Sunflowers: Sunshine, Vitality, and Hope
A child slowly emerged from behind a rock, trembling as if greatly frightened.
"A child?" Alex wondered aloud.
"Yes, probably from the village of Bruma. It's the only village nearby."
"How do you know?" Alex was shocked; he had never heard of this village.
Alex's life revolved almost entirely around the Shadow Academy. He had hardly left the academy's grounds since he was born. The academy was not only self-sufficient but also surrounded by vast forests. His life was filled with studying magic and swordsmanship, spending time with his peers, and occasionally hunting beasts and monsters in the Forest.
Oh, and teasing his childhood friend, Scarlett.
Ethan, with a puzzled look, asked, "The academy has annual excursions; didn't you sign up?"
"What? There's such a thing? Why didn't I know about it? Why didn't the old man tell me?" Alex was dumbfounded, feeling like he had missed out on something significant.
"Probably because he thought you'd cause trouble for others," Scarlett sneered. Alex yelled angrily, "What? Do I look like someone who causes trouble?"
"Congratulations, you have some self-awareness," Scarlett nodded approvingly.
"Alright, alright! Let's deal with the matter at hand first." Seeing that the two were about to start fighting again, Ethan quickly intervened.
Why did I come along? To be a babysitter? Ethan thought to himself, feeling frustrated.
Meanwhile, the child, clothed in rags, sat pitifully on the ground, with blood running down his knees, probably from a fall caused by the earlier fright.
Nors, without any sympathy, coldly asked, "Why were you hiding and spying on us?"
The child lowered his head, trembling, as if weighing how to respond.
Nors drew a dagger from the rock, expertly tossed it in the air, caught it, and pointed it at the child. The dagger glinted in the sunlight.
Nors's gaze was full of ruthless threat. "Speak, or don't."
Alex frowned; he felt that Nors's current demeanor was completely different from the always-smiling persona he showed at the academy. But he remembered Scarlett's words and thought it best to remain silent,
not wanting to be scolded.
"Daddy, you're so scary." A soft voice broke the silence. The child's attention was immediately drawn to it.
Tuan Tuan, who had been sleeping in Nors's backpack, was woken up by his father's fierce tone. Its round eyes blinked as it tried to understand the situation.
The child's eyes lit up with a strange excitement, his face flushed. Although he was afraid of the threatening man, Tuan Tuan's appearance oddly calmed him.
Maybe humans just can't resist cute things.
Not a single one.
Seeing the child sitting on the ground, Tuan Tuan quickly grasped the situation.
Daddy is the least patient with kids!
Leave it to me! I can handle this!
Determined, Tuan Tuan patted Nors's face. "Leave it to Tuan Tuan, Daddy. I'll make him tell the truth." Tuan Tuan boasted.
Nors couldn't help but smile at Tuan Tuan's words. "Alright, Tuan Tuan, you give it a try." His tone was noticeably gentler and indulgent. He took Tuan Tuan out of the backpack and placed him gently on the ground.
The adorable red panda, with a white satchel bearing a red cross, toddled over to the child. Its large eyes sparkled with cleverness, making it incredibly endearing.
It politely waved its little paw.
"Hello, I'm Tuan Tuan. What's your name?"
Using a soft voice, the red panda greeted the child politely. Then, with a hint of menace in its eyes, it added, "If you don't tell, I'll kill you."
Thinking it had successfully intimidated the child, Tuan Tuan felt quite pleased.
The group watched this cute yet slightly menacing red panda, wanting to laugh but holding back, fearing that Nors would get angry.
The child's eyes sparkled with excitement, and he stammered, "I... I'm Miller. What... what are you? Can I touch you?"
Tuan Tuan frowned with displeasure. "I'm Tuan Tuan, a cute red panda and Daddy's precious, not a 'thing'!" It stomped its foot, showing a bit of hurt.
Nors glared at Miller, a clear threat in his eyes. How dare you upset my precious!
Miller shrank back, then timidly but hopefully asked, "Can I touch you?"
Tuan Tuan generously replied, "Sure, as long as you tell Daddy why you were hiding and spying on us."
The child loudly protested, "I wasn't spying on them!" Then, remembering how scary Celia was, he grew frightened again.
He bit his lip and decided to take a chance.
"Those people who came through the archway kept harassing our village, stealing our food. The villagers couldn't stand it and tried to drive them away, but they had strange weapons and killed anyone who resisted."
Miller continued, "Oddly, they only appear during the day and disappear at night. We found out they came through that strange archway. I was sent to keep watch because I'm small and fast, hard to spot."
"And then I saw her shoot that man with an arrow," he said, pointing at Celia.
"My parents were also killed resisting them..." Tears started streaming down his face.
Tuan Tuan patted the boy's head. "Don't cry, don't cry."
The boy hugged Tuan Tuan and cried, finding some comfort in its presence.
"You're amazing," he sobbed, "You can use magic?"
"Tuan Tuan is the best," Tuan Tuan said, looking proud.
Celia's heart softened watching the boy cry. "Tuan Tuan belongs to my brother..."
Nors held Celia's hand, reminding her of their mutual understanding. They couldn't afford to be soft-hearted, even towards a child.
Sunny Alex had no such reservations. Upon hearing the child's story, he immediately expressed his anger, "Those people are awful, appearing out of nowhere and killing indiscriminately!" Alex clenched his fists, wanting to tear those people apart.
Scarlett squatted down and gently asked the child, "Can you lead us to your village? We need a place to rest."
The boy hesitated, but knowing that this group might be able to help drive out the invaders, he nodded.
He picked up Tuan Yuan, indicating for the group to follow.
They carefully made their way through the forest, following a narrow path. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, adding a touch of warmth to the tranquil forest.
Miller led the way, snuggling Tuan Tuan, who happily chewed on bamboo, curiously looking around.
"Tuan Tuan is so cute; I want a companion spirit too!" Scarlett's heart melted at the sight of Tuan Tuan.
"I want a majestic lion as a companion spirit,"
Alex imagined himself riding a mighty lion, looking heroic and admired by Scarlett.
Scarlett, ever the realist, retorted, "A lion? Do you think companion spirits are easy to get? Besides Nors, only Elder Alden has one at the academy. You'd probably get a monkey!" She laughed at the thought of a monkey companion for Alex.
Alex, angered, decided to fight back, and the two quickly started bickering.
The group knew this was their usual behavior; it would be strange if they didn't fight.
Ethan noticed Nors's silence and asked, "Do you not believe the child?"
Nors shook his head. "No."
Celia explained, "He means we should be cautious of strangers, especially now."
"True," Ethan agreed, realizing their need for caution. They continued, and eventually, Bruma Village came into view.