This spectacle continued for a long time. Then, many minutes later, Nate finally noted:
"(Wait... has she fallen asleep??? I suppose that's normal after everything she's been through.)"
So he carried her near the fire and laid her down so she could rest as best as possible. He then thought:
"We'll continue our conversation when she wakes up; for now, I'm going to train outside."
Then, when he reached the exit and saw the pouring rain outside, he sighed, thinking:
"Pffffff... God knows I don't want to; especially with this rain. But if Kaiju sensei learns that I stopped training... Brrrrrrrr... I'd rather not even think about it."
So he stepped outside into the pouring rain and freezing cold to begin his training.
________________________________________
*Opens eyes*; *Closes eyes*; *Opens eyes*
The young girl named Laila awoke from her sleep, and upon waking, her first reaction was:
"Huh... I fell asleep?? Wait, but where is he; don't tell me they've..."
She rushed outside into the rain and...
"185, 186, 187..."
The person counting was none other than Nate, who, hanging upside down from a tree branch by his legs, was doing abdominal exercises. Noticing Laila's presence, he said, "Oh, you're awake... Give me a minute, and I'll be right with you."
"O-okay..."
"197, 198, 199, and 200."
After finishing, Nate let himself drop from the tree and landed in a puddle of mud:
SPLASH!!!
Once on the ground, he approached Laila and said, "Welcome back to the land of the living... I hope you rested well; you seem a little tense."
"No, it's nothing... I just thought the Captain and the others had returned and had done something to you..."
"Ahahahaha, don't worry. As you can see, that's not the case. And besides, even if the whole lot came after me, they wouldn't stand a chance; after all, they're just mere humans."
"Mere humans?!"
"Come on, let's go inside. I have something to show you."
As he suggested, they made their way back inside the house. During the walk, Nate couldn't help but wonder how she would react once he revealed his true nature. Once inside, they stopped near the fire, where Nate continued, "Actually, I didn't tell you everything about myself..."
Nate then summoned a portion of the flames from the fire into his hand and said, "I'm an Elementalist too!"
*Shocked!!!*
"(So... what will she do now?)"
After a few moments of silence, the young girl responded, "I see, that's what this is about..."
"You don't seem very surprised, tell me."
"I'm not completely stupid, you know... I could tell your strength wasn't normal, and I thought maybe you were taking T-Rex pills. But I'm glad that's not the case."
"(T-Rex pills?! Who came up with a name like that?!)"
Unaware of Nate's thoughts, Laila simply asked, "But tell me... How can you hold fire in your hand without getting burned?"
"Oh, that's because I'm the Elementalist of fire. Can't you do that with your element?"
"N-no, I have no control over it."
"I see, it's okay. I'll teach you; after all, we have all the time we need."
Hearing these words, the young girl averted her gaze slightly, lowering her head, and then hesitantly said, "I'm sorry, Nate, but I won't be staying with you; I have to head east, and..."
"ARE YOU CRAZY?! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND YOU'RE DOOMING YOURSELF BY STAYING WITH THOSE GUYS?!"
"I know very well, but..."
"BUT WHAT?!"
"I don't have a choice!"
"But you do have a choice; stay with me!"
"..."
"..."
"You know, I believe you when you say you want to protect me, but honestly, I doubt you can. I know you're strong, but the Captain is a real monster. Even if your plan is for us to run away, I don't think we can get far enough to be out of his reach. I don't want to put you in danger after everything you've done to help me. So the best thing for everyone..."
"Is for you to stay with me!"
"No, you don't understand. Look, I can see that you're trying to help me, but you're mistaken about me; I'm not the innocent little girl you think I am."
"..."
These words surprised Nate, causing him to fall silent for a few seconds. But quickly, he responded, "In that case, help me understand."
Seeing Nate's determination, she realized she had no choice. After all, she owed him that much. So she said, "Alright, I'll tell you a story; just please, listen until the end."
The Beginning of the Story
Once upon a time, there was a little girl who lived in a very poor family. She was an orphan and had never known her biological parents. Despite this, she lived in an environment where she was happy and loved, especially by her adoptive mother, a beautiful young woman in her twenties. Unfortunately, this woman couldn't have children, so when they came across the little girl, still a baby at the time, they decided to adopt her. Her husband, an ordinary man in his thirties, wasn't particularly affectionate toward the girl, but he wasn't mean either; it was more indifference than anything. However, this didn't matter, as the love of her mother was enough to fill the void for the little girl. The real problem, however, was the dire poverty and misery in which the family lived, struggling to even feed themselves.
When the little girl turned seven, her parents realized she wasn't ordinary. In fact, she was what people call an Elementalist. From that moment, the distance between her and her adoptive father grew even more. But this wasn't the case with her mother, who continued to love her with all her heart. Soon, the closeness and affection between the little girl and her mother made her husband jealous. He loved his wife passionately and idolized her to a point that could seem unhealthy and frightening to an outsider.
In this world where electricity was an extremely rare commodity, available only to the wealthiest, this desperately poor family had within it a true, unlimited source of electricity because the little girl was the Elementalist of Lightning. One particularly stormy night, she overheard an argument between her parents.
"No, I refuse; it's not an option."
"Please, my love, I spoke with Dr. Brant. He explained that the risks are minimal. We need the money and..."
"This is our daughter, and I refuse to let her be a lab rat for that so-called scientist!"
"You're wrong, honey. The doctor is a renowned scientist. He just wants to harness the electrical energy she emits, recycle it, and turn it into domestic electricity. We could finally escape this misery and..."
"No, it's out of the question. I..."
At that moment, the little girl entered the dimly lit room, a candle flickering beside her parents.
"Mom."
"Oh, sweetie, is that you? What are you doing up at this hour?"
"I woke up to use the bathroom and heard you two arguing."
"Oh, I'm sorry, darling. Come here."
Her mother knelt to be at the same level as the little girl and warmly embraced her.
"You know, Mommy and Daddy aren't really fighting, and..."
"Mom, I agree with what Dad said. If I can help us get out of this difficult situation, then I'll do it with joy. You've taken care of me all these years, so now it's my turn."
"You see, Marie, even Laila understands the situation and..."
"Enough!"
The woman was truly outraged by her husband's behavior, yet at the same time, she was deeply moved by her daughter's kindness and devotion.
"I'm very touched by your concern, my dear, but it's not a child's job to look after their parents; it's the other way around. Don't worry; we'll find another solution..."
"But Marie..."
"This conversation is over. It's very late; let's go to bed."
And so, despite the man's frustration with the outcome, nothing more was said. He was too much in love to stand up to his wife, so he continued to work himself to exhaustion each day, bringing home small, insignificant scraps of food. And, as always, the useless little girl, who was nothing but a parasite, got the largest share. His indifference toward her began to slowly turn into hatred.
Then one night, as they were about to have dinner as a family, the man, frustrated by the meager portions on their plates, could only grit his teeth in helpless anger. Noticing his frustration, the little girl kindly offered, "Dad, you can have my share if you'd like; I'm not hungry today."
But the mother immediately responded, "Oh, don't say that, sweetie. You need to eat to grow strong..."
"See? If you'd listened to me, we wouldn't be in this situation."
"You're not bringing that up again, are you?"
"No, that's not my intention, and besides, it's too late to discuss it now."
"What do you mean? What are you talking about?"
Knock, knock, knock.
"Who's knocking at the door?"
"I'm sorry, darling, but I had to do it for us. Once we get the money, we can afford the best doctors in the world. We can have our own child, and you'll quickly forget about that thing you've become attached to. I'm sure you'll understand why I did it, and you'll thank me; I'm certain of it! You'll see, we'll be happy; you, me, and our child."
"What are you talking about? I don't understand anything."
Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock!
The man went to open the door, and under the flash of a lightning bolt, the silhouettes of a group of people appeared on the doorste. They clearly hadn't come for dinner.