[Ties] Bootcamp 6

"And now, we seal the deal with a kiss." declared Malachi, "Pucker up."

Arlianne's eyes went wide with shock. Axel froze, and even his bodyguard was stunned. Malachi held Axel's right shoulder with his left hand, and carressed Axel's cheek with his right palm. He then brought his face closer to Axel's, and prepared his lips. The boy, still frozen, snapped out and delivered an uppercut.

"What the hell!!!?????" screamed Axel.

"Haha!" laughed Malachi, "Nice uppercut!"

Malachi jumped back in the nick of time and avoided Axel's uppercut. He landed next to Arlianne, who was still shocked, and hugged the girl.

"Just kidding, I already have Arlianne." he said, then he looked at Arlianne, "Hey, Arlianne? Hello~? Yoo-hoo~ Arlianne? Malachi to Arlianne?"

Malachi waved his hands before the stunned girl's eyes. The repeatedly attempted to call for her attention. Each of his actions were futile, and Arlianne was still stunned, the light in her eyes were seemingly gone.

"All righty." said Malachi, "Poke."

"Hiya~!?" shrieked Arlianne, "Malachi!?"

"Welcome back to reality, my sweet." greeted Malachi, "Was it so shocking that it wasn't as shocking as my revelation years prior?"

"Wait, what?" wondered Arlianne, "What do you mean? What happened?"

Malachi blinked twice.

'Selective memory loss?' he thought, 'I've heard of it before, but to think I'd witness it today, and in this life of all times. To exploit or not to exploit? Nah, something bad might happen to her... Still, the effect was pretty quick. Must have been so traumatic. As for Axel...'

Malachi turned his gaze to Axel. The boy was crouching and had his head down. He also held his face in pure embarrassment, not once glancing at Malachi. Malachi looked behind Axel and seemed to have heard something as he tilted his ear towards its direction. Not hearing anything further, he shrugged.

"So, Axel, my dear friend." he said, ignoring Axel's embarrassing experience, "Want some blackfowl stew?"

///

Three children were seated in a circle on a table for four. They found a small inn that served their intended lunch—blackfowl stew—and were waiting for their dishes to be delivered.

"Are you sure your bodyguard doesn't need to eat?" asked Malachi, "We still have a free seat."

"No, I've done that before, but he keeps telling me that it is a bit safer if I were truly incognito." replied Axel, "Also, why the hell did you do that earlier? I almost thought you were 'that' kind of guy."

" 'That'? What do you mean?" asked Malachi with a wry smile, seemingly having figured out what Axel meant.

"Um, you know... that 'that'..." answered Axel, unsure of how to explain.

"Ah, you mean men that like other men?" declared Malachi.

When Malachi said this, Arlianne twitched, but Malachi didn't notice this. Axel did, though, as his eyes momentarily glanced at Arlianne.

"N-no, I mean... yeah..." said Axel, "There should be no other reason... so... yeah..."

"Haha! I just wanted to see your reaction." said Malachi, "And I got a good one, that was a nice uppercut. Too bad it missed, though. Haha! Besides, I also got a good reaction from other people. Hehe."

"That's really cruel, though." argued Axel, "Having fun with other people's embarrassing moments..."

"Don't worry." replied Malachi, "I only do it between friends. Man, I am so going to burn that image of a frozen Axel in my mind."

"Wah!?" cried Axel, "No! Forget it! Forget everything you saw!"

"Hahahaha!" laughed Malachi, "Okay, let's all calm down. Our food's here."

"Grr..." growled Axel, "Fine!"

'Haha, he's too cute to be a boy.' thought Malachi, 'Ah, my habits are coming back. I have to be careful.'

With their meals on the table, the three children ate their fill. Blackfowl stew, like its name, was a bird-like animal with black everything, including meat. Blackfowl were similar to the Ayam Cemani chicken from Indonesia, except that Blackfowl are as big as a turkey. Their feathers were black, their crown, beak, meat and intestines, everything was black.

The inn where they ate their blackfowl stew were true professionals. Seeing that their customers were children, their servings were adjusted to suit their size for a cheaper price. The stew was served in a large bowl with a ladle, and each of the children were given their own tableware. It was similar to a restaurant than an inn.

When Axel had eaten some of his stew,

"Hey, why are you wearing such heavily tinted goggles, anyway?" he asked, "You also have a backpack... Are you aiming to be an engineer?"

Ever since Malachi had shared his past life's knowledge in the village, his products eventually spread all over the place. This was due to the merchants that went to and fro at the village. Seeing the potential and utility of the backpack for the engineers, other furnaces eventually bought and copied their own packs. Indeed, many tried to copy the design from Malachi's own bags. However, Malachi didn't mind this. Instead, he ignored it.

"Yes, and no." answered Malachi, "What the engineers do is part of what I planned to be but my aim is not to be an engineer."

"Hmm? Then what is it that you plan to be?"followed up Axel, "Judging from the direction where you were headed earlier, you went to the city furnace, right?"

Malachi smiled.

"Before I tell you my plans for the future, why don't you tell me yours?" answered Malachi, "You act like a street urchin, yet you have a bodyguard trailing behind you. No, forget about your origins. What do you want to do in the future?"

"Well, if all goes well with my father..." answered Axel, "I will be serving this kingdom till the day I die. If not, I don't know."

Malachi raised a brow.

'A noble's child, huh?' he thought, 'I already said to forget about his origins, though...'

"Apart from that, I don't know what else." added Axel, "Oh, wait... I also plan to get rid of the Eskurs."

Malachi heightened his attention.

"What did you say?" he said, "What about the Eskurs?"

"I plan to rid the kingdom of the Eskurs." repeated Axel, "It was their fault that my eldest sister died."

Axel's expression was grave, then became solemn. Malachi realized that this was a sensitive topic, so,

"I see. I'm sorry." he apologized, "Let's talk about something else."

"Well?" said Axel.

" 'Well' what?" repeated Malachi.

"Aren't you going to tell me your plans for the future?" answered Axel, "I told you mine, now tell me yours."

"Oh, that." said Malachi, "I plan to enter the academy, then serve the kingdom. Like you, we may even get to work together in the future."

Axel's expression brightened.

"Really!?" he said, "I also plan to enter the academy! Maybe we could be classmates, as well! Ah, but, what about Arlianne?"

"I plan to follow him." she answered, 'I made a vow, after all.'

"Wonderful!" cheered Axel, "I can't wait to grow up!"

They continued with their lunch and chatted happily for the remainder of the afternoon.

///

After lunch, the three bid their farewells as the skies were about to go dark.

"Hey, how often will you be coming to the city?" asked Axel, "I'm sorry I can't visit you instead."

"No worries, Axel." said Malachi, "I suppose, for now, once a week? We could increase the frequency as we grow older, though."

"Yes, once Malachi becomes twelve, he will be able to come here on his own... Well, with me, of course." added Arlianne, "There won't be a time when he is alone, unless it is deliberate."

"Yes, yes. I love you, too." declared Malachi, "You really can't keep your distance from me."

"Malachi!" scolded Arlianne, "Be serious."

"I am, though?" replied Malachi.

Axel watched their exchange in silence. Malachi noticed this and,

'Ah, he did have an elder sister.' thought Malachi, 'Hmm, what to do?'

"Hey, so we'll see each other in a week, okay?" he said, "Stay safe, Axel."

"Huh? Oh, yeah." affirmed Axel, "Stay safe, as well."

The three children waved each other off, and went their separate ways. Malachi and Arlianne went to the plaza where they agreed to meet with Bashia and Ibrahim, and Axel went through an alley and met up with his bodyguard.

"So, what do you think, 'Axel'?" asked the bodyguard, "Hah! The face you made earlier was priceless!"

"Shut up." snapped Axel, "Still, to think he would believe me to be a boy."

"Why not clarify, eh?" suggested the bodyguard, "Hee hee, having his left hand on your shoulder, his right hand on your cheek... Oops."

Axel suddenly kicked the bodyguard's shin.

"Silence!" scolded Axel, "I'm 'Axel' when I'm not within the estate walls. I'll keep this act up until I can't anymore. Just let me have some friends I could call my own, okay?"

The bodyguard sighed.

"All right, all right." he said, "Anything for the little princess."

"Once they know who I am, they might keep their distance from me." said Axel, "Even if we keep secrets from one another... Secrets, huh? Didn't he say something about that?"

///

"Here they are." said Ibrahim, "Over here!"

Ibrahim waved towards Malachi and Arlianne. He was with Bashia with a large amount of goods with them, mostly food and medicinal ingredients.

"Good evening, Mama, Gramps." greeted Malachi.

"Good evening, ma'am, doctor." greeted Arlianne.

"So, how was your trip to the furnace?" asked Bashia, "Did it meet your expectations?"

"Well, the furnace was huge, as expected from the city..." answered Malachi, "But, I didn't think the military-grade weapons would be that bad."

Bashia went wide-eyed.

"You went into the armory?" she said, "I thought I told you..."

"Relax, Mama." said Malachi hurriedly, "We got toured by an old engineer and the Head Chief. The old engineer thought I was aiming to be an engineer, but heard my plans to enter the academy. When he got us inside the armory, the Head Chief showed up and played with Arlianne."

"She didn't play with me." clarified Arlianne, "She just treated me like a baby, even though I'm already twelve."

"That's because you lack muscle." argued Malachi, "Of course, I plan to have you exercise with me, even if it's just stamina training. If you do plan to follow me into the academy, I need you to be able to catch up with me. Anyway, I didn't think a Head Furnace Chief could be a woman, with all the machinery and dirt in the workplace."

"A woman? Did she give her name?" asked Bashia.

Malachi shook his head.

"No, she didn't." he answered, "Her body was pretty well-toned, and she was able to resist the recoil of a repeater and a pistol to a certain extent. They also showcased the siege cavalry."

"The siege cavalry? So, that's why." muttered Ibrahim, "A loud explosion rattled the city, you know. I should've guessed that you had a hand in it. So, how was it."

"Too inefficient." he replied succinctly, "It's funny, though, that it resembled an old tank from my past life. The siege cavalry, however, didn't match the expected performance. Given the right equipment, I could take it out 12 times in a minute. I might have to change a lot of the kingdom's technology."

"Hmm, anything else?" wondered Ibrahim.

Malachi held his chin.

"Oh, right." he said, "Arlianne and I made a new friend."

The two adults were surprised, and looked at one another.

"Huh, and, is it a boy or a girl?" interrogated Bashia with a smile.

"His name's Axel, and he seems younger than me." explained Malachi, "He has a nice throwing arm, too, but his aim sucks."

"Throwing arm? What do you mean?" asked Ibrahim.

"He threw a rock at me." answered Malachi.

"Are you okay!?" cried Bashia, "I told you not to get into trouble!"

"Easy, Mama." said Malachi, "Like I said, his aim was bad, and I was able to dodge."

Bashia stared at her son. Malachi just smiled back.

"Fuu... Fine, then what happened next?" sighed Bashia, "How did you become friends, anyway?"

"We almost kissed." answered Malachi.

Bashia and Ibrahim froze, not to mention Arlianne that suddenly twitched and went blank. Ibrahim's mouth opened and closed, not knowing what to say while Bashia retreated back a bit and massaged her eyes.

"It was a joke." added Malachi with a wry smile, "You weren't seriously thinking I'd do such a thing to someone younger than me, do you? Before I forget... Poke."

Malachi poked Arlianne at her waist.

"Hiya~!?" she shrieked, "Malachi! Not again!"

"Your fault for becoming a zombie." he argued, "After that, we ate lunch and went our separate ways."

Ibrahim snapped out of his stupor.

"Uh, any particular reason why you made that joke?" he asked, "No, wait, what am I asking? Never mind, forget I asked."

"Truthfully?" said Malachi, "He was too cute to be a boy."

Arlianne twitched again.

"Poke." announced Malachi, "Seriously, get used to it."

"Ma-la-chi!!!" screamed Arlianne.

"Yes, yes." he said, "I love you, too."

Later that night, in their home at the Eskur village.

Bashia and Arlianne were seated in the dining room with nothing but a candle to light their surroundings. Malachi was not with them, presumably asleep, and they had serious expressions on their faces.

"Arlianne." said Bashia, "Tell me what happened with that Axel boy."

Arlianne relayed the events that happened earlier to her as accurate as possible, despite the gaps in her memory. After finishing, Bashia released a deep sigh.

"I have a feeling that Axel is a noble's child." she declared, "While I do trust Malachi, a few mistakes in judgment could be fatal."

"What do you plan to do, mom?" asked Arlianne, "Will you stop this friendship of theirs?"

"No, let's not." replied Bashia, "Since Axel has anti-Eskur sentiments, Malachi will be careful in hiding his lineage. Besides, from what you said, Axel seems likes decent boy despite his past experiences with my kin. I hope I'm not thinking too deeply on this, but I hope Axel will change his views in the future."

Bashia stood from her seat.

"Well, in order to nurture their friendship, I'll allow Malachi to go to the city in the following weeks." she said, "Although there are risks, I'm quite optimistic about how this will go. For now, remain friends with Axel. Give him a nice childhood as friends with you and Malachi. All right, let us retire for the night."

"Good night, mom." said Arlianne.

"Good night, sweetie." replied Bashia.

///

An unknown estate in Rhiamalka.

Three men were seated in an office. On the largest desk were stacks upon stacks of papers. One of the papers had Emmanuel's name on it—Emmanuel Arkansius Perlas. The three men were discussing about a particular topic.

"How goes the negotiations?" asked the most affluent-looking man, "I hope the Count finds things satisfactory."

The affluent man, surprisingly, had similar features with Emmanuel. Only, he wasn't as fit as Malachi's father. Wearing fur cloak that seemed inappropriate for the climate, his jewelry reflected light from the candles.

"The Count still wouldn't budge, sadly." replied a uniformed man, "We may have to... move... a hand."

The uniformed man was actually wearing beige-colored military attire. On his sleeve was an insignia of a silver hawk, and on his shoulders were heads of golden eagles.

"Hrm... Any idea where his daughter is?" asked the affluent man, "Maybe we could 'persuade' her into joining our cause."

"We've found where she's hidden." answered a black uniformed man, "Only, we await your orders to execute the plan."

The black uniformed man's attire was similar to the military man, only, it was purely black. The only things different from his uniform were the lack of insignias and what seemed to be a serial number printed onto his left chest: B-0113.

"Do it." ordered the affluent man, "It doesn't matter if she breaks. Just get the 'support' of the Count."

"Sir." affirmed the military man.

"Sir." as well as the black-garbed man.

The two men left the office, and the affluent man was alone. A while after that, a knock was heard on the door.

"Enter." said the affluent man.

"Good evening, father." said the visitor. It was Axel.

"Ah, my child." greeted the affluent man, "Why have you come home so late?"

"I was with Lakeng, father." answered Axel, "We were out in the city."

"Again?" muttered the affluent man, "Haa... Well, I did allow you to go out every once in a while. So, did something happen earlier?"

"Well, the furnace did an unplanned live-fire of a siege cavalry." answered Axel, "I also made a new friend."

The affluent man's interest was piqued.

"Oh, and who is this new friend?" he asked.

"Well, actually, 'friends' would be more accurate." added Axel, "His name is Malachi, and his sister was Arlianne."

"Is he a noble's child?" he asked again.

"I'm not sure." answered Axel, "He does seem to have plans to enter the academy, though. He told me of his plans to serve the kingdom, too. We might be able to work together, as well, in the future."

The affluent man watched as Axel revealed a smile without his child having realized it.

"Malachi, huh?" he repeated the name, "Would you like me to find out more about him?"

"No need, father." replied Axel, "He didn't want to find out about where I came from, so I won't ask about his. Oh, he also noticed Lakeng following me."

The affluent man raised a brow.

"He 'noticed' Lakeng?" he said, "Lakeng is one of our Shadows, how did he get found?"

"Well, it was my fault, really." answered Axel, "He found me glancing back at Lakeng's location. Oh, but he didn't really know about Lakeng, he only assumed he was an ordinary bodyguard."

"I see." said the affluent man, "Well, if needed, I'll just ask Lakeng about it."

"Then, good night, father." said Axel.

"Good night, my beloved child." replied the affluent man.

Axel left the office, and was soon replaced by the bodyguard, Lakeng.

"So, about that new 'friend'." interrogated the affluent man.

"Do you really want to know, sir?" clarified Lakeng.

"What do you mean?" replied the affluent man.

Lakeng scratched the back of his head.

"Uhh, how do I say this?" he uttered, "Well, they almost kissed."

"THEY WHAT!?" bellowed the affluent man, "BRING ME HIS HEAD!"

"Woah! Woah! Relax, sir!" said Lakeng panickingly, "It was apparently a joke by the boy, Malachi! I mean, they were talking about being friends and stuff, and things just went into that direction, and, and... I was shocked, too. Heck, here I was believing that Malachi 'believed' Lex to be a boy, and he just, well, yeah..."

"Say that beforehand!" scolded the affluent man, "I almost killed a potential recruit."

Lakeng was surprised.

"A 'recruit', sir?" he repeated.

"Yes, I'd like to hear about how he 'noticed' you." affirmed the affluent man.

"Well, first things first..." said Lakeng.

Lakeng told the affluent man what happened with Axel and Malachi, from their first meeting up to their separation. The affluent man held a serious gaze the longer he listened to Lakeng's testimonies.

"He plans to enter the academy, huh?" muttered the affluent man, "I would love to have someone tail him, but I have to respect my child's wishes. Maybe, just maybe, those two remind my child of the past. Hmm, well, just resume your usual duties, for now. It might become a good form of therapy."

"Sir." said Lakeng before he left the office.

Alone in his office, the affluent man turned his gaze on the stack of papers on his desk.

"Emmanuel, Emmanuel." he said, "My dear brother of another mother. How much longer will father live before he chooses his successor?"

The affluent man then retired for the night.