Growth

A muddy child—arm bleeding, tears flowing down his face—stands before me. His eyes lock onto mine, pleading for mercy. My grip on the weapon falters.

In a flash, his hand darts toward his wand. I fire before he can raise it.

He didn't get the chance to fire. I'm sure of it.

And yet, my chest burns—blood gushes from me like a fountain.

I return to my allies, hoping to get some treatment. All I'm gifted are glares and slander. "Wild beast", "Murderer", "Son of the deceiver".

They shut the gates, cutting me out.

…

Crossing through the thick jungle, I find it: a modest pile of hay, barely a home, but tight enough to offer refuge in this hollow world.

Or that would be the case, had it not been vacant.

I scan the surroundings. I need someone. Anyone. Before I bleed out.

Far away, into the horizon, my eyes glimpse their figures.

He waves back in an exaggerated manner. It looks dumb, but I can't be upset at him.

Her innocent smile brings tears to my eyes, and makes me wish I could get closer, hug her, cry in her arms.

Regrettably, both turn away and walk off.

I sprint with all I have, desperately trying to reach them.

To no avail.

The abyss between us widens no matter what I do.

They vanish into the endless horizon, and I'm left in solitude.

I collapse on my knees, bash my head into the ground, cursing all. I'm aware that getting mad will accomplish nothing, but what else can I do?

…

A voice calls. I lift my head—my dearest mother is there, within reach, smiling warmly. Her clean, delicate fingers point next to me.

Looking over my shoulder, I see her. Hoshina. Mere inches away. She presses her right arm against my chest. The pain fades.

I cling to her so tightly I'm afraid it might hurt her, yet I can't bring myself to loosen the grip.

Whatever happens, I can endure it as long as she's by my side.

༻──⋆༺𓆩⋆𓆪༻⋆──༺

A FEW DAYS LATER…

Kaji follows Fuhai and Raba into the vast room. Above, seated on raised platforms, several elders gaze down at the three of them.

His two allies introduce him, briefly repeating the points they'd shared when requesting the meeting, like Kaji's 'adventure' in the lower world and the discoveries he made.

Afterwards, Fuhai and Raba back off, leaving Kaji alone to deal with the weight of stares.

Kaji relaxes his hands to remind himself to stay calm, and begins his explanation.

He addresses the expected questions. "How will you find the enemy core?", "Do you know how to pilot the steed?", "What if you fail? We'll lose our biggest ace along with our rarest magical artefacts."

This last one does require some in depth justification. He needs to make clear one simple thing:

"We are already destined to lose as things are."

"The invaders are much stronger than us. We're only holding our ground because their progress was delayed by internal issues."

"We have no other way to win this war. Even if we piloted our ship to attack them, we'd never triumph in their own territory. And if we try to run away, they'll chase us down. They won't let us escape until it's over."

The last part is a lie. But running away wouldn't prevent the Kaizokuren from attacking and ruining other civilizations, something Kaji and Hoshina are determined to stop.

Fortunately, the elders don't question that bit. They're already taking in a lot of information. However, right before Kaji can continue his explanation, another elder talks.

"Is it true your father was a deceiver?" A man with a particularly punchable face says.

Kaji tenses at the question, teeth and jaw clenched.

Knowing that his father didn't abandon him, and even sacrificed his life, Kaji has to consciously suppress the burning feelings that try to arise. He must give a calm response.

"I don't believe that's relevant to my current proposal."

"It's very relevant. You are asking us to trust you with our most important resources."

"That's a valid point." Another voice agrees. Kaji suppresses a grunt.

"But the boy does have the support of Fuhai and Raba. They trust his plan." A less annoying old man adds.

"What if they've been fooled?" The big mouthed geezer says.

"Do you truly believe our best warrior would be deceived by a mere kid?"

"You both are getting off-topic, we should…"

The geezers start discussing among themselves, they forget about Kaji, and he himself starts ignoring them as their voices mix in a meaningless blur.

Why is it always the same?

Am I that unworthy of some basic fucking respect?

Is everything I come up with wrong just because I'm the one saying it?

How about I just fucking forget about this island and leave them all to their fates?

…

Kaji feels a pressure in his chest. Pleasant, mild, cooling off the heat.

He's certainly feeling it, although there's nothing touching him.

I can't abandon them…

They are self-centered and think themselves better than me, but that's not enough to warrant death.

If I walk away when there's a chance I could save these idiots, I'd be proving them right, admitting that I'm a worthless piece of thrash.

And that's without taking into account the countless innocents that would be involved.

All the bitterness Kaji wanted to throw at the geezers is now turning back at him.

He doesn't want to be the disgrace they think he is.

He doesn't want to stay a mere murderer who kills for self preservation. If he can do something more with his life, like stopping this war, that would change everything.

They don't trust me.

But it makes sense, I wouldn't rely on someone I just met either.

When did I start believing in Hoshina…?

…

"I'll put my life on the line!" His firm voice summons silence in the room.

"What do you mean, kid?"

"You were already supposed to risk your life going to the enemy base, unless you were lying," says the distrustful elder.

Kaji pulls his clothes and reveals his chest. Red scars all over, and a metal lid at the center.

"There's an energy gem in my chest," he takes it out. "It keeps me alive. And without it I can't last more than an hour. It's a bigger variant than the ones used for wands and armors, but smaller than those from steeds."

"Where are you going with all this?"

"When I infiltrate the enemy island, I'll only take one half charged gem, and leave my spares with you. If I'm not back in around 4 days, I'll die."

Several voices whisper among themselves; he catches a few positive remarks.

"Bah. Your idea is full of holes." The distrustful one rises above the murmurs. "You can find another one in enemy territory and desert us right after."

"Permission to speak." Raba adds.

A serene elder nods. "Allowed."

The grumpy geezer scoffs as Raba walks up next to Kaji and examines his gem.

"I have never seen this variant before. I believe they might be rare, so much so he'd struggle to find a spare even from the enemies."

Kaji nods. "In the world below they are used for everyday furniture and artificial light. However, almost all artifacts in our islands are weapons, so they're rare here."

"I believe the boy's argument is solid."

"No, it's not!" The man is fuming. "He can steal the steed and go live down there!"

"I'll also leave my spare masks with you. Without them, the contamination would kill me eventually," Kaji responds.

Another half lie, since there are more than enough spares in the structure where they lived.

"Stop making stuff up!" The other elders are giving their companion doubtful looks.

Kaji finally gets it.

It's not as simple as being right or not.

Your background isn't everything.

The way you act also matters.

The act of convincing others is annoyingly complex.

But at least—this one time—Kaji appears to be succeeding.

And he's managed to remain calm against provocations.

An elder raises his hand. "There's not much else to discuss. I propose we start voting. Who's in favor of approving this plan?"

Hands raise. Two, three, five. Only one remains down.

"Fucking idiots. If we die I'm never forgiving you." The last one raises his hand, to save face more than anything.

"It's decided. After the next battle, this war will conclude. Whether our cities are still standing by the end all depends on your success."