The boy who’s bored

The vibration of celebration and cheering rumbled through the stadium. Flashing lights spread across the black night sky as a group of people in large robes and square hats stood up.

An old man walked on stage holding a microphone.

“Now, without further ado! The class of 722 may–”

The old man was quickly cut off by a younger boy who was wearing a long robe and cap, throwing the cap in the air, and yelling:

“Let’s get the fuck out of here!”

With those final words, a stadium of people erupted into screams, cries, and chants. A barrage of square caps was flung into the air, charged by excitement.

Everyone seemed excited and happy. All but one, one boy, one boy who never stood up, never threw his cap, never even smiled.

That boy is Zane Kugel, a young boy with dark black eyes, bright white hair, and earthy ebony skin. He was wearing a dark red gown with a similarly colored cap.

His eyes were unmoving as if he hadn’t registered the milestone he just achieved.

It was as if the milestone never happened, or didn’t matter at all.

The ride home didn’t help his feelings- this odd feeling that what just happened didn’t matter. That all of those nights studying, working hard on projects, all of that and none of it, nothing matters.

“Zane? Sweety, are you okay?”

A feminine voice spoke from the front seat of a car; the car was small and quiet, only room enough to fit a few people.

Next to the woman driving the small car was Zane, looking out of a window; behind the woman was a little girl resting her head back.

The woman driving had rather light brown skin; her hair had a mix of black and red, and a tattoo was hidden behind her long-sleeved shirt.

This woman was Aunt Mari.

She spoke with an oddly gentle yet stern tone in her voice.

“I’m not talking to myself, am I?”

“No, no, I…”

Zane cut his own response short; it seemed like he was trying to find words he wanted to keep hidden. As if he was scared to admit that he didn’t really feel anything when graduating.

“I’m okay, just tired.”

His words were weirdly convincing; there was a mix of raspiness and a soft exhale with each word, which made his aunt truly believe the boy was tired.

The car’s engine hummed a soft symphony as they drove through a city of people, trash, and random shops.

This city was Zero City.

Stopping at a red light, Zane and Mari witnessed a giant truck blow past them. The truck was black and red, and there was giant lettering on the side spelling “Spirit Hunting Company Number 7”

“Another spirit loose? How many is that today, eight?”

A question that wasn’t meant to be answered. Mari looked at her nephew, glancing at him to see if he would respond.

But there wasn’t a response.

Just a boy pondering to himself, something he doesn’t do often. But when he does it, he gets really into it.

He didn’t get it.

Why? Why doesn’t he feel anything? Why doesn’t he feel excited, worried, sad, or happy?

Why does he feel–

A loud bang interrupted the boy's thoughts.

“Hmm?”

He shifted his gaze from the car floor towards the front window as he saw a group of people fighting a spirit that looked like an angular fish with giant humanoid legs.

His aunt clicked her tongue, tapping her fingers on the wheel.

“Well, shit, looks like we’ll have to go the longer way home.”

Even when cursing, her voice sounded comforting. As if she was voicing what everyone in the car was thinking.

However, she quickly remembered that she had a young daughter in the car and quickly checked to make sure that she was asleep.

Luckily, she was.

Backing away from the chaos in front of them, Zane couldn’t help but watch as the group of spirit hunters fought this odd-looking fish man.

Each member of the team seemed to have a part to play; it was like watching a football game where each member knew exactly where and when to be for each other.

But there was one member that stood out, one member that stood on top of a rooftop. She had dark blue hair, a sword on the right side of her hip, but it was hard to tell what type of sword it was.

She stood there with her arms crossed, looking down onto her own team.

Watching, judging, learning.

But Zane watched as the team of such a mesmerizing woman accidentally knocked the fish man into the river and lost sight of it.

Nonetheless, the night and drive must go on, and his ride home continued.

It took a second, but eventually the Kugel Family got home. Zane carried his cousin out of the car, towards the door, and into her room, setting her down into her bed.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

A familiar voice asked. Aunt Mari walked up to her nephew, rubbing his back as he looked to the side.

“Yeah, I’m good. Just shocked.”

“Shocked? What do you mean?”

The question almost pierced through the shield Zane set up- this shield that he had never set up before; it was a heavy shield, one that had to come down eventually.

“Yeah, I just–I don’t know. I don’t really know how to feel right now.”

Genuine confusion hit Mari’s soul; she didn’t know what to say; she really isn’t used to these types of situations.

Before she could even attempt to pry any thought, Zane stood up.

“I’m gonna go on a walk. I’ll be back later.”

He was too quick; he had to be because if his aunt was even allowed to utter the words “Wait, stop, hold on.” He would’ve stopped, he would’ve listened, but he just couldn’t right now.

The door nuzzled against the framing, a small click ringing across the house.

Each step he took was quick, yet aimless. As if he had somewhere to be but didn’t have the right address to go to.

But after thirty minutes of wandering Zero City, he came across the Red River.

The river flowed smoothly southward; calm, gentle waves brushed against the shores of the river.

The obsidian eyes of Zane tracked the undulation of the river.

“What the hell is wrong with me?”

A simple question with a not-so-simple answer.

His eyes looked both into the water and past the water at the same time. As if he was watching the space in between.

“Just what the hell–”

“AH! Help! Help me!”

His self-monologue was cut off by the scream of a young boy.

“Huh?”

“Help me!”

Quickly looking towards the sound, he found his eyes searching into the water. The river's calm waves quickly turned into aggressive signs of a struggle.

Not a moment later, Zane saw the thing making all that noise. A young boy with bright red hair, he was struggling against a giant fish-human.

“Wait a minute, isn’t that?”

It was the same fish-human those spirit hunters had been fighting earlier. It dislodged its jaw, slowly trying to shove the young boy into its mouth.

Without a second thought, Zane ran towards the nearest staircase downwards and jumped into the river from a safer distance.

“I’m coming, hold on!”

Penetrating the river, Zane swam as fast as he could towards the fish-man spirit and child.

The waves fought against the young boy as he pierced through the river.

“Back off, Jack-off! This little boy is mine!”

“AH!”

The fish man cupped a ball of water in its right palm.

“Take this, you little shit!”

Moving as fast as a schoolboy on a bike, the ball of water shot towards Zane.

SWWWSH!

SLLLLSHHH!

The water ball slammed against the river, the bottom of the river visible for multiple seconds.

The water caved into itself and then outwards, disrupting the flow of Zane’s strokes towards the fish spirit.

“Shit! Little Shit! Little Fucking Shit! Die!”

Once more, the fish man threw a water ball and once more it missed. Zane kept swimming towards the young child.

He extended each arm out, reaching, hoping that he could get to the kid before anything bad could happen.

“I said back off! Back off and Die!”

Throwing a third water ball, Zane felt his entire body jolt downwards into the water and against the river floor.

“Ack!”

“No!”

“Bwahahaha! Die! Die! Die–”

Before the spirit could celebrate, it felt a piercing sensation in its left eye. It couldn’t understand.

What was it? What was making its left eye go crazy with mind-bending pain?

Plunging his left fingers into his left eye, he plucked out a small rock.

“The hell? What–when–how did this—”

With its only working eye, the spirit scanned the river, but the only thing he saw was the young boy.

“You! This is your fault!”

“No! Wait, I–”

“Enough waiting!”

The fish spirit picked the small young boy up with just one hand, a hand big enough to cover most of his body.

It roared at the young boy.

“It’s feeding time!”

“AH! Help me! Someone, please help me!”

A glimmer of light flew past the young boy and into the left eye of the spirit, right at the same spot the spirit plucked the rock out of.

“What the–”

The spirit dropped the boy, and as the young man descended into the water, Zane jumped up towards the young boy.

“It’s okay! I gotcha!”

Using the downward momentum of the young boy’s descent, Zane grabbed the boy's arms and spun in a downward circle, throwing him out of the river.

Zane let out a sigh of relief once the young boy got up from the spot he landed at, but that sigh didn’t last long as the fish spirit picked Zane up.

“You little shit! You bastard, you fucking asshole! I’ll eat you! I’ll eat you alive!”

His breath slowed as he stared the spirit down; he saw as the fish man dislodged his jaw. A mix of Solivia and sharp teeth greeted Zane’s eyes.

He saw as the eyes of the spirit rolled back as his mouth drew closer and closer; he took one more breath before–

Slash.

His breath, Zane’s Breath, was cut in half. He didn’t even blink as he saw the spirit’s head was cut clean in half. Ash followed as its upper and lower halves separated.

He tried his best to understand just what exactly had happened.

Blue hair. That same blue hair, that dark blue hair. So dark that you could mistake it for the navy blue night sky.

That was the color of the hair of the woman who saved me from a river spirit.

I was just trying to protect a young boy. I was walking around after getting home from my high school graduation.

God, what a bore.

But I never really was the “Heroic” type. So why I decided to risk myself instead of letting the pros handle it is beyond me.

I just kinda…moved.

Speaking of moved, my body moved into the river once I was done being amazed by this woman who completely soloed this weird ass fish spirit.

“Damn you! Mark my words, you bastard, I’ll remember this!”

Will that damn spirit shut up? Just die quietly already.

As my body plunged into the river water, the dark blue-haired woman picked me up and threw me towards the young boy I just saved.

I barely missed the boy, but as long as he was okay, I didn’t really care.

Again, I’m not the “heroic” type, but I don’t know, something about protecting someone else felt…kinda right?

But as soon as this new feeling appeared, it faded away, and everything got boring again.

Great, and just as I was starting to like this feeling too.

It’s been like this my entire fucking life. I feel something new, and then it fades. Hell, sometimes I’ll never feel anything from the start.

It's not like I don’t want to feel anything; I just don’t.

“Are you okay?”

The dark blue-haired woman spoke; she had a slim body figure with baggy black pants and a grey tank top.

Her eyes were piercing red. Like a serious, demonic red.

She leaned closer to the young child.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks to the mister over there.”

“Hm? That mister? So you don’t know that man?”

“Mmm Mmm, Nope.”

Her red eyes pierced my soul as her attention shifted to me.

“How about you? Are you okay?”

I didn’t bother with a drawn-out response; I was so bored out of my mind. But I knew that if I suddenly left, it would become a problem later on.

“Yeah, I’m good.”

Her eyes seemed to focus on me; I mean, really focus. It was kinda chilling. The red shade of her eyes didn’t help.

“What?”

She didn’t respond to my question; instead, her nostrils flared, and she quickly plugged her nose by holding it shut.

“You seriously smell.”

“Well, sorry! I had to save a damn child; it’s not my fault the river smells like ass!”

What the hell was that? I rarely get emotional like that.

Never mind, I just need to get the hell back home and take a nap–

“I would like you to walk this young boy home, Sir.”

“Huh?”

Me? Why me?

“Um, are you sure? Isn’t that part of your job?”

“No.”

Her response was so blunt I nearly fell over.

“I hunt spirits, but since you seem to be just a hero, why don’t you walk this boy home?”

“I–well…”

Damn it. I guess I could; it’s not like I got anything exciting at home.

I stood up and took the hand of the young boy.

“Thanks, Mister.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Taking a step forward, I was stopped by the dark blue-haired woman. She looked me dead in my soul.

“Before you leave, I’ll need your name.”

“Huh? Why?”

“You fought this spirit; thus you contributed to its defeat.”

“But you did most of the work by killing it, right? What credit should I honestly take?”

“You protected a young boy while I was wasting time trying to find the spirit; without you, this boy may have been hurt far worst that he is now.”

But who wouldn’t try to save a child?

“My name is Zane Kugel, but you can just call me Zane.”

“Joan of Company Seven. Thank you; it’s nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, same here.”

Honestly, for a split second that feeling came back, like it’s the feeling you get when you feel like you’ve done something better for the world in some way.

Even if it's a little bit, it's good enough to feel good about it.

Nonetheless, as fast as she was introduced into my life, she quickly left.

I took the young boy and walked him home. The walk was anything but quiet. He kept rambling on, and on about stuff he saw on the way home.

It was a mix of “Snack shops” and “Ohh that looks cool!” just the wonder rambling world of how a child views their surroundings.

But I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t find it fun to listen to.

But like all fun things, this had to come to an end when I dropped the kid off at his house.

So with nothing else better to do, I walked home.

I quietly opened the front door to the house.

“Why do you smell like a wet dog?”

Welp, there goes just sneaking into my room.

“I-well–”

I couldn’t think up some bullshit fast enough.

“I thought you said you would just go on a walk?”

“Well, I was but–”

My aunt crossed her arms and gave me a “look”, you know that look. The look that tells you to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

“I-I fought a… a spirit.”

“You what!”

“I-”

Quicker than I could react, she closed the distance between us and began slapping my chest.

But… honestly, her slaps were soft. Like really soft. Is there such a thing as negative damage? Or would it be positive damage?

Anyways, I tried my best to explain myself.

“Look, Aunt Mari, I–”

“I thought I told you that if you see a spirit you run the other way!”

“Yeah but–”

“No! Don't you understand? You and Annie are all I got left! If I lost one of you I–I–”

“Aunt Mari?”

Welp, now I've done it. Here I am, standing in front of the door with my own Aunt crying.

The Best Nephew of the year award won't be mine anytime soon.

“Aunt Mari, just let me explain, please?”

She looked up at me with those teary eyes; she looked like a puppy that was left outside for too long.

After pouting for a second, she nodded, finally allowing me to explain myself but not without rhythmically punching my chest as I explained.

But again, soft punches.

My explanation was quick and to the point, but weirdly enough the part of my explanation she seemed to care the most about was–

“So you met a girl?”

“...”

She nudged my side with a sly smirk on her face. God damn, it is annoying.

“Was she nice? What's she like? Is Annie gonna get second cousins soon?”

“Are you deadass?”

She poked at me over and over again. That smirk never leaves her face.

She’s acting as if she caught me in the act of sneaking out to meet with someone in secret. But I’ve never been the type to hide things from the people I love.

But of course that wouldn’t matter much when it comes to her. Once a story is spinning in her head, it will revolve round and round until it spins out.

“Stop it.”

I tried to stop the story that had begun to spin in her head.

“Aw, look at you, you’re trying to hide it, but I can tell when my nephew is in love.”

It’s no use. Now she’s just saying shit to say shit.

“I’m going to my room.”

I walked past my aunt, but as I stepped closer to my room, I kept hearing her giggle to herself. But eventually it stopped, at least I think. Once I closed my door, I was far enough away from her to barely hear her giggles.

My bed was practically begging me to lie on it, and who am I to not respect its request?.

I plopped onto the bed with joy in my heart, but like all things in my life, I got bored of that joy quickly.

So I shifted my attention to my hand; it was my right hand. The same hand I used to chuck rocks at that spirit I fought just a few hours ago.

The thing is, that fight was weird. Really weird, super weird.

Truly, I’m not much of a thrower. But when fighting that fish thing, I was pitching like a pro baseball player.

“Weird…”

I looked at my hand; I stared at it.

I know that in high-tension situations, normally people can lift cars to save their own children.

But what I just did felt a little off from that.

You see, in this world there are normal people, and then their is Spirit Hunters.

I’m not sure how, but Spirit Hunters can do some crazy shit; in fact, every two years they hold a Spirit Hunter Tournament in Phoenix City.

The tournament is the only time where normal people like me get a good look at Spirit Hunters.

I don’t know how they do it,t but from what I’ve seen. They can do things like control the elements, conjure, and I even heard that there is a Spirit Hunter that can bend reality.

All that and yet no one seems to know how, and yet now here I am thinking stupid shit like “maybe I’m one of them.”

There’s no way I’m so fucking bored that I’m thinking of stupid stuff.

“Stupid…”

My hand, my hand that was able to throw a rock in a river faster than a bullet. This hand, a hand that belongs to a man who lives a boring life.

Boring, boring, why is everything so boring? I was bored after saving that child; I was bored after graduating; I probably was bored after I was born.

Am I doing something wrong?

“What’s wrong with me?”

Knock Knock.

“Huh?”

A knock at my door; it could really only be two people: my Aunt Mari and my Niece Annie.

Either way, I made sure to quickly stand up and walk towards the door. Twisting the handle, I opened it to see my aunt.

“Hey, honey, can I talk to you?”

Talk to me? What about? And if she wanted to talk to me, why not do it before I went to bed?

“Yeah, what’s up?”

She walked into my room without asking. Sitting on my bed, she patted a spot next to her.

I quickly sat next to her,

“What did you want to—”

“Are you okay?”

That question threw me off. “Are you okay?” she asked me just a few hours ago, but it wasn’t as direct. She was driving, so she probably wanted to wait until we got home to ask again.

“I–”

“And please be honest, you know I’ll just keep pressing if I feel like you’re lying and you’re a bad liar.”

It’s not that I’m a bad liar, but more like she’s really annoying when she thinks I’m lying.

To be fair, she’s usually right.

“I don’t know what it is, but you seemed rather off after graduation. I’ll be honest, I was kinda worried.”

This isn’t the first time we’ve had this conversation. Last time this happened, it was after someone stole and wrecked my first car; she thought I might have depression since I didn’t seem to care.

It’s that lack of care that seems to bother her.

She doesn’t know that for me it isn’t a lack of care but more of an excess of boredom that seems to brew in my mind.

I really don’t think I have depression. But then again, even if I did, would it matter? I’d be bored nonetheless. But weirdly, I was never really good at explaining that fact.

It can’t be helped. I gotta be blunt, but that bluntness isn’t for her. It was for me. So I can explain it easily.

“It’s hard for me to explain, so please try to understand.”

She nodded, an acknowledgment to tell me to continue.

“I’m just… I’m just so bored.”

“Bored?”

“Yeah, I don’t really get it, but I feel this…this sense of boredom with everything I do; every aspect of my life makes me bored. School made me bored, working made me bored, I make me bored, I…I hate it.”

I didn’t even bother looking into her eyes; she was probably taking it personally and was getting mad at me.

“Even now, at this moment where we are having a deep conversation, I feel bored.”

There was a small pause, but that pause was way too long.

“I…I don’t get why; I don’t understand what is wrong with me, what I’m doing wrong.”

I felt a quick slap against the right side of my cheek; it wasn’t hard enough to hurt, but it was just enough for me to snap out of my train of thought.

Before I could react, she began to speak.

“Enough of that!”

“Huh?”

“There isn’t anything wrong with you!”

Is she just saying that to make me feel better?

“Listen here, I think the issue is that you don’t have something you’re passionate about.”

“Passionate about?”

What is she talking about?

“Look, it’s not like you want to be bored, right? It’s just that you don’t feel the need to get excited.”

“Huh?”

I need something to feel the need to get excited?

“Honestly, I’ve been thinking this about you for a while. You never were the type of guy to do impulsive things, so that should be your start. Do something impulsive.”

“Really?”

“Yeah! Do something crazy!”

She let out a huff, as if she was proud of herself, which I will say I don’t necessarily hate her idea, so I guess she should feel proud.

It wasn’t a bad idea; not only that, but I already thought of something.

To do something even I thought was impossible.

“Thank you, Mari.”

“No need to thank me, I’m your aunt so it’s my job to help you out when you–”

“I’m gonna become a Spirit Hunter.”

“Huh?”