A Boy Draped In Moonlight

“Forest-dwellers are magical beings of a unique race. Nature has weaved itself in their extremities, whether it be in the form of moss, stone, gem, or bark. Many scholars hypothesize that it is their profound, bone-deep connection with the land materialized upon flesh.”

—Robin Benz

The person begins speaking. It’s a string of melodious, round sounds that flow smoothly, interspersed with a few clicking noises. I can’t understand this language, but I can tell by the loudness of his voice that his intent is not good.

I shrink back, gritting my teeth. I drop my bag and raise my hands— an ingrained reflex. Mirei backs away slowly, sinking behind me. There is but a mere pond separating us and the threat, so any escape I try will not leave me much headway. Even worse than that, neither me nor Mirei have eaten for three days. My muscles quake, my stomach feels like it’s turning inside out, and I’m chilled to the bone. If this guy attacks, it’s over.

But will he?

He is still standing still, slightly bent forward, arms guarding. Silence reigns over swaying grass and a gentle breeze. I hear a faint tinkle of beads in his direction. Then, his arms lower. A short, clipped noise falls from his mouth. Is he irritated? Just as I’m wondering what I did wrong and how to show piety, a blast of wind charged with energy rolls across the pond and straight into Mirei and I.

“Who are you?”

This time when his mouth moves, the syllables morph into those of Japanese. I grab blindly behind me until I feel the cotton fabric of Mirei’s dress.

“Get next to me, Mirei,” I urge her. The person’s head tilts to the side, watching Mirei take a tentative step into the open.

“I said, who are you? Answer.” That low voice returns, this time more angry. Did he cast magic to eliminate the language barrier? Or is he using something else entirely? I can’t parse out the truth with his potential wrath right in front of me. I’ve got to come up with a plan to get this guy off our backs. Should I bluff and say I’m the ruler of the cosmos? Or should I act like some lost traveler? The latter is basically true. My eyes dart in all directions as I bounce ideas around. Every second I spend thinking, his face darkens considerably.

“Brother… say something!” Mirei pleads.

I steel my nerves— I’ve got no choice. So, I declare:

“I’m just some guy… don’t mind me… and this is my little sister, she’s harmless and weak… ahaha…”

That’s right: my strategy is to get this guy’s pity!

He narrows his eyes. “‘Some guy?’ You do not speak any language I know and you do not look like any race I am familiar with. State your birth country.”

I bite my lip hard enough to bleed. What a cruel person, without an ounce of empathy! Eventually, I respond with the truth. “Japan. My sister and I are not from here.”

I instantly recognize that this peaks his interest, for he stands up straight, completely abandoning his defensive stance. One foot steps in front of the other, continuing even into the pond water. As the water reaches his thighs, petals and duckweeds part against the layers of ebony, teal, and white that form loose trousers. When a ray of moonlight catches on him, I can make out his features fully.

I do not expect the soft curve of his nose, the gentle set of his eyebrows, nor the slow way he approaches. It’s as if we were a pair of frightened animals that he doesn’t want to scare off. Tension keeps its grip on me but my sense of danger becomes blurred. Mirei’s dress sleeve is still tucked in my grasp, and it better stay that way.

Finally, the boy stops just two feet away. “How can it be that you’re not from anywhere here?”

It’s all I can do to shrug my shoulders. Right now, my heart is beating so loudly that I can feel it in my skull. This guy looks no older than me, and yet he is adorned in riches: a heavy necklace braided with jade and gold lays upon his bare chest, matching with a thick belt loosely wrapped around his hips. When the water swirls just so, I catch a glimpse of gossamer white silk trailing behind him. He is so regal that I absently wonder if it’s a prince that breathes before me.

My train of thought breaks when he places his hand—now human-like and sporting sharp, black fingernails— square over my heart. I gasp and Mirei jolts beside me. “H-Hey, what are you—“

“Shh, be quiet little girl,” he bites back. His gaze stays locked on me, concentrating. I dart backwards and, after letting go of Mirei, hold up my arms in front of my chest. If he can wield magic, I absolutely cannot let him touch me. Even without regarding my unstable constitution, whatever spell he’s trying to cast on me could be malicious.

My mind buzzes with apprehension. “What are you trying to pull?”

The boy before me raises his eyebrows before slowly bringing his hand up again. I watch it warily. “I’m trying to identify your magic type. That will tell me your race. Just hold still.”

I’m still reluctant to do as he says, but he’s insistent and powerful. I let his hand lay over my heart— may death greet me here if it’s destiny, I suppose. Mirei shuffles a little closer and eyes my chest.

“It’s glowing. Are you okay?” She asks me. I look down at the palm emanating a benign green light.

“I think so. It feels strange in my chest, like someone’s sifting through my soul.” I purse my lips. Then, I add, “I don’t like it.”

The hand’s light dims and then abruptly lifts off. He wrinkles his nose while telling me, “Something’s off. It’s like you have Life Magic in your heart, but Death Magic in your head. And…”

He lets his hand fall to his side and glances behind him at the pond. “Something else. I don’t recognize that magic. But regardless,” He turns back to me. “You are very weak. Not just physically, but magically. Let me look at your sister.”

I’m baffled. I have magic in me! Although it’s weak, I can’t believe it! I’m pulled out of my thoughts when I see his hand get near my sister. I grab it on impulse.

I gulp. That was not the move— his eyes are smoldering. I quickly say my piece: “I don’t think it’s fair for you to touch my sister’s magic without even giving us your name first!”

He releases a soft exhale through his nose. He absently scratches his waist before muttering something I don’t quite catch.

“Huh?” Mirei mutters.

“I said my name is Roo Benz.”

Roo.

What a cute name for a guy with such an oppressive aura!

Roo’s jaw clenches. “I know what you’re thinking. Stop it. Now let me look at your sister.”

“…Alright.”

He squats down in front of Mirei. The same happens: green light surrounds his hand when it covers the area over her heart. She makes a constipated face and squints at me. “Brother, it feels like someone’s doing surgery on me or something.”

“How do you know what surgery feels like?”

“I just do!” She blows out her cheeks. It reminds me of a goldfish…

I cough to cover the smile pulling on my chapped lips.

Roo rips his hand away like he’s been burned. I jolt at the sudden movement and Mirei frowns.

“What? What’s wrong?” Mirei’s voice is laced with panic.

Roo shakes his hand out, light fizzling away. “Nothing. I just looked too closely at that mysterious magic. You both are the same. Except this one here has a bit more of Life Magic. Perhaps it’s because she is younger,” he offers. Then, quietly, like it was under his breath, I catch him say, “Who’s ‘harmless and weak’ again?”

My mood sours. Disregarding that last comment, I watch him rise from his crouching position. “Well, what race do you think we are?”

“I don’t know. Each race has its own magic. For example,” Roo raises his hand high in the night sky. I watch, completely dazed, as the silhouette of it morphs into sharper claws and gains rougher edges against the moon. “I am of the Living. This land is my birthplace and, therefore, is the source of my magic.”

Roo turns away from us and saunters back into the pond water, toward the direction he came. That sheer cape of silk glides behind him. It’s beautiful— like a fabric weaved from moonlight. As he treads, he continues speaking.

“The kind of magic that nourishes this forest is called Life Magic. I discovered that there was a disturbance in the flow of the leylines, so I came here.”

Roo signals with his dripping hand, back in human shape, for us to follow. Mirei and I spare each other a glance charged with trepidation. She has this curious glint in her eyes, though. I can tell she wants to follow him. So, I offer her my hand and she grasps it. After I bend down and grab my school bag we begin walking around the pond to catch up.

“It is my job to assess any intruders and deal with them accordingly. I do not feel any malice hidden in your hearts, nor do I fear your magic. After all, it’s the weakest I’ve ever seen in someone else,” Roo muses, gesturing at us casually.

“Okay, and?” I urge. We dip behind the wall of pink and green foliage and hike up a worn path. Roo must have walked here innumerable times. Perhaps this pond is a place he comes to often and we had the unbidden fortune of teleporting near it.

“And, my decision for how to deal with you is to bring you back to my city.”

A toothy grin lights up Mirei’s face, whereas my eyes narrow. She whoops and exclaims, “We’re going to a city! Yay! Is there food? A Bed? Air conditioning?”

Roo glances back at her, confusion written all over his face. “What is… ‘air-condish…?’”

“Air conditioning,” I supply. “We have it in our home. It’s a machine that blows out cool air during the summer.”

Roo stops suddenly, causing us to bonk into his back. It’s sweaty. Ugh.

He whips around, green eyes bright with wonder and excitement. “Cool air?! Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”

He starts blabbering on about “craftswoman” this and “heat sucks” that. After several minutes, Roo finishes with a decided huff. “I am taking you to Master Arena immediately. I don’t care if you are useless and unskilled foreigners. You have incredible knowledge that can become a machine in this world!”

I find myself guffawing at him. How this guy managed to insult my entire being while praising me at the same time is beyond me.

“Yay! Off to Roo’s city we go!” Mirei cheers.