Chapter 5 : Making Friends

Leaves whispered as a tender breeze brushed against Ezra's face. He was sitting on a massive root of the Gaia tree, its ancient surface cool and comforting beneath him. Around him, the forest seemed to hum with a gentle rhythm, the symphony of nature playing out in soothing waves.

His thoughts drifted back to the events of the past two years. His father had begun teaching him Runic and ancient languages after Ezra showed interest in the Void Suits and artifacts during the family outing.

Since that day, Ezra had ventured out several times, always under vigilant supervision. Only two months ago did his parents finally allow him to venture outdoors alone.

There were still rules and limitations. His parents restricted his outings to specific places——such as the vicinity of the Gaia tree. As Ezra sat beneath its branches, he pondered over his enigmatic memories.

After arriving in this world, Ezra grappled with numerous internal conflicts and confusion about his self. It wasn't that he didn't know who he was, but he often wondered whether the person he was now was the same as the one in the past.

His memories of the past were present yet dormant and distant, as if they belonged to a dream. Despite their vagueness, he knew they were not mere figments of his imagination. He knew he had a life before being born into this world, a distant life in a far-off place.

Yet, he also had a life here, with his family, and if asked—which is important—Ezra would say without hesitation that it's the present that matters. At times, he inadvertently let those memories slip away and behaved like any other typical five-year-old.

'Enough with the melancholy, let's think about how to deal with these brats', he thought coming back to the present.

Under the Gaia tree, Ezra wasn't alone; there were three more children sitting with him——two boys and one girl.

***

After Ezra began venturing outside on his own, he initially feared he would be an outcast among his peers, and indeed, for the first few weeks, he felt disconnected. His interests and maturity didn't align with those of other children his age, due to his unique disposition shaped by his previous life.

The vast plain beneath the Gaia tree served as a playground for the village children in the evening. For some reason, wild animals avoided the Gaia tree, so parents felt safe letting their children play here.

Ezra often watched other children play silly games to quench his boredom. Sometimes, it was amusing to see them fight, and cry afterward. That was when he noticed someone else observing him—a tall boy with a big build.

The boy had brown hair, black eyes, and an innocent expression. He was holding a children's book, and when he saw Ezra looking back at him, he timidly averted his gaze.

Ezra decided to greet his fellow observer.

"Hey, what's your name" he asked,

"Ray" the boy replied

"That's a cool name, What are you reading";————their conversation flowed from there;

Despite his big build, Ray was the same age as Ezra. Although Ray was a little timid, he was gentle and mature to talk to, with a calm atmosphere about him.

When Ezra asked Ray why he wasn't playing with the others, he discovered that Ray was afraid of hurting the other kids, he had a history of accidentally injuring a child while playing.

Looking at Ray's larger-than-usual build that didn't match his age, Ezra could understand and empathize with him.

From that day onwards, they began to exchange greetings and engage in brief conversations from the sidelines while the other kids played. Ray wasn't much of a talker; he only spoke when necessary, and Ezra preferred that as well. That's how Ezra spent his time for a few days.

---

"Can I join you guys?"

Ezra heard a soft voice from the side. When he turned, he saw a blond boy with straight hair and blue eyes. The boy was slightly smaller than Ezra, with a pretty face, soft skin, and an aloof expression.

'He wants to join us? join what? being still?' Ezra thought with bewilderment.

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"Yeah... sure," Ezra replied.

"Thanks," the boy said nonchalantly.

Then the boy joined Ezra and Ray in watching the kids play in the distance. A minute passed, then two, and it started to feel awkward and a bit creepy. Three kids silently watching other kids play created an eerie atmosphere.

Breaking the awkwardness, Ezra asked, "What's your name?" There was no immediate reply. Ezra turned to look at the boy, but he was still staring into the distance, seemingly unaware of the question.

Ezra coughed, finally catching the boy's attention. He looked at Ezra with a confused expression, as if questioning his intent.

Ezra said resignedly, "I asked, What's your name?"

The boy tilted his head, appearing to ponder the question for a moment. His expression then changed to one of understanding, as if he had deciphered a complex puzzle.

"Oh, it's Amy," replied Amy, then resumed looking into the distance.

Another minute passed;———it turned out the boy was a girl.

'Let's pretend that I have known it all along,' he thought to himself.

"That's a nice name," he said, keeping his face flat to hide his embarrassment.

Again, No reply came; she was distracted by some birds in the distance. Ezra didn't repeat himself this time and kept his mouth shut.

After that, Amy became a part of Ezra and Ray's little circle.

Talking to Amy is hard; she easily gets distracted in the middle of a conversation. However, Ezra still manages to glean some context from her.

Amy has a tomboyish demeanor and isn't interested in typical girlish activities. She carries herself with an aloof, carefree spirit. Amy enjoys playing with boys rather than girls and prefers to dress like a boy, which is why Ezra initially mistook her for a boy.

After conversing with Amy extensively, Ezra understood, that Amy was a natural airhead, often distracted, and prone to wandering off to explore unexpectedly. She frequently followed passing dragonflies and other insects in a carefree manner.

Amy wanted to join in and play with the other children, but the boys didn't seem to include her in their activities. Perhaps that's why she approached Ezra and Ray, feeling like she wasn't being included by anyone else.

Ezra didn't mind that Amy joined them,

Even though he didn't care that much about being an outcast; deep down in his heart, he still hoped to make some friends and find his place.

Like that, Ezra, Ray, and Amy formed something of a trio. They became companions who talked, though there wasn't much conversation. A few days passed like that.

---

It was one such day.

"Hey, you three weirdos, come here!" they heard someone call.

It was a boy with dark blonde hair and brown eyes, standing at the same height as Ezra. His face bore a mischievous grin.

Despite calling out to them to come over, he was the one who ended up approaching them instead.

The boy walked toward them with an unabashed smile.

"Do you guys want to see some magic?" he said jovially.

Ezra could sense Ray's interest, even though he didn't show it on his face. Even the usually unresponsive Amy seemed invested. Ezra himself was a little curious about the topic.

Ezra knows there are supernatural phenomena in this world, like magic, and naturally, he is also interested in such things.

"What can you do?" asked Amy, who became talkative when the topic interested her.

The boy grinned and said, "I can't tell you guys, but how about I show you?" He paused, then asked, "Do you guys have any small objects like coins?"

Ezra exchanged a glance with Ray and Amy, and they shrugged. He sighed and took out a coin from his pocket.

The boy took the coin from Ezra's hand, placed it on his palm, and closed his hand. Then he closed his eyes and began to chant mysterious words in a rhythmic manner, as if he was reciting an arcane poem.

The boy opens his eyes slowly and gradually uncurls his fingers. As he revealed his open palm, the coin had actually vanished.

Ezra looked at his gasped companions. He too was a little impressed, but he wanted to see more than that.

"Now, let's manifest the coin back," the boy said with a beaming smile.

Then the boy closed his eyes and hands. Once again, he began to chant mysterious words in a mystical rhythm.

Then he slowly opened his hand, but there was nothing in his hand.

The boy's smile faltered, but he quickly composed himself and said, "I think I misspelled something. Let's try again."

He repeated the chant and once again opened his hands, but the coin didn't return.

Now Ezra could see a slight panic on the boy's face. The boy tried once more but with the same result.

"It works every time," the boy mumbled, and started to search the ground kneeling.

Seeing this, Amy and Ray joined the search. Ezra felt a bit anxious. The coin was an allowance from his father, and he would have to explain what happened to it. So he, too, joined the search.

After a few minutes of searching, Ezra heard a burst of laughter. The boy was standing, looking down at the three of them kneeling and searching the ground, laughing and holding his stomach.

"Ha... you guys really fell for that," he said, resuming his laughter. "Look at your faces; you all look ridiculous," he added with another chuckle.

When his laughter finally subsided, the boy took out the coin. He offered it to Ezra, but teasingly pulled it back before Ezra could grab it, bursting into another fit of laughter.

When the boy met Ezra's serious gaze, he stopped laughing and said, "I'm just kidding." He then tossed the coin to Ezra, who caught it with one hand without averting his gaze.

The boy shrugged under Ezra's intense stare. "It was just a joke, okay? Don't take it so seriously," he said with a sheepish smile.

After a pause, Ezra asked, "So... what's your name?"

When the boy heard Ezra's question, he smiled again.

"They call me Maximus, but you can call me Max," he declared with triumph.

With another pause, Ezra said, "Hmm... that's an okay name"

That's how Ezra met Ray, Amy, and Max.

***

Returning to the present, the four of them were seated on a massive root of the Gaia tree. It had been several weeks since Max joined their circle, turning it into a small group.

They were deep in discussion, and Ezra snapped out of his reverie to focus on the conversation. Max's voice dominated the group, with Amy also showing keen interest in the topic.

Suddenly, Max turned to Ezra and asked, "Ezzie, what do you think? Should we climb up using that rope?"

It seemed they were talking about that old rope they had uncovered, which was connected to the top of the Gaia tree.