"Are you seeing that, mom?"
"I'm seeing it, son."
A small figure appeared before them, having emerged from a bush. It had a very peculiar appearance, resembling a small, almost oval-shaped formation of thick, dark brown hair that swept the ground with subtle movements, as if assessing whether it should move or remain still in its current position.
"Do you think it's dangerous?" Nathaniel asked. It was the first time he had ever seen anything like it; nothing similar to any animal he'd heard of in his previous life. While it didn't seem aggressive at first, its strange appearance gave him bad vibes.
"I'm wondering the same thing... though it looks really dumb." Leaning slightly forward, Mallory waved one of her hands to see the creature's reaction. "Achiiis, chiiis," was the sound the animal made, something akin to a sneeze. Even though it didn't appear to have eyes to see Mallory's hand movement under that thick fur that covered every trace of skin, it stirred uneasily after making that noise.
"It must be a baby of whatever species it is," Mallory added, noticing the creature's restless response to her hand movement. Although it didn't seem to have any intent to attack, Mallory remained a bit uneasy, remembering the unexpected encounter with that creepy spider from a few minutes earlier. Without realizing it, she had extended a hand behind her, signaling Nathaniel to get behind her while she assessed the new situation.
"Should we scare it away?" Nathaniel suggested, already hiding behind his mother. "It doesn't seem like much... considering what I now know you can do."
"Heh, you're right, I don't know why I'm worried. It's not that threatening..." Mallory straightened up, preparing to shoo the creature away with a more intimidating posture as it approached. "Alright, here I go..."
"Chiiii...!"
Unexpectedly, the furry creature went flying several meters over the bush from where it had appeared, disappearing from sight. Another figure, this time human but hunched and cloaked in a dark red hood, had suddenly appeared and kicked the small creature aside to take its place in front of the mother and son. The moment was dramatic, almost theatrical.
"Ah! What was that?" Nathaniel gave a small jump in surprise.
"Furry nooo!" Mallory brought both hands to her cheeks, shocked by the turn of events, but more so by the cruel treatment of the little furball that had done nothing but be ugly. "How dare you! That wasn't right!"
With her hands on her hips and an indignant look directed at the hooded figure, Mallory was getting ready for a new confrontation.
"Why do you care about that Mopello? Worry about yourselves, and don't do anything, unless you want the same treatment..." the hooded figure threatened, with an oddly deep yet feminine voice, as if trying to sound intimidating.
"Hey hey, did I just hear a threat?" Mallory pointed a finger at the hooded girl. "Let me warn you, I can split trees with a single punch." She shifted her hand, bringing her thumb to her chest. "And this little sugar cube here can confirm that, right, Nathy?" she said, placing her hand on Nathaniel's head.
"That's right!" Nathaniel nodded enthusiastically, grinning broadly with confidence in his mother.
"So, show me your face, or I'll be forced to give you what you deserve for hitting that poor, ugly Mopello." Mallory got into a stance, ready for any action from the figure who had just threatened them.
"...Splitting trees is something anyone can do with training. If you're trying to impress someone with that, let me tell you, it won't work." The hooded girl straightened up, still keeping her face hidden beneath the hood, while one of her arms moved under the cloak, as if she were about to draw something.
Nathaniel, watching from behind, thought about what the girl's words implied. Were there people much stronger out there? He wondered if his mother felt the same unease he did, but he couldn't know. He could only trust that she would know what to do, as she always had.
Mallory frowned, surprised by the comment. Splitting a tree had been one of the most impressive things she had ever done in her life, and until now, she considered it a demonstration of strength that made her feel more confident. But now, she was beginning to glimpse that this world had much more dangerous levels of power than she had anticipated. "This world... is more dangerous than I thought." She clenched her fists. If she wanted to protect Nathaniel, she would have to be able to overcome these dangers quickly, without hesitation.
She tried to stay calm, prolonging the conversation while assessing the situation. It wasn't wise to jump into a fight without fully understanding what they were up against. "Wait, we've only walked a bit and don't know much about this place, literally. Do you even know where we come from? It doesn't make sense for you to treat us like this."
"I don't know and I don't care, but don't think you can go around causing a commotion without catching the attention of someone unexpected. Your weird clothes give you away as foreigners, and I'll give you a taste of what happens to those who don't take things seriously in places they don't know..."
"Weird clothes? But my jeans aren't that bad..." Mallory looked down, wondering if something was wrong with her clothes, the same ones she had worn before being reborn in this world. "And your attempt at a scary voice doesn't impress me. Don't pretend, it's obvious you're just a kid... Where are your parents?"
"Tch..." The hooded girl's expression briefly hardened beneath her mysterious appearance, though she didn't fully show it. "Then it'll be the hard way..." she said, opening her cloak and revealing a shining dagger in her hand.
"What the hell!?" Mallory stepped back, shocked to see the blade in the girl's hand. A chill ran through her entire body, bringing back a sensation she thought she had left behind. She hadn't expected to face something like this again, not in this new life. Her hands trembled, and for a moment, she was paralyzed, as if all the control she normally had had suddenly vanished.
"Mom! What do we do?" Nathaniel shook Mallory's arm, realizing she had become trapped in her thoughts, offering no response or putting up any defense. He felt as if she had left him alone in the face of the real danger the armed girl presented.
And then, a sonic boom echoed through the air.
"Now, you'll do as I..." The girl began, believing her dagger had made contact with Nathaniel's neck, taking him as a hostage. But to her shock, what she felt against her dagger was none other than Mallory's grip. She had caught the blade firmly, holding it in place just inches from Nathaniel, who was still processing what had just happened and blinked in confusion.
"Huh!? I-I can't... pull it out."
"Don't you dare... try anything funny... kid." Even though Mallory wasn't looking at her directly, with her eyes still fixed ahead, her gaze was intense, almost as if she emitted a heavy aura that sent chills down the girl's spine.
"Oh... woah..." Once Nathaniel finally processed what had happened, he took a few steps back. "Mom...?" He saw his mother's figure from behind, completely still, and he could almost feel her angry breathing. "Ah, you're bleeding!" He noticed that the hand gripping the dagger was squeezing it so tightly that the blade had started cutting into her palm, something the girl also noticed.
"What...? Are you crazy or what? You-!" Her words were abruptly cut off when Mallory's other hand unexpectedly reached for her hood, threateningly pulling her towards herself to prevent her from escaping.
"No!" the girl exclaimed, managing to slip out of her hood with difficulty to avoid Mallory's grip.
"Oh..." Mallory finally saw the girl's face, with short crimson-red hair that ended in wavy, slightly disheveled strands, moving with the wind as she backed away, landing just a short distance from them. The young girl, with very youthful features but dirt stains on her face, stood up again, but this time with a different expression. Her large, surprised eyes, a brilliant yellow mixed with a reddish hue, silently stared at Mallory, who was still holding the dagger in her bloodied hand, observing her with a calm, unshakable demeanor. At the same time, the hood Mallory had taken lay on the ground.
"You... you..." The young girl growled under her breath, wanting to retrieve her cloak, but afraid of what Mallory might do, even though Mallory appeared strangely calm.
Nathaniel also watched the now-unmasked girl, noticing that she seemed to be about his age. For a brief moment, he thought she looked "cute," but the situation made her seem more like a threat. He saw how the girl, indecisive and angry, longed for her fallen hood, wanting to retrieve it. For an instant, he thought about giving it back to her, understanding the feeling of losing something personal, though the situation didn't exactly call for kindness. In that tense silence, the most he did was step closer to the hood on the ground, pick it up in his hands, and look at the girl, who met his gaze.
Mallory, noticing the exchange, finally took a step forward, fully alerting the young girl, who quickly retreated, producing another loud boom as she made her escape.
"She's gone..." Nathaniel mentioned when the girl disappeared from sight, still holding her hood in his hands.
"Ah, yes... good thing, I was... losing my patience..." Mallory responded, her tone seeming to contain anger. She let go of the dagger, dropping it to the ground, bloodstained. Then she turned to Nathaniel, smiling a little. "Phew... so, everything's fine now. I don't think she'll bother us again. Looks like your mom really scared her, huh! Haha," her mood lifted somewhat abruptly, as if trying to calm the situation.
"Ahh, yeah... you really made her run off. She even left her hood behind," he said, raising it slightly in his hands. "Do you think she'll come back for it?"
"I don't know, maybe... If we meet again and if she thinks we still have it, sure. In that case... just toss it over there," she pointed to the nearby bushes.
"Umm... I'm not sure if that's okay..." Though the idea made sense to him, a part of him wanted to believe that if the girl knew he was taking care of her hood until a possible future encounter, she might not see them in a bad light, and maybe even apologize. From what little he knew about people, he believed they could be as kind as his mother if they presented themselves the right way. "It seemed like you had everything under control in the end, so there wouldn't be a problem if she came back for her hood. When that happens... we could have a clearer conversation."
Mallory hesitated a bit at the idea. She didn't like the fact that this little thief had tried to approach Nathaniel with a weapon, but after all, she was just a child. She thought the girl must have parents. Her responsible maternal side tugged at her a little. Scold the girl and take her to her parents if they crossed paths again? It sounded like something she hadn't expected to do after being reborn in a seemingly magical world, but Nathaniel trusted her to be the exemplary mother, so that's what she would be. "...Alright, but give it to me, I don't want you to get dirty."
Nathaniel smiled. Another chance to make things right with her materialized in his mind. It was strange, but he imagined it was to make her apologize to them. "Uh, wait... Weren't you bleeding from your hand?" he recalled, thinking about his mother grabbing the hood.
"That's true... I grabbed that dagger pretty hard. I hope it's not— Huh?" Mallory looked at her hand. There was no open wound on her palm, just dried blood. "This is really strange... I swear I felt like I had a deep cut."
"Let me see!" Nathaniel looked closer, noticing the same thing his mother did: her palm was intact. "Oh my gosh... regeneration!" he exclaimed excitedly.
"Regeneration? Like in lizards and axolotls?" she asked, confused by his excitement.
"Yes! Maybe even better than them! Just look: that dagger wound caused a lot of blood, but now only the dry stains are left on your hand, and not even much time has passed. That's awesome!"
"It's incredible... so I'm not just limited to super strength and super speed. Very convenient. I wonder how far these powers will go... Yeah, super cool! Now I know I can take a few more risks without worrying about how I'll end up..." She clenched her hand into a fist several times with her previously injured hand, confirming that it was indeed fine. "Alright, everything's in order. We should keep going. At least now we know that humans here are pretty much like us," she recalled the unusual eye and hair color of the young girl, "and they speak our language. More convenient."
"Very well. Oh, but here's the hood, as you asked."
"Oh, right... um..." Mallory noticed the shine of the dagger on the ground, reflecting the light. "Hold on..." She knelt down slightly, still somewhat angry from the recent situation, and broke the dagger into several pieces with a punch, leaving it unusable. "Good, now no one else can use it again."
"Heh... I see you're getting more confident with this super strength thing, huh?"
"It was the best thing I could think of, honey. Knowing that I at least left a dangerous weapon unusable puts me at ease. Now, let's continue with our walk." She took the hood from Nathaniel's hands, folded it a bit, and held it at her side, resuming the path with him. However, they had barely moved forward to the spot where the girl had disappeared when they noticed that the same area looked strangely burned, as if an explosion had left marks around it.
"What the...?"
"Do you think the girl caused this, mom?" Nathaniel looked with doubt at the scorched area on the ground, wondering if it had something to do with the booms the girl had made as she moved at high speed.
"At this point, I'll accept any idea..." Mallory responded tiredly, leaving the scene behind as they continued walking.
It wouldn't be long before they encountered something less tense if they kept moving forward.
"Mom... could I try on that cloak for a bit?"
"No."