The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows across the city's western entrance. The aftermath of the battle against the dark-tree lingered in the air, thick with the scent of scorched earth and the acrid tang of charred wood. The once serene breeze now carried a heavy sense of unease, rustling through the charred remains like a whispered warning. Jack, the wolf-headed captain, stood with his arms crossed, his sharp eyes scanning the horizon. But his thoughts were far from the burnt landscape before him—they were fixated on the boy he had encountered earlier, a boy who shouldn't have left such a profound mark on him.
Leo, the tiger-headed vice-captain, approached with a mix of curiosity and concern in his gaze. "So, will you tell me or not?" Leo began, his voice probing gently yet persistently. "Why did you mention the boy after hearing about the competition? What was so special about him? It can't just be his strange appearance that made a mark on you."
Jack's ears twitched slightly, betraying his inner turmoil as he turned to face Leo. For a moment, the ever-steeled captain's expression softened, a rare crack in his usually impenetrable demeanor. Vulnerability flickered in his eyes, mingling with an emotion he rarely allowed himself to feel—hope. "You're right," Jack confessed, his voice carrying a note of unexpected joy, "It wasn't just his looks. Despite his young age and the fact that he doesn't have fur like the rest of us, he has the potential to become a mid-level aura user, just like me." Jack's voice took on an almost incredulous tone as he added, "And the funny part is, he doesn't even know what aura is. Can you imagine that? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Leo's eyes widened in shock, his tail flicking in agitation. His usually calm demeanor cracked as disbelief and concern colored his words. "A mid-level aura user?" he echoed, his voice edged with disbelief. "And he doesn't even know what aura is? Jack, that's not funny; that's alarming. There are plenty of aura users out there who don't realize their abilities until someone guides them. But what you're saying… that he has the potential to be mid-level? That's beyond rare. You know as well as I do, only one in ten thousand aura users ever reach that level."
A heavy silence hung between them, the weight of Leo's words sinking into Jack's chest like a stone. Leo sighed, his expression a conflicted blend of concern and disappointment. "You could have recruited him, Jack. Someone with that kind of potential could be a game-changer for us. Leaving him behind... it might have been a mistake."
Jack's fists clenched, his knuckles whitening as a wave of regret washed over him. The boy's face, so young and yet so determined, flashed in his mind. "I might have forgotten in the heat of the moment," he admitted, his voice tinged with a rare vulnerability, barely above a whisper. The regret in his heart was palpable, a gnawing guilt that refused to be silenced. "But he'll be coming here in three months to take part in the competition. We can recruit him then."
Leo's expression darkened as realization dawned on him. His voice dropped, heavy with worry. "Yeah, we should when he gets here... Wait, did you say the competition? A boy with no knowledge of aura is going to take part in the competition? Have you lost your mind, Captain? He could die out there! Why didn't you stop him?"
A pang of guilt shot through Jack, but he found himself fumbling for words. "Well... I... forgot," he stammered, the weight of his oversight pressing down on him. "But I can go and tell him now."
Leo shook his head, frustration evident in his voice. "No, we need you here, and any other hands we can find. The competition is drawing close, and there's no guarantee that more dark-trees won't appear. We can just stop him when he arrives here."
Jack nodded, a flicker of determination returning to his eyes. "That's a great idea. Let's do that." He paused, noticing the way Leo was looking at him. "Hey, why are you looking at me like that?"
Leo simply sighed, shaking his head as he turned away. The gravity of their situation weighed heavily on both of them, but Jack's heart remained tethered to thoughts of the boy.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting the world in deep shades of orange and red, the city's defenders steeled themselves for the battles yet to come. Meanwhile, far from the commotion of the dark-tree's aftermath, the boy at the center of their conversation was dealing with his own struggles.
After Jack left, Sumit sat on the ground, his heart pounding with a mix of determination and frustration. He closed his eyes, trying to concentrate, to summon the aura Jack spoke of so confidently. But no matter how hard he tried, all he managed to do was attract a group of plant-monkeys. Their presence was unsettling, but unlike before, they didn't attack. Instead, they simply watched him, their beady eyes gleaming with curiosity and something else—mockery.
"Aura, come on! Aura, come to me! Aura!!!!" Sumit's voice echoed through the silent woods, desperation creeping into his tone.
But instead of the power he sought, all he heard was the cruel, chattering laughter of the plant-monkeys. "Hehehehehehehehehehehe!" Their mocking laughter grated on his nerves, each sound a sharp reminder of his failure.
Sumit's frustration boiled over. He stood up abruptly, grabbing a stone and hurling it at the nearest plant-monkey. "Shut up! I will be able to use aura just like that wolf-guy said I could!"
But the plant-monkeys didn't stop. Their laughter only grew louder, their mocking eyes never leaving him. Sumit felt a wave of anger and embarrassment wash over him. He was trying so hard, pushing himself to the brink, and yet these creatures saw him as nothing more than a joke.
"Go away! I'll master this aura thing soon!" he shouted, though his words felt hollow, even to himself.
'Why can't I use it?' Sumit's thoughts spiraled as he dropped to his knees, clutching the earth beneath him. 'That guy said I could use it, so why can't I? Was he lying? That wolf-idiot!'
Anger turned to despair as he continued to curse the innocent wolf-man, his hope slipping through his fingers like sand. He picked up another stone and threw it with all his might, but the plant-monkeys only laughed harder, their chittering voices echoing through the trees. Each laugh felt like a stab to his pride, a reminder of how far he still had to go.
But beneath the frustration and anger, a small ember of determination burned in Sumit's heart. He didn't know how or when, but he was going to make that aura his own, no matter what it took. As the laughter of the plant-monkeys filled the air, Sumit's resolve only grew stronger.