Stronger and Sea

Chapter 9
Part 1 - Stronger

Fiery light shimmers around my arm, seeping out from the markings’ heat. I twist my hips and use the momentum to drive my fist forward. My punch cracks open the thick wooden barrier Rayon created, exposing him behind it. Rayon launches himself upward with roots to escape.

“Dammit,” I mutter; I nearly got him.

From above, Dima dives down, driving his knee like an arrow. Rayon uses one of his vines to redirect Dima slightly, making him just graze past Rayon's body. Rayon drops back to the ground.

“Not even clos…” he starts to speak with a smug smirk, but cuts off, startled, as a spear whistles past.

He barely evades; the spear nearly trims his nose off. It pierces through a thick tree, leaving a clean hole. Rayon's eyes go wide open at the sudden attack. Elda stands far away, breathing heavily, her body’s markings fading.

“Ugh! So close!” she complains in disappointment.

Not so smug anymore, Rayon nervously looks at the hole and swallows.

While he’s distracted, I rush in. This time! Drawing in from the air and earth, I heat up my whole lower body through the markings, turning the energy around me into my own. I push down and then up. Faster than ever, my fist explodes toward his face, twisting and driving my fiery arm forward. Rayon wraps a vine around my wrist, trying to hold it back. He can’t. I'm stronger. My fist brushes his cheek, but I lock my muscles to stop short.
With my fist pressed to his cheek, the warmth from my body cools. He looks down at me, raises his arms and admits:
“I give.”

“What did he say?” Dima asks as he pops up from the broken ground.

“I give, I said!” Rayon repeats louder.

“...Really?” I ask, surprised.

Rayon just pushes my arm away and smiles.

“No way… did we…?” Elda asks with an open mouth and raised eyebrows, walking to us.

I look at them both.

“We did it,” I mutter.

“We did it!?” Dima asks, not believing it.

“Yes! We did! We beat him!” Elda screams and rushes over.

She grabs our hands and dances around.

“We beat him! We did it! We did it!” All of us yell in triumph.

Rayon crosses his arms and laughs.

We’ve spent three months in the jungle. Every day we’ve trained, sometimes going hunting or helping the farmers in the fields. Dima was able to use the markings’ power first. He has explained to us how he thought about their mother, how he and Elda were taken away. That’s when he first felt the energy from around him, like it wanted to help. Our bodies bring it in through the markings, turning it into heat, fueling our muscles and organs. Even our senses get heightened: smell, sight, hearing, touch and even the sense of living.

Just a few days after Dima awakened his powers, I started getting the hang of it. I’ve always used it with anger, and it’s still a part of the trigger. But now I can do it with a calmer state of mind, and I know how to interact with the energy from the world around me. Sometimes, I can even control what part of my body heats up. I’m the only one who can do that so far, but all three of us can use this power, even if Elda was the last…

As expected, Dima was not above teasing Elda about being a late bloomer. It took a couple more weeks of Dima’s immature teasing for her to get the spark of fury she needed. He stopped when he saw the tremendous power she can unleash, not to mention her developed spear technique.

The Danar have warmed up to us more and more. They yell and wave as we run through town. Still, some people are shy or give us some uncertain looks. Kids often tease and run away laughing, especially at Dima. It gets Elda laughing every time.

“Come sit. I want to give you a toast,” Rayon says back in his home.

We’ve lived here for months. Every day, Rayon provides for us.

“I have called you warriors before, and I did not lie. You were in spirit. But today, you are in body as well as mind! So…” he says, raising his cup.

So do we.

“Cheers!” he yells, loud as always.

“Cheers!” we yell, matching his loudness.

Rayon has prepared a huge meal. This time there’s plenty of meat. We all eat, talk, and laugh. My heart warms at their joy. I never thought I could be this happy in this world, having people I care so deeply for. We feast until the sun goes down.

Outside the house, I stand and look out at the moonlit jungle. Creatures' voices echo through the great trees. I think about this world—and my last.

“Are you thinking about it again?” Dima asks, coming out to join me.

“Yeah, I am,” I say, yawning.

We have talked like this many nights, sometimes with Elda too. He has told me about how he used to live in a small Avi village. It used to be hidden in mountain valleys, somewhere in Baiin territory. The territory is a big mix of races. Even though there are slavers, it’s better than being near the Mir’s military. The village was peaceful for many years, until…

He told me about his mother’s death at the hands of slavers and how they burned down their village. After he and his sister were taken, they were brought to the Baiin capital, Haoul. That’s when they were bought by the Baiin with the scarred eye, Erich. Apparently he is one of the biggest slave merchants in the region, and Haoul is his main base, which is the case for many others like him. Haoul is a city of money; its king is driven by it. That’s also the case for many other Baiin people. As I saw in the Mir town, they are most often merchants, being the only race that the Mir lets into their territory for their economic benefit.

“So, you still haven’t remembered anything else?” Dima asks me from my side.

“No… I just remember the same thing over and over… how my Ara—my mother—died. And then me,” I say.

Dima puts his hand on my shoulder.

“One day you will remember. Until then, you have us,” Dima tells me.

“Thank you,” I say.

Part 2 - Sea

We are back at the hall where we had our trial, this time standing. Rayon stands beside us.
Avon, the one who held our trial, sits in front with his striking gaze.

“You want to cross the sea to Baiin territory, you say?” Avon asks, looking conflicted.

“Yes, sir!” we all say, as if we're still on trial.

“Why not stay here? You are more than welcome after how much you’ve helped us,” Avon asks with a kind face.

“We want to help our own people, and… I want to find out more about this world,” I answer for us.

Avon glances at Rayon, who smiles back.

Yesterday, we told Rayon that it was time for us to go, that we have to find our people and help them. Even with his usual tough bearing, I saw his sadness, and that he was proud.

Avon stands and speaks:
“Very well, I’ll help you. But know that the path you’ve chosen isn’t easy.”

“We know,” Elda says loudly.

“I can’t go with you, but I can tell you where to go. I’m certain that you can handle the rest yourselves,” Avon says, with a smile.


Rayon gives us gifts—graduation presents. Clothes, backpacks, food, and tools. He’s done so much for us, so I want to give him something back. I fetch my knife, Hunter, which I haven’t used in months, and hand it to him.

“That was in my ribs, you know,” I tell him while handing it over with a smile.

“I see—thank you,” he says, letting out a small, confused laugh.

We head out. The townsfolk and kids yell and wave as we get further away, and we all wave back.

Avon told us that slavers usually cross the sea in boats, from Baiin territory into theirs, to avoid the dangerous jungle. Many are caught by the warriors after arriving on land, and taken care of, so to speak. So he assumes that many boats are left on the coast, hopefully some that are still intact. That’s what we're aiming for, heading there with Rayon as our guide.

It’s a two-day trip to the coast from the city, so we have to set up camp on the way. We make a fire on top of a huge branch, where we will spend the night.

 
We eat dried vegetables and reminisce:
“I’ve never seen Elda act so girly before, jumping and screeching after she used her powers to smash that boulder,” Dima says, making us all laugh.

“I didn’t act girly! You’re the one that went completely pale, as you should, after teasing me for being last,” Elda snaps back at him, looking smug.

Rayon and I tear up with laughter.
Rayon breathes out, clearing his throat. His expression turns serious—almost sad. He pauses; we all stop and listen:
“As a warrior, I wish for you to use your powers for your people. But as just a man... I ask you to come back to see me again.”

His eyes glisten—the most vulnerable I’ve ever seen him. All three of us bite down, trying not to cry.

“We will, with plenty of good stories," Dima mutters, looking down.

“I’ll look forward to it,” Rayon says, smiling lightly.



The sun is almost all the way up in the sky, the briny smell strong. Through thinning trees, light splits through with shimmering blue in the distance. As we pass the last line of jungle, the view fills our eyes. The ocean stretches as far as the eye can see, with light blinding from its surface. White sand and shore rock stretch far along the coast. Flying creatures draped in blue feathers cruise the sky, calling. We all stand and watch, with our feet buried in the sand and the cool breeze washing over us.

Not far away, a rolled-up red flag lies on the shore.
It’s quite a small boat, around seven meters long. It has a mast and sail, as well as a stern rudder. It also has a few small holes.

“I think we can fix it up, right guys?” I ask the others.

“Yeah, I hope so,” Dima answers.

Bits from other boats litter the beach—broken planks, nails, iron fittings—and several hulls lie wrecked, big and small.

“I think we can use all this stuff to patch it up. The biggest problem is using it,” Dima says.
He’s right; none of us has ever handled a boat. We have no idea what we’re getting into.

“Then practice!” Rayon says, loud enough to make us turn.

“It is time for me to go. I know you can handle yourselves without me,” he continues.

All three of us line up in front of Rayon. He has his arms crossed, just like when he used to scold us in training. But his face is different: a smile with a hint of sadness.

“You possess great power, and hearts. I am proud to call myself your teacher, and I am proud of you…” he says, turning around.

“Warriors do not cry when sending each other out in battle,” he says.

Tears are streaming down our faces.

“Yes, sir,” we all mutter.

“I will let it pass this time. Until I see you again, Avi children,” he says in a voice softer than ever.

As he starts walking away, we all call after him:
“Thank you, sir!”

He waves, not looking back.