"Stop hugging me."
"Ouch, my bones! It still hurts!" I shouted at my friends who were uncontrolled to approach me despite my visible pain.
"Now, now. Let Exi rest. He just woke up." The teacher said while sweating.
It seemed like he cannot control them so I just laughed it off.
"Anyways, if it is fine…"
"What?" Everyone looked at me with questioning faces, wanting me to continue what I was about to say.
"Ah." I shrugged my head, sweeping my sweat. "If it's fine to ask." I looked down sadly trying to avoid their gazes for the second time.
"What happened to the village?"
The room went silent and once again, I thought that they won't let me know of the situation.
"It's fine if you won't tell-"
"If you're really curious, then I should probably tell the story myself." The teacher said seriously. From his expression, I can tell that it was really bloody and something a child like me shouldn't hear. But as the eldest brother of the village's future, I should at least know.
"You're well aware of the suspects' identity right?"
"What do you mean?" I asked him.
"The Royal Empire."
"The Royal Empire…" I can't remember. I slammed my hand on my head and suddenly, the memories I had before collapsing relapsed.
"The Royal Empire! I-I saw two men with a crest of the Royal Empire!" I shouted with my eyes wide open. "But why?" I asked.
"Why did they try to massacre us when we are so far away from them? We're not even a threat to the political disputes of the empires…" I despondently pondered. I looked at the teacher and he looked at me pitiably.
"I think we should stop talking about that matter, I'll tell you everything when you're all okay." He said. "Okay." I replied.
"What do you think should we do now, Teacher?"
"What do you want to do, Exi?"
"I want to ask everyone about that."
"Should you decide, exempt peace, because, in this world, there's no such thing. This world is all about living or dying." He remarked before he stepped outside the door.
I dug deeper into my mind, asking if everything will be okay.
'Would justice suffice if we're to live silently or would justice suffice if death is brought to those who did it?' I do not know, the only thing that was on my mind is how this world is horrific.
'If this world is within the principle between life and death, pursuing to survive is just a momentary extension of suffering while death is the end of it.' I thought. 'But how about those who yearn to live, those people behind me that I wanted to shield'
At that moment, I realized what I was after.
Revenge.
Moments after the teacher left, he came back again, shutting the door.
"Ah, right. Exi. You know aether right?"
"I do, teacher," I said while looking at him curiously. "Why ask?'
"Nothing. It's just because, you seem to have developed an aether yourself a few days ago."
I looked at him suspiciously, doubting what he said. I must have misheard, right? I don't even train that much to develop aether. "When?"
"Two days ago, when we were in the cabin. I tried to stop you right?"
"I can't remember."
He looked at me dumbfounded.
"Okay." He continued while letting out a sigh. "When I tried to stop you, your eyes glowed darkly."
"What does that mean?"
"You manifested an aether. A black one. But I do not know what that signifies nor mean."
"Do you think it's dangerous?" I asked.
"It's worth knowing." He replied.
I smiled at him, knowing that I could always depend on the teacher at the toughest times. Despite him wearing his usual gleeful mask, I am sure that that façade won't work at the toughest time too. I have seen him take it off, from the moment the village was burned to ashes.
The teacher was about to leave when I called his name. For a moment, I wanted to thank him. But I think I should save this up.
"What is it?"
"Nothing, just tell others that I am breathing well."
"Sure." He said with a calm laugh.
'Ah, my bones. It's all tense, It feels like I was ganged up by a lot of magus.'
A few days passed and I recovered my worn-out body.
"Ahh! It's so refreshing. The freezing breeze is piercing my skin."
Pew! A rock had met its destination. "Argh! Ouch, ouch"
"Exi! Are you okay?" The kids said while looking at me. I looked at them back with a furious gaze as a joke, like I was peeking at their soul. Right as I was about to stop, the kids suddenly buried the ground in their knees.
"What happened?!" The teacher arrived at the scene shocked about the scene unfolded right in his eye. "Teacher, I just looked at them, and then suddenly…" I excused.
The teacher grabbed the kids back to a cabin and I followed him worriedly. He laid them down on the bed. They looked nothing like someone sick but grazes of scratch is visibly seen on their knees and hands.
"Exi… I mentioned that you have developed your aether right? And at your eyes at that."
"Yes, teacher. But why are you bringing it up?"
"It seems like it's your aether's ability had developed. Maybe it did this to them."
"A-are you sure?"
"Yes. Go outside first, I'll treat their scratches." He replied while signing me to go outside first. "I will then!" I proceeded outside.
"Ah right! I want to say sorry to them for doing it. Please tell them that I am sorry for it. Right then, bye!"
"Really, a pain in the head."
"But it's good to see one of them developing an aether. I won't really feel obliged to protect the clan at this point."
-
"Ei!" I said while struggling to push the bushes in my way. Ei and the others seem to be chasing each other in the plain grassy field near the wooden cabin.
I stopped while still looking at them, contemplating how peaceful life would be if it was just this --- without prestige, power, and war. Yet again, the sorrow of yesterday does not let me sit still and rest.
'I'm sure it is the same for the teacher'
I honestly do not know if everyone can fight for their lives, if Darwin signified life as the survival of the fittest, would children be not an exception?
I brushed off my thoughts once again and smiled at Ei and the other children. I turned my back on them and walked back to the cabin where I just left off. It is really a sunny day and the winds are really breezy for this topic to pop up but… for the sake of the smiles that resemble the rays of sunshine, power is necessary.
I opened the door unhesitatingly and looked at the bed made of cotton, the teacher was standing next to it, looking after the children. "Teacher." I delicately said. He looked at me with his eyebrow raised, posing a questioning face.
"I'll ask you a favor."
He nodded a bit and fixed the children's blanket, making sure they were comfortably sleeping and proceeded to go to me.
"What is it?" He asked curiously.
"Ah. Teacher, you used to teach us aether right?"
"Uh. Yes, why are you asking this?"
I paused for a bit, hesitating to ask him this favor --- since we have not taken his class seriously previously.
"C-can you teach us once again?" I quickly looked sideward after asking with my cheeks blushed in shyness.
For seconds, the teacher did not let a word out of his mouth. It was as if he was looking at me the whole time. The back of my neck then shivered thinking about what he was thinking.
'Ahh, I think I should go back." I looked back at him a bit and his face was so close next to mine. The teacher was grinning and his eyes were wide like he did not have eyelids. I quickly backed off in shock. He looked at me and laughed like there was no tomorrow.
"Your face. Pft. It's hilarious." He jested.
"Teacher! Why did you even do that?! You had my soul seeking its spot in heaven." I said while my hands were placed on my chest, checking the pace of my heartbeat.
"Easy, easy, it's just a joke."
He looked at me again, waiting for me to calm down.
"Okay," He then proceeds.
"What you have said was a total shocker. Considering what you guys were doing in the past." Annoyance was quickly drawn in his face while muttering these words. "Yes, haha." I laughed it off while looking away with a guilty expression.
"Do you really want to do it?" He then uttered seriously.
"Yes." I looked back at him with a poker face.
"You know I am not all that knowledgeable with aether right? I only know a bit. You will need to discover yourself by yourself in the long run. Would that be fine?"
"Anything will do. As long we develop the basics, we're thankful, teacher." I gratefully said while looking at him.
"Then, fine." A little smile unfolded in his mouth.
"Thank you, teacher!" I shouted. "Shh!" He punched my head, telling me to shut up because the children were sleeping. He then pushed me outside the door and locked the cabin door.
'He's really a pain in the head.' The teacher said while scratching his again.