~Sol Nierheart~

Tch, why them…

Right now Sol is in a pinch, because in front of him is a group of trouble maker, trouble maker that targeted him. These people always tried to pick a fight, really. A sigh came out from my mouth.

“Don’t they have anything better to do?” I muttered under my breath. My head turn downward, a shadow cast over my face. They inching closer toward me. The guy in front, Elsoul seems pissed today, did something happened to him?

“Hey you shithead, I heard you trespassed the forbidden territory, you think you can walk away like this without punishment?” Elsoul shouted to me when he is within earshot. Only one meter between me and him, his gang followed behind, snickered, clearly looking forward to see me got beaten up. I gritted my teeth, i can’t let my emotion take over me. That’s what they wanted, a fight, and I definitely wont let them do as they wish.

“ So you heard from the elder, your father, huh? Then you must heard that he decided to forgave me this time, since it’s an emergency. I don’t think that I need to receive punishment from you.” I said it in one breath, Elsoul orange tail keep swishing right and left, clearly annoyed by my words.

His feline eyes glared, red pupil focused on me. Tension on the air. I focused my gaze at Hiiro beside me, worried about him. But looking at him, he displayed his usual poker face, looked uninterested with this whole situation. My action caused Elsoul to follow my gaze, he raised his eyebrow, stared at Hiiro.

“.. Is that the kid? You saved him in the forbidden forest?” He frowned, his eyebrow scrunched up, as if thinking about something, in a second, his face changed, turned into a sneer. “ I don’t understand why father allowed this, letting a kid stay at your house. Clearly, letting someone stay in a ‘murderer family’ is very dangerous. Who knows when they are going to became insane, like their criminal ‘father’ killing those poor people!” Elsoul shouted loudly, while his follower behind laughed and mocking me. A few pedestrian walked past, whispering and looking at the commotion.

I glared at them, my palm scrunched up tightly. I didn’t answer them back, holding down the anger bubbling up in my heart. I took Hiiro hand with me.

No need to be provoked by them, just let them be.

I chanted it over and over again, deep inside my heart. I ignored them and intend to walk past them with Hiiro on tow. My boots stomped the dirt, each step getting me farther from here, when I walked just beside Elsoul, he spoke it aloud, directed to me, his words vile and pompous.

“ Ha, I heard that Gror old man actually went and propose your sister, even when he already married, I bet your sister seduced him huh, what a slut, I bet she spread her leg to ever-“

BAAAMMM, CRACKK!!!!!!!

I punched that asshole with all my might, his face twisted to the right, drops of blood came out from his mouth, danced freely in the air, before dropped with a splat to the ground. He managed to withstand the force, just barely able to hold his ground and didn’t fell down pathetically. He widened his eyes, as if can’t believe what was happened to him. He turned his face to me and growled, his canine teeth became visible.

“ You.. You will regret this you trash!!!” He growled viciously, his stance changed, like a hunter eyeing his prey, he bent his body down, ready to pounce on me. I raised my downcast head, my eyes gazing solely on him, determination and anger glinted on my eyes, my face twisted with fury. My voice vibrated on the air.

“ I don’t care what you said about me, or that stupid fucking father! But don’t you dare insult my sister!! “ I shouted at him, my whole body is trembling because of wrath.

His gang of follower slowly encircling me, with no way to run, my only option is to fight myself out, and that idea feel very tempting to me now, my head is filled with the urge to beat them down to the ground, anger is clouding my mind.

Its four vs one, I’m in disadvantage, but I don’t care about that. I glanced in the corner of my eyes. I pushed Hiiro out before I punched that asshole, currently with his butt on the ground, Hiiro is groaning and massaging his pained back. he is outside of the encirclement now. Good. I can’t pull him to my fight.

Right now, I need every advantage I get. I focused my eyes to the opponent in front of me. I don’t have any weapon on my body, so I had to fight bare handed. We currently on a standstill, tension is high on the air, a bead of sweat rolled down from my forehead to my cheek. Nobody made the first move, each of us gauging another. Eyes strained to the limit, observing any movement.

With no notice nor alarm, Elsoul moved, he pounced on me with speed befitting of that a cat kin. His sharp claws grazed my cheek, but I managed to avoid the full blow. Unfortunately for him, but fortunate for me, his attack leave him open from the side. With split second reaction, I punched him right on his ribs, a motion that ingrained to my body from many years of training. The force of my fist pushed him away, he groaned and tumble in the air for a second, he curled up his body like a ball, and he positioned his feet pointing to the ground before he fall down, he bent his knee, and both his arm touching the dirt, balancing his fall.

While Elsoul is blown away, his three underling moved together, didn’t miss the opportunity created by their boss. Working with each other, they attacked me with a crazed fervor, desperate to land a hit on me, luckily, neither of them brought out any bladed weapon and their battle prowess is lower than Elsoul. One of them punched straight at me, which I responded with a side step and followed after with a right hook, right at his chin. The second one attacked from behind, thinking he can get me when I’m busy with his friend, he was proved wrong with a blow from my elbow to his head. The third one managed to land a hit on me, a low kick aim at my knee, my balance is disturbed, I gritted my teeth and stomped my feet hard to hold my body from falling and crashing down to the ground. But its seem their motive is not to incapacitate me, but to create an opportunity.

Elsoul somehow crossed the distance between us, he managed to sneaked up behind me without me noticing and clawed at my back, his sharp claws shredded my cloths and scratched my skin deep, drawing blood out from my body. I groaned out as response, and quickly rotated my body, using my left foot as a pivot, I gave him a high kick, which he promptly avoided it. I immediately moves backward, putting some distance between us. I panted hard, my eyebrow scrunched up.

This is bad.

“Hah, now you can’t talk back do you? That overbearing side of you will be your doom.” Elsoul raised his chin, he looking down on me, arrogance laced on every of his words.

He sprinted towards me, not giving me any time to recover. His leg moved and started with a middle kick, followed by his other leg. His kick is packed with power and a swishing sound could be heard, his feet only an inch away from me. I focused my eyes to him, reacting with his movement, I avoided, crouched, and bended my body with every punch and kick he unleashed to me. I can see Elsoul is getting frustated with me avoiding all of his attack. Suddenly, i can feel something crawling on my skin, my intuition telling me the next attack is dangerous. An attack that i had to avoid on all cost.

I throw my body to right, more than I need to avoid a punch, but its seem my instinct proved to be right. Elsoul fist glowed with red aura, the air he punched exploded, the force throwing the leaf and dust nearby to the air.

That damn Elsoul actually strengthen his fist using his mana! Did he want to kill me?!

His fist glowing menacingly before its faded. He retracted his fist and looked down at me. He sneered at me.

“ Surprised?” He tilted his head and walking toward me.

“ For someone like you, be glad that you can taste my skill, someone useless like you who cannot control your own mana." His walk turned into run.

"You fucking TRASH!!!” He roared and pounced at me.

Our battle continued.

~Ayasaka Hiiro~

Ouch. Its hurt damnit, he didn’t need to push me that strongly.

How did this came into this, while I wondered in my mind, I massaged my pained back. I look at the fight ongoing in front of me. Just when I though I will get my peace back, trouble always brewing in my life. I raised my head and squinted both of my eyes, observing the fight.

Right now Sol is shouting and punching them like an avenger. His friendly face replaced with fury, one that I never think that i would see in his face, I never thought him as a hot headed character. Honestly, I though he was one who would be silent and receiving the bully attack without fighting back. I was wrong. My impression of him, which is undependable and weak, destroyed to bits. Even with more than one opponent, he was able to handle them expertly, he clearly had been training in his whole life, his determination and will isn’t weak. I apologized to Sol in my mind for doubting him.

Still, even with how skilled he is, there are four people he facing right now. He is in disadvantage, and the longer this fight continued, the disadvantage is getting worse and worse. He already wounded by that cocky looking cat boy. Damn, what I can even do? His underling spectated from afar, i think they couldn't follow their boss and Sol speed.

A booming sound resounded, I turned my head back at the fight. A gust of wind hit my face. A glowing red colored fist entered my vision. I could see Sol with flabbergasted face plastered on his face, he sprawled on the ground, unharmed save for his back.

I need to help him somehow, he did saved my life after all, and I’m currently staying at his house, better gain his trust. I looked around me, searching for something that can be use as a weapon. The cat eared kid was punching and attacking Sol, except now his fist glowed red, and Sol keep avoiding it by throwing his body far away from the attack. His action right now should eating a good chunk of his stamina. And getting hit by that blow would not be pretty.

After a while, I finally found my weapon, a grey stone. Not the best, but it will do. I need to divert his attention from Sol, creating opportunity for him to fight back. I’m using it as an artery, since the cat eared kid focused on Sol, he won’t notice me, I sincerely hope so.

I grabbed the stone tightly using my hands. Then I turned my body to the side, with my head looked straight to my target. I mimicked baseball player, my right arm moved behind with the stone, I puffed out my chest, leaning forward, my left feet stomped hard on the ground, using the momentum, I throw it with all my strength in my thin arm to the target. The stone travel with frightening speed.

WHOOSSHHH

The stone hit squarely at the cat eared kid right on his head, his head twisted to the left, his body following the momentum lifelessly fell to the ground, blood dripping out from the new injury, and his pupil rolled behind his eyelid. He is unconscious.

Silent grasping the surrounding air, nobody made a sound, can’t believe what they just saw. After all, the stone speed isn’t something that can be follow with their eyes, Elsoul cannot evaded the attack even if he know its beforehand, and the mere stone packed such a punch that can knocked out a person who strenghten his body using mana.

Everybody stare at the perpetrators. Currently the subject of the attention, Hiiro, is bewildered. He intended to create an opportunity, but he ended the battle instead.

What the hell?? he fainted with just one hit… well, they had magic here, so that kid should be all right.

...

Right?