Sahar blinked: he still didn't understand what had just happened. Nyara put a hand on the confused boy's shoulder.

- Uuuh... Don't mind, it's just... Creel, she said, without elaborating.

- …. Uugh.

Sahar almost fell over when he felt a headache seize him, a dizzy sensation running through his body. Nyara helped him, but he shook his hand.

- No, it...... okay.

Breathe in, breathe out. Sahar closed his eyes to calm himself down, little by little.

He hadn't expected to be attacked like that, in the middle of a conversation. Fortunately, Az had convinced this "Creel" to leave him alone.

- Why though...? Sahar wondered.

It was normal that he didn't want to see a guest being brutalized all of a sudden for no reason; but Az had used a very threatening voice. Sahar's face had been tingling. Nyara stroked his back and hoped he wasn't in too much pain.

- Damn Creel…

- What? asked Sahar, who hadn't heard the girl.

- Nothing, nothing, sorry about that.

She sighed and walked to the front door. As she was about to open it, she looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

- If you try anything to hurt me

She turned squarely to him. It looked like her beautiful red eyes were glowing.

- ... I can't promise you'll stay alive.

With that, she walked out and left the boy clueless in the middle of the living room. -

- …. Eh?

Mouth agape, blinking, he was shocked by the brutality of this sentence. It looked like he was going to be cut in two. Falling on his buttocks, he laughed nervously.

- Ahahah..

He looked up at the ceiling, supported by both arms.

- What the hell is this World...?

Nyara closed the door and finally smiled.

- I would have loved to see her reaction, ahah

She put a hand on her stomach and walked down the hallway, laughing to herself. The girl wiped the small tear that had formed in her right eye and shook her head.

- Aaaah.......

She looked a little more serious, without breaking her smile.

- jAr------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She gasped and turned around suddenly, in a defensive position.

But there was nothing.

She squinted her eyes, certain she heard...... something. It was the same voice as…

- Don't tell me... you're here...? What are you doing here…?

- …

- Hey?

- …

- ……….

- …

- Well, if you want to hide, do what you want.

- …

- ...... Whoa, I should have slept more last night.

- ………………….

Sahar was waiting outside. He was looking up at the sky, enjoying the beautiful azure color. Nyara had told him that they would go and see if he had any power, but she was hanging around who knew where. She couldn't have forgotten, could she? The conversation had happened just ten minutes before! Maybe he was the one who got excited too quickly...?

- And then, even so, what is she doing...?

Sahar was embarrassed to be helped by... a girl. Wasn't HE supposed to be the hero? Nyara should have asked him to help her, or something like that, and he would have helped her without a care in the world, and then his story would have... started!

- But no, here I am, sitting in this golden grass, waiting to know if I have a Power... Anyway, I am sure I have one, hehe !

Smiling like a moron at the end of his sentence, he shook his head a little from left to right.

- Sorry I'm late!!!

He turned around. Closing the door behind her, the girl with the sublime mint hair moved towards him by adjusting her outfit. She was no longer in pajamas, but in a kind of white coat, the waist tightened by a brown belt. This outfit ended at her calves; it was probably too big for her. He noticed that she was wearing some sort of indescribable necklace around her neck that was connected to her outfit. Sahar stood up, impressed by the girl's beauty. However, the thing he found most surprising, apart from the red marks on her face, was the katana she was carrying. Nyara, seeing the boy's gaze on her weapon, smiled.

- Ah, yes, I didn't tell you, but I wield a "katana"! She said proudly.

- It's...... giga stylish!!!

- I guess!

- Can I have one?!!

- I guess not!

- ...... Why...?

- Have you ever handled one?

Sahar couldn't lie, even if he wanted to. He had seen a lot of anime fights, videos and even read a manga about sword fights, so he must have known a lot about them!

- I did a lot of... research on the subject. However, I have never handled one, nooo.

- Well then, give up, she said coldly.

- ... Eh?

- Well, unless you want to learn, but it will take time.

- ......

- Let's see if you have a Power before anything else... No?

- ………. Y-Yeah.

She smiled at him and he lowered his head. He hoped that his superpower would be related to the mastery of the katana! He loved swords, sabers and such! Nyara walked ahead of him, silent. She was thinking. Not about Sahar's training; but about something else.

Something else... more personal.

The sound of their footsteps crunching the fallen leaves sounded melodically in their ears. A few flew behind them as they made their way to a place the girl was unfamiliar with, but one which Nyara found favorable for checking whether or not the boy possessed a power. She hadn't properly explained to him how the Powers worked, since he should know; he wasn't from another planet! Sahar was following her closely. He didn't know what to say and preferred to imagine all the possible powers available to him.

- A good, powerful Firepower, an extraordinary Bloodbending Power, or the ability to stop time — I'd like that, Sahar imagined. As long as it's not something lame, like spitting acid or controlling animals... Come to think of it, I haven't seen any animals yet... have I?

The further they went, the darker the forest became. The foliage became denser and their pink color darkened to a dark mauve. Sahar watched the scenery while occasionally looking up at the sky, which showed itself shyly through the leaves. The boy hummed a T-Rex song, even though he could only remember the chorus.

- Ah...!

Suddenly, the girl let out a little scream. Sahar looked up and closed one eye, blinded by the light. His eyes had begun to get used to the darkness of the forest. He managed to half-open his eyes and noticed that Nyara had disappeared. Sahar walked straight ahead, his eyes once again getting used to the light. The ground beneath his feet changed dramatically from soft earth to stone. The boy opened his eyes wide and noticed that he was on a bare steppe.

There was nothing for at least three hundred yards around. The nearest trees were obviously those behind him. He looked around in all directions, searching for Nyara's presence.

The girl was gone.

- ……. ?

Sahar moved forward, not knowing what to do. Where was she? Was this the first test already?

- Maybe she's checking to see if I can sense her presence...? thought Sahar.

He stopped and took a deep breath of air, his eyes closed. He had to... concentrate. Just... concentrate. With his eyes still closed, he didn't move an inch and listened to the sound of the wind blowing through his hair. It was... so relaxing, so... calm. So weak. The weight of his body began to be felt, which proved to Sahar that he was really focused. He had learned yoga techniques from his mother, when he was still on Earth.

Anyway.

......

Sahar.........

......felt absolutely nothing.

Either there was no one there, so there was no presence to feel; or he couldn't feel them. He hoped that Nyara was just gone, for now…

Sahar turned his gaze to the right, then to the left. There was nothing special: just trees, and the rocky plain he was on. He had no idea WHY he was here, or WHAT to do. Did Nyara have an idea in the back of her head? Then why had she left...? He moved forward, his instincts telling him not to stay near the trees. If there were enemies and Nyara had been kidnapped... He'd rather she be the only one. It was a selfish thought, sure, but someone had to go and get help.

- ... Nyara...?

His call evaporated into the void, carried away by the wind

He began to feel shivers, anxiety taking over Sahar tried to calm himself, but he didn't like it... Nyara disappearing all of a sudden...... That didn't sound good. He stopped and turned around; the trees were far ahead of him. If someone were to approach him, he would see them... from a distance. As he had a good view of the forest around him, his anxiety gradually went away... Nyara might not be there anymore, but he was not afraid.

Nothing could happen here.

......

Sahar continued to wait, hoping that Nyara would come back... He wanted to know if he had any powers The mint-haired girl did, anyway. He wondered what the nature of it was...? Ice? Darkness? Gravity?

Or something more complicated?

- I really hope I have an 'OP' Power... hehe, Sahar said aloud.

With his hand in his white hair, the boy looked up at the blue sky above him. He wondered if they said "Sun" and "Moon" here too. Perhaps there was no moon, after all?

- What time is it, come to think of it?

When he had been teleported to this new World, it must have been about eight o'clock in the morning, in HIS world — on Earth. He had no idea how long he had been here, but it had never been dark. One thing was certain: he wasn't hungry.

So noon still hadn't come.

- I hope they have good food in this World...

Sahar sighed when he felt a hand touch his shoulder. He was startled and turned around suddenly. A pretty face was offered to him and the girl smiled as if to mock the frightened boy.

- So we're scared? asked Nyara.

- Nya... Nyara?! You're doing... well, what were you doing? Where have you been?!

- Mmmh... I was hiding, seeing how you'd react or if you'd sense my presence; but it seems you didn't sense me... That's not good, tsk.

She clicked her tongue at the end of the sentence, showing her displeasure. Sahar sighed, calming down.

So he was right.

The girl cracked her neck along with her shoulder and looked at Sahar, still smiling.

- Anyway, I don't want to be too late and miss Lunch, even if we have to have another hour or two, Nyara told him. How about we start seeing if you have a Power?

Sahar was excited. He was ready, ready to know the truth.

- Do I have power?

He had been asking himself that ever since he realized he was being teleported to this new World. It was an essential question for him. It was all he could think about now. Sahar didn't care about anything else; he just wanted to know the nature of his power. He wondered if he had any, but he couldn't really imagine not having any.

That would be too ridiculous.

- Not to lie, I came here in case your Power razed the mansion, but I'm warning you: these are very short exercises, Nyara began.

Sahar listened attentively.

- We won't take long, but if you have a Power, it may take us thirty minutes, or even forty, to find out exactly what is your Origin, she continued.

- Origin...?

- What, you don't know that either? Anyway, we don't care. It's just to know if you have a "base", but without lying to you, it's a process we don't use anymore, it's a bit old-fashioned. Anyway, I'm going to start simple, I'm going to test your reflexes, I warn you that it can hurt ...... finished the red-eyed girl.

Sahar nodded, showing her that he was willing to suffer to find out if he had a Power.

He was excited. Very excited.

Nyara stood in front of Sahar, inches from his face. She took two small steps back and smiled.

- Well, let's see if you can see my quick movements!

- I'm ready! said Sahar, his eyes determined.

The boy had taken an awkward stance, but he thought it was correct. His legs were bent a little too much and it looked like he was trying to fight, not defend himself. Nyara noticed this and sighed, but decided not to say anything. This was not the point. She tensed a little and put her right leg back a little, one hand on the katana she had. The fox-girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Sahar swallowed loudly, but was not impressed. He just had to concentrate as hard as he could... He could do it. He believed in himself. While the boy comforted himself, the girl opened her eyes. The red in her irises stared at the target before her. Nyara had only to quickly swing her blade at Sahar, but to stop in time. If he reacted in time, they could conclude that there was a chance he had a Power like speed, vision or something in that line. Sahar saw that the girl had totally tensed up. The next second she had squinted her eyes, before making a tiny movement with her hand. She looked as if she wanted to pull out the katana, but he saw her sheathe it.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

She had done nothing else.

Sahar, confused, opened his mouth.

- You......

He couldn't finish his sentence. In the middle of his question, Sahar felt the wind hit him right in the left arm. His bones seemed to be crushed by an invisible force, which propelled him violently to the right. His feet were no longer touching the ground and his whole body flew up. He opened his mouth to let out a scream, but his lungs had been emptied of all air. He fell to the ground in pain, shaking and with watery eyes.

The pain tore at his face.

When she saw this, Nyara ran to the boy without waiting. She touched his arm, but Sahar finally screamed.

- AAaAAAAAHH!!!

He finally caught his breath. His twilight eyes were shaking in their sockets, looking for some kind of help.

Sahar couldn't take the pain, and he finally fainted.

- Sahar...?

One eye after another, the boy opened his eyes and then blinked. He slowly turned his head to the right, trying to figure out whose voice it was. The first thing he saw when he woke up was the sad face of a woman.

- Nya.... ra...?

She nodded, returning to her usual smile.

- It looks like I've come on too strong... she said.

- And I can't see your punches coming... Sahar sighed, trying to get to her feet.

The pain seemed to have subsided, as he could barely feel anything. He was surprised that he recovered so quickly. He asked Nyara about a possible healing power. She tilted her head.

- We can always check, but I'm not done with the rest. Then, I think it's mostly... well, no, nothing.

Sahar wanted to insist, but the woman helped her up and then walked away. She seemed to be in a hurry... He had just woken up!

- Hey...! he shouted. How long was I out?!

Nyara turned around and answered him without stopping.

- Like, thirty minutes? Maybe a little less!

Sahar was stunned. Just... thirty minutes? It was so... short. He could have despaired at this first failure, but it only strengthened his conviction: what if his Power was about healing or toughness? It wasn't impossible at all! He charged himself with positive waves and felt revived. He walked towards Nyara and heard his bones creak a little, but it didn't hurt that much. It was disturbing, but nothing Sahar couldn't handle; even a small child probably could.

- Well, should I check his Form then? Nyara wondered, speaking softly.

Sahar didn't hear anything. He could see her lips moving, but her words did not reach his ears. She must have been thinking and talking under her breath. She finally looked up and smiled as she stared at the boy.

- Well, it is going to be necessary that you keep a maximum of your concentration, there! she let go.

- I am ready, once again...! Unless I get beaten up again like... No, even then.

Sahar wasn't ready to feel that kind of pain a second time. He was motivated, but he didn't want to die or lose his mind either. His health was important.

Nyara looked at him and gave him orders.

- Join your hands like... that! Yes, that's it! Then you look up to the sky and close your eyes. You concentrate and try to feel the "flow" in the air. Not very complicated, you must have already done this on your continent, right?

The girl seemed to be enjoying herself, which surprised Sahar. What was so funny about it?

- It doesn't matter, she's having fun at least... the boy thought to himself, his eyes closed.

He took a deep breath before breathing it all out calmly. Strangely, the pain seemed to return little by little; but still nothing unbearable, just a little disturbing. The mosquito bites were much more disturbing.

- Clear your mind, huh! said a distant voice.

Sahar took another breath and listened to Nyara: he emptied his mind inside.

But it was so complicated.

There was always something going through his mind and he couldn't concentrate fully. He could do it; he believed in himself.

- Just... don't... think... about anything.

Nyara looked at him from a little further away, staring at the boy. He seemed to be focused, but not as focused as she would have liked. He must have been excited: this was probably very complicated for him. She thought that was enough and smiled.

- Well, that's fine! Now open your eyes and slice the air in front of you with your katana!

This confused Sahar: what katana...? He didn't have one! However, he decided to trust her and did not think any further. He imagined a katana in his hands and opened his eyes, slicing the air before him.

But nothing happened.

And he had nothing in his hands.

Sahar stood still, waiting for any reaction from the girl

- Well, you don't have a katanist form, do you... ugh.

She seemed disappointed. Sahar stood still, her eyes staring at a cloud floating in the azure sky.

- You can move, can't you! Nyara shouted.

He lowered his arms and looked at her, a disappointed look on his face, despite a small smile.

- Yeah...... he said.

Nyara noticed that Sahar was feeling even worse. She bit her lower lip slightly.

- I hope he has one, of Power... Otherwise, it would be very embarrassing... she thought.

And unfortunately.

After forty minutes of trying, testing, practicing

- It looks like you... don't have one..........

The girl with the mint hair let go.

The boy looked at her with his twilight eyes. He was a few feet away from her, and he had just failed his last test.

- I…

- You have no Power... or it's so weak you can't use it. I'd be surprised if it wasn't.

Her words were thrown in his face without compassion; that's what he thought. Nyara actually felt very sorry for him, she had hoped to say "Sahar, you have a Power!"

But fate had chosen otherwise.

The boy looked down, staring at the gray ground. He did not smile, he did not move, he did not speak. Nyara's tests had been varied: some were simply concentration games, others more physical. And some had been more... violent.

Sahar could still feel his legs groaning in pain. He had to jump out of a tree and see if he could land properly - which he still didn't understand - but unfortunately, it had gone... wrong. Nyara had been very rough with him, only to have them learn that he had NO power.

- ......

Sahar stood still, the restless forest bellowing behind him; the wind had picked up. Nyara shook her head as her own hair blocked her view and entered her mouth. With a small cry of disgust, she put it back in place, lifting her head a little more.

- One would say that the wind rises... she let go in the emptiness. Afterwards, it doesn't matter, since we're done…

- I really... have nothing... ?

As Nyara was going through her monologue, Sahar interrupted her. She turned to him and stared at him with her red eyes.

- Unfortunately, it would seem so. Unless you have other powers at home, but it seems to me—

- Have you done... all the tests?

- I did too much. I should have stopped before, but I... I was hopeful, I guess.

- ......

- If nothing else, you know, you don't necessarily need a Power! she said happily. It's true that everyone has them, except for a small part of the population that has Powers too weak to do anything without training, but... but it doesn't matter... I guess?

Nyara was lost for words, but the intention was there: she wanted to comfort Sahar. Sure, she couldn't consider him a friend or anything, but she would like to be able to call him that in the future. They had barely spoken, but Nyara was feeling rather lonely, so a little company couldn't hurt. The boy clenched a fist.

- Why.

The girl looked up, the wind sweeping through her hair. In front of her, the boy was still staring at the ground without moving an inch. It seemed to Nyara that he had just spoken, but she hadn't heard anything.

- ... Sorry? she asked.

- WHY?!

Sahar roared, clenching his fists to the max. Nyara opened her eyes wide in astonishment. Her scream was carried away by the wind, which became even more violent. The girl couldn't bear to have her hair in front of her face.

- WHY DON'T I HAVE ANY?!

Sahar roared again, with even more intensity. The rage in her words reached Nyara's ears, and she took a small step back, not knowing what to say.

- ... I... I know you're disappointed, but—

— that's how the world works. Some are weak, some are not so weak.

Nyara couldn't finish her sentence. Sahar had lifted his head and was now staring at Nyara with eyes drenched in tears. They were running down his red cheeks as snot came out of his nose. He stared at the girl with an angry look in his eyes, as if she had killed someone he cared about. Nyara tried to calm him down, but-

- WHY DO YOU HAVE IT, AND NOT ME?!

Sahar screamed again, not letting her speak. She pulled her arm back and pursed her lips. What did he mean... by that? She squinted her eyes a little, trying to make sense of his sentence. Sahar gritted his teeth so hard he could have cracked them.

- ...

- I... It's me.... I SHOULD HAVE POWER, TOO! he shouted in the girl's direction. WHY AM I SO weak....

- ...I'M THE HERO!!! THEN I... SHOULD BE… WHY...

Rage no longer allowed him to formulate his sentences in full. Nyara could not understand his gibberish at all. Hero? Why should he be a hero?

Sahar didn't even think about what he was saying. His words were so suspicious, and yet he was saying them openly. It was no longer Sahar talking; it was his emotions. He couldn't control them.

He was possessed by them.

Nyara didn't know how to calm him down. All of this... was bothering her. She didn't have to be in charge. He was upset because he had no power, and that was understandable. She should leave him alone and let him calm down... alone. Sahar noticed that she had just walked away. Without saying anything. She was going to... leave him alone... after... all this...? He lunged, and—

- I BET I HAVE POWER, YOU WILL SEE!—he screamed as he charged at her.

His fists were raised and his eyes showed only rage and sadness. He came within range of Nyara, who was still only walking, and threw his right fist at her, aiming for her head.

......

Nyara put her right hand on the katana. She turned sharply, waving her hand in a move so fast that he could not see it. Sahar was thrown backwards sharply, effectively stopping his attack. He stepped back and felt his stomach hurt. So bad. So bad. So bad. He thought he was going to vomit, it was so unbearable. He looked up, his face wet with salty tears. Nyara stared at him with tired, threatening eyes.

- Don't attack me.

Suddenly, the wind around them was knocked back on all sides; so was Sahar. He flew into the air, away from the girl who had her katana at the end of her right arm. She watched him roll to the ground before stopping at the base of a tree. Sahar struggled to his feet, his whole body hurting like hell. He was in pain. Pain. Sore. Pain all over.

Why was she attacking him...?

What had he done?

Why was he...

...already being beaten?

Wasn't he… the hero of this story?

Sahar slammed into the tree behind him, the world blurring around him. Nyara put the katana back in its sheath and turned on her heels, her lips trembling.

- ... Fuck.

She dried her eyes after cursing.

- I hate this. I hate this. Shit.

And with that, she left the place. She was walking away from where she came from, but she wanted to calm down at a local bar. She would go there to eat.

Sahar looked at the ground without knowing it. He couldn't feel anything anymore because he was so sore all over.

He hadn't spent a single day that he had already been knocked out with a single punch.

He hadn't spent a single day that he had already been beaten by someone he didn't know.

He hadn't spent a day that he had ever passed out.

He hadn't spent a single day that he'd already been beaten up by the girl he wanted to continue the adventure with.

Not even one day.

And everything was going wrong.