When we finally got to the market, it looked like a flea market*, as colorful stalls were put up at the sides of the crowded roads. Except, unlike a flea market, the people here were calling out to people walking in the streets. Their calls were loud and full of flattery as they tried to convince people to go to their stall.
Chen Liang held me in her arms as we looked at the crowded space. A scowl was back on her face as Zhou Li was communicating with the four women about the children. A couple times, a brave child would come to chat with me, and all times they were met with silence. Zhou Mei, in particular, has been glancing at me quite often, making me use Chen Liang as a barrier.
I believe she knew what I felt towards the children, as when Zhou Mei finally had the determination to come to me, Chen Liang started walking into the crowded area quickly, leaving behind a pouting 6-year-old.
I placed my head against her shoulder as we walked; my enthusiasm for the market had already dwindled to tiredness from the loud crowd. I looked over aimlessly before settling on watching Po follow us behind us with a prep in his steps.
The Chow Chow looked at everything with raised ears and a wagging tail; even when distracted, he never left anywhere beyond 2 feet away. A little enthusiasm came back from watching the happy dog, causing me to return to looking at everything.
Around us, people were floating from stall to stall. Their outfits blurred together like a mirage as they moved from one destination to another. Throughout the bustle, I saw quite a few people stop to look at us. Specifically, me.
They would look at me before whispering to those around them; however, their eyes held no malice, just curiosity. Sometimes they would wave at me and laugh when I waved back. The sound of people's laughter caught Chen Liang's attention as she turned to look at them.
The people smiled at her before they walked up and started chatting with Chen Liang. Their eyes glanced at me with sadness as they were probably told of my fake illness before bidding Chen Liang and me goodbye, not after they handed me candy that I gave to Chen Liang after they were out of sight.
The older woman laughed before placing the candy in her bag and continuing our shopping. A couple times, Chen Liang will stop by a stall, picking up things while chatting with the merchant. Most of the stalls she stopped by were clearly set up to appeal to medical people, as herbs, pills, cauldrons*, and jugs were set out. Often than not, Chen Liang would leave with disappointment on her face but when she did leave with something, her facial expression was blank, but her jittery walking betrayed her.
During her shopping, I would play with Po or listen to the chatter around me. The people talked about pretty mundane stuff, like recipes, cheating spouses, or whose child is doing better at what. The only thing that sounded interesting was gossip between a group of aunts who gossiped about children running away from homes and such. The way they talked about it reminded me of reality shows that my mom likes to watch.
"Anything you like, Ignis?" Chen Liang asked me for the sixth time, bringing me out of listening to people complain about boring news on the city's newsstand. I was going to shake my head until I saw her.
Her white eyes pierced me through the throng of people before disappearing as a person walked by in front of her. I looked around hurriedly but didn't see any sight of the indigenous woman. When Cheng Liang asked me what's wrong, I shook my head before pointing my finger in the direction, causing Chen Liang to give me a confused look but nevertheless walk over.
When we got to the spot, I looked around again and once more saw the white eyes looking at me. We did this a couple times before we finally stopped in front of a stall with an older woman. The stall was in the back of the market, tucked away in a corner that would make a person overlook it. The loud sounds sounded dull, and I subconsciously relaxed, making me realize my body had been tense during the whole shopping experience.
The older woman looked up at us with surprise evident on her face before she quickly fixed it into a polite smile. Her eyes looked over me with curiosity but nevertheless, she faced Cheng Liang before she spoke.
"Hello, how are you doing today?" She asked with a gummy smile. Chen Liang finally smiled for once as she said something back to the woman while I trailed my eyes through the things the woman had on her blanket. All the items looked to be for a child, such as fake wooden swords, dolls, puzzles, etc. I looked around but, confusingly, I couldn't find anything of particular value.
The Inuit woman wouldn't have sent me here for no reason, so I tried harder to look before finally my eyes looked at the title of one of many stacked books that had the word Sun on it in small font. I patted Chen Liang's shoulder, bringing her away from her conversation with the older woman as I pointed at the book.
Chen Liang spoke to the woman who grabbed the book I wanted before giving it to me specifically. She smiled as she spoke rapidly, leaving me to only stare at her in confusion. Cheng Liang laughed before saying something along the lines of "He can't understand big words." Making the older lady make an "oh" sound before saying something much more comprehendible.
"You're the first person who is interested in this book. This book is very popular in my little village. It is said to be the martial arts of the sun." She pointed at the sky where the sun was, causing Chen Liang and me to unconsciously follow her finger to look up. When we looked back at the smiling older woman, I took in mind what she just said, while Chen Liang looked at the older woman like she had lost her mind, though she was trying to be polite so her expression ended up looking twisted instead.
The older woman laughed as she heartily said, "See, whenever I try showing someone the book, they look at me just like that. Though it is just a story that's well liked by the children for its cool poses, none of the adults really take it as face value." She smiled fondly as she probably thought about the children.
I looked down at the book, which has a red cover like cranberries with a bright yellow sun drawn on it. I traced over the edges and flipped through the pages of aged paper before deeming this was probably what I was looking for. I held onto the book as I patted an embarrassed Chen Liang.
"You want it?" She asked me softly. Seeing me nod, she maneuvered me so I was mostly on one arm as she skillfully took out her coin bag from within her robes, giving the older woman the given amount she told her.
The older woman smiled wildly. Thanking Chen Liang for her purchase and patting the side of my face. I looked at her hand that twitch from not being able to pinch my cheeks and liked the mask even more.
Bidding the older woman goodbye, who waved at us from her spot, we continued walking around. Chen Liang stopped at a couple more herb stalls, ending up getting more herbs, which made her actually grin like the people I see on those coupon shows my sisters liked to watch. She even stopped by a popular stall that was selling children's weapons, where she got me the most expensive toy that looked like a big, oversized sledgehammer that was the same size as me.
Which I believe was the reason why she bought it, as she cracked up a storm as I held it. Lucky for me, it wasn't very heavy, so I was able to hold it up easily with a little strain and swing it around gently under the jealous eyes of the little kids around the stall. We then walked a bit and the crowd started thinning while the smell of food started growing.
It was like entering a food court, as instead of stalls, now there were little open-air restaurants where each place had about 10 tables under their canopies*. If there was no room under the canopies, the area had several long tables in the common area, able to comfortably seat up to 30 people. Zhou Li was easy to spot with his light blue robe, which complemented his wife's dark blue.
Spotting us, he stood up in his seat as we walked up to him. He spoke slowly to his wife and seeing that she replied in a relaxed tone, he spoke to her more comfortably and gently, kissing her cheek. We all sat down and there was already food there that Zhou Li had ordered in advance. I didn't see the four women or the children but I didn't care much as I tried to figure out a way to eat these roast pork noodles and steamed mini buns in front of me.
I touched my mask and thought about lifting it but then it would show my lower face. I looked at my sleeve, trying to see if it was big enough to hide me, before I heard laughter from the side. Looking up, Chen Liang held up a loose black half-mask, smiling as she told me to turn around.
Complying, she tied the mask on me and it was long and wide enough to lift my mask without any of my skin showing. The only thing wrong with it is that it was in my way but knowing the risks, I put up with it.
When I finished, I took sips of the tea that wasn't overly sweet as I looked around. I watched as people laughed with their families. Talking while they ate and sometimes horsed around. The sight made my stomach drop and the feeling of loneliness rose in me but was interrupted as a wet snout touched my hand.
Looking down, the Chow Chow looked up at me with big eyes as he glanced between me and the basket with steamed buns. Looking at him, I looked at the two talking adults before sneakily grabbing a bun and stuffing it in the awaiting dog's mouth.
He cooed at me as his fluffy tail swooshed side to side, and his head rubbed against my waist, making me laugh as I petted him. I was going to play with him but from the corner of my eye, I saw a glimpse of the 12 children.
Turning my face in their direction, the children looked to be herded by 5 young teen boys who all had a sly smile on their faces. They walked away in the direction of the market field, where parents let their children play under the protection of the city guards while they went to shop freely.
I really wanted to pretend I didn't see what happened, but my morals overcame my weariness as I sighed before patting Chen Liang's arms and signing that I wanted to play while gesturing in the direction of the open area. Chen Liang instantly accepted my request, as I didn't really like playing and this was my first time initiating to do so myself.
The open area was as big as a football field, as children of all ages and a few adults roamed around. There were 25 guards in total that I could see surrounding the area. Their faces were stoic as they walked around with their guard clothing in black and red.
I looked around the area using Chen Liang's height advantage before finally locking in to a group of 12 children and 5 teens who seemed to be talking excitedly to each other. Patting Chen Liang's arm to put me down, I walked over with a bouncy Po while Chen Liang stayed behind, seeing where I was heading.
When I walked closer, I listened, as the two groups' tones didn't match what I initially saw, as there was distaste in their voices.
"We just want some money. You can definitely spare some." One of the older boys said mockingly, looking up and down at the children's clothes. The other teen boys all made voices of agreement as Zhou Mei huffed while rolling her eyes.
"And I told you that I'm not giving you any. Maybe instead of money, you should go to the doctor to check out your ears." She sassed, causing the teen boy to blush in anger as he walked up towards her menacingly, but Zhou Mei didn't flinch and even looked ready to fight. The boy in purple robes, however, walked out in front of her, blocking the teen's path.
"She didn't really mean what she just said; she's still upset after losing a game earlier. We would like to give you money but we currently have none." He tried to meditate the confrontation.
The teen boy looked at the younger boy in front of him with a frown on his face before another teen in a tan Hanfu, who wore a bun on his head, came up behind him and said something in his ear, making the teen's frown turn into a smile.
"Okay, then since you guys don't have money, then give me what's inside that bag. I can sell it and get some money." The teen said this while pointing at the few bags that a couple of kids held. The kids in question looked ready to cry, while Zhou Mei looked angry and the purple-robed kid looked unhappy as well. I watched all this on the sidelines in bemusement.
"What kind of bully sh*t is this? I knew I should've minded my business. " I thought yet I found myself walking behind the "leader" of the group of teens and patting his lower back when he was getting too vocal to my liking towards a group of elementary-age kids.
When he turned around, he didn't see me at first before one of his friends nodded towards me, causing him to look down at me. My eye twitched while my small height was suddenly but surely becoming the vain of my existence. Give me back my beautiful, tall body, please!
"What the heck is this? What do you want, kid? Don't you see I'm talking here? Go play your freaky dress up somewhere else," he said with hostility. I felt my eye twitch more and my hand clenched on the handle of my new toy.
"Don't talk to my baby cousin that way, you low-grade rat!" Zhou Mei yelled, breaking away from behind the boy in purple robes. Oh, so the boxer is the brother of Zhou Li. I thought about the two men's appearances and could only find similarities in their eyes and maybe their hair color.
The teen looked back at Zhou Mei with a scowl while she matched it. He rolled his eyes while he said, "Ah, no wonder he's small; I guess it runs in the family. Two runts, one that dresses up like a cat and another that dresses up like a princess—what a bunch of weirdos." The teen ridiculed. He kept on going and behind him I watched as the proud little girl crumbled away and tears appeared in her eyes.
Something seemed to buzz in my head while my agitation seemed to double. Gripping a handle in one hand, I used my other hand to pat the disrespectful teen for his attention. When he looked at me, I waved my hand, signaling to lower himself.
"What? You want to say something?" He spoke arrogantly while bending over so his face was near mine. With quick motion, I gripped the sledgehammer with both hands and swung, slamming the toy into his face and causing him to fall over with a yelp. No one understood what just happened; even the teen, as he lay on the ground, held his face in blankness.
I, on the other hand, instantly stood over him and lifted the toy as I began using his body as a personal Whac-A-Mole* machine. All the years I spent playing Whac-A-Mole came instinctively as I slammed down on the teen's bodies. I imagine how little mechanical moles were coming up and my six-gold-winning champion self somewhat felt pleased. Thus, when anyone finally caught up to what just happened, I already hit the boy a good 20 times, making him a crying mess on the ground.
His friends yelled at me to stop as they tried coming up to me to stop but Po barked at them, causing the teen boys to flinch back and look at Po's teeth worrisomely. The teen, who was slowly turning into a Dalmatian, tried to get up a couple times but each time he tried, I made sure the next smack was heavier, using all my body weight, making him crash right back to the ground.
Be a good teen and stay down so I can whack you easier.
Quickly, many children and a couple of adults murmured at each other as they surrounded us. The group of people caused Po to get distracted a little, causing a teen to slip by, quickly making his way to me. However, I and Po wanted all the smoke*, so when he was about to grab me, Po lifted himself to grab onto the back of the teenager's collar while I swung at his feet, causing him to crash down with a wheeze.
Quickly, I started pummeling him too. I alternated between the two teens while Po kept the other boys at bay and when I was about to hit teen number two again, two hands picked me up from my armpits from behind me and soon I was looking at the face of a silently amused city guard. We stared at each other, one who lifted an eyebrow while he glanced at the scene and the culprit while the other was panting like a dog with shaking fatigued arms.
Pummeling people was no joke.
"Ignis!"
"Hua Guo! Hua Da!"
Two women's voices yelled and when I looked in the direction, I saw a running Chen Liang and Zhou Li at the forefront, with a woman and man behind them. When Chen Liang got to me, she quickly took me from the guard's hands, looking worriedly, while Zhou Li looked like he was trying not to laugh. The woman and man ran and crouched down at the crying teens, who were slowly growing bruises on their skin. Seeing this, the woman glared in our direction.
"How do you raise your child?! Look what he had done to my sons!" She screeched. With the help of their parents, the two boys got up from the ground through winces and hisses. Chen Liang ignored the woman fully, as she was more focused on rubbing my aching arms, while Zhou Li looked over at her with his famous expressionless face.
"I can ask you the same question because, from what I saw, it was your child starting stuff with kids half his age." He said with a little disgust seeping through his voice.
The woman rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips as she condescendingly said, "They're just boys being boys. They were just joking around." I couldn't help but think that she must have been watching the whole thing if she knew that.
Zhou Mei, who came over at one point with the other 11 children, quickly spoke back, returning to her little fiery self, "No, he wasn't! He was being mean!" The woman glared at her, which was cut short as Zhou Li stepped in front of her.
"Well, in that case, then my child was also being "boys being boys." It is not my fault your two teen sons couldn't handle a playful fight with my 3-year-old." Zhou mocked, causing the adults around us to chuckle.
The woman turned in embarrassment, really showing the family connection through her son's own embarrassment. Her husband stepped into the conversation, not showing as much hostility as his wife but still disdainful, which is evident in his voice. "Okay fine. We can put this situation on boys being boys but your son should have known when to stop. My sons now have bruises all over their bodies and their friends are traumatized due to your dog."
The feeling of high agitation sprung in me and I couldn't help but scowl at what the man said while I flipped him off in Chen Liang's arms. I guess the middle finger was universal sign language as the woman gasped, appalled. The man looked at me with noticeable anger but Zhou Li cut in quick and they started "discussing" together.
The man and woman wanted me to apologize and for Zhou Li to put down Po, both of which Zhou Li didn't agree with, so the pair had to suck up their pride and accept money compensation. When everything was done, the crowd spread out and we made our way back to the cart after getting a warning from the city guard.
When we were on our way back, I was sitting in Chen Liang's lap while I was inspecting the toy, which was still in good condition. Not even a dent could be seen on it. I was looking at it before Chen Liang called out to me softly.
"I'm proud of you. Just like this time, make sure either me or Zhou Li are in the area so when things get rough, we can protect you. Otherwise, I think you handle that well." With that, she laughed gently. I couldn't help but laugh softly myself, as this is the first time I saw an adult encourage a kid to fight first rather than try to talk.
When we made it back to the household, for the first time in a while, I finally felt physically tired. Chen Liang carried me as we entered the courtyard. Despite the sky turning dark, the people there were still going strong while they laughed, drank, ate, and watched as a new match was happening in the middle.
I didn't stay awake as the Zhou brothers spoke to each other while Chen Liang held me to the side. Slowly but surely, I felt sleep take over me and I didn't know if I wanted to welcome it with open arms, yet I still let it capture me.
I barely felt like I closed my eyes as a voice was heard in front of me. "Beating up two boys younger than you? Really?" I heard the familiar voice of the Inuit woman.
"I think it's hilarious. Don't flap your mouth if you can't fight to back it up." A cheery voice spoke before laughing.
When I opened my eyes, two women stood before me. The familiar Inuit woman who had an unimpressed look on her face as she looked at the smaller woman next to her and a Desi woman who ignored the look she was getting while she looked at me with a wide smile and warm hazel eyes.
"Hello, this is the first time we officially met. My name is Aadrika; it's a pleasure to meet you, Ignis." Her voice was smooth and she had an accent that sounded from the southern part of India, either Tamil or Malayalam. Her skin was on the darker spectrum of Indian women, with a healthy glow that looked to be kissed by warmth.
With her hazel eyes, which leaned more into green than brown and could be matched with a healthy plant sapling, she looked over at me with a smile. Her curly brown hair was left loose, surrounding her round face. Her nose was pierced on both sides, as was the spectrum, with many more piercings on her ears. She wore a light green embroidered Anarkali suit* with ivory stitching on the cuffs and edges of her outfit. Her height was only a couple inches shorter than the Inuit standing by her, probably around 6 feet, but she looked to have more mass of muscle.
"I wanted to be there for your first meeting but gloomy Ataksak over here wanted a one-on-one with you. Tell me if she bullied you; I will fight these old bones on your behalf." Aadrika said with a sly grin, patting her chest. The said woman, who was described as "old bones," looked at the younger woman by her with a disapproving look before turning her eyes to me and giving me a reproachful one.
"Beating up children till they're black and blue?" She glowered.
Finally finding my grounding, I didn't bother talking, not risking the chance to have a good quality sleep, as I signed in ASL instead of the Zhuqili sign language, "They were talking shit. It's not my fault they couldn't fight back against a three-year-old."
"You're older than them mentally. They were 14."
"And I'm 18. Four-year difference, be damn. I'm still considered a child myself in some places." I huffed after signing, which made Ataksak roll her eyes as she whispered something on the lines of "Glad you're feeling more spirited," while Aadrika laughed while making an agreeing sound. Ataksak put aside my miniature game of real life, Whac-A-Mole, and moved the conversation onto the book I got from the market.
"The book is based on a body training manual from the last Sun Natura. The real one was destroyed many years ago, a couple hundred years after the Sun Natura died from an unknown cause. The book isn't exactly accurate but I still feel the sun on it, so it should still prove to be useful." She spoke seriously.
"I thought you said I couldn't practice it until I was five." I signed.
Ataksak nodded as she explained, "Yes, you won't be able to practice the actual soul power of the Sun Natura until you are five. You see, while saving you, your soul was greatly damaged. We had to accommodate for it so we had to force your body to match the current state of your soul. That way, your body doesn't break down from your mismatched soul. We studied that it should be healed when your physical body turns five. Unfortunately, even when your soul is fully healed, your body won't grow up immediately to your former look. You will have to age normally."
I hummed in understanding. It is sad that I have to wait 15 years to go back to my former glory. While thinking in misery about going back to toddlerhood, a thought entered my head. "Is my broken soul the reason why the pain is so unbearable?"
This time Aadrika spoke, who's been quiet on the sidelines. "Yes, unfortunately. It's also why you will experience some strong emotions, as your mental state will sometimes try to match your physical age. I tried to heal you to the best of my capabilities but healing the soul is a difficult thing to do. I can only achieve a 46% healing rate. Of course, I do believe trauma also plays a big part in why it's so painful as well. It is a devious thing." Melancholy entered her eyes and I saw Ataksak's hands clenched and unclenched by her side.
We all stood in silence for a bit before Ataksak coughed to break the gloomy atmosphere. "Anyway, even if you can't practice the soul part of it, you can still practice the body and spiritual part of it. It will make things easier when we do the real thing." She stated.
Aadrika returned to her previous smiley self, as she agreed. We talked a bit more, mostly me getting tips on how to go about reconfiguring the sun book that most likely was very different than the original one.
When I felt myself starting to get an episode, Aadrika asked if I wanted her to forcefully wake me up and I quickly accepted the offer. When I was about to be forced to wake up, they told me that we wouldn't be meeting a lot until I was five. Until then, Ataksak, more than Aadrika, told me not to get in trouble.
Probably knowing my response wasn't going to be ideal, I was forced out before I could sign anything and I gasped as I looked up at a familiar roof, ready to start another night of learning.