Helplessly, everyone watched as the lamp fell and shattered at Nayma's feet:
Wooooouuuuuvvvvvvvvvv!
A fire ignited instantly under the girl's feet, and her dress began to catch flames. Without a second thought, Nate rushed toward her, realizing that he was the one who could help. In the blink of an eye, he reached her, gathered the few budding flames around her into his hand, and released them into the sky. With the situation now under control, he knelt beside Nayma, who had fallen, and asked:
"Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"
But when he looked at the girl's face, he froze. Instead of the radiant, grateful expression he had expected, he was met with a look of horror and fear. He reached out his hand to touch her, hoping to snap her out of it, but stopped abruptly. The merchant, who had spoken so kindly of him just moments before, now stood between him and his daughter, wrapping her protectively in his arms as if shielding her from a wild beast, screaming:
"Don't get any closer ; don't you ever touch her again !!!"
Nate was stunned, utterly confused by the scene unfolding before him. When he glanced around at the faces of those surrounding him, he saw the same expressions mirrored on each one: a mix of disgust, fear, and revulsion. His mind raced, trying to comprehend what was happening.
"Why? Why are they looking at me like this? he thought frantically. I saved her life! Why are they treating me like a monster?"
The confusion overwhelmed him, and he desperately sought answers. But before he could speak, his vision began to blur. A sudden, intense heat creeping up behind him caught his attention. Then, a familiar voice broke through the haze:
"Why do you never listen to me?"
With a heavy heart, Nate turned slowly to face the source of the voice, and what he saw made his legs give out beneath him. His mentor, Zad, was engulfed in flames which consumed him from head to toe. The sight was horrifying. And just like that, everything around them was on fire. The people, the buildings, the ground ; everything was wrapped in thick, wrathful flames that seemed to carry a deep resentment and hatred for the world. The once vibrant and lively town had transformed into a vision of hell, with thick, dark smoke spiraling upward into the sky.
Zad's burning form approached Nate, crouched down beside him, and suddenly grabbed his leg.
"I only gave you a few simple instructions, but as always, you did whatever you wanted."
Through a flood of tears, Nate responded, "I'm sorry, Zad! Forgive me, I didn't think that..."
"That's exactly the problem! You, DON'T, think! And because of you, I'm dead."
"W-what? What do you mean?" Nate stammered.
"But don't worry, I'm not going alone. I'm taking you with me!"
"No, Zad, wait! I'm sorry! I won't do it again, I promise!"
"It's too late!!!"
As Nate sobbed and begged for forgiveness, the flaming figure stared at him with cold, unfeeling eyes, its face stoic and emotionless. Slowly, its mouth stretched open, wide like a python preparing to devour its prey. As its jaws opened further and further, Nate saw a terrifying, cynical grin form on the creature's face. He watched, paralyzed, as Zad's face transformed into that of the butler, the two images overlapping on the creature's monstrous visage.
Nate's body was frozen with fear as the beast's mouth, a black void that seemed capable of swallowing the world, closed in on him. The creature released its grip on his leg, grabbing his arm instead, and lunged forward to devour him. But...
*Open his eyes.*
Nate shot upright from the bed, drenched in sweat, gasping for air.
*Gasp* *Gasp* *Gasp*
In a panic, he looked around frantically, searching for the creature that had been attacking him. After a moment, realizing it was nowhere to be found, he covered his face with his hand and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger, trying to calm himself down. Once his mind cleared, he sighed in relief.
"It was just a dream… just a dream."
But before he could fully catch his breath, an unfamiliar voice interrupted him:
"Well, well… You're one tough kid to kill, aren't you?"
The voice belonged to a young man in his twenties, with striking red-and-white hair. Without giving Nate a chance to respond, the stranger continued:
"It wasn't easy patching you back together, you know… You were in pieces, worse than a thousand-piece puzzle. And even after putting you back together, I wasn't sure you'd make it. But I guess the docs did a damn good job."
"Wh-who are you?" Nate asked, still shaken.
"I'm Santa Claus."
"S-Santa who?"
"Well, if you don't know who that is, just think of me as your grandma."
"But how's that possible? Aren't you a man?"
"Are you done asking dumb questions? Tsk… You're really just a brat, aren't you? When someone saves your life, the first thing you do is say 'thank you.'"
At that moment, Nate felt the pain of his wounds, which had not yet healed. When he lowered his head and saw all the bandages, he remembered everything that had happened. After a moment of silence, he finally said:
"I'm sorry for how I behaved. I sincerely thank you for rescuing me; I owe you my life. May I know your name?"
"Ah, it's about time; finally, an intelligent question."
The young man flashed a satisfied smile and continued:
"Hmph… My name is Kaiju."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Kaiju. My name is Nate."
"..."
"Please, Mr. Kaiju, where is Zad? How is he?"
Kaiju looked at the young boy for a moment, then let out a sigh before asking:
"Can you stand up?"
"Y-yes, I think so."
"Good, then follow me."
Nate managed to stand up with great difficulty due to his injuries, which were still causing him considerable pain. He hadn't realized it since waking up, but as they moved, the scenery around him began to feel familiar. The boy soon realized that they were actually in his old home, the very one ravaged by fire. The reason he hadn't noticed right away was the renovation work that had been done. Aware that such repairs don't happen overnight, he asked:
"How long have I been unconscious?"
Kaiju took a moment of silence before answering:
"Three weeks; you've been unconscious for three weeks."
"I see…"