*Tsuki Shizukana*
While I prepared the last things before taking off for my journey with Niam, a knock on the office door interrupted me.
"Come in!"
The door opened slowly and revealed the blonde-haired Liz.
"You're going to leave?" She asked.
"Yes, I was just leaving."
It was weird seeing her ask something like that. We had never conversed after she treated Niam, so why would she talk to me?
"Are you well?" She asked again.
My fear slowly ate up my mind, but besides that, I was physically fine.
"I'm good?"
"I see."
She tried making small-stalk first to break the ice.
'Is she embarrassed?'
"If you have something to say, say it." I said.
She fidgeted with her fingers and looked at the floor.
"A Healing-Bearer not only speeds up the body's regeneration."
I raised a brow, confused as to why she told me that.
"In order to get the body to increase its regeneration speed, I need to send signals to the brain via the nerves, and when I do that, I can feel what the person feels. The pain, the worry, the sadness and so on.
"What did you feel when healing Niam?" I asked.
"I felt really..."
Liz, was interrupted by the office door swinging open.
"Come on, Tsuki. It's better if we leave as soon as possible." Niam interrupted.
He saw me and Liz conversing and probably realized that she was holding me back from leaving.
"Who is she?" He asked.
Before I could respond, Liz walked towards Niam and stopped a hand's length away from him.
She took his right arm and rolled up his sleeve.
"Still red, but it should be totally healed tomorrow." Liz said.
Niam looked a bit surprised, but his facial expression returned to being cold immediately after that.
"Should I thank you?" He asked.
"No, you've done Piranha School a favor, I just paid back what I personally owed you."
Niam smirked a little after hearing Liz's words. 'Was he amused by her attitude?' I wondered.
"And why the hell is your body temperature so low? Wear a jacket or something." Liz scolded. I smiled a bit after seeing the almost 40 year old woman scold the "kid" that killed people only a few days ago.
Niam turned his attention to me, and seeing how I was ready to set out, he stretched out his right arm and opened his hand signaling me to grab it.
"Let's go, Tsuki."
***
"Your water, your provisions and as a bonus, these gems." Mul-Soo presented us with our spoils of war.
2 heavy looking bags filled with water and provisions, and 2 fist-sized sacks.
"One bag is filled with canned food and smoked fish while the other is filled with water bottles. And as I said before, the smoked fish will last a week and the canned food for at least 3 weeks. Water will last 2 weeks, but you can use the water filter that we found in this shelter." Mul-Soo explained.
Niam grabbed the sacks with the gems first and opened them. Him showing signs of distrust seemed to anger a few of them.
"You're still not trusting us?" Liz asked.
"Trust is such a strong word. From the beginning until now, it had always been about making business, a simple transaction that was meant to benefit me and mostly Piranha School." Niam answered with a cold look.
"I guarantee that all these gems are authentic and work as they're intended. Diamonds for awakening, sapphires for Mana regeneration, emeralds for Mana suppression and the rest of the gems is used for transactions." Maria explained.
I hadn't told Niam about the gems' uses before, so he heard it for the first time.
Niam used his Salan ability to make the bags "lighter" and handed the one with the water to me. It "weighed" only a fraction of what it did before.
"Here take this too." Niam handed me one of the small sacks. "In case we are separated."
We put on the bags and looked at the people from Piranha School for the last time. Suddenly Mul-Soo stepped forward and stretched out his hand for Niam to shake.
Niam looked into Mul-Soo's eyes, then at his hand. He stretched out his hand and firmly shook Mul-Soo's hand.
A slight smile and the feeling of trust appeared on Mul-Soo.
"Let's go." With Niam's words, we left Piranha School after a 3 days stay.
***
*Niam Henka*
"The bridge to the Arabic Empire is 10 kilometers to the east. It's most likely guarded, and the guards are more likely to be suspicious of everything we say and do. I don't even know if my Arabic citizenship will help us at all."
"Should I..." Tsuki spoke but I interrupted her when I realized she wanted to use her Salan ability.
"No! You'll only use it when you feel better."
She'd been using her Salan ability daily, but now that she wouldn't use it anymore, she looked worried and scared. Scared of the unknown.
***
We walked over the highway. It was filled with broken cars and cracks were visible all over it. On both sides of the highway, trees separated us from the city's slums.
We were being watched as we closed in on the Border Control Station.
The Border Control Station's door opened and out came a woman. As she came closer, I started to make out her features. She was 175 centimeters tall with long black hair. She had yellow eyes and a scar on her right cheek. She wore a black leather jacket with black pants and boots. She looked vicious, almost bloodthirsty. I was sure she was a Bearer.
The woman looked menacing and confident.
"Identify yourselves." She yelled.
"My name is Niam Henka and I'm citizen of this Land." I answered.
My answered appeared to have caused a negative reaction. The woman looked angrier and more aggressive than before.
I could see long and sharp canine teeth in her mouth after she gritted them. I hoped she wouldn't attack, but I was wrong.
"Cower!" She yelled, and a wave of Mana enveloped me and Tsuki.
It was a strong pressure that didn't seem to affect me that much, but it was different for Tsuki. She fell down, crying, shaking and panicking.
The people that were watching us before, slowly started to come out from behind the trees. They were all dressed in black, military-grade gear and wielded guns and swords.
I set my eyes on the woman in front of me. Her nails and teeth grew and saliva started to come out of her mouth. She looked like a werewolf.
I tried to speak to her, but she made a move first. She swung her claws, I dodged but I was till cut.
'A beast-like Bearer.' I realized. 'I need to fight back or else she might hurt me too much.
I drew my Shotos and started to exchange blows and cuts. Her comrades watched from afar and confident she would win. Only a leader would have this level of trust by her comrades.
"I can show you my papers!" I yelled.
"They always say that." She replied.
After a few minutes of exchanges, I came up with a plan.
'Take her hostage and proceed with the journey.'
I waited for an opening in her guard, and when I found it, I grabbed her arm and held the cold blade against her neck.
She tried to free herself, but I'd already used Supreme-Control on her. Her arms and legs were too "heavy" and she couldn't move.
"Kill him!" She ordered her men.
But before the others could slash and shoot me and her down, a familiar voice stopped all of them in their tracks.
"[Sister, I know him. He's my friend.]" The familiar voice said.
I turned, only to see my old friend, Omar.
He was 185 centimeters tall. He had short brown hair and a goatee. His nose was big and his eyelashes were complimenting his brown eyes very well.
"Glad you're alive, Omar." I said.
"I can say the same thing, Niam."