Chapter 15

Vicious heat was being produced from a ball of nen, burning everything it touched. The swordsman had picked up his right arm and started to sprint off to escape the heat.

He had decided that his arm and his life was more important than trying to kill the kid. In his head, the wound inflicted on him must be caused by his nen ability that allowed wounds to be replicated on the aggressor. It could possibly mean, killing him would lead him to his death. Not a good trade off. He also did not have the time to suppress him, especially without his right arm.

Taiyo, however, could only hop away in a single direction, using his right foot. The blood flow from the wound had stopped due to him contracting his muscles.

Miki was somehow still soundly asleep in the midst of situation.

Then a connection broke when the ball of heat expanded even more. The blood pact that Taiyo had created his father was gone and nen rushed into his body.

"To think that my father's blood limited my strength, how fun." He thought.

Miki then woke up, confused and scared.

Her brother's eyes were bleeding, with weird symbols implanted in both of his scarlet eyes. Cut wounds were riddled over his body. His right arm was gone, and she looked down to see his left foot disappeared. Her mum and dad were also not there.

"Brother, where's mum and dad?"

Taiyo bit his lip and ignored her, continuing to hop forward, whilst sniffing the air to find sea salt.

"Brother, please answer me," her weak voice demanded, she tugged on the ripped shirt of her brother," where is mum and dad?"

"Listen Miki, please stay quiet, when we reach the sea, I will tell you what's going on, okay?"

"Pinkie promise?"

"Pinkie promise."

Her small hands reached to Taiyo's firm pinkie and interlocked it with her own.

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He hopped forward, never stopping.

When there was an obstacle, he would use brute force and swing his leg without the foot to break it.

If it did not break, he would activate break the sound to break it. Most things would be unable to resist the force of something moving at the breaking speed of sound.

If it were an animal, he would just send his blood lust to scare them off. Nevertheless, if the animal still dared to fight against him, then he would just swing his leg to obliterate it.

He continued to hop, with his sister quietly breathing in his arm.

After a couple of hours of continuous hopping, he smelt the salt in the air.

"Miki," he asked, "do you see any boats and the sea?"

"yeah." She nodded.

"Are my eyes currently scarlet?"

"Mhm."

When he heard her answer, Taiyo closed his eyes.

"Okay, Miki, could you get off my arm?"

"okay."

He then ripped off the rags that used to be his clothes and used them as a blindfold.

He crouched, "Miki, do you see a sack on my body?"

"Yes."

Taiyo was relieved that he still somehow had the sack on his arm.

"Miki, could you hold my hand?"

"u-huh."

A small warmth permeated on his palm.

"okay, Miki can you guide to me an area with the large boats and with a man that looks like a sailor."

"Okay." She then started to move and directed Taiyo.

They both treaded on to the road. Eyes stared at the injured teenager without a foot and an arm, and some gossips can be heard about why he would be holding hands with a little girl.

An old man with a big, large red nose could be seen drinking his bottle of vodka. He wore a sailor shirt and hat. His beer belly was pronounced and looked like a balloon.

He continued to drink, until he saw a little girl tugging on his leg. Behind her was a man roughly the height of 5'8, with only a singular arm and foot. Muscles decorated his body, and a piece of rag covered his eyes.

"This might seem fun." He thought while drinking his vodka.

"Mister, are you the owner of that boat?" She'd point at the large wooden boat next to the port.

The man gave her a glance and nodded, "yes, it is. Why?"

"Are you accepting passengers, good sir?" Suddenly, the blindfolded teenager spoke. His voice was young – too young, sounded like a 10-year-old rather than someone of his age. It was also quite dire and strained.

"Passengers, huh? of course we are, but were only departing in 4 days and were going to the Mimbo republic. The tickets will be 100,000 jennies for each passenger, but seeing how you both won't take much place, I'll sell them for you for 50,000 jenny each."

Taiyo crouched down to Miki. He was slowly regaining his sense of touch, but his sight was still the same, so he was still unable to see, "could you open the sack and see if you could take out 100,000 jennies for this kind man?"

Miki nodded and took out the jennies and offered it to the man. He'd gladly accepted it and gave her the tickets, "keep them safe, there won't be refunds or second chances if you lose them." He'd walk off in the distance to enter one of the large wooden boats.

"Now brother, where is mum and dad?" Miki gripped on to Taiyo's hand, however, in her heart she knew what happened to them from the conversation from the day before – she wasn't an idiot, she just wanted to hear assurance from someone she can trust.

"Miki, I think you know as well, but mother and father, they are…" Taiyo stopped. His heart was wretched, and his mouth wouldn't dare to say it.

To him, the 6 years in this world greatly outvalued the one he had before. His parent actually cared what he was doing, instead of ignoring him. They laughed at his jokes, did activities together and ate together. Something that never happened in his broken household in the past. It was refreshing for him. But to think that they were gone, it really twisted his soul.

But his hand felt the warmth of his sister's tiny hand. She was the only living relative he had left, and she only had him. He had to forget about them or the matter of revenge and concentrate about the future and present, so he spoke, "they are in the skies, in the stars, somewhere up there looking down on to us, somewhere up in the clouds waiting for us." He then used his only arm to embrace her, "so please, until then, don't be sad, please listen to this selfish request of your brother, I'll do the best to give you the life they couldn't give, so please…"

He wanted to cry. He wanted to slaughter the world. He wanted revenge.

But if he did, what would happen to her? The only warmth in his life? Would she be able to survive without him?

The answer to those question terrified Taiyo, so he hugged her harder than he had ever before, never wanting to let her go.

"…be happy and live."