„Tsuki, wake up." I said in a loud voice.
Tsuki flinched but when she didn't see me in front of her, she turned around.
Her eyes were red and teary. The stress and pressure of her ability had drained her mental strength.
„You don't have to use your ability for now." I said while my hand was still on her head.
She nodded shyly and tears started to flow out of her eyes. I patted her head and she buried her head into the pillow. Her sobs were muffled by it and she was too embarrassed to look at me.
But after she calmed down, she lifted her face up and spoke to me without looking me into the eyes.
„Are you feeling better?" She asked.
Before I responded, I turned her head to me so our eyes would meet. „Look me into the eyes while we talk. I don't care if you cry, just be yourself around me."
She nodded and sat up. I took my hand back and gave her an answer. „My body feels sore and cold, I also have a headache but I'm fine."
She smiled and held her hand into the air, signaling that I should help her up. I pulled her up and she immediately jumped into my arms. Her embrace was followed with sobs and her saying something to me. „I..I was w-worried. When the rain stopped, I couldn't get myself to activate my Salan ability again."
„You did well. Even if you weren't there to tell me, I wouldn't be the one to die, I would've still done the same things I did."
„Mhm"
„And thank you for taking care of me. I felt your Mana near me the whole time."
She was still hugging me. First she hugged me because she was happy that I was okay, then she held onto me because her face turned tomato-red.
„The room next door has a bath. Clean yourself up and meet me at the entrance of the shelter."
„Okay." Tsuki answered.
I broke out of her hug and went outside to see Mete again.
„How are Lorenzo and the others?" I asked Mete.
„Lorenzo is not good, but the rest is doing better. We buried Luca next to the others."
„You don't need to guard the door anymore. Just bring some food here and go on with your duties."
„Understood."
I walked to the entrance after speaking with Mete. When Mul-Soo said that the Fire-Bearers were similar, I didn't know what he was talking about, but know I saw it clearly. Their personality traits were almost identical. All hot headed and kinda stupid, but they all valued their comrades. ‚Is personality a factor on getting a Salan ability? If I include what Tsuki told me when I was in the hospital's torture chamber, I can see similarities. Individuality and personality, a person's identity.' I tried thinking what my personality was like to have a deeper insight on my abilities, but Mul-Soo appeared with Alejandro's red-haired wife who tried to attack me the previous day.
„Thank you, Niam. Without you, I'm sure the Piranha School would've been wiped out." Mul-Soo said and bowed slightly.
„I'm hungry." I responded „Hungry for the next 3 weeks if you remember."
„Yes, yes. We'll give you canned food that'll last 2 weeks and water that'll also last 2 weeks. It might be difficult for anyone to carry around all of that water, but you, my friend, can use your Salan ability, am I right?"
„Just so you know, you owe me more than we agreed on, Mul-Soo. I literally saved all of Piranha School instead of protecting the gems. Oh, and also speaking of gems. I want a handful of gems. Is that clear." I said to Mul-Soo. His pale baby-face paled even more as I released my Mana imbued coldness.
„Of course." He said and turned to look at the woman.
„Prepare our guests of honor some fish, Marie."
When Marie didn't budge, Mul-Soo looked confused as to why Marie didn't listen to him.
„I told her that I killed her husband." I explained.
„Who was your husband?" Mul-Soo asked, raising an eyebrow.
„Alejandro." Marie replied.
Then it clicked. Mul-Soo looked uncomfortable and confused. Confused as to why I told her that I killed Alejandro and uncomfortable for asking her to serve me food not once, but twice.
„You should've seen her pounce at me." I said and laughed.
Mul-Soo wanted to scold Marie but I signaled him to let it be.
„Mul-Soo ,replace Alejandro with her. She'll be of great help if she starts to train. Maybe she'll become a Bearer too. Who knows?"
***
I ate my meal and decided to go and look for Lorenzo. My idea was to tell Lorenzo that I knew it was going to rain and I purposefully used him and the others as potential shields. I wanted to tell him all of that for no reason, maybe to probe him for any reaction that gave me a clearer sight into his personality.
I found him outside of the shelter, in a park. The park's name was the Park of the living. It was ironic how the Piranha School buried their men there.
At a freshly dug grave, Lorenzo sat with his back to his brother's tombstone. Mana leaked from his body, raising the temperature in the park by a few degrees.
„I said leave me alone!" Lorenzo lashed out when he heard me approaching him.
Obviously he didn't know it was me or else he wouldn't react like that.
„Shut your mouth, you weak piece of shit!" I responded.
Lorenzo immediately looked back, his facial expression not even changing after seeing me. ‚A personality like fire, huh?'
„Because you were weak, your brother died. If you had been able to at least land a few punches or wound the spearman, he might've survived. But he didn't. A spear was rammed right through his chest and heart while you were panting in exhaustion." I paused and continued. „Forget what I just said. Even if I told you it was going to rain, he would've still died like the weakling he was."
My words were like acid, burning through his consciousness. The insults and accusations paired with me knowing it was going to rain, flipped a switch in his brain. His eyes turned fiery-red and his body erupted into flames. He stood up to attack, but I was faster and stronger than him when I used Supreme-Control.
A punch to his abdomen knocked him out cold. He started to have trouble breathing and panicked a bit, but he calmed down and stood up again.
„I was going to say, it was fate that decided Luca's end had come. If you want to blame someone, blame fate. Easy as that. And also, you owe me for saving your life, so be prepared to pay me back in the future."
Lorenzo tried opening his mouth but he held it shut. He got my message. The message he received told him that he was weak, undisciplined and lazy. And that monsters like Geir were bound to appear more often. He had to become stronger to face them, beat them and not let fate screw him over.
I walked back to the camp. The thoughts of wanting to leave this place as soon as possible came to mind, but me and Tsuki were still exhausted. ‚Tomorrow we'll go on our way.'
I arrived at the office. Tsuki and Marie were there, talking.
„I'm teaching Marie what I learned at the hospital." Tsuki explained.
„Good." I responded.
I sat on the chair and mediated until it was time to sleep.
***
The next morning, I got up early and woke up Tsuki too.
„We'll be leaving today." I explained.
She turned for a bit. She was still half asleep but with one eye fully open and her grey hair on her face, she focused on me.
I knew a way to wake her up for good, so I got closer to her, slowly.
„What?!" She yelled out, dumbfounded by my approach to her face. She jumped back, blushing and widening her eyes.
„Prepare, we'll start our journey to old Lebanon in 30 minutes."