A quite forest, with only chirping birds were making noises accompanied with the rustling of leaves along the wind.It was one peaceful place, until soldiers began to run in circles, shouting to each other. Along their constant slashes of their steel swords, leaves fell peacefully on the ground. One leaf danced its way towards Felgard's small nose and rested on top of it.

"...achoo," he squeaked.

"Quiet," I whispered to his face so close to mine.

After we were found out, we immediately ran away from the knight and his soldiers. We ended up in this disgusting situation of hiding beneath this mound where roots of a large tree was enough to hide ourselves. We had no other choice but to squeeze ourselves inside a small opening provided. Above us was where the soldiers slashed their way past tree branches and shrubs.

"Are they gone?" Felgard whispered directly in my ear.

"Huawawah! Y-you..." I was flustered at how ticklish my doe ears was. "How should I know?"

"Can you not use magic to like see them or something?"

"I can sense their realea, but not in this situation," I mean how could I concentrate with him nearly hugging me from behind? I had no time to tell him how to position himself in hiding.

"They can't be far," I heard the knight leader say from above. "Keep on searching!"

"Yes sir!"

Sooner, footsteps were heard leaving the ground above us. To confirm, I tried focusing to feel their realea presence to have really left the place.

"Oi," he whispered into my ear again.

"Huawah! Don't do that!" I shouted as my concentration was disturbed.

"Sorry..."

I sighed before answering, "Their gone for now."

"Oh," he responded and began to squirm out of the opening. As soon as he was out, I too went out as well.

"They'll definitely be back here," I said. "You, don't disturb me for a while..."

"Why?" he tilted his head.

"I'll be casting a spell. In order to make it complete, I need full concentration," I replied as i closed my eyes. "Do not disturb me, or my spell might malfunction."

"Oh, okay."

I then disregarded him and focused on my spell. Even with a staff, teleportation magic was very complex and realea consuming. I need full concentration to make it work. However in my current state, I could only teleport to a place I have been to. Which implied I could only trace my mind to a place away from here.

"Aah, Friesha?" I heard him call me, but I didn't respond. In fact, I needed him to shut up. "F-friesha, I think their coming..."

"There they are sir!" a soldier shouted as he pointed at us from afar.

The woman-looking knight narrowed his eyes before shouting, "The mage is doing magic! Hurry and stop them!"

"Friesha!" the airhead shouted despite my warning. "If that's the case then..." I still did not budge from my concentration. I felt Felgard took out his wooden sword.

The soldiers began attacking. Felgard fought them as I was concentrating on my spell. As focused as I was, I could feel swords slashing the air, arrows fired, footsteps stomping, heavy breathing, and blood.

"Haaa!" a soldiers slashed the empty space, without realizing Felgard sidestepped and attack his side. "Guhuack!"

"You little!" another went to give him a pierce of his arrow. His shot was wasted as it pierced only the ground.

"Get the mage!" an archer shouted and his fellow archers raised their arrows, pointing it towards me. "Fire!"

Their arrows rained directly at me, only to be deflected by Felgard before it could even get close.

"H-hey, what's with the kid?" asked a soldier with a shocked expression.

"He's too fast!" one exclaimed.

"His movements..." the woman-looking knight narrowed his eyes at Felgard. "It seems familiar. Have I seen it before?"

Felgard was now panting as he faced soldiers with now hesitant movements when and how to attack him.

"Ah!" Felgard noticed the female-faced knight leap on the air and down towards him with his sapphire sword pointed directly at him.

He successfully backed away, as well as duck down, avoiding another soldier swing his sword. The female-faced knight then swung his sapphire sword forward. Although it did not hit Felgard, it released a huge force, enough to blow the small boy backwards.

"Archers, now!" he commanded.

Felgard raised his head and saw the incoming number of arrows raining towards him. With his quick response and reflexes which marveled the knight, he was able to deflect the arrows, although not all.

The female-faced knight then dashed forward, ready to slice the beat up Felgard in half.

"Okay!" I opened my eyes and immediately grabbed the airhead on his shoulder. "Teleportation Activate!"

By that, a huge pale-blue light shone from below us and we were engulfed by it.

"Archers!" I heard the knight leader shout before completely vanishing from the place.

Right next to the river where Felgard got me my veiled hat, a small pillar of light shone. It then dissipated into nothingness, leaving only the airhead and I to fall down on our butts a few feet away from the ground.

Heavily breathing, I uttered the words, "That was close... I used up almost all my realea..."

I kept my head upwards, facing the clouds hovering silently above us. Weirdly, Felgard was keeping himself quiet. I thought maybe he was tired as well, I mean he did protect me while I was casting the spell. I took a glimpse at him, and it made me look back to stare at him with the utmost worry.

"H-hey! You're bleeding!" I immediately got up, disregarding my current state, and went closer to his body lying upwards. "Hey! Are you awake?"

"Of course I am," he spoke in a low stuttering voice while breathing heavily, yet was still able to flash that irritating half smile of his. "I-I'm strong y-you know..."

"Strong the nails of my foot!" I searched his and found a broken arrow pierce the left side of his waist. He also had a flesh wound on multiple parts of his arms and legs. "I can't heal you for now. Let me just, patch you up as much as I can."

"Hehe... You really are too easy..." and he whispered before fading into unconsciousness.

"Don't say anything else," I sighed. "Just shut up..."

Seriously, you're too much of a nuisance.

After I wrapped his wounds up with most of my clothing, I gained enough realea to heal his wounds. Although it wasn't enough to fully heal him, the best I did was close the wound to prevent blood from flowing out.

"Are you awake?"

"......."

"Still sleeping I see."

"Who..."

"Well, I could always tell you later..."

This soft voice sounds familiar, who is it? This man...

"For now... Just sleep"

"Who are you?"

"....."

"....."

"I see..."

"Hey, who are you?"

"Like I said! My name is Felgard!" that voice surely woke me up.

"What?" I narrowed my eyes after blinking three times, looking at his face on top of mine, which was laying softly on the grass.

"Good morning! Although it's afternoon," he greeted me with smile. "So perhaps good afternoon? But doesn't it sound weird to say good afternoon to someone who just woke up?"

"It doesn't matter, now will you just move away?"

He stood up and began jumping up and down heavily with his stomping feet. My once dark brown cloak, now but cloth covering his wounds, seemed to have been effective. Well, there were magical components in it which helped in his recovery. No worries, for I always wore a soft white shirt and shorts underneath.

"Look! I'm all healed up!" he proudly held his chin up while placing his hands on his waist.

"Humph! I saved you this time," I stood up and looked away. "So now were even!"

"Ah, you're right," he smiled, a warm sunny smile. "Thank you!"

In truth, he has helped me more than I have helped him. However, seeing him being this grateful, I cannot help but feel guilty. It was one annoying feeling (really...).

"No matter," I felt flustered, yet managed to hide it away.

"Still, that enemy was good," Felgard said. "Seems like I need more training."

"You were in a disadvantage since there were a lot of them. I bet you'd be wiping their butts on the floor if you went one on one."

"...Did you just compliment me?"

"N-no! I was saying those human soldiers were too weak, to not even defeat a teeny boy like you! Humph! And they called themselves soldiers."

"Still, you meant that I was cooler than them, right?" he went his closer while pointing his finger at himself with a huge smile.

"Geez! I get it!" I screamed as I pushed his face away. "Okay! You're at least better than them..."

"Oh yeah! A compliment!" and he began dancing, or so it would seem that way as he was doing weird movements to be called a dance. "It's the first time I was complimented by someone else besides my mother. It feels so good!"

What's with him? First time? It's not like I'm interested in his life.

"Now what will you do?" I asked him.

"Huh?" the airhead tilted his head.

"I'm gonna keep on going towards my destination. But for now, I should prioritize on making myself a staff."

"How do you make a staff? Can you not just pick a random stick taller than you?"

"Hey, choose your words carefully..." I was emanating an aura of murder, which made him sweat from his forehead. "I could cut open those wounds again if you like."

"A-ah..." and he nodded.

"Whatever. Making a staff isn't really hard. It's finding the material that's one."

"What do you mean?"

"There is a specific tree that we mages use in making a staff. For us, it's the most abundant tree of the entire world. If I were to pick up a stick, it should be from that tree."

"What is this tree?"

"Maakh."

"What a weird name for a tree..."

"It may be a weird name for a human like you, but for us mages, it means to reign, power, authority."

"Ooh!"

"A-anyway, I'll try finding such a tree. The chances of such a tree to still exist is slim, given that they were already rare in the past. If humans hadn't known about this and haven't done anything to them, my chances will be higher."

"I see."

"......."

"......."

"Y-you! What will you do? Surely you're not thinking of tagging along-"

"I'll go with you," he abrupt with a sincere face.

"Wha- No! You're not coming along!" I screamed.

"I'm not asking you," he looked solemnly stern. "You are my target, my prey. And I do not want to fight you in your current state. So I will look after you until you create this staff of yours."

"B-but-"

"No!" closing his eyes, he was kinda bossing me. "It's not like you can make change my mind."

"Y-you!"

He walked passed me while saying, "Felgard's the name," and went on walking. "Let's go! I bet you won't be making anything just standing there."

"Grrr! You!" and I stomped my way following him, feeling the ground to be his filthy face. "Do you even know where you're going?!"

"Nope!" he honestly replied. "But I bet you don't know as well."

"Haaa?!" I could only run behind him as he was walking too fast.

Seriously, what a pain...

Still, that voice in my dream. Who could it be, I wonder?