…
"Sir, I wanted to ask. How long do you think I had lost my memories? We had calendars at the village, but it was way outdated. I don't know my birth day too, so. How old do you think I am???" El asked with a glimmer in his eyes.
The man raised his hands, intending to pat El's head, but paused midway, his motion faltering. He clenched his lifted hand tightly and lowered it back to his side. Fixing his gaze on El, he said, "Your name is El. You should be thirteen by now. You've lost about six years of your memories – that is all I know about you."
Reaching into his pants pocket, the man pulled out an object and extended it toward El. Instinctively, the latter hands reached out to accept it.
"Here, wear this. It'll be quite a good protection for you," he said, handing El an object cold to the touch.
And it actually was a necklace features a delicate bronze chain, adorned with a striking bronze ornament that cradling a captivating red jewel at its center, resembling an eye. As curiosity reign over his mind, El raise it to his eye level then examines the jewel more closely. He subsequently notices a swirling black haze deep within that red ruby, enhancing the overall appearance to be that – of a watchful eye that seems to follow his eyes, creating an unsettling yet captivating effect that somehow draws his attention to it.
"What is this, sir?" El asked, his curiosity piqued as he studied the amulet from every angle—tilting it left, then right, and even peering at its back.
"It's an amulet, forged specifically into a necklace," he replied.
"What, exactly is an amulet?" El inquired, still captivated.
"You can think of it as – a good luck charm, something that brings you fortune as long as you keep it close," he explained.
"And, what do you mean by 'charm'?" El pressed, eager to understand.
"A charm is a kind of object, with magic inside of it," he said, his eyes glinting with an indistinct hint.
"I see…" El murmured, contemplating the weight of the necklace in his hands and what secrets it might hold.
"Is it the same as the vial you used earlier?
"More or less," the man said, head tilted slightly once to the side as a sign for a vague clarification. "You like it?" the man continued with a small smile.
"Yes. It's, quite heavy. Interesting. And more importantly, it seems expensive. Are you sure you want to give this to me sir?"
"Of course. Don't worry, it was something I used to bring all the time but never really used."
"You mean, you don't need a charm for a good luck, sir."
"Hmm, if you are a man, and a strong adult like me who is tall, full of muscles, and a real fighter – not like some 'bigmouth and a schemer' I know of, there is no need for a luck whatsoever. I can simply breeze through all of it with punches. If that is not enough, I will add even more punches to crush it."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You brag a lot, sir," El replied, his tone flat as he also lowered his eyes, unimpressed by the man's boastful claims.
"What, you don't believe me?" the man asked.
"No… do you think you can punch your way through that concrete building in the city? In physics book I once read, a concrete wall achieves its remarkable hardness through a series of chemical reactions known as hydration. It has high compressive strength, ranging from 20 to 40 megapascals, and could reach even higher for specialized formulations. This kind of strength is a measure of the material's ability to withstand axial loads without collapsing. Meanwhile, the average force exerted by a human punch is approximately only around 250 to 1,000 newtons, depending on that said person individual's strength and technique. In contrast to that, the concrete wall, with its robust molecular structure and high compressive strength, can absorb and dissipate this force without sustaining any damage. The energy from the punch of a human is in no way sufficient enough to overcome the wall's structural integrity. Those force of human punches at best could only resulting in a mere transfer of energy without managing to penetrate or crush the surface. Other than that, concrete wall also exhibits high tensile strength, which is crucial in preventing cracks and fractures from forming under stress. In another word, the definite conclusion to all of my explanation earlier is– the energy required to break the chemical bonds within the material far exceeds what a human can ever generate. So… it's impossible, sir!!?" El declared passionately, with his index finger raised in emphasis toward the ceiling. After that, he then smiled mirthlessly to the man, feeling a sense of triumph after his lengthy explanation.
'No wonder the man like to brag so much. I never knew bragging something you know and can do, could be this satisfying,' El thought, a wave of sweet satisfaction washed over him as he reflected on it, pleased that all those hours he had spent in the village library were finally paying off.
But then doubt crept in. 'Wait, is the man even saying something truthful though. Much of what he said doesn't even make sense at all. Eating and barbecuing a fire breathing lizard ten feet in size and what-not. That couldn't possibly be real, isn't it?' El added inside his mind, skeptical of all the man's bragging.
"Sigh, you were hopeless kid. I really can do it, alright," the man insisted.
"… hahaha. Hahaha. You are funny sir," El replied, laughter bubbling up while he paused in between his laughter, treating it as a kind of a joke.
"Oh c'mon, even after seeing all those magic, you still don't believe me?"
"Even if magic is a real thing, all I read in the book is, they sacrificed human or animal to the devils they worship. They can eject fire from their hand, burning a building. Or they can curse someone to death. I never heard or read magic that could make someone strong physically."
"Oh, wow kid. You are really smart, aren't you? But don't always go by the book. It sometimes can be misleading, alright?" the man advised.
"Hmmm. I think book is always written by the writers who knows its way around that particular knowledge. Not just some random onset to write something. They are pioneers of literacy. They gave me so much knowledge outside of the village," truthfully, it had been the first time for El to talk that much, and he had even felt slightly offended by the man when he said that books could mislead him.
But what could he say? Books were what accompany him in that village through all the pain in his stomach out of hunger. The villagers said it was impossible to concentrate on anything, especially to learn something by reading a book if their stomachs were empty. But for El, it had never been a problem. Discovering a wealth of knowledge and information beyond the daily struggle for survival, he was truly grateful to those writers who dedicated their time to writing such books.
Even if it was just a mere children's fairytale, El could always derive some form of realization from it, making the next day and even more days ahead more bearable for him.
And look where it got him right now. He had survived it all, now living in a city, taken in by a man rather suspicious but El believe he was a trustworthy one nevertheless – and even enjoy having a great meal.
For El, this was a dream come true. At least, it felt that way to him.
…