CHAPTER 4.2: K.I.D.: THE SPARK — RENUAQ

CHAPTER 4.2: K.I.D.: THE SPARK — RENUAQ 

[08:00] 05.01.2090

City of Haust, Country of Bordumond 

Mahabumi Continent

2305 KM to the Northwest of the JUSM Tower 

Around 5km to the North from Zuuri's House

<So, Dr.Hexdl, can you tell me the main purpose of the tower?>

<"The JUSM tower— reaching over 10Km into the Sky, can effectively collect over 98% solar energy received for the Mahabumi Continent. That way, it can redistribute equally, all that throughout the entire continent. Without causing any waste. ">

<Thank you Dr. Hexdl, what can you say about the underground energy source?>

<"By reaching over 100Km deep underground, we are able to utilize the heat and combine with the solar energy to bring warmth back to this planet.">

<I see. Thank you very much, Dr. Hexdl. Please excuse us for a moment. We will continue the interview after a short commercial.>

Renuaq took his hand off the knife like gadget. Which he used to connect different parts and assemble his inventions. And he lowered the volume of what looked like earphones, to a minimum from a rectangular device. 

It looked like a mobile. But the parts of many devices being attached together gave it an alien look. The back, was a vivid combination of red, blue, yellow, green and some more in different shapes and sizes. The front had stitches like marks, going both horizontally and vertically. 

It looked, as if a mad scientist gave life to a monstrous device on a rainy day. And it was suddenly struck by lightning. Leaning back on his makeshift chair, the small, mad scientist jokingly proclaimed. In a low voice. Almost like a whisper. 

"That Hexdl guy really knows his stuff huh.....but I— The best Inventor in the world, shall surpass him...ha ha ha..." 

To maintain the persona he playing in his head, he even faked a cartoonish laugh. It was just a stupid statement made by a child playfully. But as a joke of fate, his silly little statement was going to change the world. 

*BANG!!!* 

His new invention, or what looked like a hunk of metal stitched together, exploded. Without any warning either. 

 *Cough, Cough, ough...* 

The smoke black smoke that rose from it, assaulted Renu's lungs and hijacked his breathing. 

"R-renu.......what...was......that? A-are you...huff...hufff.....al-right...?"

A sickly yet soft and gentle voice reached Renu's room. Although he called it a room, it was more like a space separated by pieces of cardboard. Actually, it was only that. Just a thin layer of cardboard separated Renu and the sickly person. 

Renu quickly took a small air vacuum device and sucked the black smoke before it could reach the other side. His mind repeating the same thing. Frantically trying to avoid it. 

'shit,shit shit, the smoke is deadly for him....'

Controlling his racing heart and mind, Renu spoke loudly, enough to pass the thin cardboard but not as much to disturb irritate anyone. 

"Everything's fine Grandpa, something just fell down. There's still time for your medicine so sleep a little more. I'll wake you up when it's time."

"T-hank... you R-renu...th-then i-ll tak-e up on that o-offer. G-good N-night..... " Replied Renu's grandfather, as best as he could. 

On the otherside of the cardboard layer, was a bed. And top of it, was a frail old demonkin. His skin, the color of caramel. His hair color wasn't visible as there was no hair on his head or eyebrows. His eyes too were shut close. Making it impossible to see them. But even if they were open, nothing would be visibly. 

His hair, however, would have been a rich and deep obsidian tone. As indicated by the photo on top of the bedside table near him. There were two more people alongside him on the photo. A small child with Azure hair and a young women with hair identical to the elderly demonkin. 

However, there was one thing common in all of them. A pair of Milk colored, Pure white horns extruding from their foreheads. Although the child's were barely visible, the other two had fully grown, splendid horns, similar to a two horned unicorn. And if one thing was remained unchanged from the demonkin in the photo and the demonkin in the bed, was exactly that pair of horns.

Next to the photo on the bedside table, was a cube, the size of a desktop computer. But it didn't have the sleek and clean metallic design. Instead, it was bolted together. Almost as if stitched from various parts. Which explained the ridiculous combination of colors it had.

There was a huge hole cut out of the top while the side had multiple small holes. The top absorbed the polluted air. Cleaned it, and the sides distributed the cleaned, fresh air. 

The house, if it could even be called that, didn't even have 20 square meters inside those old and decrepit walls. Everything was either old and decaying or too toxic to use. If there was anything, professional or high quality looking, it was the machine attached to Renu's grandfather's chest. 

It had a sleek obsidian finish, with multiple tube connecting to his chest. A small screen on top had several information including live reports of his heart and other vital organs. They were depicted by white lines. If they went red, it meant danger. While green meant they were safe. 

On the otherside of the cardboard wall, Renu was still meddling with the exploded invention. Until he finally got a roadblock. 

"Hmm.....this doesn't seem right... I'll need to go to junkyard and find some new pieces after all....." Mumbled Renu while picking up his mobile. Tip toeing to the front, he closed the door very slowly. As due to the lack of space, any small sound echoed inside the whole house.

"I didn't wake him up, did i?... hmm... there are a few hours to give his medicine so i could search for a bit..... let's get going!!!" Renu mumbled as he started his march further north. 

He was already wearing multiple layers even inside. Because the temperature inside that old thing they called home wasn't different from the outside. And in top of it, he had a used pair of military jacket and pants he found in the junkyard. Both modified to fit the small stature of the 7 year old demonkin. 

It was only a few hundred meters to the junkyard but Renu's house was on the last residential area. As the snow wasn't being cleaned after that, the journey was quite difficult and arduous. 

But not for Renu. He had pieced together a small snow bike from materials he could find. And got it to work. He made his way behind the house. To where it was stored. 

"Ahh...this time i have this, ha ha....reminds me of all the times i walked up and down... but not today ha ha.....ha?" 

But soon his made up laughter died down. 

With a rustling sound, he took off the metal piece covering it. Only to find the "bike" was there. But nothing else. He had made sure to add a lock system to keep it in place and the lock system had indeed done its job too. 

But every other part was missing. Or rather stolen. Sighing as hardly as he could, Renu took out a government provided ration bar, took a bite and started to climb. Forgetting about his used-new snow bike for good. But his tongue didn't agree with his last action too.

"Yuk... these government rations really does suck... why can't they bother a little for us too.. I'm still going to eat but... do better damnit.... how the hell is the future greatest inventor supposed to live on these!!!" 

☆☆☆☆

[8:10]

Inside the junkyard

In the icy mountains

"Oh... i can use this... but it's too big to carry....damnit those robbers!!....If i see them.... well they'll kick my ass... maybe i could set some traps.... yeah... I'll do that.." 

Mumbled Renu, his thoughts wandering her and there. After observing the metallic arm he pulled from the junk. Probably a part of an old defense robot which were discontinued as survival became priority. 

But his thoughts were interrupted by a familiar sound. A sound like something cutting, or rather crashing through the air. 

*DRRAASHH, CRASHHH, THUD, THUNG, TING.*

Suddenly a huge sound of something crashing into plastic, metal and different materials was heard. And it soon followed with whatever crashed, rolling down alongside the things it crashed into.

"Who's there?" asked Renu while observing the piles of junk. His heart rate rose a little but there was a bit of excitement too in it. 

"Mee....." Renu's heartbeat quickly dropped back to normal. The it was something familiar. He heard a high pitched, soft voice that echoed throughout the junkyard.

"Where are you?" Asked Renu as his second question but he didn't get an answer for a few seconds. Then suddenly, he heard a voice which, was quickly getting closer.

"Up here!!" The voice got closer and closer until it crashed into the junk infront of Renu. He observed it and said with a soft chuckle. A bright smile plastered on his face. 

"Zuu... what the hell are you doing ha ha? Are you hurt?....ha ha..." Inquired Renu, unable to control his laughter. Because the girl didn't come, but rather face planted infront of him. Yet his eyes was gleaming. He was happy to see her. Very much so to tell the least. 

Standing up, the young girl spoke. Patting off the dust from her tracksuit. The blue highlights of her black hair and eyes glowing in the abandoned junkyard. Illuminated only by the light sunrays the far north received.

"I'm fine, I'm fine... but how rude... laughing at me when i simply fell... and it was because i came to see you too...." She said with a pout on her face. She crossed her arms and looked the other side. Renu stayed silent which prompted Zuuri to glance at him with three corner of her eyes. 

"Hu...hu...ha ha ha...."

Seeing that Renu was trying his best to not laugh, Zuuri was the first to Crack and start laughing. Which was soon followed by Renu joining in. As they calmed eventually stopped, Renu took it a step further.

"I'm most sorry your highness, I will bee more careful in the future around y-your gr- grace... hahh ha ha..." Unfortunately his flattery attempt failed too. Miserably too because he once again began laughing mid sentence. 

Zuuri's pout returned. But it was more calm. The kind of calm before the storm. She put she hands and legs in running position. Kicking off the junk beneath her feet, she launched at Renu with a dropkick. 

Like a speeding car, she zoomed towards Renu, which he dodged at the last second. Most because of the demonkins hightened vision. But he fell to the side alongside Zuuri. 

*BANGGG*

Now both were on the ground. Laid on the hard junk which had flattened over time. The pink lines in Zuuri's tracksuit becoming even more dirtier after rolling on the ground for multiple times. Meanwhile, Renu's outfit was already full with unwashble marks so he didn't care much. 

Renu straightened his back and shouted at Zuuri with an exhausted voice. Almost our of breath. His expression, resembling that of a man who almost fell from a rocking chair. 

"You idiot!!! Huff...huff...What the hell are you doing, you could have killed me..." Sitting next to him, Zuuri spoke confidently.

"But i didn't right..." winked Zuu after getting up and helping Renu to get on his feet. A proud smile radianting in her face. Renu glared a few seconds and started laughing. Zuuri started laughing too. After a few seconds both stopped.

But what Renu didn't know was that, Zuuri didn't laughed herself. While the position may have looked exactly as that, she actually flew towards him. And most recently, she had learned to stop mid flight at high speeds. So even if Renu didn't evade, Zuuri would've stopped in time before actually hitting him. 

Also Renu was right too. If that actually landed, it would've killed him instantly. And Zuuri knew it too. So she would've never tried it carelessly. Breaking the silence after the laughs, Zuu spoke first. As the eldest of the two. Not that she thought or behaved like that though. 

"How's your grandpa? Is his machine coming along alright?" Asked Zuu after finding a place to sit down and signaling Renu to sit near her. 

"He's the same as always, the machine still needs some parts though.....what about your family, are they alright? Is your father still nagging you?" Renu added, continuing the conversation while sitting down near Zuuri.

"Ya, everybody is fine, my dad is still annoying though ha ha, I went to help the earthquake victims one day and he scolded me for that too... can you believe it." Zuuri laughed it off and started again.

"Let's forget about that now, Renu, I'll help. Let's search for the parts together... You are here for that right??!!" 

"Thanks Zuu, then let's start searching... also i think your father worries about you so talk with him properly too okay?" Renu gently accepted Zuuri's help while giving her a little bit of advice. Which in turn was accepted by Zuuri too. 

"Yeah.... I'm thinking of apologizing after going home. It's just that i don't see him often so it's a little hard to talk openly. But today's the day I succeed!!! Ha ha..."

Declaring her resolve, both started the search, but Renu noticed that Zuu's face was wrong. As if there was something else she needed to say. As they met eyes, Renu smiled softly. As signaling to continue. 

Zuuri quickly grabbed the occasion and spoke again. This time a little hesitation mixed in her voice.

"Renu, By the way, after searching do you have some time....? We could maybe play some catch with ice balls!!" Zuuri softly murmured while searching. Renu's answer didn't take long. 

"Sure, let's do that..." Chuckling a little, Renu added with a soft laugh. As if breaking her nervousness. "Zuu.... sometimes i wonder who is the older one from us... but you know what....i like playing with you too so feel free to ask me anytime...." 

The promise was made. But neither knew that they wouldn't be able to honor it. It was snowing outside. But neither knew what they would witness just a few minutes later. Because, the ground shook. Making the two friends fall. Making everything around them shake violently. 

Almost making them fall and crash into them. But lucky they didn't. And then, the ground shook, again.