Erik and Jeria silently led the way forward as Raka and her blond companion followed behind. Raka threw a glare at him as he took a deep breath.

“Well?”

She said in his direction. He didn’t skip a beat as he responded,

“Well what?”

“Shouldn’t you be finding other people to tag along with?”

“Pssh and give up your enjoyable company? I don’t think so.”

He scoffed as he shook his hand dismissively.

“...Brat. Maybe the team made a mistake sending you as a scout.”

“Now now, who said I’m the only one scouting?”

Raka turned away from him, muttering to herself, seething silently. She had planned on leaving as soon as possible once the test was done. Even if she got off early by a day… Raka didn’t want to stick around the outskirts for long. Not without much of a solid reason at least.

The blond kicked a pebble forward, hitting Erik square on his butt cheek, making him yelp in pain. He turned around squinting hatefully at the chuckling blond who said,

“Oy brat! How much further?”

Erik began to answer as he turned back to look forward, raising his hand to point forward,

“We’re almost ther- there it is!”

Jeria sped forward, prompting Erik to do the same. Raka sighed as she walked along.

“Ne… Raka.”

“Hm?”

She responded, turning her face to look at him.

The blond remained in thought, silent but walking along.

“Go on Jakien.”

Jakien turned his head to the sky, seeing the oranges and pinks leave it as the sun slowly set further. Wispy clouds passed overhead, dissipating into the darkness of the coming night. For a moment, Jakien felt himself relaxing his mind. Just… taking a moment and breathing. A melancholic look filled his face, drawing Raka’s silent gaze.

Then he blinked his eyes at the sky. He sighed.

“This is tiresome.”

Raka gulped. She nodded her head.

“Very much. I need to lie down. You go on, I think I can see your lodging.”

She said as she pointed to a chicken coop in the yard of a house, chuckling at her joke. She elbowed Jakien, looking up to see him with the same defeated look on his face.

He immediately noticed her concerned look and smiled, coughing as he nodded his head,

“I see they left supper out.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

He joked. Raka didn’t laugh, keeping her concern visible on her face. In this world, it was an uneasy balance of hunt or be hunted. There was little, if no room for doubt in what one chose to do with the power they had. Doubt was akin to death and here was an uneasy well-wisher, showing doubt. Raka’s troubled look prompted him to skip forward after the duo.

Meanwhile, at the house, Jeria burst through the front door,

“Mom! Dad! We have company!”

Erik popped his head through the doorframe, his lungs squeezing for air as Jeria rushed towards the rooms, finding them open… and empty.

Raka squinted her unpatched eye as she got closer to the house.

“...I don’t sense anyone else. You?”

A blue symbol lit up over Jakien’s right eye. He looked at the house and its surroundings, his aura pulsing through the space quietly.

“Me neither.”

Jeria, stricken with confusion, asked out to the empty house, her voice low,

“Mom?”

------

“So…”

Raka said with her arms crossed, eye closed, seated at the table. Around her were Jeria, Erik and Jakien, all looking at the table.

“They’re gone.”

Jeria shook her head, still looking down.

“I don’t understand, I’ve checked with the neighbours and everyone was at the test. Why weren’t they?”

Erik gently pointed out,

“That wall needed to be fixed.”

All the gathered people craned their heads to look up at the newly hammered in wooden wall of the kitchen.

“We had an incident the other day.”

Erik partially explained, looking at Jeria.

“Well, it is fixed. So… where are your parents?”

Raka remained with her line of questioning, making Erik sigh.

“I don’t know.”

“I don’t know either…”

Jeria responded in a low voice. She furrowed her face, thinking of where they could have possibly gone at this time of night. Before she could make any headway, Raka pushed back and stood up from the table.

“Alright then. Jeria, you can start packing your stuff then.”

“Wait what?”

Jeria looked up at her in a confused state.

“I’m sure your parents are somewhere out there but for now, I’m done sticking around this place.”

Erik looked up at Raka and said,

“You can’t just… take her and leave.”

Raka was having none of it.

“And? Who’s stopping me? You?”

“Erik, stop.”

“But Jeria-”

“It’s okay. She’s right. She has no reason to stick around.”

Jeria said as a quietness descended on the table. Punctuated the next moment by Erik’s interjection,

“But our parents-”

“I don’t… know.”

“Raka, a word?”

Jakien stood up, clearing his throat. She looked at him and gruffly responded,

“...What is it?”

“Come outside.”

He gestured as he left the house, opening the creaky front door and stepping outside. Raka looked at his figure and then turned to Jeria and Erik,

“Excuse me children.”

She left the house, right behind Jakien who was standing in the backyard, where remained the crater and signs of a one-sided battle from the other day.

“Well?”

“I checked the surroundings. There is a remnant of the wind element being used.”

Jakien said as he raised his hand, a glowing wispy line passing through his palm.

“Anything telling?”

“That’s the problem.”

“How so?”

Jakien looked at the wisp, furrowing his brows.

“It’s… it’s not ranked. It’s completely unlike anything I’ve seen from the academies, I highly doubt even the Royal Academy could have someone that uses their element this way.”

“...But you’ve seen it before.”

“Sort of, yes. Remember when we had that thing in Sime?”

“That... hunt? Sabotaged right? That was awhile now-”

Raka’s eyes went wide.

“...No way.”

“Yeah. It seems to be pretty much… the same.”

“...Well fuck.”

Raka kicked the ground lightly, more so in disbelief than in frustration. She sighed out but Jakien was quick to implore,

“We should leave. Neither of us have a chance if this is what it is.”

Raka looked at the house and lowered her voice,

“The boy. He can’t stay on his own.”

“He’ll make it work.”

Raka walked towards Jakien, looking straight into his eye. She took a slow breath and blinked, saying in the calmest voice she could muster,

“...Jakien…”

He froze. Then he blinked, stepping back and shaking his head vigorously, waving his hand.

“...No. I’m not doing it.”

“...Please. I can rush myself and Jeria but he…”

“He’s dead weight, Raka. I can’t take that risk. Not with what I know.”

Jakien stood his ground. While he may not have gotten what he came here for, he was most certainly not here to be a ferry for a powerless boy. Doing it just for Raka to be able to take her prized pupil to the Volcanic Beasts Academy? Jakien knew it was not worth it.

Raka conceded, rubbing under her left eye, looking into his blue irises.

“Ugh fine. Just… forget I asked.”

Jeria would get over it. After all, she was moving up in the world. Raka turned back and headed towards the house, Jakien looking around at the stillness of the surrounding night. He breathed out barely above a whisper,

“Already forgotten.”