Wald did as he was told, and the Kitsune bolted out of the area and into the woods. The two males landed when they saw a cave entrance.
As the poor Pyromancer walked into the cave, Tomoe instantly lit up with his blue flames, revealing a small, cozy hideout. It had a bed, fireplace, a table and some chairs.
"I know it isn't a good place to live in, but I still make do. I'm on many hit lists, so I minimize my living conditions. And no, I won't tell you why I am on so many people's chopping blocks."
"But you can do whatever you want; take a seat there if you'd like 'cause I'm going to make dinner with that stale bread and fish that I stole from the butcher," explained Tomoe as he pulled out a giant seabass from his kimono.
Wald was impressed at how easily Tomoe could take the butcher's most enormous meat on display without anyone knowing and that he had found a perfect hiding place for that fish.
"This is what you called 'stealing.' And why you should never do it because you look like an honest kid who should be doing proper jobs. Try cooking or waiting on tables. I can show you the ropes and place you in a small village."
"Away from the Mage that is hunting you down," offered Tomoe as he slowly started deboning the seabass.
"Why is that Mage after me?" asked Wald as he plopped beside Tomoe.
The Kitsune sighed as he glanced at Wald's confused look.
"You really are a sheltered kid… You see, there's a Mage named Poisoned Pond, and he is on a journey to kill all Pyromancers on Earth. I still haven't the faintest idea why, so don't ask me."
"All I know is that he had already decimated Camp Dragonhead, the group a few streets away we were from," explained Tomoe, making seabass soup with stale bread.
"The family that kicked me out was there… They deserved it," mumbled Wald as he helped to break the bread into smaller pieces and placed them into the boiling soup.
The two didn't speak a word for a solid Chime before Tomoe offered the kid to stay with him until he was old enough to get a place.
"Remember, I'm not someone you can stick with to the end of your days. First, I'm nearly 700 years old and would outlive you. Second, I've always been a solo person and never liked depending on others. Be it for companionship or battles."
"I work alone, but it doesn't mean I won't help from time to time," was the explanation that Tomoe gave to Wald.
The ex-Pyromancer knew that but didn't realize how true it would be when that fateful day came. And he allowed himself to develop strong feelings towards Tomoe, which he knew the fox wouldn't return.
The duo had been living together for at least a year by then, and the day started like any other, with Wald heading down to the local cafe to do his job and Tomoe supposedly doing whatever he needed.
But Tomoe didn't return home after a few days, and Wald started worrying. Things started to hit the fan when angry people began showing up at Wald's workplace, demanding to know where that white demon fox was.
At first, it was a minor annoyance, but when an angry mob finally showed up with pitchforks and torches, the cafe's owner finally had enough and asked Wald to leave.
With the stress of things all falling onto his lap, Wald lost control and released his Void Element for the first time. The Spell known as Chasm Bowl had sent the entire stretch of shops and the angry mob into the Void.
When he came to and realized what he had done, Wald bolted out of the Domain as quickly as he could. A thief was fine… But now he was a murderer?!
Wald couldn't handle that fact and continued to run… That was until he bumped into a young human with fine light brown hair and striking blue eyes.
"Might wanna watch where you are going... Are you okay?" asked the human as he slowly put his daggers away.
Wald nodded but was too tired to walk away from the human, so he collapsed. The poor Pyromancer was so confused, tired, and upset. Everything had been great, so why did Tomoe have to ditch him suddenly and without warning?!
Wald's heart started to be consumed with anger... But he then stopped to calm himself. If he was going to learn about this new Element he had, then Wald needed to learn how to control his emotions. But how could he do so without anyone's help?
No family... No friends...
"Oi, you flame head!"