Ryatt frowned in displeasure at my words. It was rare to see his impassive face show such clear emotion, but today I had seen quite a bit of this occurrence. I knew Ryatt couldn’t let his friend die. but to ask him to do something so vulgar to one of his friends was absurd. I knew that as well. Ryatt knew next to nothing of the real matters between men and women. This was obvious to me. Everything I whispered in his ear was foreign to him, and his reaction couldn't be easily faked.

"Hey, Haan…why do you know so much about this adult stuff?" asked Ryatt asked me quietly. "We’re both just kids, and we shouldn’t be talking about this stuff. Right or wrong?"

This was Ryatt's signature inquiry. One he only seemed to ask when he was certain he was correct.

"We all have secrets. Why can you speak in the ancient devil tongue so easily?" I frowned, replying with a question of my own. "The ancient what now?" Ryatt asked in pure confusion. I was speechless for three full breaths. 'How could Lucky possibly not know he was using the ancient devil tongue?' I refused to believe this. However, I felt one hundred percent certain the boy in front of me wasn’t lying. My intuition begged me to trust him. I had two lives' worth of experience with liars, and this child was either a perfect charlatan, or he was truly ignorant. "Well…" I hurried to look away so Riot couldn’t see me changing expressions. Memories of my past life were currently swimming through my eyes. I felt like someone would discover my secret if they saw my reminiscent state. As naive as this thought was, I had the hormones of a child. It felt excusable. "Let’s just say, not everyone gets to be a kid when they’re growing up. My fondest 'childhood memories' all start after I enrolled in Major Acadia Primary school. Before that, I have never been a child in this life." ------- Ryatt Drakel's Heart:

When Haan used the phrase 'in this life,' I felt this girl's mysteriousness for the first time. "Daddy, I don’t feel so good. Can we play soon?" Micayle’s countenance was growing paler by the minute, and she still spoke to me in that ancient tongue. Meanwhile, my body's vibrancy was reaching brand new heights. In truth, I had never felt so great. I had even grown a couple of inches. Actually, even I became aware that Micky wasn’t speaking in the world tongue at this point. However, I had no idea why I perfectly understood this different language and could even speak it at will. My body seemed to be brimming with life force right now, and my mind felt sharper than ever before. The sensation of Micayle's vital essence flowing into my bloodstream was intoxicating. It made me feel profound guilt at how much I enjoyed this feeling. ------- Haan's Heart:

"Ryatt…we’re out of time," I said carefully while scrutinizing Ryatt's adorable but impassive face. His brow was scrunched up as if troubled. After all, the more robust he became, the closer Micayle was to death! I could sense that his aversion to my suggested discourse was very real. Ryatt was utterly unwilling to stain or ruin Micayle with his own hands, even if it meant letting her die. Admirable as I found this to be, it left us with no solution. Was there another option other than watching Micayle die in his arms? I pleaded once more, against my better judgment, "If we don’t do something soon, what’s going to happen to Micky? Just…just do it, Lucky. Better you than that creep, Lucci. I’m sure Micky would agree, right?" "How could she possibly agree? Don’t you know she likes Axel? If I…she’ll never, ever forgive me for that, I’m sure she’d rather die! Besides, you don’t know this, but I have a fiancé. My mom would flip. I…I can’t, Haan. I don’t even know how to do that, even if I wanted to." Ryatt rejected once more. From his resolute eyes, I knew he definitely wouldn’t do what I suggested. He viewed Micayle in the same light that he considered his two sisters. How could he possibly do something like that? Worst-case scenario, he would just murder the entire Black Tyrant Legion to avenge his friend. Haan was unaware, but the concept of death wasn’t something that particularly troubled Riot.

Was this something innate? Or was it something else...

Still, Riot definitely couldn’t do what Haan was suggesting. Unlike the concept of death, the concepts of 'rape' and 'defilement' were something Ryatt obviously felt complete disgust toward, despite his limited knowledge. After all, Ryatt had two sisters. What if such a thing happened to them? How could he not consider that? -------

Ryatt Drakel's Heart:

I couldn't bring myself to even consider Haan's suggestion. The first thing that appeared in my mind was my elder and younger sisters. If such a thing happened to them then I would definitely dedicate my life to slaughtering everyone related to the perpetrator. If I didn't my mother would never forgive me. Micayle was exactly like another sister in my heart, and she was my very first friend. How could I defile my friend under the pretense of saving her life? After all, Micayle and I were young, and neither of us knew the matters between men and women very well. Micayle would often share with me her limited knowledge of such things, and she was the entire base of my current knowledge on the subject. I couldn’t accept it.

I’d prefer to watch Micayle die and then spend my life atoning. I would grow powerful and annihilate everyone ever related to Luciano Graves or the Black Tyrant Legion. My gaze suddenly became ruthless and fiery, my body seeming to undergo a small change. Haan was startled, looking at me as if she were seeing a freak. She couldn't help but ask herself something. Did Lucky just step on the evolutionary path? There was truly a notable change occurring within me at this moment. "Are you even a man?" Haan was exasperated, unaware of my drastic thoughts. For reasons I didn’t understand, she seemed to feel slight displeasure upon hearing the word fiancé. Unknown to me, she felt jealous, but she brushed this feeling away. Haan couldn’t think of another solution to this problem, and she couldn’t watch her only friend die. Haan glared at Ryatt, "Be a man! She needs you…" "No! What 'be a man'? I’m only ten, you maniac!" I shouted furiously. Actually, I was only nine until next week. Anyway, I suddenly felt like something was wrong with this girl’s head. I frowned heavily as I continued, "I don’t even understand how Luciano could actually do something so crazy as this. Aren’t we all the same age? Can we even do that stuff yet? Is he crazy? Or is this just an excuse for him to drain all of her life-force?" ------- Haan's Heart:

I was stunned into silence as I realized that Ryatt was right. It frustrated me to no end to be stumped by a small child. Could that have really been Luciano’s goal this entire time? However, this thought inspired a more important question. Who taught Luciano the ancient devil tongue? My mind was a combination of a seasoned warrior who had battled for decades and an immature child who had yet to awaken. Due to my innate naivety, I took for granted a simple fact. Luciano knew what curse he was using. Even though he didn’t fire those weapons, he still retained ownership of the curse. To tailor a curse to an individual through external means was a very advanced magical science. Who could do this? I knew Luciano clearly had impure designs on me. I was the true target of this attack. Rage filled my small heart at the mere thought of Micayle suffering and maybe dying in my place. Ultimately, Micayle, Ryatt, and I were all only kids, just like Luciano. Could we even do the deed? This was something she had failed to ask herself previously. "Realistically, Luciano was more than likely planning on waiting a year or so before doing anything," Due to my background, this bit of rationality finally sunk in. I turned to Ryatt and said, "Logically, the curse Luciano inflicted on Micayle should've been a long-term one. It should last at least three years, giving him time to prepare." 'But…if that were the case, then why would Micky’s vital essence keep disappearing at such a rapid rate?' I thought secretly.

Ryatt’s brow scrunched up, trying to figure it all out. In reality, he barely understood what I was saying. This was more than obvious to me, but I couldn't help but find his contemplative look cute. Suddenly, the answer floated to the forefront of my mind as I watched Ryatt’s befuddled appearance. Inspecting him closer, Ryatt was growing slightly taller and more vibrant by the second. It was basically visible to the naked eye! This truly was an unusual rate for the curse to burn life force. 'Could it be because of those weapons or…' I thought to here before realizing the truth. Because of how obvious the answer was, I was struck a sense of asphyxiation. "Luciano probably ignited her curse after we rescued her!" I shouted, suddenly grasping the entire situation. I palmed my forehead, cursing myself for wasting so much time thinking in the wrong direction. I looked at the eager Ryatt and said, "He wanted us to have to come to ask him for the solution. He would also gain a boost in strength and maybe slaughter us without us being able to fight back. But, before he could cancel the ignition, the curse’s ownership changed. Lucky, all you have to do is cancel the ignition!" "And how the heck do I do that?" Ryatt asked skeptically. I could tell Ryatt wanted to be excited, but he looked like he felt I was speaking gibberish.

Being in this tiny body was truly too much for me to accept at times. No one took me seriously.

-------

Ryatt Drakel's Heart:

I was bewildered and discombobulated. I couldn’t help but grow suspicious about this child who should be younger than myself. Why did she know so much about the matters of adults and magic refiners? How could I be sure she wasn't just babbling? Everything she had said sounded like gibberish in my ears. I had to admit, the way Haan always pushed the bang the messily hanging in front of her face to the back when she got excited was really cute. I wasn't sure what it meant to like a girl, but I found Haan's shoulder-length light brown hair and big dewy eyes that seem as deep as the night sky to be enticing. It made me want to know more about her.

"You see the glyph on the back of your hand? Focus on it and chant these words in your mind," Haan said before reciting a chant that was not the same language Luciano used earlier.

(News flash: When this happened to me I had no idea what I was doing. I even thought for sure it wouldn't work.) "Unequaled Sobriety!" I effortlessly chanted the words in that ancient language, oblivious to it being another language at all. This action blew Haan away. She had expected to take a few tries, but… "You…have you studied the language of wondergods and devils before?" Haan looked a bit discombobulated by the oddities surrounding this cute boy in front of her. "Hey, it’s working!" I said excitedly, unintentionally dismissing Haan’s question. I was too excited to hear her. Previously, I could feel my body accumulating great strength with every passing breath. Even though the sensation remained, it was now dozens, if not hundreds, of times less intense than before. "Man, we almost killed her," I didn’t know why things turned out this way. However, I felt extremely fortunate that Haan was so knowledgeable. "Thanks, Haan…you did it." Even though I absolutely refused to 'save' Micayle by doing 'that' with her, I would have never been able to forgive myself if Micayle died due to my decision. Especially if I later discovered she didn’t have to die at all. After all, as long as we had more time, I could take Micayle to my mother. Anyway, my mother introduced the concept of curses to me in the first place.

------- Haan's Heart:

After checking to confirm we weren't being followed, Lucky, Micky, and I rushed toward the east. Ryatt let me climb onto his back while he took Micayle into his arms. I was once again astonished by the strength, stamina, and character of the youth before me. In my opinion, such a person was destined to become one of those influential heroes of legend. This entire incident felt like one of those storybook labors the hero experiences to sharper his will. If anyone was the hero of my story right now, it was this humble student before me. I had never met a mortal similar in potential to Ryatt Drakel.

But was it a stroke of great luck that I had met this child, or would we be accidental victims of his labors?

After running with two injured girls in tow, Ryatt swiftly arrived at the outer sector's outskirts. It was unfathomable how swift this child was without a power base. My rising suspicion that he was feyborn was reaching a breaking point. The odds of my conjecture being true increased with every stride the dashing youth took. How could a purely humble human ten-year-old be this capable? I simply didn't believe it. "That's my house up ahead," Ryatt said breathlessly, indicating a rather large estate at the end of the road. I was stunned for the umpteenth time today. What was this? How was this a home in the outer sector? The garden of this estate alone covered two acres. There were two huge statues of some kind of menacing-looking deity on either side of the front gates, and on the archway above were the words House Raizen written in ancient glyphs. The glyphs seem to glow softly even in the light. 'Huh? Is this right?' I looked down at the madly dashing youngster under me. 'Logically speaking, Lucky should come from a humble family. He doesn't have luxurious clothes, and he doesn't seem to fancy material things. How could this be his house? It's basically a noble's estate. I truly felt some puzzlement. I suddenly discovered that I didn't really understand this boy. In my memory, Ryatt Drakel was a brave but usually rather humble child. Only when playing sports, would he display his haughtiness. Only when someone challenged him would he become a bully.

In fact, one could only call Ryatt a bully because he was so much stronger than his peers, despite his previously short stature. My mind raced back to when we were all in the same sports class. Ryatt and Axel were dominating forces in every school competition. If Ryatt were to compete in martial arts with a peer of his age, it would be completely one-sided. Only the teenage martial artists from the inner sector were a match for him.

However, Ryatt attended every sports competition with Axel and his father. Ryatt's family had never attended, so I and many of my peers presumed they were too busy trying to make ends meet. After all, even my own living situation was in a similar state. In the slums, no one asked questions like 'so, are you poor too?' And I didn't plan on doing so outside either.

Yet, from the estate they were approaching, how could this kid's background be normal? I couldn't help but rethink my previous stance.