At the foot of the hill lay barren fields, and to find something to eat, one had to venture to the communal garden about a few hundred yards away.
The local farmers had plenty of gardens, and vegetables were considered so common that they weren't worth guarding. If you wanted something to eat, you could just pick a few cucumbers or grab some corn, and no one would mind.
Lucas Ross arrived at one such garden and couldn't help but swallow. This was his grandfather's garden which had now been converted by Mrs Smith, though he was the one who mainly tended to it.
The little greens and beans in the field were lush and vibrant, and not far off were some of his favorite tomatoes.
"Too bad these tomatoes aren't ripe yet," Lucas muttered, touching the green tomatoes and swallowing again.
But as his left fingertips brushed against the tomato, a wisp of black mist suddenly emerged. The tomato, enveloped by the dark mist, withered at a speed visible to the naked eye. Conversely, a wisp of white mist entered Lucas body.
In mere seconds, the unripe tomato, along with its stem, turned into a piece of charcoal and crumbled to ashes with the slightest breeze.
"What the heck!" Lucas said obviously shocked.
Witnessing this bizarre scene, Lucas's jaw nearly dropped to the ground.
He tried a few more tomatoes, and without exception, the same thing happened.
"This is... freaky!"
This time, Lucas used his right hand and reached for another green tomato. To his surprise, a faint white mist suddenly burst from his right hand.
Wrapped in a white aura, the once green tomato began to grow, reaching the size of an adult's fist, and finally turning a vibrant red, clearly ripe.
Lucas quickly stopped what he was doing, picked the tomato, and eagerly took a bite.
"Oh my..." came his reply as he was evidently enjoying the tomato.
He swore he had never tasted a tomato so delicious. The juice was like a sweet fruit, with a refreshing aroma that left a delightful sweetness lingering in his stomach.
With this discovery, Lucas used his right hand on the remaining tomato plants, repeating the same process. After trying it on a few more, he realized something important.
His left hand could wither and kill the tomatoes. But if he used his right hand, the tomatoes would grow faster and become sweeter and even more delicious.
Thinking back to how he had healed Anna's illness with his right hand, Lucas had a moment of clarity.
His left hand controlled death, while his right hand controlled life!
This was a really big shocking discovery.
With such miraculous hands, the possibilities for his future seemed endless. Lucas thought excitedly.
He quickly ripened a few more tomatoes, then looked at the unripe ones and smirked.
"Mrs Smith, I'll make sure you don't get any tomatoes this year...isn't tomatoes your favorite vegetable?"
Lucas began to use the dark energy from his left hand, turning each tomato plant into black ash.
However, after finishing the last one, he suddenly felt dizzy, as if his energy had been drained.
He quickly sat down to rest for a moment, and once he regained some strength, he muttered to himself
"It seems this power isn't limitless. I'll have to be careful using it in the future."
Lucas stood up, took off his jacket, and packed a few tomatoes to take back for Anna to try. He hadn't gone far when a voice called out,
"You little rascal, you've got some nerve stealing unripe tomatoes. Aren't you afraid Tasha Smith will break those tiny legs of yours?"
Turning around, Lucas saw a man with a sharp face and wearing a gray jacket, smirking at him.
"Madman Davis!" Lucas frowned slightly.
This guy, known as Madman Davis, was a troublemaker, always up to no good and causing mischief. No one in the town could control him when he went wild, so they just tolerated his antics. This earned him the name "Madman Davis"
Davison Walkers swaggered over, his tone dark, clearly angry with the way Lucas Ross addressed him.
"What did you just call me? Do you think you can call me Madman Davis just because others do, what even gave you the right to do so?"
"Everyone calls you that, why can't I?" Lucas replied casually. He really didn't know any other name for him.
"Others can call me that, but not you!" Davidson Walkers sneered, "You, a nobody, think you're worthy of using my name?" he said pointing at Lucas.
"Say that again and see what will happen to you" Lucas said coldly.
In the past, he would have just ignored this notorious troublemaker, but now, with the legacy of Ramas, he wasn't afraid of anyone or anything anymore.
"Oh, you've got some guts now, huh? Talking back to me," Davidson spat on the ground, squinting his eyes.
"I called you a nobody, so what? You gonna hit me?"
Smack!
Lucas slapped Madman Davis cross the face, his anger boiling over, his eyes like those of a wild beast, radiating danger.
Five finger marks were clearly imprinted on Madman Davis's cheek, which quickly turned red and swollen. Davidson Walkers saw stars as he held his swollen face, eyes wide in disbelief.
"You... you dared to hit me?"
"I'll take down punks like you any day," Lucas said coldly, his hands behind his back.
"Anyone who calls me a nobody again will get their legs...infact their entire bones broken."
"Damn it, not only am I calling you a nobody, but I'm gonna beat you to a pulp" Davidson Walkers shouted, rolling up his sleeves and charging at Lucas. Malnourished and scrawny, Lucas had always been an easy target for Davison's bullying. But today, Lucas had the nerve to fight back, and Madman Davis was determined to teach him a lesson.
Smack!
Before Davidson Walkers could even get close, Lucas slapped him again.With a thud, Madman Davis fell face-first into the dirt.
Lucas grabbed him by the collar, lifting him up effortlessly.
"Wanna try saying it again?" he challenged.
Davidson Walkers flailed his arms wildly, like a rabbit caught in a snare, his expression panicky and out of control. He couldn't comprehend how this outcast, who everyone in the town looked down on, suddenly had such strength.
"No, no, I won't do it again, Lucas. I'm sorry, Lucas, please spare me" Davidson pleaded, his face pale. It was the first time he'd seen Lucas so fierce, lifting him with one hand, which was something that even the town's butcher couldn't do.
Terrified, Davidson hoped Lucas would just let him go.
"Get lost!" Lucas said dismissively, tossing Madman Davis aside like a ragdoll. Davidson Walkers flew several feet through the air before landing heavily in a vegetable patch.
The patch was filled with young greens, recently fertilized with manure, and unluckily for Madman Davis, he landed headfirst into the muck, covered in filth, looking utterly pathetic.
Lucas spoke coldly, "Tell those guys, if they call me a nobody again, they better be ready for me to hit them very hard!"
"Won't shout anymore, won't shout anymore..." Madman Davis scrambled to his feet and ran, utterly shaken by lucas's terrifying strength.
As Lucas turned and walked away, Davidson Walkers, after only a few steps, felt embarrassed for being scared by someone everyone thought was just a pushover. He stopped and shouted angrily
"Lucas, you just wait. I'm going to tell Tasha Smith and let her deal with—"
Smack!
Before Madman Davis could finish, Lucas had already thrown a tomato at him.
Madman Davis felt a sharp pain on his face and his head spun as he fell back into the vegetable patch.
"Help, a ghost!" he screamed.
This time, Madman Davis was truly terrified. He scrambled to his feet and ran as fast as he could, afraid that if he slowed down, Lucas would come after him again.
Watching Madman Davis's panicked retreat, Lucas smirked.
"Hmmm...." he scoffed "Tasha? Perfect timing! I've got a score to settle with her too."