A huge beast burst into the glade, letting out a guttural howl when it sensed Avon. It's beady eyes flickered as it tracked every twitch of his muscles, exposing a set of sharp canines when he took a step back in fright.
Drool dribbled out of the corners of its mouth as it slunk towards Avon, the green scales that ran across its spine shifting and roiling with each step. Green fog swirled around its thin body, obscuring parts of its dotted fur. A noxious scent wafted from it and into Avon's nostrils as it neared, making his heart plummet.
Poison.
Avon let out a shuddering exhale as his eyelids screwed shut, not wanting to see the predatory gleam that shone in the beast's eyes.
'OK.' he thought wildly. 'Your fate is to become dinner for a rancid hyena. I'm sure that there aren't any worse ways to die.'
A wave of anger coursed through Avon at the thought of succumbing to the hideous mongrel, making him clench his fists in rage. He focused on the mana surrounding him, desperately trying to materialize a flame that isn't as small as a candlestick.
Fueled by his raging emotions, the mana churned and coalesced as the entirety of Avon's arms erupted with flames, shining resplendently against the night sky. His eyes blazed with determination as he faced the beast with the singular goal of setting it on fire.
Yes, he wasn't willing to do down without a figh-
"You fool!" a boy's voice hissed, interrupting his train of thought as he gripped Avon's elbow before dragging him away with a frightening speed.
The hyena howled as it gave chase to him and his mysterious helper, its hind limbs striking powerfully against the ground. Avon breathed out in loud, shaky gasps as he allowed himself to be manhandled by the stranger, too shocked to even react.
He twisted his body in the boy's grasp, stabilizing himself before trying to discern his identity, only to be met with a pair of glowing golden eyes.
"Reas?" Avon blinked owlishly.
"I thought you'd learn something by holing yourself up in the library, but clearly, I was wrong!"
"Huh?" Avon asked in righteous indignation as he looked over his shoulder, picking up speed when he saw that the predator was still giving chase.
"Poisonous gas, Avon." Reas said, voice sounding oddly strangled. "You set it on fire, and it goes boom! Is attracting the attention of one murderous beast not enough for you?"
"Oh." Avon replied dumbly, cheeks burning red in embarrassment. "What should we do now?" he asked, coughing into his fist as he tried to divert the topic.
"You wanted to try out your flames, right?" Reas sighed as he suddenly spun around, pulling out a wooden training sword from the depths of his billowing cloak before slashing at a nearby tree with practiced ease.
The tree split into two and crashed onto the ground, causing the startled beast to pause momentarily in panic.
"Set that on fire," he commanded. "Low-leveled beasts are instinctively scared of large fires." he said, answering Avon's question before he had a chance to even ask it.
Avon simply waved his hand, already used to creating fire, and a blooming orange submerged the entire body of the tree trunk, instantly covering it in flames. The hyena yipped in terror, all thoughts of hunting its prey flying out of its mind as it scrambled back into the dense foliage in fright, sharp claws leaving long scratches against the ground.
"Run, now!" Reas bellowed, sheathing his sword in one fluid motion before sprinting off into the night, beckoning Avon to follow him.
Avon let out a relieved laugh as he shook his head, quickly gathering his wits before following his roommate out of the dark forest.
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Reas and Avon stumbled into their room, pausing to discard their muddy boots before noiselessly climbing onto their soft beds. Having run desperately under the cover of the night, they simply lay still for a moment, chests heaving and panting due to exertion.
"So..." Avon mused once he recovered his bearings. "You followed me."
Reas simply arched a brow, studying Avon's features intently before breaking into a blooming smirk. "I did."
His tone sounded unrepentant and shameless to Avon, as though Reas thought that it was only natural that he stalk him in secret.
"Why?" he asked, scoffing.
"Is this the thanks I get for saving your life, Avon?" Reas exclaimed, laughing when he saw the expression on Avon's face that seemed to say 'What do you think?'.
"You're simply too interesting to ignore now." he explained, mirth dancing in his aureate eyes.
"How am I interesting?"
"Well, for one, you've mysteriously lost all of your memories without any external influence and turned into an entirely different person after, and to top it all off, you've frequently been disappearing to god knows where every afternoon. Of course you're interesting."
Avon let out a great suffering sigh, rolling his eyes at Reas' explanation before yanking his quilt to hide his entire body, wanting to get a good night's sleep.
"As repayment, whatever questions you have for me, ask me tomorrow." Avon whispered before turning away from the aureate annoyance by his side, knowing that the other definitely had an annoying, shit-eating grin on his face at the moment.
Ugh, how he wished he could punch his teeth in.
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"Do you think it's really true?"
A whisper breached the peaceful atmosphere of the room, rousing the attention of the child who was silently reading the book in his hold.
He was leaning against the windowsill, a leg braced against the wall for support as he lazily flicked through the tattered and browned pages. His white hair fluttered lightly in the cool spring breeze, hiding a pair of curious, blood-red eyes from view. His lips were permanently curled into a sly grin, as though whatever he perceived always amused him greatly.
The setting sun cast a warm halo against his slender figure, slightly blurring the edges of his frame. Although dressed in simple brown slacks and a white checkered shirt, he still bore the countenance of an entitled aristocrat, drawing all eyes towards him regardless of his attire.
"What is?" Another voice sounded through the dusty room.
"That after his sickness, Avon forgot all his memories?"
The low voices silently conversed, furtively glancing at the white-haired boy with inquisitive gazes, foolishly believing that their words couldn't reach his ears.
"I did." The child interrupted, cutting off the one about to answer.
The two kids seated at the table flushed at his response- clearly embarrassed- and flinched when Avon abandoned his reading in favour of walking towards the gossiping duo.
"Is there anything else you would like to know?" he asked, pulling out a creaking chair for himself before gracefully reclining against it.
He placed an elbow on the wooden table and leaned his head against his palm- his every action open and welcoming, were it not for his cold tone and blood chilling aura.
The duo scrambled out of their seats, darting out of the room before Avon could intimidate them further.
"You could try being nicer to them, you know." A voice laced with amusement addressed Avon. "After all, we're going to be living with them in the same room for a long, long time."
"And what would that achieve?" Avon asked, turning himself on the chair in order to face the last occupant of the room.
Golden irises filled with humour met his gaze, eyes curving into crescents upon hearing his answer. The teenager laughed, running a hand through his glittering blonde hair as he rose from the bed he was resting upon, choosing to lean against its headboard instead.
"It would help you boost your non-existent social life; that's what it would achieve." he said, rolling his eyes.
"According to you, my social life was just as non-existent before as it is now, so why would I feel the need to change it? Perhaps it is something deeply ingrained in my character." Avon countered, an eyebrow raised.
"Your personality has already changed so much since you forgot everything- you're no longer that sniveling, scared brat that you used to be- so why not change this as well?"
"Why would I bother doing something so troublesome? If they wish to be closer to me, they're the ones that should be making an effort- just like you are, Reaval." Avon taunted, lips stretching into a smirk.
"This lowly one is truly honoured that you've noticed his efforts, young master." Reas said exaggeratedly, bowing his head in mock respect.
"Har har." Avon laughed dryly. "You've been sticking to my side like a leech ever since I woke up last week- I'd either have to be blind or someone truly daft to not notice it."
"And even then, you are yet to treat me as a friend." he complained, clutching his chest as though in pain, a bullied expression appearing on his handsome face. "Isn't it high time you showed me some sincerity?"
"I told you that I awakened my mana, didn't I? You're the only one who knows."
"That was payment," Reas stuck his tongue out. "For saving your life. Aren't you the one that promised to answer all my questions? Or was that a lie?"
"Why put so much effort into befriending me when I always act so antagonistic towards you?" Avon asked, choosing to ignore Reas' question in favour of his own inquiry, a flash of curiosity and caution visible in his ruby eyes.
"You've just gotten so much more fun after your run-in with amnesia." he grinned. "And one of the many problems this orphanage faces is a lack of things to keep me entertained."
"I aim to amuse." he said, scoffing, making Reas grin in delight.
Avon rolled his eyes at Reas' antics before returning to the book in his hands- a clear sign that their conversation was over.
"What are you reading?" Reas asked, ignoring Avon's intentions to avoid him. "You never liked reading before, but now I often see you strutting around with a book in hand. Surely you haven't somehow invoked your inner desire to become a shut-in scholar, have you?"
Avon's brows twitched in irritation as he once again turned his attention to his annoying roommate.
"Firstly, Reas, I do not strut." he emphasised, throwing a smouldering glare at him and gritting his teeth in consternation when he realised that it only served to further entertain Reas. "And secondly, it's a book about mana utilisation."
"Mana utilisation? But how would you even find a book about mana utilisation in here-" Reas stopped, eyes widening in realisation.
"No way." he gasped, jaw dropping in shock when he found the confirmation he was searching for in Avon's expression. "You've found yourself a secret hoard. That's how you knew how to cast fire magic by yourself."
"Is this little tidbit enough to show you my sincerity, Reas?" Avon inquired, chuckling.
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