What is a Myth. Ask a boy who rearing a dog-sized spider, walking under a chestnut tree with a hair like a tuft of grey cloud. There were many school children wandering around the class time, making a high contrast on the supposed ‘School’ building they wander.
“What is a Myth or what is A King, what the difference between them, they are talked like the same bing but so different at the same time.” He spread his finger running the thread that Beatrice spun in order encase it, he takes the none sticky silk and playing tower rubber with her.
“You are like this thanks to them.” He speaks to Beatrice. “I guess we should start with the most popular story, a birth of Myth way before the old world destroyed. It was winter, the sun was shyly peeking behind the highest mountain, the wind was howling and white is all around on the Himalayan Mountain. It had snowed last night and the first snowflake slowly falling to the earth, gently and stead watching a young maiden get out from one of the houses, humming and jogging through the snow while holding a letter near her heart.”
“She was sprinting while her heart beat so fast, the cold redden her cheek and she passes through the snow that always presents until she found a secluded place in her town. She sits down, hand trembling, a smile blooming on her delicate face. The sound of ripped paper echo on the sleeping town and the more she read the letter, the less she smile until she reached the end where her heartbroken but her smile still plastered. A tear fall from her cheek, touching the cold snow, he starts digging and bury her first love.”
“It was a smile of the first crush, a tear of a broken heart, an end of childhood and the birth of the White Terror, the Himalayan Fairy.”
Clap, clap.
Charles blinked and found a boy sitting near him, he choose this tree because many people avoid it but then he saw the nodding head and overgrown bang, he realized who he it was.
“Mikail.” He said the boy didn’t confirm instead run closer like an excited puppy.
“I don’t know that’s the story, you made it so interesting, so how is the fairy, is she pretty and I don’t get it what do you mean she born, is the girl is the fairy, why she called white terror, what is-” Charles shut the boy's mouth and rub his chin. Did the boy follow him but how could he miss it, did he so stuck up with Beatrice and his own greatness that he didn’t realize a runt had followed him or... the boy was a ninja.
Charles look at the boy again, the uniform was big enough to drown him so it probably belongs to his older brother or more rational answer, they didn’t have uniform in his size because the boy probably should be in the elementary or middle school but why should it matter, this was the school so long you graduated from the basic class you are free to do whatever you like, you don’t even need a job because there are plenty of walking meat inside and outside the city.
Besides he still needs to find out what this ninja want, is his uniform a smoke to distract him, he has to keep an eye on the boy.
“Anyway Myth and King had been used to describe many things but in the context, Myth was a creature who born out of nothing, they just popped like how god just come into existence where they become adult and skip all growing stage. While King is your third stage, an animal change into a mutant, a mutant evolves into a King. So the difference is how they are born, Myth is a freak of nature while King is a product of nature.”
“Everyone now that.” Said Mikail.
“What are you doing here.” Charles finally asked the boy and Mikail tiptoed with a wide eye asking for the stories.
“I ask what are you doing here.” He pulls the runt's ear and clicked his tongue, why are they so distracted, can they focus on something for more than one minute what was it with these children.
“I was following you, stop pulling it, please. I don’t want to stay in class because all of you were mean to the girl and when you go out, I just followed you.” Mikail rubs his reddened ear and stares at Charles. “You still didn’t answer my question about the mayor.”
“That because you didn’t listen.” Charles sigh and sit down on the ground and start telling the by what the mayor primary job. “He was a natural barrier from the big bad monster outside our city, he was also so strong that if a monster being naughty he’s going to ‘Bam-Bam’ the naughty mutant.” Charles picked up grass and smashed it in his palm and making bam-bam noise.
“I’m not five.” The boy blushed and raised his fist to punch him but his glare made the boy become docile again.
“If your brother didn’t pull that Cult business we could have a nicer conversation.”
“Silver saved his life.” Mikail looks down and fiddle with the hem of his shirt. “That why I go out the class.” He said again at his time in a more quieter voice, he looks up again and found two no, ten eyeballs looking down at him yet Charles’s stare was scarier, Beatrice feels like a statue but Charles look at him like he was a piece of meat to be eaten.
“So the mayor job is to make everyone safe.”
“Yes.” The mayor job of course more than that, in fact, he shouldn’t spend to much time protecting the citizen inside since making the city safe was their first task to complete and the mayor had been here since Wheatel City was built and the city age should be more than a decade.
It was because the unique dynamic between the human and the mutant who lived inside since it could be said that the mutant was also citizen of Wheatel City since most of them were weaker than mutant who live outside and they have to obey a rule which was they cannot approach any human unless it was inside their zone, so most of the time when a mutant kill someone it was because he/she was lured or didn’t know they were an inch from a mutant.
So even though they had habit killing each other it’s not weird if a wild mutant were helping a human to stop or kill an outsider who wants to get inside the city.
Though if Charles could say something, the city wasn’t safe enough and he feels all the adult didn’t make to much effort on that aspect and when he ask his grandpa he only gives him some vague answer.
“The world is dangerous.” He said to Mikail and grab a vine that had hover above Mikail head, the vine was thick as his finger and feel slimy, as soon he grabs it, the vine contracted and wrap around his hand and Charles feel a force as one of his finger broke. He snorts and take his dagger and cut the vine, goosing out a sweet smelling sap that turns the boy under it to green.
The runt was surprised and still didn’t register he just avoid death. He was looking at him, trembling as he realized the grass had tied his leg and several brown vines had popped out the earth surrounding them and trap them from the outside world.
“Is Atlas, your Guard,” Charles asked, pointing his Dagger at the boy.
“We- We should run,” Said the boy, gulping his saliva, his skin becomes awfully pale while his trembling and fail to push his body up.
“Run?” He snorts seeing the boy. ”Where to, can you stand, do you even know where safety is? You know the Guard system created because a stupid kid like you who always walk into a mutant lap.” The plant around them had to stop pretending to be harmless little thing and start grasping their leg, the vine had come from the chestnut tree surrounding them from all direction and he heard the sound of the bark breaking like the tree had grown a mouth to swallow them but he feels more pissed with this boy than the mutant who pretend to be a normal tree.
“Do you even know why this place empty, they called this tree hanging tree because a corpse had been hanging in its branch. Do you hate your family you want to go home as a corpse? A Guard duty is to watch and drag you from danger but you know what made our job harder, an idiot who always wanders alone and ends being eaten, just ask for damn permission and this shit wouldn't happen.”
The boy glared at him, he was already crying as death had seemed to be everywhere and his arm still fails to push him, in fact, the grass had caught one of his arms.
“Are you still had time rant we’re-”
Chares smack the boy head to shut him, he didn't want to hear the snarky answer when the only reason the tree act because it thought it can kill the boy before he notices and probably killing him too.
“You still had time to be angry. I came here to relax instead I had to take care of some bratty kid who thinks-”
“I hope you happy because we’re going to die thanks to your mouth.” Charles snort, the boy was right, all escape route had been closed because he wants to rant. In the normal scenario he would always run and come back with gasoline because the tree ruins his thinking time but since Beatrice was here why doesn’t he use her. He takes another dagger and place it under her fang and soon both daggers had been coated with poison and he turns around, throw the dagger toward the gaping mouth of the tree, it was big as him with sharp-edged mouth, the inside was dirty black of flesh, pulsing and bulging waiting for their sweet flesh, the dagger shot to the middle and stuck inside the mouth, the tree groan and only retract the monstrous mouth.
He held the other dagger in his right hand and start running around the tree, several vines had attacked him and tied themselves around his body but he always fast enough to cut them before they catch another piece of his body. He became slower as the fight goes on, the vine becomes more fierce as it’s tried to hold him down, he was sweating with dirt and grass stuck around his body when he was rolling and dodge the never-ending vine. He also keeps protecting his eye from the oozings sap every time he cut them, he had slow his breath because the smell had made him dizzier.
He keeps running around the tree trying to find it’s a weak spot and finally, he saw a protruding root and in split second he sighs in relief, two vines had caught his hand and waist while a grass had wrap itself around his foot.
He let go the knife catching it with his left hand and using his mouth to bite the vine in his hand and cut the vine in his waist at the same time he jumps out of his shoe, running barefoot and stab the dagger on the root.
Whoosh.
The tree had become quiet again as every part of its body instantly withdraw themselves since he just figurative stab the tree ball. He pulls the dagger and stabs the root again for ruining his uniform.
“Act again and I do something worse.” He said and walk back to Mikail, whether the chestnut tree understands him, he already sends a message that he wasn’t prey. Taking his shoe back he saw the crowd around them and Mikail who still in his place staring at the spot where the tree had open its mouth.
Charles rubbed his hand and wish there wasn’t a human part on those mouths. The boy didn’t deserve it, he sometimes annoyed by the children who need Guard but none of them asking for death they just a bit stupid and ‘childish’. He always remembers his mother stories about the old world every time event as this happen. A story where the earth was a very safe place and accidents like this rarely happen where kids and can be kids running and playing without care on the world.
Beatrice was in the boy's shoulder, being an ultimate repellant just by being there. She didn’t just sit around but making a handkerchief and wiping the sap around the boy's head.
He sits down in front of him blocking his view from the tree and before he could say anything Mikail had jump to him and pressing his face into his chest and giving him crushing hug. Charles wraps his hand around the boy and rubs the boy back with his hand.
“I-, I didn’t-” The boy was sobbing, trying to explain himself
“You didn’t think you would in danger by going out for few minutes or nothing would happen because there are many people outside.” Charles tried to calm the boy even though it wasn’t his job but he encounters too many situations like this where the kid just curious or didn’t realize they were in danger, his body just move automatically.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
The boy continues to cry and he does his duty as a Guard calming and soothing them.
“Thank you,” Mikail said and he uses the handkerchief Beatrice knit and wipe the boy tear and snot.
“Next time just ask for permission and stay with your guard.” The boy nod and he grasp his shirt and looking with admiration a brilliant light seem come out his eye.
“You’re so cool, Charles, I thought you were a bad guy but you actually cooler than Silver, can you teach me how to be cool like you.” Chares roll his eye and hold the boy head, not even a minute and he already bounced back.
Beatrice climbs his back, patting his head complimenting him for being a good boy, knit another handkerchief wiping all the sap around his body.
At least, the brother finally came, he pushes the boy toward his brother, watching Atlas smack the boy hed and checking if he had any wound or injury and held the boy in his arm to stop him from running away.
“Thanks.” Said Atlas, his face red either the boy just awkward or the fact he fails at his duty and almost come back without a brother. “I mean, thank you, we owe you-.”
“A dagger.” He said, pointing at the tree. “The mutant eat my dagger so I expect a replacement.”
“Oh yes, I will tell my father.” He said and walk back.
“Good luck with the nightmare,” he said to the older brother, Atlas look bewildered but he wouldn’t surprise when the night comes, he had a lot of cousin even nephew and niece who had a nightmare at almost being eaten.
“Why the hell should I care.” He said, wearing his shoe back and walk away from the crowd there was seem to be few people who want to ask him but his glare was enough to back them.
It’s not like he was going to be paid. He stretches his hand and tries to think about whether he stay at school or go outside to something more interesting.
Beatrice was in his shoulder trying to send a message at him.
I’m bored.
He almost stumbles once realized what the spider had just said, she’s bored when he just fighting tree that can open its body and would give him terrible death if he wasn’t calm or competent.
He wants to give the spider a piece of his mind except a familiar girl was blocking his way.
“I thought you’re bad but you seem really nice.” The girl smiling brightly and offering him a new clean uniform.
“Thank you and bye-bye,” Charles said, taking the uniform and leave the scene.
“Rude,” Mithra said before leaving in the opposite direction.
Charles frowned and wondering what was the girl problem, did she forgot he was the reason why she was lynched or maybe she realized thanks to him, the lynching stop because he had lured the student out from class. He was disappointed in that he still want to know how the girl going to react she was outnumbered and he was sure all of them would tire with word and start doing something more extreme.
What would happen if they didn’t get out, would she crack or do something he couldn’t predict but he wouldn’t know that, thanks to his own action. Guess its just karma.
“Charlie, oh my god, you look so cool while fighting a literal tree.” The girl somehow made his act sound dull but he checks it as her quirkiness. The girl beside him, tall as his shoulder, having a light peach hair, wildly braided and had taken his left arm.
“Check out what I draw.” The girl pushes sketchbook toward his face and he blinks at the hyperrealistic drawing a mouth from the tree. He takes it and looks the mouth with detail until it was taken from his hand.
“Are you searching something scary in its mouth, don’t worry, besides its scary teeth and fleshy mouth nothing was there.” The girl said lightly poke his cheek. “You're so easy to guess, I told the guys you just big softy but Chandra said.”
“Charlie is socially inept like us that why we accept him into our rank Him caring another human being must be a fetish or a basic mistake in your observation.” He was going to throw that guy into the river next time they meet.
“You’re getting fast.” He said, it always amazes him how much detail the girl could take with so little time. The drawing showed after he threw the dagger, his dagger already embedded deep inside the mouth, while Mikail facing the mouth and he guess Beatrice in front of him since he doesn’t see her, he also can’t find himself and notice it wasn’t the vine that closes the whole is to trap him but an immobile root that grows in dome shape.
“Aren’t you going to punish him.”
“Who, we all friend, there no need to held grudge over such petty statement,” he said and give Hestia his best smile. “What are you doing outside the class.” He glared at the girl, she wasn’t getting so confident that she thinks she can cut class, was she.
“We hd a new class but nooo, old Dick had to barf on the class and stinking the room.” Hestia holding his nose and waving the air in front of her. “Hmm, you smell nice.” Hestia sad sniffing around his shirt.
“Don’t smell that, most plants used smell to lure the prey, If you smell too much of it, you’re going to walk closer to them.”
“Ha, that’s new stuff to learn.” She reaches her handbag and takes a perfume and a white pristine handkerchief, she sprayed the perfume on him first before spray it on the cloth and use it to cover her nose.
“By the way why, are you going to join the class, even if you did you should check the new classroom, it was new class with all cool gadget sent from the capital that why we were kicked out, they need to clean the room and made sure the barf didn’t touch any of the equipment.”
“That would just send the wrong message.” Hestia stared at him before shrugging it off, Charles keep walking thinking that it would be cool to play with several machines that come from Ms. Grown Belly, the warship whose size was large as an island, even though Hestia said it come from the capital most invention come from there while the capital was function as hub, central government an example of what every city in the future should look like.
There were even people who sometimes think Capital and Ms. Gown Bell was the same thing but Capital was their biggest and most advanced city while Ms. Gown Bell was a warship and the meeting point of all the best of humanity, researcher, warrior, explorer and all kind of profession except civilian since it was used as a warship where it patrol and attack dangerous King level mutant and even Myth itself. It also brings humanity hope that maybe, someday they board on the ship, sailing toward the horizon and found another group of people, another collection of humanity who survived and built a new civilization because knowing their archipelago was the last remaining human would be heartbreaking.
“We still don’t know why you refuse, though if there is a fighting class I’m sure they will drag you in whether you like it or not.”
“As a teacher of course.” He nods.
“Ahaha. As a teacher, your ego always the biggest part of you.” Charles squinted his eye and push the girl who continues to laugh.
“Charlie, please you’re good at fighting but our favorite time is watching the crazies who beat King level everyday compare to you-” Hestia had put her hand and try to calm him except she stops and laugh at his face again.
He continued to walk scoffing at every second, his ego was bruised and he was insulted, he was a Guard too many children, there was the even older kid he guards but compared to other. Heck compare himself to Beatrice he was nothing, when he has to struggle and still relay n Beatrice she was capable to intimidate the tree by her presence alone.
“Okay, okay. Don’t cry, if we talk about Mutant no one from class even the teacher would beat you.”
“They probably beat me in knowledge and theory but in handling them I was out of their league.”
Hestia smirk and poke his cheek again “You can admit you have to lack knowledge but can’t admit you’re lousy at fighting.”
Charles crosses his hand not denying it. Asking him to admit the best trait he had isn’t that great was asking too much.
You could say he was indeed very good at fighting in his age range but he didn’t want to put himself in that kind of standard. He didn’t want to be ordinary but go beyond the normal sense. Beatrice squeal and pat his head, his emotion must be pretty strong that Beatrice feels it and approved his decision, it still didn’t erase his weakness though. He grumbled and kick a rock on the ground.
“What is that.” Hestia pointing at Beatrice like it was the first she saw it.
“She was Beatrice, my partner.”
“Ehhhhh.” Hestia back up pointing at Beatrice and him. “Ehhhhhh.” She made that stupid noise again and look at Beatrice, him, Beatrice and him while waving her hand like a chicken.
“Ah, how, ehhhh.” With the last scream, she sprints of going in an unknown direction.
“She’s in a special class and the special means many things.” He said to Beatrice hoping she doesn’t make a bad impression about his friend.
#
Charles had changed into new uniform, sitting in a cafe front the school, surprisingly he was the only student with most costumer being, a worker at the factory and the farmer in several plantations with black eye enjoying coconut water before going home to sleep.
He orders two coconut one for him and one for Beatrice. The fact no one comment on him being out of school should tell everyone to stop calling the building school. They should just call it daycare since education had to take a stop since the amount of surviving teacher is lacking, they could only make two class of full genius they can focus to breed best of the best.
At last the school work, in making sure the children didn’t go out the building, it was a huge building complex that combines elementary, middle and high school into one. Besides the special class, everyone had to go through the basic class, where they teach reading, counting and other basic knowledge including teaching about a mutant and first medical aid.
To attract the kid attention there were many place and building to burn out their energy. Library, swimming pool, music hall, and almost all kind of sports hall and other building he couldn’t mention. This place was always available and so long you didn’t destroy the facility, you are free to go there and they're always the staff that would teach you if they weren’t busy.
There also food and snack, with plenty of meat and bread and sometimes sweet on a special day. The place also so big, you can make your own activity and it also relatively safe. It was big enough to play five faction war, that was always exciting since the amount of kid who didn’t know why they are fighting was equal to the bloodthirsty kid who wants to bash the opposite faction.
Of course, there was also mutant like the chestnut tree but it wasn’t hard to know if a place was dangerous or not, you just have to see if there was a staff or at least five students on the area.
“Hello.”
Charles greets back at the man who suddenly sits beside him. He frowned at Beatrice who steals his coconut water but since she doesn’t eat the fruit that means he got double.
He checks the man and saw he look forty but thanks to Calamity his grandpa look like an ex-athlete in his seventy but actually ninety-year-old this year. The man offered his hand for a handshake and Charles shakes the man hand, founding the grip was weak, with slightly grey hair and pale complexion the man probably work indoor, add the smell of oil and the factory blue uniform he was probably a technician and important one since he had a nametag.
Then why he was approaching him, did he want to hire him to guard his kid or don’t tell him they want him to work at the factory because surely they were joking, he would just be labor in there. The farm or plantation is better for him at least there is naughty mutant he could fight and he would be more useful, he didn’t know anything about the machine or god forbid it was management.
“Thank you for saving my son.” The man suddenly said.
“Well, he was in danger because he follows me.” He said smoothly like he wasn’t taken by surprise, that was fast did they live around here or something.
The man shakes his head and places a bundle of cloth on the table.” The student said you could run to the safety instead subduing the tree, if not for you I...”
Charles let the man, sit in silence while he opens the cloth package and saw a machete and the same kind of dagger. He unseated the machete and feel it in his hand, it was cast with black steel, it’s weight at least two kg. It was long as his arm counted with the hilt, he checks the dagger and found it was a small model, he had suspected this thing probably a gift to Atlas but the father probably didn’t want to wait so it belongs to him now.
“I hope this help.”
“Oh yes, it was.” He smiled and watch the man go. The man also glares at him and it feels the same as Atlas, it made him realize the glare probably because their eye shape or some condition, it doesn’t make sense why he glares at him after thanking him and giving him a gift.
They finish their coconut and start planning his future, he wants to make Beatrice dream come true, explore the world and... he’s going to defend the city and his family.
He thought about going to the gym but he doesn’t think that would be really helpful it would just build his muscle and that not what he wants. What he need was a strength, to kill more efficiently. Going to the gym seem to say, staying alive as long as possible but he was a fighter, it should be ‘I should kill the enemy before the enemy kills me’.
He should go fighting mutant, instead of reacting like he usually does, he has to take the role of a hunter who stalks and choose a strong prey, in order to catch up with Beatrice he has to throw himself into more danger.
Ever since he talks with Hestia a thought was haunting him.
Why don't you join the class? Why are you so afraid of, you are a coward, a little boy who can only run. His body seems to go weak and he has to lean on a tree and sit down. Beatrice was climbing to his lap, touching his cheek and asking what’s wrong, did the coconut taste bad.
The thought still attacking his mind, nothing he could do to dismiss them because it was true, he was scared of failure so scared that he was pathetic compared to Thomas. He was just like him an ordinary boy who wasn’t invited into the special class but when he heard the class, he had come to the teacher begging to be accepted because he knows everyone in there would help a lot of people and they would be the children who lead humanity to greatness again. He had a big heart and thought if he joins the class, he would going to be extremely helpful toward the family.
They tried to push him, telling it would be impossible for him to follow the program but the boy keep begging, he asked for a chance to prove them he can follow the program that was designed to push a genius. Instead, he proves it by the inch of his teeth, his grade was never the best but survived through the class.
“I can follow is footstep but the tough of failure keep stopping me, I keep thinking maybe next year, or the next one until I give up the thought with flimsy reason that it was too late to catch up. Then I thought about going to the frontier becoming a defender like the mayor but I never do that, I just thought about it without trying to make it because if I go ou I’m going to come back home with empty hand, I would be just a loud mouth who can’t prove himself.”
He stroke Beatirces smooth head. “You forced me, I can't have a reason to not got the frontier thanks to you but...” he stands up and stares at the zone, it was a neighborhood that been swallowed by tree and plant, he only knows the zone as kapok Forest but beyond that, he knows nothing.
It was impulsive and idiotic to go inside without learning some information or more preparation but he was going to prove anyone that- he didn’t know what this going to prove but he’s going to do that.
“I will do it.” Said the boy, whose thought jumble as thousands of thread, who was his facing, which one should he kill, who was the enemy, the mutant, his fear or both of it.