There was not much Banton had left his daughter before his death. The only materials Hai inherited were the everyday utensil of your average tribal. There was no family heirloom that she would pass to her children, forever protected by her blood. But she still had something from her father to hold dear and to shape her way in life: His ideals.
She had made a vow to live by them after her father died. Instead of focusing on hatred and the desire for vengeance, Hai turned to helping people in any way she could, just like her father. She wanted to be the reflection of her father, live on for his spirit, and eternize his legacy.
That is why she came running when ms Florinda called. That is why she tried to help Mac reach the sea undetected. And that is why she could not let Mac leave. There was no way for her to know what troubled him, but that would not stop her.
Hai felt awful inside as she ran to block Mac's way, disregarding his desires. But her vows could not let her abandon him. She felt like Mac was the one who needed help the most.
He looked at her with his depleted glare and betrayed his complex with his usual smile. There was no sign of annoyance towards Hai, only contempt.
"What is up? Need something?" He only said.
And those words were enough to cause a stir in her conviction. As far as Hai could tell, she did not feel the terrifying power of Mac's Hidden Will, but his calm demeanor made her remember the fate of the warriors that stood in his way. What chance could she have to stop Mac when even a cultivator couldn't?
But she forced herself to stand as her father stood before the same cultivator. She wondered if her father also felt this unbearing sense of fear before someone that could kill you instantly if they wanted. "I need to help you, Mac Key Kast!" She exclaimed.
Her shouts attracted the nearby tribals, who quickly came to see what the "children heroes" of their tribe were doing. They had a mixture of confusion, fear, and desire to help in their coppery face, which reminded Hai of herself.
"Please, Mac," She implored. "Try a bath in the Crimson Coast! I am sure you will feel better."
The surrounding tribals left confused mumbles before one of them said hesitantly. "Hai, I don't think you should force him if he doesn't want to?" There was a trace of uncertainty in their voice.
Hai knew they meant well, but those words, followed by the voices of agreement, could not break her vows. She would not let Mac pass, even with a face flushed red in frustration.
When the complaints started to become more confident, Mac interrupted. "I am delighted with the respect you all showed me." He said with a nod that pained him. Every tribal ceased immediately to hear him talk. "But I would like to hear Hai talk. As the one who had my back and the well-being of her people in her mind the whole night, I believe she has the right to question my decisions. And that she might know what is the best for me better than myself."
To every other tribal there, Mac seemed a fantastic figure from the legends. In the future, they would share his tale among the new generations with even more boasts than the mighty and deadly cultivators. The words from the mysterious kid who saved all of them from their wrong-doers were enough to shut them quiet.
Being painfully aware of how Mac affected her people made Hai shiver. Doubt grew on her mind when she wondered if there was a problem Mac could not solve that she could.
"Mac, I am sure you are tired after a whole night running around fighting. You also sustained no small amount of injury from your confronts." Hai tried to reason. "Look around you. The red water healed everyone here, with only an ugly scar left to replace what was once a fatal wound."
"Yes, I can see that." Mac looked around, returning the tribals' awkward smile with his own. "The rumors I heard about the Crimson Coast did not do justice to the reality of its powers. It puts my healing pills to shame." Hai felt proud of Mac's compliments, and she believed she was somehow convincing him, but she soon realized that was impossible as he continued. "But ... I am sorry. I don't see myself turning around. And now I see that there is nothing that you can say to change my decision."
Hai felt her shoulder weakening with every word leaving Mac's mouth after his praises. She convinced herself that Mac was somehow running from something, being his obligation or his fate or something else she could not know. She could not understand what was going on in his head, and the lack of reasoning he gave only darkened her hopes. How could Hai help someone that doesn't want help?
"But ... is he really that unreachable?" She dared to hope silently. Hai's sturdiness reminded her of what Mac said to calm her people. "He wanted to hear what I had to say ... Perhaps, he wanted to be convinced?"
There was no way for her to be sure. She kept assuming she was just wishful thinking. The weight of her self-inflicted obligations made her anxious and scared of her possible decisions. But everything reached a breaking point when Hai thought she saw Mac moving, ready to leave.
Hai readily stepped hard on the sand. The sudden movement forced a raised eyebrow from Mac, who hadn't actually moved.
Under the crushing pressure, Hai reached a conclusion. And the conclusion was that she did not need a conclusion! Her only objective was to help Mac whether he wanted or by force. And just like that, in her almost crazy state, she discovered how to convince him.
"Mac Key Kast!" Hai pointed at him with her head slightly shaking in hasty. Even if she wasn't in the best state of mind, the words she had to say to move Mac were clear as day. "I challenge you to a duel!."
Silence followed and soon disappeared when the watching tribals left gasps of surprise. Meanwhile, on a similar note, Mac had a brief display of shock on his face that quickly morphed into excitement when a light brightened his eyes. "What? Are you serious?"
The commotion startled Hai into sanity again, and regret and fear filled her mind when the reality of what she said settled. In her whole life, she had never made such a reckless decision. The twist of her guts and cold sweat made her nauseous. "And I want to fight him? I will pass out right here and now." She felt like running away. "Is that how Mac feels when he does something stupid?!"
Considering how she acted under pressure, Hai suspected she may have spent too much time with Mac and his ideas. She feared his "genius" was contagious.
But Hai felt even more despair when she realized the eagerness in Mac's voice. Her crazy self was correct. Her experience with that boy paid off a little too well. It doesn't matter how clever or efficient Mac could be. The promise of battle was too alluring to him. But now begged the question: Since Mac had reacted to the bait, would she be daring enough to hook him?
"NONONONONONONONO..." Hai tried to shake the idea away violently with her head. She knew that Mac could not refuse a battle, but she also saw what he refused his enemies. Her imagination went wild with what happened to Luterio, and she almost felt pity for him.
When Hai barred Mac's way, she was secretly holding onto the hope that despite his sadistic tendencies towards his foes, Mac would be kind to his friends. What would happen to her if they battled?
"But..." Hai did not even realize that she was giving in to pressure. She looked at the keen but, at the same time, somehow patient Mac up and down. It was as she had said; He was seriously damaged, with a broken arm and a cracked skull with a small opening on his forehead. And considering all of his deeds of the night, he was bound to be tired too.
It shamed Hai greatly that she was only considering fighting someone because the other part was in a horrible condition. Meanwhile, she was in top condition. The power from the blue pills Mac had fed her faded after a while, but she still felt a vestige left to power her attacks. Hai also replenished her vigor after tentatively wetting her head on the Crimson Coast.
Hai closed her eyes while still profoundly in turmoil. She unconsciously remembered the first time Mac and she met and fought. She especially remembered how easily he kicked her butt with mastery and grace. The doubts and fears threatened to overcome her again, but Hai pushed through and opened her eyes to meet Mac's.
"Mac Key Kast!" She chanted again. She believed that not even Hidden Will could quiver her resolution. "You heard me! I am challenging you to a duel, and WHEN I win, you will do as I say!"
While the other tribals were left stunned, Mac laughed with taste. "Ok, Ok! I see what you are doing." He said. "But I guess we are both easy to read because you just found my soft spot. I gladly accept your challenge, and WHEN I win, YOU will have to do as I say!"
Hai felt as if something blocked her throat. "He really accepted." She dreaded. She blatantly ignored the thoughts about what Mac would have her do if she lost because she could not afford to perturb her fragile state of confidence.
With her morale lessening little by little, Hai immediately entered combat mode by spreading her legs and lowering her upper body. Since she did not want time to think, she acted instantly, without even acknowledging that she had the vantage of a surprise attack. She was about to shower Mac with balls of flame when someone jumped between the two.
It was Ms. Florinda, the old lady that first interacted with Mac and the one that told Hai to stop him. With her wavered body and poor landing, she crashed on the soft sand before Hai could react.
"What are you two doing?" She weakly said while slowly getting up. "Why are you prolonging violence when there is no need to fight?" Despite Florinda's words, she looked mainly at Hai. "Please, stop." She begged, with no authority in her voice.
"But I cannot ..." Hai wanted to justify herself, but the other tribals, motivated by their elder, quickly surrounded her.
"She is right, Hai."
"Don't fight anymore."
"Let him be."
"You will hurt yourself."
The honest kindness and concern in her friends' words made her sick, but not because she hated them. Their genuine worry took her dumb courage away, replacing it with the usual doubt and fear. "There was no way she could fight against Mac," the idea was sealed into her mind.
Her almost defeated eyes sailed around. Her gaze passed through Ms. Florinda, who had no space for rage in her face infested with worry. Mac finally entered her vision, slightly obstructed by the backs of other concerned tribals, respectfully talking to him. Hai saw how his expression of hunger for battle shifted changed to one of understanding. "He seems to have given up." She thought as the voices of nervousness from her people did not stop. "Good. I don't have the will to face him now anyway." But her stare lingered on Mac's eyes, and she saw what she judged as sadness and disappointment absent from his casual smile.
"Heh. Mac wanted a fight that much..." Hai focused on that idea, ignoring the possibilities of other motives, such as the ones she could help. She was ready to give up and maybe even forget Mac. Perhaps she did not need to force herself to help everybody she met.
But it seemed her destiny was another since one of the worried sentences from her people triggered her. "What would your father think?" Those words hit her differently.
Her eyes watered with the memory of her father as she felt overwhelmed. If he was here, would he have sided with her, or would he think she went too far? Perchance he could even find a better solution? "I don't know." She meekly said, gradually building more energy behind her voice. "There is no way for me to know, RIGHT?!"
The tribals around Hai stepped back as they noticed the furious and condensed flame around her fists. Ms. Florinda, on the other hand, dared to get closer. "What are you saying, dear?" She said, inching to touch Hai's shoulders.
"My father..." Her heavy words froze Ms. Florinda. "I don't know what he would do in my place!" A single tear traveled her redded cheeks. It was as if she was talking more to herself than anyone else. "Because I am the only one left of my blood." Hai almost broke down crying, but the love and happiness she had from the memories of her father overwhelmed the sadness and despair of his absence. Suddenly, her determination and confidence resurged with a much healthier fuel than the craziness from before. "That is why I shall continue his legacy, with faith in myself that will not let his memory and story die. And that is why..." Hai stepped past Ms. Florinda, who was left bewildered. "Mac Key Kast! Once again, I am offering my challenge for the last time. As your friend, I, Hai Dayhelm, promise that whatever problem desolate you, I WILL BEAT IT OUT OF YOU!!!"
Hai raised her flamed fist, thoughtfully ready for whatever was to be.