asked carefully.

    ¡°Why? What happened?¡±

    It seems Anna was unaware of what just transpired here.

    ¡°But you were¡­you said something weird¡­then you-¡± Pablo stammered trying to piece together just what happened.

    ¡°Pablo, are you alright?¡± Anna asked worriedly.

    ¡°THAT¡¯S OUR LINE!¡± Benny, Ace and Terri shouted together.

    Anna flinched from that.

    ¡°You suddenly-argh!¡± Benny grips his head in pain.

    ¡°Wha-?! Benny?¡±

    ¡°Oh, great¡­ him as well?! Is there an overdose of mass hysteria going around?¡±

    It was an intense pain! He felt as though he were trying to stop his head from splitting apart.

    As a thunder and lightning cracked, his head felt dizzy again. Was the extreme motion of the ship making him sick? But there was another strange feeling¡­nostalgia¡­

    Why does it feel like he was in this situation before?

    Images began appearing in his head.

    A storm¡­ A tiny boat¡­Gigantic waves¡­

    But then new images began to appear.

    A whirlpool in the clouds¡­

    A little red-headed boy who was screaming his name¡­

    Kuya Benny!!! Help!!!

    Benny¡¯s eyes opened with a jolt. ¡°Wait¡­Whose voice was that?¡±

    ¡°Benny! Come on! Snap out of it!¡± Ace shook him roughly.

    However, the ship suddenly lurched to the side, causing everyone to be knocked sideways.

    ¡°Kya~!¡±

    ¡°Uwah~!¡±

    ¡°Another turbulence?¡±

    Ace managed to get up and looked out of the porthole.

    ¡°Oh, crud! There¡¯s a huge wave coming this way!¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    Terri went to approach the window. Though still dizzy, Benny managed to get a hold of himself and walk towards the porthole. Anna was left sitting there still dazed, completely unable to get up.

    As soon as they looked out the window they saw a gigantic rouge wave was coming this way.

    Benny backed away from the window. Feeling his knees give out, he fell to the floor.

    ¡°What are we going to do?¡±

    ¡°Why are you looking at me? I can¡¯t stop a huge wave!¡±

    ¡°NOOO!!!¡±

    Anna was curling up and screaming in despair.

    He even heard of huge ships being capsized by waves as big as that. There was no way this little yacht could¡¯ve withstand something like that.

    One thing¡¯s for sure: they were doomed! They were gonna die!

    Benny clamped his hands to his head.

    Somebody¡­please¡­help us! Benny thought desperately.

    Suddenly, a bright light caught his attention. Benny turned his head and saw it was coming from his bag!

    Benny pulled it close to him and saw Abuela¡¯s book was glowing.

    ¡°What the-¡±

    Benny looked up a little. He saw Ace and Terri bickering franticly. Anna was sobbing hysterically. None of them noticed the book was glowing.

    Benny took out the book and all of a sudden it opened and its pages were flapping. It stopped at a page written in Abuela¡¯s special language.

    e?k??ltu?r??t??nh??m

    If he were to translate it said: The call to return home¡­

    There were some words written underneath it. It was some kind of incantation.

    Was it a magic spell?

    Benny thought this was crazy but a lot of crazy things had just happened to him recently. Plus the book was still glowing!

    Maybe¡­Just maybe¡­ It could be a sliver of a chance!

    As crazy as it was, Benny had no other options left.

    ¡°Incoming!¡± shouts Ace.

    Terri cursed as she ducked for cover. Anna screamed louder.

    Benny quickly started to read.

    ??p¨»nma?w?rdz,hirma?pli!(Upon my words, hear my plea!)

    ??kr?sspe?s?ndta?m,a?bi?si?ei! (Across space and time, I beseech thee!)

    ma??d?st??ne???n</a>?z?z?o?n! (My destination is as shown!)

    br??mib?ktuw?ra?k?lho?m! (Bring me back to where I call home!)

    On the last syllable, the book exploded with bright light!

    Outside, the enormous wall of water loomed over them for a second before it came crashing down!

    And then¡­

    BOOM!!!

    A pillar of light exploded from the water and parted the clouds!

    And from within that light, Benny lost consciousness once more from the use of his very first Magic Spell.

 Chapter 10 - Survivor

    Benny felt himself floating in a void like hen were in a limbo-like state.

    I guess that failed¡­ Should¡¯ve guessed¡­ Benny thought.

    So this was it for him¡­ Lost at sea¡­

    Benny thought about his parents¡­Emmett¡­Cathy¡­Tom¡­Lily¡­and Abuela¡­

    He was never going to see them again¡­

    He felt his energy ebbing away, his consciousness slipping. He wanted to end it already. Benny closed his eyes again letting the darkness and water engul--f him. Yet something was off. He couldn¡¯t feel any water or coldness at all.

    ¡°Giving up already?¡±

    He opened up his eyes by a bit. Who said that?

    ¡°This is not the end for you, Benjamin Estrella¡­¡±

    Benny felt something in his chest grew warm. He looked down on it and saw the pocket watch floating up from his shirt.

    The gem on it was glowing!

    Suddenly, everything seemed to have disappeared. Or rather his whole surroundings changed.

    Benny suddenly felt he was lying on solid rock.

    He was still barely conscious¡­in a daze he glanced around and saw he was in the middle of an area with massive stone pillars lined up in a circle which vaguely reminded him of Stonehenge. Each of the pillars had carvings and writings that Benny couldn¡¯t make out.

    But he was sure of one thing: wherever this place was it wasn¡¯t ocean anymore.

    The gem was still glowing brightly! The jewel illuminated the area with a bright and shining light.

    Like a tiny star guiding him in the darkness.

    He felt the chain slipped off from his neck. Benny tried to grab hold of it but he was barely able to lift up his arm and it slipped away from his fingers.

    ¡°Wait¡­ Don¡¯t go¡­¡±

    The pocket watch didn¡¯t fly far away from him but hovered in front of him.

    He didn¡¯t know what he was doing, but he reached out a hand and touched the stone. Suddenly, it burst into rainbow of light that engulfed Benny completely.

    ¡°Prepare yourself, Benjamin. Your adventure has just begun¡­¡±

    A soft voice echoed.

    ***

    Tenryu Fyreroar woke up with a jolt.

    He sat up, feeling sweat tricking down his face.

    ¡°A dream?¡± he mumbled.

    Tenryu was still half-asleep when something bright was blaring outside.

    ¡°What the blitz? Who turned on the light?¡± Tenryu grumbled as he sat up, rubbing his eyes.

    It was though there were a multitude of torches lit outside.

    Wondering whether there were people outside, Tenryu grasped his sword and sneaked towards the side. A big and dangerous forest like this one was bound to have less-than-friendly people.

    ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡± he says in warning, ¡°I¡¯m warning you! I¡¯m armed!¡±

    There¡¯s was no reply, but the lights still seemed to move around as though someone was moving it.

    Getting up to his feet, Tenryu went out of the tree hole with his sword aloft and ready. He was expecting some bandits making a ruckus n the forest.

    He jumps out of his tree hole ready for a fight! But finds no one¡­

    ¡°What the-?¡± he scratches his head in confusion, ¡°There¡¯s nobody here!¡±

    Suddenly, a loud thunder-like sound boomed from above.

    Tenryu looks up in surprise and sees what looks like a curtain of rainbow-colored lights dancing across the skies.

    An aurora had appeared out of nowhere!

    ¡°What the blitz is going on?¡± he says to no one in particular.

    Tenryu¡¯s gaze didn¡¯t drop as he continued to look at the aurora. Cloaked by the aurora, the stars themselves were glowing in different colors. But amongst them, a single blue star stood out of them. It was glowing from within the aurora started to grow larger.

    Tenryu squinted at it. ¡°What is that? Ah!¡±

    He felt something in his chest grew hot!

    He looked down and saw the compass underneath his shirt was glowing. Tenryu reached inside his shirt and pulled it out. To shock, the compass was glowing brightly or rather the red jewel on it was glowing brightly!

    Suddenly, the compass opened on its own! He saw the needle spinning violently before it stopped, pointing right towards the direction where shining blue star was!

    At that very moment, the blue star shone so brightly that entire area was covered in light. As though in response, the gem on the compass also glowed brightly! Tenryu dropped the compass, covering his eyes to shield them from the intense light.

    Then, as sudden as it all happened, the light faded.

    Tenryu uncovered his eyes to see the blue star had disappeared along with the aurora. The light shining from the compass had also vanished. He just stood there, completely stunned. He managed snapped out it and approaching the compass with caution. He saw that the needle was still pointing in the same direction.

    ¡°What the blitz was all that about?¡± he says as he picked up the compass.

    Tenryu looked at the direction where the needle was pointing.

    The woods were as dark and foreboding as ever. He was tempted to go in that direction but decided against it. He was still feeling tired and hungry, going back out there half-rested would leave him vulnerable. He closed the compass, tucking it back into his shirt and went back to his camp.

    Tenryu tries to get back to sleep but he was too disturbed that he couldn¡¯t. He kept tossing and turning uncomfortably, unable to get his mind off of what he had just seen. His eyes were wide awake, contemplating on what he had seen.

    What could that be? Tenryu thought.

    Tenryu flipped open his compass: the needle was still pointing in the same direction.

    What Tenryu didn¡¯t realize¡­ that it wasn¡¯t a ¡°what¡± that appeared but a ¡°who.¡±

    Someone special had just arrived.

    ***

    Benny didn¡¯t know whether he was alive or not.

    He felt the wet sand on the back of his neck, legs and arms. He could feel the warmth of sunlight on his face. He could smell the scent of salty sea air going through his nose. Not to mention that his body felt like he had been beaten up and was completely bruised all over.

    If he could feel all that then he must be alive.

    Benny opened his eyes, his vision was blurry. His glasses must¡¯ve fallen off. However, he could barely make out the blue sky and white of clouds. The sun was also shining brightly overhead, which caused him to cover his eyes from the glare.

    He sat up and felt his head was pounding. He was still feeling confused and dizzy. His thoughts were incoherent. Benny slapped himself in the cheeks to snap himself out of delirium.

    The first straight thought that came to mind was to check if he still had the golden watch. Benny felt around his neck and was relieve to have found that he still had it. The golden chain was cold around his neck. The heavy watch still hung from it and he felt it being plastered to his skin by his wet clothes.

    ¡°Where am I?¡± he said as he squinted at his surroundings.

    Even though his vision was still blurry he could make out that he was at some kind of beach. But nevertheless it was still hard to see.

    ¡°Dang it!¡± cussed Benny, groping in his pockets, ¡°I hope my spares are still with me!¡±

    Thankfully, he felt the case containing his spare glasses was still with him. Unlike his usual pair which had square frames, this pair had circular frames that made it look like he had a pair of magnifying glasses on his nose. It made Benny uncomfortable using them. As much as he didn¡¯t like them, it was better than going around blind. He quickly put on his glasses and everything came into focus.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    He was in the middle of a coved beach.

    The waters were crystal blue and the sand was white. There wasn¡¯t a shred of garbage or debris of any kind floating around. The place was unnaturally clean and beautiful. The beaches he knew would have some form man-made trash, whether it would be plastic bags or a bottle cap. But here, not a shred of those could be seen. It was pristine and beautiful. It would make a perfect tropical get-away.

    Benny walked around for a bit and found that this place had no traces of human involvement.

    How did I get here? Benny thought.

    The peace of looking at this serene paradise soon disappeared, as soon as Benny began to wonder how he himself had arrived there. The memories of what happened came back to him.

    The realization sent shivers down his spine.

    ¡°The storm¡­ The sailboat¡­ No, everyone!¡± says Benny as he began to look around franticly for his friends.

    There was no sign of anyone anywhere.

    ¡°Hey! Is anyone here?!¡± Benny shouted out loud.

    ¡°Ace!¡± he yells.

    He calls out for Ace, no reply¡­

    ¡°Anna!¡±

    Again no reply¡­

    ¡°Terri!¡±

    No reply¡­

    ¡°Manong Dario!¡±

    He tried, at least hoping the driver might¡¯ve heard him. No reply either.

    ¡°Hey, is anyone here?¡± Can you hear me?!¡±

    Benny shouted himself hoarse calling each of his friends¡¯ names and Manong Dario¡¯s but to no avail.

    After shouting himself till his throat ached for what seemed like an hour, Benny took what seemed like another hour walking the whole length of the cove in a desperate attempt to search for any sign of his friends.

    Finally, he realizes there was no use.

    They were gone¡­

    ¡­And he was alone¡­

    Benny fell to his knees on the sand.

    He survived but his friends did not¡­

    He didn¡¯t know how long he had been crying he didn¡¯t even realized that he was lying in the ground and curling up in the sand.

    A cool breeze blew and Benny shivered. Even though the sun was high in the sky, his entire body felt as cold as ice. Yet he barely paid attention to that chill or even noticed that his clothes were still wet.

    Though he didn¡¯t intend for it a memory came to mind. He remembered how he and Ace used to go camping with Ace¡¯s dad and whenever they camped in the tent. Ace¡¯s dad would always remind them if ever if they found themselves in the wilderness they need to make sure their clothes were dry at all times otherwise they¡¯d get hypothermia. Ace always took his dad¡¯s survival tips seriously and he knew Ace would probably be shouting in anger at him for just lying there.

    Feeling as though his body were moving automatically, Benny stood up and began to look for some driftwood. He might as well make a bonfire. Not only will it make him warm, the smoke can provide a signal to his location. Plus it might do him some good to do something. He found some lying around nearby. Benny gathered some and found some dry grass for tinder near the edge of the forest. As soon as he gathered all the materials he needed Benny arranged them into one area.

    He still had a problem of lighting them.

    He wasn¡¯t sure he had any strength for rubbing two sticks for a long time just to light a fire. He did quit boy scouts earlier when he was a kid and was wishing that some of their basic survival skills had stuck in.

    Ace would probably have one going in a flash.

    As the thought of his friend brought tears again to Benny¡¯s eyes, he then remembered a trick Ace used when they went camping last year. They forgot their matches but Ace quickly improvised by using Benny¡¯s glasses as a magnifying glass against the sun to ignite the bonfire for lunch! Benny took some dry grass and held his glasses aloft over them. In a matter of minutes, Benny managed to ignite some small embers. He then took this to his stack of dry wood and soon a roaring fire blazed. Only just realizing that his clothes were wet, Benny quickly stripped off his clothes and left them on a nearby rock to dry.

    Having done everything that he could do all there was left to do was to wait for help to arrive.

    Sitting near the fire in his underwear, Benny absent-mindedly fiddled with the chain of the pocket watch still hanging on its chain around his neck

    He didn¡¯t know how long he had been sitting there.

    The sun was steadily rising over the horizon. Benny could¡¯ve opened the pocket watch to check the time but his finger did not move an inch closer to the switch. He simply stared woefully at the fire while letting his body soak up the warm heat.

    He wondered how long it would be till anyone would notice. Surely, Mr. Perlasreyna would¡¯ve sent the whole coast guard in a desperate search for them. He thought of the despair of his friends¡¯ families would be when they found out what happened. He even felt a deep pit of pity for Manong Dario¡¯s daughter, whom he had heard from Anna, was working as a domestic helper somewhere in the Middle East.

    He then thought of his own family. Would they be worried and sad that he was missing?

    The thought of how much trouble he was in for if ever he was found¡­ Everyone would probably question him about every detail. He¡¯d be forced relive that nightmarish night. And that¡¯s if they were able to find him.

    Benny rested his head on his knees, letting himself drown in sadness.

    ¡°Benjamin¡­¡±

    Benny looked up but sees no one.

    ¡°Maybe it was just my imagination¡­¡±

    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh? Who said that?¡±

    He looks around again. There was nobody there.

    ¡°You know moping around is not going to help¡­¡±

    He leapt to his feet, looking around widely. This time he moved his head around to see who just spoke. Again there was nobody there.

    Benny grasped his head and massaged his temples, ¡°I must be losing mind¡­¡±

    ¡°I said you aren¡¯t! Now QUIT MOPING!!!¡±

    The voice suddenly became extremely loud that his hands flew up to cover his ears. The shock caused Benny to trip backwards.

    This time he was sure he heard that!

    Benny instinctively looked down on the jewel on his pocket watch, but it wasn¡¯t glowing. It didn¡¯t come from the stone¡­but more like it was in his head!

    It sounded like his voice but at the same time it wasn¡¯t!

    ¡°Alright, who¡¯s there? Is anybody here?!¡±

    Benny looked around and again there was a sign of no one.

    ¡°This is no joke! If somebody¡¯s there, please show yourself!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ Even if I want too I can¡¯t¡­¡± the voice said again but more gently.

    Benny felt the blood drain from his face.

    There was nobody there but the voice was loud and clear. It felt like he was talking to someone in front of him. Benny tried hitting his head, to check if he was hallucinating.

    ¡°I must be hearing things¡­.the shock could do this¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already told you that you weren¡¯t hallucinating so stop hitting yourself! It won¡¯t do you any good¡­¡±

    The voice was gentle but it sounded rather amused.

    ¡°Who are you? Where are you?¡± Benny says in shaking voice.

    He was shaking as well but not due to his lack of clothes or the cool breeze.

    ¡°Calm yourself down¡­Now listen¡­Your friends and Manong Dario are alive.¡±

    ¡°T-They are?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they are¡­ When you read that spell out loud it also caught them and transported them. You succeeded in getting them out of that situation.¡±

    ¡°I did?¡±

    ¡°Yes, so don¡¯t fret¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, thank God!¡± Benny felt an intense sense of relief flooding him. ¡°So, where are they?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I do not know¡­¡±

    ¡°W-what do you mean know?¡±

    ¡°They were transported along with you. But you were separated along the way. Their Aura still exists so I can say they are alive. As to where exactly they are or if they are okay I cannot tell.¡±

    ¡°That does not make any sense at all! How can you know if they are alive if you don¡¯t know where they are?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a little hard to explain and this isn¡¯t the right time¡­ I know you are still shocked by what just happened to you but you can¡¯t stay here...it¡¯s not safe¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Put on your clothes and head into the forest¡­look for the boy with a sword of fire¡­He will help you.¡±

    Benny was confused. As much as he was scared that he was talking to a disembodied voice, he found the voice¡¯s sudden instructions very weird in its own right. It didn¡¯t even answer his question.

    ¡°I¡¯ll repeat again¡­head to the forest and look for a boy with a sword of fire¡­¡±

    ¡°Even that sounds really scary¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better than here¡­ This is no place for you to hang around¡­ It¡¯s more dangerous here than you think¡­¡±

    ¡°But shouldn¡¯t I stay put and wait for coast guard to see my signal!¡±

    ¡°The coast guard will never see the signal¡­¡± The voice said it now with a rather sad and pitying tone.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°All will be revealed in due time¡­but now you must go!¡±

    ¡°I have to search for a boy with a sword of fire?¡± repeats Benny, sounding unsure, ¡°What kind person is that? And what the heck is a sword of fire?!¡±

    ¡°I am sure you already know¡­ you¡¯ve dreamt of him have you not?¡±

    Benny was stunned. Whoever this voice was¡­knew about his dreams! It was true though as when that voice said it Benny already knew the description all too well! The first thing that came to mind was that it sounded strangely like the boy with the flaming sword in his dream!

    ¡°B-But that was just a dream.¡±

    ¡°Dreams are sometimes more real than you think¡­ Just go to the forest and find him¡­He will help you¡­and don¡¯t forget to take that bag of yours¡­¡±

    ¡°My bag?¡± says Benny.

    He didn¡¯t find his bag anywhere when he came to. He was sure that it was probably lost at sea as well. But now that Benny thought about it, Abuela¡¯s thousand year old book was in that bag! Its loss was another deep blow to Benny.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡­ It¡¯s right over there by the water¡­¡±

    Benny looked around at the water¡¯s edge.

    Last time he checked there wasn¡¯t anything floating there but now he could see some kind of shape washed up near the shore. He quickly strode toward it and was shocked to find that it was indeed his bag! Benny quickly fished it out of the water and brought it to the fire. It was wet and completely soaked. He zipped it open and to find all of his belongings soaked as well. Despite that he was relieved to find that all of his belongings were there¡­including Abuela¡¯s book!

    This was weird because Benny was very sure he had taken it out at that time¡­

    That aside he became worried that it might have been damaged. Thousand year old book or not, water isn¡¯t good for any form of printed material. He quickly flipped it open and to astonishment, the book was completely dry and undamaged!

    ¡°What the-?¡± he stutters, as he brushes a hand over it. ¡°How come it isn¡¯t soaked?¡±

    Benny slightly expected the voice to reply but it didn¡¯t.

    He checked his other belongings and found a waterproof case. He was relieved that he managed to put his phone in it before. He turned it on to check if it was still functioning and thankfully it was! He tried to phone in for help but he couldn¡¯t get a signal. As expected, no signal.

    Benny quickly puts on his clothes.

    He still wasn¡¯t sure but for some reason he knew deep down that he could trust this voice. Even if by all account, it is considered to be weird to listen to disembodied voices at all!

    ¡°Oh, and try not to faint when you see him¡­Good luck¡­¡±

    That caused Benny jolt while he puts on his hoodie, ¡°Huh? What do you mean by ¡®faint¡¯? Hey!¡±

    But the voice did not reply anymore.

    Benny was still feeling awkward by what just happened but the voice was right. Moping around here will not help. The voice somehow had given him a sense of hope to keep on moving. So he gathered up all of his belongings and extinguished the bonfire.

    When he was finally ready to leave, Benny hoisted his bag onto his shoulders.

    ¡°Well, here I go!¡±

    With a deep breath, Benny headed into the forest.

    As soon as he entered the forest he was in for another big surprise.

    The trees were as tall as sky scrapers and their bark was a white as marble. The leaves had a deep green color that shone like emeralds in the light sunlight. The forest¡¯s huge canopy gave him some protection from the sun and there was a hollow breeze blowing through the area. But as he walked on deeper into the forest, there was more to this forest than what meets the eye!

    Benny began to encounter the mysterious wildlife in the forest.

    He couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. Most of the animals he keeps on seeing seem to be a hybrid of two or more ¡°normal¡± animals he was familiar with. He saw a butterfly that was the size of a bird¡­a lizard that had wings¡­and even a chicken that had a turkey¡¯s tail!

    ¡°What¡¯s with this place? Weird animals¡­and the plants¡­Whoa!¡± gasps Benny.

    He had leapt away from a large lily just suddenly become a large mouth, and swallowed a large fly (at least it looks like one but it was about a hundred times bigger!) He was both enthralled by what he was seeing and at the same time scared.

    ¡°Just where am I?!¡± he whispers to himself as he walks further ahead.

    Everything was completely new to him.

    ¡°It¡¯s as though I¡¯m in a new world!¡± he says breathlessly.

    At that point in time, he didn¡¯t know how right he was.

 Chapter 11 - A Fated Encounter

    Elsewhere at that same moment¡­

    Tenryu had just packed up his camp earlier that morning and was following where his compass was pointing.

    ¡°What is wrong with thing?!¡±

    He shakes the compass violently, but as the needle spins it returns back to its previous position. It was still pointing to the same direction as it did during the aurora¡¯s appearance last night.

    Tenryu was still feeling discomfited by what he had seen last night.

    The appearance of an aurora was taken with many superstitions. It is usually seen at the Far West and East countries. Only in rare occasions does it shine over the Medea Kingdom. It is believed the appearance of Aurora was the prelude to something great about to happen. There was another weird myth that Tenryu¡¯s sister likes that says that if you met someone during an aurora appearance you found your soul mate. There were many more superstitions it, Tenryu was not on for listening to tall tales.

    So why was he still thinking back about that?

    All this deep thinking has left his head feeling all fuzzy and aching. He wasn¡¯t used to doing as such. But his headache only got worse as he was increasingly getting annoyed by how unresponsive his compass is at the moment.

    For as long as he had had it, it has never failed him once. He was never needed maps and he relied on the special needle of his compass to guide him where he wants to go. Through its needle, it can act like a homing beacon to guide him where he wanted to go. It can still give normal directions like a regular compass through the rotating compass rose behind the needle. It remains fixed at the corresponding directions. So rather than the needle it¡¯s this floating ring that acts like a normal compass.

    Now Tenryu was sure where he wanted to go but now the needle seemed to be pointing at something else!

    ¡°What the blitz is this thing pointing at?¡± Tenryu yells in frustration. He stared at it with mixed emotions of being confused and plainly ticked off. But as he walked on the needle seemed to have changed positions and was slowly moving to the left.

    ¡°So now the needle¡¯s moving?¡±

    RUSTLE

    Tenryu suddenly hears something shuffling in the bushes.

    He turns on his feet, his hand flying towards his sword.

    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±

    The rustling sound moved around him like a circle. Tenryu raised his sword, which then burst into flames!

    ¡°I¡¯m warning you! I don¡¯t really give a blitz where I swing this!¡±

    Tenryu suddenly heard a rumble from one of the bushes in his immediate right!

    ¡°Over there!¡±

    He slashed the air. It formed a blade of flames that shot right out of the sword and struck the bushes! There was a screeching yelp and a large furry beast leapt out of the bushes and there was a shiny red burn on the top its head!

    ¡°You again!¡± growls Tenryu in the same manner as the beast. ¡°It¡¯s because of you I had to eat stale fish! It¡¯s time we finished what we started yesterday!¡±

    Tenryu braced himself for an attack and then launched himself against the beast! The beast tried to take a swipe at him with its claw but Tenryu dodged it!

    ¡°Not this time¡­¡±

    As the beast passed by him, Tenryu readied his sword.

    ¡°Flame Dragon Style: Blitz Claw!¡±

    As Tenryu slashed, the flames formed a claw-like shape and struck the best on the side! The spell had obviously hit its mark as the beast reeled in pain as it was knocked to the side of a tree. It tried to get up but it collapsed.

    ¡°Ha! Got you good there didn¡¯t I? Huh?¡±

    Tenryu approached it, but as soon as he came close to it he realized he had made a mistake.

    ¡°Oh blitz, you¡¯re not the one from yesterday! You¡¯re not even a Rabbit-Armadillo!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t a Rabbit-Armadillo at all but was in fact what the locals would call a Marble Pufferwarthog. Once can easily mistake the Pufferwarthog for Rabbit-Armadillo due to its hunched appearance, enormous size, huge sharp teeth and white fur. But these animals are quite gentle and docile. However, this wasn¡¯t the only thing that concerned Tenryu.

    These beasts are considered endangered species and attacking them is a criminal offense!

    ¡°Oh, blitz¡­I¡¯m sorry! But you did sneak up on me!¡±

    Tenryu quickly rummaged in his belt bag. Even though the bag seemed too small to carry anything useful that might help, this was no ordinary bag! Immediately he pulled out some long piece of cloth he sometimes uses for a hammock and a rope.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m not as good as Nia in wrapping bandages but I¡¯m pretty sure I got the gist of it! Hey, where do you think you¡¯re going?!¡±

    The beast struggled to get away from him but Tenryu managed to catch it. He tried to bandage the beast with the hammock but it kept on struggling!

    ¡°Calm down! I¡¯m trying to help!¡±

    Tenryu gritted his teeth in effort as he tightened his pull on the hammock. He was completely unaware that he was causing it more pain. The Pufferwarthog reacted to that by suddenly went on an agitated rampage!

    ¡°Whoa! What the blitz is wrong with you?¡± Tenryu yelled as he was tossed around like a bull rider.

    He grabbed hold onto the cloth and he wound up being dragged around the forest like a ragged doll! After being smacked into trees and brushed through some thorny bushes, Tenryu had had enough.

    ¡°Alright, you asked for some desperate measures!¡±

    Tenryu pulled onto the cloth again causing the Pufferwarthog to turn sharply in attempt to throw him off! But Tenryu used this to his advantage by using the momentum to swing himself onto the Pufferwarthog¡¯s back!

    ¡°It¡¯s time for you to take a nap!¡±

    He clenched his hand into a fist and it suddenly glows on fire! Tenryu¡¯s gloves aren¡¯t just for wear. They are actually his back-up Magical Tools which also utilize Fire Magic. Tenryu slammed his fist at the top of the Pufferwarthog¡¯s head!

    A large explosion rocked the whole forest!

    ***

    Benny, who was walking through some odd flowers that were dancing to his whistling, jumped as he felt the explosion erupt from far away. The flowers themselves closed up their petals as though they were afraid of something. He sees the giant mushroom cloud of smoke rising in the air.

    ¡°I-I shouldn¡¯t lag around! This place is dangerous after all!¡±

    Benny walked on ahead until he treaded on something: a tail!

    He only realized too late that he stepped on a tail when its owner came leaping out from the bushes and landed tight in front of him! If Benny thought those shows where a large beast had just popped out when you accidently trod on their tails was funny¡­

    ¡­he didn¡¯t think so now!

    Benny felt as though hell had opened before him! A huge saber-toothed tiger was baring its fangs menacingly! Its fangs were as sharp and jagged like a sharks jaw! Its paws had huge claws on them!

    ¡°N-nice¡­kitty?¡± stuttered Benny.

    It roared right at his face.

    Benny did the first though that came to mind: run!

    Benny ran as fast as his legs could carry him but it was obviously futile as the beast just simply leapt onto him! Benny fell down to the ground with a resounding crash with the cat monster¡¯s weight pinning him down! He could feel the horrid, hot breath at the back on his neck and Benny knew that it was going to make a snack out of him!

    Benny was so paralyzed his fear that he couldn¡¯t move. He only closed his eyes and screamed.

    ¡°GET OFF ME!!!¡± he yelled at the top of his voice

    Just as the beast was about to sink its jaws on him, something glowed from Benny¡¯s bag!

    Benny felt a strange surge of energy exploded from his bag and the weight of the monster on him disappeared. He heard a loud slamming sound followed by a yelp of pain!

    In confusion, Benny opened an eye looked up around and glanced behind him. He saw the giant cat had somehow been thrown off him and slammed straight to far-off tree. But he had little time to think about it when the beast got up growling, with its fangs bared again. It attacked. But before Benny could react, he feels that strange warmth in his bag again.

    His bag began to glow in bright light!

    A wave of energy had burst from it and the beast slammed straight into some kind of glowing transparent barrier! He saw the cat had been thrown away again albeit further out!

    Benny stares, astounded by what he had seen.

    He looks down at his glowing bag and opens it to find Abuela¡¯s book glowing again!

    ¡°Benjamin¡­¡±

    The voice again!

    ¡°This barrier won¡¯t last long¡­¡±

    As the voice spoke, the cat beast had rushed in and slammed against the barrier. Benny could see the light fading away from the barrier.

    ¡°What should I do?¡± Benny asks panicking.

    ¡°Listen closely¡­ This beast will attempt to strike the barrier¡­¡±

    As the voice spoke, Benny could see the beast readying itself for another strike.

    ¡°¡­but when it does it will be blasted away once more¡­¡±

    The beast was growling in a way that it sent cold shivers up Benny¡¯s spine.

    ¡°When that happens the barrier will fade away¡­¡±

    ¡°Y-you¡¯re kidding me, right?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not. But that¡¯s the moment when you have to run! Do not falter! Just run!¡±

    Benny nods to the disembodied voice.

    He stands up to his feet and braces himself, ready to make a break for it.

    The cat monster again growls loudly and pounces on the barrier with its large claws. Upon contact, once again it was thrown away like a rag doll!

    The barrier had disappeared completely!

    ¡°NOW! RUN!¡±

    Benny ran like he had never run before!

    ***

    Tenryu had just finished ¡°bandaging¡± his ¡°patient.¡±

    ¡°There! Now that wasn¡¯t so bad?¡± Tenryu grinned at the animal before him.

    In an honest opinion, it would¡¯ve been better off if Tenryu had left it alone. Now it looked like a huge, badly-wrapped Christmas present with a bow on top.

    ¡°Been a pleasure doing business with you!¡± says Tenryu as he saluted it before going on his way.

    He did fail to see the Pufferwarthog¡¯s expression of relief on seeing the back of him!

    Tenryu walked on forward deeper into the forest. He took out his compass to see where he had to go next. From the position of the direction ring and the needle, the compass was still pointing to the same direction as before.

    ¡°Blistering blitzes of infernos!¡± cries Tenryu in frustration.

    He shakes the compass again! But still it points at the same direction.

    ¡°What exactly are you pointing at? I want out of here and you¡¯re pointing me to the middle of-¡±

    Suddenly to Tenryu¡¯s surprise, the needle began to change. Unlike before the movement was more prominent now! It was now moving as though whatever the needle was pointing was moving!

    ¡°What the blitz?¡± Tenryu looked up to where the needle was pointing. ¡°There must be something there!¡±

    Suddenly he could hear a voice calling out!

    ¡°HELP!!!¡± someone yelled, ¡°SOMEBODY HELP ME!!!¡±

    The voice was coming from the same direction as the needle!

    Tenryu knew then that the needle wasn¡¯t playing tricks on him! Someone was in the forest and they needed help!

    He quickly sprinted towards the voice.

    Tenryu sliced through some vines that tried to grab and entangle him (some plants here are carnivorous.) He kept going to where the voice was yelling

    ¡°HELP!!!¡± screamed the voice again. The yelling was getting louder now!

    Tenryu ran until he saw a break in the trees. He found himself in atop a hill overlooking a section of the forest.

    ¡°HELP!!!¡± screams someone again, ¡°SOMEBODY!!!¡±

    Tenryu scans for the source of the voice and there he sees a boy being chased by Striped Saber-toothed Tiger-Leopard!

    But Tenryu couldn¡¯t believe his eyes!

    It was that boy!

    The boy who appeared in his dreams! Even though his face wasn¡¯t clear but he remembered that black hair, glasses and weird clothes.

    As the shock wore off, he knew he had to act fast! The animal chasing him were known to prey on humans! They are usually no problem if one has a weapon to fend them off. But from the looks of it that boy was clearly no fighter or even armed for that matter! Which was weird considering nobody was stupid enough to be venturing around the Marble Forest.

    Apart from Tenryu, though he hasn¡¯t realized it himself yet.

    Tenryu quickly skidded down the side of the hill and ran as fast as he could. He clenches his fist as they burst into flames! As the beast leapt onto the air and made another attempt to pounce on the running boy, Tenryu leapt into the air at the same time! In a split moment they looked like they were about to collide!

    When suddenly Tenryu his body and punched it hard in the face! The huge cat was caught completely off-guard as it was soon sent flying through a tree! The Saber-toothed Tiger-Leopard tried to get up but Tenryu loomed over it with his flaming sword on hand!

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to make fur coat of you, get lost!¡± he growled at it, looking more menacing than the cat.

    The tiger transformed from a menacing predator into a little kitten. The tiger must¡¯ve realized this kid wasn¡¯t like the other. This guy could do worse than what it could do.

    And just like that the huge tiger melted away into the forest, with its tail between its legs!

    Tenryu sheathed his sword and dusted off his hands.

    ¡°Well, that takes care of that overgrown rodent! You don¡¯t have to worry now I¡¯ve taken care of that-¡±

    Tenryu looks towards the boy he had just saved¡­only he wasn¡¯t there!

    The boy was still running as though he had never noticed that the beast chasing him was already gone!

    ¡°Hey! Wait! Stop!¡± yelled Tenryu, as he chased after him.

    ***

    Benny knew that cat beast was still chasing after him!

    His thoughts were so clouded with panic and confusion that he couldn¡¯t pay attention to where he was going! He nearly tripped on some roots, fought his way through some bushes and dodged below beneath some low growing branches. Breathing heavily, Benny didn¡¯t know which direction he was going.

    He only just wanted to get away.

    Of course running around in the forest wasn¡¯t exactly the best decision. This forest wasn¡¯t even a normal forest at that.

    Benny kept encountering weird forest plants that earlier had fascinated him but now scared him out of his wits! This did not help when they prove to be quite hazardous!

    There were huge, trumpet-like flowers blowing ear-splitting music!The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    Benny then bumped onto mushrooms the size of cars and he was bounced around like pinball! After he was thrown out of the clusters of mushroom he wound up landing right in front of thorny plants that shot their spikes like deadly arrows! (Benny was able to duck away behind a rock to avoid getting hit.)

    As soon as the plant ran out of its ¡°ammo¡± he made a brake for it!

    The plants were the least of his problems. Considering he was encountering even more bizarre animals! Apart from the beast that he thought was still chasing him, there were apparently even more weird animals around this crazy forest! He passed by a deer with flowers growing out of its antlers. He freaked out by the sight of a huge fly the size of a parrot. And when he passed underneath some branches, a flock of rabbit-eared owls hanging upside-down like a bat were spooked and they flew off in hordes.

    This only served to cause Benny to panic even more! He ran disoriented and unaware of where he was going.

    ¡°This must be some weird dream!¡± Benny muttered underneath his breath.

    Benny hoped for the voice to guide him but there was no such. Why did he listen to that in the first place?

    ¡°Please wake me up! Please wake me up-Uwah!¡±

    The next thing he knew, Benny felt his foot step on nothing and began tumbling down! He hadn¡¯t realized he had reached a steep slope! He yelled as tumbled over rocks and roots until finally, he reached the bottom and fell flat on his face in the dirt.

    ¡°Why is this happening to me?¡± he sobbed on the ground.

    Suddenly, a faint rustle came from a bush.

    Benny looked up, frozen as fear had completely gripped him. His eyes were closed tightly as the bushes rustled. Soon he braced for what was coming out of there expecting it to be another huge monster but then¡­.he heard soft patting of little feet.

    At first, Benny wondered why a monster would make such light footsteps.

    Curiosity got the better of him and he opened his eyes. He was face-to-face of small little fuzzy creature. Benny sat up with a sigh of relief, clutching his chest. Okay, not the kind of thing he was expecting but for some reason this was a slight clich¨¦.

    ¡°Okay, calm down¡­ Everything¡¯s weird, so let¡¯s not make it worse¡­¡±

    The little furry animal made some weird noises. He looked down at it cautiously. It looked like a rabbit mixed with an armadillo.

    ¡°Maybe I have overreacted a bit. I mean you looked like you wouldn¡¯t hurt a fly¡­¡±

    The little animal wiggled its nose.

    ¡°Great now I¡¯m talking to some hybrid creature. And I was expecting some huge, saber tooth monster with claws¡­¡±

    A loud roar erupted. And out of the bushes jumped out a huge fanged monster: the mother Rabbit-Armadillo!

    ¡°IT¡¯S HERE!¡± Benny screamed, feeling his hair spiking up in fear.

    The mother Rabbit-Armadillo had its teeth bared at him and let out another roar. It was by far the most frightening thing Benny has ever seen in his life! More than that Saber-toothed tiger from before! Its eyes were as red as fire. It had sharp teeth and tusks the size of his leg. Not to mention its hackles were spiking up!

    The little Rabbit-Armadillo hopped away, going behind its mother.

    Benny felt himself shaking, unable to move as the huge monster slowly made its way toward him. He then remembered that he was still holding the book! Benny quickly held it out in front of him, wishing that the barrier would appear again!

    But no such thing happened!

    ¡°Please! Help me out!¡± Benny says to the book.

    Nothing¡­

    Benny quickly opened it and scanned for a spell that can keep that beast away. The Rabbit-Armadillo roared angrily as it pounced! Benny yelled instinctively raising his free arm to shield himself. Although he knew that it was most likely to be chewed up instead (with him along with it!)

    If this was the end for him, he was wishing that it would be quick.

    Just when he thought it was it for him something else had leapt out of the bushes and knocked the beast away!

    ¡°Finally found ya!¡±

    Tenryu had just entered the fray!

    ***

    To Benny¡¯s utter astonishment, there before him was a boy holding a flaming katana sword!

    ¡°Flame Dragon Style: Blitz Fang Blade!¡±

    The next thing Benny knew the whole place was covered in flames!

    ¡°Flames?!¡± says Benny, shielding his eyes from the fierce intensity of the fire.

    There was a loud yelp and as soon as the flames disappeared. A lone boy stood in the middle.

    Benny was stunned speechless!

    Here was the boy whom the voice told him to look for! The boy with a flaming sword! But it wasn¡¯t his sudden, timely appearance or the flaming sword that caught his attention (well, maybe it did) but it was that this boy looked exactly like the one in his dreams! He even had the same voice!

    The monster growled as it made another attempt to swipe at him! Benny wanted to yell for the boy to look out but the boy nimbly leapt away every time the beast tried to strike!

    Whoa, he¡¯s fast! Benny thought.

    As the beast slashed the ground on his feet, the boy managed to avoid another strike by somersaulting into the air and landed a few feet away from his foe.

    Tenryu quickly pointed his sword straight at the beast¡¯s snout, ¡°Flame Dragon Style: Blitz Strike!¡±

    To Benny¡¯s awe, the sword sent flaming bullets that struck the beast in the face! But then the monster curled up into a giant armored ball which shielded itself from his attacks!

    ¡°Blistering Blazes!¡± growls Tenryu, ¡°Curled in your little ball again? Well, I¡¯m not going to fall for that trick this time!¡±

    Tenryu¡¯s grip tightened on the hilt and he charged.

    Just as he was about to strike, the Rabbit-Armadillo uncurled itself and swiped its giant claws at the boy.

    ¡°Watch out!¡± Benny yelled.

    Tenryu managed to skid to a stop and held his sword in a defensive position! The sword had barely managed to catch the claws of beast on the blade just before it struck him. But when the Rabbit-Armadillo drew its arm its claws were still hooked to the sword. Tenryu lost his grip on the hilt and the sword was sent flying. It got pinned like a dart to a tree!

    ¡°Oh blitz!¡± cursed Tenryu.

    He saw the glint of Rabbit-Armadillo¡¯s eye as it made another swipe at him!

    The boy managed to leap away but lost his footing and fell back downwards. Seeing its foe down the Rabbit-Armadillo bared its teeth and made its stride towards the stirring boy!

    On Tenryu¡¯s end, he managed to get on his knees and sees the beast moving towards him with the intent to kill radiating from it. His sword still pinned to the tree a distance away.

    ¡°I guess I have no choice but to use the back up!¡±

    Tenryu clenched his fist with the intent to activate his magic gloves.

    At that moment, Benny was completely unaware of the boy¡¯s back up weapons. All he could see was a defenseless kid about to be mauled! His gripped on the book tightened.

    ¡°Go away!¡± Benny yelled.

    Suddenly, the book in his arms started to glow again! A huge wave of energy exploded from the book!

    Both the beast and the kid were caught by the shockwave!

    Benny was sent flying as well and the book fell to the ground! Tenryu was knocked backward to another tree! While the huge monster was blasted far, far away and landed quite a long distance from them.

    After a few moments, all of them were all dazed by the sudden burst. Benny sat up with his head pounding. His glasses were knocked askew. Tenryu tried to get up, completely dizzy. As soon as Tenryu manages to snap out of it he sees the Rabbit-Armadillo running away with its young bringing up the rear.

    ¡°Blistering Blazes!¡± curses the Tenryu, stamping his foot in frustration, ¡°Got away again!¡±

    Benny watches him still a little shaken. As soon as that beast was gone, his attention was soon drawn to his rescuer.

    The boy¡¯s back was facing him but Benny remembered that auburn-red hair that was strangely the same shade as some members of his family have. It was sticking up at top of his head giving a look like his head was also on fire. He also had a shank of long hair tied into a pony tail. The boy was wearing the strangest set of clothes like he was someone cosplaying an anime character from a TV show.

    Even though the voice said this guy was supposed to help him, Benny couldn¡¯t help but feel rather fearful.

    Tenryu approaches the tree where his sword was and yanks it out, ¡°Can¡¯t believe I lost my grip¡­what a rookie mistake.¡±

    As Tenryu was grumbling, Benny was still staring at him.

    ¡°Um¡­excuse me¡­¡± Benny mumbled but stopped.

    For a splitting second, Benny thought he saw a strange red glow enveloping the boy but it then disappeared as soon as appeared.

    What was that? Benny thought.

    Tenryu wanted to chase after that dinner wrecker but the person on the ground was his priority.

    ¡°You okay? The Rabbit-Armadillo didn¡¯t do anything right?¡± he says as he turns to face him.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m fine! Thanks for saving-¡±

    It was then that both of them got a good look at each other. Both boys stared at each other for moment and at the top of their voices they both yelled, pointing at each other!

    ¡°YOU¡¯RE ME??!!¡±

    Benny felt everything spinning¡­

    ¡°Hey! You okay?!¡±

    Even thought the voice told him not to pass out, the next thing Benny knew: he did pass out.

    ¡°Hey!¡±

    The boy rushed towards his side. Benny saw a strange red haze covering the boy once more before his consciousness faded to black.

    ***

    A few hours later¡­

    Benny felt his head aching as he regained consciousness.

    At first, he thought everything that just happened was a dream. He was lying on something soft so he assumed to have been rescued from his ordeal and was now lying on a hospital bed.

    But something was definitely off.

    The bed was albeit uncomfortable and there wasn¡¯t even a blanket. In fact, the hospital room seemed albeit strange too. There wasn¡¯t any air conditioning or that air freshener scent that hospital rooms usually have. And there was some kind of fire burning.

    Who burns fire in a hospital room? Benny thought.

    He couldn¡¯t see clearly as someone had taken off his glasses. But it was obvious to him that this was no hospital room.

    ¡°Oh! So you¡¯re finally up!¡± said a familiar, rather husky voice.

    Someone had approached him. Even with his blurry vision and the dim light, the person¡¯s features seemed familiar.

    ¡°Where¡¯re my glasses?¡±

    ¡°You mean these?¡± the person laughed, ¡°I thought only old guys and those people at the Magistrate used these things but here you go!¡±

    Benny felt something placed in his hands and he knew that these were his glasses. As soon as he puts them on everything comes into focus.

    In front of him was a red-haired boy!

    ¡°Aahhh!!!¡± yelled Benny, pointing at Tenryu. ¡°It¡¯s you! I mean me! I mean¡­¡±

    To make him stop Tenryu had karate-chopped him in the head, ¡°It¡¯s rude to point you know!¡±

    ¡°Ow!¡± Benny rubbed the top of his head, ¡°S-sorry¡­It¡¯s just¡­¡±

    Even though his head was throbbing he was still ogling at the boy in front of him.

    ¡°Yeah, I know right?¡± Tenryu looks at Benny closely. Maybe a little too close, as they were practically nose-to-nose, ¡°I mean look at you! You look exactly like me!¡±

    It was Benny¡¯s turn to frown.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say exactly¡­¡± he says as he adjusted his glasses.

    ¡°Hmm¡­you¡¯re right. I guess ¡®almost¡¯ is the right word for it! We¡¯re still a whole lot different!¡±

    Tenryu finally backed away and plopping on the ground in front of him.

    After that the two boys fell silent.

    This was very awkward situation to Benny. It was shocking to find the boy that kept appearing in his dreams actually existed. And even more so to find that not only he existed but the boy had the similar face as he does! But now that Benny got a good look there were still a lot of differences.

    For one, Tenryu had a wild appearance to him.

    His spiky, auburn-red hair was styled in a way that it looked like his head was on fire. He kept some strands hair into a ponytail. Benny would never have his hair set like that. He had a tanned complexion which probably meant he was out under the sun a lot. And when the boy grinned at him, he had some rather sharp canines that only enhanced his wild appearance.

    But it was the eyes that caught Benny¡¯s attention.

    Tenryu¡¯s eyes were dark brown that had a rather fierce and brave-looking gleam to him. But there was strange familiarity in them that Benny couldn¡¯t put where.

    Unknown to Benny, Tenryu was also feeling the same sense of awkwardness but was keeping it behind a well-practiced poker face.

    He was sure that this was the boy he kept seeing in his dreams! One that had tall buildings that seemed to be made of glass and weird forms of transportation. But the boy¡¯s sudden appearance and the fact that his compass pointed directly to his location was still mysterious as the appearance of Aurora last night. But the biggest surprise was seeing that the kid who was always blurry in the face, turned out to have the same face as he does!

    Despite that, however, Benny still looked rather¡­average.

    Benny¡¯s hair was black with a strange indigo-tint. It was spiky but it was still neat-looking (even though it had a bit of sand in it.) His skin was lighter than his. He was also wearing some strange set of clothes. Behind those huge glasses were eyes that were wider and more relaxed than his were. They emanated a sense of comfort. Those deep blue eyes seemed oddly familiar and nostalgic. Tenryu couldn¡¯t point out why.

    Tenryu felt as though he should know this guy¡¯s name but it was like it was on the tip of his tongue. Strange enough, Benny was the one who broke that introductory question first.

    ¡°So, um¡­can I know what your name is?¡±

    ¡°Ah! Yeah, I forgot to introduce myself. The name is Tenryu Fyreroar by the way!¡±

    Benny found that hard to pronounce, ¡°Well, nice to meet you Mr. Fyreroar.¡±

    Tenryu flinched, ¡°Blistering Blazes! That¡¯s way too formal! Just call me Tenryu!¡±

    Benny quickly backtracked, ¡°Oh, sorry, Tenryu is it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my name!¡±

    Finally knowing who this boy was gave a sort of a feeling of accomplishment to Benny.

    ¡°And you are?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right, I¡¯m Benjamin. Benjamin Estrella. But people just call me Benny.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Benny!¡± says Tenryu as he grabs Benny¡¯s hand and shakes a little too roughly. So much that Benny¡¯s arm felt like jelly after he¡¯d let go.

    ¡°Hey, so¡­ um¡­ Where are we?¡± Benny asked him taking a look of their surroundings.

    From the looks of it they were inside a huge hollow of a tree. Benny could see a large fire burning merrily in the center.

    ¡°Marble Forest, where else?¡± says Tenryu with a grin. Those sharp canines of his had really unnerved Benny.

    ¡°Marble Forest?¡± repeats Benny.

    He has never heard of a place like that before.

    ¡°Yup!¡± nods Tenryu, evidently chuckling at Benny¡¯s weird accent on the name.

    ¡°Um¡­where¡¯s my bag?¡±

    ¡°There right beside you! You dropped your book by the way!¡±

    Tenryu handed him the large Spellbook which Benny quickly took it back and breathed of relief.

    ¡°Strange though, I¡¯d never thought I¡¯d see someone chased by a Saber-toothed Tiger-Leopard. Say, what were you doing wandering around the forest in the first place?¡±

    This was a big problem.

    After all those close encounters this morning, it was obvious to Benny that wherever he was, as unbelievable, amazing and completely ridiculous as the idea was: this wasn¡¯t Earth anymore. Even though he himself wasn¡¯t completely sure of it¡­no wait, Benny saw first-hand that flaming thing Tenryu did with his sword so that pretty much squashed any doubt he had.

    But he can¡¯t just blab that whole truth. He wasn¡¯t even sure how this kid was going to react if he learns that Benny is probably from another world.

    ¡°I¡­got lost¡­¡± Benny admitted, trying to keep a simple and understandable answer yet still vague.

    Tenryu crossed his arms and turning a critical eye on him. Benny flinched, seeing that expression in a face similar to his.

    ¡°That¡¯s pretty obvious but how did you get in this forest in the first place?¡±

    ¡°I just wondered around and got lost¡­¡±

    But from Tenryu¡¯s expression, he was not at all convinced.

    ¡°Oh, really?¡± he says, taking a long sniff at Benny (much to his discomfort.) ¡°Why do you smell like a sundried fish?¡±

    Like a sundried fish? Benny sniffed his own clothes. It did smell like seawater and salt bleached under the sun.

    Benny glanced back at Tenryu, who was clearly waiting for an answer. It was pretty clear this kid is not going to let up. But still Benny knew he had to keep some details hidden so he decided to tell part of the truth.

    After all, Tenryu did save him. So he at least owes him that¡­

    ¡°Alright¡­I was out on a boat with when we got caught by a storm-¡±

    The reaction from Tenryu was the very least thing he had expected. His tanned skin seemed to have paled a bit. And he was shivering all over. He looked as though he were about to puke.

    ¡°Are you okay? You look a little sick!¡± says Benny concerned by Tenryu¡¯s reaction.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like those things!¡± murmurs Tenryu.

    ¡°¡®Things?¡¯¡± repeated Benny, looking confused, ¡°What are you-¡±

    ¡°You know! Those things you mentioned, floating on the water!¡±

    Benny stopped and started to piece together his observation.

    ¡°Hang on, you mean boats?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of boats!¡± Tenryu yelled out so loud that Benny winced.

    He had to cover his ears because Tenryu¡¯s voice was so loud! It was probably ten times louder than a sound projected by a huge amplifier in a rock concert!

    ¡°I never said you were! Seriously¡­You have quite the volume!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not those things themselves. Well, maybe a bit¡­ But that¡¯s not the reason why I don¡¯t like them! It¡¯s just¡­I just don¡¯t like the thought of riding them!¡±

    ¡°Oh, so you mean riding the boat? You get seasick?¡±

    ¡°Blistering Blazes, will you shut it?!¡±

    Benny knew he had hit the nail on the head.

    ¡°Sorry about that, I was just checking¡­¡±

    Benny on the other hand was finding this quite hilarious but he tried to keep his mouth shut from laughing. He had to because Tenryu looked as though he wanted to deck him. Tenryu took a deep breath and that seemed to have calmed him down. Tenryu clearly has a high sense of pride and if being seasick shows he has a weakness is a big blow to his self-esteem.

    ¡°I don¡¯t ride those death traps. Especially in a storm! It¡¯s no wonder you¡¯re all beaten up! Were they anybody else in there with you?¡±

    That laughing feeling quickly disappeared. All the pain Benny felt this morning came back to him.

    ¡°¡­I was all alone¡­¡± Benny¡¯s voice trembled.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­¡± says Tenryu, suddenly realizing that he might have treaded on a sore subject, ¡°You don¡¯t need to explain. I think I got the picture.¡±

    Listening at tragedies wasn¡¯t really his thing. He didn¡¯t know how to react appropriately for it.

    ¡°What about your family? Don¡¯t they know if you¡¯re alright?¡±

    From the look of Benny¡¯s face, Tenryu had stepped on another landmine.

    Benny felt as though he had run into a wall. Now that he thought about it, if his assumption is correct, he is in another world. Then it¡¯s obvious that his family was back at home in a different world! Not just his family but everyone he knew! This meant that he was really, truly alone¡­

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­all alone¡­I lost¡­everything¡­¡± Benny¡¯s voice shook.

    He wasn¡¯t actually saying this to Tenryu but he simply voiced out the thought in his head. Unfortunately, saying it was actually more painful than expected.

    ¡°Oh! Um, sorry to hear that¡­¡± Tenryu said, awkwardly.

    Tenryu knew that he wasn¡¯t good with these types of conversations. And he cursed himself for stupidly making it worse for this guy. He tried his best to find the right words to say.

    ¡°It¡¯s a hard thing to lose the people you care about, and then this happens.¡±

    Tenryu probably mistook his words and thought he was an orphan in accident.

    From his situation he might as well be¡­

    ¡°So what are you going to do now?¡±

    ¡°I¡­don¡¯t really know¡­¡±

    Benny felt the whole weight of his situation slowly crushing him! He was all alone in weird world! He had no one to turn to¡­ No one to seek help¡­ He doesn¡¯t even know how things work in this world! How can he hope to survive? Today just proved it!

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you hang with me for a while?¡± says Tenryu in a kinder tone.

    Benny stared at him shock. He had momentarily forgotten about Tenryu.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s pretty obvious that you¡¯re in a pinch and I¡¯m not just going to leave you when you¡¯re like that! So why don¡¯t you stay at my place for a while?¡±

    ¡°N-no¡­I couldn¡¯t! I don¡¯t want to be a burden to you or your family.¡±

    ¡°What other choice do you have then? Do you know anyone who can help you out?¡±

    Tenryu was right. If Benny just went on his own way, he wouldn¡¯t survive past a day. And Tenryu could help him for a bit. It was then, Benny remembered the voice.

    Look for the boy with a sword of fire¡­he will help you¡­

    The boy was here right now! He just saved him and was offering to help.

    ¡°Well¡­Thank you¡­¡± Benny says quietly.

    ¡°Great! And don¡¯t worry about being a bother to my family. They¡¯re pretty much used to guests and they¡¯re nice people.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    But Tenryu already stood up and walked towards the fire. He pulled out something from the flames. It was a pair of sticks, each had some kind of fish skewered and grilled on it. A delicious smell was wafting through Benny¡¯s nose and his mouth began to water.

    ¡°Are you hungry? Good thing, I found a stream nearby! These are quite the delicacy! Here!¡±

    Tenryu gave him a stick of¡­.

    As soon as Benny saw what was on it, he nearly dropped the stick in revulsion. It was a fish that had legs like a salamander! It even had a long salamander-like tongue lolling out! If Benny could take a guess, this must¡¯ve come from a radioactive river! Disgust was clearly evident in his face, because Tenryu asked him if he was alright.

    ¡°You okay? You look like you have a stomachache.¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­what is this supposed to be?¡±

    Tenryu looked surprised at his question, ¡°Can¡¯t you recognize it?¡±

    ¡°Err¡­no¡­¡±

    ¡°Blistering Blazes, these are Newt-Fishes! Restaurants pay good money to buy these!¡±

    That still didn¡¯t make any difference. To Benny, this thing was clearly inedible just by its appearance.

    ¡°No thanks, I¡¯m good-¡± but to Benny¡¯s dismay, his stomach started to ache and growling.

    ¡°Unless I¡¯m mistaken, that means you¡¯re hungry!¡± Tenryu smirks at him, taking another bite,

    Now that he thought about it, he hasn¡¯t eaten since yesterday. Benny was already famished¡­and despite its unappealing looks, it does smell good.

    ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want a bite?¡± Tenryu said, having already took a big bite, ¡°I¡¯ll eat it all if you don¡¯t want it-¡±

    Benny had no choice. His instinct took over and before he knew it he sunk his teeth on the flesh. To his utter surprise, it tasted quite good! It tasted a lot like wood-plank cooked salmon!

    ¡°You look like you enjoyed that!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s really good!¡±

    ¡°Well, don¡¯t be shy! I caught a bunch more!¡±

    Eating a couple was enough to satisfy him. Benny had managed to satisfy his hunger, though Tenryu had wound up gobbling several more helpings. Benny did not complain. The so-called Newt-fish still looked unappealing to him. Despite that, Benny has never seen something that looked so weird tasted so good.

    After the meal, both boys sat beside the campfire and chatted.

    Tenryu rubbed his belly, which was now twice the size before they started eating.

    ¡°Now that was some good eats!¡±

    ¡°You have quite the appetite!¡± Benny chuckled with a sweatdrop.

    ¡°Well, Magma-tia did always say that. I once gobbled up entire all-you-can-eat. That¡¯s probably why I was banned from that restaurant in Jadefir Town.¡±

    Benny snorted in laughter. Whether Tenryu was serious or not, that was funny. Tenryu thought so too as he was grinning back at him.

    ¡°Who¡¯s Magma-tia? Is she your aunt?¡± Benny asked, finally hiccupping himself to sense.

    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s my great-aunt. She¡¯s called Aunt Magma to everyone. She¡¯s the one who take care of us since my sister and I were little¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh? You have a sister?¡±

    ¡°Fare-ate...She helps Magma-tia out, cleans the house and often gives me a hard time when I step out of the line.¡±

    Benny gave him a warm smile, ¡°They must be wonderful.¡±

    ¡°They sure are. They¡¯re a lot tougher than they looks Magma-tia once snapped the leg of a bandit who tried to rob her in the market.¡±

    Upon hearing that, the image Benny painted of Tenryu¡¯s aunt changed somewhat. He now imagined her to be sweet-looking elderly lady holding a sledge hammer behind her back.

    ¡°Wow¡­¡±

    ¡°And Flare-ate¡­she threw a group of drunkards into the river canal when they tried to harass her.¡± Tenryu snickered.

    An image of a huge, pro-wrestler woman beating up a group of drunkards popped up.

    ¡°That sound¡¯s¡­amazing too¡­¡±

    ¡°But my dad is probably the most amazing guy out there!¡± says Tenryu with sudden fervor.

    Benny looks at him, ¡°Your dad?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s taken down Class-A monsters and whole bandit guilds just like that!¡± Tenryu snapped his finger to emphasize that.

    What kind of family does this kid have? Benny thought to himself.

    Benny was pretty sure that if his Dad would meet Tenryu he¡¯d be writing up a restraining order. Tenryu would definitely fall into the category of the peers you should avoid at all costs. This guy spells trouble. But for some reason, Benny was more interested about this guy than afraid.

    ¡°So what does your dad do? He¡¯s an explorer or something?¡±

    ¡°He explores¡­well, wanders around more like it. Like an idiot bum that he is!¡± laughed Tenryu, although he sounded wistful. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen in for years now and who knows where he is¡­ But whenever he shows up we train together day and night!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sort of jealous¡­ My dad never gave me the time of the day even when he was still around¡­Ah!¡± Benny was surprised those words came out of him suddenly. ¡°Never mind¡­¡±

    Tenryu gave him a long look before he snorted, ¡°Well, let¡¯s not dwell in the past!¡± he says before he plops down on the ground, ¡°You better get some sleep! We have a long walk tomorrow!¡±

    ¡°R-right!¡± says Benny, taking this was the end of their conversation, ¡°Well, good night!¡±

    Benny lay down his head.

    It was incredibly uncomfortable to sleep on the ground but he noticed that he was lying on a pile of leaves. Tenryu must¡¯ve made a makeshift bed for him. Benny stares at Tenryu¡¯s sleeping form.

    Despite his rather wild background, he¡¯s a pretty nice guy¡­

    ¡°Oh, um¡­thank you for saving me. I really appreciate it.¡±

    But it seemed that Tenryu was already fast asleep. So Benny just rolled on his side and fell asleep.

    Unknown to Benny, Tenryu was still awake with his back turned to him.

    To Tenryu, that was the first time someone actually appreciated his effort.

 Chapter 12 - Benny and Tenryu

    The next morning¡­

    Tenryu stood over Benny while tapping his foot impatiently.

    ¡°Wake up!¡±

    ¡°Five more minutes!¡± groaned Benny.

    ¡°You said five minutes ago¡­FIVE MINUTES AGO! NOW WAKE UP, BLAST IT!!!¡±

    Having enough of this, Tenryu grabbed him by the shirt and shook him roughly.

    ¡°Rise and shine, you sleepyhead! It¡¯s time for you to wake up!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m up! I¡¯m up!¡± yelled Benny, feeling his brain spinning in his head,

    ¡°Oh! Why didn¡¯t you say so?¡± Tenryu then dropped him back on the ground.

    Benny felt for his glasses and put them on. As his vision cleared he saw Tenryu standing over him. His bag was already strapped on his shoulders. His sword attached across his back.

    ¡°Well, come on! We have to start early if we want to get to town by noon!¡±

    Tenryu grinned at him before walking out of the tree¡¯s hollow.

    ¡°I would have settled for an alarm clock¡­¡±

    After packing up all his belongings, Benny double-checked to make sure that Abuela¡¯s gifts were all safely kept. The book was safely secured in his bag and he doubled checked to make sure the pocket watch was hidden underneath his shirt. Benny followed Tenryu as they walked around the forest.

    ¡°So how do you know where to go?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I have my ways!¡±

    ¡°Do you have some kind of a map or a GPS?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I have a map but what¡¯s that last part? What¡¯s a Jeepiyes?¡±

    Benny bit his tongue. He only realized his stupidity.

    ¡°Err¡­you know¡­something that can tell you where exactly you are in the world?¡±

    Tenryu shrugged, ¡°I have no idea what that is. But it sounds like your describing a Locus-Navigator.¡±

    So they do have something similar from his world.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s it!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the money to buy something that fancy.¡±

    Benny nearly fell, ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    Tenryu walked on slicing away some thick growth.

    ¡°So how do you find your way out of this place?¡±

    ¡°Like I said, I know my way around!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me its gut instinct.¡±

    It was Tenryu¡¯s turn to gulp. That was pretty much what he was doing.

    ¡°Err¡­no¡­ Like I said, I have my own methods!¡±

    The compass hanging around his neck suddenly felt a little heavy.

    Tenryu guided Benny along, all the while occasionally taking a glance at his compass. Since meeting Benny the compass was finally working again! He made sure Benny wasn¡¯t looking whenever he did this though. It wasn¡¯t that difficult as Benny was still looking around completely entranced by the forest. Tenryu smirked to himself when he glanced at Benny¡¯s expression. It was like seeing a little kid entering a play park for the first time.

    But this was no amusement park.

    Their walk was not without some brush with the dangerous wildlife.

    ¡°Look out!¡±

    Tenryu pulled Benny away from a bunch of bell-shaped flowers that tried to gobble Benny from above. Tenryu slashed at it and it turned to ashes on the ground.

    ¡°T-thanks¡­t-that was too close!¡±

    ¡°You need to be careful! Some of these plants will eat you without thinking twice! Luckily, it was just the Head Biter¡¯s Bell.¡±

    Knowing the name of that plant did not make Benny feel better.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think a plant with the name ¡°Head Biter¡¯s Bell¡± would sound safe at all.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right! Never occurred to me though!¡± says Tenryu, who simply shrugged as though it were nothing

    Benny made another mental not to keep away from that kind of plant or any plant with a morbid name for that matter.

    And perhaps he should add instilling a common sense in this kid.

    As they walked on, their path started to get a little difficult with all the undergrowth Tenryu helped clear the path for them to tread on using his flaming sword to slash and hack the way through. Benny was worried at first that he might start a forest fire. However, every time Tenryu slashed, the flaming blade easily cut through thick bushes and shrubs but not leaving a single lick of flame.

    Even though Tenryu was his guide and sort of a protector, Benny himself had a moment of glory.

    Just a while later, Benny noticed something had landed on Tenryu¡¯s back! It was an insect bigger than the likes of which Benny has never seen before! It was a mosquito the size of an average housecat!

    Benny quickly used his bag to swat a house-cat sized mosquito off Tenryu¡¯s back.

    ¡°Ow!¡± Tenryu yelped in pain. ¡°What the blitz was that for?!¡±

    ¡°S-sorry,¡± Benny pointed at the crushed insect on the ground, ¡°But that thing tried to make a snack out of you!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Tenryu looked at the twitching insect, ¡°A Gallon Mosquito!¡±

    ¡°A Gallon Mosquito?¡± repeats Benny, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me this insect swallows a gallon of blood!¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t suck a gallon of blood but they do drain you enough to leave you weak and vulnerable. If it weren¡¯t for you I¡¯d be¡­well you know¡­Anyway, thanks¡­¡±

    ¡°Err¡­no problem¡­¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just move it. Before another of those things comes flying by.¡±

    Tenryu nodded and they continued on to walk their way through the forest.

    Apart from those instances, everything else went well¡­in a way.

    When they got hungry Tenryu was able to point out some berries they could eat. Even though those berries tasted like soy sauce. Whether it climbing a huge rock or a tree, Tenryu helped Benny whenever they reached they reached a difficult point.

    ¡°Try to keep up!¡±

    Tenryu seemed to have energy to spare despite having just climbed a steep hill.

    ¡°I¡¯m trying!¡± Benny panted as he reached the top. He was fraught with exhaustion but struggled not to show. ¡°How much further do we have to go?¡±

    ¡°Not far!¡± Tenryu pointed up ahead.

    When they reached those gigantic mushrooms, Tenryu showed an interesting way of passing them buy using them as trampolines. It was fun jumping from one mushroom to another, even though Benny bounced off one badly and knocked Tenryu out of mid-air causing the two of them to fly painfully to the ground. Despite Tenryu¡¯s initial irritation, the two of them had a laugh about it in the end.

    Next, they reached a series of vines growing from the forest canopy.

    After finding out that they were just normal vines, Benny mentioned an idea of swinging from tree to tree using them. Even though he meant for that as a joke, Tenryu took it as a good idea and they were soon swinging from vine to vine. Benny nearly kept on slipping on each vine. Though he was afraid at first he soon got the hang of it.

    Tenryu was a lot quicker to get it but at one point grabbed a weak vine and it snapped. Tenryu was sent hurtling to a bush. Benny stopped and lowered himself down. As soon as he was on the ground he ran to Tenryu to check if he was alright.

    ¡°You okay, Tenryu?!¡±

    ¡°Blistering Blazes!¡± yelled Tenryu, popping out of the bush. He had twigs in his hair but was unhurt. In fact, he looked as though he enjoyed it! ¡°That was fun! Let¡¯s go again!¡±

    Benny stared in disbelief but simply smiled in amusement.

    Plants weren¡¯t the only things they encountered in the forest.

    There was a fair number of wildlife present in the forest.

    An animal that seemed to be a mix between a buffalo and rhino tried to charge at them. While Benny hid behind a boulder, Tenryu was able to fend it off by aiming a well aimed strike with his flaming sword on its largest horn.

    The horn was sliced cleanly off!

    Scared, the animal ran back into the forest in whimpering.

    Tenryu took the horn piece. ¡°I think we could sell this for quite a sum. But you keep that as a souvenir!¡±

    He tossed the horn to Benny.

    ¡°Err¡­thanks¡­I think?¡±

    Isn¡¯t ivory trade illegal? Benny thought as he stuffs the horn in his bag.

    After all that walking, Benny himself was starting to see the forest in a new light. Or rather he was seeing it again with curiosity and wonder.

    At least this time he was safe because he had a guide with a flaming sword to help out.

    Benny¡¯s eyes immediately fell on the sheathed sword that hanging on Tenryu¡¯s back. The thought of the flaming sword piques Benny¡¯s interest. It looked like a katana blade. It was old looking and the hilt looked rather as though it had seen better days. Whenever Tenryu unsheathes the blade, it was chipped in places. However, after what he had Tenryu do with it this was clearly no ordinary sword.

    It had got to be magic!

    Not magic from one of those party magicians. But real magic, the one that uses mystical energy or something like that! Something like that doesn¡¯t exist anywhere he¡¯s from.

    Again, that got him started to think. Where exactly was he?

    ¡°Hey, Tenryu?¡± says Benny.

    Tenryu turned, quickly stuffing something back into his shirt.

    ¡°Yeah, what is it?¡±

    ¡°Well, can you tell me more about where we are?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re in the Marble Forest, I just told you last night.¡±

    ¡°Not the forest I mean the whole area. I mean which country this is and region like that?¡±

    Tenryu turned to face him.

    ¡°I thought you said you went traveling all over the place? How could you not know about the country we¡¯re in?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t travel to this country yet. I came from a very far place you know.¡±

    Tenryu turned to face him, ¡°Where? Are you from Bellofiore? Or is it Edo? Or since you ride those things... could you be from Ocea?¡±

    Those must be the names of different countries.

    ¡°Err¡­no¡­I¡¯m from a much farther place.¡±

    He was hoping Tenryu wouldn¡¯t go into a tirade of naming different countries.

    ¡°Oh, well that sort explains why you don¡¯t know too much of this place.¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    Benny breathed a silent sigh of relief.

    Tenryu on his part was not going to waste his time to name them all. Besides he barely knew more than those he said already. However, he was interested in where Benny came from. Those weird dreams of him where Benny appeared really intrigued him now that he knew Benny existed.

    ¡°So where do you come from exactly?¡± asks Tenryu.

    Benny felt himself freeze completely.

    He wasn¡¯t counting on Tenryu hitting for that question. He had to think fast. Remembering he was playing a person who had just lost everything (even though it was sort of true) Benny carefully played his cards.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard for me to mention¡­it brings hard memories¡­¡±

    Tenryu knew this was getting to emotional mushy stories again and quickly dropped it.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Maybe next time¡­¡±

    Benny breathed in relief again but quickly hid it.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I still have no clue what territory this is though.¡±

    Tenryu considered him for a moment but it seemed that thinking too much made his head hurt. He moved on forward, slashing a bush to clear a path.

    ¡°Well, basically we are in the Kingdom of Medea.¡±

    ¡°Medea?¡± says Benny, a tone of interest in his voice.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a neutral trade country. A lot of people from other places just come and go. You¡¯re lucky to wind up here and not in Edo. They¡¯re sort of strict there from what I heard.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Benny tried to process all that and it wasn¡¯t that difficult since it was interesting to him.

    ¡°So this is a kingdom? It¡¯s ruled by a king or a queen then?¡±

    ¡°Queen.¡± answered Tenryu. ¡°If I remember¡­her name is Queen Ingrid or something.¡±

    ¡°How could you not remember the ruler of your own country?¡±

    ¡°Her dad died last year so she just became queen very recently.¡±

    ¡°How sad¡­¡± Benny murmurs, he felt a stab of pity for the new queen.

    ¡°Yeah, well. She hasn¡¯t done much as a queen yet come to think of it so I don¡¯t know much about her. I have other things to worry about than a new queen.¡±

    Benny found Tenryu¡¯s lack of sympathy for the queen to be quite cold.

    But then again kids wouldn¡¯t be interested in politics unless it affected them. Benny was familiar with some people who suddenly had big businesses thrust on them because a sudden passing of their parents. They were Benny¡¯s dad¡¯s clients in the firm and he would often tell anecdotes of his work during dinner. Sometimes they would come over to the house and discuss things with his dad. During those times, Benny would glimpse that stressed and harassed look of these new businesspeople. It did instill in Benny some sympathy to them and appreciation for the work his dad does as a lawyer.

    Tenryu obviously has experience with such but who was Benny to judge.

    ¡°So what exactly is your business then?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s it to you?¡± asks Tenryu.

    ¡°I think you know how I wounded up in this forest so why don¡¯t you tell me why you¡¯re the forest.¡±

    Benny was at least grateful that he had inherited his father¡¯s logical reasoning skills.

    ¡°If you put it that way¡­¡± Tenryu scratched his head. ¡°I was simply passing by this forest on my way home.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been traveling?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been on a job.¡±

    ¡°Job?¡± says Benny, sounding quite surprised, ¡°Aren¡¯t you too young to go on a job?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? There are kids younger than me who take on jobs all the time!¡±

    Benny was completely shocked by this, ¡°Don¡¯t you guys have laws against child labor or something?¡±

    ¡°Child labor?¡± said Tenryu, as though he never of such. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±

    It was clear to Benny that they don¡¯t have such a thing.

    ¡°Never mind¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re pretty weird do you know that?¡± smirks Tenryu, as he hacks off another shrub.

    Says the guy wielding a magic fire sword, Benny thought back in retort but he did not say anything. Suddenly the thoughts about this sword came back to Benny. He interest in it grew.

    ¡°Say Tenryu, why do you have a sword with you?¡±

    ¡°Eh? You mean my sword?¡± says Tenryu, brushing a hand over the hilt.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ Why do you carry one with you?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t obvious? I¡¯m Adventurer!¡±

    ¡°An Adventurer?¡± repeats Benny.

    ¡°Well, actually my Class is Knight but I¡¯m especially a Swordsmage.¡±

    Benny looked at him, ¡°A Swordsmage? So you¡¯re a swordsman who uses a Magic sword for battle?¡±

    Tenryu frowned at him, ¡°Dead wrong! That¡¯s a sword-user! I¡¯m a Swordsmage!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the difference? Don¡¯t they both use swords?¡±

    ¡°WHAT¡¯S THE DIFFERENCE?¡±

    Tenryu yelled at him in outrage and in a pretty loud voice. This shocked Benny as he tumbled backwards in recoil. Tenryu bent down at him until they were face-to-face. He was glaring daggers at him in a face that scared Benny. It was even scarier as it was a face similar to his.

    ¡°Listen up! Don¡¯t compare a Swordsmage with a sword-user! There¡¯s a big difference got that?!¡±

    Benny realized he might have just offended Tenryu badly.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! I truly am! I just didn¡¯t know!¡±

    Tenryu glared at him some more before he relaxed. He stood up straight and helped Benny up.

    ¡°Just don¡¯t ever say something like that ever again okay?¡±

    Another mental note written down for Benny it seems.

    ¡°So tell me, what is the difference between a Swordsmage and a sword-user?¡±

    Tenryu glared again.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for asking¡­I really don¡¯t know the difference¡­¡±

    Tenryu crossed his arms in thought.

    ¡°Well, my dad always said that we Swordsmages are Adventurers who follow the way of the sword and Magic. We practice the different disciplines and learn to use the sword as an extension of ourselves and not just as a tool to cast Magic or cut something. And just you should know I follow the Dragon Style.¡±

    ¡°Wow! That sounds like being a samurai!¡±

    It sort of fits since he¡¯s using a katana blade, Benny thought.

    ¡°So what¡¯s a sword-user then?¡±

    ¡°Oh, those are just people who use swords for any purposes. They don¡¯t follow the way of the sword. They don¡¯t practice any discipline. They just believe the more powerful your weapon is the stronger you are.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­Still, that¡¯s amazing, you being both an Adventurer and a Swordsmage!¡±

    ¡°You know¡­you¡¯re weird. You¡¯re acting as though you¡¯ve never met an Adventurer or a Swordsmage before. Actually, no, there are a few Swordsmages but really¡­¡±

    ¡°Actually I have seen Adventurers before.¡±

    This was a little bit of a truth on Benny¡¯s part. He has seen Adventurers before¡­at least in a video game and his favorite anime shows. And the term for them is sometimes different like ¡®mages¡¯, ¡®priest¡¯, ¡®warrior¡¯ and so on.

    But never had he met a real Adventurer!

    That sort of explains why Tenryu was wielding a flaming sword in the first place. Or why the sword can spout flames for that matter. However, now that Benny had good look at Tenryu, his initial thought was that Tenryu looked like a character of out of a fantasy game.

    Tenryu wore a long, dark red, sleeveless vest that reached to his thighs, pulled together that it looked like a short kimono. It had a brightly colored flame pattern that looked like a dragon printed on it. Underneath his vest he wore a loose, white hooded shirt with its right sleeve torn. He wore a pair of dark brown pants with its left leg torn from the knee down. Some kind of bandanas was tied on the thigh of his torn pants leg and on his ripped arm sleeve. Tenryu also wore a pair of boots and around his waist was a sash tied over his vest.

    ¡°So you¡¯re an Adventurer, right?¡± asked Benny just for confirmation sake.

    Tenryu got really annoyed, ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m telling you! Geez, do you always need reassuring?¡±

    ¡°Sorry¡­it¡¯s just¡­¡± Benny struggled to find the right words to say this.

    ¡°Just what?¡± said Tenryu, his eyebrow twitching, ¡°Blistering Blazes, just spill it out already!¡±

    ¡°Can you show me your Skills?!¡± says Benny, barely able to conceal his excitement.

    Tenryu was stunned by the sudden change but soon a wide grin spread across his face. ¡°Sure, why not?¡±

    He took out his sword and held it in front of him. A magic seal appeared over it and it burst into flames!

    ¡°Whoa!¡±

    ¡°Wait till you see this!¡± Tenryu grinned, pointed it to the sky. ¡°Flame Dragon Style: Volcanic Eruption!¡±

    Tenryu¡¯s sword shot a flurry of flames, like a flamethrower! That reached toward the sky!

    ¡°AWESOME!!!¡± Benny exclaimed, his eyes were as wide as saucers and were practically glittering with excitement.

    Tenryu did another trick.

    ¡°Flame Dragon Style: Triple Claw Slash!¡±

    Tenryu slashed his sword three times and a nearby boulder was cut into to three pieces.

    ¡°COOL!!!¡± Benny cheers.

    ¡°Cool? Don¡¯t you mean hot?!¡± Tenryu swung his sword and a rock was cut cleanly in half!

    ¡°I don¡¯t usually use this but I¡¯ll show you!¡± Tenryu stabbed the sword on the ground. Benny was wondering what kind of spell he was going to use with sword but it turns out he wasn¡¯t going to.

    Tenryu cracked his knuckles. The gloves in his hands began to glow brightly!

    ¡°Dragon¡¯s Flame: Fissure Fist!¡±

    Tenryu punched the ground and the whole ground cracked with flames spitting out! Benny had to leap away when the cracks reached his feet!

    But he was more amazed and intrigue than scared. Something that he found strange¡­

    Tenryu wound up demonstrating to him some of his favorite spells. He showed Benny a technique that caused a tornado of fire, a slash the cleaved the ground in half, and even a blast that turned a tree into ashes. Benny in turn was astounded and amazed by his displays of Magic.

    ¡°How¡¯s that?¡± asks Tenryu after he used a spell that shot several flaming bullets.

    Benny kept applauding.

    ¡°That¡¯s so amazing! You¡¯re one awesome Swordsmage, Tenryu!¡±

    Tenryu was feeling quite flustered. Never before had anyone been praising him about his Magic and Swordplay before. Usually they¡¯d complain about it.

    He sheathed his sword. ¡°Well, enough of the demonstrations. We¡¯re almost there anyway!¡±

    ¡°How could you tell?¡±

    Benny looks around not being able to see anything but thicket.

    ¡°Well, I can hear the sound of civilization so we must be close!¡±

    Benny tried to listen but couldn¡¯t hear anything but a weird bird cawing above them. Tenryu must have some really good hearing.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s go!¡± says Tenryu. ¡°And be careful not to trip on that crack I made!¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Benny said as he took a good look of their surroundings.

    Benny was so wrapped up in amazement that he only just noticed the carnage. Tenryu had gone over the top and pretty much wrecked the place. Several trees were cleaved in half. A couple of large boulders were cracked into pieces. Not to mention the huge fissure Tenryu made on the ground. Benny could tell that if Tenryu was serious he could easily take down a hundred men.

    He made one more mental note to make Tenryu the one guy you don¡¯t want to get in the wrong side of.

    ¡°So what does an Adventurer do exactly?¡± Benny says, keeping up with Tenryu.

    ¡°Huh? What do you mean you don¡¯t know what an Adventurer does?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I have a general idea but I never got to ask one in person what it¡¯s like to be one.¡±

    Tenryu stared back at him in disbelief. He himself had been called slow and ignorant to the highest degree. But this other kid clearly takes the cake!

    But now that he got a good closer at Benny, he never met someone like him before. Even the clothes Benny was wearing was rather foreign. Benny was wearing some sort of hooded shirt, a pair of cropped up shorts, a pair of weird-looking shoes, and the way his hair was shaped he probably wore a hat most of the time but lost it in the storm he was talking about.

    ¡°I thought you¡¯ve been traveling all over the place? And you¡¯re telling me you don¡¯t know what an Adventurer does? Much less met one before me?¡±

    ¡°Well, I do know that Adventurers have several Classes. And that they can use their power for either for good and bad. Is that, right?¡±

    Benny was relying on his game player knowledge of fantasy-themed computer games.

    ¡°Well¡­generally speaking you are right. But like I said it¡¯s too general! I never met a person so ignorant of what¡¯s around him before!¡±

    Now Benny was a little offended, ¡°Excuse me, but I happened to be working hard and studying for my future all the time!¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see you must want to be a Scholar then? Like those nerdy, bookish guys in Zentorah? But you know¡­ you¡¯re pretty inexperienced and unaware of what¡¯s around you! I mean look at what happened to you!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t exactly Benny¡¯s fault that he wounded up in the shores leading into a dangerous forest. And those words just now made Benny feel that he should smack this guy.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not that I wanted to be washed up in the coast of this forest. And there¡¯s nothing wrong about reading books to help you be more informed!¡±

    Although Benny knew no amount of books he had read could¡¯ve prepared him for the situation he is in right now, he did know that it was good point.

    ¡°Even with all the books you can read. It¡¯s nothing compared to plain experience!¡±

    ¡°I know¡­So how many books have you read then?¡± asks Benny.

    Tenryu turned red, looking quite embarrassed. To be truthful, Tenryu hasn¡¯t read a single book from start to finish. He often would fall asleep at the second page.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just go!¡± he marched away.

    Benny tried to keep up with him, ¡°You still haven¡¯t answered my question.¡±

    ¡°Who cares what book I¡¯ve read?!¡± barked Tenryu.

    ¡°No, I meant the other question! What is it exactly do you do as an Adventurer?¡±

    Tenryu looked a little off-footed. He scratched his chin in thought, ¡°Well, we basically take Jobs Requests.¡±

    ¡°Job requests?¡± repeats Benny.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, you don¡¯t know what Job Requests are, do you?¡±

    ¡°Actually I do! The client posts a request. You go on the jobs and use your skills to fulfill the request. Then, you get paid for it right?¡±

    He was at least familiar of quests. In the games he played, the hero would often take side-requests from villagers and earn money or power-ups.

    Tenryu nodded in approval, ¡°You got that bit right! Yeah, I take on Job Requests and I get paid for it!¡±

    ¡°Is that why you¡¯re here in this forest? You took a job, right?¡±

    ¡°Actually, I went on a job in a far-off town. I took down some bandit guild hiding near that place! I think they were called the Heat Cliff troupe or something¡­¡± Tenryu scratched his head, ¡°Can¡¯t remember their name actually.¡±

    ¡°Wow! You must¡¯ve gotten paid pretty well for that!¡± says Benny in admiration.

    Tenryu turned red again. ¡°Err¡­not exactly¡­I caused quite a lot of damage. Some of those punks managed to escape into town and went a little overboard. The mayor refused to pay up saying it¡¯s compensation for all the mess I made.¡±

    Benny knew from that statement that things didn¡¯t go quite well for Tenryu. Not that he was surprised. Considering after what he had just seen in Tenryu¡¯s demonstration right now, Benny at least knew what Tenryu was capable of.

    ¡°Tough luck?¡± says Benny tactfully.

    ¡°Not exactly¡­ but after the effort I went through it didn¡¯t pay off well with the Mayor. So I got nothing and went riding back home empty-handed.¡±

    ¡°Riding back? So why are you in the forest in the first place?¡±

    ¡°The train I was riding stalled. I didn¡¯t want to wait so I decided to run for the next town.¡±

    Benny blinked in disbelief. This kid told him off for running into the Marble Forest and Tenryu did no wiser! Benny was starting to get a little worried for this kid. It was clear to him that Tenryu had the tendency to overdo things and not to mention he was just plain reckless.

    Tenryu on the other found Benny interesting. He never met someone as weird as him, someone who was so ignorant of everything that goes here as though he had lived in another world. He acted like he hasn¡¯t seen Adventurer or Magic before. He seemed a little different from the guy he kept on seeing in his dreams. That boy seemed so sure of himself and confident of what he knows. But this kid before him acted as though he was new to this things. He wasn¡¯t even sure about what he did yesterday was his doing or...

    But then Tenryu stopped. He remembered something he had been meaning to ask since yesterday.

    ¡°Tenryu, what¡¯s wrong?¡± asks Benny.

    ¡°Hey, Benny?¡± asks Tenryu.

    Benny blinks, ¡°Uh, yeah?¡±

    ¡°Are you an Adventurer?¡±

    Benny was stunned by that question but shook his head, ¡°No, no, no, I¡¯m obviously not.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? I thought for sure you¡¯d be in the Deacon Class.¡±

    ¡°If I abilities of an Adventurer, I would¡¯ve used Magic or fought to save myself from that beast yesterday, wouldn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you sort of do that yesterday?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°The thing you did against that Rabbit-Armadillo. Wasn¡¯t that Magic?¡±

    That memory came back to Benny.

    He remembered he was about to be clawed by a giant rabbit-armadillo hybrid monster. Then Tenryu came and saved him. As the Tenryu and the monster were battling it out, Benny yelled for it to stop. Then the book in his hands, which was unresponsive at first, suddenly glowed with bright light and created a shockwave that blasted everyone away. Then before that too was that encounter with a huge, saber-toothed Tiger-Leopard. Benny vaguely remembered that when it too was also blocked by a strange golden bubble.

    Benny reached into his bag and pulled out the book. ¡°It wasn¡¯t me it was this book!¡±

    Tenryu peered at it, ¡°A book? It looks old¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been in my family for generations. I think it¡¯s a spell book but those Magic Spells were all this book¡¯s doing!¡±

    Tenryu went in for a closer look at. What was that strange feeling? Why did it feel like¡­nostalgia? Suddenly, Tenryu began to feel all woozy.

    ¡°H-hey!¡± said Benny in alarm, he held out an arm to steady him. ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m just a little hungry.¡± Tenryu chuckled weakly but Benny knew he was actually lying.

    Why did it feel like I¡¯ve seen this book before? Tenryu thought to himself.

    ¡°Maybe we should rest for a while.¡±

    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m fine¡­See!¡± Tenryu flexed his arms and took a deep breath.

    Benny was not convinced. He held the book tightly to his chest.

    ¡°So about that book¡­There¡¯re a lot of books about Magic and are Magic themselves. Maybe it¡¯s one of those. But it¡¯s more likely that you did it without knowing it. You must be pretty special to generate Magic that can knock away a Rabbit-Armadillo¡­and me!¡±

    Tenryu¡¯s words sounded just like Abuela¡¯s. But Benny decided not to tell that to him. He had to be careful to not let slip any more information than necessary. But then something Tenryu said struck him.

    ¡°Magic?¡± stutters Benny, ¡°You think this is Magic?¡±

    ¡°Well, what else could it be? You¡¯re not saying you got rid of that beast but slamming it on the head with it?¡±

    Benny had to stifle a laugh at that one, ¡°Err, no, I¡¯m actually surprised that it happened.¡±

    ¡°How long have you had that book?¡±

    ¡°For a short while¡­I just got it before...you know¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh um, well anyway, I think you¡¯ve got potential to be an Adventurer!¡±

    Benny stared in shock, ¡°Me? An Adventurer..?¡±

    ¡°Oh! We¡¯ll talk about that later! We¡¯re here!¡± says Tenryu pointing to a break in the forest.

    Benny and Tenryu emerged from the forest and a small town appeared in plain view in front of them!

 Chapter 13 - Nia the Remedician

    Marble Town is a small village settled at the edge of the forest.

    When Benny and Tenryu arrived in the small town, they felt a great sense of elation. After being in forest filled with dangerous plants and wildlife for two days straight, seeing any form of civilization was a sight for sore eyes.

    It was a bustling little place where most of the buildings were made from the lumber harvested from forest. The wood had a distinct look that made it look as though it were made from marble. One could see where the town got its name.

    It also seems that the town¡¯s main source of livelihood were agricultural products. Everywhere they could see residents selling different kinds of herbs and produce. But that wasn¡¯t the only thing up for sale. They passed by a shops that sold different kinds of meat that had weird color of violet.

    ¡°Rabbit-Armadillo Meat!¡± cried a seller, ¡°Get your fresh Rabbit-Armadillo Meat here!¡±

    ¡°Rabbit-Armadillo Meat?¡± asks Benny with a grimace.

    ¡°Yeah, people like to eat that stuff around these parts.¡±

    ¡°You actually eat those animals?¡± Benny shuddered, remembering the animal that nearly clawed him yesterday.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really like eating those dishes though. They take a while to cook because their meat is too hard and it cracks my teeth to chew on one.¡±

    ¡°So people actually go into the forest to hunt for those things?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s actually a great idea but no they don¡¯t. The ones up for sale were raised in farms. The one we met in the forest was probably a wild one.¡±

    Benny stared back at the meat shop. The violet-colored meat still didn¡¯t really appeal to him.

    ¡°This place is usually a stopover.¡± explains Tenryu. ¡°It¡¯s too quiet for my taste¡­¡±

    ¡°Even so, this is nice place you live here.¡± says Benny as they passed by some traditional medicine shop.

    Tenryu snorted in laughter. ¡°What are you saying? I don¡¯t live here. I just said it is a stopover and this is our first stop!¡±

    ¡°Huh? But I thought you said¡­¡±

    Tenryu trudged on, putting his arms behind his head.

    ¡°I don¡¯t live here! I live in a place called Amber City! It¡¯s still far away!¡±

    Tenryu grins at Benny¡¯s stunned face. It was funny seeing a face so similar to his, looking like that.

    ¡°Amber City, huh?¡± repeats Benny, ¡°But then how long will it take for us to get there?¡±

    ¡°About eight hours ride by train from here.¡±

    Benny felt something in his stomach drop, ¡°Eight hours?¡±

    ¡°Relax! We can take the train then we¡¯ll be there by nightfall! I would¡¯ve preferred to walk there though. Yeah, we can do that! Why don¡¯t we go to Amber on foot?¡±

    Benny shook his head, ¡°That¡¯s even more impossible! It¡¯ll take you much longer to get there on foot!¡±

    ¡°Nothing¡¯s impossible if you put your mind to it!¡± Tenryu placed a finger to his head.

    ¡°Points for optimism¡­but zero for lack of reality¡­¡±

    It was finally clear to him that Tenryu didn¡¯t have a lack of common sense¡­he did not have any at all!

    ¡°Huh? What was that?¡± Tenryu¡¯s ear twitched.

    Benny quickly changed the subject, ¡°Let¡¯s find the train station and see if we can book ourselves a ticket!¡±

    But as soon as they arrived at the train station, both boys found a huge crowd of people. And not just any crowd of people, but a very, very irate group. Benny could hear people complaining about their schedules and reserved tickets.

    A conductor was trying to appease the crowd but to no avail, ¡°Please everyone, settle down! We are just going through some minor repairs!¡±

    ¡°You said that yesterday!¡± A man wearing a cloak snapped at him.

    ¡°What about my ticket? I bought this just before the railway went down! And I¡¯ve been waiting here all this time and you¡¯re telling me that they still haven¡¯t gotten the railway fixed?!¡± demanded a surly looking lady.

    ¡°My schedule is messed up because of this!¡± another passenger, who looked like a businessman, had snapped loudly.

    ¡°I want a refund!¡± cried a harassed-looking man.

    That¡¯s when the crowd began to murmur in agreement.

    Tenryu frowns at the scene. ¡°They still haven¡¯t fixed it?¡±

    ¡°Mostly likely not¡­¡± sighed Benny, shaking his head.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll just have to find out when they¡¯re going to be done! You wait here! I¡¯ll go ask!¡± yells Tenryu, as he charges into the crowd.

    ¡°Ah! Tenryu wait! You can¡¯t just barge in there!¡±

    But Tenryu had already jumped into the crowd leaving Benny to sweatdrop in dismay again.

    ¡°It would¡¯ve been wiser to just go to the Administration Office than in that human jungle¡­¡±

    As Tenryu struggled his way through the crowd, Benny just watched him in amusement.

    It was like watching a live-action show of one of his favorite anime shows. He always found the fiery and passionate type of heroes to be his favorites. The shows would almost always portray them as the source of comic relief due to their brashness, short-temperament and recklessness often leading to some awkward situations. Tenryu fit the description quite well. Especially the fiery personality coupled with short temperament.

    ¡°Let me through! Ow! What the blitz are you-Ah! Blast it! Quit it!¡±

    Tenryu snapped as someone stepped on his foot, elbowed him in the face and thumped him in the head. Tenryu had an expression that suggested he was going to whip out his sword and slice something!

    I better get him out of there before things get ugly, thought Benny to himself.

    Benny started to make his way towards the crowd.

    But in his haste, he was completely unaware that someone else was running in his direction! Inevitably, the both of them crashed into each other and got knocked of their feet. Benny managed to steady himself but the other person had been knocked off their feet. The other person¡¯s bags were now sent flying!

    ¡°No! My ingredients!¡± the other person shouted.

    Benny saw the bags hung in mid-air and he didn¡¯t know what happened but in a flurry of movement he caught every single one of the bags just before they fell to the ground!

    ¡°Barely safe¡­¡±

    Benny sighed in relief but struggled with the weight of the bags. They were quite heavy! But he was able to turn to the person he had knocked over and offered a hand.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to run into you! Are you hurt?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m fine¡­¡± the person spoke with a soft voice.

    Benny realized the person he knocked over was a young girl.

    But as soon as he looked at her he saw a strange green haze, similar to the one he saw in Tenryu. But it too disappeared as soon as it appeared. Benny blinked a couple of times until he snapped out of his reverie.

    Regaining his awareness, Benny looked at her properly for the first time.

    She had a heart-shaped face, soft peach-colored skin and eyes as green as emeralds. She was dressed similarly like a young country milkmaid. On her head, she wore a bonnet that held her strawberry-blonde hair cascading behind her back. She left a few strands of her hair loosely braided over her front. She wore a long dress with an apron over her waist. On her feet was a pair of red shoes with flower-shaped buckles. She wore a cloak over her shoulders, fastened by a large jewel-like button. Aside from her bags she also carried an umbrella with a curved handle that looked liked it was made of a wooden branch left in its natural state with a few leaves still on it.

    He also noticed her ears were long and pointed. If Benny were to guess, she must be an elf!

    But despite the astounding fact that a real elf was in front of him, there was another thing he noticed: the girl was pretty cute!

    ¡°S-sorry about t-that¡­¡± Benny stuttered, feeling a rush rising in his cheeks.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It was just an accident¡­Huh? Aren¡¯t you-?¡± The girl looked at him closer much to his discomfort. The girl¡¯s green eyes grew wide in stunned disbelief, ¡°Tenryu?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Tenryu?¡± she repeated, ¡°Is that you?¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    Does this girl know Tenryu? Benny thought.

    ¡°What did you do to your hair? Why are you wearing glasses?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m s-sorry¡­I¡¯m not-¡±

    Benny tried to explain but thankfully at that moment Tenryu was walking back towards him.

    ¡°Blistering Blazes¡­Can you believe them? Those jerks wouldn¡¯t even let me through-¡±

    Tenryu stopped on his tracks when he saw the girl.

    ¡°Ah! It¡¯s Nia!¡±

    ¡°Tenryu?!¡± gasped the girl called Nia, looking from Benny to Tenryu. ¡°Wait! There are two Tenryus!¡±--

    ¡°N-no!¡± says Benny, shaking his hands franticly ¡°You got it all wrong-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the real Tenryu!¡± snaps Tenryu, all the while jabbing a thumb in Benny¡¯s direction, ¡°This guy here just looks like me!¡±

    Benny looked a little offended. It sounded as if Tenryu was accusing Benny of deliberately copying his face.

    ¡°He¡¯s right. He¡¯s Tenryu.¡±

    Nia turned to him. ¡°Oh! Then, who are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­!¡±

    Benny groaned at the weight of Nia¡¯s bags! Just what is in them that make them so heavy?

    ¡°Here, I¡¯ll take them back! Thank you for saving them! The rest are in glass jars so who know what I would do if they were to break!¡±

    Nia took some of the bags, and it was clear that she too struggled with the weight.

    ¡°Um, I can carry some of them if you want?¡± offered Benny.

    ¡°Oh! Um, thank you!¡± she smiled at him, causing Benny to blush profusely.

    ¡°N-no problem!¡± stammered Benny.

    ¡°Well, you still haven¡¯t told me your name?¡±

    Benny cleared out his throat, ¡°Benjamin. Benjamin Estrella!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Benjamin! My name is Gardenia Rosampaguita. Everybody usually calls me Nia.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Nia-¡±

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± says Tenryu, suddenly cutting in between them.

    For a moment, Benny wanted to thump Tenryu hard on the head. But he held himself back because he knew that it was less dangerous to tick a lion off than Tenryu. Nia seemed to frown at Tenryu¡¯s apparent lack of manners, but she answered him nonetheless.

    ¡°I was out shopping.¡±

    Tenryu placed his hands on his hips, ¡°Is that for your potions again?¡±

    Nia held up a hand.

    ¡°Before that¡­I don¡¯t think this is the place for us to chat.¡± She looked at the growing irate crowd. ¡°Let¡¯s find a more peaceful place to talk.¡±

    At that moment Tenryu¡¯s stomach growled, ¡°Yeah, but can we go to a restaurant? It¡¯s almost lunch time!¡±

    Nia and Benny had both sweatdropped at that.

    And to Benny¡¯s own embarrassment his stomach also begins growling.

    ¡°It seems Benny¡¯s hungry too! Well, let¡¯s go find someplace to eat! I¡¯m starving!¡±

    ¡°Typical Tenryu¡­fights and foods are the only thing in that boy¡¯s mind.¡± sighed Nia.

    ¡°What the blitz is that supposed to mean?¡±

    ¡°Well, we haven¡¯t eaten breakfast yet apart from a few berries so I think it¡¯s a good idea to find something to eat.¡± Benny points out, feeling his stomach grumble.

    ¡°See? Benny agrees with me!¡±

    ¡°Although I doubt there¡¯d be food left in restaurant after Tenryu¡¯s finished with it.¡± Benny adds slyly.

    ¡°Yeah¡­wait, what?¡±

    Nia giggled, ¡°I guess you¡¯ve acquainted yourself well with Tenryu to know his lack of restraint.¡±

    ¡°Nah, he just struck me as such¡­¡±

    ¡°Why do I feel like you two are messing with me?¡±

    And so they walked off leaving the rowdy crowd behind. Tenryu took off ahead of them to look for a restaurant while Benny and Nia followed him.

    ¡°So you¡¯re name is Benjamin, right?¡±

    ¡°Err, right¡­that name¡¯s mine¡­I m-mean! That¡¯s my name!¡±

    Nia clearly found his stammers funny. Benny now felt stupid that he had just made a fool of himself. But then Nia began to look at him closely.

    ¡°W-what is it?¡±

    She looks at him in concern, ¡°I can see some scratches and scrapes on your arms and face.¡±

    ¡°What? Really?¡± says Benny, as he stared at his arms. To his surprise he did have some gashes and scrapes on his arms. There were even some deep wounds in his knees that had crusted over and a few bruises.

    ¡°Did Tenryu drag you around someplace dangerous or something?¡± she frowned in disapproval.

    ¡°Actually, um, no, I was chased around by some wild animal in Marble Forest and fell down a lot.¡±

    ¡°Allow me¡­ I just have the thing for that.¡±

    Nia took him by the hand and led him to a nearby bench. Benny had to maintain a firm grip on the paper bag he was holding with, otherwise its contents would topple over. He had to admit thought that Nia has quite the grip! She quickly began to rummage something in her purse. She pulled out a small spray bottle and a container of cream.

    ¡°Here! I¡¯ll apply some ointment on those scratches.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright!¡± Benny said quickly, ¡°That¡¯s not really necessary.¡±Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Please, I insist! We don¡¯t want those scratches to get infected.¡±

    ¡°What about Tenryu? He¡¯s going to run off without us!¡± asked Benny.

    He glanced at the redheaded Swordsmage still looking around for a restaurant.

    ¡°He¡¯ll come and find us when he finds a restaurant. He¡¯s pretty good at tracking down someone. Now sit!¡±

    She quickly pushed him down on a bench.

    As soon as they sat, Nia began spraying his scratches with liquid that smelled vaguely of alcohol. She then began applying some of the ointment on Benny¡¯s wounds. Benny felt rather uncomfortable as she did so.

    At first, Benny felt an ice-cold touch of the cream then a sudden searing heat! It felt like he had a hot iron placed on his skin! But the sensation lasted only instant. As soon as the heat subsided his scratches gone without a trace! Not even a scar!

    ¡°Whoa! What kind of ointment are you applying?¡±

    ¡°First I applied some disinfectant and then some restoring ointment I made from Myra blossoms and Shea herbs.¡±

    ¡°Made? You made this?¡±

    ¡°Well, of course! Potion-making and Herbal Pharmacology are the basics of my profession as a Remedician. How can they cure and heal the sick if they don¡¯t make medicines?¡±

    ¡°Remedician?¡± says Benny in confusion, ¡°Do you mean like a doctor or a nurse?¡±

    ¡°Huh? What is that?¡± asked Nia, who was looking equally confused.

    Benny cursed his own forgetfulness. He forgot that this wasn¡¯t the world he knew anymore.

    ¡°Sorry, I meant as a person who heals people?¡±

    ¡°Oh, well yes, that is what a Remedician does.¡± She says, adding some more ointment on Benny¡¯s knees.

    Benny stared in wonder as the medicine literally erased his wounds. A medicine like this cream is something the rich (especially those who spend their time worrying if a pimple will appear in their face) would spend millions for.

    ¡°Still I wonder. How did you two meet? I don¡¯t believe Tenryu has ever mentioned you before.¡±

    ¡°We just met yesterday actually. That¡¯s when I got lost in the forest and got attacked by all those weird stuff in there. Tenryu saved me from that.¡±

    ¡°Oh, he did?¡± said Nia with a smile. She glanced at Tenryu who was still looking around for a restaurant. ¡°What is you impression of him, Benjamin?¡±

    Benny was a little surprised but he thought about it a bit.

    ¡°Well, I think he¡¯s a good person underneath that tough exterior. He probably just has self-control problems.¡±

    Nia giggled at him, ¡°For someone who just met him yesterday you¡¯re quite sharp. And you¡¯re right about the lack of self-control part. It¡¯s the very rarely Tenryu has someone nice speak about him. And I mean someone who wasn¡¯t Auntie Magma at least.¡±

    ¡°So he has control issues¡­¡±

    Nia giggled again.¡±It¡¯s good that he¡¯s finally begun to get along with people.¡±

    That took Benny by surprise, ¡°Doesn¡¯t he get along with others?¡±

    ¡°Tenryu has¡­ uh¡­ problems with strangers and he doesn¡¯t get along with others much due to his explosive nature. That boy doesn¡¯t have a clue how to do things that doesn¡¯t involve something exploding or getting burned. People don¡¯t like to be around someone like that. Because of it he usually sticks to himself.¡±

    ¡°I can see that¡­¡±

    Benny had to agree to that people wouldn¡¯t actually want to get themselves associated with such a rowdy guy.

    ¡°But once you get to know him, you¡¯ll find he¡¯s actually nice person.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s putting up a tough exterior. One of the typical tough guys, huh?¡±

    ¡°Still¡­it really is a surprise meeting you. For a moment, I thought you were Tenryu in disguise.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not.¡±

    ¡°No, Tenryu isn¡¯t the type go undercover. And to be honest I think you¡¯re-¡°

    But what she was about to say about him, he never got to know about it.

    ¡°HEY!!!¡±

    Tenryu¡¯s loud voice caused the two of them to jump in their seats. He walked up to them, looking quite annoyed.

    ¡°Just what the blitz are you two doing? I¡¯ve been looking for you all over!¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m treating Benny¡¯s scratches? Speaking of which, I should also treat those scratches of yours too.¡±

    ¡°Nah, I have far lesser than Benny here does.¡±

    Nia slathered the last of the ointment on a scratch on Benny¡¯s forehead. ¡°Well, that¡¯s the last one.¡±

    ¡°Wow! Thanks Nia!¡± says Benny checking his arms. ¡°I¡¯d sure like to get myself an ointment like that one day.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then you can have this ointment if you want.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no, I can¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright! I can make more of them. In fact, you should probably take this disinfectant as well. It¡¯ll come in handy.¡± She stuffs both into his hands.

    ¡°Um, thanks¡­¡±

    Benny places the medicines in a pocket in his bag.

    Tenryu snorts in annoyance, ¡°If you two are all done being all lovey-dovey-¡±

    Nia looked a little stunned to hear that. Benny had turned a deep color of red in embarrassment.

    ¡°It¡¯s not! I mean¡­Tenryu¡­what part of us just having a conversation looks like that?!¡± Benny mumbles.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s what it looks like to me! Can we please head to that restaurant now? I¡¯m starving!¡± says Tenryu as he marches off, leaving Benny still red with his mouth gaping.

    Apparently apart from being explosive in nature, the boy clearly has no tact.

    ¡°That typical Tenryu¡­always mouthing off whatever he thinks¡­¡± says Nia, getting up from the bench, ¡°Well, we better come along! I¡¯m getting hungry as well.¡±

    Benny followed the two of them, even though he was a bit flummoxed. Tenryu¡¯s earlier comment about him and Nia acting all ¡°lovey-dovey¡± was making his head feel as though it were short-circuiting. Benny never saw himself popular with the girls. It was always Ace who got the spotlight when it comes to attracting the ladies¡¯ attention, being a MVP and all that.

    Benny was the geek in the class, so that was out of the question. He never talked to any girl his age twice! In fact, apart from Anna and Terri, Benny never had any other female friends. Well, there is that quiet girl named Sophie whom he is on friendly terms but not really what he would call as a close friend. It didn¡¯t really bother him much, though as he never found any particular girl he was attracted to.

    But now, Benny kept wondering why he had reacted at Tenryu¡¯s comment in such a way. He couldn¡¯t help but look at Nia as she and Tenryu were in a conversation with each other. The way she walked was rather graceful in step, like she was dancing. No popular girl, not even Courtney or Anna could have maintained such grace. He adjusted his glasses to get a better look.

    Only for him to find her glancing right back at him!

    Benny quickly turned his gaze away, but not before seeing a look of concern in her face. This made him wonder why she had that look. Benny strained his ears to listen what they were talking about, trying to make sure he kept his distance as so they won¡¯t realize he was listening.

    To his surprise, it wasn¡¯t all that difficult. For some reason he could hear their conversation as though they were talking right in front of him. Benny never noticed that he had sharp hearing before! As it turns out, Tenryu and Nia were in deep conversation about him. Benny pretended he didn¡¯t hear them but he did overhear that Tenryu was relaying the info about him being some kind of travelling orphan and how he got caught in a storm at sea.

    ¡°Is that true?¡± Nia whispered. ¡°I heard a lot of ships had been capsized by the sudden storm last night.¡±

    ¡°The fact that he smells like a fish out of the ocean, so his story makes sense.¡±

    ¡°I noticed. He does smell strongly like sea salt.¡±

    Benny felt himself going red again. Was he really that smelly? He needed to go find a place to take a bath as soon as possible.

    ¡°Well, he hasn¡¯t told me everything yet.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think he is a bad person. He seems rather nice and sweet. A shock considering he looks like you.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡±

    Hearing that, Benny felt his step turned to a skip.

    ¡°Just kidding¡­But you know what I mean. He doesn¡¯t have that vibe you¡¯d get from a bad guy.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m really doubtful he¡¯s a bandit. I mean have you ever seen a bandit so wimpy looking?¡±

    Now Benny felt as though Tenryu¡¯s words stabbed him right through him. He wasn¡¯t that wimpy. He was a little lean and skinny but certainly not wimpy! Even though Tenryu was defending him, it was rather insulting! Benny wanted to shout in retort but then he remembered he was acting as though he wasn¡¯t listening.

    Tenryu continued to talk.

    ¡°If he was really a bandit, or a Dark Magician, or any bad guy for that matter, he would have robbed me of my valuables when I was asleep. Not that he could escape though if he tried.¡±

    Tenryu sounded rather like a hunter relishing his prey. Benny was glad he wasn¡¯t marked of as enemy by this guy.

    Nia glances back at Benny, who was careful to look as though he were admiring the scenery.

    ¡°But I think there¡¯s more to it. I couldn¡¯t get any more info since he always had that depressed look every time I ask him.¡±

    Nia rounded up at him, and slapped him in the top of the head, ¡°Well, no wonder. You don¡¯t have an ounce of tactfulness, don¡¯t you Tenryu? You don¡¯t ask people outright about things like that! I¡¯m really worried if he¡¯s really okay.¡±

    Tenryu puffed out his chest, ¡°That¡¯s why we need to help in any way we can! That¡¯s our job as Adventurers! I¡¯ve offered to let him bunk with me for a while until he decides what to do.¡±

    ¡°Have you sent a letter to Aunt Magma or Flare about this?¡± says Nia with a quizzical look.

    ¡°Err¡­No, I haven¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Well, you can¡¯t just invite someone over to stay without consulting them!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll send a letter to them at the post office later! Actually there¡¯s something else I want to talk to you about. You see last night-¡± Tenryu says, he voice too was fading as though the volume had turned down.

    But Benny didn¡¯t notice that as he was busy with his own thoughts. He felt guilty though as he knew they deserved the truth. He wanted to tell them.

    But how are they going to handle it? Benny thought.

    ¡°This is starting to feel like an Anime shows where a hero from another world just gets tossed into another world¡­¡±

    Benny looked at the sky.

    A flock of birds that looked like doves with peacock tail feathers flew across the horizon.

    ¡°But this all too real¡­¡±

    ¡°Benny! What are you doing over there?¡± Tenryu called out to him.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    They were already far off now! He was lost in his own thoughts that he hadn¡¯t realized that he stopped walking and was left behind!

    ¡°Hurry up!¡± shouts Tenryu.

    ¡°R-right!¡± says Benny as he strode over to them.

    But in his haste, he bumped into someone again! Only this time¡­it was guy. And this one wasn¡¯t pleased. He was huge, and looked like a rugged lumberjack! His arms were heavily tattooed and he wore a menacing glare that sent shivers down Benny¡¯s spine.

    ¡°Don¡¯t just stand in the middle of the road brat!¡± the man barked at him.

    ¡°S-sorry¡­¡± Benny apologized.

    ¡°Ha? Sorry?¡± the man loomed over him, ¡°You think sorry is enough for me, huh brat?¡± This guy looked like he wanted slug him!

    Fortunately, Tenryu and Nia saw the whole thing and Tenryu quickly came to Benny¡¯s aide.

    ¡°Tenryu, don¡¯t do anything unnecessary!¡±

    ¡°HEY!!!¡± Tenryu approached them, his hand on the hilt of his sword. ¡°You pick on someone your own size!¡±

    The man turned to him with a glare and Tenryu returned the glare with one of his own. ¡°You got a problem, kid?¡±

    Tenryu didn¡¯t budge. He looked rearing to fight with his hand gripping tightly on his sword¡¯s hilt. Benny sensed that things were going to get ugly. He immediately rushed to Tenryu¡¯s side and stop Tenryu from pulling out his sword.

    ¡°Let go, Benny!¡±

    ¡°Tenryu, c¡¯mon this isn¡¯t the time to-UWAH?!¡±

    Something suddenly grabbed him around the waist! When he looked down he was stunned to see it was some kind of giant wooden hand! He was not the only one as Tenryu was also caught by another wooden hand. The both of them were whisked away from the huge man!

    ¡°What the blitz?!¡± he yelled, struggling against his wooden restraints, ¡°Nia, what are you doing?!¡±

    ¡°Nia?¡± says Benny as looked behind him.

    Nia was standing far away, holding her umbrella in front of her, the tip of which was glowing brightly. The strange wooden hand itself came from a nearby tree! It looked as though the tree had suddenly grown wooden arms out of its branches!

    Nia twirled her umbrella and the wooden hands dropped the two boys to her side.

    The huge man was also stunned by this, ¡°An Adventurer?¡±

    ¡°Nia¡¯s an Adventurer too? I thought she was a Remedician?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Nia¡¯s a Remedician but she¡¯s also a full-fledged Adventurer and a multi-class one at that. So she can fight if she wants to.¡± Tenryu grumbles as he rubs his backside.

    ¡°Whoa¡­¡±

    Nia bowed in apology. ¡°Pardon my friends. They didn¡¯t mean to offend you. And he did apologize so let¡¯s leave it at that.¡±

    The man considered it for a moment. It seems he realized that his brute strength would be no match for an Adventurer.

    ¡°You better watch it next time!¡± the man snapped before turning to walk away.

    ¡°The piece of-¡± Tenryu grumbled.

    ¡°Tenryu, leave it!¡± says Nia warningly to him before turning to Benny. ¡°Benjamin, are you alright?¡±

    Benny was still staring after that man who already disappeared amongst the crowd. It was just for a moment but he saw dark colored haze coming from him. Benny felt it was filled hatred. Benny also had a strange premonition that this was not the last they would see of him.

    ¡°Benny? Hey, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s in shock?¡± Nia¡¯s voice sounded distant.

    ¡°Benny? Hey, snap out of it!¡± Tenryu shook him by the shoulders.

    Benny blinked rapidly, ¡°Huh! What?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±

    ¡°Err¡­nothing. Just a little dizzy¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± asked Tenryu, looking at him in the eye.

    Benny did not want to tell them that he was seeing things otherwise they¡¯ll think he¡¯s crazy.

    ¡°I¡¯m already fine! See? I¡¯ve never been better!¡± He tried act all cheerful and enthusiastic. Maybe he acted too enthusiastic because Tenryu and Nia were staring at him weirdly. ¡°Err¡­never mind! C¡¯mon! Let¡¯s go to that restaurant you were talking about!¡±

    Benny quickly walked away but Tenryu called out to him.

    ¡°Hey, Benny¡­You¡¯re going the wrong way!¡±

    Benny stopped and turned around. He was blushing profusely.

    ¡°Err¡­I knew that¡­¡±

    Tenryu and Nia stared after him.

    ¡°He¡¯s really weird and funny, huh?¡± says Nia.

    Tenryu grins. ¡°See, what did I told you?¡±

    ¡°And in some ways is very similar to you¡­¡± Nia adds.

    ¡°Yeah, wait¡­What?¡±

    ***

    A while later they arrived at a restaurant called Ohayo¡¯s Wok. It was a large place filled with customers who were mostly passersby on their way to other towns. They were ordering meals with weird names and combos.

    They took their seats at a window that was near a buffet table. Apparently the restaurant was having an all-you-can-eat today so there was a wide selection of food. Nia offered to pay for their meals as she has just gotten a large reward from her last job. Benny and Tenryu tried to turn her offer down but they realized they don¡¯t have any money to pay for their meals. Benny had some money in his wallet but they were obviously useless here. Tenryu failed to receive any payment from his last job and had only enough to pay for his and Benny¡¯s train fare.

    So in the end, they had to accept Nia¡¯s offer.

    Tenryu prove himself to be quite a glutton as he helped himself to one of everything on the buffet. Nia got herself mostly vegetables dishes saying she doesn¡¯t like the taste of meat. Benny on the other hand was having trouble choosing what to eat. In the end, Benny got himself the more familiar-looking foods: one that looked like a rib-eye steak, a soup that looked like bird¡¯s nest soup (at least he hopes it¡¯s not worms) and a couple of dishes that Tenryu helped picked or rather forced on his plate. It was only out of politeness that Benny took them without complaining, even though they did not look appetizing. One of which had a twitching octopus tentacle topped on it!

    As Tenryu and Nia ate through their meals, Benny had second thoughts with touching his.

    ¡°What are you waiting for Benny? Dig in already!¡± says Tenryu, taking a bit of huge chicken drumstick (or whatever kind of poultry that has a leg that huge.)

    ¡°Well, I¡­¡± Benny was eyeing the still twitching octopus tentacle.

    To his surprise, Tenryu quickly grabbed his spoon and scoop the part of the meal with the tentacle in it. Benny thought he was going to throw it out but then the guy held the spoon close to his face.

    ¡°Open wide-¡± Tenryu had a rather malicious look on his face.

    ¡°No, wait-¡±

    Benny made the mistake of opening his mouth because Tenryu shoved the spoon right in! Benny gagged on the food that was suddenly stuffed into his mouth, the tentacle¡¯s tip still hanging outside his mouth. Benny quickly swallowed and grabbed a glass of water to wash it all down.

    ¡°It tastes good, right?¡± Tenryu grinned.

    WHAM!

    Nia smacked Tenryu at the back of head with her handbag. The impact force was so strong it forced Tenryu fall face-forward on his plate of food!

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have table manners? You don¡¯t shove food down other people¡¯s throat!¡± chided Nia.

    Tenryu sat up straight with food scraps splattered all over his face. He did look mad but it was hard to imagine him being angry looking so¡­funny. Benny stifled a laugh at the sight. He offered a handkerchief.

    ¡°Ugh!¡± Tenryu holds the handkerchief away from his nose. ¡°It smells like seaweed!¡±

    ¡°Oh, sorry¡­¡± Benny says shamefully as he took it back.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to eat your food?¡±

    Benny turns his attention to his own plate. Even though it still looked unappetizing (and that he nearly choked on it) it actually tasted good. So Benny spooned himself another bite. The rest of the meal turned out great and delicious. Including the ones Tenryu picked out for him.

    After they were through with their meals, they decided to sit around longer. The restaurant had clear view of the railway station and they could see that there is still a huge crowd waiting at the entrance.

    To pass the time and because Nia asked, Benny decided introduced himself a little bit more to her. At least that way, she won¡¯t be so doubtful to him. He stuck with the story he gave to Tenryu. He made sure she got the general picture without letting on the specific details.

    And like Tenryu, Nia had reached the same assumption.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry about your family. I know it¡¯s hard to have lost them¡­¡± says Nia gently.

    Benny kept quiet. He didn¡¯t try to correct her even though he knew that she, like Tenryu, assumed that he had lost his family.

    It was true in a way¡­

    ¡°Well, I went travelling for a bit. Then I got on that boat. Next thing I knew that storm came and¡­you can guess the rest.¡±

    From the corner of his eye, Benny saw Tenryu shivered at the thought of riding in a boat in a storm.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry to hear that. You must¡¯ve had it rough¡­¡± says Nia, giving him a sympathetic look that made his cheeks prickle.

    Benny decided to wrap up his story.

    ¡°Well, when I woke up I was in a cove in the Marble Forest. I walked into the forest looking for a nearby civilization. But I sort of got lost¡­¡± Benny looked at Tenryu who nodded. ¡°Then Tenryu showed up and saved me.¡±

    ¡°You forgot to mention that you nearly got eaten by a saber-toothed Tiger-Leopard, and then got attacked by that blasted Rabbit-Armadillo. Ah, what else am I missing? Oh yeah, you fainted as soon as you saw me.¡±

    Benny had turned red with embarrassment.

    ¡°Well, after that I had to make camp there for the night and wait for him to wake up.¡±

    ¡°Err¡­yeah, that right. After which, Tenryu offered me a place to stay for a while. Thanks by the way.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it!¡±

    Tenryu slapped him hard on the shoulder. It made Benny¡¯s shoulder feel like it had been struck by a mallet.

    ¡°That¡¯s pretty nice of you, Tenryu.¡±

    Tenryu grinned with a slight blush.

    ¡°But even though I¡¯m sure Auntie Magma will allow it. You still need to contact your relatives beforehand that you have a guest bunking over with you.¡±

    ¡°Ah! Yeah, I will.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re an Adventurer and a Remedician, Nia?¡± Benny asks with interest.

    ¡°Oh, yes I am. Actually, a Remedician is a combination occupation of two of the Healing Classes so technically it still being an Adventurer.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t usually go out of Amber City. So what were you doing here in these parts Nia?¡± asks Tenryu, picking his teeth with toothpick.

    ¡°I heard Marble Town Herbal Stores is holding a special sale so I had to come!¡±

    Tenryu took a peek at some of the bags, ¡°More ingredients for your weird potions then?¡±

    ¡°These are not just any ingredients! These are hard to come by and they don¡¯t sell them in Amber City. Not to mention they cost quite a bit!¡±

    ¡°Potions?¡± asks Benny with interest. ¡°You make potions?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m also Alchemist-class and a Druid-class. You need to be certified in those classes if you want to be qualified for a Remedician License.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    So the field of medicine is just as complex in this world as in mine? Benny thought.

    So basically you make potions to heal people? Like that ointment you gave me?¡±

    ¡°Yes. But I don¡¯t just make potions for medicinal purposes.¡±

    ¡°There are other uses for potions?¡±

    Nia nodded, ¡°Potions aren¡¯t just for healing. I also make them for offensive uses! It comes in really handy too whenever I go on jobs that require me¡­a little physical.¡±

    ¡°For offensive use?¡± repeats Benny with keen interest, ¡°Like what? Do you have any samples?¡±

    Nia takes out three round flasks that were sealed tight with wax.

    ¡°I made all of these potions myself!¡± She says proudly while showing him the flasks. ¡°Each one has a different effect as there are in appearances. You have to get the right ingredients and the right process to make a specific one. That¡¯s why potion brewing is a very complex form of Magical Science.¡±

    Did she just say Magical Science? Benny found it odd to hear those two words put together.

    Snore*

    A loud snore made Benny and Nia notice that Tenryu had begun to doze off. A snot bubble had formed in his left nostril. It was clear he wasn¡¯t interested in listening to the lecture.

    ¡°He fell asleep.¡±

    Nia looked rather offended, ¡°Tenryu, you should really pay attention to these things¡­¡±

    ¡°Err, never mind him. What were you saying?¡±

    Each flask had a different content. And contrary to what Benny thought of potions, not all of them were liquid. One flask contained a potion had a reddish, powder substance. The second contained a potion with clear liquid but contained yellow and green glitter-like substance suspended in it. It almost looked like glitter glue. The last potion had a smooth almost pearl-like cream appearance.

    ¡°As you can see not all of them are liquids. Some come in the form of powders like this one!¡± Nia picks up the flask with red powder in it. ¡°This is the Eczema Powder! Throw this into a group of enemies and they start itching like crazy!¡±

    ¡°You mean like itching powder?¡± Benny remembers the trick powder Ace used on him once.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t just cause itchiness. It also causes the victim to break out in itchy red rashes that only get worse when you scratch them!¡±

    Benny had mixed feelings of wonder and unease knowing what this liquid could do.

    ¡°How long do the effects last?¡± Benny asks.

    ¡°For just this bottle, it lasts about an hour more or less. It depends on the dosage.¡±

    ¡°And what about this one?¡± says Benny pointed at the flask with glitter-glue like substance.

    ¡°That one¡¯s called the Furuncles Oil. If splashed on the skin it causes the person to break out on pus-filled boils!¡±

    ¡°Boils? This thing causes boils?¡±

    ¡°Pus-filled ones to be exact!¡± winks Nia.

    Benny had sweatdropped after seeing her proud and excited expression. How can a girl smile after saying something that disgusting? But then he did see this kind enthusiasm in his brother, Emmett¡¯s face whenever he talked about strange medical disorders.

    Benny examined the other flasks.

    He had to admit that knowing what those potions could do was amazing! They were technically considered bio-weapons in his book. What¡¯s even more, the girl in front of them made these potions herself.

    There was still the last flask. Benny took it in his hand, ¡°Say Nia? What¡¯s in the last flask?¡±

    Nia¡¯s smile started to look more and more like the shrewd and calculating salesman, almost sinister-like. It gave Benny chills.

    ¡°Do you really want to know what it does?¡±

    Benny gulped and nodded.

    ¡°It¡¯s probably the most dangerous potion I have right now. You see it¡¯s-¡°

    Nia¡¯s voice was suddenly cut off when suddenly-

    KABOOM!!!

    A loud explosion rocked the whole restaurant!

    The next thing Benny knew, smoke and debris engulfed him.

 Chapter 14 - Bandits and Brawls

    The blast had knocked Benny off his chair and onto the floor.

    Disoriented Benny sat up with his glasses all lopsided. He could hear screams and yells but it was hard to see as his glasses got dusty and clouded his vision.

    ¡°Tenryu¡­Cough*¡­Nia!¡± Benny coughed, spitting out rubble that got into his mouth.

    Hearing no response, he tried to call out to them again.

    ¡°Answer me! Tenryu! Nia! Are you guys alright?¡±

    This time one of them answered

    ¡°I¡¯m right over here!¡± says Nia, luckily she was unhurt.

    Nevertheless, Benny approached her just to be sure, ¡°Are you okay? You¡¯re not hurt?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, thanks¡­¡± she says, sitting up, ¡°Where¡¯s Tenryu?¡±

    ¡°Blistering Blazes!¡± shouts Tenryu¡¯s irate voice.

    Both of them jolted as they turned towards Tenryu¡¯s voice.

    As the dust settled, Tenryu was revealed to have toppled backward over his chair. And in a strange yet comical twist, he was covered in food scraps, probably because the table fell in his direction.

    ¡°What the blitz is going on?!¡± yells Tenryu, brushing off some of the scraps off his hair, ¡°And why am I covered in leftovers?!¡±

    ¡°Can you not see what¡¯s going on around you?¡±

    Benny wiped the dust off his glasses with his sleeve. As soon as he put his glasses back on he could see how bad the damages to the restaurant were. The tables were upturned! Broken plates were everywhere! And the buffet table turned into one messy food display! Someone from the outside was screaming.

    ¡°It¡¯s them! It¡¯s the Cactus Gang!¡±

    ¡°Run for your lives!¡±

    Nia looked very alert, ¡°Bandits! They must be the ones that were hiding out in Marble Forest!¡±

    The panic was contagious as fear stared to well up inside Benny.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we hide?¡± Benny couldn¡¯t help but notice his voice quivering in fear.

    ¡°What are you saying?¡± Tenryu stands up, grinning broadly, ¡°Finally some action!¡±

    Benny stared at him in disbelief. ¡°What are you talking about? Isn¡¯t it danger-?¡±

    ¡°Y¡¯all freeze! This here¡¯s a robbery!¡± Someone shouted from a huge hole where the entrance used to be.

    The bandit was wearing old West-style clothes, complete with a cowboy hat, a bandana masking his mouth, as well as spurred boots. He was also holding what looked like a combination of a Tommy-gun and an assault rifle, either way it looked extremely dangerous to Benny. He was accompanied by two others who were wearing the same outfit as he was and also holding similar rifles!

    ¡°Listen up y¡¯all! Hand over yer valuables and nobody gets hurt!¡± The bandit spoke with an old Western drawl to his voice. ¡°And if any of you try to resist¡­¡±

    He aimed for the ceiling and shot the roof.

    Several of the restaurant¡¯s customers screamed fear. Two of the men went approached the customers, with their guns pointing at them and one-by-one, they began robbed the customers.

    Tenryu¡¯s hand flew to the hilt of his sword. ¡°I¡¯m gonna grill ¡¯em!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Nia quickly grabbed him in the shoulder. ¡°If we attack now they¡¯ll attack the customers or hold them hostage!¡±

    ¡°Then what the blitz are we supposed to do then? I can¡¯t just sit here and do nothing!¡± snapped Tenryu.

    At that same moment, a family of four was approached by a bandit. The father, a well dressed man wielding a crystal-topped cane, stood bravely between the bandit and his family.

    ¡°You stay away from my family!¡±

    ¡°Eh? A tough guy, huh?¡±

    The bandit pointed his gun at the man and fired!

    The man swished his cane. The crystal on his cane glowed and a blue circular Magic Seal appeared, defending him from the attack.

    ¡°Whoa!¡± Benny stared in awe. ¡°Is that Magic?¡±

    ¡°A Magic user, huh?¡± the bandit turned towards his gang, ¡°We gotta fighter here!¡±

    The rest of the bandits aimed and open fired at the man. The man¡¯s Defensive Magic managed to protect him but the barrage of attacks was too much for his barrier. Cracks spread throughout the Magic Seal and shattered!

    The man was knocked off his feet and fell backwards with his cane rolling away from him.

    ¡°Dear!¡± the wife screamed.

    ¡°Daddy!¡± one of the girls tried to get to her father but her mother held her tight. .

    ¡°What a weakling! That sure didn¡¯t last long!¡± The bandit laughed mockingly.

    That guy had his group gang up on the man! Benny glared at him outrage.

    The man tried to get up, ¡°Please, I¡¯ll give you my money, just leave my family alone!¡±

    He reached into his coat and held out his wallet.

    ¡°Well, thank you very much! Not!¡±

    The bandit snatched the wallet gleefully then cruelly kicked the man in the stomach.

    The man crunched up on the floor crouching in pain. His wife stifled a scream in horror. His children were wailing loudly.

    The bandit then approached the wife with a greedy look in her neck. Benny could see himself that she was wearing some kind of jeweled pendant.

    ¡°Nice necklace! Fork it over lady!¡± the man pointed his rifle at her

    The woman held her children behind her. ¡°No please! It was my grandmother¡¯s!¡±

    ¡°All the more reason to sell it to the highest bidder!¡± the thief made his hand towards he neck.

    ¡°Leave my wife alone!¡±

    The bandit stepped on the man¡¯s arm, who yelled in pain. ¡°Let go or else I¡¯ll shoot yer arm off!¡±

    SMASH!!!

    Tenryu had thrown a plate at the bandit¡¯s head.

    ¡°Tenryu, what the hell?!¡± yelled Benny disbelief.

    ¡°Why, ya little varmint?!¡± snaps the bandit in anger. He then aims at him. ¡°Take this!¡±

    But quick as a flash, Tenryu rushed in at such speed that Benny thought that even Ace (or even a motorbike) couldn¡¯t muster! The bandit had not time to retaliate as Tenryu¡¯s fist was planted right in the guy¡¯s stomach! The impact sent the man flying several feet, dropping his gun in the process and landing right in the heaping of debris. Tenryu picked up the gun and amazingly he easily bent it into a knot!

    What kind of vitamins Tenryu has been taking? Benny thought.

    When the bandit¡¯s companions saw what happened they tried to retaliate

    ¡°Yer gonna pay for that!¡±

    They both aimed and fired!

    Right away, Benny could tell it was no ordinary bullets! They looked like a pair of glowing cannonball flying right at warp speed. But Tenryu didn¡¯t move to avoid them!

    Benny was about to yell for Tenryu to jump for cover, when Nia¡¯s hand grasped his shoulder.

    ¡°Don¡¯t interfere! Tenryu can handle himself!¡±

    ¡°What? But-¡±

    Nia nodded towards Tenryu, ¡°Just look.¡±

    In a move quicker than Benny could see clearly, Tenryu had already drawn his sword and slashed. The glowing cannonball-like bullets were sliced in half and flew off in different directions, completely missing Tenryu and crashed into the walls behind him.

    Benny hadn¡¯t notice his jaw had dropped until Nia closed it for him.

    Even the bandits were stunned that their own jaws were dropping.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Our attacks-¡±

    ¡°-were sliced in half?!¡±

    ¡°Is that all? Well, it¡¯s my turn!¡± Tenryu holds his sword out in front of him and it burst into bright red flames!

    The bandits quickly backed away as they see his sword on fire!

    ¡°His sword¡¯s on fire!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­he¡¯s an Adventurer!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d prefer Swordsmage. But you got that right!¡± Tenryu¡¯s grin became wider, ¡°And here¡¯s what¡¯s coming to you!¡±

    ¡°Everybody!¡± shouts Nia, pulling Benny with her behind a table! ¡°Take cover!¡±

    Everyone else began to scramble for cover! The customers had managed to hide behind tables while others managed to jump out of the broken windows. The bandits, who were too close to Tenryu, did not have time to react!

    ¡°Flame Dragon Style: Dragon Fang Slash!¡± yelled Tenryu, as he swung his sword.

    A wave of flaming energy erupted from Tenryu¡¯s sword swing. The bandits screamed as the flames engulfed them!

    Behind the table, Benny and Nia could feel the intense heat surge around them. As the flames subsided, Benny peeked around the table. A large portion of the restaurant had been scorched. Luckily the customers and bystanders managed to hide behind something solid and that saved them from the flames!

    The bandits, however, not so much¡­.

    They were still standing when the flames subsided, but they were no different from a badly grilled burger patty. They soon collapsed to their knees and fell to the floor.

    There was a stunned silence.

    ¡°Is that all? I thought they¡¯d be much more of a challenge!¡±

    Benny blinked at what he saw. ¡°W-What just happened?¡±

    Nia made a sound that seemed between a chuckle and a sigh. ¡°That¡¯s Tenryu for you! He fights first then thinks later! And as usual¡­¡± she turns her gaze to the ruined restaurant.

    ¡°What power¡­and the damages!¡± says Benny, shuddering at the extent of the damage. ¡°Is he even a human or a beast?¡±

    ¡°I heard that!¡± Tenryu glares at Benny, ¡°I can handle myself you know, so no need to worry about it!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s now what I meant¡­¡±

    Suddenly Tenryu heard one of the bandits stirring! It was the one he had punched but he managed to escape being burned by lying on the ground (even though he was already lying there in the first place.)

    Tenryu then turned his attention to the man. ¡°You¡¯re asking for more?¡±

    ¡°Ya little varmint¡­the Boss¡­is going to make ya pay for this!¡± The bandit said the words, still clutching his stomach and twitching.

    ¡°Boss?¡± repeats Benny, Tenryu and Nia.

    ¡°You mean there¡¯re more of them?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s taking ya greenhorns so long?¡± says another Western-drawled voice.

    A group of heavily armed men were standing there at the ruined entrance. Once again these guys looked like bandits straight out of an Old West movie. They wore cowboy themed clothes similar to the bandits on the floor. Each of them wore spurred boots and cowboy hats. They were also carrying some kind of rifles that looked a little different as the rifles all had large crystals attached to their barrels. Each of them had a bandana over their mouths, but this time Benny could the drawing of a cactus printed in the cloth.

    They were all huge and muscular, apart from the bandit in the middle who stood out among them. Unlike the rest, he wore a ten-gallon hat. He didn¡¯t have a rifle but a pair of pistols that also had some kind of crystal in the handle.

    But what really sets him apart is that he was the shortest person Benny had ever seen! In fact, he didn¡¯t even reached the height of Tenryu¡¯s waist!

    Benny would¡¯ve found their quite amusing if it weren¡®t for the fact that they were real bad guys!

    Benny looked at his friends. To his surprise once again, neither of them looked afraid.

    Tenryu looked excited and raring to go. His grip tightened the hilt of his sword. Benny thought that even with Tenryu¡¯s flaming sword it were no match for a gun.

    Nia¡¯s expression was calculating and tense. It was like she was wondering on how to properly deal with these hooligans.

    The short bandit approached one of the fallen bandits.

    ¡°Boss!¡± the bandit on the ground, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­but this kid!¡±

    ¡°Shut yer pothole!¡±

    The man in the ten-gallon hat kicked him aside.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Tenryu shouted, ¡°Isn¡¯t that guy your comrade?!¡±

    Benny sweatdropped upon hearing that, ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who punched him just now?¡±

    The bandit boss looked at Tenryu, ¡°What¡¯s this? A pipsqueak¡¯s acting all tough?¡±

    Did he just call Tenryu a pipsqueak? Isn¡¯t that the pot calling the kettle black? Benny thought.

    The bandit on the floor stirred ¡°Boss, listen! This kid¡¯s a-¡±

    ¡°I said shut up!¡±

    The man pulled out a pistol and shot him in the leg. It wasn¡¯t like being shot with a regular gun from his world. The bandit¡¯s leg was enveloped by some kind of swirling wind ball and it exploded. The man screamed in pain before the lead bandit pointed his gun again.

    ¡°One more sound and I¡¯ll shoot yer in the head!¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Tenryu, Benny and Nia stared in shock.

    Tenryu¡¯s shock however quickly melted into fury!

    ¡°STOP THAT!!!¡± Tenryu yelled in outrage, he practically shouted his words so loudly that the whole town must¡¯ve heard him. ¡°ISN¡¯T HE A FRIEND OF YOURS?!!¡±

    ¡°So noisy!¡± the man snorted and spat on the floor. ¡°He failed when I gave ¡®em the chance to prove himself and now he¡¯s paying the price!¡±

    Instead of sympathizing with their comrade the bandits laughed in agreement.

    Tenryu shook in anger. Benny cowered at the sight of him. He never saw something as scary as the look on Tenryu¡¯s face! Benny could not see the resemblance between each other anymore.

    Tenryu looked feral almost like a wild beast!

    ¡°Uh oh¡­this is bad.¡± says Nia, looking worried.

    ¡°What is it, Nia?¡± Benny

    ¡°Tenryu has a very low tolerance level so things are gonna get nasty.¡±

    As she said that, Benny could feel waves of heat coming from where Tenryu stood. Tenryu¡¯s grip on his sword tightened,

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you all shut up and show me what you¡¯re made of?!¡±

    The bandits found one boy fighting back against a group of armed bandits rather ridiculous and laughed.

    ¡°Fight back? You?!¡± He laughed as though this were this stupidest joke he had ever heard.

    ¡°This kid¡¯s the one who¡¯s talking big!¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go home and play with your toys!¡±

    The short bandit spat again.

    ¡°It¡¯s clear you don¡¯t know who you¡¯re messing with little boy.¡±

    While all the other bandits were large and muscular, he was easily the shortest and scrawniest of the lot. But it was clear to anyone that he was the boss.

    ¡°I¡¯m Cactus Hun and we¡¯re the Cactus Gang!¡±

    ¡°Cactus Hun?¡± breathes Nia. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of him!¡±

    ¡°You do?¡± Benny whispers back.

    ¡°Yes, I hear he and his gang has been robbing towns and villages all across the Sixth District. The Magister of the Sixth District has already issued a large bounty for their capture!¡±

    ¡°They have a bounty on their heads?!¡± exclaims Benny.

    If people are so desperate to put a bounty on these guys, then these guys are dangerous!

    Cactus Hun aimed his gun at Tenryu. ¡°And as you can see we¡¯re armed and dangerous! So why don¡¯t you be a good little boy and sit back in the corner where little boys like you belong?¡±

    The emphasis on the ¡°little¡± was pretty obvious. It was clear to Benny that this bothered Cactus Hun, so he was hoping beyond hope that Tenryu wouldn¡¯t insult the man in regards to his-

    ¡°What¡¯s with all the ¡°little¡± taunting? You¡¯re shorter than I am, Shorty!¡±

    Benny felt a huge block of iron stamped with the word ¡°faux pas¡± just fell on his head.

    The bandits stopped laughing. They were now looking at their boss in fear. Something seemed off. Why would these huge guys be afraid of someone who was a little as Cactus Hun, Benny thought. In fact, why was this guy their leader in the first place?

    Cactus Hun was now turning a deep color of puce just like Tenryu¡¯s hair.

    ¡°Why¡­ya little¡­¡±

    ¡°Did I touch a nerve, you cowboy short-stuff?¡± Tenryu taunted.

    Nia slapped her forehead, ¡°That idiot!¡±

    ¡°Tenryu!¡± groaned Benny.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re a wise guy, huh? Alright, you asked for it!¡± Cactus Hun turned to his bandits, ¡°What are ya¡¯ll waiting for? Shoot ¡®em!¡±

    That¡¯s when the bandits began to open fire. Sensing that it was too many for him to handle, Tenryu quickly jumped out of the way and hid behind a toppled table right next to where Benny and Nia were hiding!

    ¡°HA! Where¡¯s yer bravado now?!¡± Cactus Hun laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t stop firing! Keep shooting ¡¯em till they¡¯re good as dead!¡±

    ¡°Nia!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m already on it!¡±

    Nia grabbed her umbrella. She tapped it on the ground and an orange colored Magic Seal appeared!

    ¡°Rock Wall!¡±

    A wall of earth erupted from the ground and thankfully shielded them from all their attacks!

    ¡°What? One of them is a Magician too?!¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter!¡± roared Cactus Hun, ¡°Keep firing!¡±

    ¡°Blast it! He¡¯s not even firing! He¡¯s letting his grunts do all the work!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who angered him!¡± snaps Benny, ¡°Now what are we going to do?¡±

    Tenryu shook his head, ¡°How should I know?¡±

    ¡°We have a problem.¡± says Nia peering from behind the table. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure those rifles are different from the other bandits. They must have the I.R.M. feature.¡±

    ¡°Blast it! That of all things?¡± cursed Tenryu.

    ¡°The I.R.M. feature?¡± asked Benny.

    ¡°It¡¯s the Instant Reload Feature. It¡¯s a recent development for Guns-type Magic Tools. They can fire their guns continuously without manually changing the Magitite cartridge in their weapons due to the new mechanism that easily switches used cartridges with another while the used ones charge up.¡±

    ¡°Kinda like a machine gun?¡±

    ¡°Blast it! How long are we going to wait?¡± Tenryu gritted his teeth impatiently.

    ¡°Can¡¯t you guys use your Magic to stop them?¡± asks Benny as a large energy bullet just passed between their tables.

    Nia¡¯s hand was at the handle of her umbrella, ¡°I can¡¯t use my Nature Manipulation Magic unless I am near a plant to invoke it! I could use my Earth Magic but there are innocent people still out there¡­¡± She turned her gaze in dismay towards a group a potted plants that were clearly out of her range.

    Benny looks at Tenryu who was gritting his teeth in frustration. Though Tenryu is no doubt powerful but Benny deduced he was basically a close combatant. If he jumps in there with his sword he¡¯ll but shot into Swiss cheese.

    So they were technically sitting ducks!

    Thankfully, the rock shield was sturdy enough to defend them against the bullets but even they seemed to have reached their limit. Benny felt his hand brushed on something on the ground. He looked down to find the three flasks Nia showed him earlier. Luckily, all the flasks seemed to be intact and sealed. As he looked at the flasks an idea came to his mind! He was just not sure it was a brilliant one.

    ¡°Nia, these are for offensive use right?¡± Benny held the flask with red powder in it.

    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s useless unless you can get near enough to throw it at them!¡±

    ¡°I have an idea.¡±

    Benny quickly rummaged his bag and found the elastic wristband that Ace gave him awhile back! Using a trick Ace had taught him by hooking his fingers with the wrist band, Benny carefully placed the flask in the garter.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± says Tenryu.

    ¡°Making an improvised slingshot!¡± says Benny pulled on the elastic. ¡°We can shoot this flask at them even from this distance!¡±

    ¡°But don¡¯t you need to look at where you¡¯re aiming?¡± asks Nia.

    ¡°All I have to do is use a little physics and a little perfect timing! Now this will be our chance!¡±

    From the looks of their faces they did not get a single word he was saying.

    ¡°Look! I don¡¯t know if this will really reach them or not, but if broken this will still release a cloud of powder, right?¡±

    Nia¡¯s eyes seemed to glitter with understanding. ¡°I see! So that¡¯s what you mean?¡±

    ¡°He means what? What do you mean?¡± asks Tenryu looking at them both, still not getting it. ¡°How¡¯s a bottle of dust supposed to help?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not dust!¡± both Benny and Nia chided him.

    Benny and Nia looked at each other surprised for a moment.

    Benny shook his head and explained further, ¡°The cloud of powder can distract them long enough to give you two an opening for a counter-attack! Maybe it can take some of them down in the process!¡±

    ¡°I still don¡¯t get it!¡± said Tenryu to which both Benny and Nia sweatdropped.

    ¡°He really is slow in the uptake, huh?¡± says Benny.

    ¡°You have no idea¡­¡±

    Tenryu glared at them both, ¡°Very funny, don¡¯t you have something to do Benny?¡±

    ¡°Right, you two get ready!¡±

    Benny position himself holding one end of the elastic wristband and holding the other with the flask in it. Remembering where exactly the bandits where and judging the trajectory of his aim, he aimed upward. Praying that his calculations were correct, he released the garter!

    Whoosh!

    The flask was sent flying in the air and flying towards one of the bandits. When the bandit saw what was coming to him, he aimed and shot right at it!

    They heard a breaking of a glass and the bandits stopped their shooting. They could also hear a loud yell of pain.

    ¡°Move back! Move back!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong ya? Quit hopping around!¡± snapped one of the bandits.

    ¡°It itches! It itches! It itches!¡± the bandit screamed, a sound of intense scratching could be heard.

    ¡°Ya pea-brained idiot!¡± one of the bandits was yelling but at the same time sounded as though he were in pain, ¡°What were you thinking shooting at that thing?!¡±

    ¡°It was flying at me!¡±

    ¡°What the heck was that?!¡±

    ¡°What in tarnation? What¡¯s going on with yer face?!¡± yelps a bandit.

    ¡°Aaargh!!!¡± yelled another.

    Benny peeped around the table. He saw not just one but five of the bandits completely covered in deep red and oozing rashes. Benny tried not to throw up his lunch but at the same time he couldn¡¯t help but admire the effects that little flask held!

    ¡°Nice shot, Benny!¡± grinned Tenryu, gripping his sword. ¡°Now it¡¯s time to get things heated up!¡±

    ¡°Now¡¯s your chance, move!¡± breathed Nia.

    He didn¡¯t need telling that as Tenryu had leapt from behind the table and rushed in at the bandits with his sword ablaze! The bandits where completely caught off-guard and were too late to notice when Tenryu already reached them.

    ¡°Flame Dragon Style: Triple Claw Slash!¡± Tenryu slashed his sword and struck down one bandit. ¡°Flame Dragon Style: Blitz Claw!¡±

    Tenryu struck down several more bandits! Benny watched from behind the rock in amazement. It was amazing watching the whole action take place! Compared with Tenryu¡¯s demonstration earlier this morning, seeing a real Magician (or Swordsmage) fight was a sight to see! Even though he couldn¡¯t help but worry for Tenryu¡¯s safety. And speaking of other¡¯s safety, Benny noticed a couple who were still cowering in fright behind a table. They must¡¯ve been trapped in the crossfire unable to escape!

    ¡°Benjamin, where are you going?¡± Nia says to Benny when she saw him trying to sneak away.

    ¡°There are still people trapped here! We need to help them escape!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you!¡± says Nia,

    ¡°No! You have to go to the plants on the side. Then you can use your Magic to help Tenryu out and take out those bandits!¡±

    ¡°But¡­Wait!¡±

    Nia tried to make a grab for Benny¡¯s arm but he already made his way towards the trapped people. He noticed that they weren¡¯t the only ones as there were more people than he thought that were caught in the crossfire! They could get hurt if a shot misfires! Benny wished he could use Magic like his new friends. He wasn¡¯t even that good at hand-to-hand combat or any other physical activity!

    A key to surviving any bad situation was strategy and quick thinking! Benny surveyed the area just now and was able to quickly form an evacuation plan in his head! Benny quickly wove his way around the tables, careful not to attract the attention of the bandits. He approached the first pair of customers nearest to them.

    ¡°Follow me!¡± he says to them as he quickly explained to them that his friend will keep the bandits busy while he helps them escape! Though they looked scared they followed him nonetheless and snuck by the bandits.

    Benny quickly ushers them towards the nearest exit: a large broken window. After he helped them through the window, he quickly moved onto the next group hiding behind a pillar. Seeing what Benny was doing, they followed him as well and escape through the window.

    Nia watched him wonder as he moved from one to another to help the bystanders escape. Usually people would be too frightened to move in a situation like this. In fact, she thought Benny was albeit panicky awhile ago. It was strange how he somehow just ¡°forgot¡± being afraid as his concern shifted towards others. Deciding to trust Benny on what he had to do, she gave him a brief smile before she quickly headed towards the potted plants on the sides.

    Benny quickly did what he could do. He made sure he and the customers avoided attracting attention as he helped them escape through the window. Luckily, Tenryu was doing his own thing (and defeating every foe he can) was working well to his strategy. The bandits tried to retaliate but Tenryu was quick for them as he quickly jumped into their ranks and slashed at their rifles. The rifles quickly melted at where they were slashed causing the bandits holding them to drop them in shock.

    ¡°Our guns!¡± the bandit looked in disbelief at his melted weapon.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me this kid¡¯s a-¡±

    ¡°An Adventurer!¡± shouts Cactus Hun.

    ¡°Swordsmage!¡± corrects Tenryu.

    The bandit from earlier groaned. ¡°That¡¯s what I was trying to tell ya!¡±

    ¡°Ya should¡¯ve said so!¡± Cactus Hun growled at him.

    ¡°C¡¯mon! Is that all you got!¡± Tenryu was grinning widely as he slashed down some more of them. The other bandits pulled out machetes and daggers.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s new. But if you¡¯re gonna fight me with blades, let¡¯s see you try!¡±

    ¡°Get him!¡± they yelled.

    SMASH!

    A glass vial had flown in the air and smashed right at them! Nia had aimed another vial, this time it was the vial containing the green and yellow glitter glue-like substance! The contents went spraying onto the rest of the bandits. Just as Nia describe its effects, soon enough the bandits started break out in boils!

    Tenryu managed to avoid getting splashed with potion by leaping away just in time.

    ¡°Watch where you throwing that! You nearly got some on me!¡± yelled Tenryu.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome for saving your hide!¡±

    ¡°And don¡¯t interfere¡­These guys are mine!¡±

    However, Tenryu did not notice that several of them had managed to sneak behind him!

    As Benny helped a little girl through a window and into the arms of her mother, he saw the bandits closing in on him. Even though it would give him away, Benny was about to shout for Tenryu to look out! That¡¯s when suddenly, a gigantic wooden hand, similar to the one before fell upon them and pounded them like a chef crushing garlic! It also generated a force that knocked Tenryu off his feet! Benny saw that wooden hand was connected to a shrub. Nia was directly beside it, she was holding her umbrella aloft with its crystal tip glowing brightly!

    ¡°She¡¯s an Adventurer too!¡± one of the bandits yelled.

    ¡°Hey! I just said these guys are mine!¡± Tenryu yelled in annoyance.

    Nia frowned, ¡°Is that how you thank someone who just saved you? And you might want to look beside you!¡±

    On that note, Tenryu quickly turned and managed to block a bandit aiming a machete at him.

    ¡°Too slow!¡± says Tenryu as he slashed, knocking the machete of bandit¡¯s hand. He then clenched his fist and gave the man a left hook to the jaw!

    Meanwhile, the rest of the bandits decided to go for Nia.

    ¡°She¡¯s just a little girl! Go after her!¡±

    ¡°Get her!¡±

    Some of the bandits rushed in at Nia.

    ¡°Get this you brutes!¡±

    Nia waved her umbrella towards them.

    Several more shrubs began extending their branches in rapid pace! It was like someone had poured instant growth fertilizer in them! The branches twisted together and formed a forest of gigantic wooden knuckles!

    At the sight of this the bandits froze in their tracks!

    Nia has her Wand pointing towards the bandits, ¡°Hundred Knuckle Forest!¡±

    The wooden fists began punching the bandits in rapid succession. A large number of them were pummeled into the floor and beaten to a pulp! Several of them, however, managed to avoid getting hit by the wooden knuckles and were now approaching Nia. But Nia waved her Wand downward, a potted bonsai exploded and its roots quickly dug through the floor!

    ¡°Natural Pillory!¡± says Nia, with an upward twirl of her Umbrella.

    In a flash, roots began shooting out of the floor and entangled the bandits before they could get any closer!

    Benny stared at her completely in awe. For someone who is supposed to specialize in healing, Nia is quite skilled in the offensive.

    Knowing he had little more to go, Benny quickly headed for the last group of people caught in the crossfire: the family with the injured father. They were pretty near to the fighting area now and one wrong move can alert the bandits to their presence.

    ¡°Are you all alright?¡± Benny said in a low voice.

    The woman looked at him franticly, ¡°Please! Help my husband!¡±

    Benny could see for himself that the man wasn¡¯t okay! Benny thought it was the injury earlier when the bandit gave him in the stomach, but Benny saw a small pool of blood on the floor. It was clear that during the crossfire, the man was clearly hit by a stray bullet on his leg!

    Seeing Benny was not on the side of the Bandits, the father grasped for his hand, ¡°Please, take my family and get them out of here!¡± He winced as he tightened his hand over his leg.

    ¡°No! Dear, I don¡¯t want to leave you!¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    ¡°Daddy!¡±

    Their two girls were crying, clearly they don¡¯t want to leave their father either.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want any of you to get hurt! You have to get out of here now and leave me! I¡¯ll just slow you down!¡± says the man in agitation.

    ¡°Nobody¡¯s is going to get left behind here!¡± Benny says urgently, quieting them down. He quickly reached into his bag and pulled out a first-aid kit he always carried. ¡°We better treat that wound and splint it up¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you a Remedician?¡±

    Remembering that word was akin to a doctor, Benny glanced back at Nia who was one. He did not know how wounds like these were treated in this world. Nia could help this guy up but she was rather busy at the moment. Luckily Benny remembered studying first-aid in Physical Education Class.

    ¡°No, but I do know first-aid!¡± says Benny as he pulls out a first-aid kit out of his bag. He couldn¡¯t tell if they knew what he was saying or not but decided to trust him on that as well.

    Benny quickly searched around.

    He found a long piece of a broken he could use for a splint. He then took out some disinfectant and antibiotic on the wound and cleaned it with a piece of gauze. The man shuddered and gasped in pain but kept quiet. His wife and two daughters kept their eyes on what Benny was doing. It did not help his nerves that he had an audience. Benny was already hard pressed to treat the guy and still think of a way to help him and his family out of here, plus worrying about an ongoing battle just a few feet away. The wound was still pretty deep and fresh blood kept trickling. The gauze he had wasn¡¯t enough to staunch the wound.

    Benny reached into his bag to find a spare handkerchief when he spots the healing ointment Nia gave him. It was stuck between the pages of the book. Remembering how it instantly healed up his wounds, he quickly took it out and slathered some on the man¡¯s wound. Immediately, to Benny¡¯s relief (and the man¡¯s as well) the wound had started close up. The deeper part of the wound was still there but the rest of the surrounding flesh had staunched and stopped bleeding. Benny grabs a bandage from the first-aid kit and starts wrapping the wound. He then grabs the wooden stick and makes a splint.

    ¡°That will do for now but we still have to get you out of here! Can you get up?¡±

    ¡°I think so...¡± the man¡¯s voice sounded stronger which also brought relief to his family. ¡°But I¡¯m in no shape to run¡­¡±

    Benny already realized that there was no way he could get this guy to the window. The opening was too narrow and with that injured leg there was no room to easily slip out without alerting the bandits. He needed think of another way out. Benny searched around for another exit and his attention fell on the doorway behind the bar! They can use that! There had to be a backdoor in this joint!

    ¡°We¡¯ll use the back door! We have to be quick though.¡± Benny whispered to them as he packed all the material back into the bag.

    He then caught sight of a long stick with a crystal top. It was the man¡¯s Magic cane!

    He didn¡¯t know why but Benny snatched up the cane as he supported the man on one arm. The man¡¯s wife quickly ushered their daughters. Benny hoped that the racket Tenryu and Nia were making was enough a distraction.

    In careful but hurried steps, Benny led the family through the sides. Things were going well as they nearly reached the bar. He was sure they were going o make it when a bandit came zooming in the air and barely missed them. The man was already unconscious but it did give them quite a shock.

    Unfortunately, it scared the youngest daughter who was at the breaking point already. She started bawling out loud. And that brought unwanted attention.

    ¡°There¡¯s someone over at the bar!¡± someone from the bandit group yelled.

    Benny felt his blood grow cold.

    ¡°Oh shoot!¡± Benny cursed.

    ¡°They¡¯re trying to escape!¡±

    ¡°Shoot them down!¡±

    The bandits who weren¡¯t fighting Tenryu and Nia had aimed their rifles right at them.

    ¡°No!¡± cried Nia. She tried to send some plant arms to tackle down the bandits.

    Tenryu also saw the situation. He slashed away the bandits he was fighting with and shot a flaming ball of fire towards the bandits. Even though Tenryu and Nia¡¯s spells quickly took down the bandits¡­

    Unfortunately, they were too late! Some of them had already fired some initial shots!

    It was like a video in slow motion. Like the climax wherein the protagonist was about to suffer a deathblow but was saved in the last minute. But this wasn¡¯t a movie, it was the real thing! Benny was sure those cannonball-like bullets were going to be the end of him! He wasn¡¯t the only one who was going down. The family he was trying to save was going to suffer the same fate!

    At that moment Benny wished for a miracle. Not for himself¡­but to saved the family in the very least.

    Benny felt his arm moved. As though it were a reflex, he pointed the cane.

    The crystal glowed with soft golden light!

    Just as those attacks were about to hit Benny and the family a glowing, gold-colored Magic Seal appeared! It appeared transparent, almost glass-like! It was a large circle with many intricate markings and symbols within several smaller circles.

    The attacks slammed right at the barrier making a loud sound like an amplifier muffled by surrounding wall, but otherwise did not penetrate the barrier. It seems it was stronger than the one this man generated. The whole fighting seemed to have gone into a standstill. The barrier itself was emitting a glowing light that caught everyone¡¯s attention.

    The loud sounds snapped Benny from his reverie.

    Realizing the opportunity, Benny had turned his attention to the momentarily stunned family.

    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry to the back!¡±

    His words also had the same effect. It snapped them out of their reverie. Benny quickly ushered them onward. Thankfully, the barrier followed them as they walked.

    ¡°Stop right there!¡±

    A bandit fired a shot but again the barrier blocked the attacks.

    Angered that the bandit tried to attack them again, Tenryu aimed a blazing sword attack on him!

    ¡°You¡¯re going to pay for that! Flame Dragon Style: Blitz Fang Blade!¡± roared Tenryu as he slashed and took down the bandit.

    Again the fighting resumed.

    Nia was also momentarily stunned by the sudden appearance of the barrier but she regained her focus and fought back the bandits coming towards her. She twirled her umbrella, causing the flowers to shoot their petals like a machine gun! Even though they were just petals, it was clearly from the expression of her foes that those flowery projectiles were clearly very painful!

    Benny and the family finally reached the bar! He quickly ushered them through the backdoor! And just in the nick of time too!

    The cane stopped glowing. The barrier faded away as they made it through door closed.

 Chapter 15 - Magic

    As soon as they made their way into the kitchen, Benny helped the man to a chair.

    The man¡¯s wife quickly tried to soothe her still crying youngest.

    Benny scanned their surroundings. This was the restaurant¡¯s kitchen. And even here it was abandoned in the commotion.

    The cooks had obviously left it in a hurry when the bandits attacked the front of the restaurant. Kitchen utensils and ingredients lay scattered all over the countertops. Pots and pans were upturned with their contents splattered all over the floor. Delicates plates lay broken. Several freshly cooked food and ready-to-served dishes were already set on trays.

    Something of the stoves was still on and the food was burning on the pan releasing a horrid stench. Benny quickly headed towards them and switched them off. Luckily they functioned the same way as the ones back home so Benny had no problem how to operate them.

    He then turned to the man and his family.

    ¡°Are you alright, um, Mr. ¡­?¡±

    ¡°Azalea, Rupert Azalea. T-thank you for getting us out of there¡­¡±

    His wife nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Thank you Kuya!¡±

    The two daughters said in unison.

    Benny blushed. ¡°Uh, no biggie¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you by any chance an Adventurer like your friends?¡±

    ¡°Err¡­no¡­ I¡¯m just someone caught in the crossfire. Speaking of which, I still don¡¯t think it¡¯s still safe here so please go out the backdoor.¡±

    Benny clenched the man¡¯s cane.

    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯ll borrow this for a while.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡± the man¡¯s wife asked in genuine concern.

    ¡°I have to go back and see what I can do for my friends.¡±

    After making sure they went out, Benny went back to the front of the restaurant.

    Even though Benny had no real intention in going back to the war zone, he felt rather uncomfortable being there right now. He wasn¡¯t used to startling compliments like that. Another reason was that he really was worried for Tenryu and Nia. So he quickly slipped back out through the door. Meanwhile on the outside the fighting resumed again. Tenryu slashed his way through the remaining bandits.

    Benny watched from behind the bar, clenching the cane.

    With Tenryu releasing flaming attacks and Nia sending the plants to fight, they quickly decimated the whole gang of thieves!

    Eventually only Cactus Hun was left!

    Tenryu approached him, with sword at hand. ¡°It¡¯s just you and me, Shorty!¡±

    Cactus Hun looked extremely angry, with veins were popping all over his face. He looked down at his henchmen who lay defeated at his feet.

    ¡°You bunch of useless losers, can¡¯t do anything right! Looks like I have to everything myself!¡±

    He pulled out a pair of pistols.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see you try!¡± Tenryu ran forward his sword. He was about launch another full-flaming attack.

    Cactus Hun aimed and shot his pistol.

    BANG!

    Unlike his cronies, Cactus Hun¡¯s shot was different. It looked like a small glowing paintball had been fired. Tenryu was about to slash at it when Nia seemed to realized something.

    ¡°Tenryu, don¡¯t!¡± she yelled at him.

    Not waiting for him to respond, she sent a wooden arm to grab Tenryu and pulled him away from attack. The bullet zoomed right pass him and straight into an upturned table.

    ¡°Nia!¡± yelled Tenryu while flailing his limbs, ¡°This again?!¡±

    ¡°Keep your head down!¡±

    Nia pointed her Umbrella to the ground.

    The branches she was manipulating had converged around her and form a large wooden shell. From the panicky look in her face, Benny assumed that something bad was about to happen so quickly ducked beneath the counter.

    His instincts were quickly proven to be right.

    As soon as the bullet smacked onto the table, it along with the surrounding area were enveloped in a pocket of swirling air and then exploded! The explosion caused violent winds to blow in all directions. Even from behind the counter, Benny was bombarded with strong winds as though he were in the full brunt of a hurricane! The liquor bottles at the bar were flying out of their shelves and nearly hitting him! Tables and chairs were being tossed around.

    Benny could also hear screams and yells. Knowing that he had already evacuated the customers, it was clear that those yells came from the bandits that were already defeated. From the sound of it, it seems they must¡¯ve have been carried in the wind and tossed around, Benny flinched from hearing sickening crunches and slamming of bodies.

    Nia was protected by her shield of wood but some pieces were being splintered off from the force of the wind!

    Tenryu was bombarded by the winds. His hand tightened on his sword, so it wouldn¡¯t blow away. But the wooden hand kept a firm grip on him, preventing him from being tossed around like the bandits. However, small debris acting like shrapnel was also flying and scratching his exposed face and arms.

    The wind soon died down.

    Benny peeked from behind the counter and saw the devastating damage. Where the table was once was, a large hole had been bored into floor. Cactus Hun¡¯s bandits were thrown all over the place like they were ragged dolls. From the contorted expressions on their faces, they were also clearly in pain and looked severely injured.

    ¡°Boss¡­why us¡­?¡± the bandit closest to Cactus Hun groaned. It was the same one who attacked the restaurant in the first place.

    Cactus Hun spat in his direction.

    ¡°Ya should¡¯ve dodged it if ya didn¡¯t want to get hurt!¡±

    Tenryu slashed his way out of the wooden hand. ¡°They couldn¡¯t move at all! And you did something as dangerous as that?!¡±

    Weren¡¯t you the reason why they couldn¡¯t move in the first place? Benny thought with a sweatdrop.

    ¡°These yellowbellies were in the way. I was aiming for ya¡­¡± He pointed his gun at Tenryu.

    ¡°You-¡± Tenryu rushed in at him.

    ¡°No! Tenryu wait!¡± Nia yelled out to him.

    Cactus Hun quickly fired a volley of shots.

    It turns out he was quite quick on trigger. Everything that was shot was enveloped smaller wind balls. Tenryu managed dodge and deflect the attacks with his sword. However, a couple of them managed strike Tenryu¡¯s right knee and left elbow! Just like the table before, those parts of Tenryu¡¯s body were enveloped in swirling balls of wind and then exploded!

    Tenryu fell to the floor yelling in pain. His sword clattered to the floor and its flames extinguished. Benny stared from behind the counter in horror. He couldn¡¯t see any blood but Tenryu was clearly hurt.

    Cactus Hun approached him until he was looming over him. A triumphant sneer was on his face, ¡°Not much of a hotshot now, huh?¡±

    ¡°No, Tenryu!¡±

    Nia tried waving her pink umbrella but then Cactus Hun fired his other pistol at her direction, or rather, at the plants. Immediately the plant displays all exploded! Without its main body, the wooden arms Nia created collapsed to the floor completely lifeless.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t noticed you and yer little Magic, girlie¡­¡±

    Nia stared in shock at the ruined plants then glared back at Cactus Hun, ¡°I should¡¯ve guessed¡­ Those guns can use Vacuum Implosion Magic!¡±

    Cactus Hun gave her a nasty grin as he twirled his gun, ¡°For a girl, yer pretty sharp. These here guns can use that there special type of Magic! Vacuum Implosion or whatever it is¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a type of Air Magic that utilizes air pockets and vacuums to cause devastating attacks! A lot of people got severely injured whether using that type of Magic or being hit by it! The destructive force it can bring to the surroundings makes it dangerous to use!¡±

    Although astounded by the information Nia had on that Magic, what she said really brought a sense of unease in Benny¡¯s stomach. Looking at Tenryu who still trying to get up, it was with dread that he remembered the boy got a direct hit from it.

    Cactus Hun simply snorted as though he had heard that fact so many times already, ¡°It¡¯s because it¡¯s dangerous that I like to use it!¡±

    Nia tried to use her Magic on the remaining plants.

    But Cactus Hun was quick as well. He shot right at the plants and they exploded in a swirl of winds. It wasn¡¯t as strong as the big one earlier but it was strong enough to knock her off her feet. Nia fell to the floor. Her umbrella flew off her hand and rolled away.

    ¡°Ya stay there ya little chickadee or those plants won¡¯t be the only thing that¡¯ll blow up!¡±

    Tenryu¡¯s hand flew at the man¡¯s ankle. The glove on his hand went ablaze in flames. It burned Cactus Hun¡¯s ankle and causing him to cuss painfully. Cactus Hun turned his attention to Tenryu and tried to shake him off. Though the boy was clearly in pain, it did not stop him from maintaining his grip and glaring back at the man.

    ¡°You leave her alone!¡±

    ¡°Yer the one who should be worried for himself!¡± the man kicked him in the side. Cactus Hun aimed his gun right at him. ¡°But I¡¯m going to snuff the little flame of yers once and for all!¡±

    ¡°Stop!¡± screamed Nia, getting to her feet.

    ¡°No!¡± Benny yelled.

    ***

    Then everything froze.

    It was like someone had clicked on a pause button a video. Cactus Hun held his gun right at Tenryu but he didn¡¯t pull the trigger. Nia still looked like she was getting up but she didn¡¯t move another inch. Some of debris and dust cloud hung in midair.

    ¡°W-what¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°It seems you and your friends are in quite a pitch with this last one.¡±

    Hearing the voice caused Benny to jump.

    ¡°It¡¯s you again!¡±

    The voice chuckled, ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter as you seemed to be in a bind right now¡­¡±

    ¡°But how did this-¡± Benny stared at the frozen scene around.

    ¡°I manage to freeze time just for a moment¡­¡±

    ¡°Freeze time? You have that kind of power?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but if something is not done, Tenryu¡¯s or even Nia¡¯s life will be in grave danger¡­ Vacuum Implosion Magic, huh? If it hits you physically it could break your bones.¡±

    ¡°Then Tenryu¡­he could be seriously hurt!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s hurt but not grievously injured. In fact, he¡¯s quite resilient¡­Not even a boulder rolling down a mountain would crush him. I should know since I¡¯ve seen that happen many times¡­¡±

    ¡°Is that so¡­¡± Benny sweatdropped again, ¡°Just what kind of person is Tenryu?¡±

    ¡°Listen Benjamin¡­ I only have a few moments so how about I give you some pointers on how to deal with this guy?¡±

    ¡°But can¡¯t you do something? Can you stop this man like teleport him away or something?¡± Benny asked him in panic. To be honest that idea just popped out of his head.

    ¡°Nice idea but alas I cannot...¡±

    Benny listened in disbelief, ¡°You can freeze time but you can¡¯t stop this man?¡±

    ¡°There are things I can do and not do. Intervening physically with this bandit is unfortunately not one of them¡­ To be honest, it¡¯s taking all of my power to maintain this pause in time¡­¡±

    ¡°Then there¡¯s nothing you can do?¡±

    ¡°No, as much as I want to I could not¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re pretty useful, huh¡­¡± Benny grumbled with sarcasm.

    ¡°You wound me with your words even though it¡¯s true¡­I can¡¯t do anything about it¡­But you, on the other hand, can¡­¡±

    ¡°Me? But what can I do?¡±

    ¡°Use your power to help your friends¡­¡±

    ¡°Power?¡± says Benny, blinking, ¡°I don¡¯t have any power!¡±

    ¡°Yes you do¡­it¡¯s the same potential that everyone has¡­but not all of them can reach it¡­.I am talking about the power of Magic, of course!¡±

    Benny stared at nothing, ¡°Magic? I can¡¯t use Magic!¡±

    ¡°What did you did earlier just now? Speaking of which, you have the means to do so¡­you borrowed that cane didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Benny just remembered he was still holding onto the cane.

    ¡°And that¡¯s not all. You have that precious book of Magic.¡±

    Benny pondered for a moment and then remembered the book. It was then he noticed that his bag grew warm again. Benny took it out of his bag and he was surprised to find it glowing in soft golden light!

    ¡°This¡­this is!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you already know what it is. It is Spellbook handed down for generations in your family. It contains Magic and knowledge of great power¡­¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°Then this book¡­it really is Magical!¡±

    ¡°A Magical Spellbook, that¡¯s right¡­¡±

    Benny then remembered the other thing it did in the forest, ¡°It was the one that generated that barrier that kept protected me, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all on you¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait a minute¡­I didn¡¯t-¡±

    The voice chuckled, ¡°You may not have said the words, but your thoughts and feelings were enough. Subconsciously, you asked for protection so a barrier was generated for you.¡±

    ¡°So that was Magic?¡± says Benny.

    ¡°Yes, although you were unaware of it then¡­¡±

    ¡°But if this book allows me to use Magic when I¡¯m not aware of it¡­then how am I supposed to use it when I want it to? I don¡¯t even know how to control it!¡±

    ¡°Have you already forgotten? That cane you are holding can help you.¡±

    ¡°You mean this thing?¡± Benny holds up the cane.

    ¡°Yes. Its purpose is to channel Magic into a form. But like Magic it depends on you¡­always remember that. Without a user, any form of Magic is useless¡­It can bring harm to the enemy or to protect the ones you care about¡­¡±

    ¡°I can see that! But how am I supposed to use Magic to help in this situation?¡± Benny scratches his head in frustration.

    ¡°Picture a form you wish Magic to take¡­let the energy of Manna flow through you as though you were breathing air. That¡¯s simplest method I can advise you with.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­ Maybe that¡¯s too simplistic.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re fond of those anime shows reading light novels, right? Then picture yourself as a main character and think of how a hero character does Magic. That¡¯s another way of putting it.¡±

    ¡°Hang on¡­how do you know about that?¡±

    And also¡­is this guy seriously suggesting I act like I have Eight-Grader Syndrome? Benny thought.

    ¡°As for the Spellbook¡­it will aide you¡­when you need it¡­¡± The voice started fade away in an echo.

    ¡°Wait, please!¡±

    ¡°Good luck¡­¡±

    ¡°No wait!¡±

    The voice no longer replied.

    ***

    Then everything started to move again. He turned around and saw Cactus Hun clicking the barrel of his gun, pointing it right at Tenryu¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°You leave him alone!¡± shouts Nia finally getting up and running at them.

    ¡°I thought I told yer stay there, girlie!¡± He aimed his other pistol at Nia and was about to fire.

    Desperate do something, Benny was about to do aim cane (though he had no idea how to use it but forgot that essential part in the moment) when his eye caught something small and white gleaming. He thought it was a pearl but soon realized it was the last potion bottle of Nia¡¯s. It was the one she said was her most dangerous potion.

    Reacting to the moment, Benny grabbed it. Nia said it was dangerous but what choice did he have?

    With all his might, he threw it at Cactus Hun!

    SMASH!!!

    The bottle smacked Cactus Hun right on the head! It knocked the huge hat of his head revealing a rather large bald spot. A nasty bruise began to form where the bottle hit him. The little bottle had smashed into pieces and the contents soaking Cactus Hun.

    But nothing happened.

    The man cursed in profanities that Benny hadn¡¯t heard off.

    ¡°What in tarnation? Who threw that?!¡± yelled Cactus Hun, rubbing his head furiously.

    ¡°Eh? It didn¡¯t do anything?!¡± Benny stood up from his hiding place.

    ¡°Benjamin¡­you threw that?¡± says Nia in total shock.

    Tenryu was just as dumbfounded when he saw the whole scene but grinned widely.¡±Nice one, Benny!¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes¡­but what isn¡¯t it doing anything?¡±

    Nia realized something, ¡°Um, Benjamin¡­that was just a hand lotion¡­¡±

    A hand lotion?

    ¡°But you said it was a dangerous potion!¡±

    ¡°I was just kidding at that time!¡±

    She was just kidding?

    ¡°Now she tells me¡­¡± Benny says in dismay.

    ¡°HEEEEEYYYY!!!¡± Cactus Hun was now fuming mad, ¡°Why, ya little runt! How dare ya throw that booze at me? I¡¯ll give ya what¡¯s coming for ya!¡¯¡±

    He then turned his pistols at Benny and fired several times.

    Benny literally had to doge a bullet (actually Benny counted at least seven) by throwing himself down on the floor behind a table. The bullets missed him by several inches above his head. So it wasn¡¯t his greatest idea throwing a bottle at an enemy¡¯s head (especially one with a pair of magic guns.)

    Even though it was futile Benny still tried to pacify things.

    ¡°Please sir! Stop this madness right now!¡±

    ¡°Ya think ya can get away that easy?! Ya should¡¯ve thought about that before throwing a bottle of whatever that was at me noggin!¡±

    Cactus Hun fired another round and shot it at the counter. But it seems Benny¡¯s luck was still good as he managed to avoid the attack again by being shielded by a sturdy side of the counter.

    ¡°You were trying to hurt my friend!¡± snaps Benny. As he did so, he was scanning the book for some kind of attacking spell. ¡°I won¡¯t let you hurt any of them if I can help it!¡±

    Tenryu looked at Benny, ¡°Benny¡­¡±

    Despite the situation, Nia had to smile that Benny already considered Tenryu his friend even though they just met.

    However, they couldn¡¯t help but worry because despite Benny¡¯s brave and touching words he was obviously a non-fighter. Something Cactus Hun was quick to point out.

    ¡°And what exactly can ya do?¡± the bandit aimed his pistol, ¡°Besides hiding behind that there table like a little yellow-bellied varmint!¡±

    Cactus Hun fired at the side of the table! Realizing he was unshielded from that angle, Benny leapt away but the exploding winds caught him and he was blown away. He never felt such pain before! It felt as though an invisible forced had just punched the air out of his lungs!

    ¡°Benjamin!¡±

    ¡°Why you¡­!¡± Tenryu grits his teeth, struggling to get up.

    Benny managed to maintain a firm grip on the book to prevent it from flying away. Amazingly, the book felt as though it were glued to his hand. Like it didn¡¯t want to move out of his hand and it was trying to hold onto him!

    ¡°How¡¯s that little boy?¡± Cactus Hun gloated, ¡°That¡¯ll teach ya little varmints to respect yer betters!¡±

    Even thought he was in pain, Benny glared back at him, ¡°Respect? An outlaw like you who robs people and hurts his own subordinates¡­¡±

    ¡°Now I wouldn¡¯t be saying like that¡­more like a high-risk trader, that¡¯s what I do!¡± Cactus Hun smirks. ¡°And as for my grunts¡­they should know better than to stand in my way!¡±

    Benny felt outrage flooding in him. This thief was justifying himself and his crimes. He didn¡¯t care how many people he¡¯s hurt as long as he gets what he wants.

    ¡°Someone like you don¡¯t deserve even an ounce of respect!¡± shouts Benny in disdain, ¡°Talk about high and mighty! You¡¯re nothing more than a self-righteous midget with a bald spot!¡±

    There was a moment of shocked silence.

    Benny then realized he may have said too much. ¡°Err¡­Did I just blurt all that out?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡± nods Tenryu and Nia.

    Cactus Hun¡¯s face swelled and was puce with rage!

    ¡°Ya got quite a big yap! I¡¯ll shut that up¡­permanently!!!¡±

    Two gigantic spheres of intense, swirling wind began to form in the mouth of the gun. Benny knew that this was really bad times a hundred! He could even feel the air being sucked away from his lungs!

    ¡°I¡¯ll blow ya away with my strongest Magic!!!¡± Cactus Hun laughs in an insane way.

    Tenryu and Nia knew from experience that this Magic Spell was no parlor trick but an extremely dangerous and potentially fatal Magic! If it were to hit Benny, there wasn¡¯t anything else to say in that regard¡­

    ¡°Benjamin, get out of there!¡± shouts Nia, franticly looking for her Wand.

    Tenryu tried to get up but his injuries in his arm and his leg prevented him.

    Benny could only stare, completely frozen as Cactus Hun readied his deadly Magic.

    ¡°Take this ya brat! Double Cyclone Canon!!!¡± says Cactus Hun as he fired!

    The two gigantic balls of wind collided with each other and were swirling together, forming a deadly vortex that was destroying everything in their path! Cactus Hun was laughing in triumph as his spell made it ways towards Benny. Tenryu and Nia stared in horror, helpless as they see their friend about to be crushed by the villain¡¯s Magic!

    Benny clutched the book close to his chest and raised the cane. The first thought that came to mind was the words¡­

    ¡°Light Sphere!¡± Benny just realized he had said the words out loud.

    At that moment, just as the destructive spell nearly reached Benny, he felt that familiar warmth coming from the book. The crystal on the cane glowed with bright light!

    Out of nowhere a sphere of golden light enveloped him! The Wind Magic collided with the barrier of Light Magic! The barrier proved to be stronger as not only had it completely stopped the Wind Magic in its tracks and dispelled it!

    Cactus Hun stared in shock, ¡°W-what?!¡±

    From where they were, Benny friends were also gripped in shock.

    ¡°It¡¯s a barrier made of Light Magic!¡± whispered Nia. She caught of her umbrella which rolled underneath some debris.

    Tenryu grinned, ¡°So Benny had it in him¡­¡±

    Benny stared around in bewilderment up to see the golden barrier. It didn¡¯t disappear immediately like the last time. It continued to glow there all around him! He could feel warmth washing over him and the aches he was feeling seemed to melt away. As though this barrier was protecting but healing him as well!

    Cactus Hun was shaking in disbelief, ¡°That¡¯s impossible! Nothing could stop that spell before!¡±

    Benny looks at his foe, looking quite as stunned as he was. Apparently the bandit wasn¡¯t used to having his pride broken, so he mistook that look for a smirk.

    The man aims his pistols again, ¡°Just because ya made that pathetic-looking barrier stop my Magic the first time doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t fire another!¡±

    He fired another double wind ball spell but as it reached Benny¡¯s barrier it proved to be not pathetic as Cactus Hun says it so. The enemy¡¯s wind attack clashed with the barrier and disappeared.

    Amidst all that, Nia grabbed her umbrella and quickly rushed to Tenryu¡¯s side to help him. ¡°This is a nasty injury¡­but easily treatable!¡±

    ¡°Never mind that just hurry it up! We need to help Benny!¡± Tenryu flinched as she held his elbow.

    Cactus Hun caught sight of them, he aimed one pistol at them, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell ya to stay where you are, you little girl!¡±

    He fires a Giant Wind Ball at their direction.

    ¡°Oh blitz!¡± Tenryu cursed, ¡°Nia get out of here!¡±

    ¡°What! But-¡±

    Seeing this, Benny aims the cane towards them. ¡°Light Sphere!¡±

    The book grew warm in response. Just as the dangerous Wind Ball approached Tenryu and Nia, another sphere made of light enveloped them! The Wind Ball smacked right into it and was immediately dispelled!

    ¡°There¡¯s another barrier?!¡±

    From inside his sphere, Benny was staring back at them with the look of relief.

    So this is Magic, huh? He thought.

    Cactus Hun¡¯s gripped the handles of his gun, his fury and frustration to the breaking point.

    ¡°Another one of those, darn bubbles?! Don¡¯t get cocky, ya darn brats!¡±

    In his frustration, Cactus Hun fired a volley of shots, in both directions! Even with those numerous attacks, they simply bounced off the barriers and were quickly dispelled! Cactus Hun did not let up in his attacks as he continued to assault. Yet the barrier still proved to be quite resilient.

    ¡°You can¡¯t hide in there forever!¡± says the bandit with sinister sneer at Benny. ¡°If I take down the caster then it¡¯s all over for all ya!¡±

    Cactus Hun prepared to fire another bullet at Benny¡¯s direction. Benny knew he couldn¡¯t maintain the barrier for another big attack.

    ¡°Prepare to die, ya twerp!¡± Cactus Hun laughs like a maniac. ¡°Take another hit of this! Double Cyclone-¡°

    Benny was prepared to receive another dangerous attack.

    When suddenly from out of nowhere, Tenryu leapt in and slashed his flaming sword right at the barrel of the guns. The bandit¡¯s spell was stopped before it began to take form! The guns had been damaged so badly that it instantly caused an explosion!

    But Tenryu managed to avoid that and quickly jumped out of the way!

    Cactus Hun however wasn¡¯t so lucky. He was caught by the explosion and was sent flying away! As the cloud of dust settled, Tenryu stood there with his sword over his shoulder. Both Cactus Hun and Benny were stunned.

    ¡°Tenryu!?¡± gasped Benny from within his shield.

    Just a minute ago, he remembered seeing Tenryu down on the ground unable to move. But the now the boy looked as though he hasn¡¯t suffered any injuries at all.

    ¡°Thanks for shielding us back there, Benny!¡± Tenryu grins at him.

    ¡°It really saved us! And it gave me time to heal Tenryu!¡± adds Nia as she joins Tenryu, her umbrella aloft.

    Cactus Hun stirred, looking dazed. When he saw Tenryu standing there he looked at disbelief, ¡°Y-you?! How are you still-?!¡±

    ¡°Vine Entanglement!¡± says Nia, her Wand aloft and its tip glowing.

    Suddenly, a thick vine grew from the ground and wrapped itself around the bandit.

    ¡°W-what is this?!¡± Cactus Hun struggled against his leafy restraints, muttering curses.

    Tenryu approached the man, the sword leaning over in shoulder. His face had a menacing look that sent chills down Benny¡¯s spine. Tenryu was clearly angry.

    ¡°Hey Shorty, you think you can just get away with all that you¡¯ve done?¡±

    Tenryu¡¯s sword burst into flames. The heat was stronger than before! So strong that Benny could even feel it from within his barrier.

    ¡°You¡¯ve stolen and injured from a lot of people, treated your own comrades like dirt and gave me quite a painful blow! People like that really ticks me off! But what I really can¡¯t forgive¡­¡±

    Tenryu gritted his teeth, holding his burning sword aloft.

    ¡°Is that you tried to hurt my friend!!!¡±

    ¡°N-no, wait let¡¯s make a deal!¡± Cactus Hun pleaded.

    ¡°I don¡¯t make deals with the likes of you! But I¡¯ll gladly give you payback!¡± Tenryu¡¯s sword glowed brightly as a Magic Seal appeared at the tip.

    Tenryu brought down his sword pointing it directly at Cactus Hun.

    ¡°Flame Dragon Style: Dragon¡¯s Fire Breath!¡±

    Flames shot out of the sword like a flamethrower! Only several times stronger! Cactus Hun screamed as the flames engulfed him. In a blink of an eye, the whole side of the restaurant exploded in a sea of flames! Benny couldn¡¯t see anything as he had covered his eyes due to the intense heat. But when the flames subsided, it left an enormous gaping hole with the edges blackened and charred.

    As Benny stared dumbfounded at what just happened, the cane in his hand shook violently and the crystal shattered to pieces! It seems he had overused its power.

    ¡°Oh, crud¡­ This was borrowed too¡­¡±

    The sphere of golden light also vanished! He stood up and felt his legs shaking. Benny had never seen something so amazing and frightening at the same time in his entire life!

    ¡°And that¡¯ll teach you not to mess with a Swordsmage!¡±

    Nia shook her head, ¡°Did you really need to blast a hole in the side of the restaurant?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to teach the guy a lesson!¡± snaps Tenryu, sheathing back his sword.

    ¡°You could¡¯ve at least done that without causing a mess.¡±

    ¡°Um, you guys?¡± Benny found his voice at last.

    Both Tenryu and Nia looked up.

    ¡°Oh, Benny!¡± grins Tenryu, ¡°Are you alright?!¡±

    ¡°I should be the one saying that! You were injured weren¡¯t you?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Tenryu waves it off. ¡°It¡¯s thanks to Nia¡¯s treatments than I¡¯ve recovered completely!¡±

    Nia beamed with pride, ¡°I am a Remedician after all! And you should count yourself lucky it was only an impact injury! That Magic is known to cause severe fractures and broken bones.¡±

    Benny flinched at that, vaguely remembering what the mysterious voice said about how dangerous that Magic was.

    ¡°I¡¯m just that strong then!¡± laughs Tenryu but then his legs give way and he collapses to the ground. ¡°I¡¯m beat¡­¡±

    ¡°Is this a normal thing for him?¡± asks Benny.

    ¡°That¡¯s just the way he is¡­¡± says Nia.

    Benny glanced around. Everything was a mess! In fact, the entire building blew apart!

    ¡°How are we gonna explain this to the owner¡­¡±

    Benny then noticed that something stirring from the charred hole!

    ¡°Look out!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Benny grabbed Nia and flung both of them to the ground, right on top of Tenryu!

    ¡°Ow! Benny, what the blitz?!¡±

    ¡°Heads down!¡± shouts Benny.

    And not a moment too soon!

    A large ball of wind had narrowly missed them!

    When they looked at where it came from they realized that Cactus Hun was not yet defeated! The little bandit was standing by the charred hole where he had been blasted out from. He looked worse for wear, with severe burns all over him and his clothes turned into scraps of burnt rags but he still had that maniacal grin on his face.

    ¡°You¡¯re blitzing kidding me! He¡¯s still moving!¡±

    ¡°B-but¡­how can he-?¡±

    Cactus Hun raised a small pendant. ¡°This here charm can cast a Barrier Spell! See kids? Ya aren¡¯t the only ones with defensive Magic!¡±

    ¡°Blast it¡­That one took all the Manna I had left!¡± Tenryu cursed.

    Cactus Hun then raised his gun.

    ¡°And he still has another gun!¡± exclaims Benny.

    ¡°I¡¯ll admit ya kids have skill and did a real number on me¡­but it isn¡¯t enough to defeat me!¡±

    He aimed his gun and another sphere of wind appeared. But this time the wind took on a dark shade of black. It was though it was radiating deadliness!

    ¡°Game¡¯s over, Varmints! Now I¡¯m gonna to shred ya to bits and leave nothing behind!¡±

    Tenryu tried to get up but was too exhausted.

    ¡°Blast it¡­I used up all my Manna!¡± Tenryu gritted his teeth.

    ¡°There aren¡¯t any plants left I can use! I don¡¯t have any strength to use Earth Magic.¡± Nia says weakly.

    Benny realized they were in a pinch. The cane had already broken and he couldn¡¯t summon up a barrier that can deflect that spell anymore.

    What can I do?

    Suddenly the Spellbook in his hand grew warm.

    ¡°Huh? What the-¡±

    Benny suddenly felt himself going blank, like he was half asleep and his body was moving on its own. He did not know why but he raised the book and it opened by itself.

    A page about a certain spell opened up for him.

    Benny stood up and started walking in Cactus Hun¡¯s direction.

    ¡°Benny?¡±

    What is he doing? He¡¯s in the direct line of fire! Tenryu thought.

    Cactus Hun sneered at him, ¡°Oh, a brave one to the end eh? Well you¡¯ll be the first to die!¡±

    Benny¡¯s mouth began moving and chanting words.

    ¡°Oeti et sajnz ?v e? h?v?nz¡­?ajn eaj redi?nt lajt¡­¡±

    (O eighty-eight signs of the Heavens...shine thy radiant light...)

    For a brief moment, Cactus Hun looked at him in confusion. ¡°What¡¯re yer saying there?¡±

    Tenryu felt himself jolt as he listened to Benny chanting.

    The words coming from his mouth was in some strange language. The weirdest part was that Tenryu seemed to understand it! Every single word was being translated in his mind in that he could hear the actual translation of what Benny was saying.

    All of a sudden, Tenryu was also struck by a sense of¡­nostalgia.

    ¡°What is he saying? Is he talking in another language?¡± asks Nia, who looked confused at Tenryu, ¡°Tenryu?¡±

    But he was too shocked himself to reply. Tenryu listened as Benny continued to chant.

    ¡°Almagest,aj b?g ?v ei¡­l?nd eaj paw?r¡­¡±

    (Almagest, I beg of thee¡­lend thy power...)

    ¡°I think he¡¯s chanting some kind of Spell...¡± says Tenryu.

    ¡°A Spell?¡± repeats Nia.

    ¡°Just what are you yapping there, kid?!¡± Cactus Hun shouts at him.

    Benny didn¡¯t seem to hear him. He continued chanting the strange language that only Tenryu seemed to understand.

    ¡°G?e?r e? ¦Èawz?nd starz¡­?lum?net e? darkn?s¡­¡±

    (Gather the thousand stars...illuminate the darkness¡­)

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what yer doing...but like I¡¯m gonna let ya!¡± Cactus Hun aimed and fired another massive Wind Cannonball!

    Tenryu and Nia shouted for him to move but Benny didn¡¯t even flinch. He raised a hand and before the spell could hit them, the deadly Magic vanished!

    Cactus Hun stared in disbelief, ¡°W-what?!¡±

    ¡°He dispelled it? And without a Magic Tool too!¡± gasped Nia, ¡°But how?¡±

    Tenryu¡¯s gaze was still towards Benny and the glowing book he was holding out in front of him. What was that book? And the words that Benny was saying...why does he feel as though he has heard them before.

    ¡°S?l?st??l gardi?nz hu rul e? skaj¡­k?m f?r¦È ?nd p?rd? e? iv?l b?f?r mi¡­¡±

    (Celestial Guardians who rule the sky... come forth and purge the evil before me...)

    Benny raised his finger to the sky. From the very point of his finger tip, the sunny sky suddenly transformed into that of a night sky filled with stars! Everyone who witnessed it was shell-shocked by what they are seeing. They also felt an immense Magical pressure coming from the sky.

    Cactus Hun¡¯s bravado failed him. He was now shaking in fear.

    ¡°W-wait a second!¡± he says frantically. ¡°Did I say I was going to kill ya? I meant-¡±

    But it seemed as though Benny didn¡¯t even notice he was talking. He moved his finger downward and pointed it right at Cactus Hun!

    ¡°Harmonia Macrocosmica!¡±

    The stars that that suddenly appeared in the sky began to shot down like a meteor shower!

    In a last ditch attempt, Cactus Hun tried to use his Barrier Charm again but it was no use. As soon as the lights touched the barrier it pierced through like it was nothing! The lights converged upon a screaming Cactus Hun until he was engulfed in a sphere of shining light! It was only for a second before it exploded with intense light and heat!

    Tenryu and Nia were also blown away from the shockwave of immense energy generated! They¡¯ve never felt Magic this powerful before!

    When the light disappeared, Cactus Hun was in the middle of a large crater. His eyes had rolled to the back of his head and his mouth gaping while uttering a few rattling sounds. He was completely battered and defeated. He was alive but he wasn¡¯t going to do anything else.

    ¡°W-what the blitz just happened?¡± Tenryu stuttered.

    ¡°That was a Spell? I¡¯ve never seen Magic that powerful before!¡± says Nia.

    Benny suddenly began to topple backwards!

    Tenryu and Nia got to their feet and caught Benny before he totally fell to the ground. He was pale and unmoving. His eyes were closed.

    ¡°Benny?!¡±

    ¡°Benjamin, can you hear me? This is bad! I think this is-¡±

    Nia quickly rummaged in her purse for emergency items.

    ¡°Benny? Please stay with me now! Benny!¡± shouts Tenryu.

    Tenryu kept on yelling Benny¡¯s name over and over.

 Chapter 16 - Travelling Again

    Being greeted by the morning sun took a whole new meaning.

    A streak of light shone over Benny¡¯s face, causing him to wake up. With a loud yawn he stretched his arms. It would seem that he had slept with his glasses on and they were now lopsided on his nose. Benny¡¯s bag had been used as his pillow and a large sack cloth had been thrown over him like a blanket.

    ¡°Where am I?¡±

    From the looks of things it seems he was at the back of some wagon. That does explain the shaking but not how he got there. Suddenly the coverings opened up and Benny had to shield his eyes from the sudden glare.

    ¡°Oh! I thought I heard something! Look who¡¯s finally up!¡±

    Benny blinked as his eyes adjusted to the light. He sees the red-haired Swordsmage grinning right at him.

    ¡°Morning, Benny! Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Tenryu?¡± says Benny, ¡°Where-¡±

    Nia peeked from behind the coverings with a relieved smile on her face.

    ¡°Good morning, Benjamin!¡±

    ¡°Good morning¡­¡±

    ¡°C¡¯mon up front!¡± Tenryu gave him a hand, ¡°I bet it¡¯s stuffy in there!¡±

    Benny crawled up to the front and peeked outside the wagon. They were on some dirt road in the middle of a wide field of green grass and flowers. Snow-capped mountain ranges could be seen far away. This view was definitely postcard-worthy!

    Benny clambered right onto the seats at the front of the wagon. The wagon had two rows of seats. There was one in the front where a driver sat and another row behind him where Tenryu and Nia were sitting.

    ¡°So? How¡¯re you feeling?¡±

    ¡°A little tired¡­But where are we?¡±

    ¡°On the road to Amber City!¡± answered Tenryu.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t we supposed to be riding the train?¡±

    ¡°The tracks still aren¡¯t fixed. But we managed to get a ride on a wagon heading straight there. It¡¯s slower but either way it¡¯s better than staying in Marblewood!¡±

    ¡°How rude!? My driving is not slow! Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to go at this pace so we don¡¯t wake your friend up while he recovers-meow!¡±

    Tenryu points a thumb at the wagon driver, ¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯d like you to meet Meowtchill! He¡¯s the wagon driver!¡±

    ¡°Please, you can just call me Meo! That¡¯s how they call me-meow!¡±

    ¡°Meow?¡± repeats Benny. Does the guy have some kind of weird vocal tic?

    ¡°Your friends were worried about you, you know-meow! You were sound asleep even after all those bumps we had in-meow!¡±

    Benny thought it was amusing to hear the guy talk like that but as soon as he the wagon driver turned to face him, he got his explanation!

    The ¡°man¡± wasn¡¯t a man at all! He was a cat!

    Or rather a humanoid cat!

    He had whiskers. He was covered in fur and a long, fluffy tail. Except he had the build and size of a human! Benny assumed that he must be in his late twenties. At first he thought he was hallucinating but after a few blinks he saw for himself that he was definitely real!

    ¡°Err¡­good morning!¡± Benny says, his voice quivering.

    The cat/man/wagon driver looked at him a bit disconcerted.

    ¡°You¡¯re staring at me weirdly-meow. Do I have something on my whiskers-meow?¡±

    ¡°Err¡­no! They look fine to me!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Tenryu cuts in, throwing an arm around Benny¡¯s shoulders ¡°This guy tends to get shocked by just about everything!¡±

    If you been thrust into a whole different world, who wouldn¡¯t get shocked about everything? Benny thought.

    ¡°Well, you had me worried there for a minute-meow. We Felipusa have our pride in keeping ourselves neat even amongst the rest of the Animalians and Humans-meow.¡±

    Benny was able to understand that Humans aren¡¯t the only intelligent species in this world... Animalians were probably animal-human hybrids. The Felipusa must be one of the ethnic groups that are humanoid cats. Benny had to admit he was intrigued by this knowledge.

    This is really turning into some fantasy world game storyline. Benny thought.

    ¡°So how far are we from Amber City?¡± says Benny as he sat himself right beside Tenryu.

    ¡°We¡¯re on the Amber Highlands so we¡¯ll be there in no time. Are you hungry? I made think we¡¯ve got some sandwiches.¡±

    Tenryu reached into a nearby picnic basket and pulled out a four-feet-long submarine sandwich! Benny was about to turn down the offer when his own stomach began growling. Didn¡¯t he just eat a buffet before passing out?

    ¡°Um thanks for the sandwich...¡±

    Benny took the sandwich and bit into it. It was really good and still warm! Benny thought Tenryu must¡¯ve cooked it just now and probably with the help of that flaming sword of his.

    Benny heard a loud neigh, similar to a horse.

    ¡°No, Gallop!¡± says Meo, ¡°You have to wait until I say so-meow!¡±

    When Benny craned his neck to see the horse, much to his intense disbelief it wasn¡¯t a horse but a Unicorn! It was definitely a Unicorn! What kind of a horse would have a long horn on its forehead?

    ¡°Is that a Unicorn?!¡± stammers Benny, pointing at the horned horse.

    ¡°Amazing, huh-meow?¡± says Meo glancing at where Benny was looking, ¡°Those guys can run up to 200 miles per hour-meow!¡±

    Is that thing some kind of machine to run at such speeds?

    ¡°Wow! That¡¯s pretty fast!¡±

    ¡°Yesiree-meow!¡± says Meo proudly. ¡°This here is my partner Gallop and he can run faster than that! He wanted to go full speed but we didn¡¯t want to in case it¡¯ll wake you-meow!¡±

    Benny kept glancing from between Meo and the Unicorn. As if an anthropomorphic cat-human driver wasn¡¯t weird enough. Here pops in a real live Unicorn. The Unicorn was white as snow with golden colored mane and tail. Its horn was white and it looked like it was made of ivory! Even though that thing couldn¡¯t be real Benny remembered that this was the Magical World. Whatever things that didn¡¯t exist in his world are real here.

    All these thinking gave Benny a headache.

    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay, Benjamin? Maybe you should go back and lay down.¡± asks Nia.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright, really!¡±

    Deciding to change the subject he began to ask the next questions that came to mind.

    ¡°Err¡­what happened to me yesterday? All I remember is that all of a sudden I just-¡±

    ¡°Oh, well you passed out.¡± Tenryu finishes for him.

    ¡°I passed out? How long was I out?¡±

    ¡°Well, about almost a whole day.¡±

    Benny chocked on his sandwich as he heard that, ¡°A whole day?!¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    If he recalled, in just this few days (excluding this one) he had passed out three times already. He was hoping that this wasn¡¯t going to become some kind of a trend to him.

    ¡°It¡¯s to be expected as you suffered Manna Depletion Fatigue.¡± explains Nia.

    ¡°Manna Depletion Fatigue?¡± repeats Benny, looking confused.

    Nia looked at him with worriedly, ¡°I take it that it was your first time using Magic? First-time users usually feel very exhausted after using Magic.¡±

    Benny remembered the miraculous thing that happened yesterday that involved the book and the mysterious voice.

    ¡°Um, yeah, I guess¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, you have to be careful. Using powerful Magic can really take a toll on your body so make sure to be aware of the Spells you use! Look at what happened to you in the end.¡±

    Benny thoughts went back to the book he had left next to his bag. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll remember that next time. I think making those Barriers appear really took it out of me.¡±

    ¡°I was talking about that other Magic you used. That one was particularly powerful!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, what kind of Magic was that?¡±

    ¡°Other Magic?¡± repeats Benny, looking confused.

    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­you remember?¡± Nia asks in a strangely careful voice.

    ¡°Remember what?¡±

    ¡°Just before you passed out¡­did you remember what happened before that?¡±

    Benny scratched his head trying to remember, ¡°Well, the last thing I remember was Tenryu blasting Cactus Hun through a wall. Then we were talking about the damages and then Cactus Hun popped out again. But as he was about to attack us¡­¡± Benny stopped. His memory from that forward went fuzzy, ¡°I can¡¯t remember anything else.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s about it then I blacked out.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you remember what happened afterwards?¡±

    ¡°Why? Did something else happen?¡±

    ¡°What about the part where you-¡± Tenryu tries to continue saying something but Nia cut him off.

    ¡°-got praised by the locals for your bravery in saving the hostages.¡± She said abruptly.

    Benny blushed, ¡°Really? Well, since I was out cold I guess I couldn¡¯t remember that part.¡±

    He felt a little mortified about it and stared intently at his knees. He did not notice Tenryu and Nia exchanging glances with each other.

    ¡°So¡­um¡­where did we a get a wagon in the first place?¡±

    ¡°Well, we have you to thank for that Benny!¡± Tenryu pats him hard in the shoulder.

    ¡°Ow! M-me?¡± says Benny looking stunned again, ¡°What did I do?¡±

    Nia explained for him, ¡°Well, before that let us fill you in on what happened yesterday.¡±

    After Benny had passed out, Tenryu and Nia gathered up all the Bandits. Cactus Hun himself was the worst off as he looked like a badly cooked chunk of meat. Luckily, the Royal Army had arrived just in time to apprehend them all.

    Unfortunately¡­there was another thing.

    ¡°They tried to arrest us too¡­¡± Tenryu crossed his arms.

    ¡°EHH?!¡± yelled Benny, dropping his sandwich.

    ¡°They thought we were conspirators with those bandits! It did not help when the owner of the restaurant was furious that we had a battle that practically destroyed his entire restaurant. He not only tried to get them to arrest us but he also attempted to charge us with the damages.¡±

    Benny felt a sense of dread creeping up in him. Three days hasn¡¯t passed and he already got himself a track record with law! He wasn¡¯t even conscious about it for the most part! He can already see how his dad would react if he ever found out about this.

    ¡°But then you won¡¯t believe what happened!¡± Tenryu said, suddenly looking excited.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°The customers went up in our defense! They said if it had not been for us, things would have been much worse. Apparently most of them were the people you managed to help escape.¡±

    ¡°So they¡¯re alright?¡± says Benny with a sigh of relief that they managed to get out okay.

    ¡°A little shaken up but they were alright enough to even threaten that restaurant owner with sue charges for lack of security! Well, it seems the owner that restaurant didn¡¯t want that to happened so he dropped his charges. And we got off scot free!¡±

    ¡°Thank heavens for that¡­¡± Benny breathed a sigh of relief.

    ¡°And that¡¯s not all!¡±

    Benny stiffened, ¡°Wait? There¡¯s more?¡±

    Tenryu grinned as he reached into his bag and hands him a heavy pouch.

    ¡°This is for you!¡± he gives it to Benny.

    ¡°Um, what is this?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s your share of the reward!¡±

    ¡°Reward?¡± says Benny, looking perplexed.

    He realizes that the pouch was filled with gold coins!

    ¡°It¡¯s for playing a part in capturing Cactus Hun and his cronies, of course!¡±

    ¡°The guy¡¯s got a bounty of about 300 Au! So since we each played a part, we have 100 Au each!¡±

    Benny takes out a single gold coin and observes it. He has never held a real gold coin before. But he has seen a few¡­in a museum.

    The coin looked like an ordinary minted coin with serial numbers and designs, there was even an image of young lady with a tiara (who was no doubt the current queen) at the center of the coin. At the other side of the coin was emblazoned the symbol 10 Au.

    ¡°I can¡¯t accept this!¡± Benny tries to give the stack back to Tenryu.

    But Tenryu pushes it back to him, ¡°Don¡¯t be a piece of burnt ashes! I have my share! You played a part in capturing those bandits so you get a cut! Besides you know full well you need the cash!¡±

    Tenryu had hit the nail on the head. It just dawned on Benny that no matter where you where it was important for one to have money to support himself.

    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right¡­¡± Benny finally admitted.

    Benny later learned from Nia the denominations of their currency. It seems easy enough to understand and remember. They have Cu, Ag, Au coins and something called Pt plate as the names of their currency. One hundred Cu coins is equivalent to one Ag coin. A hundred Ag coins is equivalent to one Au coin. Cu, Ag and Au all come in copper, silver and gold coins respectively with different denominations of 1, 5 and 10 coins.

    The only exception was the last one called Platinum plate (they abbreviate it as Pt.) As its name suggests, it is in the form of a rectangular plate rather than a coin. One thousand Au coins is equivalent to a Pt plate.

    To compare the currency equivalent between this world and his home world, it would be something like a Cu being equivalent to about 50 Philippine Pesos or about 1 American dollar. This is based from comparing the purchasing prices of some random items Benny asked of his friends.

    So if he were to estimate how much he had.

    1 Cu = 1 $/ 50 PHP

    100 Cu = 1 Ag / 100 $ / 5,000 PHP

    100 Ag = 1 Au / 10,000 $ / 500,000 PHP

    1000Au = 1 Pt / 10,000,000 $ / 500,000,000 PHP

    Benny had freeze up when he realized that a single 1 Au coin is equivalent to almost a college education!

    I never held that much money in my entire life¡­

    Benny¡¯s train of thought stopped when he realized he was holding a 100 Au coins in this pouch¡­so that would mean he had about¡­

    ¡°A¡­ m-million¡­d-d-dollars?¡± stuttered Benny.

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Oh, uh, nothing! N-Nothing¡¯s wrong at all!¡± Benny frantically hid the pouch in his bag.

    Tenryu, however, paid no attention to him as he looked quite excited. He examined his own share. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to show my share to Aunt Magma and Flare-ate! They¡¯ll be so surprised!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be the first time you actually brought a reward. And one as big as that!¡± says Nia with a chuckle.

    ¡°Hey! I¡¯ve managed to bring home some reward a bunch of times!¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t remember the last time that happened. Although with my share I might just buy myself some new high grade Potioneer tools and that limited edition Herbal Glossary I¡¯ve been eying¡­¡± Nia patted her purse with content.

    ¡°You kids are lucky-meow! If it were me I¡¯d buy myself a cartful of fish-meow!¡± says Meo, licking his whiskers.

    Gallop neighed again loudly.

    ¡°Of course, I didn¡¯t forget about you, old pal-meow! I¡¯d buy a whole cart-full of hay-meow!¡±

    ¡°Speaking of wagons, that still doesn¡¯t explain where this wagon came from? Did we pay for it?¡±

    ¡°As a matter of fact we were just getting to that part! Do you remember the man you saved yesterday? The man with a wife and their kids-meow.¡± says Meo with a smile that reminded Benny about the Cheshire cat.

    Benny vaguely remembers that part. But everything that just happened was still quite a blur. But he did remember them.

    ¡°Mr. Azalea? What about them?¡±

    ¡°Well, the man you save is my boss! I¡¯m sure you heard of Azalea Trading, have you-meow?¡±

    ¡°Err, well¡­no¡­¡±

    Meo chuckled, ¡°I¡¯m being serious here, kid-meow!¡±

    ¡°No really. I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Meo suddenly yanked the reins on Gallop and the carriage skidded to a stop! The Unicorn neighed as to say watch the rope, man! Meo turned to face him. His whiskers were quivering. It would¡¯ve been funny if it were the fact that Meo was looking as though he said something weird.

    And that¡¯s exactly what he said, ¡°What-meow? Is that some kind of joke-meow?!¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t really know!¡± Benny stammered.

    ¡°Benny¡¯s not from here so he wouldn¡¯t know.¡± says Tenryu.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re a foreigner-meow?¡± Meo seemed to relax a bit and they began moving again.

    ¡°Um, yes¡­I am.¡±

    Benny breathed a sigh of relief at that instance of Tenryu¡¯s interjection managing to calm things down.

    ¡°Well that explains that why you don¡¯t know about Azalea Trading-meow. You see Azalea Trading is a big business in transporting cargo-meow. We¡¯re a big business and we¡¯re known everywhere-meow! Well not much out of the country-meow¡­ Hey, can you tell more about the other countries-meow! It will really help the business if we expand-meow!¡±

    Benny sweatdropped, since when did this turn into a business opportunity?

    Nia cleared her throat loudly, ¡°Ahem*¡­I think were drifting away from the topic.¡±

    ¡°Oh yes, sorry about that-meow! Where was I-meow?¡±

    ¡°Um, you were explaining about Mr. Azalea?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes-meow!¡± says Meo while licking his whiskers, ¡°Like I said before, he¡¯s my boss! Marco Azalea, the owner of Azalea Trading!¡±

    ¡°Are they alright, then?¡±

    ¡°Oh they¡¯re fine thanks to you-meow! Although Mr. Azalea is still in the hospital to have his wounds properly treated but the Medic says he¡¯ll be up and about by next week-meow!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear! Ah, oh no, I broke his cane!¡±

    Meo laughed, ¡°Mr. Azalea says he has a lot of those so that¡¯s okay-meow! He¡¯s just grateful that you managed to help him and his family out of that situation-meow. They¡¯re good people I tell you-meow!¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡±

    Nia looked at him with interest, ¡°Speaking of which, it seems you¡¯ve gave an emergency treatment to his injury. It minimized the risk of the injury getting worse until he had proper treatment.¡±

    ¡°I just applied first aid. That¡¯s all¡­¡±

    ¡°Is that so? You haven¡¯t by any chance planned to become a Remedician have you?¡±

    ¡°Um, no¡­ but I did pick up a few things about medicine¡­¡±

    The truth was Benny did learn first aid from Physical Education last semester. But he was pretty sure the lessons did not involve a fast healing ointment.

    ¡°He was really grateful to you for saving him and his family-meow. Mr. Azalea wanted to at least repay you for what you¡¯ve done so when he heard that you lot were going to Amber City, he asked me to bring you guys to your destination-meow. ¡°

    ¡°But doesn¡¯t Mr. Azalea need this cart for his business?¡±

    ¡°I just happened to be on the way there myself to deliver some goods-meow. I don¡¯t really mind! Neither does Gallop but he still wants to run fast-meow!¡±

    The Unicorn neighed in response.

    ¡°Oh, look! He¡¯s saying hello!¡± chuckles Nia.

    ¡°H-hi Gallop!¡± stammers Benny.

    The Unicorn neighed again in a sound similar to ¡°nice to meet you!¡± Or probably that was just his imagination.

    ¡°Well, since you¡¯re already awake! Let¡¯s get things heated up!¡± says Tenryu.

    ¡°Are you sure you want to try it-meow?¡± asks Meo.

    ¡°Oh, yeah!¡± cheers Tenryu, ¡°I want to see how fast these guys can go!

    Meo tugged on the reins, ¡°Ready to go full speed, Gallop-meow?¡±

    The Unicorn neighed in response.

    ¡°Wait¡­what are you?¡±

    ¡°You might want to hold on to your seat, Benjamin.¡± Nia advised him.

    ¡°But what¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°FULL SPEED AWAY-MEOW!¡± yelled Meo as he cracked the reins.

    Suddenly the Unicorn ran at full speed!

 Chapter 17 - The Sun Dragon

    Benny thought that riding a roller coaster was fast.

    But for this animal, it seemed that it could easily double that!

    The view suddenly became a high speed blur as they drove down the road. The wagon rocked and turned but miraculously stayed intact. The same could not be said for Benny as he was pressed against his seat with such force that it felt like his brain was being turned to mush! Whenever they reached a bump in the road, he was sent flying and smashing his head at the canopy then crashing back down hard on his seat.

    His cries to slow down went unheard as the Meo and his Unicorn were practically enjoying themselves. It was not long until they reached a winding pass around the side of the cliff that they finally slowed down.

    ¡°The turns here are too sharp and narrow to just speed through them.¡± says Meo.

    ¡°Thank God¡­¡± says Benny, feeling his heart had just raced along at the same speed as them with them.

    ¡°Blast it! I wanted to go really fast and head on back home at full speed!¡± grumbled Tenryu.

    ¡°We have a better chance of running off a cliff!¡± Benny points out.

    ¡°Come to think of it, isn¡¯t that Broome Pointe?¡± says Nia, pointing up ahead where a ledge jutted out from the cliff.

    Tenryu lightened up, ¡°Blistering Blazes, you¡¯re right!¡±

    ¡°Broome Pointe?¡± repeats Benny.

    ¡°It¡¯s a place where we can see Amber City! Hey Meo, can you stop by for a minute!¡±

    They stopped right before the ridge. Before Benny could blink, Tenryu grabbed his wrist and pulled him out the cart. Ignoring Benny¡¯s protests once again, Tenryu dragged him to the very edge.

    ¡°Take a look over there! That¡¯s Amber City!¡±

    Benny had never seen a city like that before! It looked like one of those you¡¯d see from a computer game or a fantasy show!

    Amber City is a seaside city built along the mouth of a very large and wide river. Making it looked like the city was divided into two large sections. The river itself was so huge that it had a few islets in it. A series of bridges connected the two halves of the city and its islands.

    The city had no skyscrapers but it did have several very prominent structures, both of which were on the river islands. At the heart of the city, built atop of the larger island was a magnificent cathedral with two enormous spires. The structure was so huge that Benny could practically see it from this distance! The other prominent structure was a strange building, something like a castle or a fort built which occupied the much smaller island located at the very mouth of the river.

    ¡°Amazing, huh?¡± says Tenryu. ¡°There¡¯s no place like home!¡±

    Benny had to agree, ¡°Yeah¡­It¡¯s really beautiful¡­¡±

    Tenryu took a deep breath and then he shouted at the top of his voice!

    ¡°HEY, ALL YOU PEOPLE! I¡¯M BACK!!!¡±

    Benny had to clamp his hands to his ears. Tenryu had quite the set of vocal cords! He didn¡¯t even need a megaphone but Benny thought he could easily match that of an airplane jet taking off!

    ¡°Geez, Tenryu! It¡¯s not like anyone is going to hear you from here!¡±

    Nia approached them with a chuckle, ¡°That¡¯s just Tenryu¡¯s way of showing that his is homesick.¡±

    Benny stared at the boy who was still hollering at the top of his voice.

    ¡°I see¡­ I guess everyone has their own way of expressing it.¡±

    Tenryu stopped and turned to them with a grin, ¡°We¡¯ll that¡¯s the end of that! Let¡¯s get going then! We we¡¯re wasting time here!¡±

    With that, he started marching back to the wagon.

    ¡°You¡¯re the reason why we¡¯re wasting time in the first place¡­¡±

    They managed to speed up again. Even though Benny tried to brace himself again, he couldn¡¯t help but feel as though it were a rollercoaster ride with no safety mechanism. Benny had to count the seconds and by the five-hundredth count they finally reached the edge of city.

    ¡°Alright, from here on out we go back to normal speed- meow!¡±

    The Unicorn neighed defiantly.

    ¡°You know there¡¯s a speed limit in every cities and towns so no complaining-meow!¡±

    Benny was at least grateful for the speed limit because there was no way he could take another super-speeded trip. When they finally reached the city that¡¯s where the true wonder began!

    Being in the city was clearly different from just watching it from afar!

    Benny felt as though he had put on a virtual reality helmet and actually stepped into the game. The place had the designs of European town. Complete with parks, fountains and large water channels. Even the locals looked like NPC¡¯s of a MMORPG game.

    But this was no game. It was all real! Along with it was all the Magic.

    The place was literally filled with everything about a Magic! Benny¡¯s eyes were wide and glittering with excitement and wonder!

    One example was the transport. There wasn¡¯t a car, truck or motorbikes in sight. Although the city¡¯s most common mode of transportation were mostly wagons and carriages being pulled by Unicorns.

    Even the day to day activities involved Magic! They passed by a restaurant where a waiter was ¡°carrying¡± several trays of food which were actually incased in giant bubbles floating around the waiter!

    ¡°Waiter!¡± a customer called, ¡°Where¡¯s my order?!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s coming right up, sir!¡±

    The waiter made one of the bubbles float towards his customer. It popped lightly and tray settled perfectly without spilling its contents! A rather convenient way of serving customers efficiently was what Benny thought.

    The wagon passed by a woman tending her garden. This would¡¯ve been a normal sight if it weren¡¯t for the two opposite bushes that had branches that were each holding gardening shears and were pruning themselves while the woman was busy sowing seeds.

    ¡°Mom could definitely use one of those¡­Self Pruning Plants¡± Benny whispered to himself.

    Tenryu kept glancing at Benny¡¯s direction and saw the wonder in his eyes. He felt rather nostalgic. Benny had the same look as he had when first came to this city so long ago¡­

    ¡°So kids, where are you going to head on to now-meow? Mind you, there are places where the wagon isn¡¯t allowed on-meow.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Just drop us off at my place. It¡¯s at that street!¡± Tenryu points to a big street on the right.

    ¡°Say Tenryu, where do you live?¡± asks Benny.

    He was wondering what kind of place a super destructive fire Swordsmage would live. To be honest, at first Benny imagined it would be some small cot in a cave to a huge castle like that school in the Harry Potter books. Seeing as Tenryu has a family here and there was obviously no gigantic castles or caves in a big city, those options were immediately crossed out.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll see it when we get there!¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯ll be staying over at Tenryu¡¯s then, Benjamin?¡±

    ¡°Um, I guess¡­I don¡¯t really have anywhere else to go.¡±

    Tenryu suddenly yelled, ¡°We¡¯re here!¡±

    Meo pulled on the reins and Gallop skidded to a halt.

    They stopped along a street fronting the huge river! It had a scenic view of the riverside and the buildings built alongside it.

    After Benny, Tenryu and Nia got off the wagon, Meo turned his wagon around.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be heading off to make my delivery now-meow!¡±

    ¡°Thanks for everything, Meo!¡± says Benny, shaking his furry hand or rather his paw.

    Meo winked at him, ¡°Anytime-meow!¡±

    ¡°And please send our thanks to Mr. Azalea as well!¡± says Nia.

    ¡°Just call me on the Manna-phone if you need me to take you somewhere again-meow!¡±

    They waved goodbye to Meo and Gallop as they well¡­galloped away.

    Tenryu stretched himself, ¡°That was a fun ride!¡±

    ¡°Yeah it was, although I think I can do without the Mach 10 speed.¡±

    Benny rubbed his belly still feeling queasy.

    ¡°Mach-what?¡± asked Tenryu.

    ¡°A measure for how fast one goes in sonic speed.¡± Benny explains without realizing it.

    ¡°Oh, really?¡± says Tenryu, he was leaning his head on one side as though his brain were in processing mode.

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to think too much about it! It¡¯s all complicated and stuff.¡± says Benny quickly.

    Tenryu shrugs and grabs Benny by the shoulders and turns him to face a large building.

    ¡°Well, never mind that. This is my place!¡±-

    Now this was something completely unexpected!

    In sharp contrast to the other European-style buildings, Tenryu¡¯s home was an Orient inspired building. It was about two floors tall. A couple of paper lanterns, hung on either side of the sliding door entrance way.

    There was some kind of signboard hanging in a wall. Benny could see it was written in a language different from English. To his utter surprise, it was written in one of the languages Abuela taught him!

    ¡°Hey, Tenryu, what language is that?¡± Benny asked.

    ¡°What the blitz are you talking about? That¡¯s Runic. It¡¯s an everyday language¡­¡±

    So that¡¯s the standard language in this world?

    ¡°Wait, are you telling me that you can¡¯t read?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that! I can read it just fine.¡±

    Yes, he can. And it was all thanks to Abuela.

    ¡°You¡¯ll need this someday, Iho¡­¡± was what Abuela always told him.

    But he clearly remembered the annoyed look his teacher told him not to play around when he showed this language to him. Yet this language was well known here in this world and is even a standard.

    If that were the case... how did Abuela know a language from another world? Benny thought.

    ¡°So what do you think? The prices are pretty cheap, huh?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Benny realized that Tenryu was talking about the signboard. He quickly glance it over. From the looks of it must be some kind of restaurant menu.

    There was even a drawing of dragon curled around a sun hung over the entrance. Painted on it where the runic words:

    THE SUN DRAGON

    ¡°Is this a restaurant?¡± says Benny in surprise, ¡°Your family runs a restaurant?¡±

    Tenryu frowned, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±

    ¡°N-nothing!¡± says Benny backtracks. ¡°I just didn¡¯t expect you to live in a kind of place.¡±

    ¡°Tenryu¡¯s sister, Flare and his aunt run the whole place.¡± Nia explains.

    ¡°Hey, I help out sometimes!¡±

    ¡°And when was the last time you did?¡± Nia says with a sly smile.

    ¡°Well, I¡­think that was Tuesday¡­a month ago¡­ Blistering Blazes, let¡¯s just get in!¡±

    Benny followed Tenryu and Nia as they entered restaurant.

    This place looked a lot like the traditional Japanese bars that Benny had seen in Anime. There was a bar surrounding the cooking area where customers can see the chef cook. There were even tables and chairs on the side.

    The place had a rather relaxing atmosphere.

    There was some kind of bamboo plant that was artfully twisted with a smoking tranquility fountain right next to it on a coffee table. Benny has seen tranquility fountains that emitted smoke to give it a sort of mystic appearance but this one was unique as the puffs of smoke took the shape of a dragon that were waving around before fading away.

    The only thing that seemed off from the oriental theme was a small portrait of a rather beautiful, young smiling girl. When Benny went to look at it she seemed pretty familiar.

    Benny also noticed that there weren¡¯t any customers. Maybe it wasn¡¯t rush hour for them.

    There was a bell hanging on the side which Benny could assume that it¡¯s for alerting the staff. Sure enough, Tenryu approached the counter and rang the bell.

    ¡°Aunt Magma! I¡¯m home!¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Benny only just realized that he was about to meet Tenryu¡¯s folks and was getting anxious at thought. Would they look like his family? He remembered Tenryu mentioning that he had a sister and aunt. But would they look like his mother or sister or even any of his female relatives?

    Suddenly he felt something else. He needed to go to the bathroom. That nervousness just alerted him that he hasn¡¯t done his ¡°business¡± since this morning and he was in his breaking point!

    ¡°Um, Tenryu¡­Is there a restroom I can use?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, just down the hall-¡±

    Benny made a mad dash down the hallway and found the restroom. Thankfully they had the same symbols to indicate which was which and ran right in.

    ¡°That was fast¡­¡± says Tenryu with a sweatdrop.

    Nia giggled, ¡°He¡¯s actually quite funny when you get past the similarities.¡±

    ¡°Why are you saying as that as though I¡¯m not funny? I can be funny when I want to!¡±

    Nia shrugged, ¡°To be honest I don¡¯t know when you are trying to be funny or just plain stupid.¡±

    ¡°WHAT?!¡± yelled Tenryu.

    ¡°Now what¡¯s this? You just got back and already you¡¯re making a ruckus?¡±

    The two of them turned and saw a woman approaching them from behind a door. She was wearing traditional Japanese chef outfit and an apron with the restaurant¡¯s symbol printed over it. Her graying red hair was tied into an elaborate bun and held in place with a pair of chopsticks.

    Despite her apparently kind face she did look pretty stern as of the moment.

    ¡°Magma-tia, I¡¯m back!¡± Tenryu grins at her.

    ¡°Hello, Auntie Magma!¡± Nia greets her.

    ¡°Well, hello, Healer Nia! You¡¯ve just returned from your job I see?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Nia nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you made it back safe and sound.¡±

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry! I only take on healing jobs anyway. Speaking of which, I also want drop this off!

    Nia reaches into her purse and pulls out a small dropper.

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve made my eye medication! Thank you, dear!¡±

    ¡°OI!!!¡±

    Tenryu grumbled impatiently tapping his foot. ¡°What am I an insect?! Or, are you guys deliberately just ignoring me?!¡±

    Aunt Magma and Nia looked at each other before giggling.

    Aunt Magma patted him on the cheek, ¡°Now, now Tenryu-iho? You were yelling from Broome Pointe again, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    Tenryu was satisfied that everyone heard him.

    ¡°So you were able to hear me then!¡±

    ¡°Neighbors complained about it just now¡­every time you do that they come here to complain.¡± Auntie Magma sighs.

    ¡°See? I told you to quit doing that.¡± says Nia.

    Tenryu sweatdropped, ¡°Err¡­sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which¡­Tenryu-iho¡­You¡¯ve done it again, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Eh? What?¡±

    ¡°Burning half of Tin Town?¡±

    She really got to the point fast!

    ¡°H-How did you know about-?¡±

    Nia shook her head with a sigh. It seemed as though she was used to this. ¡°I should¡¯ve guessed those rumors about what happened in Tin Town were about you.¡±

    ¡°Geh?! Nia you know about it too?!¡±

    ¡°The rumors were about a young red-headed boy with a flaming sword going berserk in that town. Did you actually think I wouldn¡¯t know it was you?¡±

    ¡°Not to mention I¡¯ve also heard some kind of commotion had happened in Marblewood Town?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Aunt Magma, I was there so it wasn¡¯t bad¡­at least I hope

    ¡°Word traveled fast. And I overheard some merchants talking about it when I went out for groceries. Not to mention it, it was in the newspapers this morning.¡±

    ¡°Gossiping old geezers¡­and those nosy reporters¡­¡± Tenryu grumbled in an undertone.

    ¡°So it¡¯s true then?¡±

    ¡°So I burnt a few private homes, but I did capture the bandits terrorizing the town!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the problem!¡± says Nia.

    ¡°What? Capturing the bandits?¡±

    ¡°No! I meant burning the town in the process! You didn¡¯t have to smash through those buildings just to get to the criminals though.¡±

    Tenryu pouted as his shoulders slumped.

    ¡°It¡¯s just that I had to do something or they¡¯d get away! Robbing the townspeople and the travelers on the road! Those punks need to be taught a lesson!¡±

    ¡°As much as I agree with you, that still doesn¡¯t give you the right to go wild like that. You can¡¯t just go blasting everything in sight. You are too much of a¡­what was that word? A ¡®loose cannon¡¯ I suppose?¡±

    Tenryu has been called loose cannon so many times already that he had lost count.

    ¡°From all that¡¯s happened, I¡¯m guessing you didn¡¯t get any reward again?¡±

    ¡°No¡­but actually I¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re lucky though that your sister isn¡¯t the first one to greet you¡­otherwise¡­¡±

    Tenryu flinched, that last time he came home with another messed up job his sister¡­ He shuddered at the thought.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t tell Flare-ate about this!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure she knows¡­ It¡¯s best to be prepared.¡±

    Tenryu groaned in dismay.

    For once, Magma gave a sympathetic smile, ¡°I know you mean well, but you have to think before you act. Sometimes a direct approach is not always the best way to handle things. Think about how much trouble you¡¯ve caused for all those people in Tin Town.¡±

    The thought didn¡¯t cross his mind initially but now that it came up, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a tad remorseful.

    ¡°All of your reckless tendencies do remind me a lot of that man. But I told you this isn¡¯t something like his line of jobs.¡±

    Tenryu was grumbling underneath his breath. It annoys him whenever Aunt Magma brings either of that up.

    ¡°I was just trying to prove myself!¡±

    ¡°I know one day you will! But take it a step at a time. Sometime you have to pause a bit and think.¡±

    Tenryu looked a little dejected.

    ¡°Well, at least what¡¯s important is that you¡¯ve come back home safe!¡± Auntie Magma gives her nephew a gentle pat on the cheek again and then ruffling his hair.

    Tenryu shrugs off her hand in embarrassment.

    ¡°Auntie, quit it! You¡¯re embarrassing me!¡±

    ¡°Why? It¡¯s only Nia here. And she¡¯s seen me do this since you were younger!¡±

    Nia chuckles, ¡°He probably doesn¡¯t want Benjamin to see Mr. Hotshot looking all sweet and cuddly.¡±

    ¡°Benjamin?¡± Aunt Magma raises her eyebrows in question. ¡°Who is that? Do we have a guest?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Tenryu send a letter to inform you?¡±

    ¡°No. Inform me for what?¡±

    Nia looks at Tenryu who suddenly broke out in sweat.

    ¡°Tenryu¡­¡±

    ¡°Um¡­¡±

    ¡°You did write that letter before we got here, right?¡±

    ¡°Blast it¡­I knew forgot something¡­¡± Tenryu mumbled in an undertone.

    ***

    Meanwhile, at the restroom¡­

    After relieving himself, Benny strode over to the sink to wash off.

    ¡°Gah!¡± yells Benny after catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

    His hair was all messy, he had dried drool on his cheek, and not mention there was something stuck to his teeth. When Benny checked his breath it reeked! Did he seriously look that disheveled? Why didn¡¯t Tenryu or Nia warn him about this?

    Benny found this quite mortifying.

    Immediately, he rummaged in his bag and found his toiletries kit. It still smelled a bit salty but it will have to do. After brushing his teeth, washing his face and combing his hair neatly, Benny applied some cologne that his mom always made him carry.

    Checking himself in the mirror again Benny deemed himself satisfactory looking. After all, Dad always said that first impression has a big impact when you¡¯re meeting with new people!

    But then Benny¡¯s smile faltered.

    Why was the first thoughts that come to mind where that of his parents?

    He felt that odd feeling in his stomach again.

    But Benny shook his head and slapped himself in the cheeks. ¡°No! No! No! None of that right now!¡±

    He took a deep breath and calmed himself.

    ¡°Alright!¡± he says to himself, ¡°Better go meet the Fyreroars!¡±

    Benny went out of the bathroom feeling refreshed but that odd feeling was still lingering. He was still preoccupied that he didn¡¯t notice that he had bumped into someone.

    ¡°Oh, I am so sorry! I didn¡¯t-¡±

    ¡°Tenryu?!¡± says a female voice.

    Benny looked up in surprised.

    Standing in front of him was a teenage girl who was probably the same age as Ate Cathy. She had brown hair which was braided over her left shoulder. She had a well-defined hourglass figure which was further accentuated by her clothes. She was wearing a kimono that was only knee length and tied around her waist was an apron printed with the same symbol as the one outside.

    Benny knew immediately that she was most likely Tenryu¡¯s elder sister.

    ¡°Tenryu, is that you?¡± she said as her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

    ¡°N-no, I¡¯m not Tenryu-¡± Benny tries to explain but quick as a whip she yanked him painfully by the ear.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you try to fool me mister! You think you can hide yourself by disguising yourself? What did you do to your hair? And what¡¯s with those clothes?!¡±

    She kept firing question after question. But Benny was having a hard time thinking of an answer when she was yanking his ear like that!

    ¡°But more importantly, what the blitz where you thinking?!¡± she yelled at his ear.

    Yup, she¡¯s definitely Tenryu¡¯s sister: they have the same loud voice!

    ¡°Not only did I find out that you wrecked half of Tin Town but on the way back here you¡¯ve caused a mess in Marble Town!¡±

    Wrecked half of Tin Town? Just what has Tenryu been doing?

    But Benny was pretty sure the latter part about Marblewood wasn¡¯t true.

    ¡°You think we wouldn¡¯t notice the newspapers reporting about it! Do you know how many reporters and nosy gossips I had to fend off?! Auntie Magma has already enough problems without that!¡±

    Benny was starting to lose all feeling in his ear.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you I¡¯m not Tenryu, Ms. Flare!¡± Benny yelled.

    ¡°Ms. Flare?¡± Thankfully, Flare was so stunned that she lets go of his ear. ¡°Since when do you call me that?¡±

    ¡°What is going on here?¡±

    ¡°Flare-ate!¡± yelled Tenryu¡¯s voice from the down the hallway.

    Flare¡¯s jaw dropped. She was looking from Tenryu to Benny and back in forth.

    ¡°Wait¡­there are two Tenryu?!¡±

    ¡°Like I¡¯ve been telling you I¡¯m not Tenryu!¡±

    Flare still looked stunned.

    ¡°He¡¯s the guy who looks like me!¡± Tenryu threw an arm around Benny¡¯s shoulders and grinned.

    Aunt Magma approached Benny to take a closer look.

    ¡°Hmm¡­So this is the boy then? Oh my, you really do look like our Tenryu-iho. At least except for the hair and eyes. You can be mistaken for Tenryu-iho at first but at the second glance you two are very different that¡¯s for sure!¡±

    Aunt Magma gives him a warm smile that seems to melt all of Benny¡¯s worries away.

    ¡°And so dear, what is your name?¡±

    ¡°Um, my name is Benjamin Estrella, ma¡¯am.¡± Benny bows politely. Maybe he was too enthusiastic because his glasses fell off his nose.

    Tenryu and Nia seemed to snicker at that.

    ¡°You dropped your glasses, dear!¡±

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m so sorry about that!¡±

    Benny picks up his glasses and cleans the lenses with his shirt. As he puts them back on, he was surprised to see the look of shock in Aunt Magma¡¯s face.

    Aunt Magma mumbled, ¡°Those eyes¡­¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± asks Benny ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    Aunt Magma seemed to snap back out of her reverie. ¡°Oh! Forgive me! I was just surprised by how similar you look to Tenryu!¡±

    ¡°You and everybody else, Magma-tia!¡± says Tenryu.

    Benny could tell that this was just part of the reason but decided not to bring it up.

    ¡°Your name is Benjamin? It¡¯s a lovely name. In Medea, it means ¡®Son of the South¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Oh! Really?¡± says Benny, with a shy smile.

    Aunt Magma was looking at him thoughtfully. ¡°And your last name is Estrella is it?¡±

    Benny nods.

    ¡°Interesting¡­¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I think I should be preparing some lunch! You kids must be hungry from your trip! Now come along!¡±

    She quickly hurried them down the hall.

    ¡°What the blitz was that about?¡± asks Tenryu.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be the one asking you do that?¡± says Benny.

    A while later everyone was seated within the Fyreroar¡¯s main residence above the restaurant.

    The residence itself still carried the style of a traditional Japanese home. The room they were in had tatami mats, pillows and a low-leveled table.

    Flare prepared a cold pink-colored juice drink made of a fruit called a Peachmango. She also gave Benny a bowl of ice and piece of cloth while at the same time saying numerous apologies to him. Benny had to assure her so many times as well that there were no hard feelings, although he was getting rather embarrassed by this.

    Tenryu sat beside him grumbling. A large, pallid bump was swelling on the top of his head.

    ¡°You want some ice for that Tenryu?¡± Benny whispered to him.

    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m good! Flare-ate always hits me for no good reason.¡±

    As soon as the initial shock died down, Flare was quick to pound Tenryu and berate him. But Aunt Magma came to his aide and told her to save it for later.

    Benny sweatdropped, ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure she does have a good reason. Speaking of which what happened at Tin Town?¡±

    Tenryu flinched.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to know¡­and don¡¯t bring that up or she¡¯ll hit me again!¡±

    With that Benny made a mental not never to cross Flare. He took a sip of the Peachmango drink and found that he really liked it.

    ¡°You¡¯re name is Benjamin, isn¡¯t it?¡± Flare asked Benny.

    ¡°Yes, but you can call me Benny for short. My name can be quite a handful to say.¡±

    Flare peered at him closely, ¡°Blistering Blazes, you two really look alike. Well, except for the hair color and the eyes. Yours don¡¯t have that crazy look to them.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Tenryu says loudly in protest.

    ¡°Ever since I met Tenryu I¡¯ve been getting that a lot.¡±

    Aunt Magma, who was seated right in front of them, smiled, ¡°So Benny. Care to explain how you¡¯ve come here?¡±

    Benny had practiced his story mentally and finally got it down. Benny started off on how he was riding a boat that capsized in the storm. He met Tenryu who saved him when he was lost in Marblewood Forest and the both of them then decided to travel together. He then went on how they met with Nia in Marblewood Town and facing off against a bandit group that attacked the restaurant they were eating at. Tenryu was quick to pitch in and describe how he dealt with the bandits. Nia added some important details the Tenryu ¡°forgot¡± to mention, like the part where Tenryu rushed in without thinking and got injured by the Cactus Hun.

    ¡°Vacuum Implosion Magic?!¡± gasps Aunt Magma, ¡°It isn¡¯t serious is it? Is it still painful?!¡±

    ¡°Auntie, I¡¯m fine Nia had fixed me up!¡±

    ¡°However, had Benjamin not distracted the man and shielded us with Magic I wouldn¡¯t have the opportunity to do it.¡± Nia points out, to which Benny blushed in embarrassment.

    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s what happened? I heard differently¡­¡± says Flare.

    Tenryu jolted, ¡°W-what do you mean?¡±

    Flare pulled out a newspaper with a huge picture. Benny instantly recognized it as a photo of the restaurant they were in Marblewood Town.

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying this isn¡¯t Tenryu¡¯s handiwork?¡± Flare said it with a smile, but for some reason it caused Tenryu (and Benny) to shiver greatly.

    Tenryu was quick to protest, ¡°Hey, it wasn¡¯t me! It was that short creep, Cranky Hut!¡±

    ¡°Tenryu¡­his name is Cactus Hun.¡± Benny corrects him before turning to Flare, ¡°Technically the restaurant was destroyed in the process when Tenryu fought him and his crew¡±

    Tenryu stared at Benny in disbelief. Did the guy just sell him out?!

    ¡°I knew it!¡± Flare slammed her hand on the table. ¡°It was you-¡±

    Benny raised his hand as though to stop her from talking, which apparently it did as Flare stopped in mid-flow.

    ¡°The restaurant was already very much destroyed from the inside. What with all those bandits firing off everywhere and a full fight going on, damage to the surroundings was the least of anyone¡¯s concerns. Please don¡¯t blame Tenryu for this.¡±

    Flare shook her head, ¡°Well, you don¡¯t know my brother. He has the tendency to go overboard.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know Tenryu all that well to speak for everything prior to what happened in Marblewood. But I do know that at that time, I believe he did what was necessary to save everyone.¡±

    Tenryu stared at him, ¡°Benny¡­¡±

    ¡°It still doesn¡¯t give Tenryu the right to-¡±

    Benny¡¯s glasses flashed, ¡°Tell me, in that situation would you care more about a piece of table that was about to be split in half or a family about to be killed?¡±

    Flare was taken aback by what Benny¡¯s question.

    ¡°Well, of course the latter! Living people are more important than any piece of furniture!¡±

    Benny gave a tiny smile, ¡°Then you would agree that Tenryu was not at fault because his priority was stopping the bad guys and saving everyone.¡±

    Everyone fell silent, completely dumbfounded by Benny¡¯s oral argument.

    Tenryu wasn¡¯t able to follow through their conversation but the one thing he was sure of was that Benny had just stood up for him.

    Nia nodded with a smile that caused Benny to feel cheeks burning up.

    Flare sighed, ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. I shouldn¡¯t just jump into conclusions and see everything as Tenryu¡¯s reckless act. Sorry, little brother.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Flare-ate¡­¡±

    Aunt Magma gave them a warm smile. ¡°It seems you¡¯ve made a very good friend.¡±

    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t it obvious already?!¡±

    Tenryu threw an arm around Benny¡¯s shoulders and grinned at him which Benny shyly returned.

    Benny cleared his throat loudly, ¡°Anyway that¡¯s what I think, so please don¡¯t get angry at him for something unavoidable in that situation-OW!¡±

    He yelped as Tenryu elbowed him.

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t downplay your part! It was you who managed to get everyone to safety while were in the middle of a battle!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but it was you who dealt with those bandits! There¡¯s no way I could¡¯ve done that!¡±

    ¡°What about that bottle you threw at that Shorty?¡±

    ¡°It didn¡¯t do much though except getting to try to kill me! You¡¯re the one who save me from Cactus Hun¡¯s attack!¡±

    ¡°So did you! You used that book to shield me!¡±

    This went on and on, back and forth.

    Everybody else was stunned at this continuing complimentary exchange between Benny and Tenryu.

    ¡°Alright that¡¯s enough, you two!¡± says Nia, after they went on for a full five minutes.

    Aunt Magma cleared her throat, ¡°I think we strayed off topic. So after that incident in Marblewood¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember anything else much. I sort of fainted from¡­what was it again?¡± Benny turns to Nia.

    ¡°Manna Depletion Fatigue,¡± She answered. ¡°It seems it was Benjamin¡¯s first time using Magic Spells. It clearly took a lot out of him.¡±

    ¡°It happens to everyone. I¡¯ve remembered Tenryu collapsing and sleeping like a log for two days!¡± says Flare.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t two days!¡± says Tenryu indignantly, ¡°It was more like a day and a half!¡±

    ¡°Well, I woke up we were already on the way to Amber City and we headed right here to the Inn.¡± Benny continued.

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Aunt Magma nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve been through a lot these past few days, haven¡¯t you?¡±

    Benny nodded agreement. These past few days, his whole world had just been turned upside down and inside-out.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you contact your family to let them know that you are safe? They must be worried about you.¡± says Flare.

    Benny felt that stab in his chest again and avoided her gaze.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have anyone at the moment¡­¡± Benny struggled to say.

    ¡°Oh!¡± Flare realized what she said. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­I¡¯m alright¡­¡±

    Flare and Aunt Magma looked at him in concern.

    ¡°Well, then what are you going to do now then, dear?¡±

    ¡°I¡­really don¡¯t know¡­¡±

    Benny dreaded that question.

    He had no idea what to do now. All his life he was preparing for college and a regular job. But now it seems that those things don¡¯t apply into this world. Even though he wants to return to his home world, he has no idea how to even do that. Much less survive in this world.

    ¡°Hmm¡­Why not you stay around with us for a while? Help yourself get your bearings on a bit and decide on what you want to do?¡± suggested Aunt Magma kindly.

    ¡°I already told Benny that! He can stay with us, right?¡± says Tenryu.

    ¡°You should¡¯ve informed us first before saying such things!¡± says Flare.

    Tenryu fell silent grumbling.

    Nia gave him a slight ¡°I-told-you-so¡± kind of look.

    Aunt Magma reached over the table and grasped his hands.

    ¡°But nevertheless, any friend of Tenryu is welcome to us.¡± says Aunt Magma with a warm smile that reminds Benny of his own great-grandmother.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that great, Benny?! You can stay!¡± Tenryu grins.

    Benny returned the smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m grateful, Mrs. Fyreroar¡­¡± Benny choked on his words.

    Aunt Magma shook her head, ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t have to call me that, dear boy! It makes me feel old! You can call me Aunt Magma.¡±

    Flare also pitched in, ¡°None of that of Ms. Flare stuff either! From now on you can call me Flare-ate.¡±

    ¡°T-thank you, Aunt Magma and¡­err¡­can I just call you Ate Flare? That¡¯s how we say it from where I came from.¡±

    Flare shrugged. ¡°If that¡¯s what you want. Although it sounds strange¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s still the matter of where are we going to put you up.¡± says Aunt Magma.

    ¡°What are you talking about, Auntie? Benny¡¯s going to stay in my room!¡±

    Aunt Magma, Flare and Nia looked at him.

    ¡°You want someone to stay in your room?¡± says Flare.

    ¡°Why? What¡¯s the problem?¡± says Tenryu defiantly.

    ¡°Is there a problem, Ms¡­I mean Ate Flare?¡±

    Flare gave him an odd look, like she was struggling to find the right words to say. However, it was Aunt Magma who spoke.

    ¡°I think it would be best for you to see it yourself.¡±

    Benny thought that it was probably because Tenryu has never had the experience of inviting someone over to stay.

    But a while later¡­he found the reason was quite different but at the same time obvious from the start.

 Chapter 18 - The Otherworld Boarder

    Benny soon learned that there was another fundamental difference between him and Tenryu

    Tenryu was incredibly untidy with his room!

    He had seen documentary films about people who were total slobs and horded every bit of junk they had instead of throwing it away! In those films, it grew to the point that their whole house could be mistaken for a dump!

    Luckily, in this situation it was limited to Tenryu¡¯s room. This did not make things any better though.

    Tenryu¡¯s room was full of junk and who knows what?

    Benny couldn¡¯t even see the floor amidst all this stuff!

    There where piles of dirty laundry in the corner (and he thought Ace leaving his underwear all piled up was a gross habit!) Several barbells and weights piled up on the side (Tenryu must be the type to work out). There were piles of garbage bags and boxes (didn¡¯t the guy bother to throw them out). The walls were completely covered with some posters (was Tenryu in to anime?) Weird items were scattered all over and some of which included a statue of a head and a tribal mask were poking out of the piles (what were those things doing there Benny would never know.) Even then there were some garbage like empty bottles, cans, papers and even some dirty dishes!

    And Tenryu was expecting him to stay the night in here?

    Benny couldn¡¯t even find that there was even a bed! That was until he found a hammock tied to a piece of weird items poking out of the debris.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t cleaned this place since the last time I was in here!¡± says Nia, wrinkling her nose.

    ¡°Yeah, I did!¡± Tenryu points to the garbage bags, ¡°I stuff some in those!¡±

    ¡°But you didn¡¯t even throw them away!¡± snaps Flare.

    ¡°I was busy training and off to jobs!¡± says Tenryu defensively.

    ¡°So? Did you actually think I¡¯d throw these out for you while you were causing a mess elsewhere?¡± Flare pinches her brother¡¯s ear, who flails in pain.

    ¡°Ouch! Blast it, the ear again?! Ow!¡± Tenryu complains.

    ¡°Tenryu-iho...¡± Aunt Magma says in a sudden stern voice. ¡°How many times I told you to clean your room?¡±

    Tenryu darted away his gaze.

    ¡°And did you actually expect Benny to stay in here?¡± says Flare with a hollow laugh. ¡°Look! He¡¯s stunned speechless!¡±

    Benny was still looking at the room, his expression unreadable.

    Aunt Magma sighed, ¡°Either way, there¡¯s no way I am letting him is sleeping in this mess. Your friend is obviously disgusted-¡±

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that. I¡¯ll stay with Tenryu for the time being.¡± says Benny.

    Everyone looked at him completely stunned.

    ¡°A-are you serious?¡± says Flare in disgust.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a burden so I¡¯ll stay in this room with Tenryu.¡±

    ¡°See, Benny doesn¡¯t mind!¡± Tenryu grinned at him appreciatively.

    Benny¡¯s glasses flashed. He smiled at him back but it was strangely intimidating.

    ¡°Now I didn¡¯t say that now, did I? I do mind this mess a lot!¡±

    Tenryu¡¯s smiled faltered, ¡°W-what do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Because we¡¯re cleaning up this mess...¡±

    ¡°Eh? What?¡± Tenryu stammered.

    ¡°We are cleaning up your room...starting now!¡±

    ¡°Right now?¡± says Nia and Flare in unison.

    ¡°N-Now?¡± says Tenryu in disbelief.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be resting? You just arrived?¡± asked Aunt Magma in concern.

    However, Benny was all hyped up.

    ¡°I¡¯ve had enough rest already! Plus I can¡¯t stand knowing there¡¯s something like this in here!¡±

    Tenryu tried inching away, ¡°Um...I was thinking of training for now! So maybe I¡¯ll pass...¡±

    He tried to edge his way out. That was a mistake as Benny made a quick grab for his ponytail, tugging on it like a leash!

    ¡°Oh, no you don¡¯t! This is your room so take responsibility for it!¡±

    Tenryu flailed in pain, ¡°Blistering Blazes! Ow! Ow! Alright I¡¯ll do it! Just let go of my hair!¡±

    ¡°You get in there and start sorting!¡±

    Benny gripped Tenryu by the belt and with surprising strength he tossed him into the room. Several items including that weird statue fell on him as he crashed into junk.

    The women stared in complete shock at Benny¡¯s 180.

    Tenryu popped out of the debris. ¡°Blast it Benny! What the blitz was that for?!¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t obvious? It¡¯s to stop you from escaping!¡± Benny whipped out his handkerchief and tied it around his mouth. He suddenly looked like a commando going for an ambush mission.

    Everyone sweatdropped as they watched Benny march in the room as well.

    ¡°I¡¯m starting to think Benjamin and Tenryu might have something else in common after all.¡± says Nia.

    ¡°Perhaps¡­but if it gets Tenryu to clean after his mess then I¡¯m not complaining.¡± Flare grinned widely.

    Benny then turned to Flare, ¡°Ate Flare...May I borrow some cleaning materials and several garbage bags?¡±

    Flare nodded, ¡°O-Of course, right away!¡±

    She quickly rushed back down hall to probably looking for the broom closet.

    ¡°I think I should be going! I have to work on those potions.¡± says Nia.

    ¡°Hey! No fair Nia!¡± shouts Tenryu in protest.

    ¡°Start cleaning!¡± Benny glares at him.

    Tenryu jolts and salutes him like a cadet towards a superior, ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

    He immediately proceeds to pick up the scattered garbage. Benny walks around and also starts gathering all the garbage scattered nearby.

    Aunt Magma chuckled. ¡°I guess I leave this in your capable hands.¡±

    ¡°Ah! Magma-tia, please don¡¯t go!¡±

    But she was already gone.

    Tenryu slumps, ¡°Blast it... How did it turn out like this?¡±

    ¡°Tenryu...¡± Benny¡¯s glare causes him to go back to sorting.

    They gathered up all the garbage and stuffed them into the garbage bags Flare brought later.

    All the boxes and bags were moved out of the room. Benny questioned Tenryu on what were inside of them. As it turns out Tenryu had just stuffed a bunch of stuff in there and had no idea what¡¯s in them anymore. So they decided to set them aside somewhere else to be sorted out for a later date.

    Benny had taken down all the posters which were actually wanted posters of the bad guys that Tenryu defeated and captured. The sheer number had completely plastered the walls. It did impressed Benny that Tenryu had single-handedly defeated those scary-looking people. Although, Tenryu admitted that he often ¡°overdoes¡± things in the process.

    He then made Tenryu arrange all his weight equipments (which apparently he hasn¡¯t touched for over a year.) As well as gather up all his dirty laundry. Benny absolutely refused to touch those. (Plus, they smelled kind of funky.) However, he was the one who picked up all the dirty plates and dishes (even though they already moldy from the leftovers). They had just finished doing that when Aunt Magma came to check up on them and bring in lunch. She was kind enough to bring the dishes and the clothes so she can wash them later.

    They then sorted out everything from things Tenryu could still use, separating the displayable souvenirs from the just plain junk. That apart took the longest as Tenryu had no idea which was which.

    They also had to separate the actual furniture of the room from the rest of the stuff. In the end, they salvaged a desk, a low legged table, several pillows, a chest, a bookshelf and a closet.

    But that wasn¡¯t the end of it.

    They then had to mop, dust and sweep off the place and deal with pests that had taken up residence in this filth. Benny practically screamed when Tenryu pointed out a scorpion-lizard was crawling up his back. Tenryu ¡°resolved¡± that issue by blasting it with fire, though it caused Benny¡¯s shirt to burn. Benny had to pour over himself a bucket of mop water to put it out.

    It took the rest of the morning and whole afternoon before Benny deemed the room livable.

    ¡°I think this good enough!¡± Benny nods in content.

    ¡°We''re finally done! I¡¯m all burnt out!¡± groans Tenryu as he falls back to the floor. Yes, there was finally a floor to fall on.

    Benny sinks to the floor as well, ¡°Yeah, me too¡­¡±

    The room was all sparkly.

    The floor boards had been polished to a shine.

    The ceilings were cleared of cobwebs.

    The walls were freed of their posters, revealing some very exquisite wood paneling.

    There windows had been sealed shut from the junk but because that was all cleared they were slid open to their entirety. They were now opened wide and letting fresh air into the room.

    The shelf displayed several souvenirs that Tenryu could remember.

    Some of the other stuff that couldn¡¯t fit in there, like the stone statue was all propped up in a corner. Tenryu revealed he got it after he smashed a bad guy through some ancient temple. Though Benny had to ask why he would take something like a stone statue as a souvenir.

    Everything else was stored away in the storeroom. This included the boxes, sacks and even the weight set.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your bed?¡±

    Benny did find it odd that Tenryu didn¡¯t have a bed. When Benny pointed this out, Tenryu told him originally slept on a futon (a type of Japanese style rollout bed which actually fits the theme of the house.) But because of all the junk piled up, Tenryu had to resort into sleeping in a hammock.

    Tenryu stares up at the ceiling, ¡°You know... It¡¯s been a while since I actually seen how this room seen to look like.¡±

    ¡°And how long has that been?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t remember...I always hated cleaning.¡±

    If Benny were standing he would¡¯ve fallen face first to the floor.

    ¡°I knew it... I should¡¯ve expected that kind of answer from you.¡±

    Nevertheless, Benny grinned back at him.

    Tenryu chuckled, ¡°But then...I guess it does make me feel kind of happy.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it feels comfortable in here now that everything else is all clean. Just make sure you have to keep your room in that state.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it. What I meant was being able to do this kind of stuff¡­with a friend.¡±

    Benny was taken aback a little, ¡°Oh, really?¡±

    The door opened and Aunt Magma and Flare entered the room.

    ¡°Sweet smolders! Just look at this place! Tenryu actually cleaned it!¡± says Flare in amazement.

    Aunt Magma clapped her hands in a celebratory gesture, ¡°Well, it seems you can do it if you try, Tenryu-iho!¡±

    Tenryu grumbled incoherently but Benny was able to make out the ¡°Benny forced me into it¡± part of his sentence.

    ¡°I guess we don¡¯t have to punish you anymore for your slip up in your last job.¡± says Flare.

    Tenryu sat bolt upright, his eyes wide in dismay. ¡°You mean you were still thinking that?!¡±

    ¡°I just said we don¡¯t have to anymore, didn¡¯t I? I thought Benny forcing you to clean up your dump of a room must be enough. Or do you still want to have another punishment?¡± Flare¡¯s eyes glinted with anticipation.

    Tenryu shivered in fear (and so did Benny.)

    ¡°No blitzing way! I¡¯ve learned my lesson!¡± Tenryu says franticly.

    ¡°For now at least¡­¡± Flare rolled her eyes.

    Aunt Magma cleared her throat to get their attention.

    ¡°Well, anyhow, you boys must be exhausted! Why don¡¯t the two of you take a nice bath to freshen up before dinner? I¡¯ve already prepared the baths.¡±

    Tenryu got to his feet, pulling Benny up with him, ¡°C¡¯mon Benny! I¡¯ll show you the bath! We have an open air one!¡±

    ¡°W-wait a minute, we don¡¯t have to go together!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be such a pile of smoking ashes! We¡¯re both guys anyway and the bath¡¯s big!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. Ah, never mind! Just don¡¯t yank on my arm!¡±

    Tenryu¡¯s aunt and sister watched them as they walked away.

    ¡°It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen Tenryu look so happy.¡± says Flare with a hint of a smile, ¡°He¡¯s never been that accommodating with others before.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. That makes me happy as well.¡±

    ¡°But don¡¯t you think that the kid almost looks like him is albeit unexpected?¡±

    ¡°I wonder...¡± says Aunt Magma, her voice trailing off to her thoughts.

    ***

    Meanwhile, Tenryu and Benny entered the Fyreroar¡¯s baths. Both of them were wearing towels around their waists and carrying baskets of soaps and shampoos.

    ¡°Whoa!¡± says Benny.

    ¡°What did I tell you?¡± says Tenryu with a satisfied nod.

    Still sticking to the theme, the place looked like a Japanese public baths. Benny has never been in one but he has seen many anime shows that depict such locations.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    The bath itself was wide enough to allow a few people to relax in while deep enough to allow one to soak completely. It was fed with water being fed from the mouth of a small stone dragon tap. The water was hot as the steam wafted from the water.

    On the left side was a wash area. It was an open area so that one could see the night sky.

    Benny was still admiring the place when Tenryu led him along.

    ¡°C¡¯mon! I¡¯ll scrub your back and you can scrub mine afterwards!¡±

    ¡°Just don¡¯t scrub my skin off.¡± Benny says uneasily as they sat down on some stools.

    Tenryu takes a piece of towel and rubs it with soap. Benny noticed that Tenryu had a set of bandages wrapped around his right arm. The one usually covered by a glove.

    ¡°Tenryu, what happened to your arm?¡±

    ¡°Oh, this?¡± says Tenryu whose voice hardened a little, ¡°A little training accident.¡±

    Tenryu said it tone as though he meant for Benny to drop it and not to ask any more questions about it. Benny obliged, seeing as Tenryu handled a sword with magical flames he most likely burned himself with it. By why did Benny feel that Tenryu was hiding something?

    Nevertheless, Benny takes off his glasses then placing them in his basket and allows himself to be scrubbed. Although he was apprehensive as to whether Tenryu would indeed scrub his skin off but as it turns out, Tenryu was a good back scrubber. He actually did it in a way that Benny was able to feel his back muscles relax. Likewise, Benny tried to give his best in return although Tenryu said that Benny was a little rough around the shoulders. Washing himself with soap and warm water, Benny just found out how incredibly grimy he was from all the dirt that washed off him.

    ¡°Ugh! Gross! How did I get this dirty?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your problem? I didn¡¯t take bath in a week and I¡¯m fine!¡±

    Benny looked at him in disgust. ¡°That¡¯s totally unsanitary!¡±

    But this was saying it to a guy who lived in a room filled with mountains of trash.

    After scrubbing all the dirt off his body, Benny decided to try dipping in the hot pool. All at once he felt all his sores and aches being soaked away.

    ¡°Ah...It¡¯s been too long since I had a bath!¡±

    ¡°Heads up!¡± shouts Tenryu, as he cannonballs into the pool!

    Benny gets splashed over by a wave of hot water.

    Tenryu¡¯s head plops out of the water and grins at him.

    ¡°Tenryu, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re supposed to divide into a pool of hot water! You¡¯ll get a bad headache!¡±

    Tenryu chuckles as he wades through the hot water, ¡°Please! I¡¯ve been doing this since I was a kid!¡±

    ¡°Which is probably why your brain cells must¡¯ve have been boiled up.¡± Benny murmured to himself.

    Tenryu leans back to the edge of the pool, sitting right next to Benny.

    ¡°You know this is the one kind of water that I like.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t like cold water, then? Oh wait, is it because you¡¯re using Fire Magic?¡±

    Tenryu thought for a moment, ¡°You know, I never really thought about it. I guess I just don¡¯t like cold water! So hey, where¡¯re your glasses?¡±

    ¡°You think I¡¯d wear my glasses in a steamy environment? It¡¯ll fog up the lenses!¡±

    ¡°Then you should really get Nia to make you those Vision Restorer Drops. It works for me!¡±

    ¡°Vision Restorer Drops?¡± repeats Benny intrigued.

    There was a medicine than can fix bad eyesight? It did not occur to him that it might be possible in this world. Then again, if there were medicines that can clear up scratches in matter of seconds surely some other medical wonders can also exist.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s that medicine that can fix your eyesight and make you see well! Nia makes them for me and Magma-tia!¡±

    What Tenryu said just caused Benny to stare at him in surprise.

    ¡°Hang on...you have poor eyesight too?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I actually have trouble seeing things up-close. I used to wear glasses but they get in the way during the job. Aunt Magma had given me a pair of custom made goggles so I can see better during a job.¡±

    So that¡¯s what those goggles were for?

    Benny thought they were a fashion statement of Tenryu¡¯s. He didn¡¯t think they¡¯d actually serve a purpose.

    ¡°But then I heard Nia learned to make those Vision Restorer Drops and wasted no time to ask her!¡±

    Benny made a mental note to ask Nia for that as well.

    ¡°So what are you going to do now?¡± asked Tenryu, stretching himself and causing some loud joint cracking sounds.

    ¡°Well, I was thinking of shampooing my hair.¡±

    ¡°Not that! I meant what are you going to do from now on?¡±

    ¡°Oh? So it was that question again...¡±

    Benny looked up to the starry sky.

    ¡°I guess I¡¯m still in a rut. I guess I have no idea what to do with my life.¡±

    Even though Benny couldn¡¯t see without his glasses he could notice that stars seemed numerous in this world. The night skies where definitely clearer here than from his home world. Just the thought about stars made him remember what Abuela always told him. That everyone has so many possibilities as countless as the stars. And now that he thought about it, many opportunities had just opened up for him here in the world of Magic.

    Opportunities any fantasy fan would die for!

    ¡°How about it if you become an Adventurer?¡± Tenryu suggested.

    Benny looked at him with wide eyes, ¡°You mean like you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a Swordsmage though, but yeah, that¡¯s still under the general ¡®Adventurer.¡¯ Blast it! I¡¯m talking about you anyway!¡±

    ¡°You think I have what it takes to be an Adventurer?¡±

    ¡°Of course, otherwise I wouldn¡¯t suggest it to you! I mean¡­look at what you did on that Shorty¡¯s so called ¡°invisible¡± Magic!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s pronounced ¡°invincible.¡± And it¡¯s because of that Magic Cane of Mr. Azalea that did all that.¡±

    ¡°Are you an idiot? A Magic Tool is useless without its user. And if you had not intervened and shielded me, I would¡¯ve become a stain on the wall¡­¡± Tenryu admitted, looking as though it hurts his pride to say it. ¡°And besides¡­just wielding a Magic Tool doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re worthy of being an Adventurer. The fact you were able to wield Magic like that is already the proof you need!¡±

    ¡°W-what do you mean? But I thought all you need is a Magic Item to use Magic?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s true that with any Magical Tool ordinary people can use Magic¡­but Adventurers are in a different level!¡±

    ¡°How so?¡± asks Benny, his eyes were practically gleaming that Tenryu felt uneasy.

    ¡°You really are a weird and clueless guy. Adventurers train in the use of Magic and Skills. Mind you that not all Classes of Adventurers depend entirely on Magic. Some depend on majorly on the Skills and just a bit of Magic. But basically Adventurers may need the ability to wield Magic more freely and must have a range of Skill set.¡±

    ¡°You mean like Nia being able to manipulate plants into those huge wooden arms or when you use sword techniques in conjunction with your flaming sword?¡±

    ¡°Why am I mentioned last? But yeah, that right! You yourself have proved to be quite a potential Adventurer already!¡± Tenryu pointed at him.

    Benny blinked. ¡°Me?¡±

    ¡°Blistering Blazes, do I have to spell it out for you? You created Magic Barriers that protected us. It was a very powerful one at that. I mean the guy who owned that cane couldn¡¯t handle a barrage of attacks but you can! Plus you were being brave and all! You have what it takes to be an Adventurer in my opinion.¡±

    ¡°Brave? I wouldn¡¯t say that. I¡¯m a natural coward¡­ and I¡¯ve only generated Magic Barriers and I still have no idea how I did that¡­¡±

    ¡°Why do you keep on downplaying yourself? Even Nia says you¡¯re amazing!¡±

    ¡°Eh? R-Really¡­?¡±

    ¡°Nia and I both agree you¡¯d make one amazing Adventurer!¡±

    Benny fell silent as he weighed his options. It would seem amazing becoming a Adventurer and use Magic! Not to mention a whole new world had opened up for him! But then there were the dangers. Those bandits proved themselves already to be the least of the dangers he might encounter in this world. But then if he could get learn the ways of this world maybe he could find the way back home!

    All that thinking was making his head hurt, which could explain why he felt light headed all of a sudden.

    ¡°Don¡¯t have to rush though! Give it some thought.¡± Tenryu flexed his arms, ¡°Say Benny?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, what is it?¡±

    ¡°Do you really not remember what happened after I shot Cactus Hun through a wall?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t¡­¡±

    ¡°Can you at least try to remember? Nia didn¡¯t want me to press on about this but you sort of did something incredible back there! That another proof you¡¯ve got what it takes!¡±

    ¡°Yeah...I guess...¡±

    ¡°Wait? So you do remember?¡±

    ¡°I guess¡­¡± says Benny as his head was swaying from side to side.

    Tenryu found this quite a weird way to think.

    ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡±

    Then all of a sudden Benny plopped head first into the water!

    It took a full three seconds for Tenryu to realized that Benny was not doing this to soak some more.

    ¡°Blistering Blazes, Benny!¡± yells Tenryu, as he fishes Benny out of the water but he already fainted from the heat.

    ***

    While passed out (again), Benny had a flurry of hazy dreams.

    He saw a group of people who looked like Adventurers in an anime welcoming someone into their fold. It then shifted to a shop with a bossy man yelling at a girl. It shifted again to what looked like a someone working at a blacksmith¡¯s forge.

    But before Benny could figure it out, he woke up.

    He found himself lying on a futon mattress in Tenryu¡¯s room. Something cold, an ice pack probably, was on top of his head and Tenryu was sitting beside him, fanning him with a paper fan.

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re up!¡±

    ¡°Tenryu, what-¡±

    ¡°You passed out in the baths. Blistering Blazes, you should¡¯ve told me you couldn¡¯t handle the heat! I had to carry your butt back in here!¡± Tenryu looked at him in annoyance.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡±

    ¡°And you were the one telling me I¡¯d get a headache from soaking in there!¡±

    It was indeed embarrassing for him. This was the fourth time he passed out. Benny was wondering this was becoming a trend for him.

    ¡°Here are your glasses by the way...¡±

    ¡°Thanks...¡±

    Taking off the ice pack, Benny puts his glasses back on. He then tries to sit up but Tenryu pushes him back down.

    ¡°Hey, you should lie back down until you¡¯re feeling better!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine now...¡± Benny looks down, ¡°But what am I wearing?¡±

    Benny found he was wearing a long, dark blue kimono over a plain white shirt and a pair of boxer shorts (which were different from the ones he was wearing.) Coincidently, Tenryu was also wearing a kimono, only it was red and its sleeves were rolled up to his shoulders.

    ¡°I lent you some of my house clothes while yours are being washed by Magma-tita. Speaking of which, since you said you¡¯re okay now, it¡¯s time for dinner! We¡¯ve been waiting.¡±

    ¡°¡­Already? What time is it?¡±

    ¡°Past nine. But that¡¯s okay!¡± Tenryu quickly added when he saw the shocked expression on Benny¡¯s face, ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡­ we usually eat around that time since we¡¯re busy.¡±

    The both of them got up.

    ¡°By the way Tenryu, please tell me¡­ Is this clean underwear?¡±

    ¡°Of course they are!¡± says Tenryu affronted.

    ***

    Dinner was held in a separate tatami room.

    Both Benny and Tenryu entered to find Aunt Magma and Flare had just set dinner ready in a low table, ¡°Ah, you¡¯re finally awake!¡±

    ¡°You had us worried when Tenryu brought you out of the baths all unconscious. I thought Tenryu tried to drown you in the bath.¡±

    Benny blushes in embarrassment while Tenryu retorts angrily. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do something like that!¡±

    ¡°She was just joking, Tenryu-iho! Now you sit down and have dinner! You as well, Benny-iho!¡± adds Aunt Magma.

    Benny jolted when she called him ¡°Benny-iho.¡± It was the same way Abuela always called him.

    ¡°Is there something wrong, dear?¡± says Aunt Magma.

    ¡°Oh, err...nothing at all!¡±

    Benny had to sit cross-legged again as he ate dinner with the rest of the Fyreroars. He did ask who was managing the bar since all of them were here. This should be around that time where they¡¯d have a peak in customers.

    ¡°We closed early today. Besides, we have an important guest!¡±

    ¡°Y-You shouldn¡¯t close up the store on my account.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. We don¡¯t get many customers anyway.¡± Flare says matter-of-factly.

    Benny thought that didn¡¯t sound as a good thing.

    They prepared a large assortment of dishes. Benny made sure to take only the amounts he can eat a time. Tenryu, however, wasn¡¯t that too keen on limiting to what his plate can fill. Something, that caused his sister to chide him several times as they ate.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Benny asks Tenryu, scooping a green jelly-tofu-mix-like thing from a saucer.

    ¡°Oh, that one¡¯s delicious!¡±

    ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll take your word for it!¡±

    Benny puts it into his mouth. It was only then that Flare noticed what he was eating.

    ¡°Ah, Benny wait!¡± she say in alarm, ¡°That¡¯s-¡±

    ¡°HOOOOOT!!!¡± screamed Benny.

    His throat was on fire! He was literally spitting flames!

    ¡°-a Wasabi Tofu...¡± finishes Flare, a little too late.

    ¡°Here dear, drink this!¡± Aunt Magma quickly gave him an ice cold Peachmango juice, which Benny finishes in seconds.

    ¡°Tenryouth!!!¡± says Benny with his tongue and mouth still swollen red.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Isn¡¯t it tasty?¡±

    Tenryu plopped the wasabi tofu on his own mouth and he seemed to find it quite delectable.

    Flare shook her head, ¡°You have to understand. My idiot brother has a thing for extremely spicy food...¡±

    Now she tells me...But it¡¯s my own fault for not seeing it coming... thought Benny.

    ¡°But isn¡¯t this more food than usual?¡± says Tenryu, taking another bite of a chicken-turkey leg.

    ¡°Since we have a family guest staying his first night, I see it necessary to splurge a little.¡± says Aunt Magma with a small smile towards Benny.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to. I¡¯m just grateful you¡¯ve given me a place to stay...¡±

    Tenryu looks up from his meal, ¡°Really? But I thought we were tight on cash?¡±

    Benny¡¯s ears perked up. Did Tenryu just say they were ¡°tight on cash?¡± Do they have money troubles?

    ¡°For the time being, that won¡¯t be a problem.¡±

    ¡°How come?¡± asked Tenryu, taking another bite.

    ¡°...especially since our spending money came from you, little brother...¡± Flare grins in the same sneaky grin that Tenryu does when he becomes mischievous.

    ¡°Huh, what do you mean-¡±

    ¡°Oh, that Au you were holding behind our backs. The one you earned after you three captured that Cactus bandit guy.¡±

    Tenryu choked on his food.

    ¡°How the blitz did you know?!¡± he spluttered.

    ¡°Nia told us.¡± Flare explained.

    Tenryu began grumbling, ¡°Blast it, Nia...¡±

    Benny cleared his throat, ¡°Um, I also have a share of that reward. If it¡¯s any compensation maybe I can give-¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t just Tenryu. All three Fyreroars said at the same time.

    ¡°That¡¯s you¡¯re reward! You keep it!¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    Aunt Magma had raised her hand to cut him off, ¡°Benny-iho, that¡¯s your share. It would be wrong of us to take it.¡±

    ¡°Tenryu is one thing but you have no obligation to give us any money.¡± says Flare kindly.

    ¡°Why do I feel like I just got a back-handed insult?¡± says Tenryu.

    ¡°But that¡¯s the thing! You¡¯re letting me stay. I have to at least pay that kindness back!¡±

    ¡°Being Tenryu¡¯s friend is enough for us. Just promise me you¡¯ll watch his back for us.¡± Aunt Magma smiled at him.

    Benny blushed again, ¡°I promise I will...¡±

    Tenryu groaned, ¡°Auntie!¡±

    ¡°Plus saving his hide from that bandit and cleaning up that mess of a room of his is a plus. I mean it was brave of you to pick all his dirty laundry!¡±

    ¡°Flare-ate...¡± Tenryu groaned again.

    ¡°Actually, the food scraps were worse. They had molds!¡± says Benny thoughtfully.

    ¡°Ugh, gross!¡± says Flare in disgust.

    Tenryu was turning redder than his kimono and hair, ¡°Hey! You didn¡¯t have to point that out!¡±

    ¡°Err... Then again, maybe the stinky underwear was worse...¡± Benny smirked at Tenryu.

    He had only meant it as a joke but by then Tenryu hit his limit.

    Tenryu quickly pounced on him, ¡°You didn¡¯t have to bring that up either!¡±

    But Benny was able to jump out of the way causing Tenryu to skid to the floor. But the Swordsmage got up and was looking like a wild beast. Which sort of scared Benny in more ways than one.

    ¡°Come back here!¡± Tenryu growled.

    ¡°I was just kidding!¡±

    Benny ran around the room as Tenryu chased him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you something to kid around!¡±

    Aunt Magma and Flare watched them in amusement.

    ¡°Those two are getting really close. I almost think they¡¯re brothers.¡± says Flare.

    ¡°I¡¯m happy that they are getting along just fine...but I can¡¯t help but wonder...¡±

    ¡°Wonder about what?¡± asked Flare.

    Aunt Magma didn¡¯t reply but continued to gaze at the two boys.

    ***

    Later that evening...

    Tenryu was lying on his own futon snoring.

    As soon as they returned to his room (which was apparently Benny¡¯s room as well now) he plopped down on his futon completely exhausted.

    Tenryu complained that this was from all the running he had from chasing Benny. Although Benny knew that is was actually from all the travelling, fighting and not to mentioned the forced cleaning he imposed on Tenryu. Before completely falling asleep though, Tenryu admitted that it had been a long time since he had been able to just lie down on a comfortable mattress in his own room.

    Benny¡¯s own futon was next to his but he didn¡¯t immediately sleep. Maybe from all his fainting spells, Benny was still wide awake late into the night. He was reading some pages in the Spellbook under a small crystal lamp that he had borrowed from Flare.

    Many particular spells intrigued him.

    There was a spell called Horologium which when invoked can manipulate time at will. Apparently, in order to cast it one needed to draw Magic Seals in the order of the time piece constellation.

    ¡°So this Magic had something to do about constellations.¡± murmured Benny, who was always fascinated with astronomy.

    The drawings also showed that it could be done by hand without a Magic Tool. Benny wanted to know how to cast Magic like that.

    Benny decided to try it out.

    Although he had no idea where to start, Benny held his hand up high and started tracing in the air while muttering the incantation. When he finished¡­nothing happened.

    It¡¯s no use huh? Maybe there¡¯s something I¡¯m missing¡­ Benny thought.

    Maybe he had to concentrate on the energy while casting the spell.

    Benny focused on the flow of energy in and out of his body. He also pictured in his mind the power and energy of the spell.

    In actuality, he was relying in all the light novels and anime stuff as a basis.

    And once again, he tried the spell.

    Nothing happened.

    To say he was albeit disappointed was a little true although he had already expected that result.

    He fell back on his futon. Looking up to the ceiling, he thought how hard Magic really was.

    ¡°Can I really be an Adventurer?¡±

    Tenryu believed that he can be but he himself wasn¡¯t so sure.

    ¡°Just remember, Iho¡­ The greatest miracles come¡­ from believing in yourself...¡±

    Abuela¡¯s last words echoed in his mind.

    Benny sat up. ¡°Believe in myself, huh?¡±

    All this time, he always thought of himself subpar in comparison to others.

    To his family¡­to his friends¡­to basically everyone¡­he felt he couldn¡¯t compare to others.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got to believe in myself!¡±

    Benny raised his hand once more. He focused once more.

    Focus on the energy¡­ Picture the spell and its effects¡­

    Benny pointed his finger.

    ¡­and believe in myself¡­

    ¡°I can do it!¡± he mutters to himself.

    All of a sudden he felt a strange sense of warmth coursing through his body. An unusual sense power filled him.

    Then tip of his finger started to glow.

    ¡°Whoa! Seriously?!¡± yelled Benny.

    ¡°Shut up¡­¡±

    Benny jolted and lost focus. The energy faded and the light at his fingertip vanished.

    He looked at Tenryu.

    ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t do it!¡± Tenryu grumbled as he tossed in his mattress. ¡°No¡­please not the ice-melon punishment¡­¡±

    Benny sweatdropped, ¡°He¡¯s talking in sleep.¡±

    Benny took a deep breath and tried it out again. He focused, pictured the spell, and most importantly¡­believed in himself.

    His finger glowed with bright light.

    Excitement was flooding him! Or it could be just the energy of Magic.

    He started tracing in the air while quietly reciting the incantation. As he did so he left a streak of light with magical runes and symbols in them. He was about to finish the last part of the spell when suddenly¡­

    ¡°Benny...what are-¡±

    ¡°UWAAH!¡± yelped Benny, just as he traced the last part.

    There was a flash of light!

    Momentarily dazed, Benny shook his head and looked at Tenryu.

    ¡°Ah, sorry did I wake you up¡­Tenryu?¡±

    Tenryu looked like he was about to sat up but somehow stopped midway like someone had clicked the pause button in film.

    ¡°T-Tenryu?¡± mumbled Benny.

    Benny reached out and poked him. Tenryu had been frozen!

    Benny realized it was his spell that did this.

    His Magic Spell worked!

    ¡­though not the way he wanted it to.

    ¡°Oh, crud¡­¡±

    Benny grabbed the Spellbook and scanned for the Counter-spell. Thankfully, it was just written right under the spell. He focused and started reciting Counter-spell while tracing the pattern in reverse.

    Benny pointed his finger at Tenryu and there was another flash of light.

    Then, Tenryu started moving again.

    ¡°-you doing at this hour?¡± says Tenryu. He continued from what he left off.

    He also didn¡¯t seem to realize what had just happened.

    ¡°Uh, just a little night reading¡­¡±

    Benny smiled, while trying to maintain a poker face.

    ¡°It¡¯s getting late and we have a lot to do tomorrow...¡± Tenryu yawned.

    During dinner they did make plans for Tenryu to show Benny the whole city tomorrow.

    ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right....¡± Benny yawned.

    Surprisingly, even after he had his little ¡°nap¡± earlier he found that he was instantly sleepy.

    Could it be from using Magic earlier?

    Benny closed the book and switched of the lamp. Taking off his glasses, he then pulled up his covers and getting himself ready to sleep. It was comfortable sleeping in a bed. Benny had almost forgotten what it was like.

    ¡°Hey, Benny?¡± says Tenryu, who turned to face him.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± says Benny.

    ¡°Thanks for sticking up for me...¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You know...about earlier...with Flare-ate...¡±

    Benny had to smile.

    ¡°It was nothing. You¡¯re my friend and I had to stand by you.¡±

    ¡°Thanks...¡±

    ¡°Besides I think your sister has the tendency to jump to conclusions. I sort of got that impression when she thought I was you and ripped my ear off.¡±

    ¡°Ah, sorry about that...¡±

    ¡°Actually, I want to thank you too...¡±

    Tenryu looked at him in surprise, ¡°Thank me? Why do you want to thank me?¡±

    ¡°What else? Letting me stay with you and your folks...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it! What are friends for?¡±

    ¡°I was actually worried they might say no.¡±

    ¡°Aunt Magma and Flare-ate are more than accommodating. They¡¯ve always been like that ever since I was brought here.¡±

    ¡°Brought here?¡±

    ¡°...Um, never mind. Let¡¯s go to sleep! We¡¯ve got a big day tomorrow and I¡¯m really tired. Good night!¡±

    ¡°Good night...¡±

    Tenryu turned on his side and was snoring again a few seconds later.

    Although stunned by the sudden end to their conversation, Benny turned on his mattress.

    Benny looked at his hand. He had just used Magic.

    As amazing it was, Benny felt really exhausted to feel more excited about it. He closed his eyes and with that, Benny drifted off to sleep.

 Chapter 19 - The First Morning

    Tenryu woke up with a loud yawn.

    As always, because of his bad sleeping habit of tossing and turning around in his futon, his mattress and beddings were in disarray. His hair was messy as always whenever woke up and his right arm managed to slip out of the sleeve of his kimono.

    But for once, he slept like a log and felt refreshed. It had been a long time since he slept in a comfy bed. Not to mention he no longer had those recurrent dreams where he woke up irritable because of the cliff-hanger about the mysterious kid.

    That¡¯s probably because that kid was sleeping right next to him right now.

    He looked towards where Benny was sleeping.

    Unlike Tenryu though, Benny wasn¡¯t the type to toss around in his sleep. He was all wrapped up in his blankets and snuggled with his pillow. He looked quite peaceful and so relaxed that Tenryu felt he wanted to get back to sleep as well.

    But that wasn¡¯t Tenryu¡¯s routine.

    ¡°Alright, time to get to training!¡± Tenryu said to himself, pumping himself up.

    ¡°Shut up¡­¡±

    Tenryu flinched. He looked at Benny.

    Benny stirred, mumbling something in his sleep, ¡°Ace¡­you¡¯re too loud¡­¡±

    He began snoring quietly again to which Tenryu breathed a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Blistering blazes...nearly woke the guy up. But who¡¯s this Ace guy he¡¯s talking about? Ah, whatever¡­¡±

    Careful to not wake Benny, Tenryu got up and changed to his training Gi.

    ***

    Awhile later Tenryu made a short walk out to the fields on the outskirts of the city where he usually did his early morning training practicing his sword techniques.

    Tenryu practiced his stances and swinging for a couple of hours until the sun began to rise. His practice involved a series of movements and stances that he had learned from his father. Actually saying ¡°learned¡± would be calling it tepid. Tenryu¡¯s ¡°father¡± drilled it into him so much that Tenryu felt he was joining the military. Nevertheless, even with his ¡°dad¡± going off to who knows where, Tenryu continued his regimen obediently because he himself wanted to become stronger.

    He was just midway to his fourth movement pattern when suddenly...

    ¡°Starting early today, huh?¡± says a voice behind him.

    Tenryu spun and pointed his sword towards the owner of the voice, thinking someone as about to attack him!

    ¡°Whoa! Hold up! I come in peace!¡±

    It was Benny, still wearing the blue kimono Tenryu gave him and a pair of sandals.

    ¡°B-Benny?¡± blinked Tenryu, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve¡­brought breakfast?¡±

    Benny was holding picnic basket of toasted bread, strips of bacon and omelets. The sight and smell of breakfast caused Tenryu¡¯s stomach to growl.

    ¡°Go back home! It¡¯s still early!¡±

    Benny raised an eyebrow, ¡°Early? It¡¯s already passed seven in the morning and the sun is starting to get warm! Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡±

    Tenryu stomach growled again.

    ¡°Now that you mention it...¡±

    Benny grinned while lifting the basket, ¡°Let¡¯s have breakfast!¡±

    The two of them sat on a nearby rock. It had been so long since Tenryu actually ate in that spot (nor with someone else for that matter.) The sun didn¡¯t shine directly on the area because of the Peachmango tree that grew right beside it.

    ¡°Where did you get these?¡± Tenryu asked as he stuffed some rolled eggs into his mouth.

    ¡°Oh, I cooked it. Aunt Magma and Ate Flare were busy setting up the shop. So I thought, I¡¯d whip up something for breakfast for everyone! They already ate though so it¡¯s just for the two of us. You guys really have early mornings!¡±

    ¡°You can cook?¡±

    ¡°Even guy¡¯s can cook you know! You did too as a matter of fact.¡±

    ¡°All I know is grilling meat on a stick. Everything else I try to cook becomes charcoal. Why do you think is the reason why Magma-tia doesn¡¯t let me in the kitchen?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were. What about stew or soups? I doubt you can make charcoal out of that.¡±

    If Benny only knew that the last time he tried to make a soup, it was something that didn¡¯t end well.

    ¡°Well, you came in the right time! I didn¡¯t notice it was past seven already!¡±

    ¡°So is that your daily routine? Waking up at the crack of dawn and practicing your swordplay?¡±

    Tenryu¡¯s expression brightened up. ¡°Yeah, I need to keep practicing so I can improve the strength and power of my sword attacks!¡±

    Benny chewed on bacon, ¡°Heh? I thought all your attacks are strong already.¡±

    ¡°There is always room for improvement! That¡¯s why I need to get stronger so I can become the greatest Swordsmage there is!!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a big dream... I¡¯d say go for it!¡±

    ¡°Um, thanks...¡± Tenryu said with an awkward smile.

    To Tenryu that was the first time someone outside his family actually encouraged him.

    ¡°By the way, what are you doing up so early? I thought you¡¯d sleep the day away. I was expecting to wake you up myself!¡±

    ¡°Normally, I would. I have the tendency to oversleep.¡±

    ¡°I noticed...¡±

    ¡°But if you¡¯ve been knocked unconscious several times in a row, your circadian rhythm would go out of whack.¡±

    ¡°Circus-what?¡± repeats Tenryu, looking confused.

    ¡°Um, never mind...I woke up just after you went out. You have some rather heavy footsteps and you did sort of shout.¡±

    ¡°Blast it...I thought I was being quiet.¡± Tenryu stood up and stretched, ¡°I think we should get ourselves ready! We have a long day ahead of us!¡±

    ¡°I guess I do need to brush my teeth and wash up.¡± Benny nods as he packs up basket.

    ¡°Just don¡¯t faint in the bath again.¡± Tenryu snickered.

    Benny turned red as he followed Tenryu, ¡°Did you have to bring that up?¡±

    ***Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    They made their way back to the shop. It was already open with just a few customers having breakfast. Auntie Magma was busy cooking at the bar and Flare was serving the customers.

    ¡°Oh, you boys are back?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re back, Aunt Magma!¡± says Benny.

    He noticed that several of the customers were staring at Benny in surprise.

    ¡°Guess what? Benny¡¯s breakfast is actually quite good!¡±

    Benny blushed, ¡°Tenryu!¡±

    Aunt Magma smiles, ¡°Oh, is that so? I did notice you were skillful in the kitchen.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve learned a few things here and there. I¡¯m not saying I¡¯m an expert at it.¡±

    ¡°We could use a few hands here in the kitchen. Maybe you can help?¡±

    ¡°Sure! Maybe Tenryu and I can help out when we have free time?¡± Benny suggests.

    Everyone (surprisingly, even the customers) flinched with a shudder.

    Flare laughed, ¡°Tenryu in the kitchen? I think we¡¯re better off on our own.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you boys get ready? You have a long day today!¡±

    Both Benny and Tenryu made their way out to the back. Benny was able to catch some of the customers asking Flare about who he was and commenting how similar he and Tenryu looked.

    They had a quick shower and a bunch of other personal necessities.

    There was a little incident where Benny made sure that Tenryu had to brush his teeth properly and clean out his ears! When they made their way back to their room they found Aunt Magma already in there with a large basket of freshly laundered clothes.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve also washed your clothes.¡± She pats the top part of the stack which Benny recognized as his clothes.

    ¡°Thank you so much! You don¡¯t really have to do this though! I could¡¯ve washed them when I had the chance¡­¡± Benny says sheepishly.

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be silly! However, I don¡¯t know what kind of fashion your hometown has but I think those clothes of yours are a little out of place here.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°I believe it would be best if you have some of Tenryu¡¯s old clothes. I think you two are about the same size...¡±

    ¡°Oh! That¡¯s a good idea, Magma-tia!¡± chimed Tenryu.

    Benny was way past the point of embarrassed and started franticly trying to turn the offer down, ¡°I-It¡¯s alright, Aunt Magma! I¡¯m already grateful for allowing me a place to stay! There¡¯s no way I can accept-¡±

    SMACK!

    ¡°Ow!¡±

    Tenryu clapped him over the head, ¡°Would you burn down, Benny?¡±

    ¡°But Tenryu...¡±

    ¡°Tenryu¡¯s got too many clothes that he never wears! We might as well have some use for them.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°Besides I didn¡¯t want to tell you this but your clothes do look kind of weird.¡± says Tenryu.

    At that moment, Benny shifted from embarrassment to looking quite offended, ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    Tenryu shook his head, ¡°You seriously didn¡¯t notice? People were staring at you from behind your back.¡±

    Aunt Magma scratched her chin thoughtfully, ¡°I have to admit...when you came here I was not only taken in by how much you look like Tenryu-iho but also from your strangely foreign attire.¡±

    ¡°R-really...? Do my clothes really make me look out of place?¡±

    Tenryu looked at him in amusement. Either Benny¡¯s glasses were too mucky that he didn¡¯t notice the stares he was getting ever since they arrived at Marblewood or he was just that dense not to notice his weird fashion statement.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you help Benny-iho find something to wear?¡± says Aunt Magma jovially as she exits the room.

    ¡°Well, I guess we better scrounge up something for you to wear!¡± Tenryu got up and checked the piles of clothes.

    ¡°It¡¯s a little too much. I feel I¡¯m already overstepping your hospitality. You didn¡¯t have to give me your clothes too... ¡±

    ¡°Just drop it and try this on!¡± Tenryu tosses a shirt at him.

    There were so many of them that Benny had to take his time choosing which one suited him. Eventually, he has chosen a long-sleeved, turtleneck shirt and a sleeveless tunic tied with a leather belt around his waist. Benny also chose to wear a pair of brown cropped pants that reached to below his knees. As for footwear, he decided to keep wearing his ¡°sneakers¡± as he calls them.

    ¡°That¡¯s much better!¡± Tenryu nods in approval.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to put on yours?¡± Benny stifles a laugh as he pointed towards the towel around Tenryu¡¯s waist

    ¡°Oh right... Now where did I put my pants?¡±

    As Tenryu went to put on his clothes, Benny checked himself in the mirror.

    ¡°It does look good! Who would¡¯ve thought?¡± says Benny.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget this! You¡¯ll need it!¡±

    Tenryu tosses him a new-looking but unused satchel.

    ¡°Why do I need this? My backpack¡¯s bigger...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s enchanted with Expansion Magic. You can keep a lot of things in there! Plus it¡¯s water-proof!¡±

    ¡°Whoa! Really?¡± says Benny in awe as he starts inspecting the bag.

    Tenryu meanwhile got himself ready and had just finished tying his hair back into his signature dragon¡¯s tail hair tie.

    ¡°So are we ready to go?¡±

    ¡°Wait up! I am just transferring a few of my stuff.¡±

    Benny was pulling out some items out of his old bag and transferring them into his new one. There were some strange devices he had in there. One looked like a rectangular black crystal and another that looked like strangely like those camera things reporters use to snap pictures. Benny also transferred into his satchel a spare shirt, a towel, a water bottle, a white box with a red cross in it and of course, Benny¡¯s mysterious book.

    Just at the sight of Tenryu¡¯s head began to throb.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    Tenryu began to sway on his feet.

    ¡°Tenryu?!¡± says Benny in alarm.

    He got up and managed to steady him before he fell over.

    ¡°Tenryu, what¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine...I just got a little woozy at the moment.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because you took a bath after exercising under the heat of the sun.¡±

    Tenryu shook his head and clapped his face to snap himself out of it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly! Like I told you I¡¯m fine!¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Benny pressed on, looking doubtful.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine! See?¡±

    Tenryu quickly starts doing push-ups just to prove it.

    ¡°Alright, alright, I get it! You just took a bath! Geez! You don¡¯t have to get sweaty again!¡±

    Tenryu grinned but he sat back on the tatami floor, just to catch his breath.

    Benny reaches into his old bag and pulls what looked like a gold chain and quickly wears it over his neck. He pulls the rest of it out and Tenryu thought he saw there was a glint of gold and blue. Was he wearing some kind of pendant? But before he wasn¡¯t able to get a better look, Benny quickly hides it behind his shirt.

    Benny then slings his new bag over his shoulder, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m done!¡±

    He acted as though he didn¡¯t just hide something suspicious under his shirt. Not that Tenryu cared but he probably understood that Benny didn¡¯t want to be seen wearing some kind of jewelry.

    After all...Tenryu had one himself.

    ***

    ¡°Well, don¡¯t you look handsome?¡±

    That was the first thing Aunt Magma said to Benny as they made their way to back to the bar. Benny fidgeted as though he wasn¡¯t used to be called as such. There were only a couple of customers now (just a pair of regular old guys.) It seems the breakfast rush was over now.

    ¡°Umm, thanks!¡±

    Aunt Magma glanced at him closely, ¡°You¡¯re still wearing those glasses, dear?¡±

    Benny adjusted his glasses on his nose, ¡°Yeah, my vision is so bad that I can¡¯t see two feet in front of me.¡±

    ¡°Oh, but haven¡¯t you tried some Vision Restorer Drops? That¡¯s what Tenryu and I are using for our eyes.¡±

    ¡°I already told him about that.¡±

    ¡°Where can I get some of those drops exactly?¡± asked Benny.

    ¡°Well, you need to have them made by an Apothecary or a Remedician. Nia can make them for you. Speaking of which, she¡¯s waiting for you outside.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah...She did mention yesterday saying she¡¯d accompany us.¡±

    ¡°S-she did? When did she?¡±

    ¡°When you were still out cold from fainting in the bath.¡± says Tenryu nonchalantly, ¡°You sound rather excited to see her though¡±

    Benny franticly tried to backtrack, ¡°No, no, I didn¡¯t mean¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re pink in the face. Are you alright?¡±

    Benny tried to say something but the words that came out of his mouth were gibberish.

    Aunt Magma chuckled, ¡°Go hurry and meet her. It¡¯s rude to keep a lady waiting.¡±

    Like that, they met up with Nia outside. Flare was also there, sweeping the front.

    ¡°Good morning, Benjamin! Tenryu!¡± says Nia with a smile.

    ¡°Hi!¡± Benny greeted her back shyly.

    ¡°Morning!¡± says Tenryu.

    ¡°You look good in those clothes.¡± says Flare, giving him an once-over and a nod.

    ¡°I¡¯m grateful for your generosity, thank you!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about time we put those new clothes of Tenryu¡¯s to good use. They¡¯ve only been gathering dust in the that dump of a room of his¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no longer a dump, you know!¡±

    ¡°Oh, Benjamin I have something for you! I saw this in a dress shop yesterday and thought you might like it!¡±

    Nia gives him the paper bag.

    ¡°Oh? Uh, what is it?¡±

    ¡°Just look and see!¡±

    Benny takes a peek inside it and notices that inside was some kind of a piece of cloth. At first he thought it was some kind of blanket but when he pulls it out he finds it was actually a high-collared, hooded cloak. It was navy blue in color with silver trim.

    ¡°Wow! Nia thanks!¡± Benny said gratefully.

    ¡°Oh? It looks like the cloak you gave me a few years back! Only if I remember it was red in color.¡±

    Nia crosses her arms, ¡°Unfortunately, you burned it within a week.¡±

    Benny throws the cloak over his shoulders and fastens it. The cloak reaches to his knees in length.

    ¡°Is it okay?¡± says Nia, anxiously looking at the hemming of the cloak, ¡°I hope it doesn¡¯t look too small¡­maybe I can have it resized.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s alright! I like it!¡±

    ¡°It does suit you though!¡± admits Tenryu.

    ¡°I agree! Way better than it would fit Tenryu.¡± says Flare.

    At that moment, Aunt Magma exits the bar. ¡°Ah! So all of you are here and ready now! Oh! That¡¯s a nice cloak, Benny-iho.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°So what are your plans for today exactly? Where are you going to take Benny-iho?¡±

    Tenryu had to repeat this three times already. But it seemed as though Aunt Magma was making him repeat it so he won¡¯t be the one to forget.

    ¡°We¡¯re just going to show him around the city. If he¡¯s going to be living here now he might as well get familiar with his surroundings.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re going to bring him around city, then?¡± asked Flare.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we can cover the whole of Amber in one day. So we¡¯ll be around the Central District and the Market District.¡±

    ¡°Plus there¡¯s this restaurant you have just got to try!¡± Tenryu whispered to Benny with a grin.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you being rather disloyal of your own family restaurant?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­You kids better get going! You have a full day ahead of you!¡± Aunt Magma clapped her hands to send them off.

    ¡°Auntie¡¯s right! Let¡¯s get going!¡±

    With that, the three of them exited out of the main door.

    Flare leaned on the broom with a smile. ¡°At least Tenryu¡¯s making friends now¡­¡±

    ¡°I wonder about that boy though¡­¡± Aunt Magma mumbles to herself as she goes back into the shop.

    Aunt Magma thought to herself, He looks so much like him. But those eyes are¡­ Even more so than Tenryu-iho¡­Could that boy really be?

 Chapter 20 - Amber City

    The fresh cold air hit them as they made their way to the streets. It seemed that Benny wasn¡¯t yet used to such temperature as he was sneezing.

    ¡°Achoo!¡±

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± asked Nia in concern.

    ¡°Just a little chill¡­It¡¯s actually very cold in the morning, huh?¡±

    ¡°Want me to warm you up?¡± offered Tenryu with his hand on his sword.

    Benny leaps away from him in response.

    ¡°Uh, no thanks¡­I¡¯m good!¡±

    Benny, Tenryu and Nia headed down the road different from the one they took yesterday.

    The road was made of cobblestones and the houses looked just like that of historic European town. On both sides of the street there were a number of shops. The owners of the local shops were starting to open up. Early morning shoppers were walking up and down the streets to start their first purchases of the day. Benny¡¯s eyes wandered from side to side as they walked, taking in the view of his new home.

    ¡°Good morning, kids!¡±

    A portly but kind-faced woman wearing an apron and baker¡¯s hat waved at them in front of her bakery. She was carrying a large baking tray with sweet smelling, freshly baked bread.

    Both Tenryu and Nia greeted her, ¡°Good morning, Mrs. Cr¨¨me!¡±

    ¡°Have some bread! It¡¯s on the house!¡±

    ¡°Gee, thanks!¡± Tenryu grabbed a few of slices.

    ¡°Tenryu, don¡¯t take them all!¡± chided Nia.

    Mrs. Cr¨¨me chuckled, ¡°Oh just let him! It¡¯s good for growing boy to eat! Have some more! And don¡¯t worry! This is just a normal cheese bun!¡±

    Nia took one slice, ¡°I¡¯ll just have one, Mrs. Cr¨¨me.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Who¡¯s your friend?¡± Mrs. Cr¨¨me asked turning to Benny.

    ¡°This is Benny. He¡¯s staying with me at our place!¡±

    Although this is what Tenryu probably said, it was hard to discern as his mouth was still chewing several rolls of bread at once.

    ¡°Uh, pardon? I didn¡¯t catch that¡­¡±

    Nia decided to introduce Benny properly.

    ¡°What Tenryu is saying is that this boy is our new friend, Benjamin. Benjamin, this is, Mrs. Cr¨¨me. She¡¯s the owner of one of our town¡¯s top bakeries!¡±

    ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t be saying that. But don¡¯t you look strangely familiar for some reason?¡± Mrs. Cr¨¨me took a closer look, ¡°Oh my! You look just like Tenryu here!¡±

    Benny averted his gaze. ¡°So I¡¯ve been told¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, never mind that! Have some bread, dear!¡±

    Benny took a piece and bit it, ¡°Hmm! It tastes like cheese pan-de-sal!¡±

    Mrs. Cr¨¨me looked confused, ¡°Pardon?¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a type of bread I used to eat from where I came from. Your bread tastes really good!¡±

    Mrs. Cr¨¨me smiles at him, ¡°Is that so? Well, don¡¯t hesitate to come back to my shop and tell me all about it!¡±

    But even after saying goodbye to Mrs. Cr¨¨me and going back on their way, they were still greeted by another passerby.

    ¡°Healer Nia, good morning!¡± said a young woman carrying several bags of fruit greeted her.

    ¡°Hello, Emma!¡± Nia greeted her.

    ¡°Thank you for the syrup. My baby is getting better!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good! Just don¡¯t forget to keep giving him the medicine after meals. ¡±

    They passed a butcher¡¯s shop where a butcher busy chopping some meat, Tenryu pointed out as Buffalo-Pig meat.

    ¡°You back already, Tenryu-boy?¡±

    ¡°Oh! Hey there, Hatchet! Yeah, I just got back yesterday!¡±

    ¡°Off to another job then?¡±

    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m taking it easy for today!¡±

    ¡°You never take it easy! Don¡¯t go burning another town on the next job, okay?¡±

    Hatchet laughed out loud as he brought down a huge axe and sliced a particularly large cut of meat.

    Tenryu turned red and was grumbling in an undertone, ¡°Is that all these guys think of me?¡±

    ¡°Just what exactly have you been doing?¡± asks Benny.

    Tenryu flinched as though Benny had thrown something at the back of his head.

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to know¡­¡± Nia chuckled. ¡°Believe me¡­ it would take a lot longer to explain!¡±

    Tenryu grumbled again. He really disliked it when people talked behind his back about his little mishaps. He kept glancing at Benny who was looking both bewildered and at the same time concerned. Though Tenryu did not wish to admit it, but he was worried that Benny¡¯s opinion of him was changing in a negative way.

    ¡°We¡¯re almost at the end of the road!¡± says Nia as she points up ahead.

    ¡°Hey! I can see the canals up ahead!¡± Benny looking quite excited.

    Tenryu froze in his step, ¡°Wait¡­the canals?¡±

    They reached the end of the road and onto a street along a long channel. The waters were crystal blue and sparkling in the morning light. There were several boats that were cruising along the channels. There also numerous docks along the channel where small, narrow boats lay docked.

    ¡°We¡¯re in luck!¡± Nia clapped her hands together, ¡°Since it¡¯s early in the morning! We can ride the gondolas to get through the city faster! And Ricardo¡¯s there!¡±

    ¡°T-the¡­g-gondolas?!¡± stammered Tenryu.

    ¡°Gondolas?¡± asked Benny, ¡°You mean they have those here?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s one of the city¡¯s main attractions!¡± Nia explained to him, ¡°A lot of people find it faster to ride the gondolas across the channels than walking around the long way on bridges. But they¡¯re always booked one after another!¡±

    ¡°Wait the blitzing minute!¡± Tenryu shouted causing both Benny and Nia to turn.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Tenryu?¡±

    ¡°Who says we¡¯re riding those things? I thought we agreed we¡¯re walking there!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be quicker and more relaxing if we just take the-oh!¡± Nia breaks off, ¡°Oh, sorry! I forgot¡­¡±

    ¡°You forgot? You forgot that I can¡¯t stand those things?¡± Tenryu stamped his foot on the ground. ¡°How could you forget?¡±

    Benny was albeit confused at their conversation. Strangely, he felt as though he were in this situation before. But then he remembered Tenryu¡¯s previous reaction to a certain word... and gondolas happen to fall into that same category.

    Benny clamped a hand over his mouth to hide his snort of laughter but Tenryu¡¯s sharp ears picked up on that.

    ¡°I heard that Benny!¡±

    ¡°S-sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s find one!¡± says Nia, while surveying for a vacant ride.

    ¡°Wait! You¡¯re not saying we¡¯re still going to ride-¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case you can walk. Benjamin and I will ride the gondolas.¡±

    ¡°J-just the two of us?¡± stuttered Benny as he turned red.

    ¡°No way!¡± said Tenryu stamped his foot, ¡°I want to be the one who brings Benny around!¡±

    ¡°Then you have a choice of riding the gondola or running there at full speed!¡±

    ***

    A while later they were riding a gondola across the channel.

    And why Tenryu was so against riding a boat became apparent: the boy has the worst case of sea-sickness Benny has ever seen!

    Tenryu¡¯s face turned a deep shade of sickening green and he was limp as a rag doll.

    ¡°He better not leave any mess on the side of my gondola again! I just cleaned her!¡± said the gondola driver in an Italian accent.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ricardo! Tenryu can hold it in¡­I hope¡­¡±

    Benny kept trying to soothe Tenryu¡¯s sea sickness by rubbing his back. But his eye never left the gondola driver named Ricardo. Just like the wagon driver yesterday, this guy was also Animalian! This time he was half-man and half-reptile! Aside from the lizard-like appearance, this guy was huge! He had the build of a serious body-builder! In fact, Benny was sure he looked a lot like that reptilian monster from one of his comics. The only difference was that he was dressed in like a Venetian gondolier and he spoke with a minor Italian accent. Which seemed too toned down his menacing appearance in a way.

    Ricardo caught sight of Benny¡¯s staring, ¡°Is there something wrong?¡±

    Benny flinched, ¡°Umm¡­nothing!¡±

    ¡°Oh Ricardo, this is Benjamin. And Benjamin this is Ricardo!¡± Nia introduced them.

    Ricardo raised a scaly hand, ¡°Nice to meet you!¡±

    ¡°H-hi!¡± stammered Benny.

    ¡°He¡¯s a local gondola driver. Even though he looks scary, he¡¯s got a big heart.¡±

    ¡°Scary? Now that really hurts!¡± Ricardo laughed nonetheless, ¡°You kind of look like Tenryu here, now that I noticed! Well, except you¡¯ve got blue hair and eyes.¡±

    ¡°My hair¡¯s black...it¡¯s just blue around the fringe¡­¡± Benny corrected him.

    Struggling, Tenryu tried to keep the contents of his stomach in. But the shaking motions were making him even greener. Tenryu slumped with his head over the edge of the boat. Benny kept on rubbing his back to help ease him.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen someone with sea sickness this bad before¡­¡± says Benny, looking at him in concern.

    ¡°This is why I hate riding this¡­Bleagh*¡­¡± Tenryu slumped again.

    ¡°He still hasn¡¯t gotten over it, I see.¡± Ricardo says, stirring them across a turn.

    ¡°It¡¯s a sad thing really. Tenryu can¡¯t step onto a boat without melting into a jelly.¡± Nia sighed.

    ¡°Then again, maybe you shouldn¡¯t have eaten several rolls of bread before we got on?¡± Benny suggests

    ¡°I¡­didn¡¯t think¡­Ugh*¡­we¡¯d ride¡­a gondola!¡±

    ¡°Do you have a problem with my gondola? I can chuck you into the river and you can swim back to the next port if you want!¡±

    ¡°I¡­can¡¯t swim either¡­urgh*!¡± he blurted out.

    Benny turned to Nia, ¡°Isn¡¯t there a medicine for motion sickness?¡±

    Nia shook her head. ¡°There is but unfortunately he hates the taste.¡±

    ¡°Seriously¡­? You¡¯re saying that¡¯s his reason?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s extremely stubborn so we¡¯re left with no option but to just let nature take its course.¡±

    Tenryu endured the long ride while Benny sat back and admired the scenic view from the gondola. Eventually they drifted from the canals to the main river! There were a large number of boats and gondolas floating around the river.

    They passed under what Ricardo says is the West Unity Bridge. It was a huge tower bridge that was highly reminiscent of the London Bridge. It was one of the three large bridges that connected the large river island to the mainland. The island itself had many structures and buildings that were built in a way that it made island looked like a castle town within a city.

    ¡°Large-scale ships can only dock in the main port of the city. They aren¡¯t allowed in the canals but small boats and yachts commonly traverse the waterways to the smaller ports. Some shops even have their own private docks to have goods delivered by boat.¡± Ricardo explained to them.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Benny glanced at a small dock where a boat was unloading a couple of crates. ¡°So how long have you been a gondola driver?¡±

    ¡°For as long as I can remember. I was still a kid when Cardinal Heartau got me this work.¡±

    ¡°Cardinal Heartau?¡± asks Benny.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know him?¡± Ricardo looked surprised, at least that was what Benny thought. His expression had him bared out his sharp teeth.

    ¡°Benjamin is not from around here so he wouldn¡¯t know about Cardinal Heartau.¡± explains Nia.

    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re a foreigner? What brings you to Medea?¡±

    Benny looked away. He always does this when someone asks him this question.

    Nia quickly whispered, ¡°It¡¯s a touchy subject. Benjamin had some problems¡­¡±

    Ricardo backtracked, ¡°Oh, so sorry¡­I didn¡¯t mean to bring it up¡­¡±

    Benny smiled half-heartedly, ¡°That¡¯s okay! So who is Cardinal Heartau? He sounds important.¡±

    ¡°Oh, he is!¡± Ricardo looked only too enthusiastic too explain, ¡°He¡¯s one of the most respected people in all of the Medea Kingdom! Perhaps even the whole continent of Magica!¡±

    ¡°He was also a previous Magister of the Seventh District before he became Cardinal Paladin.¡± Nia added.

    ¡°What¡¯s a Magister?¡± repeats Benny.

    ¡°The Magister....¡± Nia faltered when she saw Benny¡¯ confused expression, ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­I¡¯m not familiar with the terms. I¡¯m sort of new to this. Can you explain it clearer for me?¡±

    ¡°Is this kid right on the head?¡± Ricardo whispers to Nia.

    Benny had to clarify a few things before they start assuming he¡¯s mentally inept. ¡°I¡¯m not crazy or stupid! I¡¯m just not familiar with certain things as I¡¯m not from around here!¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s common knowledge, Benjamin.¡±

    Dang! If that¡¯s the case I must look really like a big idiot to them. Benny thought.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never really paid attention to details. I was busy minding my own thing. A lot of things happened¡­¡±

    Nia patted his hand sympathetically which caused Benny flinch at her touch.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I understand. You had a lot on your plate.¡±

    ¡°T-thanks Nia¡­¡±

    ¡°But still, you should be familiar with these things and what¡¯s around you. It¡¯s not good to be ignorant. Nevertheless, I think you should have an overview especially since you¡¯ll be living here for the time being.¡±

    Benny listened intently as Nia explained. And this was the gist of his understanding:

    The Kingdom of Medea, like other countries either in this world or his home world, is a complex network of politics, trade and territories. But what sets this world apart from his world is the existence of Magic.

    There are two organizations that are directly involved in Magic.

    The first was the Zentorah Church.

    It is a powerful organization that extends its influence and authority not just Medea but in all countries. It coordinates with the countries¡¯ government and hold sway over all affairs relating to Magic. It¡¯s authority spanning from research and development of Magic to enforcing the law and regulations of the use of Magic. Apart from that, Zentorah also serves as the world¡¯s religious sect preaching morality, peace and law.

    In order for it to spread its function, it has satellite branches in every region or province in the country which is in the form of Parishes with an Office Head managing each one. The Parish Offices are then in turn under the jurisdiction of a Diocese, which controls all the Parish Offices in its region. An Archbishop is the head of each Diocese. And a Cardinal was the head of all the dioceses in the country and directly serving the Pope of Zentorah.

    There was another branch of Zentorah which enforces the laws of the Zentorah Doctrine and deals with criminals related to Magic. They are the Paladin Knights. Coincidently, the leader of each country¡¯s Paladin Knights has the title of Cardinal as well and though they have the same title and equivalent rank their functions are primarily different. To set them apart they are more often called Cardinal Paladin. This is the position of Cardinal Heartau.

    Basically it is similar to the Catholic Church in both function and purpose.

    The other organization was the Adventurer Association.

    True to its name the Association is what manages the Adventurers and their activities. Separate from Zentorah but still working closely together when it comes to implementing their laws and regulations. The Adventurer Association is the Medea Kingdom¡¯s version of the Department of Labor and Employment in his world. It is here where people send their Job requests to and the Adventurer Association either posts the requests within their branches or relay it to registered Adventurer Guilds. Their main office is in the First District with six other branches called Magistrates for the respective remaining six.

    ¡°So basically, Amberose City is the Provincial Magic Capital of the Seventh Region as it is where both the Magistrate and the Diocese for the District are located.¡±

    ¡°The sums about it.¡± says Nia, as she nods in satisfaction.

    ¡°And Cardinal Heartau was once the Magistrate of this region? I thought he worked for the Adventurer Association not the Zentorah Church.¡±

    ¡°Well, basically it¡¯s like this. He worked as an Adventurer in his youth but got recruited as a Paladin of Zentorah sometime then. But he eventually left their ranks and decided to work in Magistrate and became the Magister. But when the previous Cardinal Paladin retired, he was appointed to the position by the Pope. It caused quite a sensation because he is the first Cardinal Paladin, at least at that time, to be not directly affiliated with the Paladin Knights.¡±

    So as a Cardinal, in terms of hierarchy, he¡¯s in one of the highest positions. He¡¯s equivalent to the Chief Minister of the Adventurer Association. It would seem that the Magister is being equivalent to an Archbishop. Benny thought carefully as he processed this.

    ¡°So where is he now?¡±

    It was Ricardo who answered, ¡°As Cardinal Paladin he works in the First District¡¯s main office, right at the royal capital.¡±

    ¡°I can tell that¡¯s a pretty big promotion, huh?¡±

    ¡°Are we there yet?¡± groaned Tenryu, still slumped over the side of the boat.

    ¡°Yeah, kiddo,¡± Ricardo licked his teeth, ¡°We¡¯re in the canals near the Port Area. That¡¯s your first stop isn¡¯t it?

    ¡°Thank goodness¡­for that¡­¡± Tenryu groaned again.

    They soon reached a small wharf and docked right at the nearest gondola port.

    Ricardo waved at them as he drove his gondola back to the canals. ¡°If you kids want to ride the gondola again, don¡¯t hesitate to look me up!¡± He boomed in his loud Italian accent.

    ¡°I won¡¯t¡­¡± Tenryu was still swaying as though he were still back on boat.

    ¡°Thank you, Ricardo!¡± Nia waves as Ricardo steers his gondola from the dock.

    ¡°Thanks for the ride, Mr. Ricardo!¡±

    Benny sees Ricardo turns his boat around a corner and vanishes.

    ***

    Tenryu and Nia took him around major hot spots of Amberose City.

    They visited the port where numerous ships were moored. (Tenryu waited at the outskirts due to his obvious aversion to them and the fact he was still queasy.) Apparently the Amberose Port had connections to many different ports to other countries.

    They visited several other places like the Public Baths which were frequented by a lot of the locals. They passed through City Garden Park which was filled with numerous flowering trees where a lot of children were playing under them. They took a quick look into City Library which had an enormous collection of books (Benny memorized the directions so he can visit this place again.)

    Finally they made their way to the liveliest part of the city: Amberose City¡¯s Market Street.

    A short walk away from the Library was a four lane road with shops lining on both sides! It seems that every building here was a shop. The whole place was crowded with both people and Animalians alike!

    ¡°Welcome to the Amberose City Market Street! Or as it¡¯s popularly called: Buyer¡¯s Avenue!¡±

    ¡°If Rebecca Bloomwood saw this place she¡¯d ruin her husband¡¯s bank account further.¡± Benny murmured.

    ¡°Who¡¯s that, Benjamin?¡±

    ¡°Oh, nothing¡­I was just talking about someone I know in passing.¡±

    They walked around the place and passed by some shops. The place was quite lively for a market area.

    ¡°Heh¡­¡± Benny looks around in wonder. It kind of reminds me of an open air mall¡­

    ¡°Most of the shops in town are situated right here. If you¡¯re out to buy something you can usually find it for sale here in Buyer¡¯s Avenue!¡±

    ¡°So we¡¯re going shopping now?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re just going to look around as we move along! Although I do need to buy some more ingredients...¡± Nia added thoughtfully, ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll drop by Cadfeal¡¯s Pharmacy¡­¡±

    ¡°Three Au for a small bottle of Confusion Essence, that Pharmacy is a rip-off!¡± grumbled a customer that just passed by them.

    ¡°COME ALL! QUALITY MAGICAL ITEMS AT LOW PRICE!¡± yelled a shop owner who was Animalian who looked like an anthropomorphic monkey.

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me that it¡¯s two Au and forty Ag for a small bag of Pixie Glitter?! Isn¡¯t there a discount?¡±

    A young lady tried to bargain with an old shopkeeper.

    The shopkeeper grunted, ¡°Look, Pixie Glitter isn¡¯t something you can pick off the ground! We¡¯re already hard-pressed to harvest these! The price is two Au and forty Ag. You can take it or leave it. But I will throw in some Forest Wyvern Scales.¡±

    ¡°Fine, I really need it anyway!¡± the woman sighed in defeat.

    There were a whole lot of people buying, bargaining, selling, and in some cases, arguing on the prices of the merchandise. The whole area was crowded with people that one had to keep a sharp eye so they wouldn¡¯t get lost.

    But apart from that, all the shops here sold a variety of things that Benny knew would never sold in his home world!

    There were tons of shops that sold Magic Items and Tools. Benny has never seen so many kinds of swords, spears, hammers and shields on display. Usually he¡¯d see these things in the National Museum and not for sale on the streets.

    There were also shops that sold everyday items but were powered by Magic. There were items like the Heating Ovens for cooking (a magical form of an oven powered by Magic Crystals.) Another was a pair of Speed-Translating Reading Glasses which can allow its user to read very fast and can allow translation to other languages (Benny made a mental note to buy one.) There was even a Wind Generators Windmill (translation: a magic-powered electric fan.)

    Apart from Magical Items, there¡¯re also a number of Pharmacies that sold Potions, Medicines and Potion ingredients (Benny and Tenryu had to keep pulling Nia away from these shops as she kept getting distracted into buying several herbs even if she mentioned she already has a stock.)

    There are even shops that provide services that had something to do with Magic like restaurants that serve and cooked food through Magic (this time Benny and Nia had to keep pulling a drooling Tenryu away from them.)

    Buyer¡¯s Avenue had shops that not only sold Magical Items but also a variety of shops that sold regular, non-magical items. Stores that sold clothes, furniture and there were even bookstores, (Benny was most interested in the history and spell books but Tenryu kept pulling him away.)

    They did however buy a few things.

    Using his pocket money, Benny was able to buy a couple of books, that Speed-Translating Reading Glasses and an actual Wizard¡¯s hat. Although Benny felt he was cosplaying when wearing that hat but in this world it was a common accessory for travelers so wearing one wasn¡¯t out of place. Nia bought the Herbal Glossary she mentioned she had her eye on along with some very rare herbs. Tenryu himself was able to buy himself a new hammock. Tenryu explained his old one was given away to a wild animal, though why an animal would want a hammock was question in itself.

    The place had a lot to offer and compared to the dusty, car exhaust filled highways of his home world, Buyer¡¯s Avenue was remarkably well-cleaned. Amberose City looked just like one those fantasy towns come to life!

    Even after walking around from quite some time, Benny¡¯s enthusiasm hasn¡¯t died down one bit. They spent so much time around Buyer¡¯s Avenue that it was already way past noon. When Benny pointed that out they all decided to head for their next destination.

    They had to walk there as they couldn¡¯t get there via gondola (much to Tenryu¡¯s relief.) Normally the prospect of walking so far on foot would really put out Benny and but seeing more of this wonderful Magic-filled city was already enough to convince him!

    Going down from Buyer¡¯s Avenue, they reached the West Unity Bridge. It was one of the tower bridges but was different was that it was still considered a part of Buyer¡¯s Avenue so it was lined with numerous stalls and street vendors. Nia explained that these folks were passing traders from different regions of the kingdom so it was definitely worth the look.

    There were also street performers dancing around and using Magic in a variety of entertaining ways. Benny thought that if they performed together with ¡°magicians¡± from his world, in terms of entertainment they would probably be on par.

    Both Benny and Nia applauded after they saw some of them breathed fire from what looks like a large bubble blower and the flames took the shape small dragons

    ¡°Big deal, I can make bigger flames than that!¡± Tenryu pulled out his sword.

    Benny swiftly grabbed his arm, ¡°I¡¯d like to see more of the city! So can you put your sword away and get moving?¡±

    ¡°Well, if you say so¡­¡± Tenryu says as he sheaths back his sword.

    Nia gave Benny a thumbs-up and whispered, ¡°Quick thinking, Benjamin!¡±

    Benny blushed at that.

    They crossed the bridge and arrived at Unity Island. Which just so happens to be the big castle-like island they passed earlier. Connected by the tower bridges and located at the very heart of the city, this district serves as the city center.

    ¡°From here, it¡¯ll be a sharp climb to walk uphill.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re telling me¡­¡± Benny was albeit out of breath as he climbed.

    It seems the roads in this part of the district had a sharp incline.

    ¡°Once we get to the top! It¡¯ll all be worth it!¡± says Nia, who didn¡¯t look the least bit tired despite her fragile appearance, ¡°Besides, that¡¯s where we¡¯re going to have lunch.¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡± exclaimed Tenryu as he punched the air enthusiastically and marched on forward, ¡°Finally! We¡¯re gonna have something to eat!¡±

    Benny had to admit, Tenryu¡¯s enthusiasm for his appetite did motivate him to press on forward.

    They finally reached the peak.

    ¡°Here we are! This is Milagros de Adarna Piazza!¡±

    Benny¡¯s exhaustion melted away when he saw what was before him! There before him was a huge, circular plaza with flagstones in different shades colors and formed some sort of intricate pattern. Trees lined the streets and there were lampposts with large crystal balls. A gigantic fountain played in the very center of the plaza and had huge statues depicting some kind of famous battle.

    The plaza also had some of the most splendid buildings Benny has ever seen.

    A large white building was on the left. It looked strangely similar like the White House in the US only without the huge lawn. Nia explained that this building served as the city hall as well as the home of the mayor. Directly opposite of that grand building was another large building. It was built like the US Capitol. Benny was told that this was the Adventurer Association¡¯s Regional Office.

    As amazing as the buildings were, the one that really caught Benny¡¯s attention the most was the building directly adjacent of the two.

    It was, in Benny¡¯s opinion, the most amazing and splendid work of architecture he has ever seen. The gothic-style building seemed to be covered in gold and towered so high that it practically dwarfed the whole surroundings!

    Benny recalled being able to see this building from when he first arrived.

    If the place was enormous seeing it from afar, being here in front of the actual place gave the impression that they were the size of ants. Benny assumed that the cathedral from the ground to the top of bell towers was at least thirty-stories tall. The steps leading up to the grand entranceway of the cathedral were huge like a stage. The facade had beautiful statues of angels and huge stained-glass windows depicting some historical scenes (Benny wasn¡¯t sure if they were religious). There were two bell towers that reached all the way up to the sky. Benny wondered that if he were to stand at the very top, would he be able to see the whole of Amberose City or perhaps the whole region.

    Nia noticed Benny staring at the building, ¡°That building is the world-famous Milagros Cathedral! It was built two hundred years ago under the orders of King Louis.¡±

    As amazing as the historical trivia sounded, Benny was more taken in at the sheer size of the place and the fact it was gleaming in gold.

    ¡°Did they really paint that whole cathedral in gold?¡± Benny asks.

    Nia shook her head, ¡°No, no, Benjamin. That¡¯s not paint.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Wait¡­ Are you saying that¡­that¡¯s real¡­¡±

    ¡°The king at that time wanted it to be a symbol of Medea¡¯s economic might. So he requested it to be leafed in gold.¡±

    Leafed? Benny felt a little stupid to think the cathedral was actually made of gold. But then again¡­having the whole place covered in gold is still ridiculously expensive idea.

    ¡°Because of that, it¡¯s been known as the Jeweled Music Box of Medea.¡±

    ¡°Jeweled Music Box? I can understand the jeweled part but why a music box?¡±

    ¡°The Cathedral has a set of bells that chime together in beautiful harmony¡­Oh! Listen! It¡¯s starting!¡±

    Suddenly, a loud peal of symphonic music rang. It was one of the most beautiful sounds Benny has ever heard! Even though it sounded like bells, Benny thought it sounded more like he was listening to an orchestra playing.

    ¡°Oh wow! The Cathedral has a carillon!¡± Benny blurted out.

    ¡°A what?¡±

    ¡°Bells that have a mechanism that allows them to be played like a song!¡±

    ¡°Oh. I wasn¡¯t aware of that.¡± Nia tilted her head in amazement.

    Everyone around the plaza seemed to stop as though they wanted to listen in as well. The song continued on for at least one minute until it silently played away into a fading sound.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it just relax you?¡± Nia sighs.

    ¡°Um¡­I think it has too much of a calming effect.¡±

    Benny points beside him.

    Benny didn¡¯t think that was even possible but Tenryu had practically fallen asleep while standing! ¡°Let me handle this. Wake up!¡±

    Nia smacked him on the top if the head with her purse. It made a loud sound as though a cargo hold had slammed to the side of a ship.

    W-what¡¯s in that thing that makes a sound like that? Benny thought.

    ¡°W-Where¡¯s the fire?!¡±

    ¡°You fell asleep again when you heard the bells. It always happens¡­¡±

    ¡°Brings back memories¡­¡± says Tenryu, looking at the cathedral.

    ¡°Was that the time you smashed a window and the Archbishop chased you around town?¡±

    Benny was stunned to hear that but he also tried to stifle his laughter when the image popped up of an elderly Archbishop with his robes flying as he chased a younger Tenryu across the street!

    Tenryu, of course, wasn¡¯t talking about the memories of smashing a cathedral window but how he first laid his eyes over the building. He was a kid back then and it was like a castle to him. He remembered how he ate some delicious crepes by the fountain.

    However, the thought of food caused Tenryu¡¯s stomach to growl.

    There was another rumble. This time it came from Benny¡¯s own stomach, much to his own mortification.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad we¡¯ve arrived here!¡± Nia gestured around, ¡°Some of the best restaurants happen to be right up here in the Piazza!¡±

    Plaza indeed had a lot of caf¨¦s, restaurants, eateries and any other stores dedicated to food.

    After a tiring stroll in a market place, Benny felt it was good to enjoy some delicacies.

 Chapter 21 - Ignoble Noble

    -----They ate up at a caf¨¦ called The Caf¨¦ Croissant.

    The place had a wide selection of sandwiches, pastries and pastas. Some of sandwiches Benny wasn¡¯t sure what their fillings were but Tenryu seemed to be a regular as he was asked if he wanted the usual. It was a submarine sandwich with a mountain of chopped meat and coated with thick sauce in it. Nia ordered a grilled vegetable sandwich. Benny just chose the one in the menu that looked most appetizing to him: regular-looking hamburger.

    They sat in the seats outside the caf¨¦.

    Despite the sun shining brightly, the place was cool due to constant winds blowing from the sea. Benny couldn¡¯t help but admire the picturesque surroundings while eating his hamburger. He kept on asking questions about the places¡¯ history which Nia was kind enough to answer him. Tenryu himself couldn¡¯t help but smirk at Benny¡¯s child-like wonder.

    ¡°Our next stop would be the main attraction of the day. It¡¯s a shop around the corner.¡±

    Benny sipped his tea, ¡°Another shop? But didn¡¯t we visit enough at Buyer¡¯s Avenue?¡±

    ¡°Oh, this one¡¯s special, Benjamin! You¡¯ll see when we get there!¡±

    Tenryu stood up from his seat, ¡°You know I¡¯d like something special too! I¡¯d like to get me some desert! And what better to finish up lunch is with some crepes!¡±

    ¡°Nice way to change the subject¡­¡± Benny stared at the piles of plates before him, ¡°You''re still not filled up?¡±

    ¡°He never does. I think there¡¯s a black hole where his stomach should be.¡± Nia shakes her head.

    ¡°Hey, I heard that!¡±

    ¡°Well, I could go for some crepes too! Do you want some Benjamin?¡±

    Benny shakes his head immediately, completely embarrassed that he has depended too much on their generosity already. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m good!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that!¡± Tenryu slaps him painfully in the shoulder. ¡°The crepes are to die for! Just wait till you sink your teeth into one of them!¡±

    Benny sighed in defeat, ¡°Fine, if you insist I¡¯ll have one too.¡±

    Nia looks at the crepe stand across the street.

    ¡°Ah, it seems there¡¯s a long line, you can stay here if you want.¡±

    ¡°Eh? I couldn¡¯t just-¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡±

    Tenryu slaps him in the shoulder again.

    ¡°We¡¯ll buy it for you. What flavor do you want?¡± Nia asks him.

    ¡°W-well¡­I¡¯d go for the best seller.¡±

    Besides I don¡¯t know what kind of flavors they have it in here, Benny thought.

    As Tenryu and Nia went to the crepe stand to order, Benny sat in their spot at the caf¨¦.

    To past time waiting for them, Benny took the opportunity to read his new books and break in his Speed-Translating Reading Glasses. He had to wear them over his glasses which felt awkward to say the least. He bought two books which were titled History of the Magic World and Adventurers an Occupation.

    Benny took the first book and read some of its main content.

    It was strange that the last class he had ever taken was History. He wasn¡¯t really the type for history lessons but being in this new world, Benny was very much interested in learning about the history of the world where Magic has a great impact in it.

    Benny spent a while reading that book. For a history book, it was so very interesting. It was like reading one of his light novels back at home.

    This world¡¯s name is Mundo Magica.

    Unlike his old world, this world had several intelligent species. The first and more numerous are, of course, the Humans. The other groups were the Animalians, which actually had two groups: Beastmen (anthropomorphs like Meo the driver) and Therians (they have a general human appearance apart from the small animalistic characteristics like dog ears or a cat¡¯s tail.) And lastly were the Demi-Beings which were composed of fantasy beings like Elves, Fairies, Dwarves and many others.

    The local fauna are almost close to the animals from his home world except either they are mixed (like the Rabbit-Armadillo), having unique characteristics (like the winged boars), or fantasy creatures (like the Unicorn.)

    The local plant life is very unique as well, with some plants having elaborate names that befit their appearance like the trumpeting horn flowers.

    The whole world is divided into three hemispheres: Northern Hemisphere, Central Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere.

    The Medea Kingdom, where Benny is at right now is part of the Central Hemisphere. There are many countries within the Central Hemisphere. And where the Medea Kingdom is located there are five neighboring countries that border the kingdom. These countries are the Edo Shogunate, the Sultanate of Bellofiore, the Diarchic Republic of Ocea, the Principality of Ptolemy and the Ersatz Confederation.

    The Medea Kingdom is strategically located in a way that it borders all these countries in both land and sea, thus making it an ideal trade center. Because of this, Medea has enjoyed prosperity with trading and commerce. As such it has strong economic influence amongst these countries.

    There is actually another ¡°country¡± near Medea but it¡¯s more of a ministate than a nation. It¡¯s located on a tiny island directly on the borders of the Central and North Hemispheres. This was the Autonomous Theocratic State of Zenterra, the headquarters of the Zentorah Church. This state would seem to fulfill the role as that of Vatican City of his home world.

    Directly north of Medea and across the vast Tiber Ocean is the Northern Hemisphere. It has one single country called the Great Camelot Empire and it spans the whole Northern Hemisphere making it the largest country in the world. Empire doesn¡¯t have much of a diplomatic relations to the Central Hemisphere countries other than a non-aggression pact. Other than that, the Empire just keeps to itself.

    As for the Southern Hemisphere, there isn¡¯t a single country or land there. Or at least there isn¡¯t any more¡­

    What¡¯s there is just a single, large void called the Abyss.

    It¡¯s literally the edge of the world with the oceans falling off the edge of the Abyss like an endless waterfall into a dark void.

    What the Abyss is plays a significant and tragic part of this Mundo Magica history.

    It seems in the beginning, all traces of Magic could be said to have began with an unknown and mysterious person known only as the Sage of Origin. From this mysterious Sage, Magic began to flourish and expand into many forms throughout the eons.

    The influence of Magic reached its peak during the height of the Atlantis Empire. This was the country that once spanned the whole Southern Hemisphere.

    ¡°Whoa¡­Seriously?!¡± exclaimed Benny, ¡°Atlantis actually existed?!¡±

    His exclamation earned him some stares from the caf¨¦¡¯s customers.

    ¡°Ah! Don¡¯t mind me! I¡¯m just reading a good book!¡±

    Benny may have just made a complete fool of himself as that was what the looks everyone was giving him right now.

    Benny buried his face back into his book and continued reading.

    Atlantis was said to have been a great empire that flourished some eight thousand years ago. It was an empire that had brought the use of Magic to its greatest. In fact, the current era of Magic still pales in comparison to the past.

    But its advanced knowledge of Magic was a double-edged sword that led to the Atlantis Empire¡¯s own downfall and destruction. In one night, the whole empire was obliterated when a catastrophic wave of misused Magic destroyed the whole continent and the land on which Atlantis it stood. Unlike the version in his world where Atlantis sunk beneath the waves, it would seem the Magic World¡¯s historical Atlantis was turned into an enormous gaping hole in the world. This area of the world is now known as the Abyss.

    This catastrophe led to a decline in the use of Magic and the fear of its use.

    For millennia, Magic had practically been forgotten.

    That was until the rise of Merlin.

    ¡°Merlin?¡± mumbles Benny as he stares at the name, ¡°First Atlantis and now Merlin exists too? Maybe just coincidence¡­¡±

    Benny just realized that the Empire at the north is called the Great ¡°Camelot¡± Empire. Was it just coincidence that there are some similarities between this world and his home world? It would seem the fiction in his world is very real here.

    He continued reading and found that just like his world¡¯s fictional ¡°Merlin¡± this world¡¯s Merlin was also a powerful Magic user but he was more than that. He was the very first and greatest Adventurer of all time. He was the one ushered the second Era of Magic.

    Eight millennia after the Fall of Atlantis Empire, Merlin was said to have alighted from a far-away land with knowledge of Magic and Skills beyond anyone of that era. Where and how he learned these things is still a mystery. One common belief was that he had gained that knowledge from extensive studies on the ancient Atlantis Civilization. Another was said that he was a prodigy and genius who redeveloped Magic Abilities and Skills Techniques based on his own ideas. Either way, his teachings remain the basis of Magic and Skills of the current era.

    Merlin had taken in twelve apprentices to pass on his teachings and knowledge. These apprentices would become known as the Twelve Disciples. Each of these Disciples became the first of each Class of the current main twelve Classes of Adventurers. They would all become prominent figures in their own way. Apparently the Disciple who was the first Knight Class Adventurer, William the Brave Sword, became the ancestor of the royal family of Medea.

    But probably the most notable were three of the Disciples Caspar the Sacred (first Guardiran Class), Melchior the Muse (first Cleric Class) and Balthazar the Wise (first Enchanter Class) who formed the original Supporter Group. They became the founders of the Zentorah Church, which upholds the teachings of Merlin and the laws on Magic he had formulated.

    When Merlin, the original and first Adventurer, had taught all he knew to his Disciples he had simply disappeared from history.

    Why did I get the feeling that this was to be expected? Suddenly coming in and then went out in mysterious style. Benny thought.

    Benny took the other book and scanned it as well.

    The second book, Adventurers an Occupation was about Adventurers in general. It would seem that Adventurers, like the online games he used to play, had different Classes one can choose depending on their Skill Set and Magic Ability. Basically there were twelve Classes divided into four groups: Warrior, Healer, Cleric and Mage.

    There¡¯s the Warrior Group that heavy emphasis on strong Offensive Skills. Though they also have Magic Abilities they focus more on Skills and Techniques. They are very reliant on which weapon they use and Skills to match the use of that weapon. In that group there is the Knight Class, Mercenary Class, and Hunter Class.

    Next is the Healer Group that focuses mainly on Healing and Restorative treatments. They are Adventure Group that can be an occupation in itself. Though limited, they have do have offensive Magic and Skills that aid them in a battle. Within that are the Alchemist Class, Druid Class, and Exorcist Class.

    The Supporter Group focuses on Support and Defensive Magic and Skills. Like the Healer Classes, this Class has little Magic or Skills used for direct offense however they make up for their strong defense and support abilities. They help in battle by utilizing Magic and Skills to aid their allies and minimize damages. Within the Group are Cleric Class, Guardian Class and Enchanter Class.

    Finally, there¡¯s the Mage Group. As with Warrior Classes, they have strong offense but unlike those classes, they focus more on the Magic Abilities. These Classes would have people with very strong Manna (the energy that allows Magic) within them. Like the rest of the groups, there are three Classes within that group. There¡¯s the Sorcerer Class, Arcanist Class and Tamer Class.

    Unlike the games in his world, however, you can have more than one Class. It would seem the role of Sub-Class in games would be similar to that. Like in the case for Healer and Supporter Groups, they would often have the basic levels of Magic and Skills range of either the Warrior or Mage Groups.

    There are some occupations in this world wherein you have to be an Adventurer of two or more different Classes as qualifications. Occupations with dual or more Classes are nicknamed Specialty Classes. Take for example the Remedicians who have to have Classes in both the Alchemist and Druid Classes.

    Now that Benny thought of it, Nia seemed to fill those two descriptions quite well. This only made her an even more amazing person in his mind. When Benny realized, he was thinking more of Nia again he blushed profusely and shook his head to return to his reading.

    It would also seem that there are even different specializations within each Class. Swordsmages like Tenryu are example where they are a specialization with the Knight Class. Although they aren¡¯t common, Swordsmages are what you¡¯d call a Magic Knight with strong Sword Skills and Magic capabilities.

    Tenryu is quite impressive as well, Benny added.

    ¡°I guess all Adventurers are amazing!¡±

    Benny thought about what Tenryu suggested about him becoming an Adventurer.

    From what had happened in the last few days, Benny could see himself as someone more on the Supporter Group, most specifically the Cleric Class, since the Magic he has tried were mostly Barrier Spells. But he wanted to try a Class in the Mage Group, particularly the Sorcerer or the Arcanist Class. Since he can have more than one¡­maybe he should try for both.

    ¡°What am I doing getting ahead of myself?¡± Benny chuckled to himself, ¡°An Adventurer, huh? I guess it would be awesome to become one.¡±

    He continued reading and eventually reached the part about Guilds.

    Some Adventurers either go solo or form small groups called a Party where they team up with other Adventures with Magic and Skills suited for a particular Job.

    Most Adventurers, however, usually join an Adventurer Guild.

    Just like those RPG games and fantasy anime he watched, it seems Guilds are an integral part of an RPG/Fantasy-themed society. Based in what Benny originally knew and read, Guilds are organizations where people with the same occupation, expertise and interests gather for jobs, information, and to connect with others in the same field. Some Guilds can have as little three members to as many as a more than a thousand.

    The difference between a Party and a Guild is actually straightforward. A Party is simply a temporary group though it is common to form the same Parties repeatedly. Guilds, on the other hand, are more of a permanent organization akin to corporate companies. They have to have a permanent base so they require properties. They also need funds to maintain and support their organization. Of course they need to have permanent/regular members.

    There were some cases wherein there were Guilds that received endorsement and support from the monarch. This is more commonly known as the Royal Chartered Guilds and currently there are only three Guilds that received the Royal Charter.

    There were actually many types of Guilds in this world, not just including the Adventurer Guilds. Some examples of Guilds include the Merchant Guilds, Crafting Guilds, Mercenary Guilds and Exploration Guilds.

    Even the Adventurer Guilds have subsets with a particular Guild mostly made up of just a single Class or a Specialty Class like the Hunter Guilds and Sorcerer Guilds.

    ¡°That¡¯s a lot to take in¡­but interesting all the same!¡±

    Benny closed his book, took off his Speed-Translating Reading Glasses and leaned back on the chair to stretch.

    He stared at the crepe stand and saw that Tenryu and Nia were already next to order.

    He looked around the plaza feeling like some foreigner on vacation. He kept on seeing a variety of people just strolling around the plaza. There was a father playing with his children. A mother was pushing a small pram with a baby drinking from a milk bottle. There were several children playing with each other. There was even an older brother eating crepes with his little sister.

    Benny smiled at the scene but couldn¡¯t help but feel rather lonely¡­

    As he looked on, he saw a group of three children passing by in front of the cafe.

    ¡°Amico¡­hurry up!¡±

    ¡°Everyone is going to get hungry if we don¡¯t come back soon!¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Suddenly, Benny saw streaks of hazes coming from the children.

    Orange, brown and white hazes fluttered from them.

    It was similar to the time he saw with Tenryu and Nia! And like those times, they lasted only an instant before fading away.

    Benny rubbed his eyes and looked at the children again.

    Two were girls (one human and one Animalian) and the other following them was a very small boy. They were all wearing very tattered clothes. The youngest was a boy wearing a tattered cloak that was too big for him that it was practically being dragged across the ground. They were also carrying paper bags filled with what appears to be groceries.

    Trying to keep with his companions, the youngest tried to run. Benny grew worried because the kid could tumble from that¡­too late!

    The kid already tripped on some uneven stone and fell over with all of the contents of his bags spilling out, revealing they were filled with eggs and they smashed to the ground.

    As it just so happens, a very sharply dressed young man and a pair of his own companions had been passing by and a couple of the eggs splattered on his shoes.

    Both the girls yelled, ¡°Amico!¡±

    ¡°Argh!¡± the young man yelled.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± the child squeaked in a scared voice.

    ¡°You¡¯re sorry?¡± He rounded on the kid.

    ¡°Young Master George, I¡¯m sure we can clean that up right now¡­¡±

    ¡°Silence, Clive!¡± He snapped at him before turning towards the boy, ¡°Do you know what these shoes are, you little brat?! These are my brand new, Giovanni tailored shoes!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­I-I-¡±

    ¡°Is that all what you can say?! You peasants disgust me with your illiteracy and lack of manners!¡±

    ¡°Master George, please calm down!¡±

    His other companion tried to appease him.

    ¡°You shut up as well, Claus!¡±

    Benny thought this guy was overreacting a little.

    In an instant, he saw of haze of dark reddish-purple flew out of the young man. It was again for only a few moments but it faded away as it came. But for some reason, Benny was sure what this guy was just by glancing at it.

    It was also confirmed from the words the people from the next tables were whispering.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t the George Loquat?¡± says someone from the next table.

    ¡°That spoiled brat of Lord Loquat. He¡¯s acting high and mighty as usual.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t they all in that family? Oh, the poor kid¡¯s in for it now¡­¡±

    ¡°But I sure don¡¯t want to cross anyone from the Loquat Family.¡±

    From their words and hushed voices (along with how this Loquat guy was acting), Benny deduced that George Loquat was nobleman. Those two companions of his must be his attendants. Apparently, the guy thinks very highly of himself and was a typical person of noble birth who looks down on mere commoners. Strange enough, this was the exact assumption Benny got just by looking at the haze earlier.

    Apparently, because of his nobility status everyone just pretended to moved about and doing their own businesses instead of helping the poor kid. Everyone seemed to be afraid of interfering with a guy from a noble family.

    Even the two girls who were the kid¡¯s own companions where frozen in fear.

    ***

    Tenryu and Nia were walking back to the caf¨¦ with crepes in their hands when they stopped and saw the scene.

    ¡°Blistering Blazes, not him again!¡± glared Tenryu.

    ¡°Tenryu, don¡¯t cause a scene!¡± hissed Nia.

    ¡°But it¡¯s Loquat!¡±

    ¡°I know and he¡¯s bullying people again¡­Wait, isn¡¯t that?!¡± Nia noticed the little boy Loquat was threatening and gasped upon realizing who it was, ¡°No! It¡¯s Amico!¡±

    Loquat pulled out what looked like an expandable baton.

    ¡°Master George!¡±

    ¡°Please think what you are doing! That¡¯s only a mere child!¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you both to shut up?!¡± he glances at them both irritably before looking at the little kid. He had a sadistic evil smile on his face. ¡°I will teach you some manners in respecting your betters!¡±

    He raised the baton up high. It started emitting bolts of electricity!

    Nia dropped the bag of crepes she was carrying as she ran in attempt to stop Loquat. Tenryu also rushed in and was about to draw his sword.

    The little kid could only close his eyes in fear.

    Loquat brought his baton down in full force.

    SMACK!!!

    There was a loud crunching sound.

    ¡°AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!¡±

    ¡°W-What?!¡±

    Benny felt the sharp pain as the baton swatted him over the right shoulder but it was the bolts of electricity coursing through his body that caused him to yell in agony. When it was all over, Benny fell to his knees.

    The whole plaza seemed to freeze.

    Loquat was stunned as to how he wound up striking something else other than his target. Just before Loquat could deliver the blow, Benny threw himself in between them and shielded the boy.

    Benny grasped his shoulder, feeling that a couple of his shoulder bones had broken. That electric shock was not unlike the one he had received in Science Class when Ace accidentally switched on the power when he was still gripping live wires for their project.

    ¡°Ow! That¡¯s gonna leave a mark¡­¡±

    ¡°W-Who¡¯s this fool?!¡± snapped Loquat.

    ¡°BENJAMIN!!!¡±

    ¡°BENNY!!!¡±

    Tenryu and Nia rushed towards Benny¡¯s side.

    ¡°Blistering Blazes, are you alright?!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Ow¡­¡±

    Loquat was watching them with contempt. Especially at Benny who had just shielded the little boy from his ¡®lesson¡¯ just now. But now he regarded the other two who had just appeared before him.

    ¡°Tenryu Fyreroar and Gardenia Rosampaguita¡­ How charming to meet you both again.¡± he says it with a bit mocking tone.

    ¡°George¡­¡± Nia nodded stiffly.

    ¡°Loquat¡­¡± Tenryu glared at him.

    Do Tenryu and Nia know this guy? Benny thought.

    ¡°Just what the blitz were you doing to Benny, huh?!¡± Tenryu growled angrily.

    Loquat raised a quizzical eyebrow. ¡°And it matters to you why?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s my friend, you jerk!¡±

    ¡°You have friends?¡± Loquat laughed as though he found the thought of Tenryu having friends laughable.

    Tenryu bared his teeth at Loquat, ¡°Why you little¡­¡±

    Tenryu¡¯s hand flew towards his sword¡¯s hilt but Benny grasped his shoulder to stop him. He didn¡¯t want things to get ugly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t Tenryu.¡±

    Benny looked at Loquat he was still wincing at the blow the guy gave him. All the while, he surveyed the nobleman in secret.

    The guy was dressed in a typical noble¡¯s clothes. Underneath a quality fabric coat he wore a shirt and vest, a pair of breeches, and buckled shoes (which still had a bit of egg in it.) His attendants were also wearing the same style but less fancy. Loquat was quite handsome, with blond hair, blue eyes and a bit of freckles. However, he had that sneer that gave Benny the impression that said ¡°you¡¯re not even in my league.¡±

    ¡°Nia-ate!¡±

    The two girls approached them.

    ¡°Lucia? Fionya? You¡¯re both here too?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but-¡±

    Nia quickly pushed the girls behind her where they huddled together with the little boy.

    Loquat momentarily glance at the two girls and wrinkled his nose in disgust before he turned at Benny. There was a flash of surprise in his face, when he finally got a good look at him. Benny knew exactly what was on his mind.

    ¡°Oh? I just noticed but you have the same dopey face as this idiot over there.¡±

    ¡°What was that?!¡± Tenryu snapped.

    Benny¡¯s grip on his shoulder tightened (while trying to not wince in pain.)

    ¡°So you are his friend, then?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Yes, I am.¡± Benny says without hesitation. For a moment, he saw a flash of surprise in Tenryu¡¯s face.

    ¡°Huh? Didn¡¯t think this guy could even have friends. Who are you anyway?¡± Loquat demanded of him.

    ¡°Estrella¡­Benjamin Estrella.¡±

    ¡°Estrella? Never heard of that name before¡­ Obviously, you must be a commoner.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s neither here nor there.¡± says Benny derisively, ¡°but I beg your pardon, Mr. Loquat, but shouldn¡¯t you be going somewhere else?¡±

    Loquat narrowed his eyes. ¡°Who are you to tell me that? Do you even know who you¡¯re talking too, you commoner?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I do know who I¡¯m talking to. And no I am not telling you to do anything. But I am concerned that we are taking too much of your precious time.¡± Benny says politely.

    In actuality, Benny thinks this guy is making a scene over such a petty thing. But he was using carefully chosen words ¡°to charm a viper¡± as one may call it.

    ¡°I saw you walking up the street with a look of purpose just now before this incident occurred. I believe a nobleman like you must have a more important business than wasting time dealing with us, no?¡±

    Loquat looked a little off-footed.

    ¡°He¡¯s right, Master George.¡± ---The attendant Clive spoke up. ¡°We have to meet with the Mayor on your father¡¯s behest¡­¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to be quiet?¡± Loquat snapped at him and the man quickly fell silent. Loquat turned back toward Benny. ¡°Yes, that is true. I have to speak with the Mayor on my father¡¯s behalf on certain issues.¡±

    ¡°Then shouldn¡¯t you get going?¡±

    ¡°I was until that child ruined my shoes!¡± Loquat pointed his baton at the small boy who hid behind everyone else, trembling.

    Benny thought that was a bit of an overreaction. There was a minor stain but you wouldn¡¯t say it was ruined.

    ¡°You¡¯re shoes aren¡¯t ruined, I assure you. I believe we can clean that up right now. If you want maybe I can help you-¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need such inexpert cleaning from the likes of you! Claus!¡± he indicated to his other attendant. ¡°Start cleaning!¡±

    ¡°A-At once my lord!¡± stammers Claus.

    He takes out a wash cloth from his pocket and starts cleaning his master¡¯s shoes. Claus was no doubt an ¡°expert¡± in Loquat¡¯s words. Within seconds the shoes were not only clean but were sparkling.

    ¡°T-there sir, it¡¯s good as new!¡±

    Loquat scoffed, ¡°Took you long enough!¡±

    The guy wasn¡¯t even grateful. Or did he just expect absolute obedience from his attendants.

    ¡°Now then¡­as for this brat¡­¡± Loquat turned his attention to the little boy.

    Benny couldn¡¯t believe this guy. He¡¯s still intending to hurt a mere child over this?

    The girls, Lucia and Fionya held the little boy close as though to protect him, they¡¯re expressions defiant but also scared.

    Nia herself stood in front of the children, ¡°George, please don¡¯t do this¡­¡±

    ¡°Stand aside, Healer Gardenia. I am a noble and this commoner brat needs to learn discipline and respect!¡±

    Tenryu was nearly past breaking point. He wanted to take out his sword and beat the crap out of this jerk. But Benny held him back with a tightened grip on his shoulder.

    ¡°Discipline¡­Respect?¡± echoes Benny.

    Benny¡¯s tone had changed. It was suddenly cold and threatening. At the same time the air suddenly became intense.

    Everyone seemed to feel the sudden change.

    Tenryu felt the hairs on his neck stand up. His sense became alert to danger. He felt this familiar sensation yesterday but it was more intense. Nia backed away, instinctively covering the children behind her.

    Benny looked up at Loquat.

    Loquat and his attendants flinched as they saw an expression of deep anger on Benny¡¯s face. If one were to describe it, it would be similar to seeing the bloodlust filled rage of a god.

    ¡°If you want either of those¡­you must show that to others first¡­¡± Benny said it monotonously but it in every syllable was punctuated with sense of danger.

    There was a sense of pressure coming from this boy. Loquat felt that this person¡­was someone he could not easily bully into submission.

    ¡°O-Oi B-Benny! Calm down!¡±

    Tenryu couldn¡¯t believe he was saying those words trying to placate someone else. Normally it¡¯d be the other way around.

    After a few tense moments, Benny seemed to calm down and took a deep breath.

    ¡°Pardon for that little outburst. I get a little worked up at times. Ha. Ha. Ha.¡±

    Everyone had sweatdropped at his sudden 180 change in attitude.

    ¡°Tch! Do you know you¡¯re speaking to a noble?! I can have my father get you for this!¡±

    Gonna run to your daddy, huh? Benny thought in disgust.

    ¡°Why you little-¡¯ Tenryu growled.

    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Loquat sneered at him, regaining his confidence, ¡°Hit me? My father can throw you to jail for that! Or even worse¡­that little restaurant of yours¡­¡±

    Tenryu gritted his teeth, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare involve Magma-tia in this!¡±

    Benny grip on Tenryu¡¯s shoulder tightened again, ¡°Tenryu won¡¯t do anything I assure you.¡±

    ¡°What the blitz Benny?¡±

    Loquat looked triumphant.

    ¡°However¡­¡± Benny¡¯s glasses glinted menacingly. ¡°You say that your father will take appropriate action if Tenryu does anything, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! You commoners should know your-¡±

    Benny cut him off, ¡°Then you realize that you would have to be injured as proof before complaining.¡±

    Loquat was slightly confused and affronted at Benny cutting him off. ¡°W-what are you saying?¡±

    ¡°Nothing really¡­ If Tenryu or anyone else for that matter goes all out and beats you half-dead then you are free to complain to your father. The question is: do you want to experience the pain and injuries before you can complain? By saying you will tell your father about this incident is basically the same as giving Tenryu permission to beat you up.¡±

    Though, Benny said this logically and simply. But from looking at the haze that was coming out of him earlier, Benny had inkling of an idea that this guy disliked getting injuries.

    Loquat had paled and seemed to lose his bravado.

    ¡°A-are you threatening me?¡± stammered Loquat.

    ¡°Nope, I¡¯m just stating facts. But going back, you should consider the situation Mr. Loquat. You have to be at the Mayor¡¯s office as soon as possible. You are wasting time here dealing with a child and us lowly commoners. Plus, this commotion is attracting stares from everyone.¡±

    Benny gestures at their surroundings. Sure enough everyone was looking at them. Some were whispering something at each other¡¯s ears.

    ¡°I doubt this would sit well with your father who sent you to the Mayor for a reason. You better get a move on. Plus¡­¡±

    Benny looked at Tenryu who was still baring his sharp teeth at Loquat.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can keep this guy under control much longer.¡±

    Benny was talking about him like he was handling a beast but it seems Tenryu didn¡¯t notice.

    Loquat clicked his tongue before nodding at his attendants, ¡°You two, let¡¯s get going! We¡¯re wasting time here!¡±

    And with that, Loquat left the scene with his attendants.

    The tense atmosphere relaxed.

    Benny sighed. ¡°Glad that¡¯s over.¡±

    Nia and Tenryu were staring at Benny with looks of awe and admiration.

    They¡¯ve known Loquat for a very long time. And he was a nasty person who abused his nobility status to get away with things. However, this was the first time someone managed to get Loquat to back off.

    It seems they weren¡¯t the only ones.

    ¡°Did you see that kid?¡±

    ¡°He actually managed to get that noble brat to go away without things turning bad.¡±

    ¡°Is he going to be okay? He just dealt with a member of the Loquat Family.¡±

    ¡°Never mind that...Didn¡¯t he took an attack head on?¡±

    ¡°Brave kid¡­¡±

    Benny was now turning red when he heard all that.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go somewhere else less¡­open¡­¡±

    ***

    They gathered around a bench underneath a shaded tree.

    To diffuse his embarrassed feeling, he turned his attention was then turned towards the kids.

    ¡°Who are these kids? Judging from earlier, you seem to know them, Nia.¡±

    ¡°Ah, Benjamin, these are kids from the Otiosios Orphanage. Lucia, Fionya and Amico¡­¡±

    They¡¯re from an orphanage? So these guys are orphans, huh?

    Despite the poor and tattered clothes, these kids seemed well cared for.

    ¡°Hey there, are you kids alright?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re fine¡­¡± said the human girl named Lucia. She had the orange haze that told Benny she was usually upbeat and cheerful.

    ¡°Thank you for stopping that nasty person.¡± The Felipusa-clan Animalian girl named, Fionya piped up. She had a brown haze that suggests she was a very active outdoorsy little girl¡­or cat-girl.

    ¡°No problem¡­.although you shouldn¡¯t call someone that either. He may have some issues but he¡¯s still someone with authority so best be careful¡­¡± chided Benny but in a gentle tone.

    He looks at the littlest child, ¡°How about you? It¡¯s Amico, isn¡¯t it? Are you okay?¡±

    Amico who had been silent all this time had nodded. But Benny could still see he was trembling. This whole experience must¡¯ve been scary for him especially.

    ¡°It seems you¡¯ve dropped your groceries¡­¡± Tenryu points out.

    The other two seemed to just realize that.

    ¡°Ah! The eggs!¡±

    ¡°Oh, no! What are we going to do?!¡±

    Amico who was already trembling was sniffing loudly. ¡°I¡­I¡­¡±

    ¡°How many eggs were there?¡±

    ¡°There were supposed to be five dozen eggs but they¡¯re all smashed!¡± groaned Fionya.

    ¡°And we don¡¯t have any extra money¡­¡± says Lucia.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Amico sobbed.

    ¡°How much are these eggs?¡± Benny asks gently.

    ¡°Around a Cu a dozen¡­¡±

    ¡°So you need five Cu to buy five dozen. Let¡¯s see¡­¡±

    Benny wasted no time and pulled his coin purse. He had earlier switched some of his original world¡¯s money with this world¡¯s currency. From his purchases earlier he had some Cu coins but¡­

    ¡°Here you go.¡± Benny hands the kids a golden coin.

    ¡°Whoa Benny, that¡¯s an Au coin not a Cu coin.¡± says Tenryu.

    ¡°I know. But here you go.¡± Benny hands the bill to the kids.

    Everyone stared at him in disbelief.

    ¡°T-Thank you so much!¡± says Fionya, taking the coin excitedly.

    ¡°Fionya, you can¡¯t just take that!¡± says Lucia. ¡°Look Kuya¡­ this is too much!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay! You can buy the eggs and you can use the change to buy yourselves something nice. Maybe something sweet or you can save it for a rainy day?¡± suggests Benny with a kind smile.

    With that, Benny sends them off with the two girls bowing at him in gratitude.

    ¡°Bye-bye!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, nice Kuya!¡±

    They say to him cheerfully.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Amico!¡± Fionya calls out to small boy.

    The little hooded boy, Amico glanced at Benny.

    ¡°¡­Thank you¡­¡±

    He sounds almost like Tom. Even the way he spoke had a very similar shy tone when he talks to others. As Amico turned, a fruit from the grocery bag he was carrying fell off. Amico quickly bent down to pick it up as he did so, Benny saw something small poke out from underneath the boy¡¯s cloak.

    It may have been for a split second but Benny could¡¯ve sworn that he saw a tip of a tail!

    Was that a Tail? He¡¯s a Therian? Benny thought.

    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t need any help with that?¡±

    ¡°N-no¡­ t-thank you¡­¡±

    He sounded as though he was about to be hunted.

    ¡°Excuse me¡­¡±

    ¡°You take care of yourself, okay?¡± Benny patted him in the shoulder but the boy seemed to jolt at his touch and he quickly withdrew his hand.

    The boy walked away from him and joined with the girls.

    As Benny watched him walk away he saw the strange white haze enveloping the boy again! For some reason, Benny could just ¡°understand¡± just by look at this haze that he could tell that the boy was trying to hide something.

    Benny shook his head and rubbed his eyes but when he looked up again and saw the haze was gone.

    And so was the kid.

    Why did he keep seeing those hazes? And how could he tell that kid was feeling?

    Tenryu clamped him in the shoulder. ¡°You did great!¡±

    Benny felt a searing pain flow from his shoulder to his whole body.

    ¡°Ouch!¡±

    Tenryu withdrew his arm in alarm.

    ¡°Blistering blazes, are you okay?¡±

    ¡°No, he¡¯s obviously not! Benjamin, take off your shirt now!¡±

    And so, Benny sat there with his shirt off as Nia examined his shoulder.

    As it turns out, Loquat had left a very deep welt on his shoulder. In fact, if it were not for the layers of clothes and the strap of his satchel acting like bullet proof vest, Benny would most likely had have actual fracture. However, Nia wasn¡¯t complacent.

    ¡°Loquat gave you a Magic-inflicted injury so it needs to be treated differently. Luckily, it¡¯s a just a deep bruise and nothing more serious.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have a potion for this?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but first of all, I need to do this.¡±

    Nia took out what looked like a thin silver rod!

    ¡°What is that?¡±

    ¡°This is a Medical Wand used by Medic Class for casting of Healing Spells. Now hold still. It¡¯s going to sting a bit at first.¡±

    Nia place the tip of the wand at Benny¡¯s bruise and it began to glow.

    She began muttering a string of words that seemed complex to hear quickly. It seems Nia was chanting some complex Healing Spell. And she wasn¡¯t kidding about the stinging part. Benny felt like several needles were pricking him in that part. It wasn¡¯t pleasant but Benny started to feel some relief. When Nia removed the wand the bruise had gone a lighter shade.

    ¡°I¡¯ve healed the damages to your skin and blood vessels. Now, I just need to apply this cream to remove the discoloration.¡±

    Nia rubbed some cream and soon the bruise was gone completely, though it was still stiff. She then placed a bit of liniment smelling mix on his shoulder and wrapped the area with bandages.

    ¡°There! That should do it.¡±

    ¡°Thanks Nia. That was really amazing-¡­¡± says Benny as he puts his shirt back on.

    ¡°Those are just basics in my field, Benjamin.¡± She says as she disinfects her hands and starts to pack up her tools.

    ¡°Sorry it took so long! Here is your crepe!¡± says Tenryu as he hands him a crepe.

    ¡°Thanks!¡± Benny sinks his teeth into it and found that it was indeed tasty. ¡°It¡¯s delicious!¡±

    ¡°I knew you¡¯d like it! It¡¯s Sugar Roses and Apple-Cocoa flavor!¡±

    Benny did know if Sugar Roses were really flowers and if there was such a fruit that was a hybrid of an apple and cocoa is. He did not complain as the crepe was really tasty.

    ¡°So who was that guy anyway?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you mean Loquat?¡± Tenryu says the name with distaste.

    ¡°He¡¯s the son of a noble family over from the Sixth District.¡± Nia explains.

    ¡°That explains all that nobility stuff he keeps spouting out. And was he always so full of himself?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, yes. Actually he¡¯s not particularly liked because of his horrible attitude.¡±

    Tenryu laughed, it lightened his mood to hear that guy being insulted.

    ¡°It seems you both know him well. I mean, he called you both by name.¡±

    ¡°There was a time where I was called in by a fellow Remedician to assist in the treatment of Lord Loquat. I got¡­acquainted with Loquat Family.¡±

    ¡°Acquainted?¡± Tenryu scoffed. ¡°More likely shooed out of their mansion the moment they saw you!¡±

    ¡°Tenryu¡­ Please don¡¯t¡­ Don¡¯t mind him Benjamin. Tenryu can sometimes say things out of-¡±

    Benny frowned at this, ¡°So he¡¯s racist?¡±

    Nia¡¯s face cramped.

    ¡°Benjamin, why would say-¡±

    ¡°¡­I noticed. It¡¯s pretty obvious to me that he¡¯s the guy who looks down on commoners. I guess he¡¯s even worse towards people who aren¡¯t of the Human Race. Correct me if I¡¯m wrong?¡±

    Nia¡¯s expression was confirmation enough.

    Benny was relying on his knowledge of Anime for this. There were usually characters of nobles who treated commoners and non-Humans as garbage. Usually they¡¯re a package deal and George Loquat completely ticked off all the check marks.

    ¡°You¡¯re completely hot on!¡± Tenryu snorts with dark look. ¡°The whole lot of their family looks down everyone but their even worse towards non-humans.¡±

    ¡°That would explain his tone when he called you ¡°healer.¡±¡± Benny imitated the mocking tone Loquat used.

    Nia flinched at that which seems to confirm it again.

    ¡°Not to mention when he looked at those kids earlier like they were dirt under his shoes¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­You really are more observant than you¡¯re letting on Benjamin.¡±

    ¡°I agree with Tenryu though. I don¡¯t really like people who treat others like that just because their nobility. There is such a thing called moral principles you know.¡±

    Tenryu slapped him in the back with a grin. Did he change the aim so the shoulder wouldn¡¯t be hit?

    Nia stood up and looked at them both with a serious expression, ¡°Let me tell you this Benjamin and let this serves as a reminder to you too, Tenryu. Despite their horrible attitude, the Loquat and his family are nobles with strong political power in the area. Loquat¡¯s threat to you Tenryu is not completely empty.¡±

    Tenryu clenched his fist and gritted his teeth.

    Benny was aware of Loquat¡¯s earlier remark towards Tenryu¡¯s family¡¯s restaurant and he knew that there was a possibility of Loquat doing something terrible to them. It was for that reason he diffused the tension quickly as possible.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s forget about that guy. We better head on to that shop!¡±

    ¡°Tenryu, Benjamin¡¯s injured! Do you think it would be a good idea for him to go?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± says Benny, standing up.

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    He didn¡¯t want them to worry much. Plus the injury in his shoulder had pretty much healed.

    ¡°See? Benny¡¯s fine thanks to you.¡±

    ¡°But still¡­¡± Nia looked a little doubtful. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to go back home and rest, Benjamin?¡±

    Benny lightly touched his shoulder, ¡°I¡¯m fine! While we¡¯re at it, we can eat these delicious crepes on the way!¡± Benny grinned as he added that bit just to cheer up the mood.

    Nia noticed that the way Benny grinned was very similar to Tenryu¡¯s.

 Chapter 22 - The Venditore Armory

    The road went downhill so it was easier to walk.

    ¡°So where exactly is it then?¡± says Tenryu.

    ¡°The shop should be around this corner!¡± Nia points up ahead.

    Benny stares at them, getting a little apprehensive, ¡°Say, what kind of a shop are we looking for?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just a shop though. It¡¯s a famous place where a lot of people have to visit!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s albeit difficult to find though¡­¡±

    ¡°And the owner is an old friend of Magma-tia so he¡¯s also expecting us!¡±

    ¡°But what kind of shop is it?!¡± says Benny. He was starting to get annoyed that he wasn¡¯t given a straight answer.

    ¡°Found it!¡±

    At first, Benny thought Tenryu might have been mistaken as he was pointing to a single door in between two shops that may lead to an upstairs flat. But as it turns out, Benny was the one who was wrong. They stopped in front of an extremely narrow building! Narrow in the sense that the building was actually as wide as the door!

    No wonder Nia said it would be ¡°a bit difficult to find.¡±

    The ¡°building¡± was three stories tall with a single extremely, long window in the space above the door!

    This was a famous shop? It looked like a janitor¡¯s closet with an upper extension! Benny thought.

    The only thing that would mark it as a shop was a sign that hung above the door.

    The Venditore Armory

    Affiliate of the Orient Traders Merchant Guild

    Sellers and Manufacturers of Magic Tools and Devices since the New Merlin Era

    ¡°A Magic Shop?¡± asks Benny.

    ¡°That¡¯s right! We¡¯re here to show you were the best Magic Tools are sold!¡± says Tenryu, slapping him in the shoulder.

    ¡°Ow! Tenryu, please the shoulder again!¡± winces Benny through gritted teeth.

    ¡°Blistering Blazes, sorry!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright¡­¡±

    Benny looks at the shop.

    ¡°So¡­this shop sells Magical Tools, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! The Venditore Armory is a popular shop that specializes in selling Magic Items.¡±

    ¡°For a popular venue in all that, this place looks kind of tight fit,¡± Benny remarked noticing how narrow the building is, ¡°¡­but if it¡¯s really famous, then why are there no customers too?¡±

    He did notice that the shop looked devoid of customers.

    ¡°Looks can be deceiving, Benjamin.¡± Nia replied as she opened the door and a small tinkling of a bell rang.

    ¡°So let¡¯s get going!¡±

    Tenryu pushed Benny towards the door.

    ¡°H-Hey! Don¡¯t push! Huh?¡±

    All of a sudden, Benny felt¡­ a chill.

    It wasn¡¯t a chill from a cold especially since it is sunny but rather it was a chill of unease.

    He glanced behind him. Was somebody there?

    People were just walking around and minding their own business.

    But Benny focused his gaze and as though by instinct he saw a pair of shady looking guys standing across the street, staring back at his direction. ¡°Shady¡± was one word to describe them. That and that they were wearing a pair of black coats and fedoras that made them look like mobsters.

    The sight alone of the two of them made Benny very uneasy. Just who were they?

    He saw the pair exuded dark colored hazes.

    ¡°Benny, what are you doing?

    ¡°Ah! I was¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, don¡¯t just stand there! Get in!¡± Tenryu yanked him inside.

    ***

    Across the street, the two shady characters looked at each other.

    ¡°That kid was staring at us, brother! It¡¯s as if he immediately knew we were here!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like he can do anything against us, so pipe down!¡±

    The man looked up ahead of them.

    ¡°So that¡¯s the Venditore Armory, huh? It¡¯s really like finding a needle in a haystack!¡±

    ¡°Is what we¡¯re looking for really in there?¡±

    ¡°Only one way to find out¡­¡±

    ***

    Shaking off the initial unease, Benny was led into the shop.

    He thought he was about to see the place magically expand into a huge warehouse full of magical tools. But again he was proven wrong. This whole place was just a hallway!

    No tables, no counter, and most especially: no items for sale!

    ¡°Um, is this really a shop? It¡¯s seems rather empty¡­¡±

    ¡°You are just in the foyer. So naturally we wouldn¡¯t be keeping our merchandise at the entrance way.¡±

    ¡°Uwaah?!¡±

    Someone suddenly spoke behind him that it scared his wits out!

    When Benny turned, he found a tall towering figure standing behind them. Benny rubbed his eyes if he was seeing things. The ¡°man¡± was another Animalian! Even though he had seen many of their kind already, seeing another still proved to be quite a shocker.

    This time he was a humanoid owl!

    He had the small hooked beak, beady eyes and grey feathers! He wore a sleeveless vest which exposed his rather large set of wings. But for attire he had a neckerchief tucked into the collar. He wore black slacks over his legs but he didn¡¯t wear any shoes. Those probably won¡¯t fit anyway due to him having talons for feet. Apart from that, he also wore a pair of pince-nez glasses over his nose (or beak.)

    And just when Benny thought the Owlman didn¡¯t exist.

    ¡°Mr. Venditore! You scared us!¡± says Nia.

    ¡°Eh? Mr. Venditore?¡±

    This guy is the shop owner? Benny thought.

    ¡°Ah, I beg your pardon Healer Nia-hoot!¡±

    ¡°I thought you would be sending Sylvia up here to greet us.¡± Tenryu crossed his arms.

    ¡°Dear old Magma informed me that you were coming today-hoot. I would very like to greet my guests in person than send one of my staff-hoot.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s very gentlemanly of you.¡± Nia nods in appreciation.

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s so good to see you¡¯re taking care of the Magic Tools you bought well-hoot!¡±

    ¡°Thank you! The Medical Wand and this here are working perfectly.¡± says Nia, tapping her umbrella¡¯s handle.

    ¡°There are no problems with either of the two I hope-hoot?¡±

    ¡°Both are working fine.¡±

    Mr. Venditore turned his head towards Tenryu, which was rather creepy as it turned a whole 180 degrees to the back. Then again all, owls seemed to do that.

    ¡°And you Tenryu-iho, the sword¡­is it still alright-hoot?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, and before you can ask¡­no, I don¡¯t need replacing.¡± Tenryu said it as though he said this many times already.

    ¡°Of course¡­ and what about your¡­ you-know-hoot?¡± asks Venditore quietly.

    Tenryu fidgeted, suddenly looking rather uncomfortable. He held his gloved left hand tightly.

    ¡°Y-yeah, it¡¯s still holding up.¡±

    ¡°I hope you remember that it is mean to help suppress-¡±

    ¡°I remembered.¡± Tenryu says quickly. ¡°Though I may have used the glove it here and there¡­¡±

    ¡°Tenryu-iho, we don¡¯t want it happening again-hoot¡­¡±

    ¡°I know¡­¡± Tenryu gritted his teeth.

    Benny wondered what their conversation was about. He did remember Tenryu using that glove once or twice. And yesterday Benny asked about the arm but was told with a swift answer and he felt he had to drop it. Something didn¡¯t seem right about that arm.

    ¡°Mr. Venditore, I¡¯d like to introduce you to our new friend, Benjamin Estrella.¡±

    Nia motioned towards Benny.

    ¡°Benjamin, this is Dmitri Venditore! He¡¯s the owner of the Venditore Armory and is one of the top sellers of Magical Items in the Medea Kingdom! And as you can see he¡¯s also from the Avibon Clan.¡± She added in whisper upon recognizing Benny¡¯s surprised expression.

    ¡°Pleased to meet you Benjamin-iho-hoot!¡± he held out a feathered hand which Benny shook. It felt like he was shaking hands with a feather duster.

    ¡°Same here¡­um, Master Venditore¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no need for formalities-hoot. Just Mr. Venditore is fine-hoot. So this is the young boy dear Magma has been told me about-hoot¡± He turned his head sideways. ¡°You look so similar to Tenryu-iho but at the same time not-hoot.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I get that a lot lately.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re the spitting image of him though-hoot¡­¡± Mr. Venditore added thoughtfully.

    ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    The old owl seemed to realize he was talking out loud and laughed,

    ¡°Ho! Ho! Never mind this old bird-hoot! I have the tendency to run my mouth when I¡¯m not aware of it-hoot.¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­?¡±

    ¡°So would you like to look around my shop-hoot? And perhaps would you like to go ahead and buy yourself a Magic Tool-hoot?¡±

    ¡°Uh, I¡¯m just here to take a look.¡±

    ¡°Still not decided on becoming an Adventurer, eh-hoot? I thought Tenryu and Nia brought you here to entice you into becoming one-hoot?¡±

    Benny looked at Tenryu and Nia, who both seemed to be not looking at him in the eyes.

    ¡°We¡¯ll just see¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve come to the right place-hoot. You may not buy one today but may be you might be convinced after you see my shop. We have the best Magic Tools on the market!¡±

    Mr. Venditore gestured towards the end of the hall.

    ¡°Come, come! All my merchandise is downstairs-hoot!¡±

    ¡°Downstairs?¡±

    They joined up with Venditore at the end of the hall. Except the end of the hall proved to be not a part of a hall but the inside of an elevator! The doors of the lift closed on them like cage and the whole thing started to move downward!

    ¡°Oh, and try not to disturb the rest of my customers? Especially you, Mr. Tenryu Fyreroar-hoot!¡± adds Mr. Venditore sternly.

    Tenryu grumbled, ¡°Why am I always the one singled out¡­¡±

    Can¡¯t Tenryu tell the obvious? Benny thought.

    The lift stopped and the doors opened.

    Venditore waved his wings in welcome as he ushered them out of the lift.

    ¡°Welcome to the Venditore Armory-hoot!¡±

    ¡°Whoa!¡± gasps Benny, whose eyes were wide with wonder!

    In sharp contrast to the shop¡¯s rather unnoticeable fa?ade, this place was one gigantic shopping complex!

    The place was so big that it even had a large fountain in the middle. There were a large number of customers looking around which definitely proves this place to be a popular venue! It had several sections, each selling different kinds of Magical Items! There was even a single shop that served as a concession stand where some shoppers were resting. Each shop was tended by clerks of different races wearing red robes.

    Now he knew how Harry Potter must¡¯ve felt when he first entered that magic-filled alley!

    ¡°Wow! This place is amazing!¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°Thank you-hoot¡­I see that you are intrigued by my merchandise-hoot,¡±

    Mr. Venditore gives him what looks like an appreciative smile. It was hard to tell as he has a beak for mouth.

    ¡°So are all these things Magical Items?¡± says Benny, sounding rather excited.

    ¡°Indeed!¡± Venditore says proudly as he leads them through the shop. The shop assistants kept bowing as they passed.

    ¡°There are Magical Items for the use of the common folk and Adventurers alike. And there are selections of Magic Tools for different Classes of Adventurers. Each item is powered by Magitite which utilizes the energy of Manna-hoot.¡±

    Benny knew from his readings last night that Magitite is special type of crystal that harnesses Manna and through it¡¯s use anyone can use Magic. It is usually harvested from Magitite Mines across the country.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t Manna the mystic energy source that is used to produce Magic and also that it exists everywhere?¡± inquires Benny, remembering the text he read from the Spellbook.

    Manna is what we call the energy of everything. It exists in everywhere in the world and even in the person. It is this Manna that¡¯s within a person that is utilized to cast Magic in a variety of ways.

    ¡°I see that you have bothered to study this matters-hoot!¡± Mr. Venditore nods in approval.

    This wasn¡¯t entirely true. He couldn¡¯t read everything in one night. At this point, Benny was relying on his game player and anime knowledge.

    ¡°It¡¯s because of that interest in understanding the connections of Manna and the number of uses in Magic that my family started this business a hundred years ago-hoot.¡±

    They pass by a Party that seemed to be looking to replace their worn out Magic Tools.

    ¡°Yes, though originally we started making Magic Tools for Adventurers but eventually we expanded include Magical Devices for the common folk too-hoot!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s amazing to keep a business open that long and is still prosperous.¡±

    Mr. Venditore gave him an appreciative smile (again it was vague to Benny.)

    ¡°Well, anyway¡­here we are in my office-hoot!¡±

    Mr. Venditore leads them to an ornate door guarded by two burly Animalians who were basically anthropomorphic bears. The one in the left nodded in a friendly way while the other scowled while bearing his teeth.

    ¡°Bronson, Eldon, these kids are with me-hoot. Let them through-hoot.¡±

    The two guards let them pass.

    Mr. Venditore¡¯s office was a large oval office with high quality furniture. There was a less elaborate desk near the door where a pretty, young woman wearing red robes was working.

    Benny noticed that she looked human but with cat ears and a tail: a real live cat-eared girl!

    From Benny¡¯s readings and observations she was no doubt a Therian, the other group of Animalians. Unlike the Beastmen who were fully anthropomorphic, the Therians are very similar to humans but with slight animal characteristics like their ears and tail.

    In this world where fantasy is real, Benny still couldn¡¯t help but be astounded of meeting one.

    ¡°Ah Mr. Venditore, are they the guests we were expecting? Oh! It¡¯s you guys!¡±

    ¡°Hello, Sylvia!¡± Nia waves at her.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Tenryu grins.

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you again Healer Nia, Tenryu, and¡­H-huh?¡±

    As expected Sylvia was startled when she saw Benny. She looked at him then at Tenryu then at him.

    ¡°Yes, we know we look almost similar. Please don¡¯t mind me.¡±

    ¡°Benjamin-iho, this is Sylvia my secretary-hoot. Sylvia, this is Benjamin Estrella-hoot.¡±

    Shaking off her initial surprise, Sylvia greeted him with a smile, ¡°A pleasure to meet you, sorry for my behavior¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright¡­I really get that lot lately¡­¡±

    Mr. Venditore sat on his chair but his head turns at a weird angle again towards Sylvia, ¡°Well, please prepare us some tea and snacks, Sylvia-hoot.¡±

    Benny shook his head politely, ¡°No, it¡¯s okay! We just ate-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d like some!¡± says Tenryu.

    ¡°Tenryu!¡±

    Benny couldn¡¯t believe Tenryu¡¯s lack of manners or his black hole of a stomach. Nia gave him a knowing look.

    With that they were being served some tea and snacks.

    ¡°You know I¡¯ve asked you earlier on this regard but are you sure you may have or may not have an interest in being an Adventurer-hoot.¡±

    ¡°Err¡­not quite. I haven¡¯t really made that decision quite yet.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­I see. Well, do you know why your friends brought you here then-hoot?¡±

    ¡°Let me guess. You guys brought me here to see the best place that sells magical items especially for Adventurers. I assume more or less it¡¯s to convince or consider the possibility of becoming an Adventurer?¡±

    Tenryu and Nia had that ¡°got-found-out¡± look in their faces.

    I knew it¡­ Benny thought.

    ¡°So from what I¡¯ve seen, it¡¯s necessary to use Magic to become an Adventurer?¡± Benny inquires further.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say necessary, just the bare minimum-hoot. You can be an Adventurer without specializing much on Magic-hoot.¡±

    Tenryu crosses his arms, ¡°Benny, didn¡¯t I tell you already? Adventurers may need the ability to wield Magic more freely and must have a range of Skill set.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a surprise. I never thought you remember the basic requirements of an Adventurer.¡± chuckles Sylvia with a smile.

    Tenryu looked as though he wanted to complain.

    Mr. Venditore chuckled, ¡°Surprisingly, Tenryu-iho is right-hoot.¡±

    ¡°Surprisingly?¡± mutters Tenryu.

    ¡°It all depends on your chosen Class really as there are Classes that require little use of Magic-hoot. Nevertheless, like I said just being able to use Magic is the bare minimum-hoot.¡±

    It seems that in this world, in order for one to become an Adventurer there are three basic requirements. First, they must have the Skill set of their prospective Class. Secondly, they must have the sufficient amount of Manna to channel into a product called Magic. Finally, they must have the ability to connect with their Manna and make use of it.

    Basically, it has the same concept of most MMORPG games. You must have the Skills set for a respective Class (similarly how a player can choose his Class and would need the move set based on their Class). You must have the basic level of Manna (equivalent to MP) to use Magic. Benny¡¯s guess on the third might be equivalent to the ability to use the computer.

    He was now wondering if he wasn¡¯t transported to some RPG game world.

    ¡°And that is where the use of a Magic Tool plays in-hoot. A Magic Tool is needed to channel that Manna and the resulting energy is what we call as ¡®Magic¡¯-hoot! How and what kind of Magic an Adventurer has and is capable of is solely up to the Adventurer-hoot.¡±

    ¡°Um, wouldn¡¯t using Magic Tools make an ordinary guy an Adventurer? I saw a woman yesterday using Magic Shears to cut plants?¡±

    Mr. Venditore shook his head, ¡°I think you are referring to Magic Devices-hoot. Those are items specially created using Magic Formations and Glyphs to produce an already preset function-hoot. Like we said before, you need to have the ability to wield Magic more freely than a Magic Device¡¯s preset function-hoot.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡± murmurs Benny as he processes these bits of important information.

    ¡°Let me show you how we do things for Adventurers-hoot. First, we test our clients-hoot!¡±

    ¡°T-Test?¡± repeats Benny.

    ¡°Ah, Sylvia, can you please bring that out-hoot? I would like to show Mr. Estrella here how we do things here-hoot!¡± Mr. Venditore placed a feathered hand on Benny¡¯s shoulder. He tried his best not to flinch.

    Sylvia nodded, ¡°Of course!¡±

    She bent down and pulled out a crystal ball on top of an intricate metal stand.

    ¡°Now this here is Attribute Sorter Mysticore-hoot!¡± Venditore explained. ¡°Since this is your first time here, why don¡¯t you have a go Benjamin-hoot?¡±

    Benny backed away a bit, ¡°Um, hang on! Didn¡¯t I just say I haven¡¯t decided on being an Adventurer yet?!¡±

    Mr. Venditore chuckled a bit, which sort of sounded like a beak clicking. ¡°Nervous aren¡¯t you-hoot? It doesn¡¯t hurt-hoot¡­¡±

    Suddenly, Mr. Venditore gave him a long look.

    ¡°Oh, ah, I see-hoot¡­¡±

    ¡°W-What is it? Is there something in my face?¡±

    ¡°You have that look what we call as the ¡°Beginner¡¯s Look¡±-hoot. Are you apprehensive of becoming an Adventurer-hoot?¡±

    Benny¡¯s expression was what confirmed Venditore¡¯s assumptions.

    ¡°Well then, just because we¡¯re trying things out doesn¡¯t mean you have to make that decision now-hoot?¡±

    Benny was still not convinced.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure¡­I don¡¯t have what it takes to be an Adventurer.¡± Benny mumbles dejectedly.

    ¡°Benny, seriously what the blitz is with that attitude? I told you that you have what it takes!¡± says Tenryu.

    ¡°You have to believe in yourself a little more, Benjamin.¡± Nia adds.

    Benny blushed at their encouragement.

    ¡°You¡¯re friends are right-hoot. You shouldn¡¯t say that when you haven¡¯t tried yet-hoot! To become an Adventurer you need sufficient training-hoot. Who knows-hoot? You may even display some hidden talent-hoot!¡±

    Both Tenryu and Nia caught each other¡¯s gaze.

    ¡°Just have a go and try it-hoot!¡± Mr. Venditore urged him.

    Benny glances at the crystal orb.

    ¡°What exactly does this thing do anyway?¡±

    It was Sylvia who answered, ¡°Based on the strength of your Manna, it could be the Classes with stronger emphasis on Magic or Skills. At the same time it can also sort you into corresponding Magical Attribute.¡±

    ¡°My Attribute?¡± repeats Benny, looking quite confused again.

    ¡°Hmm¡­It seems another explanation is in order-hoot. Sylvia, if you please-hoot?¡± Venditore snapped his fingers (which was amazing as his fingers were feathers!)

    Sylvia pulled out a device that looked similar to a projector. She flipped on a switch and a Mysticore in the middle projected a hologram displaying a diagram. It was that of a twelve pointed star, a dodecagram, with mysterious symbols at each point.

    This was the same image that was printed on the cover of his Spellbook.

    ¡°Every Adventurer has a specific Attribute in Magic that they the most affinity to!¡±

    Sylvia moved her hands over the diagram.

    ¡°There are essentially twelve Attributes: Fire, Metal, Ice, Air, Light, Life, Water, Sound, Lightning, Earth, Dark, and Spirit. It is important to know which Attribute you have a natural affinity to as that would help in guiding you in learning Magic and Skills. You would know which Attribute spells and techniques you can learn.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I can see that. So how does this device also measure Manna?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s simple! The stronger the output the stronger the Manna you have.¡±

    ¡°I get why this is all important but how is this all related to buying a Magic Tool?¡± asks Benny.

    This time it was Mr. Venditore who explains, ¡°Well, using a Magic Tool would produce Magic that¡¯s within your natural Attribute-hoot. It defeats the purpose of using a Magic Tool that doesn¡¯t fit well with what kind of Magic Attribute you can use¨Choot. Think of it as using a pair of fan Magic Tools for Water Magic.¡±

    Now that Benny thought about it, it does make sense. He also looked backed to all the times he used Magic. He generated magic shields made of light.

    Could I be in the Light Attribute? Benny thought.

    ¡°I¡¯m in the First Attribute, Fire!¡± Tenryu pointed out to the Attribute with a flame symbol.

    ¡°Mr. Fyreroar¡­ Please keep your hands away from the Attribute Sorter Mysticore.¡± Sylvia cautions him as she moves the Magic Device away.

    ¡°What the blitz? I¡¯m not anywhere near the thing!¡±

    ¡°Pardon for my behavior but we wouldn¡¯t want you to break another one again.¡±

    ¡°Is it because of what happened last time? Blistering blazes! That happened years ago! I didn¡¯t know the way to test it was to just touch it!¡±

    ¡°What exactly did he do again?¡± Benny asks Nia.

    ¡°He slashed it with his sword,¡±

    Upon hearing that from Nia, Benny struggled to keep his laugh down.

    Nia points at leaf symbol, ¡°As for me, I¡¯m in the Sixth Attribute, Life. My Plant Magic falls under the Life Attribute which has dominion over living things.¡±

    ¡°So do you want to have a go? All you have to do is touch it-hoot.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­¡±

    Benny became apprehensive again as he lifted his hand towards the crystal. He was hesitating to touch it but at the same time he wants to touch it.

    ¡°Oh, just go on and touch it already!¡± snapped Tenryu.

    ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯m doing it!¡±

    Benny gingerly places his hand on the Attribute Sorter Mysticore. For a moment, he thought it didn¡¯t work. But then from within the crystal what looked like a shining ball of yellow light appeared.

    ¡°You are in the Fifth Attribute: Light¡­¡± begins Sylvia.

    For a moment, Benny breathed a sigh of relief. Then again it seemed his guess was right. He didn¡¯t notice that the ball of light had change color from yellow to white.

    Mr. Venditore was quick to notice the sudden change.

    ¡°Hmm? But that is-¡±

    Suddenly, the crystal ball had burst with bright light that it practically blinded everyone

    ¡°W-What the blitz?!¡± shouts Tenryu, shielding his eyes.

    Nia opens her umbrella to shield herself. ¡°This couldn¡¯t be-¡±

    ¡°Take your hand off the Device-hoot!¡±

    In panic, Benny lets go of the crystal. Instantly, the bright light had vanished. The crystal sphere shuddered violently and shattered to pieces.

    Sylvia gasped, ¡°A Manna Overload?!¡±

    ¡°Um, what just happened?¡±

    Benny looks around at the sudden silent group.

    Tenryu and Nia were both staring at him in disbelief.

    Mr. Venditore was clearly shaken but managed to recomposed himself.

    ¡°It appears¡­that you have a particularly strong Manna-hoot. So strong, in fact, that the Attribute Sorter Mysticore¡­exploded-hoot.¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Benny had just realized that the Attribute Sorter had shattered. ¡°I-I¡¯m so sorry! I don¡¯t know what happened! It didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­and just when we told Mr. Fyreroar not to get near it¡­this happens¡­¡± Sylvia cries in dismay.

    ¡°Hey! I didn¡¯t touch it this time!¡± snaps Tenryu.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Benny couldn¡¯t help but repeat himself.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright¡­no harm done-hoot. We have more of those devices anyway-hoot!¡± Mr. Venditore patted him reassuringly in the shoulder.

    ¡°But Mr. Venditore¡­the Attribute Sorter¡­¡± stammers Sylvia.

    ¡°Can be replaced by the one we have in the storage room-hoot. But still¡­We haven¡¯t had a Manna Overload since a certain friend of mine tried one out many years ago-hoot¡­¡±

    Benny couldn¡¯t help but felt relieved. At least, this incident didn¡¯t happen to just him. Ah, but since he broke the device, he would probably get the same treatment now as Tenryu¡­

    ¡°Well, never mind that now-hoot. At least, now we know that you, Benny-iho, have an affinity for¡­Light Attribute-hoot?¡± he looks at Sylvia, to which she nods in affirmation. But from his expression, Benny thought that Mr. Venditore seemed a little doubtful. ¡°And it seems you have a very strong Manna-hoot.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    Benny looks at the hand that touched the device. It was the same hand that he used to cast that Magic last night.

    ¡°At least, I hope we don¡¯t wind up with another troublemaker-hoot.¡± Mr. Venditore mumbles in an undertone.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Ah, well¡­ cough* Nevertheless, that proves you have a great potential to become an Adventurer-hoot!¡±

    ¡°See Benny?¡± says Tenryu, grinning at him in excitedly, ¡°I told you that you have what it takes!¡±

    Benny still looks bewildered, ¡°Uh, really?¡±

    Sylvia seemed to have composed herself and explains further. ¡°That would mean that if ever you become an Adventurer. It would be best for you aim for Classes with stronger affinity for Magic. Also since you are new you may want to practice Magic and Skills in the Light Attribute as that¡¯s your natural affinity.¡±

    Benny processed all of this. ¡°Does this mean that there¡¯s one specific Attribute per Adventurers then?¡±

    Sylvia shook her head, ¡°Not necessarily, take a close look at the diagram. Do you notice that it takes the form of a twelve point star?¡±

    Benny nods as he takes another look at the diagram.

    ¡°The twelve Attributes are divided into four sub-groups and they form a triad wherein the three Attributes in that triangle have the strongest compatibility with each other. Those are the Attributes you have greater ease in using aside from your primary Attribute!¡±

    Now that the he took a closer look, the twelve-point star was actually made up of four triangles.

    ¡°Strongest compatibility?¡± repeats Benny, scanning the diagram and searched where the Light Attribute lies, ¡°So the Attributes I have the greatest compatibility with are¡­¡± From the Light symbol he traced the other two, ¡°Fire¡­and Lightning?¡±

    ¡°Exactly -hoot!¡± Mr. Venditore clapped his feathery hands.

    ¡°Basically the same triad as me!¡± says Tenryu, throwing an arm around Benny¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Though I¡¯d rather stick to my own Attribute and since most Adventurers prefer it that way.¡± Tenryu grips the hilt of his sword. ¡°I like Fire Magic better!¡±

    ¡°So you don¡¯t know any Light or Lightning Magic then?¡±

    ¡°No, he doesn¡¯t.¡± says Nia, as she lifts her umbrella. ¡°But unlike Tenryu I can use Magic from my Attribute Triad. Do you remember my Boulder Shield Spell?¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, now that you mention it that really saved us back then!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s also another thing. The diagram also explains the opposite incompatibility.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes that-hoot!¡± Venditore swoops back to the diagram and point at it.

    ¡°An opposite incompatibility?¡± asks Benny.

    ¡°As Sylvia has mentioned, the diagram also explains the Attribute you have the weakest compatibility with-hoot. Directly opposite of your Attribute is the Attribute where you would have the most difficulty with -hoot!¡±

    Benny thought for a moment as he digested this. So his main Attribute is Light but he has the potential to use Fire and Lightning Attributes. The Attribute he would have trouble with is the Dark Attribute. That seems easy to remember.

    ¡°However, bear in mind that it¡¯s not necessarily so. You can use try to learn how to use Attributes from the other triads but it would be a bit of a challenge, especially with the triad that has your natural opposite Attribute-hoot!¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess that would make sense.¡±

    ¡°Now then, since this is your first time here why don¡¯t you explore around-hoot? You can try the Magic Tools on display at the Testing Area-hoot. Sylvia, would you be kind as to accompany them-hoot?¡±

    ¡°Of course, Mr. Venditore!¡± nods Sylvia.

    Everyone gets up and starts walking to the door.

    ¡°Ah, Mr. Venditore, I have one more question.¡±

    Mr. Venditore looks at him for moment. ¡°I guess I can answer one more-hoot¡­¡±

    ¡°Can we talk alone?¡± Benny lowered his voice to whisper, ¡°It¡¯s a little private¡­¡±

    Mr. Venditore seemed a little confused but obliged. ¡°Alright¡­¡±

    ¡°Just give me a moment alright?¡± Benny says to Tenryu and Nia.

    ¡°Eh? Why?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just go Tenryu!¡±

    Nia drags Tenryu by the arm and walks out the door leaving Benny and Mr. Venditore alone.

    ¡°Alright¡­What is it you would like to ask me that you want to keep it secret-hoot?¡±

    ¡°Is it really necessary to need a Magic Tool to cast Magic?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean-hoot?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t someone use Magic directly¡­you know, they just point their finger and BAM!* you suddenly casted Magic?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­that¡¯s a weird way of putting it but perhaps you are talking about the Conjurer Ability-hoot?¡±

    ¡°Conjurer Ability?¡± repeats Benny.

    ¡°Indeed¡­that is an extremely rare ability where a person can cast Magic Spells without the need of Magic Tool-hoot.¡±

    It¡¯s an extremely rare ability, huh? Benny thought.

    ¡°As a matter of fact, Healer Nia has the Conjuring Ability too-hoot.¡±

    ¡°Really? She can do that as well?!¡±

    Then that would mean that he didn¡¯t need to send her out with Tenryu in the first place. In fact, it would help to get Nia¡¯s own opinion in such.

    ¡°Yes, especially since she is from the Elf Race that their group has a strong affinity towards Magic like the Fairy Race and the Mystic Fox Therians-hoot. But it¡¯s not something she often dabbles with because using Magic with a Conjuring Ability brings a more considerable strain on the caster than with one using a Magic Tool -hoot.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why¡­¡±

    ¡°Can you tell me why you are so interested in such-hoot?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of people being able to do that and just wondered¡­since I have a strong Manna and all if I might be able to do it?¡±

    Benny lied just a bit though.

    ¡°Of course, it is possible to train until you can attain that ability though only a handful of Human Race people had ever succeeded-hoot. One can train for many years but the ability would be beyond their grasp-hoot. I would suggest you don¡¯t waste your time trying to-hoot.¡±

    Benny didn¡¯t answer back. He didn¡¯t want to say that he somehow managed to obtain that ability just last night.

    ¡°Besides¡­if everyone suddenly had the ability to use Magic without the need of a Magic Tool I¡¯d be out of business-hoot!¡±

    Benny had to laugh a that.

    ¡°Do you have any other questions-hoot?¡± Mr. Venditore continued.

    ¡°None so far so thank you for answering.¡±

    ¡°My pleasure-hoot. Now run along, your friends are waiting-hoot.¡±

    Benny bowed politely as he went out of the office the door.

    As Mr. Venditore watched him closed the door he thought to himself.

    That boy is so much the spitting image that guy-hoot¡­However, he has potential that puts him on par with her-hoot. Is he really what Magma thinks he is-hoot?

 Chapter 23 - Magic Tools and Spells

    ¡°What took you so long?¡± Tenryu grumbled when he exited the office.

    ¡°Sorry about that. I had something important to ask Mr. Venditore.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Oh, just a few things¡­¡± Benny said vaguely.

    Tenryu pouts in annoyance.

    ¡°R-Really¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

    Tenryu snorted and patted him in the back, ¡°Well, never --mind that! Come on, Benny! Let me show you their brands of swords!¡±

    ¡°Um, swords?¡± says Benny, ¡°Tenryu, I don¡¯t really like swinging sharp blades at people!¡±

    But Tenryu didn¡¯t let up.

    The Swordsmage quickly pulled Benny and showed him a case filled with swords. Each sword looked amazing, but Benny did not find them quite to his liking.

    Tenryu, being stubborn as ever, urged him to at least try one.

    They brought several swords to a Testing Zone which was a large testing area in the shop where anyone can try and test out a Magic Tool without bothering the other customers. There were even test dummies they could use for target practice. In appearance it looked like the gymnasium back at Benny¡¯s home world. Benny was albeit surprised to see a large place like this since they were underground but he learned to just roll with it instead of asking.

    Benny also took the opportunity to ask how Magic Tool works and Sylvia was kind enough to explain.

    A Magic Tool generally works by acting like a sort of antenna that allows one to channel their Manna to produce Magic and use their Skills.

    They are generally made of quality materials as they are the most important tools of an Adventurer. High quality materials are used in their making such as Mythril and Adamantine Ore. The most important part of a Magic Tool is the Magitite, which act as a conduit and power source for Magic. Some Magic Tools have Magic Formations and Sigils engraved on them and basically act like a circuit. This allows those who don¡¯t have a strong affinity for Magic to be able to use Magic to the minimum.

    Magic Tools are made to the specifications of the Adventurer and their Class. For Adventurers such as those in the Warrior Group their weapons need to be tough and strong. For those who emphasize in Magic they have to be made of strong Manna conducting materials.

    And speaking of their products, Benny was forcibly loaded with a lot of swords by Tenryu.

    There Sylvia helped them out by explaining each sword¡¯s effects.

    Every time Benny tested one, its effects were exactly like clerk¡¯s description. Despite this pre-information, it was still a little surprising for him to be actually doing something he¡¯d only see in movies.

    As he tried more swords, there were tendencies where that unexpected things can happen.

    One sword, when swung caused a blade of light energy that nearly cleaved the head of another clerk (who just happened to have entered there in passing to talk with Sylvia about some matters) off his shoulders! Benny made sure to apologize several times at that.

    Another instance was when Benny tried a cannon-like sword that shot large cannon balls made of Light Attribute Magic. It was amazing but the force was so strong that he got blasted off his feet and straight into the wall.

    ¡°Not that, huh?¡± says Tenryu, picking up the sword.

    ¡°Obviously, no¡­¡± Benny got up and re ¨Cadjusted his glasses.

    ¡°You can¡¯t cut things up with this kind of sword. But you can shoot some crazy hot blasts! Come on, there¡¯s plenty more here!¡±

    ¡°Okay I think that¡¯s enough.¡±

    ¡°Eh, but¡­¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t think a sword is for me! Besides we¡¯re not buying one!¡±

    ¡°Tenryu, you can¡¯t force a sword on Benny if he doesn¡¯t want to use one.¡± says Nia.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± says Tenryu, looking rather crestfallen. ¡°And I thought I can get a spar partner with him.¡±

    ¡°If I were your sparring partner I would die¡­¡± Benny murmured.

    Tenryu suddenly looked as though he had an idea. ¡°Oh! I know!¡±

    He then dragged Benny around the store. He brought him to a case filled with other weapons which they brought to the Testing Area.

    First he showed him a set of hammers, which Benny found too heavy to lift! Next he had Benny try a set of guns, which were similar to the ones the Cactus Gang used. Benny thought he could try them out because he used to play laser tag with Ace. But with just the first gun he panicked when it shot and wound up firing rounds of bullets all over the place.

    Next, Tenryu had him try out some battleaxes. Not only Benny found this barbaric, the balance and weight caused him to fall over and get squashed.

    ¡°Do I look I¡¯m the type to carry something like that?¡± pants Benny after he let¡¯s go of the fifth one he tried.

    Tenryu stopped at his tracks. ¡°You¡¯re right! You look too wimpy to carry these!¡±

    Benny felt he got slammed on the head with a stone with the words ¡°wimpy¡± carved in it.

    However, as all these Magic Tools looked like they were made for gladiators Benny didn¡¯t get offended much. However, this did confirmed what they just discussed earlier about an Adventurer having an affinity for an Elemental Attribute. All of his attempts on Magic with these Magic Tools seemed to be Light Attribute Magic.

    ¡°Weapons that suit Classes from the Warrior Group don¡¯t really suit you. I guess it¡¯s pretty obvious from earlier that you are more inclined to Classes with more emphasis in Magic.¡± nods Sylvia.

    ¡°I guess so¡­¡±

    ¡°Tenryu, how about you let Benny chose which type of Magic Tool he would like to try out instead of pushing one on him?¡± suggests Nia.

    ¡°How about something less¡­sharp and heavy, then?¡± says Sylvia, as she struggles to put the axe back into box, ¡°We have some fine selections over that might just be up your alley!¡±

    Sylvia leads Benny into a wide display of a series Magic Tools that didn¡¯t have a form of blade or heavy part on them. There were gauntlets and gloves with Magitite affixed on them. There were shields and armors on display. There were also Magic Tools similar to Nia¡¯s like umbrellas and canes. But the items that really caught Benny¡¯s attention where the staves and the conventional stick-like wands that Benny was more familiar with.

    Benny immediately made his way for the staves.

    He wasn¡¯t sure but for some reason he felt that staves were just his type. And there was a wide selection of decorated staves of different designs, lengths and styles.

    ¡°I see you have a preference for a staff?¡± says Sylvia, approaching him. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try one?¡±

    ¡°You want a staff? What¡¯s the fun with that? You don¡¯t get to destroy stuff with that!¡± says Tenryu.

    ¡°And that¡¯s exactly your problem¡­¡± says Nia.

    Benny took a staff from the shelf. It was a wooden staff that was about his height in length. The top of the staff was twisted around a Magitite crystal. It was the typical Magic staff you see mages carry around in anime shows.

    ¡°Do you want to try it out?¡±

    ¡°I think I will!¡± Benny smiled.

    They brought several more staffs and stick wands to the Testing Zone.

    Benny wanted to try the Magic staff first and so he did.

    ¡°Give it a go.¡± Sylvia encouraged him.

    Benny pointed the staff but faltered, ¡°Uh¡­how do you use a staff exactly? Do I just point this thing?¡±

    ¡°Just do the same as you did earlier with the other Magic Tools.¡± says Tenryu.

    ¡°That was different. I know that a sword can slash and guns can shoot but how does a staff work in casting Magic?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you use that cane at that time in Marblewood? They¡¯re basically the same thing.¡±

    ¡°Oh that, I see¡­¡± Benny held the staff around.

    ¡°What about those trying to generate some Barrier Spells you¡¯ve used before?¡± Nia suggested. ¡°Do you still remember how you did that?¡±

    ¡°Barrier Spells?¡± asks Sylvia, ¡°So I take you have some basic Skills in Defensive Magic? Are you aiming to be a Guardian Class Adventurer?¡±

    Guardian Class is one of the Adventurer Classes. They specialize in Defensive Magic, Protection Spells and Barriers. It was one of the Classes that Benny had considered in secret.

    ¡°Um, I did mention I haven¡¯t made that decision yet.¡± Benny frowned at them.

    Though he knew it was for his best interest, he was starting to get a little annoyed that they they¡¯re pressing him to become one.

    ¡°And besides, I wouldn¡¯t know the Spells in the Guardian Class Adventurers specialize in.¡±

    Sylvia thought for a moment, ¡°I don¡¯t know much about Magic. Take for example Classes that emphasize more in Magic would need related skills such as Spell Casting, Enchantments and Magic Sigil Formations. Do you have any knowledge in Magic Spells?¡±

    Benny actually studied a few Spells from his Spellbook last night. He memorized some of the spells that interested him.

    Tenryu shook his head, ¡°Benny¡¯s starting out. So he wouldn¡¯t know some complicated¡­Eh? Benny?¡±

    Benny holds the staff in front of him and focuses on a Spell he had read. It was in the special language that Abuela taught him. But he wanted to try the spell in his usual common language to see if it would work.

    ¡°Converging Asterism of the Four Heavenly Kings¡­¡±

    The Magitite on the staff glowed brightly as four Magic Seals appeared on the ground, surrounding the dummy. Benny points towards his target with four fingers, his ring finger pointing towards his palm.

    ¡°Grand Cross!¡± shouts Benny.

    Four pillars of light exploded from the seals and soared straight into the open sky! If there was a roof it would¡¯ve been destroyed in an instant. The pillars of light grew in size until they intersected and formed one gigantic pillar of light that shook the whole shop!If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    What he didn¡¯t know is that it affected the whole city as well.

    ***

    At that same moment when Benny casted his Spell.

    Inside Mr. Venditore¡¯s office, the old Owl Animalian was busy working on some important documents when his whole office shook like there was an earthquake.

    ¡°What the-hoot?! An earthquake-hoot?!¡± he squawked in alarm.

    But then he felt a wave of Magic Energy. Being in this occupation for so long he knew for a fact that Spells release Magic Energy. Some of the most powerful ones have a unique Magic Energy that ones who are very familiar can sense it.

    And the Magic Energy he was feeling was something he had not felt in years.

    ¡°No, this Magic Energy-hoot¡­ It¡¯s not possible-hoot!¡±

    ***

    Meanwhile, also at that same moment...

    At the Sun Dragon Restaurant where Aunt Magma and Flare were busy serving their usual customers¡­

    Aunt Magma, who was busy cooking, had suddenly felt that same energy.

    The spatula she was using to make some stir-fry fell to the floor making a loud clang.

    ¡°Auntie¡­? What¡¯s wrong?¡± asks a startled Flare.

    ¡°This sensation¡­ It couldn¡¯t be¡­¡±

    ***

    Inside an office within a large prominent building within the city¡­a lone figure watched from the windows as a pillar of light shot into the sky.

    ¡°It¡­It can¡¯t be! That Magic¡­ It¡¯s definitely that Magic!¡±

    ***

    BOOOM!!!

    Benny¡¯s Spell had generated a shock wave that knocked everyone off their feet. As the pillar of light vanished, all what was left of the dummy was a large empty crater.

    ¡°Whoa¡­I didn¡¯t think that would work¡­ Maybe too well¡­¡±

    Everyone was stunned speechless.

    ¡°W-What the blitz did you do?¡± demand Tenryu, after recovering from his shock and was now looking excited like a dog being given a treat.

    ¡°Benjamin, where did you learn how to do that?¡± asks Nia in amazement.

    Benny scratched his neck uncomfortably, while trying to find the right words to explain things.

    ¡°Sorry about that¡­I wanted to try that Magic Spell I¡¯ve read. I didn¡¯t think it was that strong.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty obvious you have a talent for Magic.¡± says Sylvia, straightening up her robes.

    ¡°¡­Talent? Eh¡­well, that¡¯s a little bit much.¡±

    Nia looked at him thoughtfully, ¡°That still doesn¡¯t explain where you learned a Spell that powerful? Didn¡¯t you say you didn¡¯t know any Magic Spells?¡±

    Normally, for one aiming to be an Adventurer one had to work their way up from learning the basic techniques, then advance to higher level techniques. Especially for Magic oriented Classes, they also have to train until they are able to really tap into their Manna and expand their capacity to do stronger Spells. And not only that, Spells become difficult the higher their level.

    If Nia were to assume¡­Benny¡¯s Magic just now was most likely a highly advanced leveled Spell. Even more powerful than Cactus Hun¡¯s destructive Vacuum Implosion Magic and probably on par with Spell that defeated him.

    ¡°Are you okay Benjamin? You aren¡¯t feeling any of the Fatigue?¡±

    Benny checked himself and felt he wasn¡¯t the least bit tired. Or at least no tired from before when he hauled all those Magic Tools in here.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I don¡¯t feel any different.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?!¡± Nia continued while looking at him intently.

    Benny was slightly panicked, ¡°I¡¯m fine! Really! I know I shouldn¡¯t be trying Spells I¡¯ve only just read last night but-¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­last night?!¡± gasped Nia, ¡°You only read about how to do that Spell last night?!¡±

    ¡°Blistering Blazes Benny!¡± cheered Tenryu, clapping him in the shoulders, ¡°I knew you have great potential as an Adventurer!¡±

    ¡°T-Tenryu¡­the shoulder¡­¡± Benny winced in pain.

    ¡°Whoops! Sorry! Is there any other Magic Spells you can use?¡± asks Tenryu.

    ¡°Uh, well¡­I only read a few but there¡¯s an idea I¡¯d like to try.¡± It was something Benny wanted to try ever since the reality that Magic exists came to him.

    ¡°Eh? What is it?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­I¡¯m just wondering¡­Can it be possible for someone to use Magic to fly?¡±

    ¡°Fly?¡±

    Everyone looked at him weirdly.

    ¡°You know? Zoom around the air unsupported?¡±

    They stared at him as though he had just said the world was flat. Then they all laughed.

    ¡°Benny, what are you saying?¡± Nia giggled.

    Tenryu smirked at him, ¡°Flight is one of the Impossible 13 Concepts, isn¡¯t it? Even I know that!¡±

    ¡°Eh? The Impossible 13 Concepts?¡± says Benny, looking slightly confused.

    Apparently, there were 13 things that couldn¡¯t be achieved with Magic or Skills. Many people have tried and thought of everything to achieve one but all failed. Hence, they were called ¡°impossible.¡±

    The idea of Magic to fly is one of them.

    Unless you have wings like those of the Avibon, like Mr. Venditore, flight is just an impossible for everyone else.

    ¡°So¡­it¡¯s impossible, huh?¡±

    But ever since he came to this world the impossible for him became possible. Since it wasn¡¯t something destructive like that spell he had used earlier he wanted to try that idea.

    Benny sat on the staff like he had seen in the manga.

    ¡°Uh, Benny, what the blitz are you doing?¡±

    Benny knew it looked weird but this was this strongest way he could visualize the act of flying ¡®with magic.¡¯ Benny concentrated on the Manna while visualizing on the image of flying while concentrating on the many factors that affect flying: air, gravity, his body weight¡­

    ¡°Fly¡­¡± Benny muttered to himself.

    Sylvia had overheard, Benny¡¯s mutter, ¡°Fly? Mr. Estrella, I don¡¯t know how doing that resembles flying but didn¡¯t we just tell you that¡­.eh? EH?!!¡±

    The staff had levitated with him seated on it. The next thing everyone knew, Benny was floating several feet in the air in front of them!

    When he realized what had happened, Benny yelled in excitement. ¡°I-I did it! I think¡­¡±

    The proper term for this would be levitation not flying.

    Tenryu, Nia and Sylvia all gaped when they saw that.

    ¡°W-What the-?!¡±

    ¡°N-No way!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s flying?! He¡¯s actually flying?!¡±

    ¡°Actually¡­I think this is levitation rather than flying.¡± says Benny matter-of-factly.

    Benny was floating around the air like a witch. Then again, his fluttering cloak and pointed hat may have emphasized his appearance.

    Alright, let¡¯s see if I can move around! Benny thought excitedly.

    He focused on the ¡°actual¡± factors of flight. Lift¡­Thrust¡­Drag¡­Wind¡­

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    And as though like he were moving an arm the staff moved in the direction he wanted.

    ¡°Yahoo!¡± shouts Benny as swerved around in the air like he was riding a bicycle. He went upwards and sideways around the walls. He even did a few loop de loop several times.

    ¡°This is impossible! No one has ever done something like this before!¡± Sylvia says in utter disbelief.

    ¡°How are you even doing this?¡±

    Benny stopped in mid-air. ¡°I just thought of the many factors of flight like gravity, weight, air resistance and the like.¡±

    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about but blistering blazes, I want to try that!¡±

    Benny flew towards Tenryu, who leapt back in surprise, ¡°Get on then!¡±

    Tenryu excitedly sat on the staff in the same way as Benny.

    That staff nearly buckled with Tenryu¡¯s weight on it. Benny immediately realized he had to think of his passenger¡¯s weight now and adjusted his concentration a bit. Immediately, they were able to fly together normally!

    And with that two of them were zooming around the air.

    ¡°Wahoo! I¡¯m actually flying!¡±

    ¡°Here comes the loop de loop!¡±

    ¡°Wait? What did you just¡­Uwaah?!¡±

    Benny did another loop de loop and Tenryu barely managed to get a grip on the staff.

    ¡°What the blitz, Benny?! I nearly fell off!¡±

    ¡°Sorry about that¡­¡± Benny says light-heartedly.

    ¡°But that was still blazingly awesome! Do it again!¡±

    Benny had sweatdropped in response that.

    ¡°Oh, please let me ride too!¡± Sylvia also says.

    ¡°Eh¡­?¡±

    ¡°Um, Ms. Sylvia this is merchandise, isn¡¯t it?¡± Benny looks at her. ¡°An employee shouldn¡¯t be doing that.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine! We¡¯re just testing here!¡±

    Benny had no choice but to let her experience flying as well.

    ***

    Meanwhile, Nia could only shake her head as she watches them having fun. Truth be told, she wanted to ride as well.

    However, despite her awe Nia was still in disbelief.

    Nobody seemed to realize that gravity of the situation. Benny had just achieved what even the greatest of Adventurers had failed. Not only did he do some clearly advanced Magic just after only (as he claims but they way he reacted must prove to be true) to have studied it last night he even achieved one of the Impossible 13 (or rather 12 now) and it was clear to her that he had just done so out of a whim!

    A lot of thoughts were going through her mind.

    From the way Benny showed himself, he didn¡¯t seem to have much experience in Magic. He even admitted that he up until a few days ago was his first use of Magic. But something about Benny struck her odd. Not counting the facial resemblance to Tenryu, Benny displayed severe ignorance of common knowledge and life in general. He keeps displaying actions as though he has just encountered them. From knowing about Adventurers and what they do, to currency, to livestock, to other people (though Nia noticed it was more to other races) and seeing Magic, Benny seemed to react as though he has just seen them for the first time.

    It was as though on the day Tenryu found him was the first time he seen this world.

    Nia, of course, still believed that Benny just lived a secluded life until his mysterious separation from his family.

    However, she had always thought that Benny may be hiding something else.

    When she first met Benny, she was surprised to meet someone who looked almost exactly like Tenryu but she had heard of people having lookalikes even when they weren¡¯t twins or much less related. That¡¯s why she didn¡¯t suspect anything off at first. But that same day, something happened at Marblewood. It was still something she could never forget.

    After Cactus Hun attempted to make one last retaliation attack Benny wielded a mysterious book that was brimming with Manna and read a Spell¡¯s incantation in a language she had never heard before. Another amazing thing was that Tenryu had understood every word. She had never pegged Swordsmage to be able to understand another language but that was another thing.

    As soon as Benny finished with his incantation he had invoked a Magic that shook the whole skies and brought down an onslaught of stars that completely crushed Cactus Hun! What was even strange is that Benny had no recollection of what had happened.

    The sight of that incredible display of Magic was still embedded in Nia and Tenryu¡¯s memories. This is what caused Tenryu try to convince Benny to become an Adventurer.

    Another thing that aroused her suspicions was that mysterious book that Benny always carried. She though the reason he was able to cast such Magic was through it. It was ancient-looking tome that belonged to Benny¡¯s family that according to Tenryu Benny had said was passed to him. After invoking the Spell, Benny collapsed from Manna Strain Fatigue and the book closed itself shut and refused to open to anyone else. Tenryu actually once tried to pry the book open (when Benny was unconscious) but it wouldn¡¯t budge.

    Tenryu even tried to burn it (Nia was too late to realize what he was planning to stop him) But surprisingly the book wasn¡¯t the least bit burned.

    That book was definitely special if not¡­a powerful Magic Item. Nia thought.

    But no matter how much a person reads a book filled with instructions to perform a complex Magic similar to the ones Benny has just used, it would take one a long time (weeks even stretching years) to actually get a Spell or Skill right, even at just the basics. Those Magic Spells that Benny had used were clearly not basic but were most likely within the higher tiers. It¡¯s actually unthinkable for someone to actually get a Spell right after just studying them the night before. But Benny not only was able to perform such another powerful Spell but he was able to do one of the Impossible 13 and created Flight right before they¡¯re very eyes.

    Benjamin Estrella¡­whoever he is or where he came from, he is no doubt¡­ Nia thought as she looked at Benny zipping in the air. ¡­he¡¯s a natural born prodigy!

    This was what Nia was sure of him.

    ***

    ¡°I think we better get down!¡±

    ¡°Aww¡­ Already?¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s your professionalism as a saleswoman gone?¡±

    Sylvia complains like a little child not wanting to leave the amusement park. Benny swerved down back to ground with Sylvia.

    Both he and Sylvia get off of the staff.

    ¡°Well, that was fun when it lasted¡­¡± Sylvia sighed.

    ¡°That was really blazingly amazing, Benny!¡± Tenryu grinned at him.

    Benny lifted the staff and twirled it around. A flurry of sparkling lights followed the trail of the staff¡¯s movement. At least this time, Benny did not blow something up or got knocked away!

    ¡°I guess¡­ It was something I just thought off on the spot though.¡±

    ¡°You definitely have what it takes to be an Adventure!¡±

    ¡°You just added that in passing, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. Just wait till Magma-tia and Flare-ate hears about this Flying Magic of yours!¡±

    ¡°DON¡¯T!!!¡±

    Benny and Tenryu both jolted. So did Sylvia in fact.

    The one who yelled was Nia. And she looked a little panicked.

    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t tell anyone about this just yet! This Flying Magic of Benjamin¡¯s must be kept secret.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Why? Benny here just invented a Magic that¡¯s supposed to be impossible! Why shouldn¡¯t he tell anyone about it?¡± complained Tenryu.

    Benny, however, easily understood her reaction, ¡°Because it may attract unwanted attention.¡±

    Nia looked a little surprised that Benny had caught on so quickly but was very relieved he understood at least.

    ¡°Right! If people found out that Benny had just invented a Magic that¡¯s supposed to be one of the Impossible 13, it would cause a commotion in the Magic community!¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t get why we have to keep this a secret? It¡¯s a new discovery!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s exactly why¡­¡± Benny nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation, ¡°I¡¯m guessing a lot of people would bother me about how I invented that Magic. And would ask for details and all that¡­¡±

    ¡°I still don¡¯t get why¡­¡±

    ¡°Plus reporters would probably be bothering us as it might be some big news to them or something.¡± Benny added, knowing from what Aunt Magma mentioned about Tenryu¡¯s dislike of the reporters.

    ¡°Geh¡­not them¡­¡±

    ¡°So you see Tenryu? It¡¯s not the right time to tell this just yet. Even to Flare and Aunt Magma. The less people who know about this the better!¡± emphasized Nia.

    ¡°Yeah, I get it now¡­Blast it, if those reporters come knocking in my doorstep I¡¯d-¡±

    Benny ignored what Tenryu was about to say what he¡¯d do to the reporters. He turned to face Sylvia who was the only other witness.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know a thing or two about keeping trade secrets. Your secret is safe with me.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your consideration, Ms. Sylvia.¡± Benny nodded appreciatively.

    ¡°Although I think Mr. Venditore has just missed out on something amazing. And it¡¯s even happening under his own beak.¡± giggled Sylvia.

    Everyone had to snort in laughter at that.

    ¡°Well, going back to business. It seems a staff suits you perfectly!¡± says Sylvia, regaining her original professional composure. ¡°Would you like that one or would you prefer to check the other stocks?¡±

    Benny was about to answer that he was just here to see the display and wasn¡¯t intending to buy one.

    But then he stopped.

    All of a sudden, he felt that weird chill again! Benny drops the staff in response.

    From the corner of his eye, he saw a black haze wafting in the air! It was coming from the main shop area!

    ¡°W-What? Is everything alright?¡±

    ¡°Benny? Are you okay?¡± asks Tenryu, steadying him.

    Nia approaches him in concern, ¡°He looks so pale. Maybe you used up too much of your Manna when you tried all those Magic Tools earlier.¡±

    ¡°Can I take my time to make a decision?¡± Benny says to Sylvia.

    He picks up the staff and hands it back to her before following where the black haze was.

    ¡°Hey, Benny!¡± yells Tenryu at him, ¡°Where the blitz are you going?¡±

 Chapter 24 - Break In

    Benny reached the end of the aisle.

    He scanned the atrium for that black haze and found it! But when tried to look at the person it belonged to he was surprised to see that there was no one there! The black haze was there but Benny couldn¡¯t see where it was coming from!

    Benny adjusted his glasses if he wasn¡¯t seeing clearly. He scanned the area to see where the hazes were coming from but he realized that there wasn¡¯t just one haze but two black hazes! Benny could tell that those black hazes were from the same two people he had seen outside earlier! Both the strange part was that there wasn¡¯t any there. Could it be through the use of some Magic that causes invisibility?

    As Benny focused on his gaze, he noticed that those hazes were heading straight to Mr. Venditore¡¯s office!

    ¡°So they were heading there? Mr. Venditore¡¯s in big trouble!¡±

    Benny was about to head there when someone grabbed his arm. It was Tenryu having caught up to him.

    ¡°Benny, where are you heading off to in a hurry? Don¡¯t just go running off like that!¡± says Tenryu, looking annoyed.

    ¡°There¡¯s something very dangerous here!¡± Benny says automatically without thinking.

    Tenryu looked at him confused, ¡°Benny what are you-?¡±

    ¡°Look this might sound weird but I saw some strange haze coming out from two suspicious characters just a while ago before we entered the shop!¡±

    ¡°Haze?¡± says Tenryu, looking more confused. ¡°What the blitz are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll explain later! But right now those hazes are heading straight for Mr. Venditore¡¯s office! He might be in danger!¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re alright? You¡¯re not suffering from that fatigue thing and seeing things, are you?¡±

    ¡°Please believe me!¡± Benny says to him in desperation.

    ¡°But I don¡¯t see anything!¡± says Tenryu, as he squints his eyes towards the direction where Benny could still see the hazes.

    Benny did not expect him too. Some of the instances where he had seen the hazes had a lot of people around. He could still see those hazes but the people they belonged were still not in sight. To make matters worse they already reached the door of Mr. Venditore¡¯s office! The guards didn¡¯t notice anything but the door swung open by just a little and the hazes disappeared inside.

    Benny looks in panic, ¡°They¡¯re already inside his office! We have to move now!¡±

    Tenryu looks at him for a second and nods.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go and see Mr. Venditore if he¡¯s alright.¡±

    Nia finally catches up to them, looking out of breath. ¡°Benjamin, what is-?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to see Mr. Venditore!¡± says Benny, turning on his heel.

    ¡°What?¡±

    However, Benny already made his way down the aisle.

    Nia turned towards Tenryu with a look of bewilderment evident on her face.

    ¡°Tenryu, what is going on?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Tenryu shrugged as he followed Benny. ¡°Hey Benny, if those hazes turned out to be real bad guys can I beat them to a pulp?¡±

    ***

    Meanwhile, inside Mr. Venditore¡¯s office¡­

    The old owl Animalian was preparing to head back outside. He would¡¯ve gone out immediately but he had to sign some important documents first before heading out.

    Earlier he was alarmed when the whole place shook as thought there were an earthquake but it was the feeling earlier that bothered him more.

    That Magic Energy was definitely from that form of Magic.

    Could it really be-hoot? Perhaps that boy may have something to do it-hoot.

    That boy he was referring to was Benjamin Estrella. It was probably not coincidence that this mysterious and nostalgic feeling just happened on the same day they met (and with an earthquake at the same time to boot.)

    I should¡¯ve accompanied them-hoot. Mr. Venditore thought regretfully.

    Meeting with Benny seemed to elicit an odd sense of nostalgia mixed with wonder. Just like how he first met Tenryu years ago and wondered if he were a missing relation. Now that he had met Benny that same suspicion sprang up. The boy looked almost the exact spitting image of his old friend. Except for the eyes¡­there was no doubt that those were the same eyes!

    He wondered whether he should send that old friend a letter later.

    ¡°Sylvia was with them so she can tell me the details later-hoot¡­ Maybe I should pay a visit to Magma instead-hoot¡­¡±

    Venditore was about to head out the door when suddenly out of nowhere a vine appeared and wrapped itself around him! Completely binding him to his chair!

    ¡°What is this-hoot?! Who¡¯s-¡±

    The vine wrapped itself around his mouth, clamping his beak shut!

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want us to turn you into a feather duster just sit there and stay quiet, old bird!¡±

    Suddenly, a pair of two shady characters appeared. The larger of them was holding a whip where the vine was attached to! The other held a staff with a crooked top. Both of them had looks of greedy triumph on their faces.

    Venditore instantly recognized who these characters were.

    The Grave Brothers-hoot! What are they doing here-hoot? Venditore thought in alarm.

    The Grave Brothers were an infamous pair of thieves. He recognized that one of them must¡¯ve used Concealing Magic to sneak in here without his guards noticing.

    ¡°Well, brother? It¡¯s in here isn¡¯t it?¡± the larger of the two looked excited

    ¡°Yeah!¡± nods the smaller one, ¡°Start looking! That old bird probably hid that in here somewhere¡­¡±

    They started searching around the place, pulling out drawers and searching the cabinets. Once in a while, they found some very precious looking items like Mr. Venditore¡¯s gold watch, his numerous wallets, or even his jeweled cufflinks but they simply tossed those aside.

    If it wasn¡¯t money they were looking for, what were these two after then?

    Unless¡­

    The thought sent dread down Venditore¡¯s spine. His gaze turned to the small painting of four people.

    After several minutes of searching, having practically turned the office inside out, the two were looking frustrated.

    ¡°I can¡¯t find it anywhere, brother!¡±

    ¡°Ask the bird! He obviously knows!¡±

    The one holding the whip of vine pulled on it, causing the vine around Venditore¡¯s beak to slacken.

    ¡°What do you want¨Choot?!¡±

    ¡°You know exactly what we¡¯re looking for! Where¡¯s the chest?¡±

    ¡°In case you haven¡¯t noticed I have several chests in this room-hoot!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t play us! Where¡¯s the Sealed Chest?¡±

    So they were after that. If there¡¯s one thing he must never let fall into the wrong hands it¡¯s that chest!

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about-hoot!¡±

    Venditore huffed, his feathers ruffled in menacing way.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you managed to get past Bronson and Eldon but release me at once unless you want me to alert them and get you a permanent cell in Tartarus-hoot!¡±

    The elder brother laughed, ¡°I think your feathers are starting to grow in your brain, old bird! Getting past those two lugs was quite easy. And don¡¯t bother yelling because we know this office of yours has been recently soundproofed!¡±

    Venditore was momentarily stunned but he glared at them. How did these two know about that-hoot?

    ¡°You won¡¯t get away with this¨Choot!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not the one tied up right now! And one wrong move and my brother here will squeeze the life out of you!¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    ¡°You will get nothing out of me-hoot!¡±

    The elder Grave nodded to his bigger brother, ¡°Brother, teach this old bird a lesson!¡±

    The larger brother pulled on his whip and swung the chair with Venditore still tied to it to wall! The chair shattered but Venditore was still tied in the vines! Like a ragged toy being tossed around, Venditore was slammed across the room of his own office and smashed painfully against his furniture! Venditore bravely kept his beak shut! He didn¡¯t want to give these thieves the pleasure of knowing they were hurting him. It would not do to cry for help either as the office was indeed soundproof.

    After being tumbled around the office several more times, Venditore was slammed to the floor.

    ¡°Feeling like telling us where that Chest is then?¡± says the elder brother with a sneer.

    Venditore glared at them. ¡°I will repeat this again-hoot! You will get nothing from me-hoot!¡±

    ¡°Suit yourself! Brother, if you will?¡±

    The younger brother pulled on the whip once more and swung the old bird towards the wall where the painting hung! Venditore crashed into it and fell to the floor with the painting falling off from its nail!

    The two thieves froze when they saw what was behind the painting. There was a small hidden niche. And in that small niche: a small golden box with intricate markings and a strange tape with markings kept the lid shut.

    It was the Sealing Chest!

    Venditore could only gaze in horror as the Chest¡¯s hiding place was revealed!

    ¡°Brother, isn¡¯t that?¡±

    ¡°It is!¡± the elder brother ran straight to the niche, ¡°Finally! It¡¯s ours!¡±

    Venditore struggled in the vine bindings.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch that, you fool-hoot!¡± Venditore shouted.

    ¡°You¡¯re the fool, old bird!¡± the elder brother gleefully snatched the golden box from the niche! ¡°You think you can hide this treasure from the Grave Brothers?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a fool indeed if you think that¡¯s a treasure-hoot!¡±

    Annoyed by that insult, the elder Grave brother kicked him in the stomach, ¡°Don¡¯t insult us! We know full well what¡¯s in this box! With it no one can stop us from our heists!¡±

    Though in pain Venditore still manage to speak, ¡°It¡¯s uncontrollable¡­a dangerous power is sealed inside that box-hoot! It will destroy everything if you as much as open it-hoot!¡±

    The younger Grave brother began to look hesitant. ¡°Maybe we should listen to him, brother. I don¡¯t like the sound of what he just said¡­¡±

    The elder brother rolled his eyes, ¡°Why is it that you always get cold feet when something big happens, huh? We¡¯ve got the Chest of Sealing and now you¡¯re having second thoughts?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just saying, brother! The box maybe called the Chest of Sealing for a reason?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing more than a power up for us, look I¡¯ll show you!¡±

    ¡°NO!¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± The elder brother ripped the paper tag of the box and opened it.

    There was nothing in the box apart from small stone. An ordinary-looking black stone lay in the box.

    ¡°That¡¯s it? A rock?!¡± he says in anger as he flings the box to the ground. The stone toppled out of the box.

    Venditore¡¯s eyes did not leave the stone. An expression of horror was clear on his face.

    ¡°Is this some kind of a joke, old bird? All that for a rock?¡± snaps the elder

    ¡°You fool¡­ You¡¯ve doomed us all-hoot!¡±

    The old owl was shaking.

    ¡°What are you-?¡±

    The younger Grave brother began yelling, ¡°Brother! Look, the stone!¡±

    The stone began to glow a deep black. A strange and ominous symbol appeared on it. It began to make some kind of thumping sound¡­like a heartbeat.

    ***

    If his friends were easy to convince, the burly Beastmen guards weren¡¯t so much. Tensions were building up as Benny tried to get these two let them pass. He knew they were just doing their job but these did not stop him getting a bit frustrated.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, I need to see Mr. Venditore!¡±

    The guard on the left rolled his eyes. ¡°And I¡¯m telling you, kid. No one gets into the Boss¡¯s office without his permission or prior appointment!¡±

    ¡°But we just went here earlier!¡±

    ¡°That was because the Boss brought you in. But without his permission again you can¡¯t enter!¡±

    ¡°But he might be in big trouble! Something just got inside his office!¡±

    ¡°Kid, in case, you haven¡¯t noticed, we¡¯ve been standing here all day. And we haven¡¯t seen anything get passed us since you left the office!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± says Benny pressing on, ¡°Then I bet you haven¡¯t smelled anybody pass here then?¡±

    He remembered watching from one of those survival documentaries that one must never leave any food in camping sites otherwise it might attract bears. So if they could track prey by scent they can tell as well if someone is nearby. Even though it was a sudden idea, he should¡¯ve said it more subtly. Both guards gave him both a glare that caused him to flinch.

    ¡°Are you implying something, kid?¡± The menacing-looking one gnashed his teeth, which were just a sharp as real bear¡¯s.

    Benny realized his words might have sounded offensive. He learned from his father about dealing with people whom he might have offended he should backtrack and explain things thoroughly. Quickly he tried to tone it down a bit.

    ¡°I¡¯m just saying! You guys have keen sense of smell, right? You could¡¯ve picked up some scent of someone else pass through here?¡±

    The guard grabbed Benny by the front of his cloak and pulled him up close until they were practically face-to-face (or in Benny¡¯s case face-to-teeth.)

    ¡°First off, don¡¯t mistake me for a Caninaso! And second I haven¡¯t smelled a thing!¡± he yelled at him in a loud voice.

    ¡°Hey, let go of him!¡± Tenryu glared, his hand flew to the hilt of his sword.

    ¡°Let the young boy go, Bronson.¡± says the other guard, who had a patch over his left eye. His attention was at the customers who were surveying the scene, ¡°Mr. Venditore fire you if he finds out you manhandled another customer.¡±

    Glaring at his partner, Bronson lets go of Benny, causing him to tumble backwards with Tenryu holding him steady.

    Nia steps forward, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for this. My friend didn¡¯t mean to offend you. However, he does have a point.¡±

    Both guards gave her a fierce look but she pressed on forward.

    ¡°Even if you¡¯re not from the Caninaso Clan, I¡¯ve hear that Ursuso Clan still have good sense of smell.¡±

    ¡°I told you we haven¡¯t smelled anything!¡± Bronson snapped at her.

    ¡°Actually, we can¡¯t really smell anything right now.¡± admits the other guard.

    ¡°Eldon!¡± says Bronson in protest.

    All three kids looked at him.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± asks Benny.

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no use denying it but you¡¯re right we do have a keen sense of smell, not as strong as a Caninaso but we can determine if somebody is close by. But for some reason, I can¡¯t pick up your scents or Bronson¡¯s and he always reeks for his lack of bathing.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± snapped Bronson in protest but Eldon ignored him.

    ¡°It¡¯s been going on for a while now. First, I could smell my partner¡¯s stench and suddenly I can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± says Nia, rummaging in her purse to pull out a small bottle. She took a whiff from it and frowned, ¡°Excuse for a moment I would like to check something.¡±

    The two guards looked at her in confusion, as she turned to Benny.

    ¡°Benjamin, can I ask a favor?¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± Benny began but then Nia shoved the bottle right under his nose, ¡°Wha- Hey?!¡±

    ¡°Can you smell this?¡±

    ¡°W-What?¡±

    ¡°Do you smell anything from this bottle?¡±

    ¡°Err¡­no¡­¡±

    ¡°I see. What about you Tenryu?¡± She then gives the bottle at Tenryu, who quickly moves away.

    ¡°What is that supposed to be?¡±

    ¡°Just smell it!¡±

    ¡°No way!¡± says Tenryu, ¡°The last time I smelled one of your concoctions I was out for a week!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you smelled Sleeping Potion. This isn¡¯t a potion but I just need you to smell it to confirm something¡­¡±

    ¡°No way!¡± protested Tenryu.

    ¡°C¡¯mon! Just a whiff! It won¡¯t hurt you!¡± Nia pressed forward pushing the bottle at his face.

    ¡°NO!¡± shouts Tenryu back but as he bent backward to avoid it.

    Perhaps he bent backward too far and fell backwards. Nia in her attempt to get the bottle to his nose caused her to go off-balanced when Tenryu dodged it. She nearly fell forward when Benny quickly caught her.

    ¡°Whoa, be careful there!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Benjamin.¡±

    Benny nods but he soon realizes his arms were around her and he pulls away, blushing profusely.

    As for Tenryu, he looks up at Nia completely annoyed¡­and with the bottle still stuck in his nostril!

    ¡°Nia, what the blitz are you doing?!¡±

    Everyone tried not to laugh at the sight.

    ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m throwing that perfume out¡­¡± she says in disgust.

    Benny sweatdropped, ¡°Then maybe you shouldn¡¯t suddenly shove that bottle under people¡¯s noses-¡± Benny stopped midway when he just realized he heard the word ¡°perfume.¡±

    That was a perfume bottle? If that was perfume¡­how come he couldn¡¯t smell anything? Surely even if it were empty it should still have some residue of the scent.

    Tenryu ripped the bottle out of his nose.

    ¡°So can you smell anything?¡±

    ¡°No!¡± snaps Tenryu, ¡°Why would you try to make me smell an empty bottle?¡±

    ¡°I knew it.¡± says Nia with a frown.

    ¡°What is it Nia?¡± says Benny.

    ¡°There¡¯s no mistaking it! It¡¯s Nullolfaction Incense!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Everyone looks at her in bewilderment.

    ¡°It¡¯s a type of incense that produces undetectable fumes that numbs a person¡¯s sense of smell!¡±

    There was a moment of silence before the guard Bronson started to laugh.

    ¡°A potion that makes me people unable to smell anything?¡± says Bronson, with a laugh. ¡°What kind of a potion is that? Is there even such a thing, little girl?¡±

    ¡°Actually there is!¡± says Nia indignantly, ¡°That¡¯s a potion widely used for workers who have to work in foul smelling places.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, right?¡± snorted Bronson. ¡°Can you believe that, Eldon?¡±

    Eldon however gave a serious look, ¡°I think it would be wise to be concerned about this. How else can we explain why we can¡¯t detect scents anymore? And if that¡¯s the case, then maybe it does ties to what the boy is telling us.¡±

    Bronson looked at his partner in disbelief, ¡°Are you telling me you believe this girl and her mystic potions as well as this kid¡¯s ramblings about our Boss being in danger?¡±

    Benny had almost forgotten why they approached this in the first place! He started to feel panicky again! But he thought it was the moment to point it out with this huge Bear-Clan with an axe still seemed too keyed up.

    ¡°How do we know if they¡¯re not making this up, eh?¡± growled Bronson.

    ¡°Excuse me! But I happened to be a Qualified Remedician with an Apothecary Class !¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a Remedician?¡± says in Eldon in surprise.

    To prove it she shows some kind of I.D. to them.

    ¡°See this? I¡¯m not making this up because I know my expertise. Someone had definitely released Nullolfaction Incense in this area! Its fumes must still be lingering that¡¯s why we couldn¡¯t smell anything!¡±

    ¡°Enough of this!¡± says Bronson, ¡°I¡¯m not gonna listen to a bunch of brats who are wasting my time!¡±

    ¡°Argh!¡±

    Everyone jolted as Benny suddenly keeled over and fell on his knees.

    ¡°Benny?!¡± says Tenryu in alarm.

    Benny felt as though he was about to get sick. He never felt this sense of dread and imminent danger before!

    He knew they were too late but something worse has happened. He looked straight from door of Venditore¡¯s office and saw to his horror that black hazes were coming out of it in multitudes! Like the room was full of it. This time however, he could tell it was different. It did not come from those two shady characters but from something even more dangerous.

    ¡°Tenryu, what happened to him?¡± he could hear Nia¡¯s faint voice.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know! He suddenly fell over on me!¡±

    ¡°Is your friend okay?¡± asks Eldon in concern.

    ¡°That kid¡¯s probably faking it¡­¡± Although Bronson sounded unsure this time and despite his doubtful words he looked a little worried.

    Eldon glared at him, ¡°Bronson, I don¡¯t think you need a Remedician to tell that this kid isn¡¯t faking anything!¡±

    ¡°The¡­door¡­Mr. Venditore¡­black haze¡­.too late¡­¡± Benny croaked.

    ¡°What is he saying?¡±

    ¡°I think he¡¯s delirious¡­ He¡¯s getting paler by the minute!¡± says Nia.

    Benny tried to compose himself. ¡°No¡­We¡¯re too late!¡±

    Tenryu was staring in surprise, ¡°Too late? Benny what are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Something terrible is coming!¡± Benny pointed at the door.

    At that moment the place started to shake violently. Screams could be heard from the customers and the clerks alike. Several merchandises were toppling from the shelves.

    ¡°W-what¡¯s going on?¡± says Bronson in alarm.

    ¡°Another earthquake?¡± says Eldon.

    It seemed as though a magnitude-4 earthquake had hit but Benny knew that this was no earthquake. The shelves were swinging back in forth with their contents spilling out. The customers were scrambling around in confusion as the clerks tried to get the situation under control.

    ¡°Everyone, please remain calm!¡± A clerk¡¯s voice says over the Voice-Amplifying Mysticore, ¡°Please follow the glowing Magic Sigils and head to the emergency routes immediately! I repeat please remain calm and follow the-¡± However, clerk¡¯s words were soon drown out by a loud roar.

    ¡°GRRRROOOAAAAAARRRRRR!!!!!¡±

    It was most horrific roar Benny has ever heard. It didn¡¯t sound like that of a beast. It was rather demonic. That alone seemed to incite even more panic as everyone rushed to escape.

    ¡°What the blitz is that?¡±

    ¡°No, it can¡¯t be!¡± yelled Eldon, who turned pale.

    ¡°It came from the Boss¡¯s office!¡± shouts Bronson.

    They all made a move towards the door.

    ¡°No! Wait!¡±

    Benny yelled in attempt to warn them but suddenly a loud explosion sent them all flying!

 Chapter 25 - Ones Own Demons And A little Push

    Benny slammed straight into a wall.

    How many times was he going to go through getting thrown across the paddock like a ragged doll? Momentarily dazed and feeling as though every part of his body was bruised (again), Benny looked up to see everything had gone all foggy. He soon realized he had lost his glasses in the explosion! His lost his new hat as well.

    But that was the least of his concerns.

    Screams and shouts can be heard from the background. Despite his foggy vision he could see the reason why. There was an enormous black shape hulking like some gigantic ape. Benny could make out two red dots as some kind of sinister, glowing eyes. It was also covered in that black haze that made Benny sick earlier.

    Whatever it was, it was definitely something dangerous!

    ¡°Flame Dragon Style: Blitz Fang Blade!¡± yelled Tenryu¡¯s voice.

    He could make out that Tenryu had shot red flames from his sword.

    ¡°What the blitz?!¡± says Tenryu, his voice sounded as though he were in disbelief.

    ¡°Knuckle Plant!¡± yelled Nia¡¯s voice as Benny could see some kind of movement whacking the creature, ¡°W-What? It passed through it?!¡±

    ¡°Megaton Hammer!¡± yelled Eldon as a loud smashing sound could be heard.

    ¡°Double-Cross Blade!¡± shouted Bronson.

    A loud roar came from the shadowy creature.

    ¡°Are you kidding me?!¡±

    ¡°Blast it! Our attacks aren¡¯t working!¡± Tenryu sounded annoyed. ¡°What the blitz is this thing?¡±

    Benny could not see entirely what was going on. But from what he could hear, he could tell that whatever this thing was, their attacks were ineffective! The creature roared again and made some swinging movements. A loud smacking sound could be heard.

    ¡°Aaargh!¡± someone shouted.

    Bronson yelled, ¡°ELDON!!!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m alright!¡± Eldon yelled back, ¡°Just keep that thing under control!¡±

    ¡°Flame Dragon Style: Triple Claw Slash!¡± Tenryu made another flaming strike but it seemed ineffective again.

    Benny struggled to find his way. With his glasses gone, he could only see as far as his nose. He had no hope of finding them in this situation. And what¡¯s more those were his spares in the first place!

    Wait a minute! He thought. I do have something!

    Benny felt around the pocket of his pants. Thankfully, the bottle of Vision-Corrector drops was still inside.

    ¡°If I remember correctly, all I have to do is put a few drops until my vision clears.¡± Benny uncapped the bottle. He lifted the bottle towards his face and gulped slightly. ¡°I hope it works¡­¡±

    The first drop stung like hell!

    Benny felt his eye was on fire!

    It was nothing like any eye drops he had before! He thought that Nia might have given him acid! As soon as the stinging part faded, Benny tried to open his eye, expecting that he had become blind. But to his surprise, his vision in the right eye started to become less foggy compared to his left. Although he did not like the sting, Benny added a few more drops and endured the sting!

    By the third drop, his vision was as clear as though he wore his best glasses or contact lenses! Maybe even better! Benny did the same for his left eye (and endured the pain.) Now he suddenly had 20-20 vision!

    He had never seen his surroundings so clear¡­even though it looked like apocalypse movie.

    What was causing the commotion and Benny¡¯s nausea earlier became apparent!

    Before him was a gigantic black monster! It looked like it was made of black gas! It was hulking and huge! Its jagged teeth looked like sharp broken glass. Its red, menacing like eyes reminded him of Aunt Leah¡¯s creepy, hairless cat. Only this one was a lot bigger, meaner, and in Benny¡¯s opinion¡­a lot uglier.

    It was also completely covered with those same black hazes.

    But that wasn¡¯t the worse of it! This thing was thrashing around and smashing everything in its way. It didn¡¯t look intelligent but as it kept on smashing and punching everything on sight, it was just destructive! Some of the clerks were trying to subdue it. As it turns out they each had Magic Tools of their own. But every attack they shot against it just phased through it like it were a ghost. It was dangerous combination of being intangible and destructive!

    And whatever this thing was it was clear that it was instinctively evil!

    ***

    Tenryu and Nia had joined in the fray along with Bronson and Eldon. Eldon, Benny had noticed, was wincing as though he was injured on the side. They were trying to fight it but all their attacks seemed to just pass through it! -

    ¡°Blast it! None of our attacks are working!¡± Tenryu gritted his teeth in annoyance as his flaming sword attack just missed the creature again.

    ¡°All of you!¡± Eldon yelled to the clerks, ¡°Assist in getting everyone to the escape routes! We¡¯ll handle this thing!¡±

    It would seem the clerks were very effectively trained in crowd control as they immediately led all the customers out of the way an into the escape routes. This has was done in less than a minute.

    While that was happening, Eldon turned to the other two Adventurers beside him. ¡°You two should get out of here as well!¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Tenryu looked rather offended, ¡°Don¡¯t think you can have all this fun for yourself!¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t fun and games boy, this is serious!¡±

    ¡°In case you haven¡¯t noticed, I¡¯m a full-fledged Adventurer!¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡± says Nia in concern, her eyes darted towards his side, ¡°You¡¯re obviously hurt!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine! You kids just go!¡±

    ¡°Not a chance!¡± Tenryu twirled his sword.

    ¡°I¡¯m not a kid¡­¡± says Nia, looking around her.

    ¡°Does it matter? You two and your friend from earlier¡­wait, where is he?¡±

    ¡°Now that I noticed¡­Where¡¯s Benjamin?¡±

    ¡°I thought he was with you?¡± shouts Tenryu.

    ¡°Perhaps your friend already evacuated? Hmm, a smart kid in my book¡­¡±

    ¡°Eldon, head¡¯s up!¡± shouted Bronson, ¡°It¡¯s about to do something!¡±

    The creature inhaled as though it were sucking all the air from the surroundings!

    ¡°What the blitz is it doing now?¡±

    ¡°Never mind that!¡± says Eldon, ¡°Move it, kid!¡±

    Everyone dodged as the creature roared! Releasing a thick laser blast of dark energy that was destroying everything in sight!

    Luckily everyone else had evacuated¡­apart from Benny.

    Benny managed to hide behind some debris.

    He wasn¡¯t sure why, especially with his instinct saying he should make a break for it like they thought¡­but he wanted to help. He had to find a way for to help them! He wasn¡¯t going to lose them again!

    ¡°Blast it! What am I supposed to do?¡± says Benny in frustration.

    There was another loud smashing sound.

    Benny looked up to see Tenryu had managed to dodge getting smashed by that creature¡¯s fist! The creature was about wing another arm when Tenryu pointed his sword and blasted it with flames! This time it managed to hit the Beast and it screamed in pain!

    ¡°Alright!¡± says Tenryu.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky kid!¡± Bronson steadied himself, ¡°It¡¯s still not down for a count!¡±

    The Beast roared in what looked like anger. It seemed hard to tell as it already looked angry.

    ¡°Double Cross Blade!¡± shouts Bronson as he swung his axes.

    His attacks formed an X-shaped blast but once again it just passed through as though the thing were made of air! This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    ¡°Missed again?¡± Bronson growled in anger.

    That Beast roared as it sucked air again.

    ¡°INCOMING!!!¡± Bronson yelled.

    The Beast released another powerful blast which everyone jumps out of the way to avoid!

    But Tenryu saw where the beam was heading.

    ¡°BENNY, LOOK OUT!!!¡± yelled Tenryu.

    Benny, who was struggling on what to do, had looked up and saw what was coming at him.

    ¡°Oh, dang it!¡± cursed Benny as he leapt to the side. The attack nearly missed him by an inch. Benny tumbled to the floor again as the beam missed him and smashed the fountain!

    ¡°Benjamin! Are you alright?!¡± Nia calls out to him.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine!¡± groaned Benny.

    ¡°But you¡¯re hurt!¡±

    When she said that, Benny felt a stinging pain in his cheek followed by something warm dripping. The color of red told Benny he had deep gash in his cheek.

    ¡°Hang on! I¡¯m coming to-¡±

    ¡°That thing is about to attack!¡±

    Benny yells pointing at that Beast.

    Tenryu turned his attention to the Beast, his eyes seeing red with rage, ¡°Why you?! You¡¯re gonna pay for that!¡±

    He sent a flurry of flaming attacks. However, each one passing through it! Nia tried attacking it by causing the plants in the area to strike it. However, just like before Tenryu¡¯s fire attacks it just passed through the Beast like it was nothing!

    ¡°Blast it! Just what is this thing?!¡± says Tenryu.

    The Beast raised its arms and roared loudly. But as it did so¡­it suddenly stopped.

    ***

    Everything else stopped! Everyone was frozen in mid-movement.

    Everything and everyone¡­except for Benny.

    ¡°This again?¡± gasped Benny.

    ¡°¡­Haven¡¯t seen one of those in a long time¡­Its creator was no doubt a fool¡­¡±

    Benny felt a jolt.

    It was that voice again! But this time it was different. Instead of sounding like it was in his head, it sounded like it was right behind him!

    He turned and there standing right behind him was a person.

    Judging from his height and build he seemed to be the same age as Benny.

    He was wearing a set of hooded white robes. On his right hand was a long golden staff that was curled a bit on the top. He had the hood of his robes over his head showing only half of his face but Benny could see he was frowning.

    Benny immediately recognized him as the one he saw out of his bedroom window from that time!

    ¡°It¡¯s you! You¡¯re the one I saw out of my bedroom window!¡±

    The person nodded, ¡°Indeed¡­that was me¡­¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re the guy who was talking in my head this whole time!¡±

    ¡°That is true also¡­I have been speaking to you¡­¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re real?!¡± Benny added.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to respond to that¡­but since I¡¯m talking to you that mean I am, aren¡¯t I?¡±

    That actually makes sense.

    ¡°Hello, Benjamin¡­ It¡¯s so good to finally meet you face-to-face¡­ Though this isn¡¯t exactly what I had in mind¡­¡±

    He pointed at the creature with his staff.

    ¡°Just what is that thing?!¡±

    ¡°A Demon¡­¡±

    ¡°D-Demon?!¡±

    ¡°To be precise it is an Artificial Demon. This thing was created by a fool who obviously did not know the consequences of meddling with such dangerous Magic¡­¡±

    ¡°Okay, so this thing is a product of Magic. How do we stop it exactly?¡±

    The boy turned to him, ¡°You have to help your friends fight it, of course!¡±

    Benny quickly shook his head, ¡°No way! That¡¯s impossible! I can¡¯t fight that thing!¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t the reason why you stayed here instead of escaping was because you wanted to help your friends?¡±

    Benny gulped. ¡°It was on impulse. Now that I think about¡­¡± he looks at his friends who were frozen in time and struggling against it, ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do at the moment¡­¡±

    ¡°Ho? Nothing you can do? You have all the means to do that, no?¡±

    Benny looked at him completely confused.

    ¡°I don¡¯t-¡±

    ¡°Last night¡­you¡¯ve discovered you can cast Magic without a need of a Magic Tool. So technically you can fight as you are right now.¡±

    ¡°Eh? You know about that?¡±

    ¡°You also happened to have a book of incredibly powerful Spells¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah¡­ I do have that¡­¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯ve just proven to be quite adept in Magic, using a highly advanced Spell and doing it magnificently after reading about it only once...¡±

    ¡°Ah, that was just luck¡­¡±

    ¡°Not to mention you invented Flight Magic which is supposed to be an Impossible 13 Concept. This shows you have a natural aptitude to create and develop Magic. A rare skill nowadays¡­¡±

    ¡°That is¡­¡±

    ¡°Benjamin¡­you have proven to be someone who is very capable¡­So why are you saying you can¡¯t do anything in this situation?¡±

    ¡°I¡­I¡¯m not sure I can¡­¡±

    ¡°It has been defeated before and it can be done again¡­ I¡¯m not saying it would be easy though¡­¡±

    ¡°Would you stop it?¡± yells Benny, ¡°There¡¯s no way I can fight that thing when they can¡¯t either!¡±

    There was a pause before the mysterious person continued.

    ¡°Even when you have shown great potential and skill¡­yet you¡¯re still saying that? ...you¡¯re not really living up to what you are capable of doing¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t expect me to do things because of a few circumstances! There¡¯s no way I can do that! There¡¯s no way¡­I can live up to other people¡¯s expectations¡­¡±

    Benny thought back to his previous life in his home world. No matter what he did he couldn¡¯t match up to what was expected of him. By his teachers¡­By his peers¡­By his family¡­he couldn¡¯t meet their expectations

    ¡°Then don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Benny was a little off footed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t live up to other¡¯s expectations.¡±

    ¡°Eh? But didn¡¯t you just say¡­I wasn¡¯t meeting up to¡­¡±

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t do that in the first place. You should live up to your own expectations¡­ Haven¡¯t you noticed that the amazing things you did was not because it was expected of you to do them¡­but because you wanted to...¡±

    Benny was speechless at that.

    ¡°Tell me¡­ Did anyone expect you to be able use Magic without the need of Magic Tool?¡±

    ¡°No! Nobody knows about that!¡±

    ¡°Did anyone expect you to use that powerful Magic earlier¡­Grand Cross if I¡¯m not mistaken¡­ even if you were not sure yourself?¡±

    ¡°No¡­at that time¡­I just wanted to try that spell¡­¡±

    ¡°Was it expected of you when you created a Magic that is supposed to be an Impossible 13 Concept?¡±

    ¡°No, that was something out of whim¡­didn¡¯t expect it would work though¡­¡±

    ¡°Benjamin¡­You achieved those amazing things because those weren¡¯t expected of you but because you have a genuine interest in them... and that doesn¡¯t apply to achieving things¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I will ask some more¡­Was it expected of you to help Mr. Azalea and his family¡­and all those people during that crisis in Marblewood?¡±

    ¡°Huh? How¡¯s that¡­¡±

    ¡°Was it expected of you to go help your friends when they were in serious trouble with Cactus Hun? Did anyone expect you to use Magic to help them out?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­No, I just wanted to¡­¡±

    ¡°Was it expected of you when you shielded that poor boy from that detestable nobleman earlier?¡±

    ¡°Huh? You saw that?!¡±

    The mysterious person nodded with a smile.

    ¡°Indeed¡­you are quite a brave and compassionate person. This is what everyone got impression out of you.¡±

    ¡°But I¡­¡± Benny looked down on his feet.

    ¡°What I do think is that you mistook impressions for expectations¡­ You can¡¯t say it was expectations because no one thought that you were capable of any of that¡­¡±

    Benny fell completely silent.

    ¡°But I can understand why you felt this way¡­You¡¯ve lived under the shadow of everyone that you don¡¯t have the confidence in yourself and continuously felt pressured.¡±

    Benny shook at where he stood. What the guy said was actually on the mark. He was already fighting back tears but a few were leaking from the corner of his eyes.

    ¡°But there isn¡¯t any of that here¡­ don¡¯t be chained down to what you assume everyone expects you to be¡­but rather be someone you want to be¡­¡±

    Benny looks at him, dumbfounded.

    ¡°Listen Benjamin¡­there were many people if not all great people who achieved what they did because it wasn¡¯t expected of them¡­but because they wanted to¡­ Even Merlin himself was like that¡­To be honest you two are quite the same¡­¡±

    ¡°Eh? Merlin..? You mean that Legendary Adventurer Merlin?¡±

    ¡°Er¡­I don¡¯t think he¡¯d be very appreciative that over-the-top title.¡±

    ¡°You know him? But he lived over a thousand years ago!¡±

    ¡°In case you haven¡¯t noticed, I¡¯m not a living human being anymore so I don¡¯t have the average lifespan of one¡­at least not anymore¡­¡±

    ¡°Anymore? ¡­Then that would mean that you¡¯re a¡­ghost¡­?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s neither here or there¡­ But going back to Merlin, what I can say is that nobody expected much of him but when he revived the Era of Magic it¡¯s because he wanted to and not because everyone expected him to.¡±

    Benny was a little amazed to hear that.

    ¡°I should also point out that this applies to both good and bad. There were many people who had fallen down the wrong path to achieve what they wanted. Just like that idiot who created that Beast over there and got what he sowed in the end. So I¡¯d advice you that while you can achieve great things you must not lose your heart and way in the process.¡±

    The mysterious person approached him.

    ¡°But for now, tell me¡­what is it do you want to do in this situation. Don¡¯t think of what people expect you to do. Think about what you really want to do. And please be honest¡­¡±

    Benny wiped his eyes with his sleeve and took a deep breath.

    ¡°I want to help my friends.¡±

    The person smiled once again.

    ¡°Exactly what an Adventurer would say¡­¡±

    ¡°B-but¡­I¡¯m not an Adventurer!¡±

    ¡°I guess the choice for that is up to you¡­.But what¡¯s important right now is that you need to help your friends.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ yeah, you¡¯re right. So how do we defeat that thing?¡±

    ¡°First¡­Even if you have achieved the Conjurer Ability¡­I would agree it is quite risky. So I think you¡¯re going to need this¡­¡±

    The mysterious boy presented to him the staff.

    ¡°You¡¯re staff?¡±

    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m only just holding on to this...But as of now¡­It belongs to you...¡±

    As though in a trance, Benny takes the staff into his hands. All of a sudden Benny felt a strange sense of warmth coming from the staff. The same kind of warmth he felt before from the Spellbook. Then the staff glowed brightly! Strange enough it was also the same experience he felt with Spellbook!

    ¡°Ah! It has accepted you¡­¡±

    There in his hands was a long, golden staff. The top end was hooked and curled around like the staff a bishop carries during services. That curved part was also stylized like some kind of bird with its wing outstretched and its tail curled inward over a large, white crystal orb. There was a strip of cloth that was wrapped around the top part and was tied on both ends. The rest of the staff was a long golden rod that made the thing a head taller than Benny.

    Suddenly from within his bag there was another light!

    ¡°Eh? What¡¯s this?¡±

    The flap cover of his satchel flips open and out flies the Spellbook glowing with light!

    ¡°T-The Spellbook?!¡±

    ¡°Oh, the Spellbook has reacted to call of its purpose¡­¡±

    ¡°Purpose?¡±

    ¡°What else? It is to provide its owner with the knowledge of Magic¡­now you have the tools you need. In fact¡­¡±

    The mysterious person gazes at him for a bit and a smile can be seen once again underneath the hood.

    ¡°This overall appearance suits you quite well though I think something¡¯s missing¡­ I believe it¡¯s this¡­¡±

    Out of nowhere¡­he pulled out Benny¡¯s hat.

    ¡°Hey! That¡¯s my hat!¡±

    ¡°Be careful not to lose it again¡­¡±

    Benny takes the hat and puts it back on his head.

    ¡°Now¡­you look like an Adventurer¡­I think a Magician to be precise.¡±

    ¡°Magician?¡±

    ¡°You know the term already. But in this world it¡¯s one of the Specialty Classes like Swordsmage¡­hmm¡­it seems you haven¡¯t read that part of your books yet¡­Ah!¡±

    The person turned around.

    ¡°It seems the Time Spell has ended¡­.¡±

    At the moment he said that everything began moving again!

    ***

    The creature roared loudly and sent another blast of dark energy causing another explosion! Nia and Tenryu dodged it but Bronson wasn¡¯t so lucky. He got caught in it and the huge Bear-clan Animalian was sent flying and smashed into several shelves!

    Eldon watched as his comrade was blasted away, ¡°BRONSON!¡±

    ¡°Mr. Bronson!¡± yelled Nia.

    ¡°Alright¡­¡± says Tenryu as he powered up his sword, ¡°You¡¯re asking for it!¡±

    Tenryu slashed his sword and caused an explosion of flames!

    ***

    Watching from afar, Benny and the mysterious boy looked at the sea of flames.

    Benny and the boy¡¯s cloaks flapped around them.

    ¡°That boy is powerful as ever. I¡¯ll leave it to you then¡­Good luck¡­¡± The mysterious boy started to fade away.

    ¡°W-Wait?! You know what this thing is so how do we stop this thing? Their attacks aren¡¯t working and that monster can hit them! So far only Tenryu was able to land a single blow!¡±

    ¡°So you have observed that moment! Well, done¡­¡±

    The boy became more and more transparent but his voice still remained.

    ¡°Here¡¯s another advice I can give you: think why that happened¡­¡±

    Again Benny looked confused.

    ¡°There¡¯s always an answer Benny¡­ you just have to find it¡­ We will see each other soon¡­¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s still one thing. Can you at least tell me what your name is?¡±

    The boy smiled once more underneath the hood before completely fading away.

    ¡°If you must know¡­My name is¡­Emrys¡­¡±

    The mysterious boy whose name is Emrys¡­

    Emrys¡­

    For some reason, Benny felt he had heard of that name before¡­

 Chapter 26 - Turning Things Around

    Nia wasn¡¯t the type to fight.

    Sure she had learned Skills and Magic that can enable her to fight when need be but she had a gentle nature and a genuine concern for the well being of others. Though as an Elf she grew up with knowledge and natural abilities in Healing. Yet she wasn¡¯t satisfied with just that. She wanted to expand her horizons and learn the many ways she can help heal people.

    This was why she strived to become a Remedician, an expert in healing.

    She had left her hometown in Bellofiore, where they were expecting some ridiculous things out of her and fled all the way to Medea. To survive she became an Adventurer which was actually one of the requirements of her goal. She started out as an Enchanter Class Adventurer then studied to become an Apothecary Class and Medic Class Adventurer. She learned techniques in Healing Arts and studied every known medicine and how to make them.

    It was hard but she became a full-fledged Remedician in the long run. Though she need to use offensive Magic from time to time to deal with some nasty characters out there but she lived most of her days as a Healer. Tending to the sick and treating injuries.

    Unfortunately¡­this isn¡¯t one of those days¡­

    This was supposed to be a nice day where she was going to accompany a new friend around the city and just relax¡­

    So how did it end up like this?

    She was here fighting some kind of unearthly monster that seemed intangible to almost every attack they throw at it!

    Nia had taken the support role, using her Magic to manipulate the plants in the shop to aid them or heal them. But the guards Bronson and Eldon were completely exhausted and only Tenryu was left fighting the thing.

    Tenryu had slashed and struck again.

    But it seemed that all of his attacks just passed through Artificial Demon as it were made of smoke.

    He was getting more and more frustrated as his continuous attacks were just proven to be ineffective. He shot another burst of flames from his sword and again it just passed right through it.

    ¡°Blast it! What the blitz is this thing?¡± Tenryu says in frustration.

    However there were other things to worry about. From the looks of things, he was starting to feel the Manna Depletion Fatigue after firing countless Fire Magic enchanted blades. For a Knight Class Adventurer these are rare cases since they rely more on Skills than Magic. But he was a Swordsmage so He relied on both Sword Technique Skills and Magic equally.

    From the looks of things, Tenryu¡¯s legs looks as though they were about to give out. Knowing Tenryu¡¯s mindset he probably thought that the Artificial Demon seemed to be mocking him but that¡¯s probably that sharp teeth exposed in a menacing grin.

    ¡°I¡¯m not done yet!¡±

    Tenryu tried to stance himself and aimed his sword and slashed. But it just passed through

    However, the Artificial Demon stomped it huge foot, causing a minor shockwave that knocked Tenryu off balance. Just as the Swordsmage was about to get his bearings the Artificial Demon loomed over him with its foot raised.

    ¡°Oh blitz!¡±

    Just as it brought its foot down, Tenryu shut his eyes and braced himself for one heck of extreme pain.

    But it never came.

    A grove of trees had erupted from the ground! It not only blocked the attack but also surrounded and trapped the creature inside it.

    Because at that moment, Nia had to use her last resort.

    Nia clapped her hands together and started reciting the incantation.

    ¡°From the land I beseech you¡­Oh, mighty children of the Earth Mother¡­ come forth and unleash the wrath of nature. Purge the evil before me!¡±

    After which she slammed both her hands together on the ground. A green Magic Seal had appeared underneath her.

    ¡°Grove of Dodona¡±

    Green light began to shine form the gaps of the trees.

    There was a loud cry of the Artificial Demon until the green light completely engulfed the trees and then¡­

    KABOOM!!!

    The light exploded!

    The Spell caused a significant shockwave that caused everything to be blown away. Including Tenryu, who was just at its immediate vicinity, to be blasted away!

    ¡°GUAHHHH!!!¡±

    Tenryu tumbled over until he slammed straight into the fountain¡¯s edge.

    ¡°NIA!!! WHAT THE BLITZ?!¡±

    Tenryu shouted after being momentarily dazed.

    Nia was panting heavily.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­*pant¡­but there was no time¡­¡±

    She felt all her Manna had been drained to invoke the Spell. This was the drawback. A powerful Spell required a significantly huge Manna. Hence this was something she could only use if things were really bad.

    In actuality she failed to perform the Spell properly. Its true effect was something else and not an explosion. Yet it did give the desired effect in causing that explosion.

    Nia noticed that singular attacks would just phase right through it. So she thought an omni-directional attack could have a chance.

    ¡­At least that¡¯s what she hoped.

    She thought she had succeeded but then she heard a menacing growl.

    ¡°GRRRRR¡­¡±

    Nia looked in horrified disbelief.

    ¡°No¡­¡±

    From amongst the cloud of debris, the Artificial Demon emerged completely unharmed!

    No¡­ There¡¯s not even a scratch?! Nia thought helplessly.

    ¡°GRROOOOOAAAAARRRRR?!!!¡±

    The Artificial Demon roared in rage!

    It then pranced towards her like a predator aiming for its prey. Nia knew this thing wanted revenge. She quickly grabbed her umbrella and pointed at the Artificial Demon¡­but she could barely muster any Manna to cast a Spell.

    ¡°NIA, MOVE!!!¡± shouts Tenryu.

    But she couldn¡¯t!

    Not just because using such a powerful Spell had drained her but because she was quivering in fear. Like a prey that had been caught.

    The Artificial Demon loomed over. Its red eyes were staring down at her with its teeth bared.

    Tenryu tried to get up but he too was exhausted and drained to move.

    ¡°Blast it! I can¡¯t move!!!¡±

    The Artificial Demon raised its right claw.

    ¡°NO! NIA!¡± screams Tenryu.

    Nia could see the claws coming down at her.

    She closed her eyes bracing for it.

    ¡°Light Sphere!¡±

    BAMM!

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    That was not the sound she¡¯d expect to hear. It sounded like a gong ringing.

    Nia opened her eyes.

    Someone stood in front of her. His cloak was flapping around him. He held a long golden staff in his right hand, the top of which was glowing.

    ¡°Nia, are you okay?¡±

    ¡°B-Benjamin..?¡±

    Nia realized that they were inside a golden sphere of light.

    Somehow, Benny had gotten in between her and the Artificial Demon in the nick of time and casted this protective Spell around them. And from somewhere he had managed to procure a Magic Tool in the form of a staff.

    The Artificial Demon roared angrily and started to attack the sphere multiple times.

    Normally anyone casting a Barrier Spell would feel a slight backlash from whatever attacks the barrier but Benny acted as though it were nothing. Not like before¡­where he fainted from overuse of Magic.

    Instead, right now he simply smiled in relief.

    ¡°OI! Benny you¡¯re late!¡± shouts a smirking Tenryu who was also sighing in relief.

    Benny replies with a grin of his own, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m late¡­¡±

    ***

    After he was sure that Nia was okay, he turned towards the Artificial Demon.

    ¡°Okay you freak of whatever you are... playtime¡¯s over!¡±

    Benny held the Spellbook aloft in one hand and glanced from it. He then pointed the staff and the sphere started to glow in response.

    ¡°Enchant: Expansion¡­¡±

    In a blink of an eye, the sphere of light expanded to several meters in diameter! So rapidly in fact that the Artificial Demon was thrown away across a large distance!

    ¡°Wow¡­so that¡¯s what an Enchantment Spell can do!¡±

    The Spell was written in one of those languages but Benny had known that he can cast a Spell in that book using any language he preferred.

    Nia looked at him surprised, ¡°Eh? That was a-¡±

    ¡°An Enchantment Spell for rapid expansion.¡± Benny explains.

    ¡°An Enchantment Spell¡­? But¡­where did you learn?¡±

    But then she caught sight of the Spellbook in his hand. She realized he must¡¯ve read it from there.

    Benny¡¯s attention was towards the Artificial Demon that was getting up again, ¡°Blast it¡­that thing is quite stubborn!¡±

    But just now, I was able to physically repel it¡­Hmm¡­could it be¡­ Benny thought to himself as he realized something.

    Nia also noticed something rather peculiar, ¡°Eh? Benjamin did you just¡­¡±

    The Artificial Demon roared and lunged itself towards them.

    ¡°Nia, can you run?¡±

    ¡°No¡­¡±

    The failed attempt at that Spell earlier had seriously exhausted her.

    ¡°But Benjamin casting an Expansion Enchantment on this barrier-¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ¡°-won¡¯t withstand another attack¡­I know¡­¡±

    ¡°Eh? You already know?¡±

    Benny had read that the cost of rapidly expanded a hastily made barrier to that size has weakened it that a powerful swipe from that thing would be more than enough to break it

    Wasting no time, Benny quickly placed the Spellbook back in his satchel and hurriedly picked Nia up.

    ¡°Wha?! B-Benjamin? W-What are you?!¡±

    Not explaining things, Benny threw the staff in the air but instead of falling down on the floor it hovered in front of them. Benny quickly jumped on the staff with both his feet landing firmly on the staff. Nia could¡¯ve sworn the staff moved on its own as though it intentionally caught Benny¡¯s feet.

    Benny stood atop his staff and was riding it like a hoverboard.

    ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Benny and Nia zoomed away on the staff!

    ¡°EHHHHH???!!!¡±

    And just in the nick of time because the Artificial Demon had just slashed its claws on the Light Sphere and it shattered instantly!

    ¡°W-We¡¯re flying?¡±

    Nia had never felt this sensation before. The wind blowing at her face, the weightless feeling, the feeling as though she was being cradled by¡­about that part Benny was carrying Nia in a fashion one would call the princess style.

    ¡°Better hang on!¡±

    Benny says as he looked down on her with eyes full of concern (they were slightly red as though for some reason.) Nia saw he wasn¡¯t wearing his glasses anymore. Without them, Benny¡¯s appearance looked even closer to Tenryu¡¯s.

    Yet¡­

    He had an expression that was both gentle yet brave. His hair fluttered in the wind, giving a blown away effect. Despite deep cut in his cheek (it had crusted over but Benny seemed to have not noticed it) there was definitely something to his face. From since she met Benjamin she only thought that he looked a bit like Tenryu.

    Yet now¡­she just noticed that he was rather handsome.

    Nia felt a rush in her cheeks that alarmed her.

    ¡°Nia? Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­¡±

    Benny looked behind him, ¡°Better hold on because that thing¡¯s coming right at us!¡±

    True enough the Artificial Demon seemed to be mad that its prey got away and was now chasing them around the aisles like a dog chasing a squirrel. It kept clawing at them, which Benny neatly managed to dodge every time.

    Meanwhile, Tenryu could only watch as he was exhausted to move.

    ¡°Blast it! If I can only muster a bit more Manna¡­¡±

    There were some grunting sounds at the sides. Bronson and Eldon were stirring as they started to regain consciousness.

    Took them long enough¡­ Tenryu thought.

    ¡°Bronson¡­you okay, pal¡­?¡±

    ¡°Just barely¡­¡±

    The two Animalians shook their head to regain their bearings.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the monster?!¡± Bronson looked around in alarm as he held up his axe.

    ¡°Over there!¡±

    ¡°Wha-?! But¡­¡±

    Eldon and Bronson found the monster they were looking for but their eyes were glued towards what the thing was chasing.

    ¡°Oi! Is that kid¡­flying?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m seeing it¡­but I don¡¯t believe it¡­¡±

    ¡°I knew it¡­I must be still unconscious¡­¡±

    No you¡¯re not¡­ Tenryu shook his head as he thought that.

    Benny leaned forward and the staff zoomed away faster, narrowly avoiding another claw strike. Knowing he can¡¯t keep on dodging it forever, he quickly formulated a plan zoomed into a narrow aisle

    ¡°Nia, do you have any potions that when mixed can cause an explosive effect?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Um, yes I do¡­¡±

    ¡°Great! Can you take those out-¡°

    ¡°No, I mean I have a potion than can cause an explosion when thrown¡­ ¡±

    What? Seriously? She has something really dangerous in there?

    Nia produced a small corked bottle from her purse. This one had black liquid inside.

    ¡°This is a Blasting Potion often used for offensive attacks.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡±

    Benny felt awkward that she had dangerous explosive in her purse.

    ¡°Nia, on my signal throw that at the Artificial Demon.¡±

    ¡°Eh? But Benjamin I threw another of these earlier and they had no effect!¡±

    ¡°I think I have a theory on how it can receive damage but you need to trust me on this!¡±

    Nia nodded immediately, ¡°Alright¡­¡±

    She focused her attention to the Artificial Demon. It was gaining on them quick.

    ¡°At count of three, throw that bottle with all your might¡­¡±

    Nia nodded.

    ¡°One!¡±

    Instead of going faster Benny slowed down. Though Nia was surprised at his action, she readied the bottle.

    ¡°Two!¡±

    They reached the end of the aisle.

    Seeing its prey was drawing nearer the Artificial Demon raised its right claw to once again attack them.

    ¡°Three!¡±

    Nia threw the bottle right at the Artificial Demon as it was about to claw at them!

    ¡°Full Throttle: Meteor Speed!¡±

    A Magic Seal forms at the end of the staff and blasts a beam of light a rocket jet! It was a unique Spell that Benny thought of just now. In an instant they shot away from the Demon like a canon being fired.

    In response to the sudden change of speed, Nia quickly threw her arms around Benny¡¯s neck. This all the more made her look like a damsel in distress¡­and added even more to her embarrassment.

    While at that very moment...

    The bottle Nia threw struck the Artificial Demon right in the face!

    KABOOOOOM!!!!

    Nia wasn¡¯t kidding about the effect. As soon as it smashed, the liquid within the bottle reacted and caused an explosion that engulfed the Demon! At the same time, the explosion toppled the whole shelves and their contents on top of Artificial Demon.

    Benny and Nia hovered in mid-air as they surveyed what had just happened.

    So that¡¯s what Emrys was talking about! Benny thought.

    From the hazes pouring out of the rubble, Benny knew that thing wasn¡¯t down for the count but at the very least his theory was proven to be correct.

    ***

    Benny and Nia flew towards where Tenryu and the others were.

    ¡°They¡¯re¡­they¡¯re really flying!¡±

    ¡°Oi, Oi, kid! How are you doing that?!¡±

    ¡°Doing what?¡±

    ¡°¡°The flying thing!¡±¡±

    The two Animalians point out at the same time.

    ¡°And just when we all agreed that this should be kept secret.¡± sighs Nia quietly.

    ¡°Ah, this? It¡¯s quite simple when you know the idea.¡± Benny jumped off his staff. ¡°But never mind that, is everyone alright?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, albeit bruised but fine¡­These two just woke up though.¡± Tenryu nods toward at Eldon and Bronson.

    Nia sheepishly tugged at Benny¡¯s cloak, ¡°Um, you can put me down now¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡­ Huh?¡±

    Being chased by that Artificial Demon and escaping it meant that Benny wasn¡¯t really paying attention to what he was doing. Benny seemed to just realize that he was carrying Nia all this time¡­in a princess carry of all things. Not to mention she threw her arms around him at that time...like a¡­

    ¡°UWAAAH!!!¡±

    His face turned bright red at the sudden realization and quickly puts her down on her feet and apologized fervently.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡±

    ¡°Ah! No, no, if you hadn¡¯t saved me back then¡­so I won¡¯t complain. But apart from that what happened to your glasses?¡± Nia asked him, noticing he wasn¡¯t wearing them anymore.

    ¡°I sort of lost them in the explosion. Luckily, I had your eye medicine.¡±

    Nia looked pleased upon hearing that, ¡°See? I told you there was no need to worry! I know my potions very well!¡±

    ¡°Well, just a suggestion but can you make them without stinging part?¡±

    ¡°Tampering a potion will make them ineffective or cause weird side-effects!¡±

    ¡°Will you two get back to the issue at hand?¡± snaps Tenryu as he holds his sword aloft, ¡°Let¡¯s beat that thing up while we have the chance!¡±

    He just wants some more piece of the action.  Benny thought with a sweatdrop.

    ¡°Eh? But isn¡¯t it already beaten?¡±

    Benny focused his gaze on the rubble, ¡°No, Tenryu¡¯s right. That thing is still alive and kicking.¡±

    ¡°¡®¡®Huh?¡¯¡¯¡±

    As on cue, the rubble exploded like a volcano and out emerged was the Demon.

    ¡°You¡¯re kidding me, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still moving?! Just how resilient is that thing?!¡±

    Tenryu held up his sword, ¡°Well, we have to think of something soon because it¡¯s heading this way!¡±

    The Demon was rushing towards them, with its claws flailing around like it wants to slash and pound them up.

    ¡°It¡¯s coming!¡±

    Benny had another idea. Just as everyone was prepared to attack, Benny made a circle in the air with the staff.

    ¡°Light Cage!¡±

    In the nick of time a sphere of golden light surrounded the Artificial Demon. Since it was running at full speed, the Artificial Demon wound up making a peculiar face-plant as it slammed head on inside of the barrier. For something that was scary at first, the expression it made looked almost funny.

    ¡°Whoa!¡± says Tenryu.

    The Artificial Demon struggled inside the sphere as it was suspended inside it.

    ¡°Batter up!¡± says Benny, just for the feel of it.

    He swung the staff like he was playing baseball and the sphere of light with the Artificial Demon still in it shot away like a golf ball flying towards another heap of debris.

    ¡°That was some quick thinking kid!¡±

    ¡°Er, thanks¡­Are the customers alright? Did they get out okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Sylvia and the rest of clerks managed to get all of the customers out of harm¡¯s way¡­¡± says Eldon.

    ¡°What about Mr. Venditore?¡± Benny asked.

    From their expressions, Benny could tell the obvious.

    ¡°We still haven¡¯t found him!¡±

    ¡°And with that thing around, we have no chance of finding him!¡±

    Benny looked around the debris, fearing for the life of the old Animalian. But then he remembered he was able to detect the presence of those ruffians even if they couldn¡¯t be seen. If he could do that¡­maybe he could find Mr. Venditore the same way!

    Though Benny hasn¡¯t seen a haze appearing over Mr. Venditore before but he had an idea he could tell to whom those haze would belonged to. As Benny focused his gaze, a streak of silver haze was wafting through a pile of debris! Benny knew at once it was Mr. Venditore.

    ¡°He¡¯s over there! I think he¡¯s hurt but he¡¯s alive!¡± Benny rushed towards the debris.

    Everyone gave him a startled look.

    ¡°How do you know he¡¯s there?¡± says Nia, looking at him incredulously.

    Benny didn¡¯t answer back as he had a hard time explaining. He dug through some of the rubble shifted revealing a feathered hand that was still moving.

    ¡°He¡®s here! Everyone come quick!¡±

    Eldon and Bronson wasted no time and quickly rushed in to dig him out. In no time (and probably due to the two Animalians strength, Mr. Venditore was finally dug out of the debris. He was entangled in some kind of thick whip and looked battered. Tenryu help slice the vines off the guy.

    ¡°Boss?¡±

    ¡°Boss, are you alright?¡±

    Mr. Venditore started coughing.

    ¡°He¡¯s breathing!¡±

    ¡°Thank Merlin!¡±

    Nia turns to Benny in amazement, ¡°That was amazing, Benjamin! How were you able find him?¡±

    Benny scratched his head, ¡°I sort of saw his strange haze coming from that ruble.¡±

    ¡°Those haze things again? Just what are those hazes you keep seeing?¡±

    Benny was still being pestered for an explanation from Tenryu when he sensed the Black Haze once again. The Artificial Demon had broken free from the rubble!

    ¡°Damn, that thing¡¯s getting up again!¡± shouts Benny.

    The Demon once more bared its fangs at them and roared.

    ¡°Blast it! That thing¡¯s still up for a fight, huh? Let¡¯s beat it while it¡¯s still-ack!¡±

    ¡°Hold it!¡±

    Benny had hooked his staff on the hood of Tenryu¡¯s coat, stopping him though choking him in the process.

    ¡°What the blitz, Benny?¡±

    ¡°Are you in any state to be fighting that thing right now?¡±

    Benny¡¯s comment stopped Tenryu in his tracks.

    Tenryu didn¡¯t want to admit it but he was exhausted from overusing his Manna. Nia leaned on her umbrella, also feeling the exhaustion.

    ¡°You kids better go and bring the Boss to safety.¡± says Eldon.

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ve done pretty well for Adventurers of your age but you should leave the rest to us! We may not look like it but we¡¯re C-Ranked Adventurers ourselves.¡± says Bronson as he picks up his axe.

    Tenryu and Nia didn¡¯t look appreciative that bit. That¡¯s because Bronson had assumed wrong.

    But I¡¯m an Adventurer too¡­ Tenryu thought resentfully.

    I¡¯m not a kid exactly¡­ Nia thought

    Without looking back the two Animalian guards went to confront the Demon.

    They attacked the monster thinking it was already weakened from the attacks earlier but their foe proves to be as resilient as ever! Every time they attacked it would phase through as though it were made of air. And whenever it attacked them it would do so in full force.

    ¡°I can¡¯t keep watching this!¡± Tenryu picked up his sword but shows a noticeable effort in doing so.

    ¡°Hold it!¡±

    BONK!

    Benny smacked him in the head with his staff.

    ¡°OW! What the blitz is that for now?!¡±

    ¡°Are you crazy?! Going out there in that state and without a plan is suicide!¡±

    ¡°But we can¡¯t just stand here and do nothing!¡±

    ¡°And if you go there what will you do? And even if way lay some damage in it what guarantee will it be to stop it?¡±

    ¡°But that won¡¯t be a problem if we attack it in full force! We should strike while we¡¯re at it!¡±

    ¡°Even when you were at full strength you couldn¡¯t defeat it and you think can do it when you¡¯re like this?¡±

    Tenryu was looking at him as though Benny smacked him in the face (though he technically did hit him in the head just now.)

    Benny, on his part, was already very much aware of Tenryu¡¯s reckless and fiery nature. Many characters with his personality like to rush into things without thinking things through. Now he sort of understood what the level-headed characters feel.

    Nia looks between them worriedly. As much as she agreed with Benny¡¯s words she didn¡¯t want an argument break out. Especially, now of all things¡­

    ¡°But I¡¯m sure we can beat if we go all out now!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that again?! Keep rushing in and hitting it? And if doesn¡¯t work, keep rushing it and hitting it again?! Aren¡¯t you being plain reckless?!¡±

    Tenryu grits his teeth. He grabbed Benny in the front of his coat.

    ¡°T-Tenryu?!¡± says Nia.

    ¡°Oi Benny! You better watch it! Just because you¡¯ve done amazing Magic on your first try! And now you¡¯re starting to act like you¡¯re all that?!¡±

    ¡°Tenryu, stop that!¡± pleads Nia.

    Tenryu pulled Benny closer and bared his teeth at him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that I have way more experience as an Adventurer than you! I¡¯m strong enough to beat that thing! I know I am! I¡¯ve dealt with things more dangerous than that thing! So don¡¯t underestimate what I¡¯m capable of!¡±

    But rather than being affronted, Benny calmly patted his hand.

    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt your strength or your experience. And I¡¯m sorry for acting a high and mighty there for a moment.¡±

    Benny¡¯s statement had off-footed Tenryu causing his grip slackened when he heard that.

    ¡°And you¡¯re right. I don¡¯t really know what it¡¯s like to be a full-fledged Adventurer like you. However, I know of people with great strength and expertise got done in by something they do every day because they let their guard down.¡±

    Benny¡¯s gaze turned sharp and he grasped Tenryu¡¯s hand tightly but in beseeching kind of way.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want something like that to happen to my friend!¡±

    Tenryu looked at Benny in shock.

    Normally, he¡¯d be very annoyed by people trying to doubt him and actually thought Benny was one of them. But he was wrong. Benny was just very worried about him. In a way, he was very similar to Aunt Magma.

    Benny was looking at him with those blue eyes of his¡­that seemed very familiar all of a sudden.

    ¡°Just because you¡¯re strong it¡¯s not always an answer! There are situations were strength won¡¯t be enough and this is one of this situations. So please¡­Tenryu, try to consider¡­¡±

    Tenryu looked at for a moment and seemed to calm down.

    ¡°So what do you think we should do then?¡±

    ¡°First, please let go because I¡¯m starting suffocate here¡­¡±

    Tenryu finally releases him, ¡°Ah¡­sorry¡­¡±

    They could hear some groaning. The three of them turned and saw Mr. Venditore stirring.

    ¡°Mr. Venditore? Are you okay?¡± says Nia, quickly rummaging in her bag.

    Mr. Venditore managed to groan and stir.

    ¡°What happened-hoot? ¡­Hoot¡­ Where¡­¡± Mr. Venditore¡¯s eyes flew open and gasped, ¡°The Demon! Ugh¡­¡±

    Mr. Venditore winced in pain.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t talk! Conserve your strength.¡± says Nia as she starts giving emergence treatments.

    So the Emrys was right in calling it a demon. Benny thought before answering, ¡°Mr. Eldon and Mr. Bronson are trying as best they can to fight it¡­¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be enough-hoot¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡±

    Mr. Venditore struggled to speak, but he had to, ¡°You have¡­to strike its Core Stone¡­otherwise¡­ it will keep on reforming itself-hoot¡­¡±

    ¡°I see¡­this Core Stone you say¡­it most likely serves as its heart.¡± Benny scratched his chin. ¡°No wonder it can reform after turning to immaterial substance or getting blown to pieces¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­-hoot¡­¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ hm¡­hm¡­If we can only make sure it stays put for just¡­¡±

    Benny stops when he remembers something.

    Of course! There¡¯s that Spell! If I can just get near enough to cast it then-

    While he was thinking, Benny was smiling mischievously that caused Nia to note how he suddenly looked more and more like Tenryu.

    ¡°Um¡­Benjamin? Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡± Benny got up and clapped his hands in anticipation. ¡°Let¡¯s go defeat that thing once and for all!¡±

    ¡°¡°EH?!¡±¡±

    Both Tenryu and Nia gaped at him.

    Just a few seconds ago he was against rushing into the battling that monster and now he¡¯s suddenly change his mind?

    Benny turned to face them.

    ¡°I may not have experience the same way as you guys but there¡¯s one thing I¡¯m pretty good at something that might be very useful in this situation.¡±

    ¡°And that is?¡±

    Benny grinned.

    ¡°It¡¯s called¡­strategy.¡±

 Chapter 27 - Bennys Strategy

    First things first, they had to treat Mr. Venditore and get him to safety. This was tough as the guy could barely move.

    ¡°Nia, where¡¯s the elevator?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s over there but¡­¡±

    It would seem that during the scuffle with the Ethereal Beast had destroyed the main elevator along with several of the escape routes. The rest of the escape routes had tons of debris covering them so they couldn¡¯t use that either.

    ¡°Basically we¡¯re trapped here, huh?¡± murmurs Benny.

    ¡°I can blast a hole and escape through there.¡±

    ¡°But you can barely muster any Manna to light a flame, Tenryu¡­¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯d rather we don¡¯t do something so reckless plus Mr. Venditore has already enough collateral damages under his wing.¡±

    Benny glances at Mr. Venditore who nods at him appreciatively.

    ¡°We could¡¯ve used my Plant Manipulation Magic to lift us out of here but I¡¯m also drained¡­¡±

    ¡°Unless we make a stretcher but there¡¯s no time for that plus you two can barely cast any Spells. Is there perhaps a Magic where we can suddenly appear from one area to another?¡±

    Benny had half thought of pulling our the Spellbook again and check but he stopped when he saw all three were looking at him strangely again.

    ¡°Benjamin-iho¡­could you be talking about Transposition-hoot?¡±

    ¡°Is that what it¡¯s called?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s another one of the Impossible 13 Concepts, Benjamin¡­¡± says Nia, who was eying him cautiously.

    ¡°Another one of those ¡°Impossible¡± things, huh?¡± says Benny as he begins to think.

    ¡°Benjamin, as much I believe how incredibly talented you are in Magic¡­but ¡°Transposition¡± is in my opinion, extremely impossible.¡±

    He didn¡¯t know about the first part about him being talented but the last part of her statement was very true even for him.

    Even in his previous world flight, which was originally thought to be impossible for humans, was achieved due to decades of many research on the factors of flight. Now there are many methods of flight from hot-air balloons to rockets soaring to space.

    But teleportation was completely science fiction. A product of the imagination and even used widely in fantasy fiction.

    It should be impossible¡­however¡­

    ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s see if this can work!¡±

    Benny lifted his staff and focused on a certain location.

    ¡°W-Wait! Benjamin¡­ Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re-¡°

    ¡°The blitz?! Benny, are you seriously-¡±

    Benny struck the ground between his feet.

    ¡°Transposition¡±

    A Magic Seal appeared underneath his feet. In an instant¡­he vanished.

    All three looked at the spot where Benny had just disappeared.

    ¡°No¡­way¡­¡±

    ¡°Just one thing after another¡­¡±

    ***

    At the very moment, at the Sun Dragon¡­

    Aunt Magma and Flare were hurriedly locking up the shop. News that there was some kind of ¡°attack¡± at the Venditore Armory had reached them by frantic people. Knowing Tenryu¡¯s itinerary, they knew full well that the shop was there very last stop.

    ¡°Of all the times it had to be now!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s where Tenryu and the others are right, Magma-tia? Do you think they¡¯re still there?¡±

    ¡°I just hope nothing happens to those children¡­¡±

    And Dmitri too¡­please let them all be alright¡­ Magma prayed in her heart.

    ¡°With Tenryu there¡­I doubt he¡¯d never get involved-¡±

    THUMP*!!!

    ¡°OW!¡±

    They were just about to lock the doors

    to the restaurant when they heard a loud sound as though something fell heavily¡­from inside the shop!

    Both Aunt Magma and Flare stared at the door in surprise. They quickly unlocked the doors thinking a thief had sneaked in. To their astonishment, they found Benny was on the floor, rubbing his backside. A chair had toppled over as though he suddenly fell right on top of it and tumbled over.

    ¡°Ow! I should¡¯ve been more specific¡­¡± he got up and looked around, ¡°¡­but at least it worked¡­¡±

    ¡°Benny?!¡±

    ¡°Benny-iho?!¡±

    Benny looked up and saw them gaping at him.

    ¡°Ah! Hello Aunt Magma¡­Ate Flare¡­¡±

    ¡°But how did you? When did you-?¡±

    They had just closed the door so they were very sure no one was just there. This person here was also the very least they were expecting to appear.

    Benny picked up his staff, got up and brushed the dust off his clothes.

    ¡°Benny-iho¡­how did you get here-¡±

    ¡°Sorry but I¡¯ll explain later. I¡¯ve got to get back but I¡¯ll be bringing someone along with me soon.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What the blitz are you saying? And where¡¯s Tenryu?¡± demand Flare.

    But Benny simply lifted his staff and said, ¡°Transposition¡±

    This time, Benny made sure to be very specific when he thought of the location. Another Magic Seal appeared underneath his feet and vanished right in front of them.

    Aunt Magma and Flare could only stare at the spot he vanished in stunned disbelief.

    ***

    Benny immediately reappeared in front Tenryu, Nia and Mr. Venditore.

    ¡°W-Whoa?!¡± Benny struggled to regain his balance.

    His sudden disappearance had shocked them but his sudden reappearance surprised them even more!

    ¡°Benjamin?! Is that you?! Are you in one piece?¡±

    ¡°Where the blitz did you go?!¡±

    The two bombarded him with questions. Mr. Venditore was just staring at him as though he couldn¡¯t believe what he had just seen.

    ¡°First of all, I¡¯m alright and nothing feels out of place. And secondly, I teleported all the way to the Sun Dragon¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh?! You went at our place?¡±

    ¡°You really went there in an instant?!¡±

    ¡°Yup, I met Aunt Magma and Ate Flare although they seem to be closing up early.¡±

    ¡°I can believe this¡­-hoot¡­¡±

    Mr. Venditore made the effort to sit up.

    ¡°Did you actually just actually accomplish what many had failed and successfully performed Transposition-hoot?!¡±

    ¡°I guess¡­well, Mr. Venditore better hold on tight!¡±

    Benny took hold of one of Mr. Venditore¡¯s¡­hands.

    ¡°B-But my boy¡­do you even know what you just did-hoot?! You¡¯ve just achieved one of the Impossible 13 Concepts-hoot!¡±

    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s two. Benny here invented the Flight just a while ago.¡± says Tenryu nonchalantly.

    Mr. Venditore could only shout, ¡°EEEEHHHH???!!!¡± in response.

    Nia quickly clapped her hand over Tenryu¡¯s his mouth.

    ¡°Hmprgh!¡±

    ¡°Were you even listening earlier where we¡¯re supposed to keep that a secret?!¡± she hissed in his ear in exasperation.

    Benny grasped Mr. Venditore¡¯s arm. ¡°¡±Um, I think we shouldn¡¯t waste time here. Aunt Magma¡¯s waiting¡­¡±

    ¡°What? Magma?¡±

    He raised the staff again.

    ¡°Transposition¡±

    Benny vanished again, this time with Mr. Venditore in tow an instant. After a few seconds he reappeared alone.

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re back already?¡± Tenryu asks after breaking free from Nia¡¯s hold.

    ¡°Yeah, though I think I may have startled your family too much.¡± He says apologetically to Tenryu.

    As soon as reappeared at the Sun Dragon, Aunt Magma and Flare (who were still shocked at his sudden disappearance) both were surprised with his sudden reappearance with Mr. Venditore. He left the old Animalian in their care saying he had to go back and help Tenryu and the others. He used Transposition to return back at the Venditore Armory before they could bombard with a barrage of questions.

    ¡°Now all that¡¯s left is to deal with this monstrosity.¡± says Benny, looking at the Demon that was still in combat with Bronson and Eldon.

    ¡°Oi! Didn¡¯t you stop me before because we couldn¡¯t fight it? Now you want to fight that thing? You¡¯re getting me confused!¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    Nia nodded in agreement as well.

    ¡°I stopped you before because you were about to rush in there when you¡¯re in that exhausted state. That recklessness is simply suicide. But in truth, I figured out a way how to land some damage into that thing.¡±

    Both Tenryu and Nia stared at him in surprise.

    ¡°What the blitz? Why didn¡¯t you say that earlier?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because I just thought of it right now. Like I said before, we need a plan to deal with that thing. And thanks to what Mr. Venditore told us and my observations I do have a plan.¡±

    ¡°But even if we have a way to do so we¡¯ve both depleted our Manna¡­¡± says Nia.

    ¡°About that¡­I think I can help.¡±

    Benny pulled out his Spellbook once more.

    Benny had scanned the book (or rather it presented to him what he needed by flipping its own pages and stopping at the page containing what he was looking for.) To Benny¡¯s surprise, he was able to guess that those words were in Latin though the Spell like all the others was written in that special language¡¯s script. Benny felt it was a little clich¨¦ that there was actually a Spell in Latin as some of the shows he watched from his home world used Latin for its ancient and arcane feeling.

    Benny pointed his staff at them and chanted the incantation of a Spell on the page. At once three Magic Sigils appeared underneath each them.

    ¡°Benny, what are you?¡±

    ¡°Et dividant studia atque officia, ut tecum sentiam¡­¡±

    (I divide my energy and share it with you¡­)

    Benny struck the Sigil underneath him with the tip of the staff.

    Tenryu and Nia suddenly felt a surge of energy coming from the Magic Seal underneath them. But what was more surprising was that they also felt their Manna being replenished!

    ¡°Manna Transference!¡±

    ¡°What the blitz?¡± Tenryu had yelped in surprise.

    ¡°This Magic¡­no, it couldn¡¯t be!¡± gasped Nia.

    Benny on the other hand felt the opposite. His energy was being depleted.

    This was Manna Transference. It was a Spell that allows one to share their Manna with others. Although the setback is that this will drain the user due to the rapid drop of their Manna levels. Nevertheless the Spell still produced the desired effects.

    When Benny finished Spell he felt a little exhausted from the sudden energy drain. But it was only fleeting as he managed to recover.

    ¡°Blistering Blazes! I feel my Manna has totally recharged!¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that¡­More like back to 60 percent at most.¡±

    ¡°Benjamin¡­was that the Manna Transference Spell?¡±

    Benny nodded.

    ¡°And you read it from that book? Benjamin, what exactly is that book-¡±

    But Benny quickly noticed something from the edge of his eye. It looked like nothing was there but a pair of Black Hazes was creeping sneakily towards them. It was definitely from those two from before and they must¡¯ve used their Concealment Magic again.

    Benny was quick to guess what they were aiming for. He quickly pointed his Staff at them, ¡°Light Cage!¡±

    A sphere of golden light enveloped the two Black Auras! Whether it was from suddenly being encased or the light from the Spell but the Concealment Magic was immediately dispelled, revealing a pair of shady characters.

    ¡°Hey, who the blitz are these guys?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re the culprits I was talking about. They¡¯re the ones that brought that thing out here in the first place.¡±

    ¡°¡°What?!¡±¡±

    ¡°Let us out of here!¡± screamed the smaller person. ¡°We¡¯re customers! We just caught in the-¡±

    ¡°Not a chance and quite it with the lies. I noticed you sneaking up towards us instead of calling us out for help. That¡¯s not a normal behavior if you were an innocent bystander.¡±

    Plus I can tell from those hazes that you two are a nasty pair.

    ¡°Why were you sneaking around towards us?¡±

    ¡°I-It¡¯s not like w-we saw and h-heard that you can zap from h-here to another place¡­and thought we can-¡± the huge man blubbered.

    ¡°You SHUT UP!¡± the smaller man smacked the big guy to silence him.

    Benny glared at them, ¡°So you were planning to hold one of us hostage so you can force me to get you out of here using Transposition?¡±

    Those looks confirmed it. They were nasty to the core.

    ¡°Why you¡­¡± Tenryu gripped his sword and aimed to

    Realizing that they were seen through, the smaller man quickly started barking orders at the bigger man.

    ¡°What are you waiting for?! Get you whip out and smash this bubble!¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t brother! My Magic Tool is stuck in my back pocket and I can¡¯t reach!¡±

    Certainly since the Light Cage was in the form of a sphere they seemed to be in a position of being caught in a sandpit trap.

    ¡°Do I have to do everything myself?!¡±

    The smaller thief reached into his coat pocket probably to pull out a Magic Tool.

    ¡°Look out!¡±

    Both Tenryu and Nia braced themselves for another battle but¡­Benny was quicker as he pointed the Staff at the sphere.

    ¡°Enchant: Electrocute¡±

    The Light Cage was suddenly filled with bolts of lightning!

    ¡°¡±AAAARRGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!¡±¡±

    Benny release the Light Cage an that the two criminals crumpled to the floor and were completely unconscious.

    Tenryu and Nia stared at him.

    ¡°Benny¡­you¡­¡±

    ¡°Hey, they were gonna attack us plus they had plans to hold one of us hostage. A preemptive strike against an enemy is necessary.¡± Benny shrugged with disgust.

    ¡°No, I have no problems with that. You know Benny¡­you really are talented-¡± but Tenryu¡¯s voice got cut off when they were bombarded by another explosion!

    KABOOM!

    All three heads turned as they saw Eldon and Bronson once again fought the Demon. Once again it proved to be quite a difficult thing to fight. Aside from its intangibility it didn¡¯t seem to be weakening at all!

    ¡°Tenryu¡­Nia¡­this isn¡¯t the time for that. I tell you the plan I¡¯ve come up with so listen carefully.¡±

    Benny quickly explained his plan.

    ¡°I see!¡± says Nia as she grasped Benny¡¯s theory.

    ¡°Alright!¡± says Tenryu as he waved his sword. A grin of anticipation was on his face, ¡°Now we know how to beat it! It¡¯s time for a counter attack!¡±

    ***

    Eldon and Bronson were already on the verge of defeat.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t we beat this thing?¡±

    Eldon was panted heavily as he stared at the menacing monster.

    ¡°For some reason¡­this creature seems very familiar¡­Ugh!¡±

    Eldon fell on his knee and grasped onto the long handle of his hammer for support.

    ¡°Eldon!¡± shouts Bronson in alarm.

    Seeing its prey had fallen, the Beast roared and then lunged right at them!

    Eldon was too beaten to even raise his hammer to defend himself. The Beast raised its clawed arm and was about to strike

    And then¡­

    ¡°Light Shield!¡±

    A voice behind them shouted out loud.

    A Magic Seal appeared right in between the two Animalian guards and the Beast. Their adversary smashed into the Magic Seal and in response the Magic Seal releases a blast of light that knocks the Beast away..

    Surprised, the two guards look back and saw the three kids from before. The one in middle, Benjamin Estrella, was holding a long staff aloft.

    ¡°You kids?! What are you still doing here?¡±

    ¡°And where¡¯s the boss?!¡±

    ¡°Relax, Mr. Venditore¡¯s safe now.¡± Benny turned to his left. ¡°Tenryu, you know what to do¡­¡±

    ¡°On it!¡±

    Tenryu dashed towards his target.

    ¡°Oi! Kid are you crazy?!¡± shouts Bronson.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright¡­he¡¯ll be okay.¡± says Benny as he and Nia approached them. At once, Nia starts treating their injuries in quick speed.

    Meanwhile, Tenryu quickly engages his foe.

    ¡°Alright! It¡¯s you and us now! So let¡¯s get this heated up!¡±

    The Demon pranced as though to survey its prey/challenger.

    Tenryu quickly readied his stance, reading his sword. He would usually rush in to attack the enemy with his Swordsmage techniques right about now.

    But¡­

    ***

    Earlier¡­

    ¡°Alright, Tenryu you¡¯re going to be the vanguard.¡± says Benny.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°It means you¡¯re going to be the one in the front lines who will deal the most damage.¡±

    ¡°Oooh! I like the sound of that.¡± Tenryu grinned.

    ¡°Is this going to be okay, Benjamin?¡± asks Nia worriedly.

    ¡°Yes. To defeat that thing Tenryu¡¯s strength is essential.¡±

    Tenryu started flexing his arms, ¡°I¡¯m gonna go in there and beat that thing to a pulp!¡±

    ¡°Before that, I need to tell how we can lay some actual damage to it.¡±

    ***

    Tenryu readied himself. ¡°Come!¡±

    The monster roared as it pounced at him. It ran towards him with its claws extended as though to slice him to bits. But instead of making moves to dodge, Tenryu stood his ground.

    ¡°Oi! Kid look out!¡±

    ¡°What is he doing? He¡¯s gonna get killed!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright¡­¡± Benny repeated. ¡°Tenryu knows what he¡¯s doing.¡±

    And just as the Demon was about to strike, Tenryu moved to the side. He quickly aimed his sword and slashed at its arm! The arm was chopped off and dissipated into wisps of darkness. In response, the Demon screeched!

    ¡°Wha?!¡±

    ¡°He actually managed to damage it!¡±

    Tenryu didn¡¯t stop there. He then quickly aimed another series of strikes.

    That thing can turn intangible in an instant but there¡¯s a weakness in that¡­ Benny¡¯s voice resounded in Tenryu¡¯s head.

    Tenryu swung his sword three times while the Demon was still disoriented.

    It can¡¯t attack itself when it¡¯s intangible¡­so it needs to be solid to do so¡­

    He managed to slash its other arm and shoulder, causing those areas to dissipate as well.

    Strike it when it itself is about to attack.

    ¡°So Benny was right¡­¡± Tenryu murmurs to himself, ¡°Heh, it¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve fought this way¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Get¡¯em kid!¡± shouts Bronson.

    ¡°Please hold still¡­I need to wrap this bandage.¡± chides Nia.

    Tenryu slashed a third time but it was then that the sword passed through it like gas again! At that point Tenryu stopped and leapt away. He quickly resumed his stance.

    Also when you notice it becoming intangible again you must stop your attacks immediately and wait for it to attack again¡­

    As such, he then waited instead of attacking again.

    ¡°Why¡¯s he stopping? Keep attacking!¡± says Bronson.

    When the monster reformed, it roared at Tenryu and proceeded to strike him again.

    Tenryu waited until it was close enough and then attacked.

    ¡°Dragon Style: Triple Claw Slash!¡±

    For a Swordsmage, that movement should typically be used in conjunction with an Elemental Enhancement Spell to lay even greater damage to the foe. But Tenryu was throwing several sword techniques in rapid succession without releasing his usual Fire Magic.

    ¡°He¡¯s quick¡­but doesn¡¯t he attack with Fire Magic in those strikes?¡±¡± notes Eldon, ¡°And is it just me or is he glowing?¡±

    Tenryu was actually enveloped in a strange golden glow that was so faint that nobody actually noticed. But it would seem that the Animalian¡¯s sharp eyes had noticed it.

    Benny smiled to himself. Actually that glowing part was his doing and having Tenryu rely in pure Swordsmanship was also part of the plan.

    ***

    Earlier¡­

    ¡°Also don¡¯t use your Magic. Please rely on plain Sword Techniques for now. No fire.¡±

    ¡°Eh? But my attacks would be weaker without using Magic!¡± complains Tenryu.

    ¡°Strange enough he has a point, Benjamin. Shouldn¡¯t Tenryu attack at full power if we want to deal severe damages to that thing?¡±

    Benny shook his head, ¡°If only that were the case¡­¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that you aren¡¯t in ¡°full power¡± since the Manna Transference Spell I used only gave you a bit to be able to cast Magic at the minimum. So at this point, we need to reserve our strongest attack for the decisive blow.¡±

    He turned to Tenryu who started to look like he was starting to doubt this plan.

    ¡°And besides¡­I have faith in that swordplay. Part of being a Swordsmage, you¡¯re also a Knight Class Adventurer, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    Tenryu looked a little uncomfortable. That was actually the first someone openly expressed that they had faith in him.

    ¡°But this isn¡¯t a fighting some regular opponent. Unless you¡¯re a very skilled Knight Class with muscular bulk then you wouldn¡¯t stand a chance.¡± says Nia.

    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m more than capable of handling that!¡± retorts Tenryu.

    ¡°I know, that is why I will be the one to provide the Magic to aid your attacks.¡±

    Benny opened the Spellbook once more and its pages flipped once more into a chapter of a Spell he also read the previous night. He was sure he memorized it but he didn¡¯t want to mess this up since this was a situation they couldn¡¯t afford to be so.

    ¡°Light, I baptize this being¡­Hear, my prayer and aid him! Heavenly Armament!¡±

    Benny lightly tapped Tenryu on the head with his staff and he was enveloped in a golden glow.

    ¡°Wha-?!¡±

    Nia gasped, ¡°Is that a Bard Class Support Magic?¡±

    Benny nodded, ¡°Yeah¡­Heavenly Armament is a Spell that increases the benefactors strength and defense several times than usual.¡±

    ¡°Really? I don¡¯t feel anything.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to. But let¡¯s just say even if you don¡¯t use your Fire Magic you¡¯ll be okay now even if you go back to the basics.¡±

    And back to the present, that¡¯s exactly what Tenryu did.

    He was actually going back to basics.

    ***

    While Tenryu fought against the creature, Benny stood waiting to cast Defensive Spells if Tenryu needed them. There were several times when the Artificial Demon managed to evade and attempt to strike back at a blind spot but Benny casted Light Shield to defend Tenryu.

    ¡°All done! Although, I have to say you both are in no shape to fight.¡± Nia says as she affixed the bandage in Eldon¡¯s side.

    ¡°Thanks, young miss¡­¡± Eldon nods at her gratefully.

    ¡°No problem, but I am not a young miss-¡± Nia added

    ¡°Are you done, Nia?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Nia nodded at him.

    ¡°Right, I better get these guys to safety. Please assist Tenryu but focus on ¡°that¡± part!¡±

    Nia nodded, knowing what he was implying and she went to aid Tenryu.

    ¡°As for you guys, I think you need a little break.¡±

    ¡°Eh? But¡­¡±

    Benny waved his Staff at the two criminals whom they bound and gagged earlier. They were caught in another sphere of light and were brought close to them.

    ¡°Kid, who are these two?¡±

    ¡°These are culprits that attacked Mr. Venditore and caused this mess.¡±

    The two guards had the same reaction as his friends, ¡°¡°WHAT??!!¡±¡±

    Benny quickly used Transposition to warp the two guards and the criminal with him. He once again surprised the Fyreroars (and Mr. Venditore) with his sudden appearance with the two guards and the criminals in tow. Mr. Venditore was quick to confirm they were the suspects.

    It took a little longer for him to reappear back since Flare had grabbed hold of him and refused to let go until he explained everything. But Aunt Magma managed to convince her to release her grip saying explanations can wait until the crisis at hand was solved.

    Benny used Transposition back to the Venditore Armory carrying a promise he made with Aunt Magma.

    Please help Tenryu¡­

    Benny looked at the monster he was about to face. Just earlier he was actually shaking his shoes being unable to think he should fight. But that promise he made with Aunt Magma had strengthened the resolve he said to Emrys.

    ¡°Alright¡­It¡¯s time for the final showdown!¡±

    ***

    Back at the Sun Dragon¡­

    The two criminals had recovered from the electric shock earlier but were surprised to be tied up.

    What they found themselves was a place that looked like a restaurant. But they had little to think about it when a group of people surrounded them. There were three Animalians, a red-haired beauty holding a meat tenderizer, and an elderly lady who was holding a large frying pan that was still sizzling.

    ¡°So these are the troublemakers, eh?¡± Bronson grinned in a menacing way.

    ¡°You think it is funny setting a thing like that in a shop full of people?¡± Eldon raised his hammer.

    ¡°And don¡¯t forget me-hoot¡­I have a bone to pick on you guys for attacking my shop-hoot! And for your earlier hospitality¡­¡± Mr. Venditore¡¯s eye glinted like an owl aiming for its prey. His talons were shining dangerously.

    Flare approached them with the meat tenderizer. ¡°Funny, I¡¯m a little frustrated now I think bashing some boneheads will cool that off!¡±

    Aunt Magma held up the frying pan. ¡°Today was supposed to be a nice day for those kids. You¡¯re going to pay for ruining their day.¡±

    The Grave Brothers both gave a muffled scream of sheer terror as they closed in.

 Chapter 28 - Teamwork...But Things Go Awry

    Benny approached the battle scene.

    The monster had just finished reforming and opened its jaws wide. A ball of energy started to form from its mouth.

    ¡°Blast it! That beam attack again?! I¡¯d forgotten about that!¡±

    Benny¡¯s plan was to have Tenryu fight that thing in combat but he had forgotten about its other attack.

    ***

    Earlier again¡­

    ¡°Nia, about that Spell you used earlier, what was it called?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it was the first time I¡¯ve seen you used a Spell like that before!¡± piped up Tenryu.

    ¡°It¡¯s called Grove of Dodona.¡± Nia bowed her head dejectedly, ¡°But it failed¡­¡±

    ¡°Failed, huh¡­ Can you describe to me what exactly was its true effect supposed to be?¡±

    Nia explains to him how it was an Ancient Spell that was supposedly passed down through each leader of her home village as a Secret Technique. Suspicious, Benny questioned how she herself had learned to cast the Spell when it supposed to be something only the village leader would know about. Nia looked slightly embarrassed to say it.

    Benny could only guess that she learned it without permission. Benny was at least courteous not to point it out but¡­

    ¡°Tenryu smirked at her, ¡°So you wanted to show you were strong so you¡¯ve done and snitched a Secret Technique for yourself!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a muscle-brained idiot like you, Tenryu Fyreroar!¡±

    Benny coughed to cough to get their attention, ¡°Back to the subject, what is that Spell¡¯s true effect?¡±

    ¡°It is a Spell that is supposed to utilize the forces of Nature and banish evil away. At least that¡¯s what I¡¯ve heard it was supposed to do.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve heard? Haven¡¯t you seen it being used before?¡±

    ¡°To be honest no, it hasn¡¯t been used since the first generation chief so nobody is really sure what the Spell¡¯s effects were.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Why the blitz wouldn¡¯t they use something as powerful as that? It¡¯s a big waste!¡±

    ¡°The village chiefs never really used it because there wasn¡¯t any use for it. That¡¯s probably because our village has always been secure and we just practice Healing. I thought that I could use it to destroy that Demon but¡­¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Benny closed his eyes and thought carefully, ¡°In that case, I think that¡¯s where you got mistaken.¡±

    Both Tenryu and Nia stared at him, ¡°¡°Eh?¡±¡±

    ¡°Nia, hearing what you told me about that Spell and when you said ¡°destroy that Demon¡± that¡¯s when it dawned on me.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, Benjamin?¡± says Nia in confusion.

    ¡°My guess is that Spell isn¡¯t for offense¡­¡±

    ***

    The Demon had just turned into its ¡°intangible¡± mode but was starting to reform. At this point it was still impossible to lay damage when it was like this.

    ¡°Blast it! It was hard enough to fight without using my Magic! This waiting thing is really annoying!¡±

    The Demon soon reformed and opened its mouth wide. A ball of energy starts forming in its jaws.

    ¡°It¡¯s that beam attack this time?!¡±

    The Demon roared and a thick beam shot right towards Tenryu.

    ¡°Light Sphere!¡±

    A Magic Seal appeared and blocked that strike.

    Benny had casted his Defensive Magic to defend Tenryu just in the nick of time. At the same time, what looked like a small bottle had suddenly smashed at the Artificial Demon! Nia had thrown one of her potion bottles used for offense.

    Highly reminiscent of the time Benny had thrown that lotion bottle at Cactus Hun the Artificial Demon was stunned into stopping its attack. The potion bottle¡¯s contents covered the Demon in sticky, tar-like liquid that restrained its movement.

    As soon as Benny dispelled his Magic, Tenryu managed to gain some distance away from the thing. The Demon started turning intangible again to escape from its bindings.

    As it started to reform once again, Benny engulfed the surrounding debris inside several spheres of light. It was actually something he had thought of just now. As the Demon reformed and solidified Benny quickly took the opportunity. Benny pointed the staff and directed the spheres of debris into flying right at it. In an instant, he dispelled his Magic and the result was flying chunks of debris raining down on it! The effect was something like a badly controlled marionette and it was almost funny.

    ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Tenryu blinked in awe.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could do that with Defensive Magic!¡± says Nia, looking impressed.

    It was struck down several times and it quickly turned intangible to escape the remaining debris. After which it started to reform again and pounced at Benny in retaliation.

    ¡°Benny, look out!¡±

    Benny quickly got on his staff and used Fly to get out of its reach.

    Using that moment, Nia threw some Explosion Potions and caused it to be engulfed in explosions that shook the whole shop.

    It quickly turned to intangible once more to avoid the attacks.

    ¡°Nia, please stop now!¡± shouts Benny lands back on the ground.

    Nia nods and stops her onslaught of potions.

    Tenryu was about to aim when Benny shouted at him to wait.

    ¡°Tenryu, remember to wait for it to reform!¡±

    Although it was in his nature to keep on attacking until the opponent was beat, nevertheless, he followed Benny¡¯s words and poised himself ready for the foe to attack. The Demon once again managed to reform and this time it looked angry! It only took a few seconds for it to start sucking air its huge mouth. Benny knew it was about to unleash its dangerous breath attack once more!

    Seeing as the Demon was near a fountain, Benny had another idea. He raised his staff and pointed it at the fountain.

    ¡°Aqua Geyser!¡± shouts Benny.

    The fountain that was directly behind the Demon exploded and a huge wave of water washed over the creature and flooded the whole area.

    ¡°He¡¯s used Water Magic?!¡± Nia looks at the scene in disbelief. But how can that be? That Attribute is in Benjamin¡¯s opposite group¡­No¡­If it¡¯s Benjamin I shouldn¡¯t be surprised anymore¡­.

    ¡°What the blitz- UWAAH!!!¡±

    Unfortunately, Tenryu had also been caught by the torrent of water.

    And it seemed what Tenryu said earlier about not being able to swim was actually true. Tenryu was desperate to keep afloat while still trying to maintain a grip on his sword.

    ¡°Sorry! I¡¯m coming!¡±

    Benny quickly rode in his staff once more and flew towards where Tenryu was. He managed to grab Tenryu by his hood and fished him out!

    Tenryu spat out the water and was now yelling at Benny, ¡°Blistering Blazes?! You know I can¡¯t swim!¡±

    ¡°I said I was sorry. But I¡¯m gonna have you hold on for a second!¡±

    ¡°What are you-UWAAAHH?!¡±

    Tenryu yelled for a second time as Benny suddenly zoomed upwards to the ceiling! As soon as he was high enough, Benny jumped off the staff with Tenryu in tow! They were suspended in the air for a moment and then they started falling.

    ¡°WHAT THE BLITZ?!!!¡±

    Benny opened his free hand and the staff zoomed right to it. With both hands holding onto the staff he then pointed staff towards the water.

    ¡°Chained Lightning!¡±

    All at once, the top of the staff glowed! Lightning shot right out of it and struck the water! Utilizing both his knowledge of water¡¯s conducting ability with lightning, Benny had used the water and electric combo he was familiar with. The Demon, which was still wet with water, had been dealt with heavy damages from that attack.

    The Demon fell down to its knees as the water subsided.

    ¡°Alright!¡± says Benny, pumping his fist.

    ¡°Bzzzz-BBBEEEEEBzzzzNNNzzzzzNY?!!!!¡±

    Apparently, Tenryu had caught a stray bolt and has also been electrocuted.

    Benny quickly stopped his Magic and then used Transposition before they fell straight to the ground. He warped them straight a dry area albeit far away from the Demon.

    ¡°BLISTERING BLAZES?!! First you got me soaked! Now you¡¯ve hit me with lightning?!¡±

    Tenryu had the appearance of how an electrified person¡¯s would with hair was sticking straight up and was smoking in places. He was also twitching a bit. Thankfully, the Heavenly Armament Spell that Benny had casted upon him had shielded from the full brunt of the attack but it still left Tenryu looking a little frazzled.

    ¡°¡°Ah¡­sorry, Tenryu¡­¡±

    ¡°That was on purpose, wasn¡¯t it!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean for you to get electrocuted though.¡± Benny says apologetically.

    Nia called their attention, ¡°Benjamin! I¡¯m done setting up!¡±

    ¡°Alright, prepare to activate that Spell!¡± says Benny.

    ¡°Right!¡±

    Nia raised her Umbrella. All at once, several Magic Seals appeared on the ground surrounding the Demon. All at once, massive trees erupted from the formations and surround the creature once more.

    Nia remembered back to what Benny had said earlier.

    ***

    ¡°While it¡¯s in its intangible state we can¡¯t attack it¡­but neither can it. We have to use that window of opportunity to weaken it as much as it can so that it can remain solid and can¡¯t turn intangible anymore. Then we can do that last part.¡±

    ¡°To do what?¡± asks Nia.

    ¡°For Tenryu, you need to use that to gain distance away from it and be on the ready to attack when it becomes solid again. Weaken it as much as you can.¡±

    Tenryu nods at him before he turns towards Nia.

    ¡°Nia you have to prepare to cast Grove of Dodona once again.¡±

    ¡°Eh? But Benjamin I just said-¡°If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°Nia, here¡¯s where your mistake lies. The Grove of Dodona is most likely¡­a Healing Magic.¡±

    Nia couldn¡¯t believe at that time but what Benny said next convinced her.

    ¡°Nia, you said your village doesn¡¯t specialize in attacking Spells so most likely that Spell is for healing¡­but for a special kind of healing. And we¡¯re gonna need that to beat that thing!¡±

    ¡°Benjamin, I don¡¯t get¡­ But if that¡¯s truly the case then why are we going to heal something we need to defeat?¡±

    ¡°There are three Classes under the Healer Group, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but how does that-¡±

    ¡°In your incantation you said ¡®purge the evil¡¯, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­but Benjamin, what are you going with this?¡±

    ¡°What I am saying is that Magic¡­is most likely a high level Exorcism Class Magic!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an Exorcism Class Spell?¡± Nia looked both surprised and confused. ¡°But how could you tell¡­¡±

    ¡°The concept of key phrase¡­I¡¯ve read a few Exorcism Spells and ¡®purge the evil¡¯ is a key phrase in most of them!¡±

    It suddenly dawned on her. She herself had heard of several Exorcism Spells. It was only now that when Benny had mention about it that there was common phrase ¡°purge the evil¡± was almost always in all of those incantations. For him to be able to pick on such detail was rather amazing on his part.

    Nia, I need you to use this Spell once more. But you are not going to destroy it¡­but ¡°heal¡± it by exorcising it!¡±

    ***

    Nia focused her gaze and raised both her hands as though in prayer. She channeled all her power into invoking this Spell once more.

    The trees started glow. They were emitting that soft green light from before but now Benny could feel a ¡°cleansing¡± feeling coming from them. It was as though the trees knew what they were supposed to do now.

    ¡°Alright¡­now, I have to cast that Spell to ensure-¡±

    ¡°Blast it! It¡¯s already starting to get up!¡± shouts Tenryu, as he noticed that the Artificial Demon had started to recover.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna make sure it stays down!¡±

    Tenryu gripped his sword and rushed in to strike it down.

    ¡°No! Tenryu wait!¡±

    Tenryu quickly approaches the Demon with his sword drawn!

    ¡°Here it comes! Dragon Sword Style: Sword Claw Cutter!¡± shouts Tenryu.

    Tenryu slashed at it several times in rapid fury.

    Benny slapped his head in consternation. He could not believe this guy had forgotten a crucial part of the plan. This guy was too hot-blooded!

    Nia faltered as she lost her concentration a bit.

    ¡°Just continue, Nia! Wait for my signal to activate the Spell!¡±

    Benny quickly rushed in to join Tenryu to subdue that Demon.

    Tenryu leapt in the air as he dodged a claw strike! While in the air Tenryu aimed his blade.

    ¡°Dragon Sword Style: Sword Horn Thrust¡±

    His sword technique jabbed at the Demon in the eye. The Demon screamed in pain and it quickly turned intangible to escape the blade piercing it.

    Tenryu quickly made his distance as it reformed. Although it managed to escape but damages laid upon it when it was still solid were pretty severe.

    ¡°Converging Asterism of the Four Heavenly Kings: Grand Cross¡±

    He thrust his hand out at the Demon while holding the staff aloft. Four massive pillars of light appeared and converged as it engulfed the enemy!

    Tenryu managed to brace himself from the shockwave.

    ¡°Benny?!¡±

    ¡°We need to make sure that thing can¡¯t turn intangible anymore! Beat it down until it can¡¯t move!¡±

    ¡°Right! Now you¡¯re talking my language!¡±

    Both Benny and Tenryu quickly went to subdue their foe. Tenryu was using a variety of the Dragon Sword Style Techniques. Benny was using several Spells that he studied last night in conjunction with some Spells he had thought of on the spot.

    At the same time, Benny utilized some Bard Class and Enchanter Class Spells to help Tenryu in his battle such as increasing the power of his attacks or defending him. How and where Benny learned them was probably from that book he always held. Tenryu even took advantage of some of Benny¡¯s aid by utilizing the Magic Seals that Benny produced as a shield and using them as a platform to do some amazing parkour-like movements allowing him to strike.

    All the while, they were keeping to the strategy of attacking when it was solid and gaining ground while it was defending.

    Nia watched them from afar. They really work well as a team.

    As a result of their attacks the Demon that was actually thought of as a formidable opponent was being brought to a corner.

    ¡°How¡¯s that?¡± grinned Tenryu.

    The Demon let out a roar of rage as it started thrashing rapidly! This time its movements were more rapid and swift, it was like a blur to see it.

    Tenryu had to dodge its attacks so much, that he had no time to fight back!

    ¡°What the blitz? Hey! Knock it off!¡± Tenryu yelled, avoiding one fist after another.

    ¡°It must¡¯ve realized we know its weakness! It¡¯s like a cornered beast!¡±

    Benny pointed his staff once more, ¡°Aqua Sphere!¡±

    The water quickly gathered around the Demon and formed a giant bubble of water. But Benny wasn¡¯t done yet!

    ¡°Ice Encasement¡±

    That bubble quickly froze into a sphere of ice.

    Tenryu looks at him, ¡°You can use Ice Magic, too?¡±

    ¡°It was something on the spot but- damn it¡¯s breaking free!¡±

    Even within the ice, the Demon opened its mouth once more and released a thick beam of energy that allowed it to break free! It then aimed its beam attack at them.

    Both Benny and Tenryu jumped out of the way as its beam attack smashed the fountain. It kept firing beams indiscriminately and destroying everything in sight! It even attacked the grove of trees but somehow they managed stand firm. It would seem Nia was struggling to ensure they remained standing.

    ¡°Blast it! I need to hurry get near it and cast that Spell!¡± Benny mutters to himself.

    ¡°BLISTERING BLAZES!!! I¡¯ve had enough of this! Sorry Benny, but I¡¯m going all out!¡±

    ¡°W-What?!¡±

    Tenryu gripped his sword tightly and magical flames spewed out the blade.

    ¡°Flame Dragon Style: Blitz Bullet¡±

    Tenryu shot thick blasts of flames smashed into the Demon. The flames engulfed the Demon in a fury of flames.

    ¡°Take this! Flame Dragon Style: Volcanic Eruption!¡±

    Tenryu swung his blade upwards and caused the flames to explode into a tornado of fire! Benny remembered Tenryu had used this Spell once before and this one was stronger than last time! Perhaps it may have something to do with the Heavenly Armament Spell that Benny had casted earlier.

    Benny had to brace himself as he felt the intense heat rushed over him, ¡°So strong¡­but¡­¡±

    Tenryu swayed a bit as the faint golden glow that enveloped him had disappeared completely. It seems to have been used up from just that attack. Just as Benny had warned, his Manna drained considerably once more.

    ¡°Tenryu!¡± shouts Benny in caution.

    ¡°Sorry Benny, but I had to¡­besides that should take care of it-¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it! Look!¡±

    But from within the column of flame the Demon emerged! It was clear that Tenryu¡¯s earlier attacks had severely damaged. But it had escaped by being intangible once more.

    ¡°Blast it¡­I forgot¡­¡± Tenryu cursed internally.

    How could you forget it can turn intangible?! Benny thought in frustration.

    But this time, instead of reforming it lunged itself at Tenryu even though it was still intangible. Although confused at first as this was a sudden shift in its actions, Benny cursed when he realized that it was closing in intangible so it can solidify and strike at the last minute! This wasn¡¯t it movements earlier which lead Benny to conclude: this thing was learning and adapting!

    Benny had to admit that he was impressed by this artificial life form that could freely act and think for itself. The guy Emrys had called a fool was probably evil for creating this monster but the genius there was something. But this wasn¡¯t the time to be feeling that way as he saw it was aiming for Tenryu.

    Tenryu, however, was still reeling from the beginning effects of the Manna Depletion Fatigue but he mustered all the strength he had to dodge in the last moment. The monster struck at where he stood just a few moments ago and the floor crack with a resounding crash.

    The Demon quickly followed another claw strike.

    Tenryu¡¯s last minute dodge earlier and his current body position made him unable to react in time to defend himself.

    The demon raised it claws and struck.

    ¡°NO!¡±

    Seeing this, Benny had only thought of one option and quickly used Transposition to warp himself between Tenryu and the demon. He managed to push Tenryu backwards but he was face to face with the Demon as it struck.

    SLASH*

    Benny felt intense, sharp pain over his left eye as one of the Demon¡¯s claws slashed him in the face and knocking the hat off his head! He could hear Tenryu¡¯s and Nia¡¯s screams of horror.

    ¡°BENNY!!!¡±

    ¡°BENJAMIN!!!¡±

    He fell backwards and dropping his staff to the floor. Tenryu managed to get back on his feet and just barely managed to catch him.

    ¡°Benny, hold on!¡±

    Grasping the left side of his face, Benny felt a thick flow of blood trickling down his face. He couldn¡¯t open his left eye.

    ¡°Ugh¡­I¡¯m fine¡­¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯re not! You¡¯re b-bleeding!¡± Tenryu panicked.

    ¡°Look in front of you!¡±

    Nia¡¯s shouts alerts them that the Demon was about to strike at them once more. It raised its clawed hands and was about to bring it down on them!¡±

    Nia couldn¡¯t stop the Spell midway and was able to watch in horror.

    ¡°BLAST IT!¡± Tenryu shouts in frustration.

    But even though in pain, Benny quickly raised his hand. His fingertip glowed brightly.

    ¡°Eh?! Benny your hand!¡±

    Nia saw this as well, ¡°He has the Conjuring Ability?!¡±

    Benny quickly started tracing the pattern in the air. As he did so, it left streaks of light like he was using a paint brush! At the same time, Benny quickly said the incantation.

    ¡°O st?l?r gardi?n ?v e? klak sajn¡­ me eaj s?ks starz ?ajn¡­ stap e? flo ?v tajm¡­¡± (O Stellar Guardian of the Clock Sign¡­May thy Six Stars shine¡­Stop the flow of time¡­)

    Tenryu looked at him in bewilderment. It¡¯s that language again?

    But he had no time to think about as Benny thrust his hand out at the Demon just as it was about to strike once more.

    He shouts at the top of his voice.

    ¡°HOROLOGIUM!¡±

    The pattern he traced glowed brightly and a Magic Seal appeared! Light poured out of the seal and engulfed the Demon¡­and it suddenly stopped! It hung in mid-air like it was frozen in place! It was like a video that Benny had pressed the pause button.

    Everyone was stunned by what just happened.

    Tenryu¡¯s jaw dropped in shock. ¡°It stopped?¡±

    ¡°Time Magic?!¡± gasps Nia.

    ¡°NIA DO IT NOW!¡± Benny yelled.

    ¡°Eh?! But you two are still-¡±

    ¡°The Spell won¡¯t hold for long! Nia, please!¡±

    ¡°But-¡±

    She was going to say that both of them were still within the grove. If the Spell activated with them inside...

    However it was Tenryu who shouted next.

    ¡°WHAT THE BLITZ ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! JUST DO IT!!!¡±

    Reluctantly, Nia quickly clapped her hands together as she chanted the incantation.

    ¡°From the land I beseech you! Oh, mighty children of the Earth Mother come forth¡­and unleash the wrath of nature and purge the evil before me!¡±

    Nia slammed both hand on the ground!

    ¡°GROVE OF DODONA!!!¡±

    The whole area within the grove began glowing with strong green light and then it erupted into massive pillar of energy rushing from the ground!

    The Demon, while still in the effect of the Horologium Spell, was starting to crack in several places and dissipating.

    ¡°I-It¡¯s working! You guys it working!¡±

    But both Benny and Tenryu couldn¡¯t hear her.

    Both Benny and Tenryu were gritting their teeth. They both felt the energy surge right through them penetrating each every cell in their bodies! It wasn¡¯t particularly painful but it wasn¡¯t pleasant either!

    ¡°It¡¯s affecting them?!¡±

    While still feeling the in pain his left eye, Benny felt like his head was exploding.

    He saw various images from his point of view.

    A very much younger Benny was smiling and playing in a field of sunflowers...with another boy?

    Wait?! What is this? Benny thought. Is this an effect of the Grove of Dodona Spell?

    ¡°Catch me if you can, Joey!¡±

    ¡°No fair, Kuya Benny!¡±

    Joey? Why does the name sound so¡­familiar? Are these¡­memories? But I don¡¯t remember this ever happening¡­

    The two of them were laughing loudly as they tore through the fields.

    Who is that kid?

    The image suddenly changed to that of Abuela talking to a mysterious person looking like¡­Emrys?

    What? Abuela? Emrys? Do they know each other?

    What are they talking about?

    Benny couldn¡¯t hear them.

    Then image shifted once more to where he was holding onto the hand of the boy again but they weren¡¯t smiling anymore. In fact, the other boy looked like he was being pulled away by a mysterious force! They were desperately holding onto each other.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let go, Joey!¡±

    ¡°Kuya Benny, save me!¡±

    ¡°BENJAMIN! TENRYU!¡±

    At Nia¡¯s screaming of their names, Benny gasped as he opened his eyes (or rather his remaining eye.)

    He was still within the Grove of Dodona Spell¡¯s area of effect and he could still feel the energy passing through him! He heard loud sharp breaths beside him and saw Tenryu was convulsing heavily. He was gripping his right arm tightly.

    ¡°N-No¡­please¡­h-h-help me!¡± Tenryu was muttering in unusually shaking voice. He sounded scared¡­and vulnerable.

    Tenryu was completely pale and shaken. The cause was clearly because of this Spell and not from Manna Depletion. It seems the Spell has affected him more. But why either of them would affected by this Magic when neither of them were possessed by evil?

    And speaking of evil, a loud cracking sound had alerted Benny to what was in front of him. He saw the Demon was finally breaking apart!

    It broke off piece by piece until all what was left was a large oval stone floating in the air. It was black with a strange mark glowing in the middle.

    It was the Core Stone!

    ¡°Benjamin! I can¡¯t¡­hold this up¡­any longer!¡± Nia¡¯s voice was strained and exhausted.

    Although there were so many questions, Benny realized he doesn¡¯t have much time to ponder on that! He managed to regain focus on the current problem.

    ¡°Tenryu? Snap out of it! TENRYU?!¡±

    Smack*

    Benny had to slap him back to sense.

    Tenryu jolted, snapping out of his convulsions ¡°B-Benny? What?¡±

    Gripping him by the shoulder on one hand (and patting blood on it), Benny pointed to the floating stone. ¡°Tenryu, listen! You have to strike its Core Stone now!¡±

    Tenryu quickly grabbed his sword and got up shaking. He tried to make flames appear once more but could only muster a few embers.

    ¡°Blast it¡­I¡¯m sorry Benny, I¡¯ve drained all my Manna¡­I should¡¯ve listened.¡±

    Tenryu looked at his right arm. The glove and the bandages underneath were supposed to help suppress that but if he could use it to his advantage in this situation¡­no it was risky¡­but¡­

    But as Tenryu was torn with the decision, without another word Benny had grabbed his hand.

    ¡°B-Benny?!

    Benny closed his remaining eye and focused, ¡°Manna Transference¡±

    ¡°W-What?!¡±

    All at once, Tenryu felt a massive surge of Manna flowing into him once more while Benny felt his own being drained.

    ¡°GRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!¡±

    A low growl caused the both of them to look at the Core Stone.

    The black stone started to shake. Benny felt his Horolgium Spell had worn off and a smoke-like started to seep out of the Core Stone, trying to reform its body. But the Grove of Dodona Spell was somehow interfering it from fully forming.

    Benny had let go of Tenryu¡¯s, ¡°Please¡­Hurry!¡±

    ¡°Right!¡±

    Tenryu fired up his sword, it was engulfed in so much heat that Benny could feel it from where he was standing.

    ¡°Alright! I¡¯ve just about had enough of you!¡± Tenryu roared as he rushed towards the stone.

    The Black Haze formed a rather smoky form of the Demon¡¯s face which roared right back at him. Tenryu leapt high in the air and right towards it, raising his sword high as it was engulfed with flames.

    As Tenryu let out a war cry, the flames around his sword changed. It was no longer deep red¡­but shining gold!

    ¡°Flame Dragon Sword Style Secret Art: Dragon God Fang Blade!¡±

    The golden flames form an enormous blade that illuminated the whole atrium!

    In one swift Tenryu swung the sword down. It cut through the cloudy form of the Artificial Demon and struck the Core Stone! The result caused a massive explosion that blew everything away!

    From within the inferno, the Artificial Demon screamed its last and the Core Stone shattered to pieces!

    ¡°They¡­did it¡­¡± Nia says before collapsing.

    And with that the Magic of the Grove of Dodona faded away.

    Benny couldn¡¯t feel that pressure anymore. The only thing he felt was his whole body going numb.

    Then he too slowly collapsed.

    The last thing he could from his uninjured eye was Tenryu standing with his back facing him. He looked like a protagonist of an anime show that had just defeated a dangerous foe. Which he technically did.

    ¡°You¡­are really¡­amazing¡­¡±

    But just as his eyelid closed to a thin line he saw that strange memory again of that little boy. Benny wasn¡¯t able to get a good look as the boy¡¯s face seemed hazy but he felt that he knew him.

    ¡°Joey¡­¡± Benny muttered.

    Tenryu turned to look at him and saw Benny collapsing.

    ¡°BE¡ªugh¡­¡±

    Tenryu tried to go to where Benny was but his legs gave out and he too fell with his sword clattering on the ground.

    He tried to reach out to him¡­but he also lost consciousness.

 Chapter 29 - Answers of the Spirit Guardian

    Benny found himself lying in middle of patch of grassy area surrounded by field of sunflowers.

    ¡°Where am I?¡±

    ¡°Finally awake are we?¡±

    ¡°Emrys?¡±

    Benny looked behind him and saw Emrys¡­

    ¡­sitting in what looked like a table booth of a fast-food restaurant. While his hood was covering the top half of his face as usual, he was nonchalantly drinking a fruit smoothie out of a bendy straw.

    And seriously why is something like that restaurant booth doing in the middle of a meadow? It just ruined the whole scenery!

    ¡°What the blitz are you doing?¡± asks Benny with a sweatdrop.

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    Emrys looks at him with the mouth shaped like ¡°O¡± as if he were surprised about something. Nonetheless his mouth broke into a wide smile and gestures to the seat in front of him.

    ¡°Come and have a seat. We have so much to talk about.¡±

    ¡°You bet we have a lot to talk about!¡± Though it felt weird for him, Benny took a seat. ¡°But first things first, where are we?¡±

    ¡°Ah, well you can call this place the physical manifestation of the subconscious plane of your mind.¡±

    ¡°So this is a dream?¡±

    Emrys chuckled, ¡°The way how you easily generalize things into something simple is quite impressive and a bit scary sometimes. But yes, you could say it is a ¡°dream¡± in the simplest sense.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°Would you like to order something?¡±

    Emrys hands him a menu.

    ¡°Oh, thanks. I guess I¡¯ll have a souffl¨¦ cheesecake and strawberry milk tea¡­Wait! Why the blitz am I ordering something?!¡±

    Emrys looks at him with an amused smile, ¡°Ho¡­ho¡­¡±

    Benny frowned in response. What¡¯s with that amused look?!

    ¡°Ah, never mind. I thought you might like to eat something while we talk.¡±

    ¡°This is a dream, isn¡¯t? Technically, I can¡¯t literally eat anything in here.¡±

    ¡°Think of it as food for the soul as you may. Oh, your orders are here.¡±

    Emrys indicates to a plate of a large souffl¨¦ cheesecake slice and a large glass of strawberry milk tea that appeared out of nowhere.

    ¡°Eh? When did these¡­Ah, forget it! I should¡¯ve been used to this by now.¡±

    Benny took a fork (which he also had no idea where it came from) and took a bite of the cheesecake. It tasted good. How and why is that possible? Benny decided not to bother.

    ¡°Hey Emrys, I been meaning to ask¡­.but who exactly are you?¡±

    ¡°Who am I?¡±

    ¡°And I want a straight answer not some clich¨¦d vague one out of a mystery series.¡± Benny points his fork at him.

    Emrys sighed, ¡°Well, if you want to put description of it, I¡¯m more or less your spirit guardian.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re my spirit guardian, huh¡­¡±

    ¡°Um, why do you sound so skeptic?¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that makes you sort of like a ghost?¡±

    ¡°Well, even if I say I am such, there are limitations to how much I can actually get involve. So as much as I don¡¯t want to say this, please don¡¯t expect too much from me. In the end, your life is something you must forge on entirely on your own.¡±

    You¡¯ve been involved a little too much already. Benny added in thought. So that would explain why you just tend to pop out in the dire circumstances¡­

    ¡°Way to slap the truth in my face. Not that I don¡¯t appreciate it. It¡¯s better than believing that there¡¯s a Deus-ex-Machina for every situation.¡±

    Emrys nodded appreciatively.

    ¡°By the way, I noticed your voice isn¡¯t all ghostly and echoing anymore.¡±

    ¡°You noticed that? That¡¯s probably because we are both in the same plane now so we don¡¯t have that communication static. Like a bad connection when you try to call someone internationally.¡±

    ¡°In the same plane¡­ Doesn¡¯t this mean¡­I¡¯m dead?¡±

    ¡°No. You¡¯re still very much alive. This spiritual plane is a nexus where the spirits and the living can freely interact. You were in a coma for a long time so it¡¯s like an out of body experience.¡±

    ¡°Thank goodness for that¡­¡± Benny breathed a sigh of relief but stopped when he processed rest of Emrys¡¯ words. ¡°Wait, I was in a coma? How long was I out?¡±

    ¡°Seven days. A new record for you¡­¡±

    ¡°S-Seven?!¡± stammers Benny.

    ¡°Excessively draining your Manna while using powerful Spells one after another. Not to mention you even went as far as transferring your Manna to your friends and even did it again at the very climax of the battle. What could you expect as a result?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡±

    ¡°So?¡± Emrys places his elbows on the table. ¡°How was your second battle? I¡¯d like to hear what you have to say about your experiences.¡±

    Benny wondered if this was some kind of stress debriefing. Nevertheless, he told Emrys in detail about his whole experience.

    To sum it up, the whole thing was both exciting and terrifying. There weren¡¯t any other words for it.

    ¡°I have to admit I¡¯m very impressed with you. You have natural flare for Magic, being able to understand the theories and casting very powerful Spells on your first try. You¡¯re quite talented.¡±

    ¡°No, no, I was just reading and memorizing them out of the Spellbook, you know?¡±

    But Emrys simply wagged his finger as though chide him, ¡°Just because you know the Spell doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re capable of doing them. It¡¯s the same as knowing an equation to a complex math problem but not everyone can get it until they try it several times. You have a talent in Magic, that¡¯s for sure.¡±

    ¡°Well, if you put it that way¡­¡±

    ¡°And let¡¯s not forget that there were Spells you invented on the spot. What¡¯s even more impressive is that you invented Flight and Transposition as well! Being able to create and do one of the Impossible 13 Concepts is unbelievably amazing enough. But you did two. And on the same day! That is simply something no words can describe.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I still can¡¯t believe that it¡¯s me we¡¯re talking about it here¡­¡±

    ¡°Many had tried but only you succeeded in doing it. Do you still think you¡¯re not talented or it was just by chance?¡±

    Benny blushed in deep red and sighed in defeat, ¡°I guess there¡¯s no point in denying it, huh?¡±

    ¡°Glad to hear that you¡¯re starting to overcome that self-depreciating behavior of yours. It shows that you are growing up.¡± Emrys nods in satisfaction.

    Benny felt himself turning hot in the collar. Was it possible in a dream?

    ¡°Although not related to Magic, I noticed you have good tactician skills. That¡¯s an impressive strategy you¡¯ve come up to deal with the situation.¡±

    Benny¡¯s strategy was summarized into the following points. (1) Attacking it while it was attacking since this was only time it was solid. (2) Then, severely weaken it in its solid form then casting Horologium to ensure it stays solid. (3) Next, Nia was to use Grove of Dodona to exorcise it to the point where its core was exposed. (4) Finally, Tenryu was supposed to destroy it.

    At least that¡¯s what the plan was.

    ¡°Impressive, huh? That plan completely unraveled here and there. I told Tenryu very clearly that I will cast Horologium to stop it. But he still when in to beat that thing some more and even used up all the Manna I¡¯ve spared him.¡±

    ¡°Not every strategy is perfect you know. Tenryu and Nia did have some slight doubts you had a Spell like that. Though I have to say, you made a lapse in forgetting how Tenryu¡¯s hot-bloodedness often has him tuning out things that don¡¯t involve attacking.¡±

    ¡°I should¡¯ve accounted for that.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps you should¡¯ve casted that Spell as soon as possible before Tenryu-Ah! I see¡­ it¡¯s because you have slow reflexes and Tenryu got in before you. You may want to work in building up your stamina and muscle.¡±

    ¡°Please don¡¯t rub it in¡­¡± Benny stuffed his face with the remainder of the cake.

    Emrys laughed heartily. ¡°In the end, you and your friends succeeded, so that¡¯s good!¡±

    Benny sipped the remainder of his milk tea silently.

    ¡°You don¡¯t seem pleased about it...could there be something that¡¯s bothering you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­Um, Emrys? Can I ask you something?¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°That Magic World¡¯s¡­no Mundo Magica¡¯s language and writings¡­and the Spells written in the Spellbook¡­they were all inssome of the languages Abuela has taught me.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re wondering how she, a person from another world, knows them?¡±

    Benny had an inkling of an idea but he still found it hard to believe. So much so that he couldn¡¯t say it.

    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t really tell you details about your own great-grandmother¡¯s personal life and past. It¡¯s her personal right to tell you. But what I can say is to confirm something you already suspicious about.¡±

    ¡°What I¡¯m suspicious about?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t kid yourself. I¡¯m talking about your suspicions that she isn¡¯t from your home world but is in fact from Mundo Magica. And you¡¯re right.¡± Emrys says nonchalantly.

    ¡°W-What? Really?!¡±

    ¡°And what¡¯s with your reaction? You were already thinking it. It should¡¯ve dawned on you that a person with knowledge from another world has a connection to it, no? In this case, your great-grandmother came from Mundo Magica to Mundo Gaia which is ¡°your¡± world as you say it.¡±

    Benny was blown by this revelation and as soon as he recovered he started firing question after question.

    ¡°B-But then how did she cross to the other world? Just who exactly was she before she came there? And what exactly is the Spellbook? And what was¡­um¡­what was that other thing?¡±

    There was one other thing but Benny couldn¡¯t remember with all that just happened one after another. But somehow that seemed important and he was wracking his brain to remember.

    Emrys simply held up his hand that caused him to stop midway.

    ¡°I will answer your questions with two answers. First, she came to the other world by accident. It¡¯s very similar to your situation but in reverse. So if you are thinking that it might serve as a way to go back to your home world I can say there¡¯s a chance but a very, very, very slim chance. It is highly unlikely you will encounter that chance anytime soon.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Benny looked at him with a glum expression. Being told that there was a way back home but it was something as a game of chance was a little disheartening.

    But he also felt sad for Abuela. He remembered the times when his relatives had offered to help Abuela travel to her homeland which they assumed was in Europe. But every time she turned them down with a sad smile.

    Could this be the reason? That Abuela couldn¡¯t go to her homeland because it wasn¡¯t on Earth at all? Right now, Benny could understand her feelings at those times.

    But there was actually more to her and his family heritage than he thought. Maybe Emrys could provide him with answer¡­

    ¡°As for the second answer: I can¡¯t tell you anymore.¡±

    Benny nearly fell off his seat, ¡°Eh?! How is that an answer? That¡¯s flat out refusal!¡±

    ¡°Like I said, her personal information is her personal right to divulge.¡±

    Benny settled back in his seat. He knew Emrys was right but he was getting annoyed by the Tantalus Situation. Something told him that Emrys was a tight-lipped fellow when he wants to be.

    ¡°But then¡­why did she keep all of this a secret from the entire family?¡±

    ¡°Ah, well that¡¯s obvious. When she came to your world and she spoke about being able to use Magic, do you think the people there would take lightly to a person who has Magic abilities?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    Actually, Benny has read many historical accounts from his world where people who were suspected of using Magic were labeled as ¡°witches¡±, ¡°devil worshipers¡± and so forth. Most of the time people would react by doing horrible things to the accused or just kill them. The Salem Witch Trials was the most notorious example. Even in his home country there were stories of those who were thought to be ¡°mangkukulams¡± and were burned at the stake.

    ¡°She did it¡­to protect us?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It wasn¡¯t easy but she managed to integrate into your world¡¯s society and lived as one of them. It was even more difficult as she was with child at that time and eventually she gave birth to your grandfather. But her intuition told her to keep her secret to herself and raised her family with the norms of Mundo Gaia¡¯s society. She continued living in peace knowing that they will live on in that world. ¡±

    ¡°Abuela¡­I didn¡¯t know¡­we never knew¡­¡± Benny says quietly.

    ¡°She did what she had to do for her family. Even if that meant she had to hide her true self to do so.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­why did she teach me language and stuff from the Magical World if she was to keep it quiet? Why didn¡¯t she include the rest of the family?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­well¡­She didn¡¯t want the truth to die with her. She taught it to you specifically because she was very fond of you. Plus you¡¯re more open-minded compared to the rest to your relatives.¡±

    Benny found that touching¡­but felt suspicious that Emrys was keeping something from him again.

    Emrys sighed loudly and was turning his head as though to look at something distant, ¡°Sadly, that world is not ready to re-accept Magic into their lives just yet.¡±

    ¡°Reaccept? You mean there¡¯s Magic there before?¡±

    ¡°Not all Magicians in the history of Mundo Gaia were charlatans. Some were real practitioners who hid underground due to the rise of science.¡±

    ¡°Wow! I never knew this stuff was real in our world. I should probably look that up.¡±

    ¡°You keep saying ¡°our¡± world when in fact you are descended from both worlds. Your grandfather Isaac was a full-blooded person from Mundo Magica who never knew his heritage and married your grandmother Rebecca who was from Mundo Gaia.¡±

    ¡°Now that you mention it, you¡¯re right¡­¡±

    How did he seriously miss that important fact? If that¡¯s the case, he wouldn¡¯t feel entirely out of place in the Magical World anymore. After all, it seemed he was already adjusting to live there. He even had the skills in Magic that can aid him.

    At that thought, Benny remembered something important.

    ¡°Emrys, I kept seeing these weird hazes.¡±

    ¡°Hazes?¡±

    ¡°I sometimes see them over people and somehow get an idea of their character. Is this some kind of power I inherited from Abuela or something?¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯ve finally awakened the Aura Sight?¡±

    ¡°Aura¡­ Do you mean those weird spiritual energy things or something?¡±

    ¡°Spot on as usual and yes. The Aura Sight is an innate ability to see and read the Aura of another. Call it a heightened sense of intuition. You were right about it being inherited. It¡¯s an ability that has been passed down in your family though it tends to skip a few generations. So you lucked out at that!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t feel lucky about that¡­¡±

    ¡°Listen, that ability is very rare and even those of your family rarely show signs of awaken it.¡±

    ¡°Like that eye power in Nar*to?¡±

    ¡°Err¡­yeah, you can put it that way.¡±

    ¡°But how does this work exactly? Do I just look at someone until some Aura appears and just get an idea of the person out of looking at it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, in the basic way. But there¡¯s more to that ability than just reading a person¡¯s character.¡±

    ¡°Really? Like what?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you to discover it. It¡¯s more fun and fulfilling that way.¡±

    A vein popped in Benny¡¯s forehead, ¡°You really like keeping me hanging, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m just being generous.¡±

    Benny was getting irritated with this guy. Emrys clearly knows all the answers but isn¡¯t letting any slip.

    "I guess I can open up a fortune telling business with that then?¡± Benny had actually imagined himself in a swami hat and shawls, sitting in front of a customer to do Aura reading.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t. Like I said, it¡¯s a rare ability and you¡¯ll attract some unwanted attention.¡±

    ¡°Okay, you had me at unwanted so I¡¯ll keep it to myself.¡±

    Benny sat silent once more.

    ¡°There¡¯s another thing in your mind, is there? Something more recent?¡±

    Benny looks at him suspiciously, ¡°Are you a mind reader?¡±

    ¡°Nope, you always have the same expression when something is on your mind. You look down diagonally to your left. It always clearly shows.¡±

    ¡°Ah, really?¡±

    ¡°Is there?¡± Emrys presses on.

    ¡°Um, there¡¯s something that happened before I passed out¡­¡±

    And with that, Benny explained how he got affected by the Grove of Dodona Spell and saw some strange scenes about another boy named Joey whom he seemed very close too. How it also seemed to affect Tenryu as well.

    Benny decided to leave the part about seeing Emrys and Abuela in a conversation out of it just yet.

    ¡°Hmm¡­I see.¡±

    Emrys sat silent for a moment.

    ¡°Um¡­Emrys? Is there something wrong?¡±

    Emrys contemplated for a moment before answering, ¡°I think you should know by now that your guess on that Grove of Dodona is ancient Spell used for exorcising evil beings is spot on, right?¡±

    ¡°Uh, yeah?¡±

    ¡°Then you may wonder why that Spell has affected you and Tenryu when you were both not evil beings?¡±

    Benny nodded, listening fervently.

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s another effect of the Grove of Dodona¡­it dispels Magic.¡±

    ¡°Dispels Magic?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Exorcism doesn¡¯t just involve banishing evil spirits out of a person like what your world¡¯s concept of exorcism. It also involves removing and dispelling Magic that is afflicting a person like a curse, jinx and etc.¡±

    ¡°Wait, wouldn¡¯t that mean I have a curse placed upon me?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say a curse. Not as sinister as that. When you told me you saw that boy you seemed close to being sucked away in some dark void¡­¡±

    Benny stiffened at the memory. He couldn¡¯t help but pondered about that boy¡¯s fate.

    ¡°¡­you most likely encountered something that gave you a Magic-induced Amnesia.¡±

    ¡°Magic-induced¡­Amnesia?¡±

    ¡°You lost your memories due to some Magic related mishap. Sad to say it must be something very terrible that not even the Grove of Dodona Spell could be enough to dispel it.¡±

    Now that Benny thought about it. He had several lapses of his memory when he was younger. Could those scenes he saw were parts of his lost memory?

    ¡°What exactly are those memories? Who is that kid Joey anyway? And¡­why does he feel¡­important to me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯m afraid that is something you have to rediscover on your own.¡±

    Once again, Benny felt a deep suspicion that Emrys just lied right now and was hiding something from him again.

    ¡°What about Tenryu, how¡¯s he affected?¡±

    ¡°That boy has his fair shares of Magic-related mishaps¡­and the arm of his is a unique example.¡±

    ¡°His arm?¡±

    Benny did notice Tenryu was being particular with his arm.

    ¡°What exactly is wrong with that arm-¡±

    But Emrys raised his right hand to stop him, ¡°Again, that¡¯s personal stuff. That¡¯s for him to tell you. I am not at the liberty to tell.¡±

    ¡°Cause it¡¯s something private? I guess I understand. But Emrys how come you seem to know about all this?¡±

    Emrys looked uncomfortable and was whistling as though to play dumb. This was way too clich¨¦.

    ¡°Ah, well¡­I¡¯m sure you had experiences of knowing something you weren¡¯t meant to know it¡¯s not like I want to know people¡¯s secrets but watching over certain things¡­you tend to see something things...private¡­¡±

    ¡°In other words¡­you¡¯re a peeping tom?¡±

    Emrys looks as though he¡¯s been stabbed by the words.

    ¡°Seriously¡­you make me sound like a criminal.¡±

    ¡°But deliberately peeking is a crime.¡±

    Emrys dropped his shoulders in dismay and sulked, ¡°It¡¯s not like I wanted to¡­¡±

    To which, Benny looked at Emrys with a slight smile.

    ¡°Speaking of peeking¡­I¡¯m sorry about your eye though.¡±

    Benny raised a hand over where his left eye was.  Right now, all he could see from that area was black void like he had worn an eye patch over it. He probably would have to wear an eye patch that from now on.

    ¡°Well, can¡¯t do anything about this. I guess the Aura Sight is affected by my loss of one eye?¡±

    ¡°No, a lost eye won¡¯t affect your ability. And saying we can¡¯t do anything about that isn¡¯t true either.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Allow me¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait, what are you-?¡±

    The next thing Benny knew, Emrys placed his hand over his left eye and a soft warm emanated from it.

    ¡°There!¡± says Emrys as he takes his hand off, ¡°Can you see now?¡±

    To Benny¡¯s surprise, the vision in his left eye has returned!

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­how did¡­you¡­?¡±

    ¡°I¡­restored your eye. Although, I¡¯m sorry to say it¡¯s not the same as before.¡±

    ¡°It¡­It doesn¡¯t matter¡­I can see from it again! Thank you!¡±

    Benny felt tears flowing down. At that moment, he understood the joy of that story from the bible where a blind man¡¯s sight was restored. Emrys even had to pull out a handkerchief for him to blow his nose on.

    ¡°Hey now, don¡¯t cry! It makes me feel embarrassed.¡±

    Benny managed to hiccup himself back to sense and blew out his nose on the hanky.

    ¡°So¡­what are you going to do now?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°Your plans as of now¡­ What are you going to do from here on out?¡±

    Benny wiped the remaining snot from his nose.

    ¡°Well¡­I¡¯ve been thinking for a while ever since I came to the Magical World.¡±

    ¡°Have you considered going back to your home world?¡±

    ¡°Well, I did¡­but¡­¡±

    ¡°But?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen a lot of things. I¡¯ve encountered new possibilities. Plus I¡¯ve even made some good friends. I¡¯ve decided that the best course of action for me is-¡±

    He looked at him (with both eyes) and told Emrys what his plan was.

    Upon hearing it, Emrys¡¯ mouth broke into a wide smile.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. I support you whole heartedly. But bear in mind that once you make that step it won¡¯t be easy to go back to what you once were.¡±

    Benny shook his head, ¡°That¡¯s just it. I don¡¯t want to be someone like before. I want to take that chance and make my own decision on this!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good! Your life is yours to make, Benjamin Luke Della Sagrada Estrella.¡± Emrys nodded in approval, ¡°Ah, I believe we overstayed so I think it¡¯s time for you to rejoin the living. Your friends are worried sick about you.¡±

    Emrys indicates to¡­a pair of automatic sliding doors?!

    Where did those doors come from? Same place as the chairs and food?

    ¡°Just take a step out through those doors and you¡¯ll be where you need to go.¡±

    ¡°Those aren¡¯t the Pearly Gates, are they?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a tasteful joke but obviously no. Those are much more impressive than a pair of convenience store sliding doors.¡±

    Benny got up from the chair and started to walk towards the doors accompanied by Emrys.

    ¡°Oh, and a word of advice, I think you should relax towards your friends Tenryu and Nia, and tell them.¡±

    ¡°Tell them what?¡±

    ¡°The truth. That you are originally from Mundo Gaia, of course.¡±

    Benny looked at him shock.

    ¡°What? But-¡±

    That was the one thing he had been keeping quiet from everyone ever since he came to the Magical World.

    ¡°You can trust them. In order for you to proceed with your plans you need to establish a ground of mutual trust. You may not know this but you will need each other more from this point onward. Especially with the challenges you may face in the near future.¡±

    Benny did not like the sound of the challenges but with his decision on his path he knew it cannot be avoided.

    ¡°But¡­I don¡¯t know how to break it to them.¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s for you decide on how. You may choose to tell it now or gradually but you have to soon. It is better that way than for them to find out some other means and realize you didn¡¯t trust them at all.¡±

    Benny could tell Emrys had a point. He didn¡¯t want to lose the friends he has gained anymore and in any way.

    ¡°And they¡¯re not the only ones. There are more that are coming your way.¡±

    ¡°Eh? More?¡±

    ¡°Did you actually think Tenryu and Nia are the only ones you need in moving forward? There are a lot more encounters in the future. That¡¯s true for everyone you know.¡±

    Benny contemplated this well.

    ¡°You can even tell Magma and Flare but that¡¯s up to your discretion for now. Towards Tenryu and Nia you have to be more honest with them. You need them as much as they need you. Besides¡­it would be poor repayment for all that they¡¯ve done for you so far. Especially towards Tenryu¡­you might find out something interesting from him. Ah, we¡¯re here!¡±

    They stopped at the sliding doors which had opened revealing an entranceway filled with light.

    Ah, there was another other thing on his mind. He wanted to keep to himself but¡­

    ¡°Hey Emrys, I also saw a memory of you and Abuela talking to each other. And you seem to know her circumstances quite well. Do you two know each other personally?¡±

    Was it just him or did he saw Emrys froze for a moment?

    It took a moment longer than usual for Emrys to reply.

    ¡°Yes¡­I do know her. We¡¯re acquaintances for a long time. But that¡¯s a story for another day.¡±

    ¡°Eh? But wait? Uwaa!¡±

    Suddenly, he felt being sucked into the doorway. And being unable to resist, Benny pulled in.

    The doors slid closed with a beep.

    ***

    Emrys was left staring at the door before turning to look behind him.

    ¡°So? How long are you going to remain hiding from sight¡­Glinda?¡±

    An elderly lady suddenly came to view and was walking up towards him. It was Benny¡¯s great-grandmother, Glinda Estrella.

    ¡°I took a nap and decided to pay a visit. I¡¯ve never expected to see Benny-iho here.¡±

    ¡°He went and overworked himself. Similar to how you arrived in this place in your first time. You could¡¯ve at least taken the chance to meet with him.¡±

    ¡°Who are you to talk about keeping secrets? Especially when you kept several from him just now and even lied through your teeth?¡± Glinda gives him an accusatory glance.

    ¡°Even if I told him, there would be more questions than answers. He needs to piece that all on his own. And it doesn¡¯t just involve him but others as well.¡±

    ¡°Joey-iho¡­that poor boy¡­what he¡¯s been through all this time.¡± Glinda sighed sadly.

    ¡°But he wasn¡¯t alone. Time will come for their full reunion shall soon pass.¡±

    Glinda looked at the surrounding sunflower fields, ¡°This place¡­to think it would take the shape of that sunflower field ¡­¡±

    ¡°This is a fragment of his memory that meant a lot to him. But going back, it would¡¯ve meant the world for him if you appeared and gave him some encouragement, you know? Even telling him that you were always watching would be okay, no?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think the time for me to appear was the right time yet. And besides¡­that would¡¯ve influenced his decision. I wanted him to make his own choices without being pressured. He¡¯s had enough of that from my narrow-minded grandson and the rest of the family.¡±

    ¡°Things are pretty hectic over there, huh?¡±

    ¡°You have no idea.¡± sighed Glinda.

    ¡°But that path he¡¯s chosen¡­it won¡¯t be easy¡­¡±

    ¡°I know. So please watch over him with that remaining eye of yours.¡±

    ¡°Eh? You noticed?¡±

    ¡°That you didn¡¯t restore Benny-iho¡¯s eye¡­but gave him one of yours?¡±

    Emrys took off his hood, revealing a head of silver hair and a face which if Benny would ever see would shock the heck out of him.

    His left eye was closed.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s his now. Plus, it comes with added benefits.¡±

    ¡°Benefits?¡±

    ¡°It has a power that will aid him greatly now. In conjunction with his other Sight¡­he¡¯ll be in good hands...¡±

    Emrys closes his other eye with a smile.

    ¡°Are you really sure it¡¯s okay?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Besides, it¡¯s to compensate for his lost eye. Seriously, he barely started out and he¡¯s lost an eye already?¡±

    ¡°Speaking of that eye¡­¡±

    Emrys flinched at the sudden change of tone. He looked behind him and saw Glinda emitting a thick menacing Aura.

    She was smiling but it didn¡¯t reach up to her eyes. And behind her was strange image of a floating Hanya Mask.

    ¡°Care to explain¡­how my great-grandson¡­lost his eye on your watch?¡±

    ¡°Eh?! W-Wait!¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that he went overboard¡­you could¡¯ve stopped him¡­¡±

    ¡°You know I have no control over his sudden on-the-spot choices!¡±

    Glinda smiled sweetly as she raised her clenched fist.

    ¡°Grit your ghostly teeth.¡±

    "N-No! Wait!"

    Emrys¡¯ screams resounded through the astral plane.

 Special # 1 - Map of Mundo Magica

    https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipMlU_8Ja_iaj1S6xtiPqRGmvAFN5txihed3no55</a>

    An excerpt from Chapter 21 - Ignoble Noble

    The Medea Kingdom, where Benny is at right now is part of the Central Hemisphere. There are many countries within the Central Hemisphere. And where the Medea Kingdom is located there are five neighboring countries that border the kingdom. These countries are the Edo Shogunate, the Sultanate of Bellofiore, the Diarchic Republic of Ocea, the Principality of Ptolemy and the Ersatz Confederation.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    The Medea Kingdom is strategically located in a way that it borders all these countries in both land and sea, thus making it an ideal trade center. Because of this, Medea has enjoyed prosperity with trading and commerce. As such it has strong economic influence amongst these countries.

    There is actually a seventh ¡°country¡± near Medea but it¡¯s more of a ministate than a nation. It¡¯s located on a tiny island directly on the borders of the Central and North Hemispheres. This was the Autonomous Theocratic State of Zenterra, the headquarters of the Zentorah Church. This state would seem to fulfill the role as that of Vatican City of his home world.

    Directly north of Medea and across the vast Tiber Ocean is the Northern Hemisphere. It has one single country called the Great Camelot Empire and it spans the whole Northern Hemisphere making it the largest country in the world. Empire doesn¡¯t have much of a diplomatic relations to the Central Hemisphere countries other than a non-aggression pact. Other than that, the Empire just keeps to itself.

 Chapter 30 - Awakening and Guilt

    Benny felt himself lying again but this time, he felt covered in soft bedding and blankets. And something thick around his head

    He slowly opened his eyes.

    His vision was all cloudy again. It seems the eye drops had already worn off. But he was initially surprised that he couldn¡¯t see out of his left eye again. Only to find that there were thick bandages covering his left eye.

    Although his foggy vision was as bad as ever, he could guess that he was lying in some kind of bed. He could make out it was some kind of room. There were windows on his right side that someone had left open. Warm light bathed him along with a cool breeze wafting into the room.

    With a groan, Benny tried to sit up but found his muscles stiff. Emrys did say he was in a coma for about a week. Was he suffering from slight muscle atrophy because he had been in a week-long coma?

    All of a sudden, he heard loud voices. There was a quick scraping of a chair beside him and a loud clattering as though the chair feel backward and onto the floor.

    ¡°B-Benny?!¡±

    ¡°Benny!¡±

    ¡°Benny-iho!¡±

    At the sound of those voices, Benny turned his gaze on his left and saw three foggy figures. The one nearest to him was clad in red. Suddenly, he saw a red Haze¡­or rather a red Aura had appeared over one of the person.

    Benny knew at once it was Tenryu.

    ¡°Ten¡­ryu?¡±

    Benny was surprised at the sound of his voice. And how dry and parched his throat was!

    ¡°He¡¯s awake! Auntie! He¡¯s awake!¡±

    ¡°Benny-iho¡­ Oh, thank heavens, you¡¯re finally awake!¡±

    From the sound of those voices, it must be Flare and Aunt Magma.

    ¡°BEEENNNNYYY!!!!¡±

    And just like that he was suddenly hugged (or rather body-tackled) back to the bed.

    ¡°Gufuh~!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re awake! Blistering Blazes, you¡¯re finally awake!!!¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t¡­brea¡­th¡­¡± Benny gasped for air from Tenryu¡¯s bear hug and his parched throat.

    ¡°Tenryu-iho, get off him!¡±

    ¡°You idiotic brother, he¡¯s just woken up so don¡¯t crush him!¡±

    ¡°Ah! Blast it¡­Sorry!¡±

    Tenryu finally let¡¯s go of him. With great effort Benny finally managed to sit up though he swayed in dizziness. It was the same feeling of waking up after a long dream.

    Benny heard a door opened and he saw a person enveloped with a green Aura entered the room.

    ¡°W-What¡¯s going on here?¡±

    ¡°Nia look! He¡¯s awake!¡±

    Benny soon heard a loud gasp and a cry of joy, ¡°BENJAMIN!¡±

    And just like that, he saw a cloudy mass of strawberry pink rushing towards him and he was pulled into another tight embrace.

    ¡°I was so worried¡­¡± she mumbles.

    ¡°¡­N¡­.ia¡­a?¡±

    ¡°Take your time, Nia. We know you¡¯ve been worried about him.¡± says Flare.

    ¡°What the blitz? And you said I shouldn¡¯t do things like that!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you tackled him, you idiot.¡±

    BONK*

    ¡°OW!¡±

    It would seem that Flare had smacked her brother on the head.

    ¡°I¡­ah¡­¡± Benny struggled to speak but his throat seared so painfully that he clutched at it.

    Thankfully, Aunt Magma was able to catch on, ¡°I think he¡¯s thirsty. Flare-iha, please get him some water to drink from the basket.¡±

    GROWL*

    Benny blushed in embarrassment, I¡¯m hungry? But I thought I just ate¡­ah, no, no¡­ that was just in a dream¡­

    ¡°¡­Something to eat as well. He hasn¡¯t eaten in days.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m on it!¡±

    Flare was quick to bring him a drink of water and something in a plate bout couldn¡¯t make out what was in it. Benny drank the water in big gulps. When he was finished he felt his throat¡¯s fire had cooled down.

    ¡°Ah, thanks¡­that really hits the spot. I thought my throat was going to burn up¡­¡±

    ¡°Here¡¯re some sandwiches for you.¡±

    Benny simply stared through his foggy vision, ¡°Thanks. But um, I can¡¯t see where they are.¡±

    ¡°N-No way¡­C-could it be you¡¯ve become blind?!¡± Tenryu suddenly shouts in panic.

    ¡°Calm down, Tenryu. Remember that Benjamin has bad vision? The Vision Restorer Drops had obviously worn off. I¡¯ll go get them for you.¡±

    Nia then helped in applying the drops into his remaining eye. After the intense burning sensation, soon enough, he could see clearly once more.

    I¡¯d much rather have my glasses back though. Benny thought to himself as he tried to bear the sting once more.

    As his vision returned, he saw he was lying inside a hospital room. But what really stunned him was the sight of their gaunt and haggard faces. They all looked like they hadn¡¯t had a decent wink of sleep in a while. But they all had the expression of great relief.

    ¡°W-What happened to you guys? You look terrible!¡±

    Flare frowned at him, ¡°Well, that¡¯s a nice thing to say to people who¡¯ve been worried about you!¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t mean it that way! It¡¯s just¡­¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve been taking turns watching over you while you were unconscious. Nia especially, as soon as she herself recovered she¡¯s been to monitoring your condition.¡±

    Benny looked at Nia who for some reason was beet red.

    ¡°A-Anyway, now that you¡¯re up, I have to do a few check-ups.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but it¡¯s the standard procedure. I¡¯ll be quick.¡±

    Benny had momentarily forgotten that Nia was a Remedician.

    Nia quickly did what Benny recognized were routine medical checks like blood pressure monitoring and temperature reading though she was using a different array of Magical Tools rather than a usual stethoscope and thermometer. She also asked him some follow up questions.

    ¡°Do you feel any dizziness?¡± (Maybe a little, since I just woke up)

    ¡°Do you feel any discomfort anywhere?¡± (Yes. My muscles feel all stiff. My throat is still a little scratchy though.)

    ¡°How does area around your left eye feel?¡± (That part feels a little numb but I don¡¯t feel pain from it anymore.)

    Nia nodded, ¡°Well, all vitals have checked out and they¡¯re perfectly normal. We¡¯ve cleaned the wound on your eye just recently but we¡¯ll have to check it out again. For now, you just need to rest.¡±

    Benny wasn¡¯t sure how the area around his left eye was right now. Emrys had said he had healed his eye but he wasn¡¯t sure as that was just in a dream. Also he wasn¡¯t just about to rip off the bandages and possibly hurt himself even more. The very least he wasn¡¯t feeling pain anymore.

    ¡°I¡¯m grateful for that. But, Nia are you okay? You look a little sick.¡±

    Nia flinched, ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­Benjamin¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? You¡¯re a little flushed for some reason.¡±

    Why is she looking away? And why was she pink for some reason?

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, thank you for your concern. But it¡¯s you we¡¯ve been worried about.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve really worried us, Benny--iho. For seven days, you didn¡¯t show any signs of waking up¡­and¡­¡± Aunt Magma looked like she was about to cry. Flare nods in agreement.

    Okay, looks like I really created a scene out of drama series here. Benny thought.

    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, everyone. I didn¡¯t mean to worry you all.¡± Benny bowed his head down in shame.

    ¡°No, no, Benny-iho. We should be the ones apologizing as well as thanking you. Nia and Tenryu told us how you strained yourself too far to save everyone and even received that horrible injury was because you shielded Tenryu. For that alone, we couldn¡¯t possibly thank you enough for that.¡±

    This was getting too dramatic and embarrassing for me.

    GRRRROOOOOWWWLLL*

    Benny¡¯s stomach began growling again. Thankfully, this was just the distraction he needed and he quickly took his attention towards the sandwiches.

    As he ate, everyone gave him an update of what had happened since he passed out.

    From what Benny heard, it took more than a whole hour before the Royal Knights and Adventurer¡¯s Association Officials came to the scene after Tenryu had destroyed the Artificial Demon.

    Talk about poor response time. Benny thought in criticism.

    By then, Nia managed to recover by drinking a ready-made potion of Manna Recovery and another for Fatigue Recovery. When Benny questioned why she hadn¡¯t pulled those out earlier she was about to but Benny had performed the Manna Transference Spell so there was no need.

    She first treated Benny who was unconscious and suffering from severe blood loss. After giving him some emergency treatment she helped Tenryu by having him drink the remaining Recovery potions she had. It was only around that time when the authorities had finally broke through the debris and arrived on scene.

    Benny had been brought to this place: the City Healing Facility (The other world version for the ¡°Hospital¡±) where he received full treatment. Apart from the physical wounds, he had severely depleted his Manna to the point that he was in the borderline between life and death. He had to be constantly fed with the Manna Recovery Potion round the clock.

    Although Nia¡¯s and Tenryu¡¯s Manna reserves were drained considerably it wasn¡¯t nowhere as bad as Benny¡¯s situation. All they had were some minor wounds and scratches they were soon back to full health. A couple of days after the incident they were debriefed about what had transpired at the Adventurer¡¯s Association 7<sup>th</sup> District Branch Office.

    Mr. Venditore had some long discussions with the authorities as he was the principal victim here. As for the main perpetrators, the Grave Brothers were apprehended and were sent to be trialed for their crime along with many other crimes they¡¯ve committed. From how things were going they were going straight to Tartaros Prison.

    Although there were capable Remedicians in the City Healing Facility, as soon as she was able to, Nia managed the remainder of Benny¡¯s treatment. It turns out she is a very well-respected Resident Healer in the Healing Facility. It took a full three more days before Benny was deemed out of dangers and two days more for him to wake up. A grand total of one whole week had passed.

    ¡°In the end, it was all thanks to your plan that we managed to defeat that thing.¡± says Nia.

    ¡°But I¡¯ve really caused a lot of worry for everyone in the process¡­I¡¯m really sorry¡­¡±Benny bows his head in apology.

    ¡°Benny-iho, don¡¯t be too hard on yourself.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, in fact, you¡¯re a hero!¡± pipes Flare.

    ¡°What? Eh? Me a¡­?¡± mumbles Benny incoherently while shaking his hands in front of him.

    But then Nia took his hand into her own and pats it to calm him down. Which does cause him to stop but it doesn¡¯t calm him down. In fact, it caused his cheeks to flare up.

    ¡°Benjamin, it was your plan that defeated that thing. It was you who captured those good-for-nothing thieves and brought them to justice. It was you who save all of us and got us out of there alive. You willingly put yourself in the line¡­and this happened.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    She lightly brushed her other hand over his left bandaged eye.

    Benny blushed profusely being told of his actions which sounded like some protagonist of one of his light novels¡­and probably because Nia caressed his face like that. As he tried to look away, from the corner of his right eye Benny saw Tenryu hung his head down miserably. All of a sudden, Benny¡¯s Aura Sight activated without him realizing it and he saw Tenryu¡¯s Aura wafted off him again. There was a strange dark tint to the usually bright red Aura that flashed at his sight right now.

    What¡¯s with that Aura? What¡¯s wrong with Tenryu?

    Benny¡¯s attention was still on Tenryu when Aunt Magma suddenly spoke to him.

    ¡°Well, Benny-iho we have a general idea of what happened. But we would like you to still explain your side of the story. Of course, it doesn¡¯t have to be now but I would like to hear your side of the story when you are ready.¡±

    ¡°But didn¡¯t Tenryu and Nia already explain what really happened. I can¡¯t add anymore than that.¡±

    ¡°I would still like hear your version of things. From what I heard, it would seem you showed quite a talent in Magic.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, like how you invented Flight and Transposition! Those are two of the Impossible 13, right?¡± asks Flare with excitement lighting up her tired face.

    ¡°Eh? How did you know about that?¡±

    It was Nia who explained to him. ¡°You did use Transposition right in front of them, you know? Plus Bronson and Eldon sort of blabbed about it.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Benny sighed. ¡°So that means the secret¡¯s out.¡±

    Flare sudden approached him with eyes shining in anticipation (it sort of scared him.) ¡°C¡¯mon! Tell us how you did it! And while you¡¯re at it, tell us all the amazing Magic you¡¯ve used! Tenryu says you even did Magic without a Magic Tool! How did you do all that? Are you really a novice to all this?! Come on! Tell me!¡±

    Aunt Magma pulled her back, ¡°Okay, Flare-iha. You¡¯re getting too close for comfort for Benny-iho and he still needs to rest. He can tell you all about it later.¡±

    ¡°Eh~ But Auntie, I want to know that Magic for flying!¡±

    So that¡¯s what she wanted? I guess anyone would like to experience that, huh? Benny thought in amusement.

    ¡°I admit I too want to know all that but Benny-iho needs to recuperate. We should go and inform the Healer Station. Nia, you don¡¯t mind if we leave him in your care.¡±

    Nia nodded and with that Aunt Magma takes a protesting Flare with her out of the room.

    And now it was only just the three of them.

    ¡°Does anybody else know about this?¡± Benny asks Nia.

    ¡°Mr. Venditore ordered those two guards to hold their tongues. Apart from them and Sylvia, only Aunt Magma and Flare knows. Well, there¡¯s those Grave Brothers but no one would believe a couple of thieves, so I wouldn¡¯t worry. The agreement was that there¡¯s enough of the commotion without bringing something like the invention of two of the Impossible 13 Concepts Magic to light.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡±

    Benny took another bite of the sandwich when something glinted from the corner of his eye and caught his attention. He looked at it and saw it was the staff Emrys had given him, propped on the corner.

    ¡°Ah, my staff¡­¡±

    ¡°So that staff really is yours?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡±

    He opened his hand towards it and the staff quickly flew straight into his grip. He felt warmth emanating from it as though it was happy to be reunited with its owner.

    Nia flinched as they saw the staff suddenly moved on its own. But she didn¡¯t seem to question it anymore.

    ¡°Where exactly did you get that?¡± Nia looked at the staff, ¡°Mr. Venditore told us that it wasn¡¯t one of his products so-¡±

    ¡°Actually it¡¯s mine. It was a gift from a friend. During that battle in the shop, I just remembered I had that on me in storage. Silly me! I should¡¯ve pulled that out earlier.¡±

    Benny quickly thought of that lie. In truth, he wasn¡¯t sure how he would explain that he got a magical tool from a spiritual guardian. He doubted that they will understand so easily.

    ¡°You had a Magical Tool all this time and you forgot about it?¡± says Nia incredulously.

    ¡°It¡¯s complicated. I had a lot on my mind recently.¡±

    ¡°But still, it must be a very powerful Magic Tool. Your friend must¡¯ve been known a very powerful Magic Crafter or is he one himself?¡±

    ¡°He was a tad eccentric if you ask me¡­¡±

    I forgot to thank Emrys for this¡­I¡¯ll do it next time he pops up. Benny thought as held the staff aloft. Still I wish this thing isn¡¯t so long-

    No sooner he had thought that, the staff glowed and shortened to the size of a cane!

    ¡°What the-¡± yelped Benny. I didn¡¯t know it could do that?

    Was something he was about to say but was glad he didn¡¯t because Nia suddenly interjected.

    ¡°Wow! So it can be resized to fit your preference? So it has Reshaping Magic! Is that how you were able to easily store it?¡±

    ¡°Err¡­yeah, I guess¡­¡±

    Benny looked at the shortened staff in his hand. It was has a simpler design in this form. So it can shrink just like that, huh? Maybe it change into something more portable to carry like a ring or a-

    Once again, the staff reacted once more with a glow and changed into a golden signet ring on his right hand.

    Blistering Blazes? It really changed into a ring?! Benny thought.

    The ring had a large, smooth oval crystal. He could see that behind the transparent stone was an engraving of a crest in the shape of the top part of his staff. Benny could also see a small star similar to the one on his Spellbook.

    Nia¡¯s eye widened as she stared at the ring that was a staff and cane previously. Benny experimented a few times and interchanged the ring into its staff version then to a cane and vice versa.

    ¡°Benjamin, I think you should stop because it¡¯s making me dizzy. Plus you shouldn¡¯t over exert yourself.¡±

    ¡°Ah! Sorry about that.¡± Benny stopped and made the staff into its ring form. ¡°Speaking of which shouldn¡¯t you guys rest as well? From the looks of it, you¡¯ve pulled several all nighters.¡±

    ¡°As a Remedician, it¡¯s not anything new. I do regret that I don¡¯t keep my looks up.¡±

    Nia smoothened out her hair. Benny just noticed that she wasn¡¯t wearing her apron and cloak which usually covers up her upper body up to her neck. Nia had a slender neck that accentuated her heart-shaped face. Also, despite her petite physique she had a rather ample sized chest area which Benny found quite nice.

    UWAAAH!!! WHAT THE BLITZ AM I THINKING?!! Benny thought in panic when he realized he was thinking perverted thoughts. He didn¡¯t notice that he was turning red. Benny shook his head as though to shake those thought out of his head.

    ¡°Benjamin?! What¡¯s wrong? Is your head in pain?¡±

    ¡°Huh? What? I wasn¡¯t thinking anything weird about you!¡±

    Benny soon realized she was asking a different question and he said something else very differently.

    Nia looked at him with a rather stiff expression.

    ¡°Well, forgive me if I look weird Benjamin? But I barely had time to keep up my looks-¡±

    Benny quickly tries to backtrack, ¡°No, no, that¡¯s not what I meant. I mean you look really beautiful-ah!¡± Benny clamped his mouth.

    UWAAAH!!! WHY DID I SAY THAT?!!! Benny mentally screamed.

    ¡°Eh? Beautiful¡­I¡­¡± Nia looked away bashfully while blushing profusely.

    Benny wanted to pick up a sword and run himself with it. He was so embarrassed that he wanted to die already.

    Nia, on her part, she also found it embarrassing to hear that. She wasn¡¯t someone who thought she herself was really pretty though she does try her best to maintain a neat and clean appearance simply because it is very important for a Remedician to do (and because she was obviously a woman who valued sanitation and cleanliness). She believes she¡¯s just generally has an okay appearance but she never really considered herself beautiful.

    Hearing those words from Benny made her feel very happy.

    Benny and Nia had an awkward air between them.

    Finally, Nia broke the silence by coughing herself back to sense. ¡°Well, thank you for your compliment and for your concern. But like I said, I¡¯ve been too busy monitoring your condition. It¡¯s you who we are worried about.¡±

    Benny dropped his shoulders, ¡°Oh yeah¡­ was my fault for worrying everyone.¡±

    ¡°¡­my fault¡­¡±

    Benny heard a slight mumble from Tenryu.

    ¡°Huh? Tenryu, did you say something?¡±

    Tenryu continued mumbling as though he didn¡¯t hear him.

    Benny looked at him and saw the strange tinted red Aura. Just from looking at that¡­he already knew. He did not need to put two to two that there was something going on.

    The whole time Tenryu just sat there silently as everyone talked. While he was glad Benny recovered but every time he looked at him and saw the bandaged left eye, he was left with a bitter pang in of guilt.

    It¡¯s my fault¡­ All of¡­it¡¯s my fault¡­

    That was the train of thought that Tenryu has been thinking continuously for the past few days.

    The very first friend he had ever made had suffered such terrible wounds. It was because of him that he was in that state. If he hadn¡¯t rushed in, Benny wouldn¡¯t have shielded him and wound up getting hurt. If it hadn¡¯t wasted all the allocated Manna Benny wouldn¡¯t have transferred more into him to the point of being life threatening.

    All of it¡­it¡¯s my fault¡­I¡¯m¡­nothing but a disaster¡­

    All at once, he remembered several nasty memories related to his recklessness. These were the memories that popped up when he was caught by the Grove of Dodona Spell.

    ¡°You¡¯re a Swordsmage? Like the Dragon Sword King? Don¡¯t make us laugh!¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t even a fraction of how great the Sword Master is!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s always like this! You always mess up your jobs!¡±

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you paying attention to the instructions, you damned troublemaker?! You just keep doing things your own way!¡±

    Tenryu clamped his hands to his ears as if to drown those voices but they seemed to grow louder and louder.

    ¡°A Wild Fire, indeed! He just burns everything in sight!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re nothing but a walking disaster! Who¡¯d want you in their Party?!¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t want someone like you in our Guild! Get lost!¡±

    ¡°One of these days, you¡¯ll hurt someone for real!¡±

    ¡°T-Tenryu¡­ Hey, Tenryu?¡±

    ¡°Shut up¡­¡±

    ¡°Eh? What-¡±

    ¡°SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!¡±

    Tenryu didn¡¯t realize that he was hallucinating right in front of Benny and Nia.

    Nia backed away, ¡°T-Tenryu?! Calm down! What are you saying?¡±

    But Benny understood what that was going on.

    ¡°Hmm¡­I see. No choice then.¡± Benny has the ring transform into a staff once more. ¡°¡­Chained Lightning¡­.¡±

    A bolt of lightning shot from the staff and zapped Tenryu

    ¡°GUUAAGGHHHBZZZTTZTTZZTTTT!!!!!¡±

    Tenryu collapsed to the floor completely frazzled.

    After a few moments, Tenryu finally recovered and leapt back to his feet, looking back to his usual self, ¡°W-Who the blitz did that?!¡±

    ¡°Sorry, but you were clearly having panic attack so I had to do that.¡±

    ¡°Panic¡­what?!¡±

    Benny drew back his staff and transformed it back into ring form.

    ¡°Benjamin, you shouldn¡¯t be using Magic so soon!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I gave Tenryu a little zap to snap him out of it.¡±

    ¡°That was ¡°little¡±?¡±

    ¡°Well, maybe I added a little too much.¡± Benny turned his attention towards Tenryu, ¡°Anyway Tenryu, what is going on with you?¡±

    ¡°You blasted me with lightning that¡¯s what!¡±

    ¡°No, I meant before that. You were mumbling some things and when we tried to call out to you, you suddenly screamed like a madman.¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡± Tenryu quickly looked way, trying to avoid eye contact. ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    There was a moment of silence passed between the two of them. Tenryu was probably not going to tell him what¡¯s wrong. But Benny was familiar of an old technique to get him to talk.

    ¡°Yeah, even if you didn¡¯t tell me it probably isn¡¯t all that big.¡±

    ¡°What the blitz was that about?¡±

    Benny shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m just saying! If there¡¯s something really bothering you I assume you¡¯d say it but I guess you didn¡¯t so you don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Hey, I happen to have a lot on my mind right now you know!¡±

    ¡°So there is something bothering you...¡±

    Tenryu paused looking like he had just eaten a lemon, realizing he basically admitted he had something on his mind. Benny on his part thanked the science of Reverse Psychology.

    ¡°So what is it?¡±

    Tenryu struggled to answer and finally mumbled, ¡°It¡¯s my fault¡­¡±

    Nia stared at him shock. As though, she was witnessing something unbelievable.

    ¡°It¡¯s my fault you were in that state. If I hadn¡¯t charge in like the idiot like I was¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you definitely had a hand on this.¡±

    Benny¡¯s words smacked Tenryu like hammer.

    ¡°Even though I made sure to clearly emphasize that I had a Spell that can paralyze that Artificial thing, you just rush in there to beat it up some more like a barbarian.¡±

    Tenryu double backed at the word ¡°barbarian.¡±

    ¡°Not to mention you wound up using up all the Manna I gave you! You were supposed to use it for the final blow but instead you went in wasted in big attacks that didn¡¯t reach it!¡±

    Tenryu kept suffering verbal attacks and was even looking like he was being pierced as though Benny¡¯s words were a sword. Nia could only look at the situation with a dumbfounded expression.

    ¡°I had to allocate some more and practically drained myself to death! And I mean literally!¡±

    Tenryu was shaking. He looked as though he were ready keel over already.

    ¡°Um, Benjamin?¡± says Nia, trying to caution him of the bomb his words were fueling. But Benny was aware of what he was doing.

    ¡°How is it that I¡¯m the one who wound up getting the worse injuries in this situation? The very least you could-¡±

    ¡°BLAST IT! I GET IT ALREADY! I¡¯M SORRY!!!¡± Tenryu yelled in frustration.

    Nia looked at him in surprise, ¡°Tenryu just¡­apologized?¡±

    For all that time she¡¯s known him, Tenryu was quite stubborn and prideful person who couldn¡¯t admit his own mistakes and much less apologize.

    ¡°I¡¯M SORRY I WAS A BIG IDIOT! I¡¯M SORRY I MESSED UP THE PLAN! I¡¯M SORRY FOR GETTING YOU HURT!!! I¡¯M SORRY! I¡¯M SORRY! I¡¯M SOOOORRRYYYY!!!!¡±

    Tenryu fell on his knees and was breathing heavily.

    ¡°Err¡­ It¡¯s okay¡­¡±

    Whoa seriously¡­ It¡¯s really weird seeing a tough guy breaking down like that. I can even hear some sniffling just now. Maybe I went too far.

    To which Nia voiced the same.

    ¡°Benjamin¡­I think you went too far. Tenryu was blaming himself for all that happened. Look he¡¯s all crying right now!¡±

    ¡°Blast it! I¡¯m not crying! Sniff* I really thought¡­that you wouldn¡¯t wake up again¡­sniff*¡± Tenryu said with tears streaking down.

    ¡°Tenryu, you really are crying, you know?¡±

    ¡°I said I¡¯m not crying! Men don¡¯t cry! Blistering Blazes I¡¯m talking about something important here!¡± Tenryu vehemently shouts at him while rubbing his eyes.

    ¡°Okay, okay, I get it¡­¡±

    Tenryu wiped the snot off his nose and ¡°something¡± out of his eyes.

    Yeah, he was obviously crying just now. Both Nia and Benny thought.

    ¡°I accept your apology. So it¡¯s alright.¡±

    Tenryu looked down on his feet, ¡°No, no it¡¯s not alright. Benny¡­If you don¡¯t want to be friends anymore. I can understand. There¡¯s no way you¡¯d want to be anywhere near a guy like me.¡±

    Both Benny and Nia looked at him, startled by Tenryu¡¯s words.

    ¡°Huh? Where did that come from?¡±

    Nia even looked stricken but held her silence.

    ¡°Look at what happened! Because of me¡­you nearly died from Manna Deprivation and you even lost your eye.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t blame you for what happened to me. It was my own choice to put myself in the line. In fact, I¡¯m sorry too for worrying all of you. I should¡¯ve known better to risk myself¡­¡±

    Tenryu looked up at him with a crazed, desperate look, ¡°No. Don¡¯t you see? This always happens! Every time I get involve with others I wound up causing even more trouble for them. What happened at Venditore¡¯s was the worst! I nearly got you killed. I¡¯m a walking disaster!¡±

    Both Benny and Nia were startled to hear all that coming from Tenryu.

    ¡°This is why everyone avoids me¡­ I cause nothing but trouble¡­ You¡­ You shouldn¡¯t be friends with the likes of me¡­¡°

    Quick as a flash, Benny got off the bed. Both Tenryu and Nia looked at him in shock. Though for obvious reasons he shouldn¡¯t have as he had just awoken from a coma and naturally his legs were shaking like a newborn fawn.

    ¡°Benjamin, you shouldn¡¯t get out of bed! You¡¯ve just-¡±

    But Benny ignored Nia and hobbled towards Tenryu, who stood frozen at where stood. The next thing the Swordsmage Benny grabbed Tenryu by the front of his shirt and glared at him with his remaining one eye. This strangely looks like the time Tenryu grabbed him like that.

    ¡°B-Benny?! Wha-¡±

    ¡°Tenryu¡­I will only say this once. I don¡¯t blame you at all for what happened to me! So stop whining already!¡±

    ¡°But your eye¡­¡±

    ¡°So? What about it? It¡¯s already happened so we can¡¯t complain about it! I just have to make sure it doesn¡¯t happen again.¡±

    ¡°But still¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened with the others so I won¡¯t say anything for that. But to me, I couldn¡¯t care less what happened.¡±

    ¡°B-But¡­But I¡¯m nothing but trouble-¡±

    ¡°Tenryu, I¡¯m not breaking our friendship over something like this!¡± Benny lets go of Tenryu¡¯s shirt and places both his hands on the guy¡¯s shoulders. ¡°So please, if you have a problem with your past mistakes just learn from them and move on. We all have to.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s right, Tenryu! Nobody blames you¡­for this incident at least. All the other times you just made mistakes that caused major problems for everyone.¡±

    Tenryu and Benny had sweatdropped at her words.

    ¡°That still sounds rather harsh, Nia¡­¡±

    Nia shrugged, ¡°In the end, you never fully intended to harm anyone. And like what Benjamin had said, you have to learn from those mistakes of yours.¡±

    ¡°But this time, Benny got-¡±

    ¡°How many times do I have to tell you it wasn¡¯t your fault I got this injury? If not, the fault is mine.¡±

    ¡°Again, he¡¯s right. Benjamin just acted without thinking and got himself injured so don¡¯t get yourself down as it¡¯s pretty much his own fault.¡±

    Benny felt his heart breaking, ¡°Though I said it, coming from you that sounded like a backhanded insult in my end, Nia.¡±

    ¡°Benjamin, I¡¯ll lay this out for the two of you. I really dislike the whole ¡°I¡¯ll sacrifice myself for you scenario.¡± If possible, I want all of us to make it out of a bad situation unscathed or at the very least not in the verge of death. Understand, Benjamin?¡±

    Nia was releasing a ¡°ticked off¡± Aura that scared Benny.

    ¡°Y-Yes¡­ma¡¯am! I won¡¯t do it again!¡±

    Nia nodded as she turned to Tenryu, ¡°So Tenryu, please¡­ Will you cheer up already?¡±

    Tenryu looked down with his hair bangs covered his eyes, ¡°Benny¡­I¡­¡±

    ¡°BLISTERING BLAZES!!!¡± snaps Benny, feeling his patience had run out. ¡°THAT¡¯S ENOUGH WITH YOUR DAMN EXCUSES ALREADY!!!¡±

    His sudden outburst caused Tenryu and Nia to stare at him in shock.

    ¡°Benjamin¡­Just now¡­did you just-¡±

    Benny¡¯s grip on Tenryu¡¯s shoulders tightened.

    ¡°Tenryu¡­If all, I owe you all for everything. When you saved me my life at Marblewood Forest that day and even until now when you laid that final blow that defeated that Demon. To me... you¡¯re the real hero.¡±

    ¡°H-Hero?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you save me not once but many times already. You¡¯re definitely the hero here.¡±

    Tenryu looked up and Benny could see tears forming from the edge of his eyes. And the next thing he knew¡­Tenryu bawled his eyes out.

    Okay, that was totally ¡°un-hero¡±-like but Benny wasn¡¯t going to say that now.

    Instead, he pulled Tenryu into his arms and patted him in the back to calm him down like a father would to a child.

    Immediately, he also saw that Tenryu¡¯s Aura become bright red again.

    Nia just looked at the scene with a smile, wiping a small tear.

    But he seriously did not notice that, didn¡¯t he? Nia added in a n amused afterthought.

 Chapter 31 - Bennys Revelation

    Benny was lying back in bed while being admonished by Nia for his earlier stunt of climbing out of bed just after awakening from a coma had deprived him of little strength he had regained. When she was finally done scolding him, Nia then handed Benny back his satchel.

    ¡°Here Benjamin, I managed to gather your belongings and valuables in there. Your Spellbook is in there too. And don¡¯t worry I didn¡¯t peek to see what else is inside it.¡±

    ¡°Gee, thanks Nia.¡±

    Benny checked the inside of his satchel and everything was in there including the Spellbook and Abuela¡¯s watch. He felt relieved that his two most precious valuables were there.

    It took a while before Tenryu had calmed down (funnily, he says it will be the last time he cries like that he declares.)

    ¡°Hey, Benny¡­Are you really alright now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m good already so don¡¯t worry about it. Would you like the rest of the sandwiches? There¡¯s too much for me to finish-¡±

    ¡°Really?! Thanks!!!¡±

    Benny deliberately did that to shift the guy¡¯s attention. It worked splendidly as Tenryu had suddenly perked up at the sound of food. He quickly sat down on the chair beside him and began wolfing some of the remaining sandwiches Benny pre-offered him.

    Tenryu really was so simpleminded.

    Benny, meanwhile, took out the Spellbook to scan it a bit. He didn¡¯t notice that Nia had glanced at his direction when she saw that book being taken out. He flipped its pages until he reached a familiar page.

    The Call to Return Home

    Now that Benny thought about it. It was the very first Spell that he had tried out. He remembered the events of that night. The argument with his father, the storm that separated him from everyone he had ever known and his use of his particular Spell that saved his and his friends lives that night (although he had no idea where his friends were or if they were truly okay.)

    It didn¡¯t dawn to him until now that the Spell was supposed to bring him straight home rather than thrown into another world. Benny read the page and saw that the Spell needed him to mark a place as a ¡°home.¡±  How he was supposed to do that involved carving sigils in an area as indicated in the book. If he were to invoke the Spell he would be immediately transported to that particular place.

    Long story short, it pretty much served the function of a computer game save points.

    He didn¡¯t even mark a place in his old world so attempting this Spell once more was a fruitless attempt and a no go.

    Strange enough, Benny had based his Impossible 13 Concept Magic Transposition on this Magic. He had contemplated once again to use this Magic in an attempt to allow himself to cross into his old world but Emrys had told him that there were several factors that led him to being transported to this world. Those different factors that would allow multi-world crossing were still unknown to him and he shouldn¡¯t risk it.

    Benny had set that aside for now.

    He scanned some more pages and found the pages for Grand Cross and Horologium. Those Spells really helped him out a lot. Benny turned the pages over some interesting Spells he was sure he would look over later.

    But as he looked across some more pages, his gaze caught a particular drawing. It showed a picture of a person producing¡­golden flames?

    He read the passage.

    ..Of the many forms the Element of Fire can take, perhaps the most mysterious of them all is the Golden Flames. No clear information can be said to describe it apart from one description as the Heavenly Flames of God. Myths would say that whosoever is able to produce them are said to have an unbelievable destiny.

    ¡®No clear description¡¯ it says¡­

    But it had plenty of heavy earth-shattering stuff to say. If Tenryu could produce such a flame then he has some amazing destiny in store for him?

    Benny glanced at Tenryu stuffing his face like a squirrel.

    He wasn¡¯t so sure about that.

    But Benny was knew of many story plots of the manga and light novels where the protagonist was someone the other characters wouldn¡¯t expect to play to a major role in the story. He decided to keep this part a secret for now. However, this all perked Benny¡¯s memory of the last battle.

    ¡°Hey Tenryu, do you remember the last part of the battle against that Artificial Demon?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not something I¡¯d forget so easily?¡± Tenryu gave him a stiff smile.

    ¡°Do you remember when you were about to lay the final blow your flames suddenly turned gold, right?¡± From the corner of Benny¡¯s eye he saw Nia gaze at them.

    ¡°Oh¡­that¡­¡± Tenryu looked a little sullen once more.

    ¡°Is that part of some secret technique of yours or something?¡±

    ¡°To be honest with you I don¡¯t know how it happened. Actually, that move I used was a secret Dragon Style Sword Technique my dad taught me as a finisher one-hit kill move.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s something amazing, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°¡­but the golden flames part was something new entirely.¡±

    ¡°Eh? You mean the golden flames thing wasn¡¯t part of it?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ve used that technique many times over and that was the first time it happened. I feel a strange surge of energy from my whole body then the next thing I knew my flames turned gold!¡±

    ¡°That was really the first time I¡¯ve seen you produce those flames Tenryu.¡± says Nia.

    ¡°Have you ever made gold flames appear before?¡±

    Tenryu shook his head, ¡°Nope. I don¡¯t even know how I did it¡±

    There was something definitely different about those flames. Benny was sure about that. When he saw those flames, it too was covered with an Aura. But unlike the Black Aura of the Artificial Demon, the golden flames had an Aura of purity in it. So much so that Benny could feel the darkness in him melting away.

    ¡°Have you ever heard of anyone ever created those kinds of flames before?¡±

    Tenryu shook his head once more, ¡°Not that I¡¯ve heard off. I don¡¯t even know what those flames are. Why are you bringing this up?¡±

    ¡°It seems interesting you know. But if I were to say¡­maybe those golden flames are something unique that only you can use.¡±

    ¡°Something unique, huh?¡± mutters Tenryu as he looked at his palm before clenching his hand into a fist.

    Tenryu sat silent for a while before he gave Benny a glance.

    ¡°Speaking of something unique, you¡¯re the most one out of all of us, you know that?¡±

    Nia chimes in on hearing that, ¡°I¡¯d agree. Apart from the recklessness that mirrors Tenryu you¡¯re pretty amazing.¡±

    Benny did not expect the conversation to steer right back at him and was quite embarrassed to hear that. Although he was sure that Nia gave him a slightly backhanded comment.

    ¡°I¡¯m not really sure there¡¯s anything about me being amazing at all.¡±

    ¡°What the blitz are you saying? Benny you¡¯re blazingly awesome! Your Magic Abilities are the best I¡¯ve ever seen!¡±

    ¡°I quite agree. I¡¯ve met a lot of powerful Mages but they are nowhere as skillful in Magic as you are.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°Eh, I wouldn¡¯t say that since I¡¯m just a beginner in all this. I¡¯m pretty sure lots of people can do that.¡±

    Tenryu and Nia looked at him skeptically.

    ¡°There aren¡¯t that many who can do what you are capable of, Benny¡­¡±

    ¡°You were able to do powerful Spells on the first try! Apart from that, you can cast powerful Magic in the opposite Attribute Triad from your Light Element as though it was natural! It takes years of practice to even achieve usage of one opposite element but not only have you achieved that with Water Element but the Ice Element as well?!¡±

    Benny had used those types of Magic because it was convenient in that situation to use in conjunction with Lightning Element Magic. Naturally, he ignored the fact that using elements from the opposite Attribute Triad was something on the level of experts. He wasn¡¯t expecting the kind of backlash this would bring to him in the form of Nia.

    ¡°And what¡¯s more you invented Magic that¡¯s supposed to be in the Impossible 13 Concepts and out of whim I might add! That¡¯s definitely something nobody can do apart from you!¡±

    Benny¡¯s face cramps upon hearing all that. Even though Emrys had just laid it out of him before it was still hard to believe for Benny that he did all those.

    ¡°And don¡¯t forget that you were able to use Magic without a Magic Tool.¡± adds Tenryu.

    ¡°Ah yes that! Since when are you ever going to tell us that you have the Conjuring Ability!¡± adds Nia.

    Benny started breaking out in cold sweat, ¡°Ah, so you found out about that too?¡±

    ¡°Even from afar, I saw the whole thing Benjamin! It¡¯s hard to miss that you suddenly paralyze that thing with a glowing tip of your finger.¡±

    ¡°And I was right beside you. You can¡¯t miss it.¡± Tenryu chimes in.

    ¡°I have the Conjuring Ability myself but it¡¯s still rare, especially from the Human Race. It really does make me wonder if whether you really are a novice as you claim to be.¡±

    ¡°Ah, about that it was actually my first time to use that in actual combat.¡± Or actually using it for that matter¡­

    ¡°Is that so? And let me guess¡­you just thought of it on the spot again, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Err¡­not exactly¡­I¡¯ve been studying about it and thought of the theory but yeah it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve really done it.¡±

    Nia and Tenryu looked at him even more skeptically.

    ¡°Just come clean already, Benjamin. Who exactly are you? There is no way you are a novice. Even being a prodigy has its limits.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s true! And where did that prodigy thing come from?! I¡¯m no prodigy! I¡¯ve only just started using Magic in these couple of weeks. Magic doesn¡¯t exist from where I come from!¡±

    ¡°Huh? What do you mean Magic doesn¡¯t exist where you come from? What kind of place doesn¡¯t have Magic?¡±

    Benny had frozen upon realizing his panic had let him slip.

    Just tell them the truth¡­

    The memory of Emrys¡¯ words repeated in his mind.

    Benny was told by Emrys not to doubt his own abilities. He was also told to become more honest towards his friends. It was just out of habit of his self-deprecating tendencies that made him downplay himself by instinct.

    And Tenryu and Nia were both giving him that ¡°I want to know so tell us already?!¡± stares.

    ¡°I guess I do have a lot of explaining to do huh?¡±

    ¡°¡°THAT¡¯S RIGHT!¡±¡±

    Benny jolted from that and sighed.

    ¡°Well, first off¡­Tenryu, can you check if there¡¯s anybody outside in the hallway and lock the door? And Nia, can you check if the windows are open and please close them if they are.¡±

    Benny suddenly requesting this threw them off-footed.

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Please let that be a favor. I¡¯ll explain everything after.¡±

    It was evident that Tenryu and Nia found him suddenly requesting this strange. But Benny did not want eavesdroppers in here. They did what he asked of them and while they did that, Benny quickly scanned Spellbook for some Spell that can provide privacy.

    But then as though it had a mind on its own, the Spellbook suddenly started glowing dimly and the pages flipped towards a specific page about a Spell called White Noise. It can cause those outside a certain area to hear nothing but a ringing sound like a TV on a static. It was just a spell he needed. It seems this book has a search engine built in.

    ¡°Nobody¡¯s in the hallway.¡± says Tenryu while bolting the door.

    ¡°So is the outside.¡± says Nia as she closes the windows.

    ¡°Great! Now then¡­¡±

    Benny raised his right hand and the ring on it started glowing.

    ¡°White Noise¡±

    A surge of energy exploded out of the ring and Benny felt it envelope the whole room.

    Both Tenryu and Nia jumped as they felt the energy pass over them.

    ¡°Benjamin, what was that?¡±

    Benny assures them, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s a Spell that can make things difficult for those outside to eavesdrop.¡±

    ¡°Blistering Blazes¡­ What¡¯s with all the secrecy, Benny?¡±

    ¡°What I¡¯m about to tell you is a very big secret. And for now¡­I can only trust you guys.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Only we¡¯re the ones? Then what about Magma-tia and Flare-ate?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯re ready to hear what I¡¯m about to tell you. It¡¯s a little out of this world¡­.literally. I¡¯ll tell them too when the time is right. Don¡¯t worry. Come closer, I don¡¯t want to raise my voice to much even with this Spell on.¡±

    Nia took another chair and likewise Tenryu did the same.

    Benny took a deep breath and started to talk.

    ***

    Benny talked for about an hour and took his time explaining everything in detail.

    ¡°And that¡¯s about it. Long story short¡­I¡¯m not from this world.¡±

    Tenryu and Nia stared at him. Their eyes became two dots.

    ¡°As expected, you guys don¡¯t believe me, don¡¯t you?¡±

    Nia shifted in her seat, ¡°Um, no¡­from the way you talk it didn¡¯t seem to be a lie. It¡¯s just it¡¯s really hard to accept it so naturally.¡±

    Well he and expected that much. If someone told him that they came from another world he¡¯d pick up his phone and call the mental health hospital.

    ¡°What do you think, Tenryu?¡±

    STARE*

    Tenryu was giving Benny a very long stare.

    ¡°W-What is it?¡± Benny asks, getting uncomfortable with that long stare.

    ¡°Benny¡­I¡¯m not entirely sure if I believe all this but let me ask. In that world where you come from are there extremely tall towers made of glass?¡±

    ¡°Towers made of glass?¡± Benny though carefully and there¡¯s only thing that comes to mind in that description. ¡°Could you be talking about skyscrapers?¡±

    ¡°Skyscrapers¡­¡±

    Tenryu repeated while clutching his forehead as though straining to remember something. He shook his head and stared at Benny once more.

    ¡°Are there also huge metal contraptions that people can ride on?¡±

    ¡°Metal contraptions¡­wait! You mean cars?!¡±

    ¡°I think there¡¯re even those that fly in the sky like a bird?¡±

    ¡°Eh?! That¡¯s an airplane!¡±

    Nia was looking back and forth between them while being confused at situation. Tenryu was dishing out some kind of weird descriptions and Benny was summarizing them into something he knows.

    ¡°What about a weird box-like tool that transmits images without Magic?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a television you¡¯re talking about?!¡± Benny blurted out in astonishment.

    How does a guy from this world know all that? Those were things from Benny¡¯s world and they shouldn¡¯t even exist here!

    Suddenly having an idea, Benny quickly rummaged his bag and pulled out his smart phone from its safety case.

    Tenryu¡¯s eyes widened when he saw that. He recognized as one of those strange devices he had seen in those dreams where people often had them close to their face.

    ¡°Tenryu, come closer for a moment. I¡¯d like to show you something.¡±

    Nia stared at the thing in his hands, ¡°Benjamin, what¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s my smart phone.¡±

    ¡°A¡­smatfon?¡±

    Benny quickly turned it on and hoping it still had battery. Unfortunately, it was already in the red zone.

    ¡°Blast it!¡± Benny cursed unaware Tenryu and Nia jolted at his words, ¡°There isn¡¯t even an electric outlet in this world¡­Hang on, maybe I can¡­¡±

    Benny held his right hand over the phone and focused on the battery¡¯s energy supply.

    ¡°Enchant: Charge!¡±

    The ring¡¯s crystal glowed once more as his phone was enveloped with energy that small sparks. In an instant, the low battery indicator stopped and the he saw the battery symbol had turned full! Benny had just invented instant charging via Magic!

    ¡°It¡¯s a success!¡± Benny pumped his fist.

    ¡°W-What¡¯s a success?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I just simply charged my phone. It usually takes hours to have a full battery but I got in an instant with Magic. Really Magic is convenient!¡±

    ¡°And what exactly is that device? A Magic Tool of some sorts?¡±

    ¡°No. In other world there¡¯s no Magic at all. We use pure science and technology. As for this, it¡¯s primarily device that allows people from my world to communicate instantly with each other across a long distance. But it has a ton of useful functions like a calculator, camera, and games.¡±

    Tenryu and Nia were both dumbfounded at his explanation. Rather they looked as though they couldn¡¯t comprehend it at all. He started tapping on the device until he opened up the photo gallery. He then showed it to the two.

    ¡°Alright Tenryu, does any of this look familiar to you?¡±

    ¡°Eh, what-¡±

    Tenryu stared at the little screen and what was there he leapt up to his feet in shock. He quickly snatched the phone out of Benny¡¯s hands and stared at some more as though he couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing.

    Having his phone snatched from his fingers so roughly, Benny angrily snapped at him, ¡°Oi! Tenryu, be careful with that! You¡¯ll break it!¡±

    ¡°Blistering Blazes¡­This is it! This is the thing I saw in my dreams!¡±

    The ¡°thing¡± he was talking about was a picture of Benny¡¯s cousin Richie¡¯s new car.

    Nia got up from her chair and also took a look. She stared at the screen in amazement.

    ¡°Oh wow! This image is so clear! It¡¯s like looking though a little window!¡±

    ¡°Nia, this is what I was seeing in my dreams! Just look-uwaah!¡±

    Tenryu yelled because when he prodded at the picture, the image instantly moved to the next one. It was a touch screen smart phone after all. The sight of the image suddenly moving surprised Tenryu that he had dropped the phone.

    Luckily, Tenryu was by the bed and Benny managed to catch his phone before it fell to the floor. This did not mean he was not very irritated with Tenryu for nearly dropping his phone.

    ¡°What the blitz are you doing?! Didn¡¯t I just say to be careful with my phone?!¡± Benny snapped angrily.

    Both Tenryu and Nia were momentarily surprised by his sudden outburst before Nia swatted Tenryu at the top of the head and nodded at him to apologize.

    ¡°S-Sorry! But the photo suddenly moved!¡±

    Benny took a deep breath and calmed down, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s because you swiped your finger over it. It¡¯s sensitive to the touch and that¡¯s how you actually work this thing.¡±

    ¡°Whoa! Can I try?!¡± says Tenryu with eyes sparkling.

    ¡°Yes, me too!¡± pipes Nia.

    Of course, Benny¡¯s answer was, ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°¡°EH~?!¡±¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯ll be the one to hold and work this thing while explaining. This smart phone is quite precious to me and I could seriously snap an arm if someone were to break my phone, just to be clear¡­¡±

    Benny gave them both a smile that didn¡¯t reach his eyes nor did his voice. Benny¡¯s words were with a threatening voice that sent shivers down their spines. But what really made them scared was the strange feeling as though the king of the underworld was standing right behind him.

    Reluctantly, Tenryu and Nia agreed. Also because they knew that though they were more experienced in actually fighting dangerous people¡­ Benny emitted a bit of energy that told anyone that he was serious.

    With that Benny started to show them images from his old world.

    And strange enough he too felt that he was reconnecting that world once again

 Special # 2 - Characters Introduction and Some Sketches

    Main Characters

    Benjamin ¡°Benny¡± Luke D. Estrella

    Race: Human

    Age: 14

    Occupation: Student (Formerly)

    Elemental Attribute: White

    Magic and Skills:

    <ul>

    <li>High Magic Aptitude:</li>

    <li>Spell Inventor</li>

    <li>Innate Abilities: Aura Sight, Conjurer Ability, Eye of Emrys</li>

    <li>Skilled Cook and Confectioner</li>

    <li>Skilled Strategist</li>

    </ul>

    Magic Tools: Mr. Azalea¡¯s Cane (Formerly), Emrys¡¯ Staff, Spellbook

    Hobbies: Cooking, Reading (Light Novels and Fantasy), Magic Research

    Miscellaneous Info

    <ul>

    <li>He has peanut allergies</li>

    <li>He is a night owl. He sleeps late and wakes up late in the morning.</li>

    <li>He learned cooking from his grandmother Rebecca.</li>

    <li>He is a genuine otaku.</li>

    <li>Though he is unaware of it since he doesn¡¯t check the ranks, Benny is one of the top-ranked online gamers under the online name B32Ny_Star which is where he actually honed his strategist and analytical thinking.</li>

    </ul>

    Tenryu Fyreroar

    Race: Human

    Age: 14

    Occupation: Adventurer (Class: Knight, Specialty Class: Swordsmage), Sun Dragon Waiter

    Elemental Attribute: White (believes he is Fire Attribute)

    Magic and Skills:

    <ul>

    <li>High Magic Aptitude</li>

    <li>Swordsmanship</li>

    <li>Innate Abilities: Sealed Monsterized Arm</li>

    <li>Skilled Musician</li>

    <li>Skilled Writer</li>

    </ul>

    Magic Tools: Dragon Fang Katana, Seal Arm Glove

    Hobbies: Training, Eating, Writing, Music

    Miscellaneous Info

    <ul>

    <li>In sharp contrast to Benny, Tenryu is an early sleeper and riser</li>

    <li>Surprisingly, he likes listening to classical music and is quite talented in playing various musical instruments.</li>

    <li>In a past job involving a delivery, Tenryu has actually ghostwritten a book in panic after he burned the actual manuscript he was supposed to deliver to the publisher. In an ironic sense, the book he had ghostwritten became a very popular book. The original writer was a very old man who died before the book was published so no complaints for Tenryu other than the embarrassment whenever someone brings up the title of the book.</li>

    <li>Tenryu is left-handed</li>

    </ul>

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    Gardenia ¡°Nia¡± Rosampaguita

    Race: Elf

    Age: 114

    Occupation: Adventurer (Class: Enchanter, Apothecary, Medic), Remedician

    Elemental Attribute: Life, Earth

    Magic and Skills:

    <ul>

    <li>Master Healer</li>

    <li>Potion and Medicine Maker</li>

    <li>Innate Abilities: Conjurer Ability</li>

    </ul>

    Magic Tools: Demeter Umbrella, Healer¡¯s Wand, Multiple Healer¡¯s Paraphernalia

    Hobbies: Gardening, Cooking, Weaving, Healing and Plant Magic Research

    Miscellaneous Info

    <ul>

    <li>She is vegetarian by choice.</li>

    <li>Although she has a hobby of cooking whatever she cooks is the antithesis to her medicine: in other words it¡¯s poisonous.</li>

    <li>She has a habit of making very dangerous potions.</li>

    <li>She hates bugs.</li>

    <li>She began to have a crush on Benny after he saved her at the incident at Venditore¡¯s Armory.</li>

    </ul>

    Minor Characters

    Estrella Family

    <ul>

    <li>Jacob Lucas S. Estrella ¨C Benny¡¯s father and legal attorney</li>

    <li>Rachelle Marina Estrella (nee Della Sagrada) ¨C Benny¡¯s mother and Event Organizer</li>

    <li>Emmett ¡°Emmy¡± George D. Estrella ¨C Benny¡¯s older brother, student doctor</li>

    <li>Catherine ¡°Cathy¡± Cecelia D. Estrella ¨C Benny¡¯s older sister, aspiring designer</li>

    <li>Thomas ¡°Tommy¡± James D. Estrella ¨C Benny¡¯s younger brother, talented artist</li>

    <li>Lillian ¡°Lily¡± Alexandra D. Estrella ¨C Benny¡¯s younger sister, talented ballet dancer</li>

    <li>Glinda Estrella/ Sarah? ¨C Benny¡¯s great-grandmother and Family Matriarch, she seems to have a secret that somewhat ties her to Mundo Magica.</li>

    </ul>

    Fyreroar Family

    <ul>

    <li>Flare Fyreroar ¨C Tenryu¡¯s adoptive older sister</li>

    <li>Magma Fyreroar ¨C Tenryu¡¯s adoptive aunt</li>

    <li>Draykon Fyreroar ¨C Tenryu¡¯s adoptive father and teacher</li>

    </ul>

    Benny¡¯s Friends

    <ul>

    <li>Pablo ¡°Ace¡± Voltaire Unos ¨C Benny¡¯s childhood friend and neighbor, whereabouts unknown but confirmed alive.</li>

    <li>Anastasia ¡°Anna¡± Aria Perlasreyna - Daughter of the CEO of the Perlasreyna Conglomerate, whereabouts unknown but confirmed alive.</li>

    <li>Regina Terra ¡°Terri¡± Diamante ¨C a friend who moved away with her mother in another city but came back for Anna¡¯s birthday party. Whereabouts unknown but confirmed alive.</li>

    </ul>

    Other Characters

    <ul>

    <li>Emrys ¨C the guardian spirit of the Ambrosia Clan and by extension the Estrella Clan. He is mysterious but also comes off as someone light-hearted even during serious situations. However, he provides valuable help and advice to Benny even if he has to work for it. He and Glinda seemed to know each other</li>

    <li>Dmitri Venditore ¨C An Owl Beastman Animalian, Master of Merchant Guild and Shop, Venditore Armory. An old acquaintance of Magma Fyreroar.</li>

    <li>Sylvia ¨C A Cat Therian Animalian and Venditore¡¯s secretary.</li>

    <li>Bronson and Eldon ¨C Venditore¡¯s Guards</li>

    <li>Ricardo ¨C Gondola Driver</li>

    <li>Mrs. Cr¨¨me ¨C Local Baker</li>

    <li>Hatchet ¨C LocalButcher</li>

    <li>Cactus Hun - a bandit and leader of a group of bandits. He got defeated unknowingly by Benny using a a powerful Magic Spell.</li>

    <li>Meowtchill (Meo) and Gallop - a Cat Beastman driver working for Mr. Azalea and his unicorn steed.</li>

    <li>Mr. Azalea - Owner of a Delivery Services Company, he and his family were saved by Benny and his friends.</li>

    </ul>

    A rough sketch of Benny

    https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipONE6qmk7jWQuSpMzr14NaMMFqBAv70B6T4O6BN</a>

    A rough sketch of our three main characters from left to right: Benny, Tenryu and Nia

    https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipN2PQe4FhiC3NKPAIigtETxGSr_ExfVd2wXPGlw</a>

 Chapter 32 - Friendship

    ¡°Amazing! You¡¯re truly are from another world!¡±

    Nia had repeated those words for the umpteenth time while she was gazing at the photos of city botanical gardens that his class went to last semester.

    Benny had to give a wry smile at that.

    That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been trying to say. Though I can¡¯t see how you would be convinced just by looking at those plants. He thought.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen these specimens before! And I¡¯m familiar with just about every plant species in the world!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the deal? They¡¯re just plants.¡± says Tenryu, trying to look at screen. ¡°I want to see more of those weird things from the other world, so can we move along?!¡±

    ¡°Tenryu, these are plants from another world! Think of the healing properties they can hold!¡±

    Benny chuckled lightly, ¡°Actually, these are just ornamental flowers. They¡¯re called orchids.¡±

    ¡°Orchids? What kind? Singer Orchids? Spitting Orchids? The Flesh-Eater Orchids?¡±

    Nia named several of this world¡¯s types of orchids excitedly as though to expect there might be some similarities.

    The last one, though, sort-of scared Benny.

    ¡°Um, no. They¡¯re just¡­orchids. No other names attached. And these are basically they¡¯re just for show. But these were the varieties that are considered rare even in my home world. So for us of that world they¡¯re something to be prized of.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­is that so? No, I guess there are plants that don¡¯t have any properties for healing but are simply cultivated for aesthetics.¡± Nia glanced at the photos. ¡°But still for people of your world to grow these beautiful flowers is something admirable.¡±

    ¡°Cam we skip the flowers already and move on to the other photos?!¡± Tenryu grumbles impatiently.

    Nia gave him an annoyed look once more but resigned herself knowing that as much as she wanted to look at the other world¡¯s flowers some more it was unfair to hog the ¡°smart phone¡± all to herself.

    Benny smiled wryly once more and flipped to the next picture,

    He showed them several more photos of his old world. The photos were usually about times from his trips and vacations. There were also some when he hung out with Ace in the arcade (he had to explain the mechanisms behind the gaming machines in the most general way.) Tenryu was exclaiming about every single detail that seemed familiar to him (which was apparently all of them.) Nia kept remarking about the different plants that appeared in his pictures (the funniest was her admiration about the photo of a common garden weed.)

    He even showed a selfie in the backyard with Brownie (Ace¡¯s pet dog that unfortunately had died just recently.) Nia asked what that animal was.

    ¡°Benjamin, what kind of animal is that? It looks like one of the Caniaso Clan but its body structure¡­.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that animal is what we call a dog.¡±

    ¡°A dog?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what we call them and they are¡­personal companions to everyone.¡±

    Benny was about to say ¡°pet¡± but that would be seriously rude here in this world where there are sentient beings with those features.

    He quickly changed the subject before any of them could ask further.

    ¡°Ah, here is the Flores de Mayo Festival.¡±

    Now that I think of it, mom was part of the organizers and Lily performed here with her class¡­

    ¡°Wah, it¡¯s so pretty!¡± Nia admired the photos of the parade floats and flowers decorating them.

    ¡°Ah, here¡¯s a video of the parade.¡±

    Tenryu and Nia looked confused, ¡°¡°Video?¡±¡±

    Rather than explain, Benny played a clip of the video he shot during the parade.

    ¡°What the blitz?! The picture¡¯s moving!¡±

    ¡°Amazing! I can even hear sounds from it!¡±

    Benny smiled at their reactions, ¡°That¡¯s what a video is. It¡¯s a moving picture with sounds.¡±

    The camera panned around and sounds of nostalgic parade music can be heard. They were even playing some band version instrumentals of the local songs.

    For a while, they just watched the clip of the parade.

    Benny felt the nostalgia and a little homesick as he watched the scenes of his former world dance around in that small little screen.

    ¡°It¡¯s really all there¡­ Those things¡­they¡¯re really real¡­¡±

    Benny¡¯s ear caught by Tenryu¡¯s muttering and saw he looked rather pale and shell-shocked.

    He let Nia watch the video of a rock concert he went too. (¡°I really can¡¯t understand that song at all! It¡¯s all screaming and yelling¡­¡±) and poked Tenryu to get his attention. There was something that Benny wanted to know.

    ¡°Say Tenryu, how did you know all these stuff from my home world?¡±

    ¡°H-huh? What the blitz do you mean?¡±

    ¡°From your mutterings just now and your descriptions earlier it is pretty obvious that you are familiar with things from my world. So how do you even know them?¡±

    ¡°Um, well¡­I sort of saw them¡­in my dreams.¡±

    ¡°Dreams?¡± repeats Benny.

    Nia looked up from the video, ¡°Do you mean those dreams that have been bothering you these past months?¡±

    Benny looked between Tenryu and Nia. This was clearly something that was long before he came here.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been having dreams about a strange land with all those things. Cars¡­Airplanes¡­T.V.s ¡­they were all there! And that thing in your hand showed all of it. It¡¯s only now that I know that they¡¯re all real¡­¡±

    Hearing that, Benny could somehow understand Tenryu¡¯s feeling a bit.

    Benny didn¡¯t say it yet but he too had the same experience as Tenryu. He too had weird dreams of a strange world. At that time he thought it was just some kind of fantasy dream and it wasn¡¯t any special but actually seeing it all actually exists was something that can really shatter what one knows.

    ¡°¡­then I sort of got a glimpse of them once more when we got caught by Nia¡¯s Spell at Venditore¡¯s. It¡¯s sort of been bothering me lately this past week.¡±

    Nia crosses her arms, ¡°So it¡¯s my fault you¡¯ve been brooding this whole time?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know! All of sudden it affected me like that for some reason!¡±

    It seemed that neither Tenryu nor Nia knew about the additional effects of the Grove of Dodona Spell.

    ¡°No, no¡­most of it was guilt for what happened to Benny¡­but well ¡­¡±

    It was clear to Benny that there was something else. Something less pleasant...

    Benny was then remembered that Emrys had mention of Tenryu had went through some kind of unimaginable hardships. He also remembered Tenryu¡¯s frightened child-like demeanor during the time they were caught up in that Spell. And even now, somehow Tenryu seemed to struggle about it. As much as he wanted to know, Emrys was right that it wasn¡¯t his call to make and that Tenryu wasn¡¯t ready to tell just yet.

    ¡°I guess you probably saw bad memories or dreams as well.¡± says Benny finally.

    Tenryu flinched. Nia gazed at him in surprise.

    ¡°Well, I gotta say, you¡¯re not the only one affected. Even I saw some terrible memories when I was caught up by that Spell. I guess it does have some kind of effect on those caught by it. I didn¡¯t anticipate it could do also do that¡­so that fault is mine for pressuring you to do cast it, Nia.¡±

    Benny had precisely said these words for two reasons. First, was to give Tenryu a window to accept that he wasn¡¯t the only one affected and maybe open him up to say more because whatever it was really sparked Benny¡¯s interest. Second, was for Nia to clear out her conscience from the responsibility of getting them caught in that Spell.

    ¡°N-No¡­it was tense moment and we had to do what we need to do. And neither of us was entirely sure of its true effect so it was essentially a gamble¡­¡± says Nia, who looked a little relieved.

    Tenryu on the other hand only looked at his hand¡­precisely at his right hand and trembled a bit. The exact opposite of what Benny intended nevertheless had to let it slide.

    ¡°Cough*¡­getting back to subject. Do you guys believe me now when I said that I¡¯m from another world?¡± Benny asked them while being slightly cautious of their reaction.

    He had already explained the circumstances of how he got here and now he backed up his claims with proofs he had on hand. He only hoped that they believe it.

    And that they didn¡¯t see him as something repulsive.

    It was Nia who answered, ¡°I can¡¯t say that I can refute that you are from another world, Benjamin. But there is something that I don¡¯t understand. If you are from another world that doesn¡¯t have an ounce for Magic, how is it possible that you are so adept at it? And that¡¯s without considering you even have the Conjurer Ability which is even rare here in Mundo Magica.¡±

    Benny had momentarily forgotten his weird Ability, ¡°Actually, I had help. Most of the Spells I use come from here.¡± He patted the Spellbook on his lap.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    ¡°From that book you always carry? So you¡¯re saying those Impossible 13 Spells also came from that book?!¡±

    ¡°Ah, as for those I made them up as I go. There were some Spells like those Barrier Spells that were also included. To be honest, I just simply imagined those instances to happen and put them to use. I didn¡¯t actually expect them to work.¡±

    ¡°And yet they did.¡± Nia sighed once more as she shook her head, ¡°As much as unbelievable it may seem but seeing your capabilities in Magic I guess it¡¯s hard to say otherwise. I have to reiterate that even if someone were to have a guide to cast Spells it does not guarantee they can cast it proficiently. Even from another world, you have a natural affinity for Magic.¡±

    Emrys did say that though. Apparently he had a talent when it comes to Magic.

    ¡°But that just brings another question, Benjamin. What is that book? And from such a world, where did you even get it?¡±

    ¡°I got it from my Abuela.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s what I call my great-grandmother. This Spellbook is a family heirloom I received from her. Strange enough it was on the same day¡­I came to this world¡­¡±

    Nia squints at him.

    ¡°You received a magical heirloom in a world that doesn¡¯t have Magic? No matter how you look at it, doesn¡¯t that seem contradicting?¡±

    Benny scratched his cheek, realizing that it does seem contradictory. ¡°I guess I should explain further.¡±

    Benny quickly explained that he had recently discovered that Abuela was actually from this world but for reasons yet unexplained she crossed over to the other world by accident. She had since lived in the other world while raising her son, Benny¡¯s grandfather, whom she was pregnant with when she crossed over and continued to watch over the family that grew there until Benny¡¯s generation. All the while she had kept her Mundo Magica heritage a secret due to the fact that such concepts or things did not exist in that world. That was until she finally revealed the truth only to Benny.

    Benny did leave out one important detail: this information was told to him in a dream by a self-proclaimed family Spirit Guardian.

    ¡°So your great-grandmother is from here. If we think it that way it does that solves on mystery.¡± Nia nodded in satisfaction.

    ¡°But Benny wouldn¡¯t that mean you are a person who is from both worlds?¡± Tenryu points out.

    ¡°Ah, now that you mentioned it¡­ I guess that would mean I¡¯m partly of this world by descent.¡±

    Benny had temporarily overlooked that obvious   fact. Even though it was already pointed out at him before by Emrys having this pointed out once more by Tenryu felt a little stupid .

    ¡°You most likely inherited your natural abilities in Magic from your great-grandmother. Since she kept most of her life from Mundo Magica a secret, I could only guess that she may be a very powerful Magic user.¡±

    Benny looked at the Spellbook. His thoughts ran to Abuela and her mysterious past. Who was she exactly? He thought.

    ¡°So you have no idea how you and your Abuela traveled between worlds?¡± asks Tenryu.

    ¡°No, both instances were complete accidents. Well, I don¡¯t know how to entirely explain it. I was caught in a storm out at sea and I think out of desperation¡­by then, I had an inkling of what this book was. I, this is gonna sound crazy, but I sort of read a Spell from the Spellbook in desperation. But I¡¯m pretty sure there was something else that happened and it transported me here. And when I came to¡­that was the day I met Tenryu.¡±

    Tenryu looked down to his chest as if he was looking at something there. He could¡¯ve sworn he heard Tenryu mumble ¡°The same day that I¡­¡±

    ¡°Yet, strangely it happened in the same family. Fate does have some weird coincidences. To be separated from all that she knew¡­¡±

    Benny flinched.

    ¡°¡­and raised her son all alone in another world while adapting to a new life there for decades with no hope or idea to return back¡­¡±

    Benny flinched at every word.

    ¡°¡­I can¡¯t imagine how much she went through.¡±

    ¡°Neither did I or the rest family but¡­¡± Benny¡¯s cracked voice caused Nia to turn at him. ¡°I do understand a bit now¡­I mean¡­I¡¯m going through the same thing¡­¡± Benny had said that with a hallowed voice and a cramped expression.

    Nia suddenly realized how her words meant towards Benny.

    ¡°Ah! I¡¯m sorry Benjamin! I didn¡¯t mean it like that¡­¡±

    ¡°N-No, it¡¯s okay! It¡¯s true anyway¡­so¡­¡±

    But Benny looked a little drained as those words seemed to really hit it deep. In fact, his remaining eye looked a little like a dead fish¡¯s.

    ¡°Benjamin! Please, forgive me.¡±

    Nia shook him by the shoulders to snap him out. But all it did was make Benny shake his head like a bobble-head doll.

    ¡°Hey, Benny¡­¡±

    Tenryu¡¯s voice was the one that did snap Benny of his hallowed state.

    ¡°H-Huh? What Tenryu?¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell any of this to us before?¡± Tenryu looked at him with eyes and tone had a bit of irritation and dismay. ¡°When we first met¡­you¡­you could¡¯ve told me!¡±

    Benny was prepared for that question. But it didn¡¯t make feel any easier.

    ¡°Would you have believe me if I told you?¡±

    ¡°W-What the blitz is that supposed to mean? Of course, I¡¯d believe you!¡±

    ¡°No, Tenryu I sincerely doubt it.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Tenryu felt offended and began to rage in complaint.

    Fortunately, Nia restrained him, ¡°Tenryu, stop it. It¡¯s only natural that Benjamin kept this a secret.¡±

    ¡°B-But-!¡± Tenryu tried to argue.

    Benny gave him a wry smile, ¡°I am quite certain if I suddenly say ¡°Hey, I¡¯m from another world! Believe me!¡± to a person I just met I¡¯m pretty sure the obvious first reaction would be ¡°This guy is crazy!¡± right?¡±

    Tenryu understood that it make sense and felt a little off-footed but he was still stubborn to demand answers.

    ¡°B-But you have the proof to show it! If you showed it to me at that time I would¡¯ve believe-¡±

    PAT*

    All of a sudden, Benny felt Nia patted his hand. Her sudden warm touch sent heat waves coursing through Benny¡¯s body.

    She then spoke up for his defense, ¡°Tenryu, can you blame him for being wary? After being thrown into another world what do you think you¡¯d do? Who do you think you could trust? To be keeping such a secret is without a doubt a tremendous burden. The fact that Benjamin was able to trust us with it shows how much he already puts value on us. And it¡¯s not like he¡¯s waited until several years, months or even weeks to tell us.¡±

    Actually it¡¯s because Emrys urged me to do so¡­ And he was right. If I told them in a later date I wonder how this would go. Benny added in an afterthought.  I should probably thank him the next time he pops up.

    That cooled Tenryu¡¯s head a bit and caused him to sink back down on his chair.

    ¡°After getting to know you two a little better I believe I can already trust you with it.¡± Benny said.

    ¡°Your reasons for keeping this a secret is understandable and I¡¯m grateful you trust us with this.¡±

    The way Nia smiled at him that caused him to feel warm in his cheeks and stiffened at her touch.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really like the fact that you kept all of this quiet but I guess you have your reasons.

    Benny smiled at his two friends. He felt a great relief that he had people he can trust in this world.

    ¡°Benjamin, there¡¯s still something I want to ask. Do you really have no idea how to return to your world?¡±

    ¡°No. I really have no idea.¡±

    ¡°Then, are you perhaps looking for a way to get back?¡±

    He could see a conflicted expression on her face. Tenryu¡¯s expression was cramped as though he was bracing to hear some bad news..

    ¡°The answer to that is¡­no.¡±

    ¡°¡°Huh?¡±¡±

    Benny¡¯s answer surprised them both. After all, Benny¡¯s home, family and everything he knew was in that other world. So for him to suddenly say ¡°no¡± to return to all that was something unexpected.

    But the truth is¡­Benny had a different goal in mind.

    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not in a hurry to go back to my home world. Rather, I¡¯d like to search for a method that can freely allow me to travel between worlds.¡±

    ¡°Travel?¡±

    ¡°Between worlds?¡±

    Benny held up his index finger like he had an idea.

    ¡°Think about it. Though it was an accident both me and my Abuela traveled between worlds. If there was a way to do that at will then that would be more preferable than just choosing one world over the other, right? At the very least, I won¡¯t be eternally separated from those important from me!¡±

    Although it was crazy and almost other worldly idea that could shake the foundations of thinking what Benny felt his idea was right.

    ¡°But Benjamin¡­that¡¯s rather¡­¡±

    ¡°I know it¡¯s plausible and difficult but not impossible.¡±

    Benny hasn¡¯t felt so sure on his goal.

    ¡°So that¡¯s your goal, then? Don¡¯t you want to go back home to your family as soon as possible?¡± asks Nia.

    ¡°That would take a lot of research and study so I anticipated that it won¡¯t be easy. Nor I¡¯m that optimistic that it will happen any time sooner. So it¡¯s more or less a long term goal. But for the present-¡±

    Benny stared out the window where a good view Amberose City opened for him.

    ¡°I just want to live my life in this world to the fullest.¡±

    Tenryu and Nia looked at him. They weren¡¯t sure what his words meant.

    ¡°Benny, I want you to know one thing.¡±

    ¡°Er¡­What is it?¡± Benny couldn¡¯t help but stiffened a bit.

    ¡°You¡­told me just now that you¡¯re my friend, right?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yeah?¡±

    Tenryu hesitated for a bit.

    What¡¯s with that hesitation? Wait¡­ Did that mean Tenryu didn¡¯t seem me the same way? Benny thought in despair but.

    ¡°Well, act like it! If you are my friend and I want you to trust me a little more! Blast it!¡± Tenryu was blushing as he said that.

    Benny blinked for a moment before he burst out in laughter.

    ¡°W-What the blitz? Why are you laughing?! I¡¯m being serious here! Nia don¡¯t join in!¡±

    ¡°I know, I know, sorry¡­ But yeah, I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±

    ¡°I also want you to think the same for me. We¡¯re both your friends and that what friends do.¡±

    ¡°Thanks¡­Nia¡­Tenryu¡­¡±

    As he continued to look at them he saw both their Aura appeared once more. That sight of which caught him by surprise that he made an ¡°eh?¡± sound. Both red and green Aura appeared and wafted like smoke then swirled around him like as though it were embracing him. There was warmth growing his chest as he felt the bonds between them growing deeper.

    And for the first time, he saw something coming out of him. It was yellowish-gold Aura and it reached out towards Tenryu and Nia. It wafted around them the same theirs did for him.

    ¡°Benjamin?¡±

    ¡°Benny?¡±

    Benny snapped out his trance, ¡°Huh? What?¡±

    ¡°You were staring at us weirdly.¡±

    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    On the contrary, he felt as though nothing felt more right than it is now. He simply smiled at them, ¡°No, nothing¡¯s wrong at all.¡±

    It was at that moment that Benny felt a small pop in the air. He felt a shiver in the energy and also slight tiredness.

    ¡°Ah! The White Noise Spell had worn off.¡±

    Sure enough, there were some voices from outside.

    ¡°What was that?¡±

    ¡°I thought my ears were ringing for a moment.¡±

    ¡°Was someone playing with a chalkboard or something?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know maybe we¡¯re just tired.¡±

    The doorknob shook as someone from outside tried to enter. Benny quickly stuffed the Spellbook back into his satchel.

    ¡°What the blitz? The door is locked!¡± There was some knocking in the door. ¡°Hey! Open the door!¡±

    They both recognized those voices as Aunt Magma¡¯s and Flare¡¯s.

    ¡°Shoot! Magma-tia and Flare-ate!¡± Tenryu stood up.

    Nia quickly stood up, ¡°Listen! What we discussed right now must be kept a secret!¡±

    ¡°Eh? Keep this a secret from Magma-tia and Flare-ate?¡±

    Tenryu looked at Benny.

    ¡°I agree. At least for now¡­I¡¯m too tired to explain once more.¡± Benny says as he fell back to his pillows.

    ¡°O-Okay¡­¡± Tenryu reluctantly agreed.

    Nia quickly strode towards the door and opened it.

    Flare and Aunt Magma entered the room. Flare had a finger in her ear as though she there was something in it.

    ¡°Why did you kids lock the door?¡± asked Aunt Magma, she too seemed to ringing out her ear.

    ¡°Ah, the doors in this Healing Facility sometimes get stuck. I¡¯ve complained to the custodian so many times to oil the hinges but he always forgets. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Nia made an excuse.

    ¡°I did hear you complain about it a lot.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of hearing, Nia can you check my ears? I feel this annoying ringing in my ears.¡±

    Nia gave Benjamin a knowing look.

    Both Benny and Tenryu glanced at each other and they both shared a laugh.

    Extra

    The part where they were watching the parade from Benny¡¯s smart phone.

    ¡°Hey Benny, look at that!¡±

    Benny flinched as he heard that old voice from the small speaker. The camera pans towards a familiar grinning kid wearing a bandana.

    ¡°Benjamin, this is?¡± asks Nia.

    ¡°My friend¡­the one I was talking about. He¡¯s from my old world¡­¡± Benny¡¯s words choked in his throat.

    ¡°What Ace? I¡¯m looking out for Lily-¡±

    ¡°Just look over there, Bro!¡±

    The camera pans to the side. It focuses on a dancer wearing one of the most revealing and gaudy costumes while dancing vigorously to the groove of the music.

    ¡°Pfft! Isn¡¯t that-¡±

    Benny¡¯s voice in the voice was cut off when Tenryu laughed loudly when he saw that and even Nia tried to stifle her laugh but found it hard to do so.

    ¡°Oh, my word¡­she has intriguing tastes...¡± Nia giggles.

    ¡°What the blitz is with her get-up?¡± chortles Tenryu.

    ¡°It¡¯s a costume, Tenryu. People in my world don¡¯t usually wear that out in public unless for occasions like these.¡±

    ¡°She must be pretty confident to go walking around looking like that!¡± Tenryu shakes his head.

    Benny¡¯s face cramped. Not because of the person dancing in the video. But it as because he kept hearing ¡°her¡± or ¡°she¡±

    ¡°And for the record, that¡¯s person¡¯s a man¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Benny sighed a little too loudly, ¡°He¡¯s a man¡­¡±

    Tenryu and Nia kept looking between the screen and Benny. No matter how they looked, all they could see was a woman. Although in their opinion, ¡°she¡± had some slight masculine features such as a hard jaw line.

    ¡°Eh? Benjamin¡­this is a lady, isn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°No, he¡¯s a guy. And I would know since he¡¯s lives nearby my old home.¡±

    ¡°How the blitz is that a man?! I mean look at that chest! It¡¯s as big as any women! It¡¯s like Flare-Ate¡¯s and is even bigger than Nia¡¯s-Gufuh*!¡±

    Benny had elbowed him to a stop. He knew full well that there are things that should never be said in front of a woman.

    And Nia was half-about to take out some kind of bladed instrument from her purse.

    Benny tried his best to explain the concept of ¡°surgery¡± to them.

    The result of the explanation: Tenryu completely blue and speechless while Nia, on the other hand, was more interested in the medical aspects and the advanced medicine of Benny¡¯s world.

 Chapter 33 - Eye for Things

    Benny stared by the window of their room at the Sun Dragon while leaning on the staff (in its cane form) and taking in a breath of fresh air. After spending so much time in bed, Benny found it a bit difficult to walk. So he was using his staff in its cane form as means of support. He felt stupidly like an old man but nonetheless he did admire the practical uses of it.

    It took three whole days before Benny was allowed to discharge. Thanks to Nia being his primary care Remedician, Benny did not worry about the hospital bills.

    Although during his stay he had a couple of visitors.

    First, of course, were the local Royal Knights.

    They questioned him for hours about the exact details of what happened. Even though he made sure to specify every single detail, they were quite persistent to get more information and lasted at most three hours. It took a very stern Nia, demanding that her patient needs rest and that as she was there she vouched that he already told them all there is, to get them to leave.

    Then there was Sylvia, who was there to convey Mr. Venditore¡¯s thanks in to capturing the Grave Brothers and getting rid of that demon that had been kept sealed in his office. He couldn¡¯t be there in person due to some inquiries and relocating a temporary area for the shop. They were temporarily transferred to an auxiliary shop across town until they managed to repair all the damages in the main shop. Benny had to admit that he was impressed by Mr. Venditore¡¯s ability to bounce back up. Sylvia quietly whispered that as a reward he was free to have anything in his shop for free. Benny said he¡¯ll check around when things settled down for both of them.

    Grateful as he was, Benny had his own series of questions. The most important was why he had that thing in the first place. He thought it would be best to ask in person the next time he sees Mr. Venditore.

    Benny sighed feeling a little aged from all this. And his leaning on a cane was not improving that image.

    ¡°Hey Benny, you should be taking it easy!¡±

    Tenryu¡¯s voice called out to him that snapped him back to the present. He turned and saw Tenryu wearing his training gi with his sword slung over his back.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Tenryu! Geez¡­¡±

    Tenryu flinched upon looking at him. Benny scratched his face while sighing exasperatedly.

    ¡°You know, Tenryu¡­ that¡¯s starting to become really offensive.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t help it. That ¡°eye¡± of yours is strange. Well, anyway I¡¯m off to train. See you later!¡±

    And with that Tenryu left the room.

    Benny raised a hand towards the area over his ¡°left eye¡±. He couldn¡¯t exactly refute it.

    ***

    An explanation about this¡­

    The day after Benny woke up from his coma.

    Nia had determined that it was time to change the bandages. Benny remembered how he felt apprehensive at that time. He somewhat remembered that Emrys had supposedly healed his eye in his dream but he wasn¡¯t sure if it was truly the case in real life

    She finally removed the remaining wraps, his head felt strangely lighter after all those bandages removed. His left eye was closed and his eyelids felt misshapen and numb. It was slightly sensitive to the light. But the fact that Benny could notice some light from behind his closed eyelid could only point that his eye may have been healed.

    Nia bent down to pick up some wash cloth from the basin and prepare a disinfectant to clean the wound. While she did that, Benny struggled to open his left eye. It was tough at first because he felt his eye had almost glued shut. Gingerly, he raised a hand to help open it. Even though he could almost hear his older brother telling him to keep his hands away from such a wound as it might lead to further infection.

    But as he thought that, sure enough¡­his eye popped open.

    And like a newborn opening their eyes to their world for the first time there was a strain with the sudden brightness. But when it all became clear he saw he could see out of it perfectly!

    He was about to say that to Nia as she looked up.

    ¡°Alright Benjamin, I¡¯m just going to clean the wound and¡­gasp*¡±

    That reaction was albeit unexpected at the same time something to expect. After all, he just had his eye slashed by demon and was expecting it to be lost.

    ¡°B-B-Benjamin! Y-your eye!¡± stammered Nia in disbelief as she drops the cloth.

    ¡°I-I know¡­I think my eye¡¯s been healed-¡±

    But all of a sudden, she grabbed his face and looked at his left eye carefully. This caused him to blush profusely.

    ¡°W-What is it?¡±

    She let¡¯s go and stands up. ¡°Benjamin, wait right here. I need to call my colleagues.¡±

    ¡°Eh? What¡¯s going on? H-Hey Nia!¡± He tried to call out to her but she ran out already.

    A few minutes later, she along with few Remedicians wearing long white lab coats came in and observed his eye. All of them had expressions of being dumbfounded and disbelief as they muttered to themselves.

    ¡°How can this be?¡±

    ¡°His eye was definitely lost! This is unbelievable!¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you didn¡¯t make a mistake while treating him?!¡±

    ¡°Are you insulting me? I never overlook things such as this!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s completely healed¡­No, from the look of that eye¡­¡±

    This was getting out of hand.

    ¡°C-Can somebody explain to me what¡¯s going on?¡± Benny raised his voice.

    It was Nia who approached him, holding a small mirror in her hands.

    ¡°Benjamin, I think it will be easier if you look at it yourself.¡±

    At first, Benny didn¡¯t understand her words. But the moment he glanced at the mirror¡­

    His right eye was normal. It was the shade of deep blue that he always had.

    But as for his left eye, there was a thick scar that ran from his eyebrow down to just below his eye. But it was his eye itself that shocked him.

    Instead of blue, his iris¡­was silver!

    He had heard his brother once explained it. Benny had what was definitely called heterochromia: two different colored eyes. Even though it¡¯s genetic, one can get the condition if they suffered an injury on the eye.

    Even though he knew this¡­the first thing that came to mind was that he looked like some chuunibyou weirdo.

    The next thing that came to mind was him mentally screaming,

    EMRYSSSSSSSSS!!! WHAT THE BLITZ DID YOU DO TO MY EYEEEEEEE?!!!

    ¡°B-Benjamin? You¡¯re shaking! Are you okay?¡±

    Nia¡¯s voice snapped him out.

    ¡°Oh! I¡¯m okay¡­just a little shocked that is.¡±

    Nia looked at him doubtfully, ¡°Well, to be honest with you Benjamin. Your eye being like this is not uncommon for people who suffered injuries to their eyes. This is especially true to a number of Adventurers. I guess you can take this as a memento of that occasion.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really want a memento like a mismatched eye.¡±

    ¡°Actually, Mr. Estrella¡­what concerned us is that you definitely had lost your eye. So seeing it healed like that is quite a shock.¡± says a tall Healer with a well trimmed beard.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    ¡°Are you sure none of you did this?¡± Benny asked innocently.

    It was a lie of course. He knew who is responsible for this. But he can¡¯t exactly say that a ghost in his dream did it. .

    ¡°Only a very powerful Druid-class could¡¯ve done something like this. And even then, this is a very high-tiered Healing Magic. Did someone visit you and healed that eye of yours?¡±

    ¡°Apart from the local Authorities and Sylvia from the Venditore Armory, no one else.¡± answered Benny.

    ¡°Are you sure? If there is someone else who visited you, we must know who they are. This is something we can¡¯t overlook. We must know who healed you!¡± demanded a plump Healer.

    The other Healers began to look at him with preying eyes apart from an elderly Healer with a trimmed beard. Nia, on the other hand, was troubled between wanting to know as well and getting them to back off.

    Benny glances at them, silently activating the Aura Sight as he did so. From the looks of their Aura¡­ generally they weren¡¯t ill-natured but it would seem that they are fueled with extremely inquisitive and fiery passion.

    It would seem that they would¡¯ve gotten well with Emmett.

    ¡°I was out for a week and I only woke up yesterday. Nia and the Fyreroars were with me the whole time so they know who has been visiting me. I should be the one asking you guys if there was someone else who came here since the time I was unconscious. I¡¯d be worried about the security measures of this facility if that were the case.¡±

    Benny¡¯s cold water¡­or rather gasoline words set ablaze things in a different way.

    ¡°How dare you?!¡± the plump healer retorted in outrage. ¡°We conform to the Zentorah Standards for Healers to ensure our patients¡¯ safety and well being is being-¡±

    ¡°Healer Nicholson, that¡¯s enough! You are stressing the patient unnecessarily.¡± says the elderly Healer with a trimmed beard.

    ¡°But Chief Healer Artho!¡±

    Chief Healer Artho stroke his beard, ¡°If you think about it, it¡¯s only natural Mr. Estrella wouldn¡¯t know or be fully aware. The fact that he had been healed in such an extraordinary way without anyone knowing how or who did it would obviously be his immediate concern.¡±

    ¡°But this is just it, Chief! This is no doubt a Grand Tier Magic for Healing! We must know who did this and how!¡±

    The other Healers agreed but Chief Healer Artho shook his head.

    ¡°I know you are all excited. Frankly, I too¡­ But it would seem our little patient here knows nothing. Do you Mr. Estrella?¡±

    ¡°No. I don¡¯t.¡±

    Benny lied with a straight face.

    ¡°And there you have it.¡±

    Nicholson and all the other Healers looked a little dejected that their trail of knowing someone who has the ability to cast a powerful Healing Magic had vanished before they even began to search.

    Benny pitied them a bit so he decided to give them a small trail, ¡°Don¡¯t you guys have a visitor¡¯s record or something?¡±

    ¡°Indeed we do.¡± nods Chief Healer Artho, ¡°So Healer Nicholson¡­rather than ask a patient who was unaware the whole time, perhaps you should check the logbook?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡±

    .The Healer Nicholson immediately rushed out to check the log book.

    ¡°Mr. Estrella, I¡¯m sorry for our behavior. To encounter such an amazing occurrence related to healing, we Healers who have passion for the field can get a little over excited.¡± Director Artho apologized to him.

    ¡°No harm done. Or rather I¡¯m sorry for my sharp tongue just now.¡±

    ¡°Ha! Ha! Pay no mind. In fact, what you said is actually true. But for now, I¡¯d like to check the condition of your eye right now, if you don¡¯t mind?

    Benny agreed to allow the other Healers to check his eye. All the while he saw Nia giving him a suspicious gaze.

    She later questioned him if there really was something to it. She actually suspected him of healing himself using what may be contained in the Spellbook. But Benny admitted that he didn¡¯t heal himself and though he felt someone visited him while he was half-asleep (almost a lie.) Nia looked even more suspicious but decided that as long as he was okay then it was fine with her.

    Although it was clear she still believed that Benny may have done that by himself and emphasized not to meddle around with Healing Magic. Misuse of such can lead to worse damages than to what you were trying to heal.

    Of course the biggest reaction to this eye thing came from Tenryu who came later at noon to bring him some lunch.

    ¡°BENNY!!! WHAT THE BLITZ HAPPENED TO YOU EYE?!!!¡±

    ¡°Keep that volume down! You are bothering the other patients!¡± Nia swatted him in the head with her purse.

    Benny thought this was way too lively after just waking up from a coma.

    ***

    Back to the present, Benny decided to heed Tenryu¡¯s words and sat beside the low table in their shared room. Tenryu had gone out earlier for his usual training while Ate Flare went to do some groceries for tonight¡¯s special dinner.

    Apparently, there was supposed to be a little celebration for Benny¡¯s complete recovery.

    He was supposed to be resting after having he just recovered but he felt a little restless. Benny pulled out the pocket watch from underneath his shirt and flipped it open. He clicked the small windows containing his photos of Abuela and his mysterious Abuelo. He brushed a wistful finger across the photo of his younger self and his great-grandmother.

    In these past few weeks, too many things had happened for him to entirely make sense of. He had been transported into another world, using Magic and discovering he had some amazing abilities, having to face an otherworld creature that left its permanent mark on his face. Not mention having found out that his family had a mysterious history with this world.

    Abuela¡­why didn¡¯t you tell anyone about this? Benny sighed as he fell prostrate on the table.

    He wondered how everyone he knew was doing right now.

    Was his family worried about him? Did they realize that he disappeared? If they knew he had been lost at sea and his body hadn¡¯t been found, were they holding a vigil or maybe a funeral for him?

    Benny did not like that idea.

    Then his thoughts shifted towards his concern for his friends Ace, Anna and Terri, and even Anna¡¯s driver Manong Dario, they were with him at that time he traveled into this world. In that dream, Emrys told him that they survived that storm and were alive but their locations were unknown. This whole time he had put it on the back of his mind but now that things settled down he couldn¡¯t help but worry.

    How were they in his old world? Were they rescued by the coast guard and reunited with their families?

    Or maybe¡­

    If things were just like the light novels and fantasy stories¡­there is a huge chance that they might¡¯ve been brought here as well.

    Were they caught up by his Spell when he casted that Magic? Were they somewhere in this world with him? Where they alright?

    He sincerely hoped it was the former. He couldn¡¯t forgive himself if they were brought into this world and made to go through the things he had experienced or worse.

    Benny felt the overwhelming guilt and stress rush at him again.

    He knew deep down that he couldn¡¯t do anything and that there were things beyond his control. It was unnecessary stress for the moment.

    But still he felt those negative emotions come at him.

    Shaking his head, Benny tries to reaffirm his goals. He had made a goal to find a method to find cross between the two worlds. While at the same time resolved to live his life here at the fullest. Benny has decided to add another goal: to keep an eye out if his friends are truly in this world and to be ready to help them.

    That¡¯s the very least he could do right now.

    He glanced at the pocket watch again and saw it was just past 2 o¡¯clock in the afternoon. With a sigh he closed it shut with a click.

    He turned it around his hands while glancing at the gem affixed on the pocket watch.

    Know that I think about it¡­there was something about this gem. It glowed when I was in that void.

    It just dawned on him. Like the Spellbook the pocket watch had been given to him by Abuela.

    Could this thing be¡­a Magic Tool too?

    For a moment, Benny stared at it hard and then¡­

    ¡°Ow!¡±

    Benny¡¯s left eye started to throb painfully like he had been poked there.

    Instinctively, he tried to lift his hand towards it, thinking he might¡¯ve gotten dust or maybe there was something like a complication. But when he blinked his eye again something else caught his attention.

    A holographic screen appeared over the pocket watch like a UI in an RPG game.

    ¡°W-What the blitz is this?!¡±

    But as he gazed at it he noticed there were some words written there. It was written in the English language which strangely felt nostalgic after a long time. A single line was on top.

    Abraham¡¯s Treasured Memento

    Benny recognized the name as that of his Abuelo. He read the rest of the text in the floating screen.

    Made entirely out of rare Golden Mithril and crafted by Argon Vulcan, this pocket watch was personally commission by its first owner Abraham as a gift for the love of his life, Sarah.

    Sarah¡­

    That was Abuela¡¯s true name. A name she never mentioned to the rest of her family (apart from Benny himself.) The part about this watch being a gift to Abuela, who was described as the love of his life, made it all the more special. This made Benny a little guilty as the rest of the family had thought that Abuelo had abandoned her.

    But Benny couldn¡¯t help but continue reading. There was some more info about its weight, size and the number of parts it was made of and even including info about the photos it held.

    The photo mini-frames are protected by a Preservation Enchantment.

    Over the photo of his great-grandparents were the words¡­

    A photo of Abraham and Sarah on the day of their engagement.

    An engagement photo? So they were supposed to be married. Benny really now began to wonder what really happened that caused Abuela to be transported to the other world. He also felt sorry for how the life of happiness she was supposed to have with Abraham had been snatched from her.

    Benny looked at the details of his photo with Abuela.

    A photo of Sarah, now known as Glinda, with her great-grandson Benjamin and¡­taken on  June 6, 2010¡­

    Benny noted that the photo of him and Abuela was taken sometime when he was seven. It was a period of the many lapses of his memory. Despite wanting him to know more but that was all there is.

    After decades of delicate care it was given to its present owner Benjamin.

    Seeing his name there was a bit unexpected.

    At that point, Benny realized that this had something to do with his left eye which was still throbbing. Emrys had not just healed his eye. He may have also bestowed upon him some strange power to appraise something.

    ¡°Great. Another eye ability? Is this Nar*to¡¯s Three Great Doj*tsu or something?¡±

    Benny clicked the pocket watch closed once more. And with that all the holographic screens disappeared. That was a relief because he was slightly worried they were going to keep popping up.

    ¡°Emrys¡­the next time we meet, you and I need to have a loooong talk about this!¡±

    He was half-expecting a voice to say something but no such thing occurred. Benny lay his chin on the low table once more and let out a sigh.

    ¡°I¡¯ve changed way too much¡­¡±

    Benny glanced at the pocket watch once more, trying to catch his reflection of the shiny Lapis Lazuli. A new screen appeared over the blue gem.

    Protected by Concealment Enchantments.

    Hmm? A Concealment Enchantment? Was there something about this that needed to be protected? Benny thought to himself.

    He surmised that a Concealment Enchantment was a Spell that protects something from attracting attention. Then again it was a large, precious crystal. Naturally, it would attract some rather unwanted attention. Benny thought it might¡¯ve been the case.

    He decided t not think much of it. All this was already making his head hurt.

    He needed to do something to get his mind of things.

    A light bulb seemed to click in his head. He had just the right idea.

 Chapter 34 - Sweet Cake and Bitter Noble

    He found Aunt Magma working alone at the kitchen bar. There weren¡¯t any customers at this hour it seems.

    ¡°Oh, Benny-iho, are you hungry? I can whip you a snack if you want.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s okay, Aunt Magma, I¡¯m good. Where¡¯s Ate Flare?¡±

    ¡°She went out to buy some groceries.¡± She looked at his face in concern, ¡°Is your eye alright?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but looking at myself in the mirror is gonna take some getting used to.¡±

    Aunt Magma chuckled at his joke, ¡°I see. So do you want some snacks?¡±

    ¡°Actually, I would like to ask if you have an oven in the shop.¡±

    ¡°An oven?¡± says Aunt Magma, who looked surprised by his request, ¡°Well, we do have a small one at the back but we rarely use it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s okay. Can you show me?¡±

    Though confused at first, Aunt Magma showed him the oven.

    It was like the ovens from his home. Except instead of being powered by gas or wood it was, of course, powered by Magic. It had Magic formations etched on all inner sides of the oven. Red Magic Crystals where placed at the center of each formations. According to Aunt Magma, these formations are designed with instructions for the Magitite to utilize Fire Element Magic and generate heat.

    Aunt Magma told him how to operate the glyphs and adjust the temperature using each of the formations. It may look complicated but it is just as simple as pressing a button or to be specific the Activator Seal on the formations.

    ¡°And that¡¯s about it on how to use the oven. But Benny-iho what do you need the oven for?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna make something. Do you some of these ingredients? Can you spare me some?¡±

    Benny lists down all the ingredients.

    Aunt Magma was looking more baffled by the moment, ¡°Hmm¡­we have all those in the pantry. But you still haven¡¯t answered my question. What on Mundo Magica do you need all these for? Are you planning to cook something?¡±

    ¡°Yup and I¡¯ll be the one to make it.¡±

    ¡°But Benny-iho, you still need to rest! If you want to eat something I¡¯ll make something-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m well enough to move now. And I¡¯m fine enough to be able to do this at least.¡±

    Benny explained what he was going to make much to Aunt Magma¡¯s surprise.

    ¡°Benny-iho, are you sure you¡¯re alright? You weren¡¯t hit you over the head, were you?¡±

    Benny had to laugh a bit, ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t. And I¡¯m fine¡±

    ¡°But to make something like that don¡¯t you know how difficult it is to make it? Or rather do you even know how to make it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve a made quite a lot so I pretty confident I know how to make one. Now let¡¯s go see those ingredients!¡±

    Aunt Magma supplied him with what he requested as well as some tools. He had to make do with alternates such as a large fork and deep wooden bowl since he they didn¡¯t have those other necessary tools.

    ¡°Are you sure you know what you are doing, Benny-iho?¡±

    Benny was taught how to work in the kitchen by his grandmother Rebecca. Plus, he also took Home Ed class so he once again he assure her that he was confident he can do it.

    ***

    Later that afternoon, Tenryu came back to the Sun Dragon from training.

    ¡°Still not enough¡­it took me three strikes instead of one to split that rock¡­¡± Tenryu clenched his hand in frustration. ¡°At this rate¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, if it isn¡¯t Tenryu?¡± a voice called out to him.

    Tenryu looked up and saw Nia heading his way while carrying a small paper bag with her

    ¡°Ah, Nia what are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°Well, I came to give Benjamin his eye drops.¡± She patted the paper bag. ¡°I¡¯ve also included yours and Aunt Magma¡¯s¡±

    ¡°Ah, thanks¡­¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯ve been training?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I need to keep up my training! I¡¯ve gotta to keep my strength up!¡± Tenryu puffs out his chest in pride.

    SMACK!!!

    Tenryu felt a strong blow on the top of his head. The source of that was from Flare who just came back home from her grocery shopping. Nia could only heave a long sigh.

    ¡°Ow! Who the blitz-¡±

    ¡°Honestly, you should train how to control your power rather than adding more firepower.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Tenryu clenched his fist in silence. Flare¡¯s expression turned serious.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t normally stay quiet.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m weak¡­¡±

    It was an unusual response from the boy the elicited a stunned look from Flare and Nia.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m weak, Flare-ate! If I had been a little stronger then Benny wouldn¡¯t have went through that. Blast it! No! I have to become stronger! So I can protect my friend-¡±

    SMACK*

    ¡°Ow!¡±

    ¡°Become stronger! Become Stronger! Seriously, you and that stupid wanderer are really no different. You both always say that!¡±

    Flare sighed loudly before giving her brother a warm smile. It was something that surprised Tenryu as it was very rare of her to do so as she had always been strict with him.

    ¡°But at least this time, you do have a better reason now for becoming stronger.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Flare and Nia gave each other a knowing look before they both headed towards the door.

    ¡°Oh, and go get yourself a bath! Blistering Blazes, you really stink!¡±

    ¡°True¡­ you truly do stink.¡± Nia pinches her nose.

    Tenryu sniffed himself, ¡°Really? I don¡¯t really smell anything.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you can¡¯t judge the smell yourself! It¡¯ll drive away the customers dining now!¡±

    ¡°Not that we have that much customers anyway¡­¡±

    Tenryu grumbled as they went in.

    ¡°¡°We¡¯re back!¡±¡±

    ¡°Pardon the intrusion.¡±

    ¡°Ah! Welcome home Tenryu-iho, Flare-iha.¡±

    ¡°Welcome home, you two! Oh! And hello Nia!¡±

    Both Benny and Aunt Magma had greeted them but their gazes were affixed on Benny. He was wearing one of the shop¡¯s aprons but was splotched all over with what looked like flour. It even got into his hair and face.

    ¡°Benjamin?!¡±

    ¡°What the blitz happened to you?!¡±

    Benny turned slightly pink in embarrassment, ¡°Oh, I had a little accident tying to open the flour bag. But I¡¯m about to take a bath anyway so no problem. Do you need help with that, Ate Flare?¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    ¡°N-No, it¡¯s okay. But shouldn¡¯t you be resting?¡±

    ¡°Oh, the three of you try this! Benny-iho has made something quite special for us.¡±

    Aunt Magma was busy savoring something on a fork while indicating to a strange looking dish. It looked like half a circular block that seemed to be coated in cream and chunks of fruit.

    ¡°What is that? Some kind of pastry?¡± asks Tenryu

    ¡°It¡¯s a cake, of course.¡± says Benny.

    ¡°¡°A-A cake?¡±¡± exclaims Flare and Nia.

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Benny beamed at his creation front of the Fyreroars and Nia.

    It was a layered sponge cake, sandwiched and covered in butter cream and topped with Peach-mangoes. Benny made the extra effort of making roses out of cream.

    It was actually based out of the strawberry cake he often made with his grandmother Rebecca. It deviated a bit by using Peach-mangoes rather than strawberries but it turned out okay. Better actually. Benny was sure because sAunt Magma took a slice to taste.

    It went splendidly seeing the look of ecstasy on Aunt Magma¡¯s face when she tasted it while exclaiming how delicious it was.

    ¡°Did you make this, Benny?¡± asks Tenryu.

    ¡°Yeah, I did. It took me a while to get the flour bag open but other than that, everything went alright.¡±

    Both Nia and Flare were gaping at the cake in disbelief. Actually there was a good reason for this reaction.

    ¡°But isn¡¯t something that only nobles can have?!¡±

    ¡°Well, yeah¡­though I don¡¯t see why nobles should only get to taste this.¡± shrugs Benny.

    ¡°Uh, aren¡¯t cakes supposed to be for decorations? I hear they don¡¯t really taste good. They¡¯re just bread decorated fancily.¡±

    That seemed to be how cakes are made. It was similar to his world on how cakes used to start out. Basically, as what Nia said, a cake here is just bread that¡¯s decorated extravagantly. It is meant as simply a centerpiece of party of a noble or the wealthy. As for why only the nobles and the rich can afford such is because of the effort, materials and the artistic craftsmanship of the cake decorator would naturally make it quite expensive. As such, cakes are sometimes used to gouge the host¡¯s wealth. The bigger and more decorated the cake, the wealthier the person it seems.

    ¡°Well, nobles have cakes just for show but I didn¡¯t make this cake so you can just stare at it. This cake is for eating! And you can see this isn¡¯t just bread.¡±

    Benny indicates to the sliced part of the cake. The cake was revealed to have two layers, with cut peach-mangoes sandwiched in-between with butter cream.

    ¡°Blistering Blazes, it¡¯s just as pretty in the inside as the out!¡± Flare says in awe.

    ¡°Just wait till you taste it, Flare-iha! It¡¯s unbelievable!¡±

    ¡°So does anyone want a slice?¡±

    Benny cuts the cake into four equal slices and serves it to each of them.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s dig in!¡±

    Tenryu, Nia and Flare bit on their slices¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s so¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not good?¡±

    Benny felt slightly deflated. He thought he got it right since Aunt Magma seemed to like it.

    ¡°DELICIOUS!!!¡±

    Nia and Flare practically yelled in the top of their voice.

    Benny flinched in surprise.

    ¡°I doshn¡¯t ushually easht shweeths bhut thiss ish delichious!¡± Tenryu mutters as he chews on the cake.

    Benny frowns at Tenryu¡¯s bad manners, ¡°Tenryu, please don¡¯t talk with your mouth full.¡±

    Flare had a dreamy expression on her face as she continued commenting on the cake.

    ¡°The cream practically melts in your mouth! The texture is softer than bread! And the sweetness is just bursting forth in my tongue!¡±

    ¡°Indeed!¡± agrees Aunt Magma as she takes another bite and savors it. ¡°I¡¯ve tasted cake before but it was nothing compared to this!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve eaten a cake before, Auntie?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I once worked in catering a noble¡¯s party. You weren¡¯t born yet at that time. They had a large and well-decorated cake but it was indeed just for show. To be honest, it tasted terrible!¡±

    Aunt Magma took another bite of Benny¡¯s cake.

    ¡°But your cake, Benny-iho is not only nice to look at inside and out and it so delectable!¡±

    Benny blushed. ¡°I just wanted uplift the mood a bit since everyone was a little worried about me the past few days and all.¡±

    ¡°Well, you sure lifted my mood!¡± Tenryu licked his lips to get the last bit of the cream into his mouth.

    ¡°Where did you learn how to make something like this, Benny-iho?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, where did you learn it? And can I ask for the recipe?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been places and you pick up a few interesting things.¡± Benny casts a glance at Nia with a wink.

    ¡°Hey, there¡¯s still one more!¡± Tenryu pointed at the remaining fifth slice. ¡°Don¡¯t mind if I do!¡±

    Tenryu tries to reach for it but his wrist was grabbed by Flare.

    ¡°F-Flare-ate?¡±

    ¡°Oh no, you don¡¯t! I had my eye on that slice!¡±

    ¡°Like blazes it is!¡±

    Tenryu wasn¡¯t back down as he still tried to grab the slice of cake with his other hand. Flare had to maneuver him in a headlock.

    ¡°Blast it! Let go of me!¡±

    ¡°I said that cake is mine!¡±

    Benny could only stare at the scene in amusement. It seems grudges and competition for food is something common between the two worlds.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Aunt Magma snapped loudly causing the two to freeze.

    ¡°Benny-iho is the one who made this cake and he decides who should get it. Or rather¡­didn¡¯t you both notice that he cut the cake into five slices and that there are five of us?¡±

    ¡°¡°Ah~¡±¡±

    The last cake slice was obviously for Benny.

    ¡°Sorry Benny!¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t notice!¡±

    Both Flare and Tenryu (albeit with his head being forcibly pushed down) bowed in apology towards Benny.

    ¡°No, no, I¡¯m just glad you guys like the cake so much for seconds-¡±

    KNOCK* KNOCK* KNOCK*

    There was a loud knock at the sliding doors.

    Everyone turned towards the door.

    ¡°Strange, I thought I put up a sign outside that we are still closed.¡± says Aunt Magma.

    Benny frowned as he noticed a waft of dark purple Aura coming from the door. He had a general idea of who was knocking. And sure enough, as soon as Aunt Magma opened the door there stood George Loquat and two of his attendants from before. There was a large, rather stylish carriage that Benny had only seen in museums that was flanked by four soldiers.

    ¡°About time you opened up!¡±

    Loquat snapped at them all the while looking quite self-important.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be blitzing kidding me¡­¡± Tenryu grumbles as he sees Loquat at their doorstep.

    ¡°What the blitz is he doing here?¡± says Flare, who looked surprise and albeit cautious.

    Aunt Magma bowed politely, ¡°Young Lord Loquat, to what do I owe the pleasure-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not here for you, old bat.¡± Loquat cut her off with a rude statement.

    Benny, Nia and Flare looked very indignant at his words. Although Aunt Magma didn¡¯t seem to mind, Tenryu, however, was fuming in rage.

    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t you dare insult Magma-tia!¡± yells Tenryu angrily.

    Loquat simply looked at him as though he were dirt under his shoes. ¡°I¡¯ve forgotten you live in this dump.¡±

    Having his home called a dump, Tenryu was half in mind to pull out his sword but Flare quickly held him back in arm lock.

    ¡°Tenryu, don¡¯t!¡± Flare hissed in his ear.

    ¡°And I see you¡¯re still here Ms. Flare. Have you thought about my elder brother¡¯s offer to you?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s that, it¡¯s still a big fat NO.¡±

    Loquat simply looked amused. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t understand my elder brother¡¯s tastes but I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯ll come round.¡±

    It was clear from Flare¡¯s expression that whatever it was, there was no chance of that happening. But those words alone already gave Benny a clear picture.

    ¡°Did your brother sent you here to pester me with his proposal again?¡±

    Loquat snorted, ¡°He mentioned in passing but I¡¯m here for someone else. I¡¯ve heard that Benjamin Estrella currently lives here. Where is he?¡±

    Everyone had a dumbfounded expression. Benny and Nia were still sitting at the table inside the shop and they too had the same expressions.

    ¡°And what do you want with him?¡± says Tenryu.

    ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. Well, does he? Bring him out at once!¡±

    Though momentarily surprised that Loquat was here for him, Benny quickly stood up from the table and approached the doorway.

    ¡°I¡¯m here. Were you looking for me Mr. Loquat?¡±

    Loquat stares at him in surprise. At first, Benny though it was about his eye but apparently his surprise was because of something else.

    ¡°Ugh! You¡¯re a total mess. Don¡¯t you know how to take a bath? Don¡¯t tell me this shack doesn¡¯t even have one.¡±

    Benny felt rather offended for both himself and for the Fyreroars.

    If one were to say Benny was very particular of cleanliness. He even made sure to clean the kitchen after he was done using the place just now. And he always makes sure to keep himself tidy at every opportunity.

    ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t expecting a visitor from a noble house. And most especially from the one that cracked my shoulder the other day.¡±

    Even though his shoulder had already healed thanks to Nia, Benny said this to guilt trip the guy. But Loquat didn¡¯t look the least perturbed that he caused a serious injury to him.

    ¡°It was your own fault for getting away from my teaching that lowly brat a lesson. I see you are still in the company of peasants and sub-humans.¡± Loquat adds after seeing Nia.

    Benny felt an urge to wallop this guy with Magic but restrained himself.

    ¡°It seems you brought quite a number of companions to come along with you this time.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you mean them? Is it not obvious? After the recent events just this past week, father wanted to ensure my safety by sending some additional protection.¡± Loquat sounded quite superior as though being protected only meant to emphasize how precious he was.

    ¡°Hmm~¡­ So what do I owe the pleasure of you gracing our front door despite the danger?¡± Benny tried very much not to sound sarcastic.

    ¡°Benjamin Estrella, I heard a lot about how you were the one who captured the Grave Brothers and subjugated that creature at that lowly beast¡¯s shop.¡±

    Lowly beast? Is he referring to Mr. Venditore?

    Benny still kept a straight face but he felt that the number of people he was insulted for increasing. How many people was this guy going to insult until he was satisfied?

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t just me Mr. Loquat. Tenryu and Nia were with me at that time. We all worked together to defeat that thing.¡± Benny corrects him.

    But Loquat simply laughed as though he found this ludicrous.

    ¡°Are you saying this incompetent swordsman and this sub-human Healer helped you defeat that thing? Well, I can understand that most of the destruction at the beast¡¯s store is most likely that failure¡¯s doing.¡±

    Tenryu grit his teeth at the insult jab directed at him. Nia bit her lip at being called sub-human once more. Flare wanted to retort but Aunt Magma held her back.

    ¡°Regardless, I heard that your talent in Magic is quite exceptional.¡±

    Benny quickly tried to deny. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s bit is just exaggerated. In all honesty, I just began to practice Magic so I¡¯m totally beginner.¡±

    Total beginner he says¡­ Both Tenryu and Nia gave Benny a look which he ignored.

    ¡°I have my sources. It would seem that you have created some rather¡­unique¡­forms of Magic. Almost impossible¡­¡± Loquat gave a predatory smile as though he had encountered a juicy prey.

    Benny, on his part, had seen sensed that from reading the guy¡¯s Aura and was immediately on his guard. He knew what Loquat was insinuating. The words ¡°create¡± instead of ¡°use¡± as well as ¡°impossible¡± was a red flag. It would seem that there was a leak in information. The ones from Venditore¡¯s had promised him that they would keep it secret. So did the Fyreroars and Nia.

    He could only guess that it was most likely the Grave Brothers had probably told a number of people. Though he had hoped that due to the impossible status of those Magic Spells he had used, people wouldn¡¯t believe them so easily.

    Benny became suspicious as to where Loquat got the information. There was a chance he heard it from up the grapevine but Loquat seemed rather confident in his ¡°sources.¡±  Nevertheless, he simply shrugged as though to say it was nothing.

    Loquat frowned at his gesture but quickly returned to his superior smile. ¡°Well, either way it would seem you have a natural talent for Magic. I¡¯m quite interested in your potential. That is why¡­¡±

    He then pointed his finger at Benny.

    ¡°¡­come to my household and work for me as my retainer.¡±

 Chapter 35 - Admonition of the Stars

    Come to his household and become his retainer he says. When Nia and Flare heard that they both stiffened. Aunt Magma gave a troubled look.

    Tenryu looked confused from their reactions. ¡°A retainer¡­?¡±

    ¡°Noble families sometimes scout people with talents to work under them as their retainers.¡± Nia explains in a hushed whisper. ¡°Normally, it¡¯s a good thing and quite the honor. There are also a ton of benefits plus you have a stable job and income. However¡­¡±

    ¡°But since this is George Loquat and the Loquat Family we are talking about¡­¡± Flare frowns at the situation in front of her.

    Tenryu looked at Benny, who kept calm expression. ¡°Oi Benny! Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re gonna accept his offer?!¡±

    ¡°The incompetent peasant over there should stay quiet!¡± Loquat gives Tenryu a glare of disdain before turning his attention to Benny. ¡°Well, Estrella. If you accept my offer, then you can be certain of the benefits provided by Loquat House. And you don¡¯t have to be bothered by these lowly peasants ever again.¡±

    Everyone looked at Benny. His back was turned towards them so they couldn¡¯t see his expression.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be generous enough to let have these guys help you pack. Not that you even have that much anyway-¡±

    Benny looked Loquat straight in the eyes and said, ¡°Sorry, but I decline.¡±

    ¡°Oh? So you want to do it yourself. A hard worker, aren¡¯t you-?¡±

    ¡°No, I decline your offer of being a retainer.¡± Benny said his words firmly to hammer it in.

    There was a few seconds of silence.

    His immediate reply stunned Loquat.

    ¡°W-What did you say?!¡± Loquat acted as if he couldn¡¯t believe his ears. Most likely this was the first time someone actually denied him.

    The attendants were also surprised as their boss but not as intense a reaction as Loquat.

    ¡°I¡¯m saying no. Thanks for your offer anyway though.¡±

    Tenryu and the others stared dumbfounded at Benny. Yet at the same time, they couldn¡¯t help but feel a little relieved.

    ¡°You¡¯re turning down an offer from a noble to work under them?! Do you know what you are even saying~¡±

    ¡°I know exactly what I¡¯m saying.¡± Benny didn¡¯t let him finish his sentence which stunned the guy into silence, ¡°And I reject your offer because it doesn¡¯t suit me at all. Besides¡­I already have my own goals to follow. Plus I have people who are supporting me. I know that I won¡¯t be having the support of a noble family such as yours but I¡¯m more than satisfied with where I am right now.¡±

    Loquat took a few seconds to process his words before bursting out in mocking laughter.

    ¡°What a fool! Are you saying you want to continue staying with these pathetic commoners rather than work for my glorious household?! You¡¯re nothing but a fool!¡±

    Benny simply shrugged, ¡°Perhaps, I am. Let me ask you something Mr. Loquat but what exactly makes you someone worth serving?¡±

    His unexpected question stopped his laughter, ¡°Huh? Is it not obvious? I was born into the glorious Loquat House!¡±

    ¡°And what else?¡±

    ¡°What else? Is that not a good enough reason?¡±

    This time it was Benny who snorted in derision. Finally dropping his pretense of cordial respect, he was now giving a Loquat a gaze full of disdain. Benny¡¯s mismatched eyes also emphasized the severity of his gaze which Loquat naturally flinched away from that.

    ¡°W-What¡¯s with those eyes?! How dare you give such a look-¡±

    Benny cleanly cut him off, ¡°Being born into a great family doesn¡¯t guarantee that the person himself is great. What exactly have you done that gives you merit? What have you done that earns the respect of others? What earns you the right to look down on others and trample all over them, their efforts and achievements? Just because you were born into a noble family you have that right? Don¡¯t give me that crap. That¡¯s not a good enough reason for me.¡±

    Benny was throwing words like daggers at Loquat, who was backing away from him.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m noble, you commoner! How dare you speak to me like tha-¡±

    But Benny cut him off once more, ¡°If you say that being born into a noble family is all that you¡¯re worth then you are nothing but a total nobody who is simply riding on your family¡¯s coattails.¡±

    ¡°W-What?!¡±

    This was the first time someone had the gall to insult him right in the face. A foolish boy who has been spoiled so much by being born into nobility has only been used to flattery and fear of those of lower stature. Naturally, someone who was actually standing up to him was something Loquat has never encountered before and it shocked him into incoherence.

    Actually, it wasn¡¯t just him. Everyone was stunned speechless by Benny¡¯s blatant words.

    ¡°In addition to that¡­¡±

    He wasn¡¯t finished?! Everyone thought.

    ¡°What do you even know about Tenryu, Nia or even Mr. Venditore?¡±

    ¡°What do I know?!¡± Loquat was acting as though he was asked the most stupid question in the world. ¡°They¡¯re nothing more than commoners! Mere peasants! They¡¯re not even human!¡±

    Benny jabbed a thumb at Tenryu, ¡°Tenryu is clearly a human, you know?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s no different from a wild beast!¡± scoffed Loquat.

    ¡°What the blitz did you say?!¡±

    Benny ignored Tenryu¡¯s outburst and continued, ¡°And you coming from nobility or human would make you better than them?¡±

    ¡°Is that not obvious? Of course! Why are you asking such obvious and pointless questions?¡±

    Benny had already expected that kind of answer. Characters like Loquat were easy to read. But it did not stop him from retorting.

    ¡°Either you¡¯re blind or just ignoring what¡¯s in front of you just for the sake of preserving your empty nobility status and racist ideals.¡±

    There was another moment of shocked silence.

    Everyone around there couldn¡¯t believe their ears. They probably never encountered someone who could so brazenly insult a noble without restraint. Loquat, on his part has never met someone who would say such things to him before. All his life, everyone simply went along with his wishes or held their heads down due to him being a noble. The obvious result was him and the rest of his family became spoiled and were rotten to the core.

    ¡°The people you¡¯ve been insulting here and there actually made great strides on what they do and the effort they put into achieving what they have. It amazes me that you can belittle them so easily given that you don¡¯t know them really well or that you haven¡¯t done anything noteworthy.¡±

    Loquat was looking around wildly as though to look for an anchor to preserve his dignity as a noble. He glances at Tenryu and Nia and starts throwing some in insults about them.

    ¡°Are you insinuating that that incompetent swordsman and that sub-human Healer are better than me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not giving a comparison on anything, Mr. Loquat. They just deserve my respect. And Tenryu is not incompetent! For the record, fix your terms. He is not just as swordsman but a Swordsmage. His skills as a Swordsmage and his hero-like character make him one of the most amazing people I¡¯ve met.¡±

    Tenryu turned bright red upon hearing that. The feeling of someone praising you, especially since he always gets criticism, was making him feel uncomfortable. Flare gave a slight smirk at her brother. Aunt Magma felt rather touched and grateful of Benny¡¯s positive view towards Tenryu.

    ¡°And towards Nia, you¡¯re mocking her as a Healer because she¡¯s ¡°sub-human? Just because Nia is from a different race her skills a Healer is nothing to laugh about! She saved my life I¡¯ll have you know!¡±

    Nia fidgeted uncomfortably at his words. She too was pink in the cheeks. Aunt Magma saw that and whispered to herself in amusement.

    ¡°And even Mr. Venditore. He runs an honest business and works hard for his business to prosper. He even treats his subordinates well. Something you seem to be a failure at Mr. Loquat.¡±

    Loquat flinched once more as Benny described him as a failure.

    ¡°In the end, how can you even dare to belittle them when you can¡¯t even compare to them. Is it just because you¡¯re a noble? Don¡¯t give me such a pathetic reason. I¡¯ve said this before. Without your birth as a nobleman, you¡¯re practically nothing.¡±

    Loquat was backing away, ¡°How dare you?! I¡¯m offering you an opportunity to work under me for the esteemed Loquat House and instead you dare to insult me?!¡±

    Benny had lost his patience already with this guy, ¡°You¡¯re complaining about being insulted? I can¡¯t believe you actually know that term. Since that¡¯s the only thing you¡¯ve been doing since I¡¯ve met you the other day! And what¡¯s worse you do that to everyone as natural as breathing air. Why the blitz should I work for someone like you? You should improve yourself before you try to get any respect from others!¡±

    Loquat had bypassed puce and was now red from anger.

    ¡°Y-You¡­¡± He turned towards his attendants and knights, ¡°Both of you! No, all of you two! Strike down this insolent fool now!¡±

    ¡°Both of you! No, all of you two! Strike down this insolent fool now!¡±

    ¡°What? B-But young master-¡±

    ¡°What are you waiting for?!¡±

    ¡°Our job is to protect you from being attacked¡­the boy has done nothing of the sort!¡±

    ¡°Though he may be running his mouth here and there.¡± someone added timidly.

    ¡°We could get in trouble for this! The law prohibits such actions.¡±

    ¡°WHAT ARE YOU ALL BLABBERING ABOUT?! I DON¡¯T CARE WHAT THE LAW SAYS! I SAID DO IT NOW!!!¡±

    Loquat screamed at all of them.

    The attendants and the knights looked albeit reluctant but still they followed their master¡¯s orders and pulled out their weapons. Both of them wielded short daggers that were glowing with sparks of electricity! The four knights also pulled out there swords which emitted electric sparks as well.

    ¡°Benny! Look out!¡±

    In response, Tenryu quickly unsheathed his sword and Nia readying her umbrella.

    Flare quickly pulled out a pair of daggers from her sleeves. She stood in front of Aunt Magma to defend her from obvious fight that was to follow.

    Nearby, several by-standers who were watching the scene started to flee the area.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have you pay of your insolence, Estrella! You will pay for your transgression!¡±

    Loquat shouts as he pulls out his baton. The very same one he had used on Benny the other time. And just like the last time it was emitting sparks of electricity.

    ¡°It was foolish of me to even consider giving you a chance to be a retainer to the glorious me!  No, that¡¯s right! You¡¯re the real fool! A compete fool! A moron! In the end, you¡¯re just like the rest of them. You¡¯re nothing more than but mere pathetic commoners! They have no class, no standing, not to mention they are so poor!¡±

    Though his ears had been assaulted with so much vitriol Benny knew there was no getting through with this noble superiority thing of Loquat¡¯s. He was so attached to his high horse that he couldn¡¯t accept there were a lot people who were way better than him. Or rather, he was desperate to push his superiority as a noble. In fact it was even showing physically, all that plastic handsomeness had peeled away into a demented-looking person.

    ¡°You think you can get away with insulting me?! My father has destroyed all those who¡¯ve dared to insult us! We won¡¯t just stop with punishing you!¡±

    Loquat casted an evil gaze towards the Fyreroars as he points his baton towards them.

    ¡°We¡¯ll ruin that pathetic shack of a shop just like how those other filthy shops who dare to not go our way!¡±

    Flare threw a fierce glare while tightening her grip on her Wakizashi. Aunt Magma, who was standing behind her, gave a deeply troubled look.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°Blast it! I¡¯ll burn you to a crisp!¡±

    Angered at that threat to his home and family, Tenryu had lit his sword on fire and made moves to attack but Nia gripped his arm to restrain him.

    ¡°Let go, Nia!¡±

    ¡°Tenryu, you¡¯re going to make things worse!¡±

    Although perturbed by this sudden development, something about what Loquat just said right now was something he couldn¡¯t overlook.

    ¡°Ruin?! W-What can you possibly do to ruin a shop?¡±

    Benny acted as though he was very scared but from all the stories and light novels he had read, the villain more often reveal their secret plans whenever they believe they have power over you and that they think you can¡¯t do anything against them.

    Or so they think.

    And it seems Loquat took the bait.

    ¡°Ha! We nobles have our ways! Hiring mercenaries to attack the suppliers of our competitor the Adora Trading Company and planting stolen goods like what we did to that lowly beast-ran Plithora Pharmacy is a simple task to us nobles!¡±

    Oi¡­this guy is basically admitting his family has done crimes! Or rather is he actually just admitting this in public?  Benny thought.

    Benny lifted his gaze towards Loquat¡¯s attendants and knights. They all looked troubled as though they had been roped into becoming accomplices. From the Aura that wafted from them. It would seem that they feel ¡°trapped.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t the Adora Trading Company the one that went bankrupt a few months ago?¡± Flare whispered to Aunt Magma.

    ¡°I heard the rumors that the Loquat Family had something involved so it was indeed true.¡± Aunt Magma whispered back. Her usual kind face was frowning in outrage.

    ¡°And the Plithora Pharmacy¡­that was run by good people. So it was the Loquat Family that did this? Unforgivable!¡± Nia was shaking in anger but she maintained her grip Tenryu.

    ¡°That¡¯s it! I¡¯m gonna roast him! Let go of me already, Nia! How long are you going to keep me back from beating that guy up?!¡±

    Tenryu was like a volcano with plug over its crater. Nia holding him back was making him concentrate exploding power.

    But Nia tightened her grip on his arm, ¡°No, Tenryu! I told you, you¡¯ll make things worse!¡±

    As this was all going on, Benny continued. ¡°You do realize that you just admitted all that in front of many witnesses?¡±

    Loquat laughed like a madman, ¡°Ha! Lowly commoners have no credibility in their words compared to nobles! You fools have nothing to prove it anyway! Do you realize how powerless you are to us nobles?!¡±

    Benny was already getting way past annoyed and has had enough of this guy. Plus he¡¯s obviously under threat here.

    So with his hand in his pocket he traced to form a certain formation.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make you regret! You and the rest of them-¡±

    ¡°Horologium¡­¡± whispers Benny.

    All at once, everyone froze in time.

    After he had confirmed that everyone had indeed stood still.

    Benny smiled evilly at Loquat, who was frozen in mid-rant, ¡°This is payback for all that crap you¡¯ve been spewing off¡­¡±

    ***a few minutes later***

    When Benny was done in that time space he stood at where he was prior and undid the Time Spell.

    ¡°¡­are nothing more than mere tra-AAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!¡±

    Everyone (minus Benny although he tried to act like it) jolted from his sudden scream.

    ¡°¡°¡°¡°Young master!¡±¡±¡±¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?!¡±

    Loquat fell to ground and curled up while twitching in pain. His baton clanged to the ground with a thud. He was grasping his face, then backside, and also¡­well, it seemed he was pinning his arm between his legs and grasping his stomach. In fact, he didn¡¯t where to grasp! Tears and snot were leaking out of his nose and eyes. Strange enough, it snapped him out of his demented state.

    ¡°Eh? What the blitz is going on with him?¡± Tenryu looks at him in disgust.

    ¡°Let me take a look! Back pain? Stomach pain? Maybe I can-¡± Nia makes moves to approach Loquat but the guy flinches away from her.

    ¡°Stay¡­away¡­from me¡­you sub-human!¡±

    ¡°Hey! Watch your mouth! Even if you don¡¯t deserve it, she was just trying to help you!¡± Flare snaps at him.

    Nia still tries to approach the protesting Loquat, ¡°Even so¡­it¡¯s my duty too-¡±

    ¡°I said stay away!¡± Loquat shouts even louder, despite the pain he¡¯s in.

    Benny finally blocks her way with an arm, ¡°Nia, stop it. He obviously doesn¡¯t want your aid.¡±

    ¡°But still as a Remedician-¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s still within his rights to refuse, isn¡¯t it?¡± he says to her before he addresses the attendants, ¡°Um, I think you should take, Mr. Loquat to the City Healing Facility. He might need some medical attention from people he¡¯s alright with.¡±

    The two attendants, who avoided their gaze at him, nodded as they both carried their young master away to the carriage.

    Loquat casts a glare at Benny ¡°Know your mistake, Estrella! Mark my words! You¡¯ll be regretting-¡±

    With a loud sigh, Benny simply approached him casually. He holds up something for all of them to see.

    ¡°The only one who¡¯ll be regretting here¡­is you Mr. Loquat.¡±

    He showed them a small rectangular device: his smartphone.

    The screen was playing a video of a scene earlier.

    ¡°Both of you! No, all of you two! Strike down this insolent fool now!¡±

    ¡°What? B-But young master-¡±

    ¡°Our job is to protect you from being attacked! The boy has done nothing of the sort!¡±

    ¡°We could get in trouble for this!¡±

    ¡°WHAT ARE YOU ALL BLABBERING ABOUT?! I DON¡¯T CARE WHAT THE LAW SAYS! I SAID DO IT NOW!!!¡±

    Loquat and the rest of them froze in disbelief. Naturally they¡¯ve never seen a device that replays a whole scene before.

    ¡°W-What is this?!¡±

    Both Tenryu and Nia¡¯s eyes widened when they saw him pulled out his smartphone in front of Loquat. They knew full well functions of that smartphone but Benny insisted upon them to keep it quiet for a bit. And because they knew what if could do, they had an idea what Benny was up to. Flare and Aunt Magma, on the other hand, both looked confused at the little device that seemed to be emitting sounds.

    ¡°Hey Auntie, what is that thing Benny holding up there?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­but doesn¡¯t that sound coming from it sound like earlier?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll get it now, Estrella! I¡¯ll have you pay of your insolence! It was foolish of me to even consider giving you a chance to be a retainer to the glorious me!  No, that¡¯s right! You¡¯re the real fool! A compete fool! A moron! In the end, they¡¯re nothing but mere pathetic commoners! They have no class, no standing, not to mention they are so poor!¡±

    ¡°This, Mr. Loquat, is evidence that you were the one who initiated a deadly strike. Not to mention your blatant ignorance of the law and the warnings of your retainers. Even your insults are here for everyone to see once more.¡±

    Loquat was shocked, ¡°Impossible! I¡¯ve never heard of a Magical device that can do that!¡±

    Benny casually ignored him and flipped the video.

    ¡°Although, what¡¯s more interesting¡­is this part.¡±

    ¡°Ha! We nobles have our ways! Hiring mercenaries to attack the suppliers of our competitor the Adora Trading Company and planting stolen goods like what we did to that lowly beast-ran Plithora Pharmacy is a simple task to us nobles!¡±

    All color drained from Loquat¡¯s face. That mysterious device had somehow replicated the scene where he basically admitted some of the crimes his family committed.

    ¡°As you say, a commoners¡¯ testimony wouldn¡¯t amount much. But I¡¯m pretty sure your own words incriminating yourself will be more than enough. Judging from this, this may bring trouble for your ¡°glorious¡± family. It would be pretty difficult to refute since you already admitted it. In the end, you all will be the one facing criminal charges, no?¡±

    It would seem that this situation was very much like the old days in his world where anyone could get away with things because they did not have such convenient methods such as a video recording to gather evidence. Nobles had the upper hand because their word is often taken more seriously than a mere commoners. But if the situation presented itself in actual it¡¯s hard to refute.

    Of course, nobody had such access to a convenient device.

    Then again¡­Benny did omit the part where he admonished and provoked Loquat so it¡¯s basically a tampered piece of evidence.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to go spreading this around, leave and never bother us again.¡±

    Benny pockets his phone away and walks away.

    ¡°Y-You¡­you think you can get away with this?! I can just take that device away from you!¡± It would seem that Loquat tried to regain some bit of his bravado and was now ordering his grunts desperately. ¡°All of you! Apprehend that-!¡±

    However, Benny¡¯s voice cut him of once more.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to see you try but with this as evidence, I can say what I¡¯m about to do now is justified as defense¡­¡± Benny turned to face Loquat while gathering Manna. ¡°Let me show you who you¡¯re up against¡­¡±

    Loquat did not know what he meant by that. But then he felt a surge of Magic Power coming from Benny. Even if he was splotched with flour and was wearing an apron. To everyone else, he exuded an aura similar to War God readying for battle!

    ¡°W-What the blitz is this Magic Pressure? Benny had that much power in him?¡± stammers Flare, feeling the sudden tension in the air.

    This Magic Power¡­Aunt Magma stands silent but the power she felt made her feel a strong sense of nostalgia.

    Tenryu and Nia felt the hair in their skin stand. They felt this power once before back at Marblewood.

    And Benny began to chant in his mind. He already had a clear idea that he could cast a Spell simply by thinking the incantation out loud. As for the Spell itself, it was a Spell he had read the night before. He felt a strange connection to as though he was confident he could cast such a Spell.

    ¡°O eti et sajnz ?v e? h?v?nz¡­?ajn eaj redi?nt lajt¡­ Almagest, aj b?g ?v ei¡­l?nd eaj paw?r¡­ G?e?r e? ¦Èawz?nd starz¡­?lum?net e? darkn?s¡­ S?l?st??l gardi?nz hu rul e? skaj¡­k?m f?r¦È ?nd p?rd? e? iv?l b?f?r mi¡­¡±

    (O eighty-eight signs of the Heavens...shine thy radiant light...Almagest, I beg of thee¡­lend thy power... Gather the thousand stars...illuminate the darkness¡­ Celestial Guardians who rule the sky... come forth and purge the evil before me...)

    He raised his hand towards the afternoon sky and instantly horizon was filled with stars!

    Everyone stood in shock as they saw all this.

    Loquat trembled pathetically. All his bravado and overbearing demeanor melted into fear.

    His attendants and knights also trembled with the same feelings. As far as they were concerned, they¡¯ve never encountered a Spell that manipulated the stars before nor of one that exuded power of this scale. What¡¯s even more, the boy in front of them was casting this Spell without a visible Magic Tool.

    ¡°W-What is this?!¡±

    ¡°That kid is using Magic without Magic Tool!¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Conjurer Ability?!¡±

    ¡°At this scale, this is clearly dangerous!¡±

    ¡°What the blitz is going on?! I¡¯ve never seen Magic like this before!¡± yelled Flare as she gazed up the starry sky.

    Both Tenryu and Nia stared at the sky as though they recognize this scene.

    ¡°Blistering Blazes¡­Nia, isn¡¯t this?!¡±

    ¡°Yes! It¡¯s that Magic! The one Benjamin used before!¡±

    Benny pointed his finger down on Loquat and his cronies.

    ¡°W-Wait a minute!¡±

    Loquat tried to say something but Benny wasn¡¯t having any of it. However, Benny wasn¡¯t the type to do such things in cold blood. So he moved his finger to the air high above them and said in a clear voice.

    ¡°Harmonia Macrocosmica!¡±

    The stars began falling, becoming like comets and converging to the point he was pointing at. For an instant, a huge sphere of light hovered right above them like a giant star.

    And then it exploded!

    KABOOOOMM!!!

    The exploding sphere released a shockwave of energy that caused everyone to be knocked off their feet. Benny managed to stay on his feet.

    After the explosions subsided, everyone stared shell shocked at Benny. Loquat, white with fear, was now looking at him as though he encountered the artificial demon. What¡¯s more pathetic is that his pants seemed to be dripping wet with a strong odor that Benny could even smell from a distance.

    Benny didn¡¯t really care though as he glared down at Loquat.

    ¡°That was a mere warning shot. Next time, you mess around with the people I care about again I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯ll experience it first-hand. Hammer this into your brain. You have no hold over me. You can¡¯t threaten me. If you understand, now get the blitz out of here!¡±

    Benny unconsciously released another Magic Pressure towards him.

    ¡°HIIIIIII~!!¡±

    Loquat scrambled into his carriage while leaving a peculiar wet trail. His attendants followed suit. The knight quickly got aboard the carriage and they all drove off in a hurry!

    They soon turned a corner and vanished.

    After a tense few seconds, Benny breathed a sigh of relief. But in an honest sense, he was panicking deep down.

    I can¡¯t believe I just went mafia against noble! What the blitz was I doing?! No wait¡­that guy seriously pissed me off so I guess it¡¯s justified¡­

    ¡°Benny!¡± Tenryu¡¯s voice managed to get his attention. He saw him ran towards Benny with sparkling eyes. ¡°That was blazingly amazing! That¡¯s first time I¡¯ve seen Loquat ran off like that!

    ¡°It¡¯s that Magic he used just now is more blazingly amazing!¡± Flare points out, she was looking a Benny as though she was really seeing him for the first time, ¡°I thought that Tenryu¡¯s claims about you were a little exaggerated but after seeing for myself I guess he was actually spot on!¡±

    What exactly did Tenryu claim about me? Benny thought.

    ¡°Where did you even learn how to do it? And what¡¯s more, what is that thing you showed him that caused Loquat to back off.¡±

    Flare excitedly asked him some rather difficult questions. However, Benny had already prepared his answers beforehand.

    ¡°I¡¯ve studied a bit of Magic but I¡¯m basically self study. As for the thing I pulled out earlier, you can say it¡¯s a Magical Device that has a special function of replaying a memory. It was given to me a few years back by someone special.¡±

    Benny added in order to dispel the idea that he made it immediately. Although it was true in a way as his smartphone was a birthday gift.

    ¡°I¡¯m not much for Magical Crafting but if it can do that it is no doubt amazing! But still that Magic you used was really something!¡±

    Benny blushed uncomfortably, ¡°Ah, but I really went and threatened a noble. I know he would probably not make any moves but I may have overdone things¡­¡±

    ¡°You saying ¡°overdone things¡± is what I¡¯d say an understatement, Benjamin.¡±

    ¡°Well, don¡¯t be. He deserves it. But Blistering Blazes! I really hate that guy! Threatening whatever people he sees.¡± Tenryu grumbled still feeling a little ticked at all the insults Loquat hurled at them.

    ¡°He really is no different from the rest of the Loquat Family. His brother especially...¡±

    ¡°But still¡­¡± says Nia, still looking concern, ¡°I¡¯m worried. He may have contracted a disease or something.¡±

    ¡°So what? It¡¯s his problem not ours! I can¡¯t believe that you¡¯re showing sympathy to that rotten little fruit!¡± grumbles Tenryu.

    Benny had a slight smirk of admiration as to how dedicated she was to her vocation as a healer despite that maltreatment and disrespect from the ¡°patient.¡±

    ¡°But seriously¡­ Why did he suddenly fall down like that? I doubt he was just throwing a tantrum.¡± Flare shook her head.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. And I don¡¯t really care about that big baby.¡± Benny shrugged with Tenryu grinning in agreement.

    Aunt Magma cleared her throat, ¡°Anyhow, all of you better head back in get ready for dinner. Tenryu-iho, you and Benny-iho need a bath. And Flare-iha, let¡¯s start preparing the ingredients.¡±

    ¡°Will do, Auntie.¡±

    ¡°Do I really smell that bad?¡±

    As they went inside Benny was pulled close by Nia and she whispered in his ear.

    ¡°Benjamin¡­ What did you do? Look me in the face and tell me. Don¡¯t avert your gaze and especially don¡¯t whistle! Playing dumb like that is pretty obvious.¡±

    He was obviously not fooling her.

    ¡°Oh, alright. I just gave him a few slaps to the face¡­¡±

    She stared at him, ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Also¡­probably kicked him several times in the butt¡­¡±

    ¡°But how could you have done all that without anyone¡­knowing. Benjamin, you didn¡¯t¡­¡± stammers Nia with a sudden realization.

    ¡°You guessed it. I simply used Horologium to freeze time for a bit¡­then gave Loquat a beating without him realizing it.¡±

    ¡°I knew it¡­¡± Nia sighs in consternation, ¡°Benjamin, as much as I dislike George Loquat as a person, it doesn¡¯t mean you should do something so underhanded!¡±

    ¡°Actually, I consider this as simply revenge for insulting my friends, breaking my shoulder, threatening the Fyreroars¡¯ shop¡­actually, because he is simply a jerk to everyone. In fact, you shouldn¡¯t bother healing a guy like that.¡±

    ¡°But still-¡±

    ¡°And besides, I don¡¯t think he¡¯d want you touching his groin. To be honest, I wouldn¡¯t want you either.¡±

    Nia turned pink, ¡°Benjamin! That¡¯s vulgar! Why would I touch-¡±

    ¡°I also gave him a well-aimed kick¡­a little further down there.¡± adds Benny with a smile.

    ¡°Benny¡­ for you to go straight to the symbol of males¡­you¡¯re actually sadistic, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°No, no, I¡¯m not a Super S! Honestly, I wouldn¡¯t be satisfied just¡­ah¡­¡±

    All of a sudden, he felt his knees give way and he collapsed. The strength in his legs completely drained.

    ¡°Benjamin!¡±

    Nia managed to steady him before he fell to the ground.

    Tenryu, Flare and Aunt Magma, alerted by the sudden noise looked back and saw Benny turning pale.

    ¡°Benny!¡±

    ¡°Benny-iho!¡±

    ¡°Blistering Blazes, are you alright?!¡±

    Benny gave a weak smile, ¡°I guess I¡¯ve completely drained myself again. Using two powerful Spells really takes a lot out of you...hehe¡­¡±

    ¡°The blitz is with that ¡°hehe¡±?! You still haven¡¯t recovered and you¡¯ve pushed yourself again with using powerful Magic!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine enough now. I just need to rest. A good bath will do me good.¡±

    Tenryu sighs as he approaches Benny and helps him, ¡°Here let me help you.¡±

    Sniff*¡± Benny wrinkles his nose. ¡°Ugh¡­Tenryu you really stink like sweat.¡±

    Tenryu felt as though Benny¡¯s words solidified into rocks smacked him on the head. Flare smirks at Tenryu with an ¡°I-Told-You-So¡± look.

    ***

    While Benny was casting his Spell.

    Aunt Magma was looking at the scene with shocked silence. The sight of this powerful Spell made her heart was shaking. She couldn¡¯t believe what she was seeing. But her eyes widened in recognition. It¡¯s that Magic! So Benny-iho really is~

    ¡°Harmonia Macrocosmica!¡±

    Benny sent the stars to explode right above Loquat and his cronies.

    Aunt Magma and Flare managed to brace themselves from the shockwave.

    ¡°Auntie, are you alright?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m f-fine¡­¡±

    ¡°Blistering Blazes¡­Tenryu did say Benny was incredibly strong in Magic but this is an understatement!¡±

    Indeed¡­ But I don¡¯t think that¡¯s even a fraction of his true power¡­

    After the explosion subsided, Benny sent Loquat and company scurrying like rats. But naturally as a result, Benny nearly collapsed from Manna Depletion fatigue. After he was tended to by Nia, Tenryu and Flare, Aunt Magma decided she needed to consult her old friends.

 Chapter 36 - Shared Secret and Decision

    Although Benny wanted to help out in the kitchen he was immediately denied by NIa and told to head back up and rest. At least, that was what he was supposed to do.

    ¡°I want to show you something.¡±

    Tenryu leads him to closet. At first, he thought that Tenryu had kept something precious in there. But he was well aware that they cleaned out the closet along the rest of the room at that time. So there was nothing much in that closet apart from spare bed sheets and clothes. That was until Tenryu pulled a long, hidden cord in a corner of their room. A hidden ceiling door pops open and a long ladder falls down.

    ¡°It¡¯s been awhile since I climbed up here. Come on!¡±

    Following Tenryu up the ladder, Benny found himself up on the roof of the house.

    Here, Benny was greeted with a wonderful sight: the view of Amberose City at night.

    Lights from the homes gave the whole city a soft illuminating glow. Even from here, Benny could see the golden spires of Milagros Cathedral, illuminated from the lights below as though a spotlight was shining upon the cathedral. And up above the sky, seven moons were glistening into beautiful luminous crescents.

    ¡°Wow!¡±

    ¡°Does the night sky in your world looks like this one?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a little different but almost similar. We only have one moon in the sky not seven.¡±

    ¡°Huh? There¡¯s only one moon? Oh, yeah, I saw that in my dreams.¡±

    ¡°Just how much of my world where you peeking in your dreams? Well, the stars are not as bright as here. Because the cities in my world have way too many lights at night that you can¡¯t even see them anymore unless you¡¯re in the mountains.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? Weird.¡±

    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t call the normal scene from my home world weird!¡±

    Tenryu looks up at the moons he has always seen since he was a young child.

    ¡°So you come up here often, Tenryu?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a place I like to hang around back before when my room¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­was a total disaster zone?¡±

    ¡°Y-You didn¡¯t have to put it that way!¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s true though.¡±

    ¡°Uuu¡­¡±

    Benny grins at him and though annoyed at first Tenryu grins back at him. For a while, both of them stared out at the night sky in silence. A cool breeze blew by which made sitting there quite comfortable.

    ¡°Say Benny?¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°That Spell you used against Loquat earlier¡­was it something you¡¯ve read from that Spellbook?¡±

    ¡°Ah? Yeah. I¡¯ve read that Spell a couple of nights back.¡± Benny scratched his cheek uncomfortably. ¡°To be honest, it was the first time that I used that Spell. Didn¡¯t think I could successfully pull it off though~¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯ve done it before.¡±

    ¡°H-Huh?¡±

    Tenryu looked at him with hard stare, ¡°You know? The thing with Cajun Bun.¡±

    Tenryu is still messing up that Bandit¡¯s name. Benny thought with a sweatdrop.

    ¡°You¡¯ve used that Spell back before at Marblewood Town. That what really defeated him.¡±

    Tenryu¡¯s words left him dumbstruck. That was the first time Benny heard that. He couldn¡¯t remember that part.

    ¡°Eh? But I don¡¯t remember doing any of that.¡±

    ¡°You were out of it at that time. Nia says you were so exhausted from using Magic for the first time that using a big Spell at that state affected your memories or something.¡±

    And come to think of it, he couldn¡¯t remember how they managed to defeat Cactus Hun. But he has heard of people forgetting the last thing they did after passing out of exhaustion. So probably that may have been the case.

    ¡°Well, you got me worried there for a moment because you went and used that against Loquat and look what happened.¡±

    ¡°S-Sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°At least you didn¡¯t pass out this time! Ha! Ha! Ha!¡±

    Benny frowned at him. This was probably payback for his earlier quip. But Tenryu¡¯s laughter already became subdued.

    ¡°Speaking of that guy¡­What made you not to accept Loquat¡¯s offer to become a retainer for his family?¡±

    ¡°Is there a reason why I should do something as stupid as that?¡±

    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t it obvious? Flare-ate and Nia says that being retainers to a noble family can get you a lot benefits like financial support and influence. They may be a bunch of foolish nobles but I thought you might be able to use that to your advantage in finding a method back to your world.¡±

    Benny blinked a couple of times, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you¡¯d be able to think that much Tenryu.¡±

    ¡°W-What the blitz?! I¡¯m being serious here!¡±

    ¡°Well, either way, there¡¯s no way I¡¯d go and work for that jerk. He and his family are obviously more trouble than what they could help me. Besides¡­you think I¡¯d rather be with a manipulative and selfish bunch like that rather than with a friend who genuinely cares for me?¡±

    Tenryu felt happy being called a friend by Benny however he still couldn¡¯t shake of the feeling that Benny wasted an opportunity.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not in a hurry.¡±

    ¡°But don¡¯t you want to go back home? I mean that¡¯s where your family and friends are?¡±

    Benny avoided his gaze and fell silent for a moment. ¡°I-I do¡­but I¡¯m trying to be at least realistic at the same time.¡±

    Tenryu stared at him in silence before speaking again, ¡°You know¡­I¡¯ve been meaning to ask. Do you have something going on with your family?¡±

    That sudden question from out of the blue threw Benny, ¡°E-Eh? Why do ask?¡±

    ¡°Well, you seem uncomfortable whenever the subject comes up.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you be feeling that way if you¡¯re in another world and someone suddenly asks you that? It¡¯s an awkward thing.¡±

    ¡°I guess so but I always felt that there was actually more to it than it seems.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­um¡­¡± Benny felt tongue-tied as to what to say.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me if you don¡¯t want to. But just so you¡¯d know you¡¯re not the only one he feels awkward when it comes to family. I mean, I do too.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡±

    Benny was surprised about this. It always seemed that Tenryu was very close to Aunt Magma and despite Flare¡¯s rather harsh strictness towards her brother it seemed like a typical sibling bantering and no true ill will. At least, that¡¯s how Benny was able to gouge it through the Aura Sight and his personal opinion.

    ¡°I¡¯m adopted.¡±

    Tenryu suddenly let out a word bomb.

    ¡°Adopted?¡±

    Tenryu grinned but in a hollow sort of way, ¡°Yeah...¡±

    ¡°R-Really? I couldn¡¯t tell! I thought you guys were really blood relatives. I mean with the red hair and all plus the personality.¡±

    ¡°Well, we¡¯re not. My ¡°dad¡± Draykon Fyreroar took me in when I was seven. I don¡¯t know where I came from or where I was at that time or who I was for that matter¡­¡±

    ¡°You mean you had amnesia?¡±

    ¡°Am-what?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a fancy medical term for memory loss from our world. Anyway, you were saying?¡±

    ¡°Uh, yeah I guess that is what happened to me¡­I don¡¯t really know what happened. I just woke up without knowing who I was. And with my arm¡­¡±

    Tenryu rubbed his right arm uncomfortably.

    ¡°Well, one thing had led to another and dad adopted me.¡±

    Tenryu completely skipped that part. It only made Benny curious but he did not press it out of respect for Tenryu¡¯s privacy.

    ¡°He brought me home to his aunt and niece. Thus, I became family with Magma-tia and Flare-ate. He immediately started to train me as a Swordsmage not long after.¡±

    Benny sat silent as he listened to all of this.

    ¡°Although¡­he soon left on a journey and never heard a word from him ever since¡­at least, not directly. We keep getting news of his exploits from time to time but he never contacts us. But stories about him are blazingly amazing!¡±

    Tenryu looked at Benny as though he expected him to agree but guy simply tilted his head rather than having that exited look of admirers whenever Draykon¡¯s name came up.

    ¡°You know, as I¡¯m not from this world I don¡¯t really know much about that. But care to tell more about your foster dad in your own description?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­well, he¡¯s done many amazing things as a Swordsmage! Ever since I first saw him use his sword I was inspired to become an Adventurer and Swordsmage too. Actually, it wasn¡¯t just him. They may not look like it, Magma-tia and Flare-ate are also amazing Swordsmages.¡±

    ¡°Wha-?! Well, I did notice Ate Flare had pulled out a pair of daggers earlier so I assumed she must be good at them. But I didn¡¯t know Aunt Magma was one! So they follow the Dragon Sword Style too?¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°No, they follow Rabbit Sword Style. Those techniques emphasize on speed and quick strikes. This is probably why Flare-ate is so quick to strike me before I even notice. She did learn it from Magma-tia after all and they say her knife work is one the fastest around. Actually, now that I think of it, Magma-tia was once called the Dancing Daggers.¡± (Tenryu)

    ¡°W-Whoa!¡±

    ¡°But Dad was different. He learned his style from Cardinal Heartau as his apprentice.¡±

    Benny was shocked once more, ¡°Cardinal Heartau? The guy who¡¯s the Zentoran Prelate of Medea?¡±

    ¡°Nia and Ricardo told you back then that he was an Adventurer before becoming a Magister then a Cardinal, right?¡±

    Ah, so you were still able to listen despite looking like you were about to throw up at that time? Benny thought.

    ¡°I¡¯m starting to get really confused about his occupation or his affiliations.¡±

    ¡°Well, when he was an Adventurer he was a Swordsmage. He¡¯s one of the few in history to receive the title of ¡®Legendary Blade.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Sounds like an honor.¡±

    ¡°It is. And dad was his apprentice. But he soon made great strides on his own when he was not much older than us. They say they are even considering giving him the same title of ¡®Legendary Blade¡¯ as well.¡±

    Tenryu looked up to the moons wistfully.

    ¡°I wanted to be like him and Cardinal Heartau. Like all of them. Someone brave, strong, amazing and dependable... Well, I take that last part back about dad. But in the end, I wanted to show that I can do amazing stuff like that! I mean these things don¡¯t need to run in the blood. Dad and Cardinal Heartau weren¡¯t relatives. So I thought I can do it too. Even better than them actually...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a good goal for you, isn¡¯t it? So you wanted to surpass your adoptive dad and his master? Seeing what you¡¯re capable of, you¡¯re probably already catching up to them!¡±

    ¡°Right...about that¡­¡± Tenryu scratched his cheek awkwardly. ¡°I always wound up making a mess out of things. In fact, every job I go on has a bit of destruction in my wake. You¡¯ve heard the rumors by now?¡±

    By now, Benny did hear some rumors of Tenryu¡¯s exploits. And they usually ended up with something blown up.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve heard.¡±

    ¡°Because of that people gave me that stupid nickname ¡°Wildfire¡± and I really hated it.¡±

    ¡°Why not? It sounds amazing.¡±

    ¡°Huh?! Are you blitzing kidding me?! Who wants to be called Wildfire huh? It makes me sound like some rampaging maniac!¡±

    That¡¯s because you are one. Benny thought but kept it silent.

    ¡°Actually, to me it sounds like an amazing nickname. It describes you quite well: destructive, wild and uncontrollable¡­¡±

    Tenryu frowned at him, ¡°Benny¡­are you picking a fight?¡±

    ¡°¡­but also strong, powerful and unrestrained. I think it¡¯s quite an amazing nickname, if you ask me.¡±

    Tenryu scratched his cheek again, ¡°Well, if you put it that way I guess¡­¡±

    ¡°So you feel awkward because you feel as though you couldn¡¯t live up to them.¡±

    Tenryu nods in response.

    ¡°I know it¡¯s silly and that I shouldn¡¯t feel this way to the people who cared for me. But I really feel that I don¡¯t fit in. I try to make an effort but all people does is point out my mistakes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s probably because your mistakes cause collateral damage? And that brings terrible inconvenience to everyone.¡±

    ¡°Guhu!¡± Tenryu felt a word arrow stab him.

    ¡°But I kind of get what you are feeling¡­ I mean I¡¯m the black sheep of my family.¡±

    ¡°A black sheep? You don¡¯t look like a sheep-dog.¡±

    ¡°Not literally. And what the blitz is a sheep dog?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± Tenryu blinked.

    ¡°Well, anyway it is a saying used to describe someone in the family who is the odd one out. And in my case, I¡¯m the oddest one of them all.¡±

    Another cool breeze blew and Benny felt the wind chilled his already cold feeling body. Tenryu stared blankly in shock at Benny revealing another major fact about himself.

    ¡°My family is a bunch of overachievers.¡±

    ¡°You mean they¡¯re crazy powerful in Magic too?!¡±

    ¡°No, not in Magic but in many other things like being scholars, politicians, businessmen. You get the picture?¡±

    Tenryu simply nodded but Benny was not sure if he got it.

    ¡°Basically from where I came from they were always well-known and very high achievers in their various fields of expertise. As a result, I had a lot to live up for. Everyone single one of my siblings achieved something great or were very talented at what they do but me¡­I was just the ordinary guy in the family.¡±

    Benny hugged his knees tightly.

    ¡°It was like being sandwiched in pressure. I tried to do my best but I¡¯ve never felt as though could be on their level. No matter what I tried I always stuck in the average or even suck at it. That¡¯s what it means to be a black sheep. I felt...pathetic and out of place...¡±

    For the first time, he actually said what he felt towards his family and himself. Benny was stunned to hear himself say that but he couldn¡¯t help feel as though heavily locked doors in his heart were finally opened.

    ¡°B-but Benny, you¡¯re not pathetic! I mean you¡¯re blazingly amazing in Magic!¡±

    Tenryu tries to say otherwise. Once again, it should be pointed out that he wasn¡¯t good at dealing with these kinds of things.

    Benny smiled wryly at Tenryu.

    ¡°And what use is that in a world without Magic? To put it in your case, think of it like being a Swordsmage in a world were swords aren¡¯t allowed.¡±

    Tenryu couldn¡¯t say anything in response to that.

    In Tenryu¡¯s honest opinion, Benny was one of the most amazing people he has ever met but he had that annoying characteristic of downplaying or denying his own abilities. However, what he said just now did explain a lot of things about the guy in front of him.

    Most of the amazing things Benny has done were all related to Magic. But Benny reminded him that his world didn¡¯t have any Magic in any form. And a person who is skilled in Magic in a world where there isn¡¯t Magic would definitely feel as though he were nothing.

    ¡°In the end, without Magic I¡¯m practically nobody. Heh¡­What was I thinking trying to make the effort to be like them? No matter what I did I could never be up to their expectations¡­ I only get criticized for not making more effort. Blast it¡­¡±

    Benny was actually muttering these things to himself. But he wounded up muttering these things out loud. He was unaware that Tenryu could hear him clearly nor the fact that he was releasing a dark atmosphere over himself.

    ¡°Umm¡­Benny?¡±

    ¡°Ah! Sorry¡­I guess I started muttering to myself.¡±

    Tenryu sighs loudly, ¡°I guess we both really feel out of place in our families. But you know even if say nobody really gives an ash about. They¡¯re still the people who support me. Magma-tia especially and Flare-ate¡­when she isn¡¯t hitting me.¡±

    Benny felt silent for a moment before speaking up again, ¡°I guess for me there¡¯s Abuela...¡±

    ¡°Abuela?¡±

    ¡°I believe I told you before. She¡¯s my great-grandmother.¡±

    "Ah, yeah, I forgot..."

    Benny shook his head exasperatedly.

    "Anyway...she always encouraged me to do my best unlike the rest of my family who simply criticize me or rub their awards in my face."

    Althouh Beny said that lighheartedly, Tenryu notice the cramped and difficult expression on his face.

    "Well, then there''s my friends Ace, Anna & Terri who also cheered me on even though they can be a little hard to handle. And there¡¯s my little brother...¡±

    ¡°You have a brother?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I just said I had siblings, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah right... What¡¯s his name?¡±

    ¡°His name is Thomas Estrella or Tommy for short. He¡¯s a timid little thing though. I wonder how he and the rest of them are¡­¡± Benny sighs sadly while looking up the seven moons.

    ¡°So you do miss them?¡±

    ¡°Deep down, I really do¡­¡±

    Benny found himself saying without him realizing it.

    ¡°Still though¡­why are you telling me all this? I mean I can understand that you want to relate to my feelings. But there were some really touchy info included there.¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s fair for you to tell me this big secret of yours. Besides it¡¯s like a load off my shoulders.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really think there¡¯s a give-and-take thing for sharing secrets. But the last part being a huge weight off you¡­Yeah, I can agree with that.¡±

    The both of them sat silently once more.

    ¡°So what are you going to do now? I mean I know you said you wanted to live life to the fullest here but what are you going to do from here on out?¡±

    Benny for once brightened up, ¡°About that¡­I¡¯m gonna be an Adventurer.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Eh?¡±

    Tenryu looked as though he didn¡¯t hear him right.

    ¡°I said I¡¯m gonna become an Adventurer.¡±

    ¡°EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!!!¡±

    Tenryu suddenly yelled so loudly that it caused Benny to flinch from that reaction.

    ¡°Why the blitz are you suddenly yelling like that, Tenryu?¡±

    Tenryu¡¯s eyes became dots for a second, ¡°Eh? No, no, why the blitz are you suddenly saying you want to be an Adventurer?! Weren¡¯t you the one who says you weren¡¯t sure of being one?!¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who has been trying to convince me to become an Adventurer? Besides, I¡¯ve been thinking about it ever since Marblewood.¡±

    Tenryu settled down after that.

    ¡°So? What made you finally decide on becoming an Adventurer?¡±

    ¡°Well, I know it¡¯s gonna sound weird but what made me decide¡­was because of you.¡±

    ¡°H-Huh?¡±

    ¡°Well, apart from that, obviously I need to support myself financially and I can¡¯t just keep leeching off from your goodwill.¡±

    ¡°W-Wait Benny-¡±

    ¡°And being an Adventurer allows me experience amazing adventurers that I can never hope to have in my old world. I also get to learn to do amazing stuff and hone my skills in Magic!¡±

    ¡°Benny, hang on a minute-¡±

    ¡°And Adventurers get to travel far and wide. They get to explore and see places. In a way, that proves to be an advantage for my situation. I can gather more information necessary to achieve my goal-¡±

    ¡°Let me speak BLAST IT!¡±

    Benny knew what Tenryu was about to ask him but was actually just teasing him by ignoring him. To be able to receive that reaction caused Benny snicker a bit.

    ¡°Okay, okay. What were you going to say?¡±

    Tenryu suddenly made an expression of being embarrassed and fumbled with what to say, ¡°Well, it¡¯s just you know¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re wondering why I said you inspired me to be an adventurer? Well, maybe because you were persistent in trying to convince me to become one.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­yeah¡­¡± Tenryu was averting his eyes at that.

    ¡°Well, that just part of it. Like I said before, you¡¯re like an ideal hero who inspires others despite the challenges he face. And that¡¯s what I sincerely felt.¡±

    Tenryu turned bright red, ¡°H-Hey! D-Don¡¯t make me out as something like a hero¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, you saved from many things Tenryu. More than you know. Isn¡¯t that what a hero does?¡±

    Tenryu fell silent.

    Benny turned his gaze towards the city. ¡°Well, I know it¡¯s not going to be easy as an Adventurer and the challenges I will face are tougher than I would imagine. But I decided that I really want to push forward to stand on my own two feet.¡±

    Tenryu stared at him for a moment before he wordlessly threw his arm over Benny¡¯s shoulder similar to brotherly, one-arm hug.

    ¡°T-Tenryu?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget you have me here to help you out! And I need to move forward and improve myself.¡±

    So I can protect my friends and not feel that powerlessness ever again, Tenryu thought to himself while clenching his fist.

    Benny smiled back at him, ¡°Yeah, thanks.¡±

    Tenryu suddenly turned his face and gave him a serious gaze that caused Benny to flinch with cold sweat, ¡°And while you¡¯re at it, try to improve yourself so you wouldn¡¯t get so heavily done in by an opponent.¡±

    ¡°¡­Ok¡­I got it.¡±

    SMACK!!!

    Tenryu had given Benny a head butt. Apparently Tenryu drew him close so he could launch a sneak attack.

    ¡°Ow!¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s so you forget it!¡±

    Tenryu grinned while his own forehead was red.

    ¡°What the blitz, man!? That¡¯s a little too much!¡± Benny snaps at him while rubbing his forehead. ¡°What if I knock some sense into you? Blistering Blazes, I think you don¡¯t have single ounce of common sense!¡±

    But Tenryu¡¯s response was simply staring dumbfounded at Benny.

    ¡°Benny¡­ did you say just now?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Just now¡­ You just said ¡°what the blitz¡± and ¡°Blistering Blazes ¡°at me!¡±

    ¡°No, I did not!¡±

    ¡°You did, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t!¡± Benny denied, turning bright red. Catchphrases weren¡¯t his thing.

    ¡°Yeah, you did. I heard it.¡±

    Benny was turning redder than an apple.

    ¡°Blistering Blazes! I said I did not-Ah!¡± Benny clamped his hands towards his mouth.

    ¡°See! You know everyone noticed you been doing that.¡±

    ¡°Eh?! Huh?!¡±

    No¡­no, no, no, no, NO! Did I pick up Tenryu¡¯s speaking habits? He thought in horror.

    ¡°Well, with everything that¡¯s been going on we never had a chance to point it out. We usually don¡¯t hear that from outside the family.¡±

    ¡°N-No! I¡­¡± Benny felt his face was burning so hot as though steam was coming out of his face.

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re practically considered family to us so it¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°No, picking up your weird speaking habits is not fine!¡±

    ¡°W-Weird?¡±

    At that moment, the door to their room slides open and Nia walked in.

    ¡°I thought you two were up here. What¡¯s going on here?¡±

    ¡°Hey Nia, get this, Benny finally decided to become Adventurer!¡±

    ¡°E-Eh? Really?!¡±

    ¡°Oi, Tenryu, I¡¯m supposed to announce it myself. But err¡­Yeah, I decided to become one.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great Benjamin! Good for you!¡±

    ¡°Well, apart from that can you tell him? Benny¡¯s been speaking like-mprgh!¡±

    Benny had clamped a hand on Tenryu¡¯s mouth to keep it shut while at the same time he was pinning Tenryu in a chicken-wing-face-lock hold. Hey, if you hung around a guy who likes practicing his MMA fighting moves on you, you¡¯d pick up a few things.

    ¡°Nothing!¡± says Benny quickly, ¡°Nothing at all!¡±

    ¡°Um, okay... I¡¯m just here to tell you that dinner¡¯s ready. It was a little hectic in the kitchen but we¡¯ve made a lot food.¡±

    Tenryu managed to break free. He was obviously physically stronger than him but Benny could see he had turned pale. Did he nearly choke him?

    ¡°N-Nia...D-Don¡¯t tell me¡­you helped out in the kitchen?!¡± he stammered. Benny could hear a tone of dread.

    ¡°Oh, yes! I thought I¡¯d lend a little hand. Aunt Magma and Flare tried to stop me for some reason but I knew I couldn¡¯t let them do all the work.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s very thoughtful of you, Nia.¡±

    Although, Benny couldn¡¯t see so well in the dark but he could¡¯ve sworn her cheeks reddened.

    ¡°Well, we can have another cake afterwards for dessert.¡±

    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s another one?¡± Nia says with eyes glittering.

    ¡°Yeah, I actually made two. The one earlier was just a sample. The cake we¡¯re having for dessert is much bigger. We can eat that right after dinner!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to that! You two better hurry up! You must be hungry after today!¡± And with that she walked off, humming happily.

    As she climbed back down the ladder, Benny saw her Green Aura appear...but then he noticed a slight streak of ominous dark color appeared in her Aura. What was that? Why did he feel sweaty all of a sudden?

    Tenryu groaned as he collapsed on all fours.

    ¡°T-Tenryu?¡± says Benny in alarm, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re doomed...¡±

    ¡°W-Why?¡±

    Tenryu looked at him with a ghostly face. ¡°Whatever you do... Don¡¯t eat any of her cooking!¡±

    ¡°And why is that?¡±

    Tenryu shook his head. ¡°You¡¯ll know soon enough¡­¡±

    Benny did found out the reason why and let¡¯s just say he spent the rest of the night and whole of next day sick in bed with Tenryu also suffering.

    Aunt Magma and Flare managed to avoid that fate by pretending to eat later. Nia had to call her colleagues since she had no idea what caused it. It would seem she was blissfully unaware of the true cause.

    The reason: food poisoning.

    Sadly, Tenryu and Benny never got to eat the cake Benny made for dessert. Though the ladies decided not to let the cake got to waste.

 SS - The Side of the Others - Chapter 1

    He was drifting in and out of consciousness.

    He remembered a bright light then all of a sudden darkness.

    But now it was just darkness. Did he die? That was the first thought that came to him.

    But then, out of nowhere that guy stood with his back facing him.

    ¡°Benny?¡±

    He tried to call out to him but he didn¡¯t reply. He simply walked away.

    ¡°Wait! Where are you going?¡±

    But he continued to walk away. He tried to chase after him but something invisible gripped his chest and held him down.

    ¡°Wha? What is this?!¡±

    Benny stopped walking for a moment but didn¡¯t turn to face him. Instead, he uttered a few words.

    ¡°¡­to the north¡­your birthright awaits¡­¡±

    ¡°What the hell are you talking about?¡±

    Benny began to walk away once more.

    ¡°No! Come back! Where the hell are you going? Don¡¯t leave me here-¡±

    He was fading into the darkness.

    ¡°Benny! Come back!¡±

    ¡°Shut up and wake up already!¡±

    A sudden impact went straight into his gut.

    ¡°GUUHOUOO?!!¡±*

    Ace¡¯s body formed a ¡°V¡± shaped position before crumpling flat on the ground.

    ¡°Are you finally awake, Pabby?¡±

    ¡°Terri! You didn¡¯t have to do that!¡±

    ¡°Well, at least he¡¯s a wake now.¡±

    Through teary eyes, he sees the figure of his great rival and annoyance and right beside her was a beauty of an airhead, childhood friend.

    Judging from Terri¡¯s raised fist he knew exactly who caused him that paint in his gut.

    ¡°What the hell was that for?¡±

    ¡°Well, how long are you going to sleep in the sand like some side character of L*ST?¡±

    Sand?

    Ace finally realizes he was on some sandy beach from somewhere. Because he was rolling around after being punched, he was practically coated in sand like some breaded chicken.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been unconscious the time! We were so worried!¡± says Anna, who looked very relieved. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re alright!¡±

    ¡°Well, not exactly. He¡¯s pretty beaten up if you ask me.¡±

    ¡°And whose fault was it?! Ow!¡± retorts Ace as he tries to sit up but he soon felt a wince of pain.

    It wasn¡¯t just from Terri¡¯s fist but his whole body was battered and bruised like he had just gone through blender. To be frank, he was still confused about what just happened.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Can you remember what happened?¡±

    Ace tried to remember the events all that transpired last night.

    They were riding on Anna¡¯s new yacht. An unexpected storm caught up with them. Anna¡¯s chauffeur, Manong Dario got struck by lightning. The terror of the ship about to be capsized¡­

    ¡°We got shipwrecked¡­but¡­¡±

    Something weird happened.

    Anna became possessed and began muttering some strange lines that sent chills down their spines.

    Ace gave Anna a long gaze.

    ¡°W-What is it, Pablo?¡±

    ¡°Err¡­do you remember what happened?¡±

    ¡°All I remember is creaming in panic¡­then a bright light? I don¡¯t know. Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°Nothing¡­It¡¯s just the same thing for me.¡±

    It would seem Anna doesn¡¯t know what happened to herself. From the looks of things, Terri didn¡¯t tell her either.

    That aside, Ace still tried to remember.

    What really finished it all was a flash of bright light.

    ¡°Things went crazy really fast.¡±

    ¡°You can say that again.¡±

    Ace looked around his surroundings. ¡°So where exactly are we then?¡±

    ¡°That is¡­We have no idea¡­¡± say Terri.

    ¡°We just woke up to find ourselves by the beach.¡± says Anna while gazing around. ¡°It¡¯s really beautiful¡­I want to take a selfie-¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s turn our attention back to things at hand, Anna.¡± Terri puts a hand on her shoulder.

    Anna blushed, ¡°Ah, yes¡­ Terri found me unconscious a little far from here and while were searching around we found you. You were out of it a little longer than us.¡±

    ¡°You kept muttering Benny¡¯s name all over. What are you his boyfriend or something? Do you actually swing that way?¡±

    ¡°That isn¡¯t the least bit funny. But hey¡­where is Benny?¡±

    He only just noticed that Benny was nowhere to be found.

    Both Anna and Terri fell silent. But then Anna began to sob greatly while Terri comforted her.

    Ace knew from their reactions what the answer was.

    ¡°Benjamin¡­Manong Dario¡­¡± Anna sobbed.

    Now that Anna mentioned it. Manong Dario was nowhere to be found either.

    ¡°We tried to look for them but there¡¯s no trace of them.¡±

    It took a few minutes for the thought to sink in. Ace felt a sharp pain in his heart. That dream he had just had. Was that a premonition?Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s not tarry around here. Let¡¯s go find help.¡±

    Ace¡¯s sudden declaration shocked the two girls.

    ¡°Oi! Aren¡¯t you worried for Benny?! He¡¯s your best friend, isn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°Who says I wasn¡¯t! I¡¯m worried as hell! But what are we going to do? Mope around? That won¡¯t get us anywhere!¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±

    ¡°We need to find help and alert the coast guard. That should be our priority.¡± Ace says with finality.

    ¡°You do have a point.¡± Anna stands up and brushes the sand of her dress. ¡°We can¡¯t just stay here. We need to find help at once. Everyone must be worried about us.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± says Terri.

    Terri relents knowing that they were right although she really disliked the idea of agreeing with Ace.

    ¡°Huh? What was that?¡± Ace smirks at her, clearly showing that he did hear her but was just playing deaf.

    ¡°I said¡­you were right.¡± grumbles Terri.

    ¡°I can¡¯t exactly hear you. Can you say it a little louder-OW!?¡±

    Terri pinches him in the ear.

    ¡°Don¡¯t push your luck, Pabby!¡±

    ¡°KYAAAHHH!!!¡±

    Anna suddenly screamed at the top of her voice. Both Terri and Ace jolted as a result.

    ¡°W-What?! Why are you screaming?¡±

    ¡°Did you see something?!¡±

    They turned around to find her looking at the pocket mirror she was always carrying.

    ¡°My hair is gone frizzy! I can¡¯t let anybody see me like this!¡±

    She quickly tries to fix her hair.

    ¡°¡°¡­¡±¡±

    At least, they were off to an energetic start.

    ***

    The three decided to investigate their immediate surroundings, trying to check for clues as to where they might be while also looking for.

    Earlier, they also tried checking their phones if they have a connection. Obviously due to what had happened last night their phones were sent to the afterlife after being submerged in seawater. Anna lamented that a lot of her contacts and pictures were gone. Well, that and numerous other things such as her hair (which she temporarily fixes by tying it into a ponytail with a handkerchief), her messed-up designer clothes and how she had to go barefoot since her sandals went missing.

    But it did not take long for her to remain depressed.

    ¡°Uwaah! This beach really is so beautiful!¡± says Anna as she skips around the edge of the waves.

    She splashes around with a twirl, creating one of those picture perfect effects that made her looked like a barefooted summer beach model. The sight of which would make anyone think this was commercial or a movie scene.

    ¡°Anna really does have the flair for the theatrics. She really has what it takes to be a model like her mom.¡± remarks Terri.

    ¡°And she doesn¡¯t even know about it. I¡¯ve lost count how many guys have fallen for her.¡±

    In truth, a lot of boys would¡¯ve had their hearts shot by cupid¡¯s arrows had they seen this.

    Ace admits to himself that he does find her charming but because he knew how much a handful Anna really is, it never went deeper than admiration. He watches her skip across the water happily.

    ¡°She¡¯s rather quick to get distracted too. Well, she¡¯s always been like that. You can¡¯t even tell she just went through something traumatic just now. Typical of an airhead¡­¡±

    ¡°If you say that to a girl, you¡¯d get killed. But don¡¯t you notice something weird about this place?¡±

    ¡°About that castaway look doesn¡¯t really suit you?¡±

    Terri whacked him in the head in response.

    ¡°I mean the place, you dunderhead! Doesn¡¯t this place look a little too clean? You don¡¯t think this place belongs to someone, don¡¯t you? Or this might be some fancy resort?¡±

    ¡°I doubt it.¡± Ace shakes his head. ¡°And they wouldn¡¯t exactly ignore wreckage from a destroyed ship. They¡¯d call the police and investigate the shoreline.¡±

    Ace did notice that part about the beach being too clean. The beaches he usually goes to, despite having regular cleaners, always have a fair amount of trash and debris washed up. But this place was clearly pristine and spotless of garbage. And now that Ace thought about it, there wasn¡¯t even debris from the ship. Which was strange to him as he has often heard of the news reports of capsized ships would often have wreckage wash up on nearby shores.

    And if this place was a resort, they should¡¯ve been able to see some kind of building or even the groundskeeper by now. They¡¯ve been walking for quite awhile now and they haven¡¯t even seen signs of civilization yet. This in itself was also already weird. This was because a majority of the coast nowadays would have beachside homes or towns that can be seen from a distance.

    ¡°So where exactly is this place?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know! That¡¯s why we¡¯re checking the surroundings! Maybe we¡¯re on some deserted island or something?¡±

    ¡°Well, if this place was a deserted island I¡¯d definitely go insane if I have to be stuck here with you!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not exactly the best company to keep. you damned gorilla woman!¡±

    ¡°Who the hell is a gorilla woman?!¡±

    ¡°Hey! What are you two shouting over there?¡± Anna calls out to them.

    ¡°¡°Nothing!¡±¡±

    ¡°Well, try to get along, okay! This isn¡¯t the time to be fighting!¡±

    Anna puts her hands on hips to emphasize a rather stern appearance but it only looked like a little child pouting.

    ¡°We¡¯re not fighting.¡±

    ¡°See, we¡¯re getting along just fine!¡±

    Anna turns on her heels. ¡°Well, just remember that you two shouldn¡¯t fight. I mean you two are both-¡±

    ¡°We get it, Anna.¡±

    ¡°We were just having a nice little chat.¡±

    Both of them said it in a rather deadpan expression.

    Looking a little dissatisfied, Anna resumes walking forward while the waves caressed her feet.

    Actually Ace had something he wanted to ask Terri.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t told her, did you?¡± Ace drops his voice so that only Terri could hear.

    ¡°Told her what?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m talking about that thing that happened with her last night!¡±

    Everything started turning weird the moment Anna fell into that state. It was like she was possessed by something. Her eyes glowed and she spoke a cryptic message to them before fallen limp then waking up as though nothing happened.

    ¡°I can;t tell her something like that had happened to her! We don¡¯t know what exactly happened¡­¡± says Terri looking at the skipping Anna with concern. ¡°¡­and frankly it¡¯s not the right time to ask such a thing of her. I¡¯m worried that she¡¯s just trying to be upbeat for our sake.¡±

    If they told Anna she was suddenly possessed, she wouldn¡¯t take it so well.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been confused about the whole situation I barely paid attention to what she was saying back then. Those words she said. Can you even still remember what she said?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t really get it at all. I can remember something going in the lines about light going through a door¡­something about meeting with fire¡­a healer and some person with a gift¡­then some things about stars¡­a mark¡­and threat of darkness¡­and heaven¡¯s wrath? That¡¯s all I could remember but¡­what?¡±

    Ace gawked as she pointed that all out.

    ¡°That¡¯s pretty detailed already if you ask me. All I can really remember is that it rhymed like one of those poems my English teacher makes us recite.¡±

    ¡°Heh~¡± Terri smirked at him. ¡°That¡¯s probably why you have such a hard time answering your tests because you¡¯re not paying attention to the details!¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re so keen in details then interpret what she said for me then?¡±

    ¡°As if I could understand any of that! And I wouldn¡¯t do it for you anyway!¡± retorts Terri in annoyance.

    ¡°Hmph! I wasn¡¯t expecting anything from you in the beginning.¡± snorts Ace

    ¡°Besides¡­ seeing your childhood friend suddenly become possessed and would you really stop to pay attention to meaning of her mumblings? I¡¯m still blown away that that happened.¡±

    Ace fell silent for a moment. There was a cold chill unrelated to the cool breeze of the sea.

    ¡°Speaking of blown away...the last thing that happened really took a literal meaning of phrase blown away.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about~ Ah!¡±

    Ace and Terri gave each other a long look. This was the other major thing that happened.

    It was still slightly vague in his mind but he could still see the events that happened at the very end replay like some static-filled video. Right after that thing with Anna, the storm got worse and Ace caught sight that a huge wave was coming their way from a porthole¡­Benny took out his weird book and shouted some words in a strange language.

    Then a burst of light engulfed them all.

    ¡°That light suddenly came out of nowhere. And I blacked out! What¡¯s up with that?! What do you think caused that?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Ace looks at her confused. It¡¯s as if she didn¡¯t see what¡­or rather who caused of that light to appear.

    ¡°What are you talking about? Didn¡¯t you see what happened?¡±

    ¡°I went and shielded Anna just as that bright light appeared. Did we all get hit by lightning or something?¡±

    So she didn¡¯t see.

    ¡°I¡­really don¡¯t know either¡­¡±

    Ace kept his silence. How was he supposed to explain that? They already had enough worry piled on Anna who seemed oblivious to what happened to her. The thought of what happened to Benny or what he may have to do with that light was already weighing heavily on Ace¡¯s mind.

    The more Ace thought about the more his head ache.

    Just what was going on? When did it all become a fantasy? Did the stress of what happened cause them to have a mass hallucination?

    There were too many questions and just speculations instead of answers.

    He was too confused. He wanted a straight answer.

    Actually, there was one thing he was sure though.

    Ace believed that light¡­saved them. And that Benny was the reason for it.

    This really challenged what he knew about his best friend.

    Did he really know him at all?

    ¡°Hey, look! There¡¯s smoke!¡±

    Terri¡¯s shout snapped him out of thinking.

    Ace looked at what she was pointing at and sure enough he saw a thin column of smoke. It was a little bit hard to make out but it was definitely smoke. It seemed to come from just beyond the tip of the bay probably from a cove just beyond it.

    Nevertheless, it was a surefire sign that they were not alone or that someone was nearby!

    ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s head towards that smoke!¡±

    ¡°I already had that in mind without you telling me!¡± says Terri.

    Ace was a little too euphoric to mind Terri¡¯s derisive reply. He turned to look for Anna and call out to her.

    ¡°Come on, Anna! Let¡¯s head on over to- ¡­Anna?¡±

    She was strangely quiet. In fact, the two just noticed that Anna had actually stopped walking nd was a few yards behind them.

    Anna was staring¡­but not to the smoke but towards the trees.

    ¡°Oi! Anna?¡±

    ¡°Is there something there?¡±

    Anna didn¡¯t answer¡­instead she ran towards the forest with amazing speed!

    ¡°W-What the hell?!¡± shouts Ace.

    ¡°Where are you going?! ANNA?!!¡±

    The two quickly gave chase and abandoning the smoke.

    ***

    Elsewhere¡­right where that smoke was¡­

    Following the advice of that voice, a boy abandoned his smoke signal and headed towards the forest.

 SS - The Side of the Others - Chapter 2

    Anna should¡¯ve been a track star.

    This is what Ace thought at they chased Anna through this thick forest.

    ¡°Where the hell is she going?¡± shouts Terri

    ¡°I don¡¯t know but isn¡¯t she strangely nimble and speedy all of a sudden?¡±

    Anna was running deep into the forest and this place was supposed to be naturally filled with obstacles. Rocks, bushes, fallen logs, low branches and protruding roots, you name it. However, she was leaping and dodging through them as though they weren¡¯t any hindrances at all. And if one were to add a description to how she done it, it can be said to be described as ¡°graceful.¡±

    ¡°Hey, she hasn¡¯t been taking parkour while I moved away, has she?¡± pants Terri as she dodges a tree branch.

    ¡°Anna, doing something physical?¡± huffs Ace as he jumps over a low tree root, ¡°She can barely do any sit-ups!¡±

    As both Ace and Terri were just about in their limits of their endurance, despite being sporty teenagers, Anna suddenly stopped. She stood still while staring blankly.

    ¡°She finally stopped!¡±

    ¡°Oi, Anna!¡±

    Nearly out of breath, they finally caught up with her and to make sure she doesn¡¯t go running off again they both grabbed her by the arms.

    ¡°Hey! Anna!¡±

    Anna, who had a blank expression was shaken by Ace.

    ¡°H-Huh? What? Pablo? Terri?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡°huh¡± me! What the hell was all that for?!¡±

    Anna looked very confused and scared by their exasperated expressions, ¡°W-What are you both talking about? Why are you both grabbing me?¡±

    ¡°So you won¡¯t go running off!¡±

    ¡°Running off?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you don¡¯t just run off like that into a forest! Thanks to you, we¡¯ve lost sight of that smoke signal!¡± snaps Ace.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the only thing we¡¯ve lost.¡± Terri frowns at their surroundings.

    Because of their chasing of Anna, they were led deep into the forest. It would be easy to backtrack if they went in a straight line but Anna had been making sharp turns here and there. In order to not lose sight of her, Ace and Terri were unable to leave any tracks to lead them back to the beach.

    Now they were officially lost deep in some unknown jungle.

    And Ace and Terri were not pleased about this. They were both admonishing Anna for what she did and even questioned her harshly as to why she ran off in the first place.

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know! Please let go of me! It hurts!¡± she sobbed loudly.

    Speaking of which, they still were and they were applying too hard a grip in doing so. They both let go of her arms as it does seem as it was hurting her but they stood close by so she won¡¯t go running off.

    ¡°Anna, why did you run off like that?¡± asks Terri in a controlled voice.

    ¡°Sniff* I really don¡¯t know¡­ All of a sudden I blacked out and then I found myself in the middle of the forest with you two grabbing me!¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t remember running into the forest and dodging everything like a parkour star?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    She gave them both a confused expression. Anna was a good at pretending and acting, having performed in several school plays since they were little but having known her for a long time, both Ace and Terri had an idea whether she was acting or not. And she was clearly not acting right now.

    ¡°Just what is going on with you-¡±

    KABOOM!!!

    Ace¡¯s words were suddenly drowned out by a loud explosion!

    All three of them jumped and saw a large plume of smoke rise up in the distance.

    ¡°W-What the hell?¡±

    ¡°An explosion?!¡±

    The first thing that came to Ace¡¯s mind was¡­

    ¡°Terrorists!¡± hissed Ace.

    Ace has seen numerous news reports of them loitering or having hidden bases in the south-west region of the country. An explosion like that may have been a test run for some new bomb!

    ¡°W-What?¡± gasps Anna in panic.

    ¡°Are you sure, Pabby? How can you be certain?¡±

    ¡°What else can cause an explosion in the middle of the forest?! They¡¯re either terrorists or poachers. This is bad! We may have wound up farther south-west! This place is filled with those extremists! And we must be near a base.¡±

    ¡°W-What do we do?!¡±

    ¡°If we stay here, we may be caught by them. And I doubt they¡¯re the people who are going to help us...¡±

    ¡°NOOO!!! I DON¡¯T WANT TO DIE~ Mrpgh*?!¡±

    Anna screams hysterically but in response Ace clamps his hand on her mouth to shut her up. Ace makes a shhh* sound with a tense expression while grasping Anna¡¯s mouth as she was about to cry out.

    Ace drops his voice to a whisper, ¡°Are you idiot?! Screaming like that is going to draw their attention! We need to lay low and avoid making a sound.¡±

    Terri looks a little outraged that he laid a hand on a girl but begrudgingly agrees. Anna, who was sobbing from both of fear and being struck in the face nodded with her mouth grasped by Ace¡¯s hand.

    Ace finally lets go of Anna¡¯s mouth and makes a hurried steps opposite from the direction of the smoke,

    ¡°Let¡¯s head the opposite direction! Quickly!¡±

    The three of them ran.

    ***

    At that moment, at the spot of the explosion, a red-haired, sword-wielding Adventurer was busy tying up an animal in a hammock but in the process it escaped.

    ***

    Believing that they were somehow near some terrorist base, the three teens were running as fast back to where they came from as possible.

    Ace and Terri were making far laps with Anna lagging on from behind. It was a sharp contrast from earlier. Nevertheless they kept on running for what seemed like an our.

    ¡°Huff*¡­Huff*¡­I can¡¯t¡­run anymore¡­¡± pants Anna.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°Come on! Keep up!¡± Ace says to her.

    ¡°We have to keep going¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­sorry...Wheeze*¡­I need¡­to rest¡­Huff*¡­Huff*¡­¡±

    Anna collapses to her knees and completely out of breath, forcing Ace and Terri to stop.

    ¡°¡°Anna!¡±¡±

    Terri rushes towards her and tries to support her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself. Take a deep breath.¡± she says, helping her up.

    (What happened to her amazing stamina just now? Or rather¡­Anna¡¯s acting weird again¡­)

    Pondering about this, Ace takes a look of their surroundings again and sees a small stream.

    ¡°Hey, there¡¯s a stream over there we can rest for a bit!¡±

    ¡°B-But¡­what about those terrorists?¡± says Anna, looking pale and frightened.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure we put some bit of distance between them for now. We need to rest a bit so we can get back our strength.¡±

    They finally take a breather at the spring Ace found. After all that running they finally realize they were so dehydrated so they drank from the stream. Anna was hesitant at first but her thirst proved to be stronger and finally drank from the stream. While Anna was busy trying to catch her breath, again the other two were wondering what had happened to her stamina from a while ago. But after seeing her so pale and exhausted, they decided not to press her for answers.

    They also decided to stay here and rest up for a little longer. While Terri tended to Anna, Ace crouched beside a bush as a lookout.

    And so they were in that position for a long time.

    ***

    Ace did not shift from his position for what felt like hours. He remained all the while vigilant for any signs of approach.

    ¡°Psst! Hey, Pabby¡­¡± Terri nudges at him.

    ¡°GAH!¡±

    Ace jumps a foot in response. He was busy keeping watch at their surroundings looking for signs of anyone approaching. So naturally, someone suddenly nudging him from behind would elicit such a response.

    ¡°Don¡¯t just suddenly do that!¡±

    ¡°Geez, touchy much? Anyway, I may have asked this before but I guess I can¡¯t help it. Do you notice something weird about this place?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, this forest¡­it¡¯s kind of¡­different.¡±

    While Ace finally had the time to check their surroundings, he noticed that the forest itself was just if not even stranger than the beach.

    The forest had trees as white as marble and leaves that shimmer like emeralds. It was not just the trees though. Although they caught his eye earlier but because they were chasing Anna he barely had given them a second thought until now. The forest was filled with plants and animals the three of them have never seen before.

    There were giant flowers that looked like trumpets, some rocks that looked like huge mushrooms from a distance and even animals that looked familiar but somewhat different.

    ¡°Yeah, I thought as much.¡± says Terri tapping a nearby tree. ¡°At first, I thought that we must¡¯ve wandered into some kind of theme park but that explosion earlier completely trashed that idea. And now that we¡¯ve actually got to take a look it really looks way too real to be a fake.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I see what you mean-uwah!¡±

    Ace shouts in surprise as a glowing butterfly suddenly flutters in front of him. It was literally glowing as in the wings were shining brightly! Like a lantern in the dim forest!

    ¡°A¡­butterfly?!¡±

    ¡°Is a butterfly suppose to emit light like that?!¡±

    The butterfly flutters in front of Anna who lets was a little surprised but she then stares mesmerized at it.

    ¡°Wow! It¡¯s so pretty!¡±

    Anna stands up and tries to approach it as it flutters away.

    ¡°Anna! Stay away from that!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we don¡¯t know if it¡¯s radioactive or something!¡±

    But naturally airheaded Anna who was entranced by its beauty continued following the butterfly until she reaches some bushes. Then, that¡¯s where it appeared!

    ¡°BUHIIIIIIIIIIIII?!¡±

    A warthog(?) jumps out of the bushes!

    ¡°KYAA~!¡±

    Anna falls back on her backside at that warthog¡¯s(?) sudden appearance.

    ¡°Damn! It¡¯s a wild pig! Anna get away from there!¡± shouts Ace.

    He knew full well how dangerous those things really were. Although they were supposed to be rare encounters but there are still some of them that lurk in a forest.

    ¡°Err? Is that really a pig?¡± asks Terri, who looked a little confused.

    ¡°What are you talking about? Of course, that¡¯s a wild pig!¡±

    ¡°Then doesn¡¯t it look a little too big?! It¡¯s as big as a car! Plus it¡¯s all white and spiky¡­and hey what¡¯s with that cloth wrapped around it?¡± Terri was spouting things that seemed obvious just from looking at it.

    And she was right. That pig looked very different form the pigs Ace knew. Not mentioned, that strip of cloth around it. Although there were many questions but what really matters was that that thing looked very dangerous!

    And Anna was right in front of it!

    The girl was frozen on the ground. Fear had gripped her and prevented her from moving.

    ¡°BUHIIIIII!!!¡±

    As though it noticed its prey right in front of it, the warthog(?) attacks!

    ¡°¡°ANNA!!!¡±¡±

    Both Ace and Terri ran towards her. But from that distance between them that warthog(?) would get to her first.

    ¡°Earthen Wall Rupture¡±

    Someone shouted from a distance followed by a loud bang.

    All of a sudden, the ground in between Anna and that warthog(?) erupted and formed a huge wall of jagged rocks! There was a large ramming sound as the warthog(?) slammed right into it.

    Both Ace and Terri skidded to a stop. Anna stared dumbfounded at the sudden miracle that saved her.

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°¡°H-Huh?¡±¡±

    Ace and Terri had their jaws dropped.

    ¡°What the hell? The ground just-¡± says Ace, who couldn¡¯t believe his eyes at what just happened.

    ¡°Anna! Did you do this?¡± says Terri.

    ¡°N-No! It wasn¡¯t-¡±

    ¡°Oi! Are you kids alright?!¡±

    Someone yelled at them and upon turning at the direction of the voice, they saw a group of three heading right towards them.

    ¡°T-The terrorists?¡± stammers Anna as she trembles in fear.

    ¡°No, they asked if we¡¯re alright so I don¡¯t think so. Could they be here to help us?¡± says Ace squinting at them.

    ¡°Or rather¡­What the hell are they wearing?¡± says Terri.

    The ones who came to their rescue didn¡¯t look like the typical paramedic or search teams. In fact, they were wearing outfits like characters in an online fantasy game! Leading them was a woman wearing light armor and clothes. She was also wearing a pair of gauntlets that didn¡¯t look like they were there for fashion. Following right behind her was a muscled dude with a huge backpack that included a gigantic mallet on his back and¡­a lady in a cat costume (?) wearing a poncho, wide-brimmed hat and carrying a long bow.

    ¡°Is this a cosplay convention?¡± mutters Ace.

    The gauntlet-wearing lady who seemed to be the leader was shouting at them, ¡°You kids don¡¯t just stand there! Move!¡±

    ¡°Eh? What is she-¡±

    From the corner of his eye, Ace caught sight of that warthog(?) which managed to go around the rock wall and was now on the other side.

    ¡°Crap! It¡¯s back!¡± Ace shouts!

    ¡°Not good! Liscia! Barton!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m on it-nya!¡±

    ¡°Right!¡±

    The cat lady holding the bow and pulls on the string.

    Wait. Why is she drawing the string with no arrow in it? Ace thought.

    It was though shared by the other two girls as well.

    But then, to Ace and the others¡¯ utter amazement, air began to circulate on the bow and formed an arrow made of air!

    ¡°Wind Arrow¡±

    She releases the arrow and it soars straight at the warthog(?) that blasts it with an explosion of winds and knocks it straight into a nearby tree! The warthog(?) collapses in a heap and struggles to get up.

    The muscled man draws his mallet with amazing speed and twirls around before slamming it straight to the ground.

    ¡°Sinkhole Smash¡±

    A large crack heads towards the warthog(?) and upon reaching it, the ground beneath it sinks into a deep hole on the earth, trapping it completely.

    Ace, Terri and Anna were speechless. They had just seen something unbelievable right before their eyes.

    With that dangerous thing finally kept in control, the trio of fantasy-like people approaches the area. The muscled dude and the cat lady both take a look at the captured warthog(?).

    ¡°Oi! That¡¯s a Pufferwarthog, isn¡¯t it?¡± says the muscled dude.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± the gauntlet-wearing lady frowned.

    ¡°There¡¯s no mistaking it-nya!¡± affirms the cat-lady.

    ¡°If that¡¯s really a Pufferwarthog, you better make sure it¡¯s not injured in any way or we¡¯ll be in big trouble!¡±

    ¡°It only looks confused¡­except it¡¯s wrapped completely in some weird cloth!¡±

    ¡°Ha? Are you pulling my leg here or do you need me to pound those eyes to work?¡±

    ¡°H-Hey! I¡¯m being serious here! Just take a look for yourself!¡±

    The gauntlet-wearing lady takes a look at the sinkhole.

    ¡°Do you think its poachers-nya?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­I can¡¯t be too sure.¡±

    ¡°Do you think those kids over there have something to do about this?¡± asks the muscled dude, casting a suspicious glance at Ace and the others.

    Ace and Terri were probably about to protest but the gauntlet lady beat them to the punch.

    ¡°I doubt it. Those kids are clearly unarmed, heck they¡¯re probably civilians. And even though a Pufferwarthog is endangered its strength is nothing to laugh at. It probably escaped and ran into them.¡±

    ¡°But why are civilian kids doing in this forest in the first place-nya?¡±

    ¡°Why not we ask them?¡± The gauntlet-wearing lady who seems to be their leader steps forward towards them. ¡°Hey¡­You kids alright?¡±

    ¡°Um, y-yeah we are.¡± Terri nods.

    ¡°Thanks for saving us!¡± says Anna with eyes glittering in amazement.

    The huge guy grins at them, ¡°That¡¯s great to hear.¡±

    ¡°Thank Merlin-nya! I thought for a moment that we were too late-nya.¡± the lady in the poncho sighs in relief.

    She was even adding that ¡°nya¡± sounds like those Anime shows Benny loved to watch. Ace thought.

    ¡°Yeah, thanks for helping us¡­but um¡­w-who are you?¡± stammers Ace.

    The gauntlet-wearing lady looked at little surprised. So did her two companions.

    ¡°Eh? You mean you don¡¯t know us?¡±

    ¡°Er? No¡­¡±

    The gauntlet lady scratches her head. ¡°Well, this is a first. Ever since we made a name for ourselves everyone seems to know us. I guess we better introduce ourselves. This here is Liscia.¡± she indicates to the poncho cat lady.

    The poncho cat lady named Liscia waves at them with a smile.

    ¡°And this muscled muscle-brain is Barton.¡±

    ¡°Yo, nice to meet- Wait! Who are you calling a ¡°muscled, muscle-brain¡±?!¡±

    The gauntlet wearing lady ignores him as though this was a common exchange.

    ¡°And my name¡¯s Alva. And we¡¯re the Adventurer Party Artemis.¡±

    This was the three teenagers from Earth¡¯s first encounter of the Adventures of Mundo Magica.

    ***

    At that very same moment, a red-haired, sword-wielding boy and a glasses-wearing, blue-eyed kid had a fateful encounter that ended with a fainting of the later.

 SS - The Side of the Others - Chapter 3

    The sun had already begun to set.

    They were gathered around a small campfire enjoying a meal of roasted turkey-chicken the Adventurers had recently caught in the middle of the forest.

    Anna quickly bonded with Liscia. Although discomfited, Liscia soon found Anna quite endearing and friendly. Anna thought the same but her ulterior motive was hugging a human-sized cat pillow.

    Ace and Barton also bonded with Ace admiring the Adventurer¡¯s strength and his Magic Tool¡¯s Earth Magic. The face he was able to wield that heavy thing and manipulate the earth was tickling his interests in such fields. He never explicitly shows this interest but he has the same level enthusiasm for this genre as his best friend Benny.

    Terri and Alva bonded by their shared liking for hand-to-hand combat and apparently annoyance of the two males before them.

    A while back, the leader of the group, Alva wanted to question them as to what were they doing in a forest as dangerous as this in the first place. But after seeing how exhausted and famished they were, she decided that they should rest fully first.

    At first, Ace and the others thought they were going to cook that huge warthog(?) but they soon learned it was called a Pufferwarthog and that was an endangered species or whatever species it was. They let it go after Liscia, who had healing skills, treated its injuries and removed the strange bandages which turned out to be a hammock.

    Where a wild beast got a hammock in the first place is a question with.

    Being up close to Liscia, Ace and the others at first thought she was wearing a costume and as such they were very much surprised that it turns out to be real. Just as surprising as seeing them all use Magic.

    While Anna and Terri were busy being amazed by Liscia¡¯s cat features, Ace was quick to deduce from everything that just happened up until now that they were experiencing that ¡°transported-into-another-world phenomenon.¡± How Ace was quick to arrive to that conclusion was because of all those anime and web novels Benny¡¯s been talking about. It was one of Benny¡¯s favorite genres.

    Frankly speaking, he wasn¡¯t that interested in that kind of stuff. Well, maybe just a few shows¡­okay he was interested in such but not to the extent like Benny.

    But what Ace didn¡¯t fathom is that it would actually be useful.

    The plants, the animals, the people (both human and non-human) and most especially¡­the magic were all tell-tale signs that they were on Earth anymore. Wracking his brains, he remembered all the prologues of some of the shows and novels that led to the characters suddenly being transferred into another world and the excuses for their existences.

    This allowed him to formulate their alibi.

    After finally getting to know each other, Ace (it was agreed that Ace would explain as it was a known fact that he was a good liar between them) to explained their circumstances¡­in a way.

    He decided to go for the partial truth. Telling how they wound up here but concealing the fact that they somehow crossed into this world.

    ¡°I see¡­the ship you were riding on got capsized and you were washed up on the shores at edge of Marble Forest.¡±

    ¡°That would explain that salt smell on your clothes-nya.¡± Liscia sniffed at Anna.

    ¡°E-Eh? Do I really smell like salt? Anna nervously pulls on her hair to smell if she indeed had salt smell on her.

    ¡°And here I thought you kids went for a picnic! Wahaha!¡± guffaws Barton while letting out a booming laughter that was cut off from Alva¡¯s fist.

    ¡°Be more tactful, you damned muscled-head!¡±

    Ace and Terri were staring at the scene.

    ¡°Hey, doesn¡¯t this feel familiar?¡±

    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s probably just my imagination.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    Anna was watching at the pair of them deny their familiarity with this scene.

    ¡°The storm last night was pretty strong-nya. If it was a small fishing vessel there was no way it could handle such storm-nya.¡±

    Anna looked like she wanted to retort that her small yacht was no fishing vessel but a sharp cough and a glare from Ace told her to be silent.

    ¡°But I¡¯m truly glad that you all made it out alive-nya.¡± she said looking at them with concern.

    All fell silent.

    Both Ace and Terri avoided their gazes. Anna¡¯s shoulder shook while struggling to keep her tears in check.

    ¡°E-Eh-nya? W-What¡¯s wrong-nya?¡±

    ¡°You two¡­ Don¡¯t you ever think?¡±

    Alva was shaking her head while massaging her temples. She of course, knew that there was no way a ship could be maneuvered by these kids or that such a thing as capsizing would not have casualties.

    ¡°We didn¡¯t all make it out¡­¡± says Terri.

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°There were two others¡­our ship¡¯s captain¡­and a very close friend of ours¡­¡± her voice broke at the last part.

    There was a long, painful silence.

    Ace, Terri and Anna had avoided that topic until now because they prioritize in finding help. Now that they did so, the full impact of what just happened came rushing in at them. Ace and Terri were trying their best to hold it in. Anna, on the other hand, had broken down as she buried her face in her hands and tears were falling down her cheeks. Liscia, who was sitting beside her, took her into her arms and comforted her.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± says Alva in a solemn manner.

    Ace stood up silently and began to walk away.

    ¡°Oi! Pabby, where are you going?¡±

    ¡°To take a wazz.¡±

    The Adventurers looked confused at his term. Anna was blushing pink at his words while Terri just snorted.

    ¡°¡°¡°Wazz(-nya?¡±¡±

    Terri decided to explain.

    ***

    Ace did his business but he didn¡¯t immediately return to the campfire.

    He walked a little further away from the campsite but not too far where he can still see the flames from the campfire. He sat underneath a tree nearby the creek to think.

    ¡°We¡¯re really in another word, huh?¡±

    Ace looked up at the sky and saw seven brightly-colored crescent moons glimmering in the night sky.

    While admiring the scenery, he had a lot of questions roaming in his mind.

    How did they get there? What happened to Benny and Manong Dario? Is there a way to get back to their home world? If not, what are they going to do now?

    ¡°Benny¡­ You¡¯re the one who¡¯s most familiar with this kind of stuff and off all people you¡¯re the one who isn¡¯t her. Just where are you, bro? I know you¡¯re alive¡­you¡¯ve gotta be¡­¡±

    Rustle*

    The sound of sudden footsteps alerts Ace that someone was approaching him. He looked behind him and saw Anna was walking towards him. She was staring down with her hair bangs covering her eyes. The effect made her look like that scary character from that horror movie.

    ¡°Oh! Hey, Anna¡­I was just heading back-¡±

    ¡°An Adventurer¡¯s mantle thou shall take¡­

    Near encounters thou will make¡­¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Ace felt a cold chill.

    Anna raised her head¡­revealing glowing eyes!

    ¡°Wha-!? Anna! This again!¡±

    Ace backed away from her but Anna steadily approached him. She really¡­really is now looking like a character from a horror movie.

    ¡°Anna! Snap out of it! You¡¯re creeping me out!¡±

    Ace backed himself towards a tree.

    As Anna drew closer she spoke once more.

    ¡°Towards the tree¡¯s gem, the crown shall send¡­

    Magical Story will be at the end¡­

    The trap laid by a poisonous fruit¡­

    A duel with its purpose moot¡­.¡±

    Ace was staring blankly at her. This has happened the night before and it¡¯s happening agai ¡°Another one of those weird poems? Anna, what exactly are you talking about?!¡±

    But Anna simply continues speaking as though she hadn¡¯t heard him.

    ¡°And a puppeteer¡¯s string shall test thy bond¡­

    While the shadows of light will abscond¡­

    When all is lost and everything is found¡­

    The true fruit shall be raised from the ground¡­¡±

    Then to the north, thy birthright awaits¡­

    Thy decision will decide¡­the two lands¡­fates¡­¡±

    With a final gasp, the glow in Anna¡¯s eyes fades away and collapses. Ace barely managed to catch her.

    What just happened?

    He felt as though this looked very much like a scene where the protagonist was suddenly given an oracle as by the High Priestess. No, judging from the fact that everything has been following the stereotype scenes of Benny¡¯s books it seems to be just that.

    If that were case¡­was that some kind of prophecy? Did her words before to Benny was also a prophecy?

    And most importantly: did Anna have this ability all along? How long had she had it? It was clear that she didn¡¯t seem to be aware of it at all?

    Everything Ace knew had been turned upside down in just a span of few hours.

    ¡°Oi, Anna? Did you find that idiot?¡±

    Terri¡¯s voice snapped Ace out of it.

    ¡°Seriously¡­ How long does a guy need to take~¡±

    Terri¡¯s words suddenly cut off before she screamed out loud.

    ¡°W-WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Ace turned to the direction of Terri¡¯s voice. He sees her along with the adventurers staring at him in disbelief.

    Alva had a disgusted look on her face. Liscia was blushing with her hand on her mouth. Barton simply had a dumbstruck look.

    As for Terri, she first had a look of shock before it melted to fury and outrage.

    Ace felt cold shivers rock his body. He didn¡¯t really get why they were looking at him like that¡­that is until he just realized his own position.

    Ace was standing there. He was holding Anna while she was hanging limp in his arms. From this perspective, it looks like Ace had just assaulted her.

    ¡°I never thought you¡¯d stoop to this level!¡±

    ¡°Eh? Wait! I can explain-¡±

    ¡°Unhand her, you criminal!¡±

    ¡°GUHAA!!!¡±

    In an instant, Terri¡¯s flying kick smashed into Ace¡¯s face. And before he knew it, he was out like a light.

 SS - The Side of the Others - Chapter 4

    ¡°I said I was sorry.¡±

    Terri apologized but she didn¡¯t sound that all apologetic. Ace on the other hand was grumbling incoherently. A bandage over his nose and his left eye was still sore. Actually, he had a thick black eye earlier but thanks to Liscia¡¯s healing techniques (apparently she had some healing abilities) it was now barely visible.

    ¡°Like hell you are! You sent a flying kick right at me before I could explain anything!¡±

    ¡°Well, what¡¯s a girl gotta do? I saw another girl being assaulted so I beat the guy up.¡±

    ¡°Are you trying to make me a criminal?! What the hell do you take me for?!¡±

    ¡°Do you really want me to answer that question?¡±

    ¡°You two please¡­it¡¯s my fault.¡± says Anna looking quite dejected. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t fainted at that time¡­¡±

    But the two ignored her and continued their bickering.

    ¡°Ah~? What the hell were you gonna say?!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think your brain is ever gonna process it!¡±

    Ace and Terri were both still arguing ever since he regained consciousness which was already the next morning.

    The misunderstanding was cleared up when he finally had the chance to explain what happened. Apparently, Anna went to get him since he took so long but mid-way she seemed to have lost consciousness (which she attributes to fatigue) when she finally found him. That¡¯s when Ace caught her and at the same time that¡¯s when the rest of them found her limp in his arms like she had been assaulted. Ace had left out the details of Anna¡¯s strange actions though.

    ¡°Don¡¯t those two remind of a certain couple we know-nya?¡± says Liscia while giving a smile towards Alva and Barton.

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Could you be talking about those folks back at the capital?¡±

    Liscia shook her head. ¡°Escaping from reality-nya?¡±

    Ace and Terri were at each other¡¯s throats for a good while. Anna simply gave up trying to take the blame or even stop them for that matter. The Adventures just look at them with warm eyes. By that time, things calmed down they were at another clearing eating lunch.

    Ace then asked what the Adventurers were doing in the forest in the first place.

    ¡°Actually, the train we were riding had stalled to a stop. A landslide had pretty much destroyed the railway line. The Adventurer¡¯s Association is sill sending out requests to Guilds and Freelance Adventurers to help clear and repair the lines.¡± explains Barton.

    ¡°That¡¯ll take a while since we are in the Seventh District.¡± says Alva as she takes a bit from another barbecue.

    ¡°Why so?¡±

    ¡°There isn¡¯t a guild registered in any of the small towns or the main city in the region. This district is too far in the frontier. Adventurers typically gather round the Royal Capital or the other major cities which are all very far from here.¡±

    ¡°Because of this, it¡¯ll take hours or maybe even a couple of days to fix-nya. The poor passengers caught in mid-travel had to be camped out and there¡¯s a huge congestion in the train stations.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t the government send some people other than Adventurers to deal with this swiftly?¡±

    ¡°If it were near cities or towns it won¡¯t be much of a problem but with the location of the landslides, ordinary Masons won¡¯t be enough. It¡¯s too dangerous because of the Wild Monsters and Bandits roaming around.¡±

    Those words about Wild Monsters and Bandits didn¡¯t suit well with them.

    ¡°That¡¯s where we Adventurers come in. We have to deal with those problems so the repair works can run smoothly. We even help out if we have compatibilities. Take for example Earth Element Sorcerers can lift or move the landside with ease using Magic.¡±

    ¡°Whoa¡­that¡¯s pretty amazing!¡±

    ¡°Hang on! You guys are Adventurers, right? How come you¡¯re not helping out?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not a charity group, kid. We need to get paid for it. Plus we have officially to take up the commission from the Adventurer¡¯s Association or the Guilds if you are affiliated with one. That¡¯s bureaucracy for you.¡± says Alva.

    That kind of makes sense. After all, Adventurers do their thing because their paid for it.

    ¡°But how come you¡¯re helping us? We don¡¯t have any cash in hand.¡± Ace asks, while not being able to help being suspicious.

    ¡°H-Hey, don¡¯t give us that look-nya. We¡¯re not some bad guys waiting to extort or do something bad to you-nya!¡±

    ¡°Though a lot of Adventurers are in it for the money there are those who can judge the situation at hand. A landslide on a railway tracks can be easily left to others but we can¡¯t turn a blind eye against civilians who need help at the moment¡¯s notice. But to be honest, you kids just lucked out that we were passing by.¡± says Alva.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    ¡°Though she says that¡­ It¡¯s because Alva really wants to help others especially children-GUFUU?!!!¡°

    ¡°Silence you!¡± Alva had thrown her boot at Barton which ricocheted off his forehead and boomeranged back at her hand.

    Everyone was amazed by that.

    Now, it was decided and agreed that the Adventurers would escort them out of the forest. But after that was an uncertain future. Ace and the others understood that this was not the world they knew and they had no one they can rely on here. Anna nearly cried once more out of the helplessness of their situation and Terri had to comfort her.

    Ace managed to keep his cool and secretly suggested to them that they find a job in a nearby town to support themselves for a bit. And this was the plan he told to Alva and the other Adventurers.

    ¡°I see. That¡¯s good. At least you kids are quick to think on your feet. But jobs like those in a shop are usually grunt work and from the looks of you lot, you haven¡¯t had the experience of lifting even a crate. Are you kids okay with doing such jobs?¡± says Alva appraising them.

    That wasn¡¯t entirely true¡­at least for Ace and Terri.

    Ace had to help out in moving heavy stuff here and there at home. Usually it would be those boxes of files belonging to his mom. But those were heavy as heck.

    And Terri had to help out in her move the supply crates at her mother¡¯s store and even at her grandfather¡¯s work place in carrying those huge rocks.

    Anna on the other hand¡­she never had any experiences of hardship until now. Maybe she could work as a waitress at restaurant somewhere but if this was anything like those fantasy novels and manga Benny often reads then Anna would have endure a lot. And that was just saying it nicely.

    ¡°Finding a job in town is probably the more difficult task-nya. Usually the stores of small towns just hire their own families to ease up on the cost-nya. It¡¯s for that reason that many try their luck in the bigger cities although that also means that the competition for job vacancies is immense-nya.¡±

    Though she meant no harm, that comment from Liscia had really put them in a rut. This even pushed them more into the reality that it was gonna be difficult to live in this world.

    ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t you kids become Adventurers? Speaking of which, you can pay back the debt of us helping you sooner.¡± suggests Barton.

    ¡°By Adventurers¡­do you mean like you guys?!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! You get to go on exciting adventures that risk your lives on the line, fight dangerous foes and monsters, hunt for treasures and rarities in dangerous places. If you¡¯re lucky, seek fortunes along the way!¡±

    Alva sent Barton a glare, ¡°Hey, don¡¯t put dangerous ideas in their heads, you musclehead!¡±

    ¡°T-That¡¯s right-nya! You can¡¯t just up and become an Adventure-nya!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡­or rather¡­apart from the seeking fortunes part, the description of the life of an Adventurer seems way too dangerous.¡± says Anna, looking queasy.

    ¡°Sorry, but as much as I like to hit some bad guy I¡¯d rather not deliberately seek danger.¡± Says Terri.

    However, despite the caution from the female Adventurers and hesitation from his own camp, Ace looked rather excited.

    ¡°Going on death-defying adventurers¡­wielding amazing weapons¡­using amazing magic¡­that sort of thing?! We can be Adventurers too?¡± Ace asks with sparkling eyes, ¡°Where do I sign up?!¡±

    ¡°¡°Pablo?!¡±¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s if you¡¯re up to it! You look like you got what it takes!¡± Barton smiles at him, while ruffling his hair.

    ¡°Or¡­he¡¯s just as big a muscle-head as you are.¡± says Alva.

    ¡°I knew that a long time ago. He just completely ignored the ¡°death-defying¡± part in his own words. What a bone head.¡± says Terri.

    Both Terri and Alva looked at each other for a moment. They both gave each other nod as comrades with stupid males.

    Barton continued speaking about the life of an Adventurer to Ace who was sapping it up.

    ¡°If you want to be an Adventurer you need to learn some skills and be able to use Magic depending on the Class you want to take up.¡±

    ¡°Skills?! Magic?!¡± Ace had eyes glittering.

    That was the literal ¡°Magic¡± word that got the girl¡¯s attention. Magic was limited to cheap parlor tricks and illusions or scientific phenomenon that explains the happenings and goings. However, Magic here was real. And these Adventurers just prove it.

    Although it did excite them a bit but Anna word¡¯s poured cold water on that excitement.

    ¡°I¡¯m not really sure we can do that. I mean, we¡¯re not from around here.¡±

    Her words made Ace stop a bit. People of this world may be able to use Magic but they were not from here.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean you shouldn¡¯t give up without trying! I mean Wildfire Tenryu is around your age and he¡¯s one of the most amazing Adventurers out there!¡±

    ¡°¡°¡°¡®Wildfire Tenryu?¡±¡±¡±

    ¡°Of all people, you go for that! That¡¯s precisely why I¡¯m worried. Wildfire Tenryu is that last person you¡¯d want as a role model!¡±

    ¡°Excuse me, but who¡¯s this ¡°Wildfire¡± Tenryu?¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you kids heard of him? Ah, well you kids were probably from another country so it¡¯s not really surprising.¡± says Alva.

    ¡°He¡¯s one of the most famous Adventurers around in Medea. Well, famous for being destructive that is. Wahahaha!¡± laughs Barton.

    ¡°Destructive?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s been known to cause widespread damages to every job he¡¯s ever been on. Last I¡¯ve heard, he wrecked half of Tin Town to capture bandits.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Wrecked half a town?!¡± says Anna in horrified disbelief.

    ¡°And before that, he managed to capture that illegal crime syndicate on his own.¡± says Barton.

    ¡°Whoa, that¡¯s amazing-¡± says Ace.

    ¡°But in the process, he destroyed their hideout which was the catacombs beneath a historic cathedral in Opal City so he wound up destroying the foundations as well. The whole place collapsed as a result.¡±

    ¡°¡°¡°¡­¡±¡±¡±

    ¡°And then there was the incident where he destroyed Emerald Town¡¯s port to stop a bunch of pirates from escaping. Then that clock tower in Garnet Town was sliced in half.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t he the bad guy in all this?¡± asks Anna.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that. I think he¡¯s just an over-eager kid with too much power in his hands.¡± says Barton.

    ¡°Hmph, a muscle-brain covering another muscle-brain.¡±

    ¡°What was that?!¡±

    Alva, however, ignored his protests and turned a serious eye on the three of them.

    ¡°Listen kids, you better not follow in his footsteps. Even if you are trying to do good, it¡¯s no excuse to go rampaging like that, you hear me?¡±

    She was giving them a hard stare that all three had froze up and nodded fervently.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s because of his antics that he has another moniker as the ¡®Eternal E-ranked Adventurer.¡¯ Long story short, he¡¯s a bigger muscled head than this one here.¡±

    ¡°Oi!¡±

    ¡°But you have to admit though Alva-nyan. His Class Rank and abilities is already S-Class above so I guess that can compensate-ny-?!¡±

    Liscia¡¯s ears suddenly perked up and she sniffed air.

    ¡°What is it Liscia?¡± Alva says, suddenly alert. Barton, who had a joking atmosphere awhile ago also turned serious.

    ¡°There¡¯s someone¡­no, there¡¯s a group coming our way-nya!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯re people in this forest?¡± asks Terri.

    ¡°Could it be the res-mmph!¡±

    Anna¡¯s mouth was quickly covered by Ace¡¯s hand. He knew she was about to say ¡°rescuers¡± but there was no way there were rescuers for them in another world. And judging from Liscia¡¯s reaction they¡¯re far from such. From what Ace recalled from those fantasy anime shows of Benny¡¯s, Beastmen have senses like animals and it seems very true in this case.

    ¡°They¡¯re most likely bandits!¡±

 Special #3 - Some Sketches

    Tenryu versus Benny

    Relaxing

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    Overloaded flight

    Estrella Family (from left to right: Benny, Abuela, Tom, Cathy, Rachel, Lily, Jacob, Emmet)

    Emrys

    Don''t mess with someone''s phone.

    "A Series of Near Encounters You Shall Miss..."

    Anna''s Prophecy? SS- The Side of the Others - Chapter 2

 SS - The Side of The Others - Chapter 5

    Right now, the three other world children were hiding behind the bushes, watching the scene from afar.

    Although, Ace and Terri wanted help out (Anna did not want any of that and immediately agreed to hide), this was something that Alva had insisted upon as she did not want to involve people unnecessarily.

    Earlier¡­

    Liscia was sniffing the air. As typical of one from the Animalian race, as a Therian with beast-like characteristics she had sharper than those of regular humans.

    ¡°They have that typical nasty odor-nya. And from the sounds of those footsteps¡­probably thirty bandits-nya.¡±

    Ace and Terri groaned. Just when they thought they had just escaped and avoided them yesterday, there had to be another chance encounter with the ones who are basically criminals in this world!

    At the thought of a sudden rebel attack, Anna was looking terrified while Terri had a grim look.

    All three Adventurers were readying arms.

    ¡°You kids better hide somewhere. We¡¯ll deal with them.¡±

    ¡°Deal with them?! But that¡¯s a whole group of armed bandits?!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate us Adventurers! Especially we of Artemis!¡± Barton chuckled as he handed Ace his huge backpack.

    ¡°That¡¯s gonna be in the way so can you hold that for me?¡±

    ¡°Eh?!¡±

    Are you gonna make me your pack mule? Ace thought.

    Barton leaned close and whispered something in his ear. Ace looked momentarily shocked but he nodded vigorously. Without another word of protest (rather he seemed convinced), he led Terri and Anna to a thicket to hide.

    ***

    It did not take long for the bandits to be able to approach them. The three Adventurers stood to face them.

    ¡°Hey, look! There a couple of pretty ladies in that little trio!¡±

    ¡°I bet we can make some quick bucks selling them off to some slave trader!:

    ¡°Oi! Oi! Aren¡¯t you being hasty? Shouldn¡¯t we get a taste of them first? Just to see if they¡¯re quality goods!¡±

    ¡°Oi! Isn¡¯t one of them from the Cat-eared Therian? I hear they¡¯re pretty passionate in bed!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s just kill of that guy and grab the ladies!¡±

    Barton gave a loud snort as though try him. Liscia readied her bow with her eyes gazing at them like a predator hunting her prey.

    Alva was looking at them like they were insects but her gaze was right at the insignia that was on their clothes.

    ¡°Hmm¡­That insignia is from Redcliff Bandits.¡±

    ¡°Eh? But weren¡¯t they crushed by Wildfire just the other day?¡±

    ¡°I guess some had managed to escape. No doubt that they¡¯re just leftover grunts. Let¡¯s make this quick.¡±

    ¡°I want to head into to town already and have a nice bath-nya!¡±

    ¡°Hey, we¡¯ve got a bunch of aspiring Adventurers watching us. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m gonna lose face here!¡±

    And with sudden amazing speed, despite the heavy armor and huge hammer he was wielding, Barton rushed towards the bandits and swung the huge hammer in a huge arc, sending several of them flying.

    ¡°Wha-?¡±

    ¡°This guy¡¯s an Adventurer?!¡±

    Barton swung his hammer in compete 360 degree turn and knocked several more of them away.

    ¡°Damn! Just after we managed to escape that monster we encounter another one-GUHAA?!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget us, you piece of sh*t!¡±

    The bandit¡¯s words were cut off when Alva¡¯s flaming fist smashed into his jaw and sent him flying into a tree! She then proceeded to beat up the other bandits close-by using a series of enhanced punches and kicks!

    ¡°T-This bitch?!¡±

    ¡°Damn it! Why are we always running into monsters?!¡±

    Alva had a vein pulsing in her forehead as she heard that. And putting more Manna into her gauntlet more than usual she swung an uppercut that sent the bandit who said that into the sky!

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s rude to call a woman a monster to her face?!¡±

    (Even though it is an accurate description¡­)

    Barton shivered as he thought those words. Either Alva had sixth sense or could guess what he was thinking, she sent a glare at his direction.

    Liscia fired wind arrows from a top a tree branch. During the start of the fight, she climbed up a tall, sturdy tree with outstanding speed that it surprised the kids. That was most likely due to her Therian physiology.

    But that was not the only thing that was incredible.

    Her marksmanship as an archer was nothing to laugh at. Liscia fired wind arrow after another and struck them at the vital points.s was able to strike several of them down without missing her target.

    Alva was attacking with a series and flurries of flaming punches and kicks like a martial artist from those anime shows that Ace watched with Benny before.

    Barton swung his huge hammer wildly. Whether it was smashing it on the ground and creating huge impact craters or swinging in a huge arc with overwhelming force, it sent Bandits flying left and right.

    All three basically formed efficient team.

    ¡°This is real! Real Magic! Real OP effects! Real total Kick-butt Action-GAH!¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    Ace was practically shouting loudly so Terri had to hit him in the head to shut him up.

    ¡°Are you trying to give away our location to those bandits?!¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re really amazing!¡± Anna muttered with her eyes glittering amazement!

    ¡°Not you too Anna!¡± Terri groans in consternation.

    ¡°Huh¡­¡±

    Anna suddenly had blank gaze. Her expression had a faraway as she continued her gaze at the battle. Noticing that and filled with unease, Ace asked her what was wrong.

    ¡°The Bandits have some kind of poison. Ate Alva and Kuya Barton are in trouble.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Following her gaze, he saw a few bandits readying some kind of bottles at a distance from Barton and Alva who were both distracted to notice them from the distance.

    In all those RPG games he played sneak attacks when the target is distracted is common thing and usually it¡¯s effective to kill of a member of an enemy team. But this is real life now. And unlike the games you don¡¯t get second lives or respawn.

    When he saw what was about to happen, Ace couldn¡¯t stop himself. He grabbed one of the weapons form the bag: a pair of short twin swords.

    And before the other girls could stop him he rushed forward towards Barton and the bandit.

    Liscia also saw this and was momentarily shocked that she stopped her barrage of attacks.

    ¡°Eh? What is he doing-nya?!¡±

    At first she was confused on why Ace suddenly ran out of hiding when he was supposed to conceal himself with the others. That is until she saw where he was heading and saw the bandits readying some kind of bottle to throw.

    ¡°Alva! Barton! WATCH OUT-NYAAA?!!!¡±

    Both Alva and Barton glanced at the sound of Liscia¡¯s voice and saw Ace running towards them¡­with a pair of very familiar swords that were emitting bolts of electricity.

    ¡°What is that kid doing?!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­you were on the bandit¡¯s side?!¡±

    It was not surprising that Barton thought that because what kind of person would be running at you with a pair of swords. Also Liscia¡¯s warning made them both think that she was warning them of him.

    But Liscia was still shouting.

    ¡°NO! BEHIND YOU-NYAAAAAA?!!!¡±

    Knowing there was no time to explain or warn them, Ace gripped the hilts of the swords while willing to himself to run even faster.

    He did not know what was going on but he felt a surge of energy coursing through him and into his hands.

    The blades of the swords, shot out¡­great sparks of lightning!

    In an instant, like a flash of lightning, Ace sped up and bypassed Alva and Barton who only blinked with the word ¡°eh?¡± escaping their lips. He quickly appeared just as the bandit was about to throw the bottle at Barton, he skidded right in between them!

    ¡°What?! Where¡¯d the hell this kid come from-?¡±

    Ace then quickly slashed at the bandit¡¯s hand as he was about to throw the bottle! The bottle that was about to be thrown flew high in the air! However, the bottle had also been engulfed in electricity and in an instant it exploded releasing a cloud of green smoke.

    ¡°Look out!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t breathe it!¡± Several of the bandits tried to run away.

    ¡°Tch! So they had Poison Potion!¡± Alva clicks her tongue in annoyance as she punched another bandit in the face.

    ¡°And they were about to throw it at us! Kid there just saved our hides!¡± says Barton.

    ¡°Impressive but we¡¯ll save that for later! Liscia!¡±

    Alva called out to her companion in one of the tree branches.

    ¡°Already on it!¡±

    Liscia fired a wind arrow that sent the poisonous smoke away before it could reach them.

    The bandit that held that bottle turned at Ace.

    ¡°You little bastard! Do you realize what you¡¯ve just done!¡±

    ¡°Same to you! HA!¡±

    Ace jabbed one of the swords at the bandit while emitting thick bolts of lightning!

    ¡°UWAAAZBZZBZBBZBZBBBZZZTTTTT?!¡±

    After being shocked with who knows how many bolts of electricity. The bandit was blasted away. Whether from electric shock or the force of Ace¡¯s strike he was sent flying in the opposite direction. The bandit smashed against a tree a crumpled to the ground unconscious.

    ¡°A-Ace?! You just~¡±

    The bandits too had quickly regained their senses and in anger they began to attack once more.

    ¡°You little brat!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re gonna pay for that!¡±

    Ace actually smirked realizing he is actually hearing these stereotyped comments in real life.

    ¡°Sorry, Kuya Barton but since this is an emergency I already do have your permission to borrow these swords for a bit, I¡¯m gonna enjoy this!¡±

    ¡°Eh? Huh?!¡± Barton could only flap his mouth.

    Ace quickly slashed and struck the other bandits nearby.

    Now why would a kid from a peaceful country and from another world would suddenly know how to do life-and-death sword combat? Well, that was because he already has experience in wielding a sword. Not in combat but as a sport. To be more specific, he took up Arnis and Fencing. This was something his dad had stubbornly insisted he do since he was a kid. If there was a kendo dojo nearby his dad would¡¯ve been forced to take that up as well.

    Ace wasn¡¯t really interested in the sport though as he preferred soccer, basketball or other team sports. But for some reason he was a natural in the sport. So much so, that the coaches often ask him to become captain of the team in competitions. Ace always declined though as well as the competition participation. He was already a captain in the Soccer Club and being captain of another sport team would be too much responsibility. Ace¡¯s father wasn¡¯t particular about either as long as he kept up his training.

    Because of that¡­

    ¡°Ha! Hyah! Haaa~!¡±

    Ace utilized both his skills in Fencing and Arnis to attack and dual wield. It could even be seen as though he were an experienced Swordsman! Ace expertly parried away some of their sword attacks while striking away at their weak points.

    Effectively, he mowed down every enemy that came his way.

    ¡°What the hell is this kid-GUHAABZTTZTZ?!¡±

    ¡°Just how many of these guys are there?!-UWAAHBZZZTT?!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a monster-GAAHBZZZTT!!¡¯

    With each strike of the swords, Ace let loose several bolts of electricity to electrocute and stun his opponents like an electric baton. He had no idea how he was doing it but it felt natural as breathing air.

    Although he was practically fighting for his life¡­ he felt excitement!

    He was fighting with actual swords! He was fighting while using actual Magic! He was defeating bad guys left and right!

    He felt like he was playing the character of his online games.

    Another bandit came rushing at Ace with an axe. Ace readied his stance to strike when¡­

    A foot smashed into the face of the bandit.

    ¡°TERRI KICK!¡±

    It was Terri, who had performed her signature full powered flying kick, had sent that bandit to the rest of the group of bandits knocking them away like a group of 9 pins in a bowling alley!

    ¡°Ehh?!¡± Ace yelled.

    Ace¡¯s reaction is quite to be expected. For one thing, Terri can give a mean flying kick but it was not at the scale of sending someone ¡°literally¡± flying. That sort of stuff only happens in the movies.

    ¡°Hm? I guess these boots aren¡¯t just made for walking.¡± Says Terri, while checking the new boots she was wearing. It looked like regular boots but as she was checking the bottom of the boots, a large gem was glowing at the heels.

    ¡°Terri?! When the hell did you?! Or rather that boots.¡±

    ¡°Who says you get to have all the fun? Ha!¡±

    Terri used her gymnastic skills to dodge the bandits. As though it knew what she wanted, the boots released a powerful boost of energy the greatly enhanced her jumps and kicks! She leapt into the air, drop kicked several bandits, performed several axe-kicks and all the while maintaining the grace of a gymnast.

    ¡°Damn it! Don¡¯t go stealing the spotlight on me!¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah? Wanna see which one of us takes down the most bandits?!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re on!¡±

    All the while, Alva and Barton were looking at them dumbfounded. Rather than them doing the fighting and showing how it¡¯s like being an Adventurer, these kids were fighting as though they were experienced ones¡­at least in skill. For some reason, the whole thing was degraded into a competition between the two on which one defeated the most bandits.

    It¡¯s probably because of the ¡°new threat¡± that just appeared the bandits (or most likely because they been reduced to mere target practices for children) they were now aiming for Ace and Terri. If it were in gamer terms, Ace and Terri just earned the ¡°aggro¡± of every enemy.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it feel like we¡¯ve been upstaged or something?¡± asks Barton.

    ¡°Those two are actually pretty good¡­¡± admits Alva after observing for a bit. ¡°I can see great potential in them being Adventurers.¡±

    ¡°Ho? You don¡¯t usually give compliments like that.¡±

    Alva ignores him and focuses on the swords Ace was using and just remembered something.

    ¡°Speaking of which, the kid mentioned about him getting your permission to borrow our stuff.¡±

    Barton shuddered.

    ¡°H-Hey! I just thought that if there was a need for them to fight they can use whatever weapons in the bag to fight!¡±

    ¡°And a good thing too-nya!¡± Liscia leapt down from one the branches. ¡°Had they not come to our rescue, you¡¯d been in pinch from being poisoned-nya.¡±

    ¡°Hmph¡­I guess the Musclehead does have some good judgment sometimes.¡±

    ¡°Oi!¡±

    Alva was still glancing at Ace as he fought using those twin swords.

    ¡°But those swords he¡¯s using¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know¡­shocking, right?¡±

    ¡°Lierally-nya¡­Are you alright Alva-nya?¡±

    Alva didn¡¯t reply but she did thought silently.

    (To think there was someone else who could wield those custom-made weapons of yours¡­brother¡­)

 SS - The Side of The Others - Chapter 6

    Ace and Terri quickly made short work of the bandits and they were all lying on the ground, crumpled and defeated like a bunch of sandbags.

    ¡°Fuu~ I really broke a bit of sweat.¡± Ace wiped the seat off his forehead with his arm.

    ¡°Never thought my gymnastics and taekwondo could actually be of use here¡­¡± Terri flexed her arms.

    The three Adventurers approached them with myriad of expressions. Barton and Liscia was praising them both. Alva was giving a long appraising look at Ace.

    ¡°You kids sure are full of surprises!¡±

    ¡°But I thought you kids didn¡¯t know how to fight-nya?!¡±

    ¡°We learned a bit of combat as a sport but never actually put it to practical use.¡± explains Ace with a grin.

    ¡°A sport that doubles as training¡­ That¡¯s an effective way to learn.¡± nods Alva, while still not moving her gaze at Ace.

    ¡°Err¡­is there something wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing. But those swords you are using¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, these? I got permission from Kuya Barton to use them in case of emergency, so it¡¯s okay right?¡±

    ¡°Those are not just his stuff but ours as well. To be specific those swords and those boots are my possessions.¡± Alva squints at Barton, who quickly looked away.

    Was it his imagination or did Barton did have some kind bump in his forehead.

    Ace and Terri broke out in cold sweat. Was Alva the type to be very possessive of her belongings?

    ¡°Since you did save us from a pinch, I¡¯ve got nothing to complain. We were negligent on our part as well. We should¡¯ve been more vigilant.¡±

    It was probably Alva¡¯s way of saying it¡¯s okay.

    ¡°Hmm. I can see you and Terri-dear, here. But where is Anna-dear-nya?¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Ace had just realized that they left Anna behind in the bush.

    ¡°Oi, Terri! Wasn¡¯t Anna with you last?¡±

    ¡°She should be still over there.¡±

    ¡°Everyone!¡±

    Anna called out to them. They turned to see her dragging Barton¡¯s large bag across the ground.

    ¡°Oi¡­did you guys just leave her alone and to carry that huge thing?¡±

    Ace and Terri looked shameful. They were so caught up with the action that left her behind.

    She was about to approach them when suddenly¡­someone leapt from the bushes and grabbed her!

    ¡°KYAAAAAAA!!!¡±

    A bandit somehow managed to escape their notice and snuck up at Anna, taking her hostage. A dagger was pushed near her neck.

    ¡°ANNA!¡±

    ¡°DAMN! You let her go, you bastard!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡±

    The bandit looked deranged and desperate. Seeing all his comrades defeated by a bunch of kids on top of having the boss they all admired beaten to a pulp the other day had really made him desperate to escape. He knew about the Tartarus Prison where he was sure they¡¯d wind up and didn¡¯t want to experience the living hell. Earlier, he tried to sneak away but saw her approaching her companions while struggling to bring back that huge bag.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Perhaps seized by some evil thoughts, he believed he found a perfect hostage and a leeway to force his enemies down. She didn¡¯t even notice him but when she did it was too late.

    ¡°Now put down all your weapons or this girl here won¡¯t have her pretty little face ruined!¡±

    The bandit drew his dagger close to Anna¡¯s neck.

    Everyone grits their teeth in frustration. If they make one wrong move, Anna could lose more than a nice skin.

    ¡°What are you waiting for? Put down your weapons now!¡±

    When she saw the sharp blade drawing closer, Anna was filled with panic and terror¡­but she also just remembered something.

    She quickly reached into her pocket and drew out¡­a small bottle.

    She pointed the nozzle at the bandit¡¯s face and fired. The bandit had no way of knowing that she had something like that on hand. And the moment he realized she was pointing it at him he got sprayed full in the face.

    ¡°GYAAAAH?!!!!! MY FACE!!! IT BURNS!!!¡±

    The Bandit dropped his dagger and was clutching his face. With his grip on Anna loosened she managed to break free.

    Momentarily staring at the screaming bandit, Anna then swung her foot right at his nether region!

    ¡°GUHHAAAA?!¡±

    The Bandit collapsed to ground. The combined pain of having his face sprayed with pepper spray and his manhood struck by a full-powered kick had caused him to crumple to the ground in pain. Anna quickly moved away from him at the opportunity.

    ¡°¡°Anna!¡±¡±

    Ace and Terri quickly rushed towards her side but it was Liscia who reached her first. She crumpled into her arms, shaking in fright.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m fine¡­I¡­learned a bit of self defense¡­¡±

    Anna broke down in tears.

    Liscia pats her back and tried to comfort her, ¡°It¡¯s alright now-nya. You¡¯re safe now and you did well in fight him-nya!¡±

    ¡°Anna¡­we¡¯re sorry-¡±

    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t have left you alone-¡±

    Both Ace and Terri could only look down in shame while inwardly cursed themselves. They were so caught up in the fighting that they left Anna defenseless alone. They shuddered to think otherwise what would happen.

    ¡°Mordread¡¯s Malice! Damn it aaaaaallllllll!¡±

    The bandit yelled as he got up shaking. Though in pain, evidently he was still conscious.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to jail! I won¡¯t go down without a fight!¡±

    The bandit pulled out a pair of guns.

    The kids stiffened when they saw something from their world being pulled out.

    However, Alva¡¯s eyes grew wide when she saw those guns.

    ¡°Everyone get down! And brace yourselves!¡±

    He aimed at them and fired! A sphere of swirling wind shot out!

    ¡°Eh?! Ras*ngan?!¡±

    Ace shouted before Terri knocked them both to the ground. Everyone else managed to throw themselves to the ground to avoid being hit by that windball but it then struck a tree.

    In an instant, the windball expanded to engulf the whole tree in a sphere of winds that shredded it inward. All the while, it was releasing a torrent of winds towards the surroundings. That shredded tree branches and threw the other unconscious bandits around like ragdolls!

    Some of them slammed into trees or each other in mid-air with a sickening crunch!

    The Adventurers and the kids felt getting scratch in their exposed skin. It was like trying to brave a tornado!

    When the winds subsided, all that¡¯s left was devastation and a lot of injured bandits.

    ¡°Is everyone alright-nya?¡±

    ¡°Just barely¡­¡±

    ¡°Damn it! What the hell was that?¡±

    ¡°Tch! Vacuum Implosion Magic!¡± Alva gritted her teeth.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous form of Wind Magic that¡¯s been outlawed due to its dangerous use. So the rumors of Magic Guns going around were true!¡±

    The bandit was laughing creepily, ¡°S-Serves you all right! You all always looked down on me! With these! No one can stop me!¡±

    The bandit evidently had lost it. He was so panicked and desperate he pulled out a dangerous weapon he got simply by chance and used it. He even disregarded the safety of his own comrades in the process. But from his own words he wasn¡¯t treated as one of his comrades at all.

    The Artemis party and the kids were now face-to-face with a deranged psycho. They had to tread likely as that guy would probably shoot them indiscriminately with dangerous wide range attack.

    Just as they were trying to formulate a plan to deal with him.

    BOOM!!!

    A loud sound caused everyone to jolt

    ¡°W-WHAT WAS THAT?!¡±

    ¡°Are there more of them?!¡±

    Ace glanced at the bandit leader who also had a startled expression.

    (No that¡¯s not it otherwise that guy would not look so surprise.)

    He continued to look around but then something caught his eye¡­from above.

    ¡°Oi! Look up!¡±

    Ace pointed to the sky. It was night sky filled with glittering stars.

    ¡°What happened to the sky?!¡±

    ¡°Eh? Isn¡¯t it supposed to be daytime-nya?!¡±

    ¡°Wow! It¡¯s so pretty!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the point Anna!¡±

    Anna was right on one point. This would have a beautiful sight¡­had it not been for the fact that it was noon.

    ¡°Oi, Alva can you feel it? This insane Magic Power?¡±

    Alva could only nod. From all her experience as an Adventurer, she knew that this was a Magic Spell.

    A very, very powerful Magic Spell.

    Whoever was casting this was a formidable Magic User.

    Suddenly, one by one the stars began to fall, becoming shooting stars while aiming towards a specific location.

    But then one of the shooting stars had suddenly changed direction and its target?

    ¡°What in tarnation?! It¡¯s coming right at me?!¡±

    The bandit saw that it was flying towards him and began shooting wind bullets in panic to no avail.

    ¡°WHY?!!!!¡±

    Was the only thing the pitiful bandit could say as the shooting star smashed at him and caused powerful explosion.

    KABOOOOOMM!!!

    Everyone was dumbfounded by what had just happened.

    ¡°Eh? What the hell just happened?!¡±

    """""¡°Divine Retribution?¡±"""""

 SS - The Side of The Others - Chapter 7

    After the initial shock of witnessing someone got smashed by a meteor died down (that bandit was still alive but he looked like a burnt ragged doll afterwards), they all rounded up the bandits and tied them up in the trees.

    Actually, Alva had also stripped them naked just to make sure they weren¡¯t carrying any means to escape and Terri helped out. They also forcibly made Ace and Barton help. Ace¡¯s face cramped at the sight as he was not too fond of looking a naked bound men, much less be the one stripping them. Apparently, Barton felt the same way but he knew from experience that Alva wasn¡¯t in the mood to treat them with dignity.

    To preserve Anna¡¯s ¡°innocence¡±, Liscia and her sat underneath a far off tree discussing about that strange ¡°potion¡± Anna carried with her.

    And with that they left those bandits all bound, naked and gagged at the trees while resuming their journey.

    They will inform the Adventurer¡¯s Association Branch Office when they arrive at the next town.

    The prospect of finally going to civilization really cheered up Ace and the others. But it also scared them as to what kind of civilization this world has.

    ¡°So¡­do you kids have any plans of becoming Adventurers?¡± Alva suddenly asked them as they walked.

    ¡°¡°¡°Eh?¡±¡±¡±

    ¡°¡°Huh?¡±¡±

    It was a natural response. Awhile ago, Alva looked as though she had reservation about that kind of occupation. Sensing that from them, Alva explained.

    ¡°I doubted you kids earlier about becoming Adventurers because I wasn¡¯t sure you kids had any potential. But you¡¯ve proven otherwise. Heck, I think you kids were more skilled than me when I was your age.¡±

    ¡°Oi Alva, you sound like an old wo-GUHAA!¡±

    Alva sent the dense muscle-head flying with a punch! Ignoring the crumpled heap of muscle that was Barton she continued.

    ¡°As I was saying¡­you kids have a great potential. You two especially have proven you have the skills and training to fight in battle.¡± She pointed gave wry smile towards Ace and Terri.

    ¡°Um¡­I¡¯m not really suited for fighting¡­I was the one who became a hostage.¡± Anna tries to raise her hand.

    ¡°Yet, you manage to calmly think of a way to break free and did just that with your own ability and resources. Most people don¡¯t really think properly when they are in such a situation. I can¡¯t judge your fighting ability but I think your strength lies elsewhere. Perhaps you may be skilled Magic or range attacks.¡±

    ¡°Magic?! Oh, wow I wish I can do that!¡±

    ¡°So what do you say? I won¡¯t force you but in my opinion you have good prospects in becoming Adventurers. If you want, you can be in our party until you¡¯re ready enough to be independent.¡±

    ¡°Really? Is that okay?¡±

    ¡°As long as you promise not to cause trouble.¡± says Alva.

    ¡°¡°¡°We¡¯re in!¡±¡±¡±

    The three readily agreed.

    It would be advantageous for them to become Adventurers. They get to travel and see what this world is all about. Go on amazing adventures, learn Magic and Skills and even earn their livings.

    Also, they might get some information regarding if their friend and Manong Dario may also be in this world with them. And perhaps a method to return home.

    ¡°That¡¯s decided then!¡± Alva had a satisfied smile.

    Both Liscia and Anna grasped each other¡¯s hands.

    ¡°It looks like we¡¯ll be together a little longer-nya!¡±

    ¡°Yay!¡±

    ¡°I can teach you Archery and some bit of Magic if you¡¯re interested-nya?¡±

    ¡°Really! I¡¯ll be in your care Ate Liscia?¡± Anna looked exited.

    ¡°Eh? Ate Liscia-nya?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how we call our seniors from where we¡¯re from.¡±

    ¡°Strange¡­usually we hear the Ate attached at the end so I¡¯m more used to hear Liscia-Ate so-nyaa¡­¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    It would seem there was a lot to learn here.

    ¡°Ugh¡­you really hit hard, Ava!¡± Barton seems to have revived and noticed the festive atmosphere. ¡°Did I miss something?¡±

    It would seem Barton had been out of it a bit so he wasn¡¯t able to hear the current events. But when he did he was genuinely ecstatic.

    ¡°So you¡¯re going to be Adventurers then? Good for you, kid!¡±

    ¡°Thanks! I¡¯ll be in your care!¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which, those Sword Skills of yours¡­would you mind if we have a spar one of these days?¡± Barton grinned at him.

    Ace grinned back. ¡°You¡¯re on!¡±

    Both Alva and Terri rolled their eyes at the boys.

    ¡°Typical boys¡­ only thinking about fighting for fun.¡±

    ¡°Boys will always be boys no matter their age.¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    Once again Terri and Alva seemed to have an agreement and nodded each other.

    ¡°Though I must admit¡­ you have quite the Skill as a hand-to-hand combatant. Your body movement and flexibility in particular is very superior compared to mine.¡±

    ¡°Nah, compared to someone who actually tasted a real battle I¡¯m just more of performer. I mean gymnastics is more on health, elegance and physique.¡±

    ¡°Well, with the right equipment those Skills are nothing to laugh about. Speaking of which¡­ about those weapons¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    Terri just realized that she was still wearing Alva¡¯s boots. She quickly made her way to remove those boots.

    ¡°Oi Pabby! Those swords! Return them to Alva!¡±

    ¡°Eh? Ah!¡¯

    Apparently, so did Ace. In panic, he quickly approached Alva with the intent to give them back but she held up her hand.

    ¡°You can have them.¡±

    Both Ace and Terri blinked,.

    ¡°¡°Really?!¡±¡±

    ¡°Really.¡± Alva nodded.

    ¡°Wow, thanks!¡±

    ¡°Awesome!¡±

    Ace and Terri admired their new weapons.

    ¡°Oi, Alva? Is that really alright?¡±

    ¡°Is that okay-nya? I mean those swords¡­¡±

    Liscia whispered the last part.

    ¡°It¡¯s my stuff so I can do away with it. Besides¡­ it¡¯s not like I need those anyway. And if these kids are going to be Adventurers, they¡¯re going to need it more than me.¡±

    Liscia and Barton looked a little concerned but otherwise didn¡¯t say anything.

    Anna on the other hand looked a little envious.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m a little jealous! Pablo and Terri can use Magic with those weapons!¡±

    Ace and Terri avoided their gazes at Anna. But for a different reason.

    Ever since the reality that Magic exists was thrust to them, they both know that whatever is happening with Anna¡­those strange cases where she was possessed, incredible foresight¡­ she may have some kind of strange power that could be stemmed from Magic.

    But they didn¡¯t say anything because they didn¡¯t have any proof. And perhaps it may be more troublesome, so it was decided silently that they¡¯d keep it quiet for now.

    Besides¡­Anna herself didn¡¯t seem to be aware of it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Anna-dear-nya! I have a spare bow you can use! I¡¯ll teach some Arrow Spells.¡±

    Anna¡¯s mood brightened up at that.

    ***

    ¡°Come to think of it. We¡¯ve never asked but¡­what were you guys doing in the forest in the first place?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that! We were riding a train on the way back from a job when it got stalled in the way because the tracks got caught in a mudslide.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s either we play a waiting game or go on our own two feet-nya. But I guess the latter turned out to be the correct decision-nya.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, if you guys hadn¡¯t decided to go we¡¯d end up mince meat by that monster. Or become those bandits¡¯ slave merchandise.¡± says Ace.

    Anna shuddered at the thought how they narrowly avoided that fate.

    It was already dusk when their group finally managed to emerge from Marble Forest and into the main road.

    This was the first true sign of civilization Ace, Anna and Terri had ever seen in quite a while. They couldn¡¯t help but feel euphoric!

    Although it was their new companion Barton who actually voiced those feelings out.

    ¡°Finally! We¡¯re out of that thicket!¡± yells Barton throwing his arms above his head.

    ¡°You¡¯re being too loud! And it¡¯s too early to rejoice.¡±

    Alva snaps at him whacking on the top of head with her fist.

    ¡°Ow!¡±

    ¡°We still have a long way to walk before we reach our destination.¡±

    By this time, Ace and others have gotten used to this sight. Anna was finding this quite amusing all the while she was casting glances at Ace and Terri.

    ¡°Oh, but we can see the place already-nya! Everyone look-nya! That¡¯s Marble Town over there-nya!¡± says Liscia.

    At the direction where she was pointing at was a small quaint village that had lights from the houses beginning to illuminate the place.

    Ace, Terri and Anna were feeling excited.

    They were going to enter a town of another world for the first time. From there, they were going to go through their journey into becoming Adventurers. All the while, they were keeping their secret goal of finding a way to get back to their world.

    They began to follow their new friends and mentors on the road to Marble Town.

    ¡°Hmm? Oh, a courier wagon?¡± says Alva, squinting her eyes at the silhouette.

    ¡°Great! Maybe we can hitch a ride!¡± says Barton looking quite eager.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be an idiot! Can¡¯t you see that it¡¯s leaving the town?¡±

    Anna gasped as soon as she saw the ¡°horse¡± pulling the wagon.

    ¡°OH MY GOSH! It¡¯s a unicorn! A real unicorn!¡± she squealed, hopping in excitement!

    Alva grins at her, ¡°Is this your first time seeing one?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it is! I can¡¯t believe it! It¡¯s a real unicorn!¡± says Terri, looking just as excited.

    Girls will be girls. Ace thought.

    ¡°I¡¯m not surprised. They¡¯re hard to tame and usually high-ranking nobles can afford to have them. Although, I believe I heard the Azalea Trading Company breeds unicorns and employs Tamer Class Adventurers to use unicorns for transport.¡±

    ¡°Strange¡­aren¡¯t unicorns supposed to go super fast? Why is that one going slow?¡± asks Barton.

    ¡°Probably, they have a delicate cargo or something.¡± says Alva.

    Ace was impressed that Adventurers can find work in such a way. But the sight of that unicorn just solidified that fact that they weren¡¯t on Earth anymore.

    Ace¡¯s gaze had shift from the unicorn to the driver. He notices that the driver was¡­a cat? He didn¡¯t look like a human with cat features a Liscia but an anthropomorphic cat. This guy was probably one of the Beastman races.

    There was someone else with him and he was talking to them. A guy with red hair tied to a ponytail that had a katana strapped to his back. Ace couldn¡¯t make out the face because he was sitting on his knees while looking inside the carriage.

    The wagon soon approaches them and the driver looks in caution but upon seeing they were not hostile he raises an arm in acknowledgement towards them before he passes them. They were going slow enough that Ace was able to hear their talks.

    ¡°Blast it! If it weren¡¯t for that greedy little punk! We could¡¯ve left earlier! Now it¡¯s all dusk!¡±

    ¡°Tenryu, I know the sentiments but please lower your volume. And try to go slower, Meo. The bumpiness of the road will wake him up!¡± a girl¡¯s voice could be heard. Maybe she was inside the wagon?

    ¡°Gallop is already going slower than he would usually allow-meow. Please be a little considerate-meow!¡±

    ¡°Is he really okay, Nia?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve done what I¡¯ve could. For now, let¡¯s let him rest Tenryu.¡±

    The carriage continues on down the road until it passed a bend on the road and was out of sight.

    ¡°Oi, Alva¡­wasn¡¯t that ¡°Wildfire¡± Tenryu just now in that wagon?¡±

    ¡°Eh? That was ¡°Wildfire¡± Tenryu?!¡± says Anna.

    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s no mistaking that red-hair or that sword.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t judge people by how they look, Anna-dear-nya. But still¡­that was wagon was no doubt from the Azalea Trading Company. What was he doing in a wagon belonging to them?¡± ponders Liscia.

    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s another job? I shudder to think what kind of state that cargo is going to be when it reaches the destination.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t be the bandits that would be a problem but that guy, huh?¡± says Terri.

    Ace stared down the road where the wagon just passed them.

    He had a strange nagging feeling he just missed something when that wagon passed.

    It was only when they finally arrived in Marble Town that they¡¯ve heard another one of Tenryu¡¯s destructive antics that captured a notorious bandit group and their leader but destroyed a restaurant.

    But they also heard of something else.

    There was a rumor about an unknown boy who summoned the stars in broad daylight to defeat the bandit leader. Apparently, nobody knows him but he seems to be with Tenryu. Ace had deduced that from the conversations on that wagon earlier, it would seem that boy was in the wagon recovering.

    Since that boy had not given a name he was called a strange nickname in town called ¡°Star Caller.¡±

    Whether that boy would know about his moniker is a tale for another time.

    Ace, however, never would imagine the encounter he will meet with the ¡°Star Caller.¡±

    ***

    At that moment¡­

    When the Artemis Party and the carriage crossed each other¡¯s paths.

    A lone cloaked boy was floating in the night sky above them.

    ¡°Looks like those kids are in good hands¡­I¡¯ll tell Benny in a later date¡­hmm¡­maybe not¡­It¡¯s best for them to grow and encounter each other on their own¡­¡±

    The boy sighed,

    ¡°But to think she had the gift inherited from Melchior¡­It seems fate is more complicated than I thought¡­¡±

 Chapter 37 - Daily Life in the Magical World Part 1

    Amber Highlands

    It is an elevated, grassy area on the outskirts of Amber City. The area had many large rocks, ditches and hills. Nobody actually goes to this place because there¡¯s nothing of interest here.

    But it just so happen it is perfect for the purpose of a certain pair.

    Behind one of the rocks was a young Magic-user hiding from his opponent.

    ¡°You can¡¯t hide out there forever, Benny!¡±

    His opponent¡¯s voice taunted him. If he replied back, he would know where he was. But he had guessed already how to outmaneuver him. He raised his staff and prepared his spell.

    Jumping out from behind the rock, he aimed, ¡°Meteor Canon!¡±

    His opponent turned and saw ball of light rushing towards him.

    ¡°Nice try! But that won¡¯t work against me!¡±

    He quickly positioned his stance, readying his sword and slashed the ball of light. It was quickly dispelled.

    ¡°Tch!¡± Benny clicked his tongue.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got to do better than that if you want to beat me! Not that you could!¡±

    His opponent quickly rushed towards him and readied his sword.

    ¡°Flame Dragon Style: Blitz Fang Blade!¡±

    Quickly holding his staff in front of him, he shouted in a loud voice.

    ¡°Light Barrier!¡±

    His staff glowed with light and a large yellow Magic Seal appeared in front of him. Tenryu¡¯s Sword collided with Benny¡¯s shield and caused a shockwave that reverberated across the field.

    (Damn! Tenryu sure is strong!) But he focused his gaze with a smile. (But I haven¡¯t practiced just so I can be a push over!)

    He shot his free hand forward, ¡°Flash!¡±

    He felt a surge of energy gathering in his hand and burst of light came forth causing his opponent to cover his eyes.

    ¡°Ah! Blistering Blazes! My eyes!¡±

    Calculating his timing and he quickly pointed his staff downward.

    ¡°Water Fountain!¡±

    The Magic Seal protecting him quickly disappeared but a new one appeared beneath Tenryu. This one was blue in color.

    A geyser of water shot from the seal and engulfed his sword-wielding opponent before shooting him in the air.

    ¡°UWAAAGGHHH glub*glub*glub*!!!¡±

    ¡°Gotcha!¡±

    Benny grinned, feeling as though he made a great leeway. Tenryu had a briefly annoyed look on his face before returning the grin.

    (Oh, nice try! But this won¡¯t stop me!)

    Tenryu quickly ignited his sword and caused it to superheat! He then slashed the Water Fountain with a loud ¡°Ha!¡± The intense heat caused the water to evaporate and Benny to back away. Tenryu landed on his feet coincidently completely dried from the heat of his own flames.

    He then rushed towards Benny with his sword raised, ¡°Take this!¡±

    Tenryu swung down his blade at Benny...before he quickly turned it on his hand an aimed the hilt on Benny¡¯s head.

    ¡°Eh? Wait a minute-¡±

    ¡°Ha!¡±

    After being struck by the hilt, Benny fell backwards and landed on the ground with a thump.

    ¡°Looks like I win again this time!¡±

    Tenryu grinned again but Benny still lay on the ground completely unconscious. Tenryu started to feel uneasy.

    ¡°H-Hey? Benny? You okay?¡±

    Benny did not respond.

    ¡°Oh, blitz! Magma-tia is gonna grill me!¡± Tenryu quickly tried to shake Benny awake, ¡°C¡¯mon Benny! This isn¡¯t funny!¡±

    All of a sudden Benny started stirring much to Tenryu¡¯s relief.

    ¡°Oh, thank blazes... Don¡¯t scare me like that-¡±

    Tenryu stopped when he saw Benny wasn¡¯t stirring. He was wiggling like he was made of jelly!

    ¡°What the blitz...¡±

    Suddenly ¡®Benny¡¯ disappeared and in his place was a strange blob of water in the shape of him.

    Tenryu leapt back with a yelp, ¡°I-Illusion Magic?¡±

    The water quickly reformed into huge bubble of water. It then started glowing.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°Oh, blitz!¡±

    Tenryu cursed when realization hit him. He tried to get away but it was too late. The water bubble exploded and he got washed away. As the water subsided, he lay on the ground completely soaked.

    Benny appeared from behind another rock with a smile.

    ¡°No fair! You tricked me!¡±

    Tenryu stood there completely soaked but he simply waved his sword and it caught in flames again. This allowed himself to dry quickly.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one saying I had to give it my all? Using tricks is one of the basics of what people call ¡°Magic¡± from where I came from.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not really Magic, you know!¡±

    ¡°Well, I prefer this type of approach in a battle. Speaking of which, the battle¡¯s not over yet!¡±

    Benny twirls the staff in the air before he stabs it at the ground. Large, glowing fissures quickly spread throughout the field and right underneath Tenryu¡¯s feet. Benny lifted his staff and upon doing so, huge chunks of earth rose from the fissures and started floating around Tenryu.

    ¡°Crushing Earth Cage¡±

    This was a Spell that utilized the Earth Element. It was an Advanced Rank Spell that could easily crush a man caught by it. Now Benny wouldn¡¯t use this Spell on a normal person but his opponent was a full-fledged Adventurer. Tenryu himself was the one who drilled the ¡°no-holds-barred¡± concept in him during practice.

    And besides, he knew Tenryu wouldn¡¯t be beaten by it so easily.

    And to prove that point, Tenryu readied his stance.

    ¡°Flame Dragon Style: Strike Zone Claw¡±

    As the earth block closed in, Tenryu slashed them all rapid strikes and the earth blocks shattered.

    (I should¡¯ve expected that from him¡­)

    ¡°Here I come!¡±

    Tenryu quickly rushed towards him with his flaming sword at the ready.

    If Benny was like he was before, he would run screaming from a guy wielding a flaming katana sword. But right now, Benny had toughened himself to face at the very least this.

    Benny swung his staff and a multitude of Magic Seals appeared.

    ¡°Frozen Meteor Shower¡±

    Spears of ice shot from the Magic Seals and rained down towards Tenryu.

    Rather than being fazed by the dangerous ice spikes raining down on him, Tenryu skillfully slashed and hacked each one that came his way. When he finally cut them all down, Tenryu held his sword as though to jab him while running at full speed.

    ¡°Flame Dragon Style: Dragon¡¯s Fire Breath!¡±

    Tenryu jabbed his sword towards Benny! A torrent of flames that took the form of a fiery dragon shot out from sword rushed towards the Magic-User!

    To escape that, Benny used one of his greatest trump cards.

    ¡°Flight!¡±

    Benny rode on his staff like a witch and zoomed towards the sky, narrowly avoiding the torrent of flames! He then flew towards Tenryu at full speed with his hand shot forward. A sphere of light gathered and glowed brightly!

    ¡°Comet Impact!¡±

    Benny shot that Spell right at Tenryu which had been further boosted by his increased speed form flying.

    However, Tenryu agilely leapt away at the last minute! The sphere of light wnet straight into a rock and exploded!

    Benny zoomed to a stop while midair.

    ¡°Ah! You managed to dodge, Tenryu!¡±

    Tenryu grinned at him, ¡°You have to go faster than that! I can easily dodge something at that speed!¡±

    (Oi¡­that¡¯s the same speed as a meteor plunging down to earth you know¡­)

    Benny landed back on the ground and readied his staff, the tip of which was flowing brightly.

    ¡°Well, then! Let¡¯s settle this!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s see you try!¡±

    Tenryu raised his hand and beckoned him, all the while his sword blazed brightly.

    There was a tense moment of silence before the two boys rushed towards each other. Both the staff and sword were glowing brightly and blazing hot respectively. They were readying to clash! If they were, an inevitable explosion is due to happen.

    At least, that was supposed to happen.

    DONG* DONG* DONG* DONG*

    The two boys skidded to a stop.

    A loud chime coming from the Milagros Cathedral resounded across the city. It was so loud that it could even be heard even from here.

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s already twelve! I¡¯m gonna be late for my shift!¡±

    ¡°Blistering Blazes! We better hurry up! Flare-ate has me on waiter duty too!¡±

    ***

    The boys quickly used Benny¡¯s Transposition Spell to bring themselves to the Sun Dragon instantly.

    It is a lively restaurant which in sharp contrast to the surrounding European-style buildings, the Sun Dragon has a more Oriental theme akin to a Japanese Izakaya.

    Teleporting straight into their room in the upstairs apartment, the boys quickly changing to their work clothes then they had downstairs.

    Aunt Magma greeted them from the counter, ¡°Oh! Welcome back, boys!¡±

    ¡°¡°We¡¯re back, Magma-tia/Aunt Magma!¡±¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re both late!¡± snaps Flare, who was busy finishing the sweeping of the floor.

    ¡°Hey, we got here when the bells rang!¡±

    ¡°Have you seen the line outside? Any more later and it¡¯ll be a riot!¡±

    ¡°We used Benny¡¯s Spell to get here! So of course we couldn¡¯t see what was happening outside!¡±

    As the two siblings argued, Benny approached the counter.

    ¡°I see you¡¯ve used your ¡°express¡± method of getting here.¡± She chuckled.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it express. But it is indeed convenient.¡±

    ¡°Did your training go well?¡± says Aunt Magma.

    Tenryu crossed his arms, ¡°Yeah, I got wet several times thanks to Benny.¡±

    ¡°Wet?¡±

    ¡°I used my Water Bomb Spell that got cloaked an Illusion of myself. Tenryu didn¡¯t know what hit him.¡± explains Benny.

    Flare chortled, ¡°You got him good then.¡±

    Tenryu grumbled incoherently at that.

    Aunt Magma simply giggled. ¡°I see. It¡¯s pretty obvious that when it comes to Magic, Benny-iho is clearly in the better.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that an understatement? Benny is clearly the best Magic-user out there.¡± says Tenryu.

    ¡°I don¡¯t usually agree with Tenryu but it is true.¡± says Flare.

    All three Fyreroar nodded in agreement much to Benny¡¯s embarrassment.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t exaggerate. But hand-to-hand combat and weaponry are my weak points. I¡¯ve never beaten Tenryu even once at that. I¡¯ve lost count how many times I got beaten up.¡±

    ¡°About 140...¡± Tenryu grinned at Benny.

    Benny raised an eyebrow at him. Tenryu seems to have a selective memory where he can remember the number of times he swings his sword a week but forgets how many times he has been scolded for blowing up a building.

    ¡°But if you fight using your strong points, I think both of you are nearly even.¡± says Aunt Magma.

    ¡°I would¡¯ve easily beaten him if he wasn¡¯t playing tricks on me!¡±

    Tenryu grumbles a complaint to which Benny waves it off.

    ¡°In a battle, being able to deceive your opponent is good thing. And speaking of fairness¡­you weren¡¯t exactly fair when you used your combat techniques right of the bat when we first started three months ago!¡±

    Benny lost count how many bones he had broken due to Tenryu¡¯s ¡°training.¡±

    ¡°Fine! Consider this a draw then!¡± Tenryu said that with a reluctant smile.

    He disliked losing and often would demand a rematch. But Benny had a way of making their practices interesting that I didn¡¯t bother him as much as usual.

    ¡°But mind you, you just caught me off guard! I won¡¯t go easy on you the next time!¡±

    ¡°Well, it won¡¯t do me good if you did let me off easy. I still have ways to go before I take the exam.¡±

    ¡°Hey, with all the practice and studying you¡¯ve been doing, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re gonna pass the exam!¡±

    Benny tried his best to smile but he felt that familiar clenching in the stomach whenever he had a big exam coming up.

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough you two. You boys better go and get ready. It¡¯s almost time for lunch hour and we have a number of customers who are waiting outside.¡±

    ¡°¡°Yes!¡±¡±

    Benny tightened the apron he was wearing as he went behind the counter next to Aunt Magma. He was dressed in an authentic Japanese-style chef outfit befitting the shop¡¯s theme. That¡¯s because he was a part-time assistant chef of the restaurant.

    ¡°Alright! Everyone get ready.¡±

    Flare opens the sliding door revealing a long line of customers waiting.

    ¡°¡°¡°¡°Welcome to the Sun Dragon!¡±¡±¡±¡±

    Benny said that along with the rest of the Fyreroars.

    Up until now, this was something he had been doing for the past three months since he has been transported to Mundo Magica.

 Chapter 38 - Daily Life in the Magical World Part 2

    It was already past two when the Lunch Hour Rush has ended.

    ¡°Phew¡­¡±

    Benny sighed while wiping the sweat off his brow. He should¡¯ve gotten used to this by now but it was still tiring.

    It was indeed tiring work. He could sympathize with waiters trying to earn a living back in old world. The Sun Dragon didn¡¯t usually have this much customers three months ago. Actually the reason for the boom of customers was in fact due to Benny.

    Now, make no mistake. Benny had decided to become an Adventurer. So why was he working instead in a restaurant in Amber City?

    First off, he wanted to repay the debt of gratitude to the Fyreroars for offering him a place to stay. Since he had a lot of cooking experience with his grandmother and Abuela he begged to work as a kitchen help. They eventually gave in when he gave a dogeza and refused to let up until they agreed.

    While he was at it, he also introduced several dishes fitting the theme of the restaurant with just a slight twist with the ingredients like Conch-Shrimp Tempura, Turkey-Chicken Teriyaki, Swine-Buffalo croquettes and the most popular dish he introduced: Curry. Benny also occasionally introduced some of his own confections such as different cakes and milk teas as a special for the day. It turned out to be more popular than he had anticipated.

    The new dishes and occasional desserts attracted a lot of attention from the locals. Now, Benny initially worried that the customers would prefer the dishes he introduced over Aunt Magma¡¯s dishes. That was typically common scenario. But as it turns out, he had nothing to worry about. Though the new dishes attracted a lot of customers but it also made them interested in all the other dishes as well.

    Hence, the Sun Dragon gained an increase of popularity and everyone is earning weekly.

    ¡°Things have seemed to settled, Benny-iho. You can leave the rest to us.¡± says Aunt Magma as she cooks the next order.

    ¡°Eh? Really? I can still help.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s nice of you dear but don¡¯t you have somewhere else to be, right now? I believe you¡¯re due to return those today.¡±

    Benny had momentarily forgotten about that.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve set aside some lunch for you. You can go eat upstairs before you go.¡±

    Aunt Magma handed him a bento box.

    ¡°Ah, thanks Aunt Magma.¡± Benny accepts it gratefully. Tenryu¡¯s ever sharp eye catches the lunchbox.

    ¡°You¡¯re gonna have lunch Benny? I¡¯ll join you-Ack!¡±

    ¡°No, you won¡¯t!¡± Flare grabs him by the neck. ¡°You have more people to serve and after which you have to do dishes!¡±

    ¡°Eh?! But I¡¯ve been busy serving the customers!¡±

    ¡°And snitching some of their food in the process?! Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice that!¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­b-but I couldn¡¯t help myself!¡±

    ¡°What kind of a waiter eats the customer¡¯s food?!!¡±

    A majority of the customers were laughing heartily at the scene as the two siblings were still at the doorway.

    Benny had to admit. The scene where Tenryu was serving dishes as waiter while he was chewing a drumstick that was clearly part of the food on the tray was quite funny. It was like watching a gag comedy show or that anime he watched before. Although he had to be the one to replace the food Tenryu ate while apologizing fervently.

    Strange enough, the customers don¡¯t mind. In fact, it kind of served as a bit of entertainment for them. The sibling¡¯s argument may be real but it does seem like a gag routine.

    While musing over this, Benny decided to have his lunch.

    Speaking of which, it was Aunt Magma¡¯s Breaded Turkey-Chicken. Delicious as always!

    ***

    Benny stared at the mirror and adjusted his coat.

    ¡°No matter how many times I do this, it still feels like I¡¯m putting on a costume for cosplay competition. Even this¡­though this is real¡­¡±

    Benny ran his finger over the scar on the left side of his face.

    It was like a typical scar of one of those Adventurer characters had over their eye as a result of an intense battle. Actually, Benny¡¯s was no different. His once blue-colored eye was clawed by Artificial Demon. But thanks to otherworldly healing from a certain someone, his eye had been restored with the slight exception of his eye was silver now.

    And it also came with some ¡°perks¡± which Benny has discovered and trained with in secret over the past three months.

    ¡°Now then¡­to complete the get-up.¡±

    Benny picked up a golden wire-framed glass lens: a monocle.

    This was actually a remnant of his old glasses. After the incident at the Venditore Armory, Sylvia, one of Dmitri¡¯s employees, found his glasses in the debris...or rather, what was left of it. The frames were snapped and bent in odd angles. One of the lenses was smashed into pieces. It was practically unusable.

    But being the innovative mind that Dmitri Venditore was, he salvaged it and had his connections with crafters create a fancy monocle out it. Why a monocle? Apparently, it was to cover the scar on his face and that it suited him better than a pair of eyeglasses. Venditore even had it enchanted with Language Translation Magic so Benny can read multiple languages (which included the languages beyond what he already knows) and it even had Farsight Magic which allowed the user to be able to see in far distances like a telescope. These enchantments and gold material frame alone would¡¯ve cost a pretty penny, not to mention it was from Venditore himself so Benny was grateful for it.

    Why Dmitri was going so far it was because he was grateful for what he, Nia and Tenryu had done for him: riding the artificial demon. The thing had caused him nothing but worry and trouble from all over ever since it was entrusted with it. The Grave Brother weren¡¯t the first it seems. But they were the first to bypass all the defenses he set up to make sure nobody would be able to approach it. Dmitri had to make necessary arrangement and update his security many times while making sure it stays sealed all while looking for a way to completely rid of it. But now that was all over and he was finally free of the burden. Even though the result also ended with his shop largely destroyed it didn¡¯t bother him much and they were able to recover in a couple of days.

    Benny wore the monocle and glanced at himself in the mirror.

    ¡°Looks surprisingly good! I can barely see my eye or the scar.¡±

    The monocle was only part of the reward. Because of their actions, they were made VIP customers for his shop and in any branches throughout the country. It included large discounts and free maintenance on all purchases. Also they were allowed to enter his office anytime without appointment.

    Nia and Aunt Magma (via Tenryu) took this to their advantage and purchase some new household and potioner¡¯s equipment. Dmitri¡¯s feathers ruffled a bit when he saw Aunt Magma¡¯s list and even groaned at her, saying they were old friends and she didn¡¯t need to ride on the opportunity. But Aunt Magma lightly laughed saying he was a cheapskate as ever.

    Though he did not make any purchases, Benny on the other hand saw his own opportunity with this. This was an advantage as this guy had a lot of business connections and was very influential in the Orient Merchant Guild, which he had recently found out was a very big Guild. Having an important connection may help in the long run.

    But for now, he was satisfied with the monocle.

    After adjusting it on his nose, Benny slung on his satchel and threw his cloak over his shoulders. He then dons his wide-brimmed, pointed hat. The hat also served as a reminder of that day as it now bore a claw mark over the area where his left eye was. It sort of added to its aesthetics though. His whole outfit screamed of ¡°cosplayer¡± or ¡°Second Year Middle School Syndrome.¡± Benny had to his head at the wall at the thought.

    Finally, he picked up his Staff. It was currently in its cane form.

    Speaking of which, Dmitri tried to offer Benny a free Magic Weapon of his own choosing as additional gift but Benny showed him the staff while reasoning that it was already on him as it was a gift from an old friend. Dmitri admitted he has never seen a Magical Tool of such craftsmanship and enchantments (considering it was a gift from otherworldly spirit he was spot on.) Going by the trope, he thought for sure Dmitri would tried to buy it off him, which he did by saying it in a suggestive way that he¡¯d be willing to pay any price if Benny wishes to sell him it. Even though it seemed like a joke Benny saw in his Aura that it was slightly serious.

    But he was a man (or Owl) of honor, that much Benny could tell due to one occasion. Dmitri nearly performed a Blood Oath. It was an extremely dangerous Loyalty Spell that could kill the Oath Takers if broken. The contents were never to reveal about Benny¡¯s prodigious abilities in Magic as well as the creation and use of two Impossible 13 Magic without Benny¡¯s consent.

    He also made the other witnesses Sylvia, Bronson and Eldon (along with the Grave Brothers and how he managed to do that to them still remains to be said) agree to do the same. The Fyreroars and Nia also agree to do the same and had Benny not realized what was going on and quickly put a stop to it, it would¡¯ve been too late.

    Well, actually it was already too late as the Grave Brothers were the first to go through it.

    Why they would go that far for him and being glad to do so despite the danger?

    Apparently, it was to protect Benny and themselves. There were a number of people, shady ones at that, who¡¯d certainly be interested in his abilities and use terrible means to do so to obtain a person like that. The incident with Loquat made that clear, though it was only to the extent of his skills and not the Impossible Magic.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    Benny made his way downstairs to a still busy restaurant.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re off, Benny-iho?¡± Aunt Magma calls out to him.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be heading out now Tita Magma. I¡¯ll be back before nightfall.¡±

    ¡°Off studying again, Benny Boy?¡±

    One of their regulars, a fisherman named Old Ahab grinned at him.

    ¡°Yeah, the exam is next week so I got to get ready.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t see why ya have to so much. Most Adventurers just train and that¡¯s it.¡±

    Benny shrugged, ¡°I still deem this necessary.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget you have dinner duty too! You always tend to get lost in your studies all the time. If you¡¯re not here before dinner, I¡¯m having Tenryu cart you back here.¡± says Flare.

    ¡°G-Got it.¡±

    ¡°Scheee bou brater!¡±

    Tenryu says that while chewing on a sandwich which obviously came from the empty plate amongst all the pile of plates on his arms. Whether it was a result from his training as a Swordsmage or not, that balancing ability of his would not lose to professional bartenders and circus performers.

    ¡°Yeah, see you. But seriously Tenryu, stop eating the customer¡¯s meals¡­¡±

    ¡°You idiot!¡±

    Flare elbow-dropped her brother once more. It was amazing how he still managed to keep those plates from falling.

    Benny made his way out the door amidst the laughing customers.

    ***

    Amber City Regional Library

    It was a large building located in the very center of town that houses numerous collections of books from across the country. Despite it being one the least frequented areas of the city, it has some regular visitors.

    One such visitor was busy studying in his usual spot near the window.

    A neat pile of books was stacked before him. His Spellbook was opened on his left, while he was making notes on a notebook on the right. A couple of books were opened in front of him. He scanned through each book and made some notes and sketches (though they were a bit sad) on his notebook. Occasionally, he would put down his quill and stretched his neck and shoulders a bit before continuing.

    Ever since he was transported here in Mundo Magica, Benny had been learning everything he can about this world. Apart from physical training and practical Magic, he studied a wide range of topics ranging from History and Laws down to Ecology and Biology. But perhaps the topics he had invested the most in were those relating to Magic itself.

    Magic Algebra and Numerology, Symbology, Arcane Magic Spells, Elemental Magic Spells, Magical Laws and Regulations, Magic Formulas, Magic Sciences, Magic Circle and Formations and many more¡­

    (Hmm¡­so depending on the formations on the Magic Circle¡­hmm¡­I see¡­If I add this, the Magic Formation could¡­no, it might restrict Pattern 43¡­Maybe, I should add this¡­no, no. It will surely obstruct Pattern 25 and cause the whole thing to collapse on itself¡­Hmm¡­The way I see it, doing it over Pattern 43 would be the best choice¡­but then how do I make sure it doesn¡¯t restrict¡­Oh, I see! If I¡¯ll make reroute glyphs for Pattern 34 then it won¡¯t obstruct Pattern 43!)

    Benny was musing as he was currently studying a Magic Formation for a particular Spell he wishes to create.

    Though it was something Benny was forced to accept due to everyone¡¯s insistence: he seemed naturally talented in Magic.

    He was easily able perform the most complex and powerful (and in some cases impossible) feats of Magic. He had the Conjurer¡¯s Ability which allowed him to cast Magic without a Magic Tool and is an ability that is exceptionally rare from a Human Race. He could make use of more than one Elements and is adept in using Arcane Magics. And perhaps the greatest feat was his creation of two Magics that are supposed to be in the Impossible 13.

    Benny, however, did not wish to rely on pure inherent Abilities and gut instinct. Hence, he delved into his studies. Combined with his immense interest in the field of Magic, Benny was extremely immersed in his studies and research. Perhaps, even more so than the regular stuff he studied back in his own world. Perhaps because of his otaku nature, this stuff was like an oasis for a lost man in the desert to him. He studied, memorized and crammed everything about Magic he could into his brain. Even back at home, he would study late into the night and if it were not for Tenryu waking up to go to the toilet, he¡¯d probably be at it until dawn.

    Coincidently, research and study in the field of Magic is quiet complex and difficult. Whether it was part of his natural talents in Magic or out of pure interest, it all came to him quite easily. His comprehension and ease of understanding of the vast complexities and theories about Magic was nothing short of amazing. Even Dmitri and Nia were astounded by his ability to understand the complexities of High Grade Enchantments and Healing Circle Formations while they were just talking casually when passing by each other the other day.

    His high interest and zealous studies combined with his natural affinity and amazing talent for Magic, Benny was perhaps on par some of the most well-known experts in the field.

    But it¡¯s probably because of that he has the tendency to lose track of time.

    A small tune followed by something shaking feeling in his pocket alerted him that his study time was up.

    ¡°What the blitz! Just when it getting interesting! Blast it!¡±

    A moment of silence.

    He pounded his forehead on the table loudly.

    (I¡¯m doing it again!)

    One of the things about this world that he gained that he could do without: Tenryu¡¯s Verbal Tics. It was already too late for Benny to notice that he had started to do the same. It seems in moments of stress or when he needs to quip about something, he slips into it. Benny has been trying to stop it but the habit somehow ingrained itself to him.

    (When is this ever going to stop?!)

    Benny smacked his head again on the table again.

    ¡°SHHHH!!!¡± A librarian who passed by shushed him.

    Benny sat straight up with a paper sticking on his forehead.

    ¡°Ah! S-Sorry!¡±

    The librarian had a slight giggle before she turned on her foot. Realizing he still had the paper sticking to his face, he pulled it off.

    ¡°Gah! My paper¡¯s smudged¡­don¡¯t tell me-¡±

    Benny pulled out his phone and took a look. Yup, there was a thick ink writing in reverse all over his forehead. Making sure no one was watching and for good measure, Benny generated a small bubble of water in his hand dabbed it on his forehead to wipe off the ink.

    ¡°Magic is really convenient, huh¡­¡±

    He collected his things into his satchel and made his way to the counter while carrying the two stacks of books.

    A librarian he had become acquainted with, Karen, was tending the counter when she saw him approach.

    ¡°Good evening, Karen.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Benny! Are you returning those books today?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. And I¡¯m checking these out next.¡±

    He passes her the other stack of books he intends to borrow.

    ¡°Of course, can I borrow you Library Card?

    Benny hands her the card and she quickly starts jutting the details of the books in a record book. After confirming the books for check out and marking of the books he had borrowed, Benny stowed away his newly borrowed books into his satchel.

    ¡°By the way, I heard there was a new cake that appeared in the Sun Dragon.¡±

    ¡°Ah, you mean the Pear-Apple Upside-Down Cake? If you want, I have a sample here you can try later.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡±

    Karen¡¯s eyes glittered as Benny took small container that small portion of the batch of two cakes which were this week¡¯s special.

    Actually, Benny had anticipated this already.

    The sweets he had made had already become widespread throughout the city. Since the shop wasn¡¯t bakery, they don¡¯t really specialize in them so it was rare for them to appear. And when they do it becomes race to get to it first. Somewhat like a limited edition battle. Although Benny does make regular confections, such as fruit pies, milk teas and tarts that can easily be made in batches (and is just as popular as well), it was the cakes and pastries that really drew attention.

    Because it would get annoying to be pestered so much, Benny asked Aunt Magma if there were any bakeries she knew whom he can disclose his sweets recipe too. She obliged and several bakeries were passed different recipes and began selling cakes and pastries to their bread menu.

    ¡°Oh, I can¡¯t wait to taste this-¡±

    Benny smirked with a sly smile. ¡°But you have to wait a little longer. I believe there is a rule in the library that no food allowed to be eaten in the premises, right?¡±

    ¡°Guh~¡±

    Karen pouted a bit and relented as she stores it away.

    ¡°Oh, fine. Food tastes better when you wait for it anyway. SO, you¡¯ll be having these books out?¡±

    Benny nods.

    ¡°Just be sure to return by this time next week and undamaged. Well, you know the drill.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I will.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m surprise these books are still intact as they¡¯re under the same roof as the famous Wildfire.¡±

    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t be interested in the books so no worries.¡±

    Sadly that was true. Tenryu had zero interest in studies other than physical training.

    After she thanked him for his patronage (and for the sweets) Benny made his way out the library.

    ***

    The sun was already starting to set.

    Benny walked down the steps of the City Library and was heading back to the Sun Dragon for his dinner shift.

    Flying was out of the question. Typically, he would just Transposition himself there discreetly but right now, he decided to have a small walk of fresh air as he head back home or work whichever fits.

    Benny enjoyed the cool breeze as he traversed the roads of the city he now calls home. The place was generally peaceful and the people who lived there were very friendly. There weren¡¯t any major incidents apart from occasional pickpockets, scuffles between Adventurers in the roads and monster beast attacks outside the city walls (Amber City was secured by high walls that offered it protection.)

    Though he had seen the rather rough side of Adventurers, this did not deter him from being one.

    Now, that wasn¡¯t the only reason why he was working the shop instead of going at it immediately as an Adventurer.

    Simply put it was because he believed he wasn¡¯t ready for that just about yet. Sure he had a talent for Magic that can put experienced Adventurers to shame but it doesn¡¯t change one thing: he had no experience. He was also severely lacking in common knowledge of this world. He knew he shouldn¡¯t just jump into to something without thorough preparations.

    Luckily, because of where he was living right now things seemed to go well with his plan.

    To become an Adventurer, he needed to take the Adventurer¡¯s Qualification and Ranking Exams.

    He learned that the schedules of the exams vary differently in each District of the Kingdom. The Adventurer Association Central Branch located at the Royal Capital Diamond City which is the 1<sup>st</sup> District typically holds their exams weekly. But the farther from the Capital or remote or less influential the city you are in the less frequent are the exams.

    Amberose City was located at the 7<sup>th</sup> District which is the northernmost region in the Kingdom of Medea. Although it serves as the regional capital of the 7<sup>th</sup> district, due to the remoteness of the area the exams are held once month.

    Although it would¡¯ve been faster if he went to the Royal Capital and took the examination there, Benny opted to take his time due to his wanting to prepare himself. This was also the reason why he didn¡¯t to take the exams in the previous two months either.

    Although for experience he does go out with Tenryu on his Adventurer jobs.

    As for the Job itself...

    Benny had a myriad of feelings whenever he goes out on one with Tenryu.

    There was the time they went and subjugate a herd of rogue Bull-Goats and Tenryu wound up burning the farmland of the local town. He was practically bowing his head so many times to the Mayor in apology that he felt like the time Ace kicked a soccer ball into the stained glass window of a church and he had to co-apologize to the parish priest. He managed to convince the Mayor that was an accident and the reward wasn¡¯t cut that much as ¡°usual¡± according to Tenryu.

    Then there was the thing with the bandits at Tungsten Town where the town hall had nearly caught in on fire had Benny not used Water Magic and Ice Magic to stop the fire before it spread. Though once again, he had to apologize for the minor damages.

    Also there was the time they both explored an ancient, dangerous ruin for a job to find a supposedly rare herb. They came across an ancient golem that went in a rampage when Tenryu poked it with his sword. Tenryu managed to destroy the golem but wrecked the ruin in the process. Perhaps it may have been a stroke of luck that Benny was able to find the herb growing in small crevice in the golem¡¯s body.

    ¡­Isn¡¯t he doing more work reeling Tenryu and apologizing in rather than contents of the job?

    Or rather¡­aren¡¯t jobs super difficult for a newbie?

    Since Tenryu was the only legal Adventurer between them he gets too chose the job. Actually, the golem thing was a job he chose because Tenryu gave him the opportunity to do so. But it seems Benny learned to expect the unexpected.

    Typically, since he wasn¡¯t an official Adventurer yet, the rewards should go solely to Tenryu as the official Adventurer. But Tenryu divides the rewards equally between them. According to Aunt Magma and Flare, Tenryu has begun to earn more and the damages in his jobs had lessened ever since Benny teamed up with him. So basically they decided to leave it to Benny.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to grow bald from all this stress.¡± Benny mumbled with drooped shoulders as he walked down the street.

    But despite that¡­

    He looks up to the darkening sky where the moons have begun to become bright.

    ¡°Still¡­it¡¯s not all bad.¡±

    To think that three months have already passed since he has arrived in this world. Benny felt the exhilarating feelings of someone living the dream¡­but there was also that tinge of loneliness. He was wondering how everyone was doing now.

    ¡°Ah, better get going! Ate Flare will get a hissy fit!¡±

    With that, Benny quickly made his way down the road. He was looking for an alley to hide and use Transposition.

    But he was barely past the block when he found one but...

    Crash*

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    He noticed there were sounds of loud scuffling coming from that alley.

 Chapter 39 - Daily Life in the Magical World...Part 3?

    The scuffling in the alleyways is a well-known trope that Benny is familiar with from the shows he watched. Often this would entail a chance meeting with someone important to the character.

    However, Benny wasn¡¯t those hot-headed main characters who would jump into the fight. (That¡¯s completely in Tenryu¡¯s department.)

    Nor was he someone who¡¯d want to stand out deliberately.

    Making sure nobody was looking, Benny casted Invisibility. It was very handy Light-Element Magic that distorts perception of light and allowed one to turn invisible.

    ¡°Alright¡­now for a better view.¡±

    With that, he mounted his staff and flew his way into the alleyway. He made sure to be at the level of the rooftops and out of whatever¡¯s way was in there.

    And as expected, he found the all trope situation.

    A group of typical thuggish delinquents that were probably of the same age group as he was were ganging up on their victim: a mouse.

    To be precise, he was a Beastman boy of with an anthropomorphic mouse appearance. He was probably a year or so younger than Benny. His outfit was somewhat a little peculiar. He was wearing what looked like an academic robe and a scholastic cap, although they were slightly ruffled in places. He reminded Benny of the mascot of the university one of his cousins attended too.

    He literally looked like a cornered mouse but was trying to put up a brave face.

    ¡°Like we¡¯re telling ya! The Adventurer¡¯s Exam is next week! So that¡¯s why ya gotta help us out~¡±

    (Exam? Are they test-takers too? Aspiring Adventurers? Or rather¡­)

    Benny could tell that this was no study group. They were even having menacing grins that said otherwise.

    ¡°I-I told you! I can¡¯t!¡±

    ¡°Ha~? Why can¡¯t ya?!¡±

    One of the delinquents even made that threatening ¡°haaaaa?¡± sound. To think Benny only saw this in a T.V. show.

    ¡°Yeah! All ya need to do is put in a good word for us and we¡¯ll be a shoe in to get higher marks and get higher ranks!¡±

    The boy was looking a little frightened but he still stood his ground.

    ¡°M-My words can¡¯t influence their evaluation!¡±

    ¡°How useless can ya get? Alright, just tell us what¡¯s coming in the Ranking Exam!¡±

    Benny¡¯s eyes turned cold at the sight.

    (Hmph¡­a bunch of cheaters...nothing good will come out of cheating your way to the top spot.)

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know that!¡±

    ¡°Ya stinking little liar! Ya live in her house doncha? Surely ya must¡¯ve heard something!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t! B-Besides the Ranking Exam is supposed to test your Skills and Abilities as Adventurers!¡±

    ¡°Who needs that? We¡¯ve got Skills and Abilities! We just want a rank that matches us!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±

    ¡°Ya said it!¡±

    Those delinquents look smugly confident for some reason and were practically laughing it out.

    ¡°T-Then just do your best in the exam! That exam is supposed to ensure you¡¯re classified to the best of your abilities! What are you trying to get by cheating your way in! You¡¯re just gonna get yourselves into trouble!¡± The boy shouted back at them.

    Benny took a glimpse of the boy¡¯s Aura. He had been practicing with the Aura Sight ability for a long time now and he was able to at least grasp how it works.

    He could tell from this kid¡¯s reddish-violet Aura was a sincere, hard-worker and albeit of a stickler for rules but with a good moral compass. That¡¯s probably why he was against something dishonest as cheating.

    The delinquents, however, had a rather negative Aura. They each had a high amount of proud and a sense of superiority. But it seems they aren¡¯t the hard-working type and like the easy way out.

    ¡°Ah~? Whatcha doing lecturing us?!¡±

    ¡°Oh? So ya think yer better than us huh?!¡±

    ¡°Since ya want proof¡­I¡¯ll give it to ya!¡±

    The huge delinquent, who was surely their leader, grabbed the boy by the front of his shirt and made stance as though he was about to swung his fist at the boy¡¯s face. The boy could only look away.

    (I don¡¯t think so, fatso!)

    Benny landed on the edge of the rooftop and pointed his staff at the bullied boy.

    ¡°Bubble Shield¡±

    A large bubble of surrounded the boy¡¯s face and the delinquent¡¯s fist impacted on bubble like airbag and the recoil from it pushed him back.

    ¡°W-What the-¡±

    The delinquents were surprised at the sudden appearance of the bubble and began to look for the source.

    Benny reached into his satchel and pulled out a bottle containing sleeping powder at them. He then threw it down the alley.

    ¡°Here¡¯s a little gift for you¡­¡±

    Crash*

    Boom!

    The shattered bottle released a cloud of smoke that engulfed them.

    ¡°Uwaah!¡±

    ¡°What the~¡±

    ¡°Cough* Cough*!!!¡±

    The three delinquents fell to their knees and passed out. The boy was protected from the powder¡¯s effects due to the bubble around his head.

    ¡°W-What?¡±

    The boy was looking around frantically, completely bewildered by the sudden chain of the events. But he seemed to gather his wits very quickly and ran out of the alley.

    Benny watched him ran away until he was out back in the main street. Ah, he still had the bubble on his head so that would be weird. He snapped his fingers and the bubble popped, further bewildering the boy.

    (Good job standing up for what¡¯s right.)

    Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!

    The bells of Milagros Cathedral were ringing loudly to signal evening hours have begun.

    (Geh! It¡¯s almost time for my shift again! Gotta go!)

    Benny, still invisible, used Transposition to leave the scene.

    What Benny didn¡¯t notice is that when he pulled out the bottle, a single piece of paper had been pulled out with it. Ironically, being invisible meant that he was unable to catch a glimpse on his own person and that paper was also invisible.

    And that very same paper fluttered into the street bellow. With the caster now gone, the Magic making it invisible had also disappeared.

    The paper fluttered and it flew right into the boy¡¯s direction. His face in particular!

    ¡°Uwah?! W-What¡¯s this?¡±

    He took the paper off his face and saw it was full of notes and inscriptions of a certain Magic Sigil that he was very familiar with.

    ¡°A Magic Formula for the Alchemic Transmutation Sigil 43¡­?¡±

    ***

    Benny had just barely made it in time for the next shift. He was in the hallway leading to the upstairs apartment.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°Okay. Barely made it....¡±

    There was some loud laughter.

    ¡°Ah, the first throng of customers has already arrived.¡±

    Benny peeked behind the sliding doors separating the shop from the residential area.

    Tenryu was having a good laugh with some of the early regulars.

    ¡°Heh? How would you know that Tenryu-boy? You sure it wasn¡¯t by chance?¡±

    ¡°Nah? I¡¯ve seen a couple of those things before. If you poke them in the activation crystal they¡¯ll start to move.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard you wrecked the place as a result.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it turns out that thing was a little more tough than we thought.¡±

    ¡°Oi¡­ Wasn¡¯t Benny with you at that time? He could¡¯ve been seriously hurt.¡±

    ¡°He chose that job because he wanted to take it easy from all the big jobs we¡¯ve been doing. The moment I saw that golem I thought it would give him a little excitement. He needs to know that things don¡¯t always go as plan. Besides, he should consider it bit of training not to be complacent.¡±

    ¡°Training is it, Tenryu?¡±

    Tenryu felt a cold shiver run up his spine.

    Like a badly oiled machine, he turned look behind him and saw¡­Benny smiling. But that smile didn¡¯t reach into his eyes.

    ¡°Eh¡­B-Benny¡­Y-you¡¯re back¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m back. But it seems I¡¯ve heard something rather interesting. Care to explain what you¡¯re talking about just now?¡±

    Benny continued smiling but he was leaking a dark Aura.

    The customers felt silent.

    When they first met Benny, they were rather shocked by the similar appearance between him and the more well known Tenryu. But it was soon evident that they very different from each other especially in their personalities.

    They were more or less used to the smiling and welcoming personality of Benny¡¯s but there were occasions where some rowdy and impolite customers (usually those from outside the city) would cause trouble in the shop and in those instances they would see the more frightening side of Benny.

    They quickly began to distance themselves upon seeing the danger signs.

    ¡°Ah? Well, I was¡­y-you know¡­e-e-explaining about¡­you know¡­what happened¡­at the ruins¡­¡±

    ¡°Ho~? What was that that happened in ruins without me noticing?¡±

    Tenryu was fumbling. And from the empty, dark stare he began to blab about everything.

    ¡°So when you poked that golem, you knew it would activate huh?¡± Benny simply smiled further but behind him was a figure of Acala popping out.

    ¡°Ah, well¡­I¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you know how much trouble we went through at that time?¡±

    ¡°Y-yeah¡­but you know, it¡¯s kind of part of the training¡­¡±

    ¡°Tenryu?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes?!¡±

    ¡°I really respect you, you know?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°I know you are quite a strong person and you want to show that.¡±

    ¡°Oh?! Really, that¡¯s a little¡­¡± Tenryu looked a tad embarrassed at being praised.

    ¡°That¡¯s why I know you¡¯re going to survive this¡­¡±

    Still smiling, Benny raises his cane up high. It was emitting blue bolts of electricity and forming a large blue ball of lightning!

    ¡°Eh? W-Wait a-¡±

    Benny pointed his cane right at Tenryu¡¯s face.

    ¡°BALL LIGHTNING¡±

    ¡°UWAAAAAHAHHNBZZBZBZBZBZTZBZTTZBZBBBZTTZTZTZTTZBBBZTZBBZTTZT?!!!!¡±

    Tenryu collapsed to the ground like a burnt charcoal. His hair puffed up like an afro.

    There was a moment of silence.

    ¡°Dear customers?¡±

    ¡°¡°¡°¡°Yes?!¡±¡±¡±¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry for this incident but rest assured we will try our best to serve you better. So please excuses and if possible delete what you¡¯ve just seen just now.¡±

    The customers nodded profusely. Though forgetting what they saw is another thing entirely. It pretty much solidified that there was another person who could reel Tenryu in.

    Aunt Magma and Flare, however, were completely unperturbed by what just happened. Rather, they just leave the severe disciplining to Benny nowadays.

    After that little episode. The restaurant became lively.

    The dinner guests were already filling up the tables. Flare and Tenryu (after he had recovered) were already serving customers while Benny and Aunt Magma were busy at the bar cooking.

    It was more hectic than usual as there were several merchant ships that were docked from the Principality of Ptolemy. And due to word of mouth, they wanted to try out the new dishes. Benny saw this as an opportunity to market their meals to another country while gathering some information about Ptolemy.

    Benny had planned that in the long run, he¡¯d like to visit other countries as well.

    ***

    It was already late in the evening when they closed up shop for the night and had a late dinner of their own.

    ¡°Hmm¡­I see so that¡¯s what happened earlier.¡± Aunt Magma nodded with an unusually dark expression.

    Flare had a nasty look in her face she gave whenever she encountered a rowdy customer in the shop. ¡°What do they think they¡¯re getting on by cheating and threatening their way into higher ranks! Don¡¯t they know the purpose of the Exams in the first place?!¡±

    The purpose of the Adventurer¡¯s Qualification and Ranking Exams is to test if you have the capabilities of being an Adventurer¡¯s and to rate your Magic Abilities and Skills.

    The Exams have two parts.

    First was the Qualification Exams which tests whether you have what it takes to become an Adventurer and the respective Classes you are aiming for. Second was the Ranking Exams which tests the Magic Abilities and/or Skills in a practical situation and rate the applicants¡¯ strengths accordingly.

    Depending on the results, having a highly ranked Magic Abilities or Skills can determine whether you are fit to partake a particular Job Request that requires more on ability over Adventurer Rank.

    On a related note, an Adventurer would have two ranks: the Adventurer Rank and the Class Skills and Abilities Rank.

    The Adventurer Rank is one¡¯s ranking as an Adventurer and everyone starts out a Rank F. With every completed Job Request there is a corresponding points added and when collected enough one is promoted in rank but this applies until D-Rank. After that one can take Rank Promotion for Rank C, B and A Exams to increase their rank. Only in special circumstances that and Adventurers is given a special treatment and can be allowed to be promoted without the exams. And if one is especially exceptional, they can be given the S-Rank which is the highest of the ranks.

    The other rank, the Class Skills and Abilities Rank, although one can be promoted by the same method as the Adventurer Rank it is slightly different in how one starts. It is dependent on the exams where the Skills and Abilities are measure and determined one¡¯s ability as an Adventurer of that particular class.

    This whole thing is important as it determines the capabilities of an Adventurer and whether they are fit to partake a Job Request or Expedition.

    Benny can see why Aunt Magma and Ate Flare were so disapproving at that sneaky method those delinquents earlier were trying to pull. Not only would it would really bring down the dignity of an Adventurer but they be endangering themselves and related parties in the process.

    ¡°Blistering Blazes! Those bunch of cheats! Let me at em! I¡¯ll teach them the meaning of hard work!¡± Tenryu was getting himself worked up again. He looked like he would probably fly out the door to give those brats a lesson.

    ¡°¡°¡°Sit down and eat your meal!¡±¡±¡±

    Benny, Ate Flare and Aunt Magma all said that to him at the same time.

    ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡±

    Tenryu sat down and ate.

    ¡°And bullying a kid too¡­ I wonder what kind of a kid who would have connections to the Exams.¡±

    ¡°He must be related to the examiners or something. Speaking of which do the Ranking Exams differ every time?¡± asks Benny.

    ¡°They¡¯re basically the same thing. Use your Abilities and Skills in this kind of situation, that sort of thing. But what kind of situation is that is completely random. Those brats must¡¯ve thought they could get a head start.¡±

    She says looking very disgusted as she says this.

    ¡°But it¡¯s completely random and there are a ton of situations that can be done for a Class and with a week left it¡¯d be foolish to think they can prepare for it all. Sometimes it¡¯s easy, sometimes it¡¯s not. You need to learn to adapt.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    ¡°Still good job helping him out!¡± says Flare. ¡°But why did you do it without showing yourself? If that kid is connected to the exams he could give a good impression for you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s no better than what those guys are aiming for. I don¡¯t like to draw unnecessary attention to myself.¡±

    ¡°If it were me-¡± began Tenryu.

    ¡°You¡¯d probably destroy the alley and the whole neighborhood.¡± says Flare.

    ¡°Guh~¡±

    Tenryu looked a little dejected.

    ¡°Well, as long as the neighborhood happens to be filled with bad guys then I probably think it¡¯d be okay if Tenryu did that.¡±

    Benny adds nonchalantly. Tenryu beamed at that.

    ¡°Oi, don¡¯t encourage him-¡±

    ¡°Would you like some more Caldereta Stew?¡±

    Benny had introduced another one of his hometown¡¯s dishes with a twist: Swine-Buffalo Caldereta. He managed to find some herbs and spices in the stores that are basically as the same as the one¡¯s used at home. Although he had to make the Caldereta sauce by hand, it turned out great.

    ¡°So this Stew is another one of those delicacies from your hometown?¡±

    Benny nodded.

    He still hasn¡¯t told Aunt Magma and Flare about the truth about his situation and there hasn¡¯t been an opportunity to do so. He felt slightly guilty though.

    ***

    It was already very late in the evening.

    ¡°ZZZZZzzzzzz¡­¡± Tenryu was snoring loudly in his futon.

    He wasn¡¯t sleeping loudly out of exhaustion but rather he had that tendency to snore like a bullhorn. He was also an early sleeper so as soon as they were done with the shop and took a bath (Benny now forces him to take a bath at least once a day) he was out like a light before his head hit the pillow.

    Meanwhile, Benny was busy perusing some of the new books he was borrowing from the library under the light of the Magic Lamp. While at the same time, he had his Spellbook opened right next to his work. Or at least, that¡¯s what it looked. Benny flipped several pages but wasn¡¯t really looking in them.

    He was a little more distracted than usual.

    What was on his mind was what happened earlier. He had been distracted by work to think about it but now that he had free time he began to reflect on the things that happened.

    He made a mental note to avoid those guys if they were to appear in the exam.

    Or if push comes to shove, just cast a powerful Wind Spell like Tempest to blow them away.

    (No good! I¡¯m starting to take Tenryu¡¯s more violent approach to things.)

    Benny smacked himself in the forehead with the book.

    ¡°H-Huh? Benny you still up?¡± Tenryu mumbled sleepily, turning on his futon to face him.

    ¡°Ah! Sorry! Did I wake you up?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Wha-?¡±

    ¡°You look like you have something on your mind.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m studying, Tenryu.¡±

    ¡°¡­you look a little distracted. Not the usual serious face when studying.¡±

    There were times when Tenryu was more perceptive than he looks.

    ¡°N-Nothing. Nothing at all. It¡¯s getting late so go back to bed. I better tuck in for the night too.¡±

    He puts the book on the table and switched the lamp off. By the time he was about to lie in bed too, Tenryu had gone back snoring.

    As Benny looked at the starry night sky through the window, his thoughts filtered to what he should be expecting from the exam to whether he was ready enough for it.

    It was the typical pre-exam nervousness.

    ***

    Meanwhile, at that same moment in time.

    In another part of Amber City was fairly large Victorian-style home. One can easily acquaint this house as the home of someone influential in town. Which just so happens, that house is just that.

    Due to the lateness of the hour, the lights of the home were naturally off apart from a single window of a certain room.

    The mouse Beastman boy from earlier was peering over the notes that flew into his face.

    At that time he didn¡¯t think much of it. But now that he took a closer look at it, he was astounded beyond belief.

    ¡°This is¡­No way! Such a thing¡­it¡¯s a bit unorthodox¡­but I don¡¯t see faults at this!¡±

    The paper in front of him contained notes about a certain Magic Formula.

    ¡°This is something¡­incredible! But who made these notes?¡±

    The boy thought carefully.

    It fluttered from above that alley. He remembered very well there wasn¡¯t a wind there so a wind couldn¡¯t have carried it. That only meant that whoever it came from him had probably been in the rooftop.

    He then remembered the Bubble Shield that appeared in his head. He was too shocked at the time of the strange events happening one after another to actually put even more thought about it.

    That person who made this may have also been the one who saved him.

    The boy made a resolve.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna look for that person if it¡¯s the last thing I do!¡±

 Chapter 40 - Pre-Exam Jitters

    ¡°So the Adventurer exams are happening today, huh?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I guess¡­ I feel a little nervous though. I guess no matter which world I am the feeling of nervousness before the exams is still the same.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. You¡¯ve been preparing yourself the whole time, after all. Tenryu¡¯s training is way harder than what they usually give.¡±

    ¡°If you mean training my body to the point I nearly died in those circumstances. Tenryu doesn¡¯t really know how to hold back¡­or even be considerate why I chose a supposedly safe-looking job in the first place.¡±

    ¡°Now, now, he¡¯s got your best interests at heart. Even though, I do question his methods also. He kind of reminds me of that guy¡­¡±

    Benny was sitting cross-legged by a low table with Emrys, his so self-proclaimed family guardian spirit, sitting right across him.

    Of course, this was obviously a dream.

    They¡¯ve been having these interactions occasionally for a good while now. Whenever, they have dream interactions, the dream would appear at an old place from Benny¡¯s past. Right now it was amidst a familiar old picnic grounds that Benny use to come to when he was younger.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been observing things. As far as I can see there won¡¯t be a problem in the upcoming exams.¡±

    ¡°And why would there be a problem in the exams?¡±

    ¡°You know by now that things happen. And on that note be extra cautious of examinees who like to take out their stress on what they perceive as weak. Kinda like those runts you¡¯ve dealt with.¡±

    ¡°I sure hope I don¡¯t run into them.¡±

    ¡°Due to making the good call of keep yourself hidden they have no idea who stopped them. But there are more of them so best to be on your guard. As for the exam itself, I won¡¯t give you the exact details but I can give you a bit of advice: just do average in the Qualification Exam. It¡¯s the Skills and Abilities Exam that you have to do your best¡­at least within reason.

    ¡°¡­within reason?¡±

    ¡°I know you are now capable of using Magic that can make veteran Magic Users and Adventurers have a run for their money. That¡¯s precisely why you shouldn¡¯t overdo it. The examiners may put some unnecessary expectations on you. You might but conscripted to go on designated requests by the Magisters, Royal Army and to some extent Nobles who hear from the grapevine. You can¡¯t refuse those easily unfortunately.¡±

    ¡°Blistering Blazes, so it¡¯s the same trope!¡±

    ¡°Um¡­Benny¡­your vocal tic¡­¡±

    When Emrys pointed it out, Benny slammed his head on the table, though it was to no avail as he can¡¯t feel pain in this dimension.

    ¡°Emrys¡­how do you stop this?¡±

    ¡°There are some things that not even Magic can fix.¡±

    Even Emrys has dashed his hopes in that regards.

    ¡°Well, going back. Just be careful. I¡¯ve said this before but try not stand out so much. Why do you think your friends attempted the Blood Oath in the first place? It¡¯ll be poor consideration of their feelings at that time if you do something out of the line.¡±

    Benny kept his head down and still felt that guilt that everyone nearly did something dangerous for him.

    ¡°Just show that you have the makings of an Adventurer. That¡¯s the whole point of the exam.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for the advice. How far should I go then?¡±

    ¡°Obviously, don¡¯t use the Impossible 13 Magic Spells you¡¯ve made. Don¡¯t using your Conjurer Ability to cast Spells nor should you showcase your abilities of Aura Sight or the other one. It would cause uproar if anyone finds out you can do any of those.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­.¡±

    ¡°And if you are using elemental-based Magic, limit yourself to one element or at most another from the same Elemental Triad. Though it¡¯s not exactly rare but it is uncommon for one to be able to use more than two and even more if it¡¯s not from the same triad.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ I already have the Spells in mind though. But what are your suggestions?¡±

    ¡°Just use mid to high-ranking Spells but always with the Staff. Grand Cross will be fine. Those Enchantments and Defensive Magic you were practicing would be alright too for the Classes you are applying for.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Thanks to Emrys, Benny was at least able to make some boundaries on what needs to be done.

    ¡°Also¡­look out for the Beastman kid you helped out.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Why?¡±

    ¡°He is feverishly looking for the one who saved him at that time. And because he¡¯s someone who-¡±

    Bam!

    ***

    Benny woke up with a start.

    A pile of books had collapsed on him.

    It would seem that that due to Tenryu¡¯s bad sleeping habits, that he had rolled out of his futon and into the low table where Benny had piled the books he borrowed. And with Benny¡¯s head directly near the table, the result ended with the books toppling down and smacked Benny awake.

    Though he was seriously cranky that Tenryu unknowingly woke him up in his sleep and thus cutting off his conversation with Emrys at an important poing, Benny quickly let it slide.

    The sun wasn¡¯t up yet and upon checking the time display on his phone, it was still 4:03 in the morning.

    Tenryu usually wakes up at 4:30 and drags Benny out for training. And he always does this so Benny can expect him to wake up soon.

    Because it would be annoying to go back to sleep only to be woken up less than half an hour later Benny slaps his cheeks to get himself back into focus and fully awake. Stretching a bit, he gets up from his futon and returns the books to the table.

    Benny approaches the window and opens it wide. The sun was starting to rise from beyond the mountains.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    ¡°Today¡¯s the day, huh¡­ Ah, I forgot that there was no training today¡­¡±

    So Benny could be well rested, Aunt Magma told Tenryu to skip today¡¯s morning training so he can be ready for the exams. This would mean that even if Tenryu woke up, he wouldn¡¯t bother Benny to go out to training and he would¡¯ve gotten a couple of more hours of sleep.

    (Ah, well I¡¯m too wide awake to fall back to sleep.)

    So Benny decided to sit by the windowsill and watch the sunrise.

    (What was Emrys talking about ¡°looking out¡± for that Beastman kid? He was targeted by those bunches because he had some connections to someone in the exam so by logic that person might be connected or is someone influential. Best not to get his attention and those connected to him.)

    Benny turned his gaze down on the windowsill planters.

    Previously these planters were barren as Tenryu had no interest in plants. But now several plants were growing in a row. The large round flower buds were starting to appear.

    These were sunflowers.

    Benny made his Staff appear in its cane form and waved it over the plants. A small cloud was conjured and drizzle some water all over the plants.

    Benny personally sowed the seeds into the planter and watered them every day. They were actually from the remaining sunflower seeds that Benny had on as a pocket snack. Although, due to the food processing, he initially thought they wouldn¡¯t grow anymore. Nevertheless, he hoped that some would be able to still sprout.

    It turns out all of them were able to sprout.

    Could it because of the soil quality? The presence of Manna? Or could it because he was watering them with water he produced with Magic.

    ¡°Grow up nice and well.¡±

    Benny muttered to them with a smile.

    In a way, these plants were like him. They were something that came from a different world and is taking root in this world and growing to adapt to the new environment.

    ¡°I guess I have to as well.¡±

    ¡°Fuwaa~¡±

    A loud yawn had alerted him that Tenryu had woken up.

    ¡°Good morning, Tenryu.¡±

    ¡°Eh?! Benny you¡¯re already awake!¡±

    This was a natural reaction as Tenryu usually wakes Benny.

    ¡°Yeah, no thanks to you¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­?!¡±

    ¡°Nothing. Let¡¯s just have a spot of breakfast and be on our way.¡±

    ***

    Aunt Magma had prepared a hefty breakfast for all of them. Although Benny tried to help out, Aunt Magma had rejected his offer and told to just concentrate in filling his stomach so he can do well in the exam today.

    Tenryu would be accompanying him today on the pretext it for moral support. Initially, Flare was the one who was to accompany him but Tenryu insisted rather childish tantrum way. Benny relented as Tenryu would be in a sour mood for a while.

    Well, Tenryu being there for moral support was meaningful to him. After all, he was the one who personally helped Benny train for it.

    So after breakfast, Aunt Magma and Flare saw them both off as they headed to the Adventurer¡¯s Association Branch Office.

    ¡°Take care of yourselves now dears! And good luck Benny-iho! I¡¯ll prepare a nice celebratory dinner when you get back.¡±

    ¡°Knock ¡®em of their feet, Benny! And Tenryu too if he starts being an idiot in public!¡±

    ¡°Oi!¡±

    Benny had to admit, the warm encouragement combined with the comedic jabs had really wiped the nervousness away just for a bit.

    ***

    Adventurer¡¯s Association ¨C 7<sup>th</sup> District Amber Branch

    It was located at the northern tip of Unity Island hence it was directly near the sea. The office comprises of two large buildings built perpendicular to each other. The buildings were connected by a covered bridge and with the main road in-between the two buildings. The general effect made it look like a gateway into Unity Island rather than an office building.

    There was a large plaza in front of the Association that was slightly smaller than Milagros Plaza. Directly across the plaza and in line with the main road was a gateway. And beyond that was a bridge leading to a small island of the tip of Unity Island. There seemed to be a derelict fort there. Perhaps it had been used to defend the city from the northern invaders.

    This whole area added a sense of charm to the place.

    But Benny didn¡¯t have time to enjoy this view as he was immediately being pushed by Tenryu through the main doors.

    ¡°You¡¯re gonna be late if you just stand there so get a moving already!¡±

    ¡°I know! I know! Just stop pushing me already!¡±

    Benny entered the offices and what greeted him was the sight he always seen in his Anime shows and Comics. Although he had been here several times already it never stops to impress him.

    There were several large billboards with job requests sorted to each corresponding Adventurer Rank. Only those from the appropriate Rank or in parties with such a Rank can partake in jobs from those boards. It is here were Tenryu would pick out a job and bring Benny along. While Tenryu looks for a job, Benny scans the requests and takes note of the many types of jobs an Adventurer does.

    Apart from the billboards there was a series of large counters headed by the Association Office Staff were attending to Adventurers and Clients alike. Each group of the counters had a specific purpose.

    Several counters were for accepting and verifying requests.

    Other counters were for verifying completion and claiming rewards.

    Another for dismantling materials that were either from Jobs or something came across by chance.

    Another was for clients filing Job Requests.

    Another dealt for complaints against clients.

    Another for complaints against Adventurers (Tenryu seems to be always be directed to these counters but it has diminished thanks to Benny¡¯s efforts).

    But today the one Benny and Tenryu were heading for was the Counter for Registration.

    The singular term is used here for good reason.

    ¡°Tenryu, today is the day of the Exam¡¯s right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t tell me you forgot?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that¡­it¡¯s just¡­why are there so few applicants?¡±

    The two of them were waiting in line at the counter. Benny had thought that an examination for Adventurer¡¯s would have the office filled to the brim with applicants. But including Benny, there were only less than ten applicants waiting to take the exam.

    ¡°It¡¯s always like this here. Usually a lot of people want to register as Adventurers in the Capital or other major Regional Capitals so they can make it big and attract attention.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t Amber City a Regional Capital?¡±

    ¡°In name, but I guess Amber City isn¡¯t on the same status as that of Ruby City, Sapphire City or even Diamond City. The ones who register here are usually the ones who can¡¯t afford the travel or are tied down by some obligations.¡±

    Benny pondered about that. The typical make-it-big-in-the-big-city situation was ever present.

    ¡°Good morning! My name is Kyra and I will be assisting you today. Are you here for the regis-eh? Tenryu Fyreroar? Wait¡­two Tenryu Fyreroars?¡±

    The lady in the counter gave a start when she looked up from the registration papers and saw Benny¡¯s face. Although he should be used to this by now but it was a tad amusing and albeit annoying to have this reaction every time he meets a new person.

    Speaking of which this was the first time, Benny directly approached a counter so it shouldn¡¯t come off as surprise.

    Benny kept a low profile and made sure nobody noticed him whenever he came to the Association. Usually by putting up his hood or lowering his hat to cover his face so he wouldn¡¯t draw attention. Though that behavior would make him suspicious on Earth but here it seems to be a normal occurrence.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not. This one is Tenryu Fyreroar.¡±

    Tenryu grins.

    ¡°As you can see, I¡¯m a completely different guy with a similar face.¡±

    Benny said these well practiced words politely.

    This was one of the reasons Benny wanted Tenryu here. It was to dispel any misunderstandings.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry for my mistake.¡±

    She bowed in apology. Her little outburst however did not escape the notice of the surroundings however. The people here who had finally noticed him for the first time were just as surprised as she was.

    To be honest this was embarrassing for Benny to be the center of attention so he decided to get back down to business.

    ¡°Anyhow, I¡¯d like to register for the exam?¡±

    ¡°Oh, ah, yes of course. Can I have your details?¡±

    Benny supplied them as she wrote them down on a form.

    ¡°Name: Benjamin Estrella¡­Age: 14 years old¡­Date of Birth: July 7, 993 A.G.W¡­Classes Applied for are Sorcerer, Arcanist, Cleric, and Enchanter¡­¡±

    Benny nods in affirmation.

    ¡°Here is your number card and please wait for it to be called in the Examination Hall. It¡¯s down the hall to your right.¡±

    She hands him a card.

    ¡°Thanks so much.¡±

    ¡°You have quite a number of Classes you¡¯re applying for. Are you going to be okay? Most people usually apply for just one or two.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for your concern and I¡¯ve prepared myself enough to at least get a passing.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so blitzing humble Benny! I know you can do better than passing-¡±

    ¡°Thank you, we¡¯ll be going now! Will that be all, Ms. Kyra?¡± Benny says a little loudly while cutting Tenryu off mid¨Csentence and takes his hand and pulls him away.

    ¡°Um, yes. Good luck!¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    She stares dumbfounded at the scene of Benny pulling Tenryu away before regaining her senses to continue with the application of the next examinee.

    ¡°Okay, so it¡¯s down the hall.¡±

    Benny looks down the hallway.

    ¡°Yup! Blistering Blazes, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve last been here. We¡¯ll you better get going.¡±

    ¡°I guess so. Gah! I¡¯m still getting nervous!¡±

    Benny looked a little nervous.

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re going to do great! Trust me! I¡¯ve been training with you this whole time to know there¡¯s no problem. Now get in there show what you can do!¡±

    Tenryu bumps his fist at Benny¡¯s chest. Likewise, Benny does the same, tapping his own fist against Tenryu¡¯s chest.

    ¡°Thanks Tenryu. Just you wait! I¡¯ll definately become an Adventurer!¡±

 Chapter 41 - Its Over Before It Even Began.

    Although he said that¡­

    Benny was feeling sick to his stomach as he sat amongst a row of applicants while waiting for his own number to be called.

    (Man¡­I¡¯m getting nervous¡­I¡¯ve only trained with Magic for over three months. But these guys¡­)

    Benny glanced at the line-up of people on his sides.

    They were around his age group because Benny overheard them mentioned their ages during their application. He heard that people typically start out as Adventurers around his age. That was probably because the age of adulthood in this world should be around fifteen where one is usually recognized as independent. But there were cases like Tenryu¡¯s wherein he applied at a younger age.

    Despite their youth, Benny could tell from the calluses in their hands, occasional scars and their typical countryside vibe that he usually sees from young farm hands that they were clearly people who worked hard. Since he often been to the family farms of his grandparents in the provinces, he often sees these kinds of kids. But it was weird to get that feeling from an actual RPG world.

    In Benny¡¯s case, he wasn¡¯t that much different. Or rather he himself changed physically.

    Training from mornings till noon caused his formerly pale skin to gain a slightly more tanned appearance. His hair grew out a bit from the shorter haircut he usually had. So much so that he already bears even more of a resemblance to Tenryu, albeit without the ponytail (or dragon¡¯s tail as Tenryu puts it) and the spiky, flaming hairstyle. His hands were calloused from both training and working. He gained a bit of muscle, so he wasn¡¯t as thin as before. He even has that defining scar over his eye like those hardcore fantasy characters.

    It really felt weird for Benny, who had lived a normal easy life for a long time, was now integrating to this type of lifestyle.

    But it seems that everyone still had the pre-exam jitters which never changes no matter how much you¡¯ve faced. Quite a few were sitting rigid on their seats. Some even had the ¡°I-think-I¡¯m-gonna-hurl¡± expression.

    Frankly, Benny was also feeling the same. He continued to glance around until he caught the eye of one of the applicants.

    It was a person wearing a hood who sat just a few seats away. Benny had the odd feeling that person kept on glancing at his direction. It weirded Benny out, but the person didn¡¯t give off a negative Aura vibe.

    It was getting uncomfortable so to distract himself, Benny does what he always does prior to examinations: review.

    Currently, he reviewed on the Spells he plans to use. All the while he was habitually tapping the top of his Magic Tool which is currently in its cane form.

    (Perhaps I should make use of that¡­hmm, no¡­ There¡¯s a higher probability of destroying a wall¡­Emrys did say I have to limit what I intend to demonstrate...¡±

    There was some bit of noise. Probably an applicant or something as it didn¡¯t sound like the proctor. Benny went back to his thoughts.

    (I guess I¡¯ll stick with Light-based Magic and some Arcane Magic¡­ Grand Cross should be aright is what Emrys said¡­but it¡¯s a little too much¡­maybe that other Spell will do¡­)

    Benny was musing to himself on what he planned to do. He had a variety of Spells in the knowledgebase of Magic within his head. But he was calming himself down to use the ¡°necessary¡± to pass.

    ¡°OI!¡±

    STOMP*

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Benny looked up a bit and saw three fellow examinees were looming over him.

    (Geh?! Not these guys of all people.)

    It was the brats from last week.

    They had that smug air as the last time Benny saw them, but they had a clearly annoyed expression which was being directed to him right now. Why was that?

    ¡°Can I help you?¡±

    ¡°The hell a ya? Spacing out like that?! I¡¯ve been trying to get ya attention the whole time! Don¡¯t ya ignore me!¡±

    ¡°Pardon me. I was just thinking. I tend to be absentminded whenever I¡¯m like that.¡±

    ¡°This guy¡¯s a weirdo, Big Bro.¡±

    ¡°Should expect much from a guy who¡¯s hanging around with that fire-brained loser?¡± says the largest of the three, who was clearly their leader.

    Benny¡¯s slightly embarrassed smile turned to a frown.

    ¡°Are you perhaps talking about Tenryu?¡±

    ¡°Who else are we talking ¡®bout? We saw ya with Wildfire just now looking all buddy-buddy with ¡®im!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s my friend so it¡¯s naturally that I¡¯d be all ¡°buddy-buddy¡± as you say it.¡±

    The three looked at him blankly before bursting into laughter as though they heard something funny.

    ¡°Ya telling us ya friends with ¡®im?¡±

    ¡°Yes I am. By the way, Tenryu isn¡¯t a loser. Fire-brained perhaps but he is certainly not a loser.¡±

    Benny wasn¡¯t aware but somewhere outside Tenryu was sneezing profusely.

    ¡°Big bro, so the rumors of some kid hanging around that guy were true.¡± The delinquent on the left said.

    ¡°Rumors?¡±

    That was a first. Benny didn¡¯t know some rumors about him were spreading.

    ¡°They say some look-a-like was hanging around him as his new lackey!¡±

    The delinquent on the right followed up.

    (That was one heck of a curveball! Since when was I someone¡¯s lackey?)

    ¡°Oi! Listen up newbie.¡±

    (Newbie?)

    ¡°Don¡¯t hang around that guy. Yer better off with other people than that loser!¡±

    Benny has heard that a few times already but, he felt that they had another reason for saying that.

    ¡°And why may I ask should I not hang around with Tenryu?¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t ya heard all the stuff about him?¡±

    ¡°If you mean about his destructive and violent tendencies of his, it¡¯s old news. He¡¯s just a bit rash and impulsive. It¡¯s hard work just to keep him in check. There are times it wasn¡¯t so successful.¡±

    Benny remembered the ruins they destroyed.

    ¡°That¡¯s why ya shouldn¡¯t be hanging around im! Ya wasting ya time! He¡¯s not known as the Eternal E-ranked for nothing. Ya¡¯ll be stuck in the same rank as im fer the rest of yer life if ya keep hangin around with ¡®im!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right Big Bro!¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Right as always!¡±

    Although it sounded like a sound advice, but Benny could tell there were some implications on his words. Plus, the ones telling him were giving him the ¡°bad Aura vibe¡± so he was being very cautious.

    Benny himself was aware of that moniker of Tenryu¡¯s. The reason Tenryu couldn¡¯t rank up was because of his track record of failing in his job. Finishing a job successfully earns points. But thanks to both their efforts, Tenryu started earning points to allow him to rank up very soon.

    ¡°That¡¯s why! Instead of hanging around that guy, hang with us!¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    And here it was. The recruitment by bullies. Another all too well-known trope.

    ¡°As expected of ya, Bro! Newbie, ya better be grateful!¡±

    ¡°Looking out fer weaklings, is so like ya!¡±

    (Why am I being demanded and insulted at the same time?)

    ¡°We could use a guy like in our party. We heard ya was helping that guy and the only reason he¡¯s been doing well these days was cause of ya right? That must¡¯ve been tough on ya. Ya said so yerself.¡±

    ¡°Certainly, I did say it was tiring but I never said I disliked being friends with him.¡±

    ¡°Like I¡¯m telling ya! Just quit hanging around with im and hang with us! We¡¯re way better than that loser. Heck, I betcha we can beat him hands down!¡±

    ¡°Ya said it, Bro!¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a total nobody!¡±

    (Didn¡¯t I just say Tenryu wasn¡¯t a loser and now they¡¯re adding nobody to his name? They probably didn¡¯t listen to me at all.)

    ¡°So let¡¯s get along. Newbie¡­¡±

    They were smiling¡­in a nasty way.

    Like they found a ¡°lackey¡± they can boss around to their heart¡¯s extent. Benny has seen this from the school bullies picking on the weaker students. Luckily thanks to Ace, who he was close friends with, the bullies wouldn¡¯t pick on him.

    Benny momentarily glanced at the other applicants. They were turning a blind eye or ignoring the whole thing. The hooded person just kept their gaze down but seemed to be interested. However, it was clear that person had no intentions to help out. No surprise there, this was a dog-eat-dog world.

    And it was clear to Benny.

    (Yeah, these guys are no good.)

    They¡¯ve probably been bullying other people and believe they were tough people. Benny has no idea how tough they were but compared to Tenryu¡­these guys were the ¡°nobodies.¡±

    Benny, who had been looking down wherein his face was covered by his hat had lifted his head and glared at them¡­viciously.

    The three who were overconfident about being able to defeat Tenryu flinched from the expression Benny had on his face. It was like a monster readying to attack them. That was they thought.

    They quickly backed away from him.

    ¡°T-The hell are ya glaring at us-¡±

    ¡°Thanks, but no thanks. I happen to know I want to be friends with and it¡¯s obviously not you guys. Also, if I think about strength and raw power, I know Tenryu can easily beat you hands down without breaking a sweat.¡±

    Forgetting their earlier unease, the leader of the trio flared up. ¡°W-What was that?!¡±

    ¡°Rather than bothering me. Shouldn¡¯t you focus more on what¡¯s going to come up in the exam. We don¡¯t even have an idea what¡¯s coming up. If you think brawns is gonna be all that then you must be even more of a dunce than Tenryu.¡±

    Those three were getting even more red-faced than Tenryu¡¯s hair color.

    ¡°Ah~ Aren¡¯t ya a little tough guy?¡±

    ¡°Nope. I just admonishing a group of idiots who don¡¯t even know their place.¡±

    ¡°Big Bro! Let¡¯s beats this guy!¡±

    ¡°Beat¡¯im to a pulp!¡±

    The leader raises his hand. The gloves he was wearing turned bright brown and began to be encased in rocks.

    (This guy¡¯s aiming for a Mercenary-Class.) Benny thought. (Or rather¡­he shouldn¡¯t be doing something like that here.)

    Mercenary-Class Adventurers who specialize in close and hand-to-hand combats. By experience through his online gaming. They are a bad match-up for long-range attackers like Sorcerers when they are within the strike zone. It seemed that in this situation, Benny was in trouble.

    Or at least it should be.

    ¡°We¡¯ll let¡¯ see how tough ya are with this!¡±

    He swings his fist at Benny.

    But Benny wasn¡¯t one who would take chances at his weaknesses. After all, this was a world where a fatal mistake can cost you your life. He made sure to learn what he can to compensate for such instances.

    However, this time there was no need to use such.

    Compared to Tenryu¡¯s ungodly level agility this was a piece of cake. Benny simply dodges his hand and uses a backhand slap to knock it off its trajectory. Rather than his head, the fist smashed into the wall behind him.

    ¡°W-what?!¡±

    ¡°Big Bro!¡±

    He tries to pull his hand out but-

    ¡°Wha-?! Hey! I can¡¯t pull it out!¡±

    When Benny backslapped his hand earlier, he had also Enchanted it with a Sticking Charm. So when that guy punched his hand into the wall it was immediately stuck.

    At that exact moment, the doors to the waiting room opened.

    ¡°Alright, next applica-What?! Hey! What are you doing!¡±

    The proctor was yelling when he saw the hand stuck to the wall.

    The trio¡¯s leader looked like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Well, it may be a wall in this case but clearly putting your hand through another person¡¯s wall is not something appreciated.

    ¡°T-This is- It¡¯s not what it looks like!¡± the trio leader tried to deny it but that would be hard considering the evidence.

    Oh, boy. Now this just complicates things. Should I just tell the truth?

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s very clear what it looks like. You punched a hole through the wall.¡±

    Someone stood up. It was that hooded person from earlier. From the voice it was a woman¡¯s voice. Surprisingly, despite being the same height as Benny it was the voice of an elderly woman. Were there even people at that age who aspire to be Adventurers?

    ¡°Ah~ Who the hell are ya-?! Mind ya own business!¡± the trio¡¯s leader snapped at her, completely forgetting the compromising situation he was in.

    ¡°Yeah!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±

    The woman in the hood didn¡¯t seem unperturbed. She took off her hood, revealing she was an elderly lady that gave off the vibe of a school principal. What really caught Benny¡¯s eye was the pair of mouse ears on her head.

    ¡°Magister Eleanor! You were here the whole time?!¡± The proctor called out.

    (Eh? Magister? Wouldn¡¯t that mean she¡¯s the-)

    ¡°Of course, I believe it is part of my duty to observe potentials in becoming Adventurers.¡±

    ¡°You were supposed to be on Proctor¡¯s Panel!¡±

    ¡°Yet, if I was not here. I wouldn¡¯t be able to bear witness to something interesting just now.¡±

    Magister Eleanor turned her gaze towards the idiot trio¡¯s leader who still had his hand attached to the wall.

    ¡°Garm Gazzard.¡±

    Garm? That¡¯s the guy¡¯s name?

    ¡°Not only have you deliberately tried to put pressure on a fellow applicant, you even dared to use your Abilities and Magic to cause deliberate harm to said person. And you two, Arbit and Cornic, you did no better in not stopping him in. Rather you tried to even join in. The Adventurer¡¯s Association does not condone such actions of prospective Adventurers. As such your applications are effectively denied. As well, you are hereby banned from applying to this branch for the next five years.¡±

    Garm and his two lackeys paled at this immediate verdict.

    ¡°Oi! Isn¡¯t this unfair?!¡± Garm protested.

    ¡°Unfair is it?¡± Magister Eleanor¡¯s gaze turned even colder. She clapped her hands

    ¡°This is only mere punishment for this specific incident. Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t found out what you three have been doing to my grandson these past few weeks.¡±

    The caused the idiot trio to huddle together.

    Grandson? Could she be that boy¡¯s grandmother? Now that Benny thought about it, it all makes sense. If that boy was the Magister¡¯s grandson, then he was very connected to the goings on in the Association.

    ¡°Heathcliff, escort these boys to my office, I have a long talk with them after this.¡±

    ¡°Eh? But Magister what about the Exams? I¡¯m one of the proctors.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take over from here.¡± She snatches the clipboard from his hands. ¡°Oh yes, all of you!¡±

    She turned her gaze towards the rest of the applicants who flinched at her gaze. (Benny himself included.)

    ¡°If I find out you would do the same as these three, and mind you I will, be prepared to face even worse consequences.¡± She says it with a smile.

    Everyone seemed to become like stone statues but nodded stiffly at her words.

    Benny had to admit she was quite amazing. Then again, being a Magister of group of Adventurers would entail a character of strength.

    With a deep breath, she looked at the clipboard, ¡°Okay, next applicant is¡­Benjamin Estrella.¡±

    (Eh? Me?) Benny thought.

    ¡°Hmm¡­I¡¯ve heard a deal about you. This is going to be interesting.¡±

    Benny had no idea what she meant but he had strange feeling about this.

    ¡°Oi, you three! Get going!¡±

    Heathcliff urged the idiot trio forward. Garm Gazzard turned his head towards Benny. A fierce look of rage and hat aimed towards them.

    ¡°I¡¯ll remember this!¡±

    Yup it was the classic trope.

    Normally, these guys were going to be thorns in his side in the future. And Benny would rather not have that kind of trope bothering him.

    So instead of immediately following Magister Eleanor, he approached the trio and Heathcliff.

    Garm Gazzard glared and taunted him, ¡°Ah~? What ya gonna pick a fight no-¡±

    But before he could continue, Benny released a wave of concentrated Manna directed at those three.

    It was an intimidating force that a powerful boss-like person would send out to put pressure towards an opponent. Benny had in fact based this from many comics and shows plus his own actual experience with subjugating powerful Magic Beasts during those jobs with Tenryu. To those experiencing it, it would you were standing under a powerful waterfall. Benny has learned that this was particularly effective towards weak-minded opponents.

    Right now, these three delinquents were on the floor, writhing in fear. Heathcliff backed away as though he had just encountered a beast.

    The other applicants, though it wasn¡¯t directed at them were also moving away.

    It was cemented in their minds that this guy was no good. He was probably just as dangerous as a rampaging Tenryu Fyreroar. To get in bad side of this one was tantamount to hell.

    Thankfully, since Benny himself was no a type of person who enjoys dominating over others he withdrew the pressure and after a few seconds everyone was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Hmph. You guys say you can beat Tenryu? Don¡¯t make me laugh. Tenryu easily brushed that off as though a small insect was bothering him. And mind you if you dare bother anyone related to me or me myself, I will make sure you regret it.¡±

    ¡°Y-you¡­w-what are ya?!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just a simple Magic User.¡±

    ¡°Oi! This guy¡¯s no good! He¡¯s threatening us just now! Shouldn¡¯t he be disqualified too!¡¯¡± Garm tried to appeal to Magister Eleanor, who only looked at the since with curiosity.

    ¡°Hmm? He hasn¡¯t laid physical harm to you though. Plus you provoked him but he left it at threats. I don¡¯t see a reason why I should punish him for something he hasn¡¯t done. Heathcliff, what are you doing? Take these three away already. And get the janitor.¡±

    ¡°Y-yes.¡±

    And with that, the idiot three were taken away. Though it seems they left a trail of fluids on their wake.