Bonds

''So Aalish care to respond?'' He asks while standing next to where the explosion was.

''I'm not Aalish'' A girl's voice meets his ears.

Just as Yota looks down to look at where Aalish is supposed to be he's met with an unfamiliar face.

''Oh! And who are you supposed to be young lady?'' He says while trying to get a hold of the situation.

her face facing downwards covered with hair.

Without any words, she rises her finger stained in blood to point where Aalish is.

Yota with his hands in his black suit pants.

He looks in the direction Ovia is pointing to see half-dead Aalish barely keeping his strengths to sit.

He's covered in blood, exhausted, his Ectoplasma is so-so, I thought he would do better. Unless the opponent was one of the family head's 20 Electi that would explain why he lost.

His eyes avert from Aalish to see a man with white hair flowing through the air.

''You are?'' With a cold tone, words came out of Half-breed's mouth expecting a fast answer.

''I'm just a chariot driver, but I'm here because I promised this kid to help him if anything goes wrong, but at the end, he couldn't call for me, so his companion did.'' He explains in detail.

''I'm not going to call you a chariot driver, so drop your name.'' Half-breed says with a hard angered voice.

''Yes, yes do not worry I will tell you my name, but you have to tell me yours too.'' Yota requests with a smile.

''Sure, since I hate being called Half-breed, I'd like to tell you, but I'm not allowed to tell my real name so just go with Half, half-breed sounds weird. What about you?''

''My name is Yota, Yota Enki.'' He says while being confident with words.

''Enki?'' He says while smirking.

''So, are you ready Half? I need to protect this kid, that was the promise.'' He says with seriousness in his voice.

''I don't care about that or about you. I just need to end this kid's life and take the other one with me.'' Exhaling he says in to bring some light into his eyes.

'' So do you get what I mean, I don't need to fight you I can pierce his chest any moment and then just steal the kid next to you. I don't care about fighting fair, I have to do what I have to do, which is the easiest way or hardest doesn't matter all I have to do is get this task done.'' He tells him with a serious face.

''Does it look like I care what you have to do?'' In the same moment as those words are said Yota's gone.

Vanished? Where is he? I can't feel him, anywhere.

Silence… I can't hear him, feel him, or see him. Well then-

Just as Half tries to pierce Aalish's chest, he's gone.

The kid disappeared? There's no way… What about the other one?

'' Well then let's get started.'' A voice comes from his left.

He looks toward where Ovia is supposed to be, to see Yota and Aalish also there.

''C'mon, aren't you going to attack?''

I didn't see him, he just disappeared without any trace. What did he do?

Again, Yota disappears, Half looks around dumbfounded.

Where the hell is he? I'll focus on searching unfamiliar Ectoplasma.

I can feel the girl's Ectoplasma clearly, I can't feel the other kid that much he must be exhausted.

But I still can't feel that old man!

*THUD*

Blue? Light blue? Oh, that's the sky.

Kicked in the chin makes him fly into the air.

*Ugh*

It hurts. It's ringing in my head now.

''Let's take this to the sky.'' Yota says with confidence.

He must be a persistent fella even after a kick in the chin he's still keeping his consciousness

Half retakes his balance in the air 25 meters away from Yota.

He exhales and inhales before starting to talk.

''Enough with this cloak-'' he takes his cloak off, rolling it up and making a fat scarf out of it. The clothes he's wearing under are black cargo pants with a black turtle neck t-shirt.

''Is it getting hot?'' Yota asks with a smile.

''No, it's different. It's just annoying.'' Half says while fixing the scarf.

''The scarf or me?'' Yota asks.

''Both-'' He replies with a cold voice.

Yota smiles, but suddenly his expression changes to a surprised one.

''OH, OOH! Look down there!'' He says panicking.

Half looks down to check what's so surprising under him.

With Half looking away, a sound of a newborn pillar's made.

? What's tha-

In a millisecond a huge pillar grows from the ground punching him into his stomach.

Half stutters and coughs with a hard expression.

''You have a Geo attribute?'' He says while getting himself back up to stand in the air once again.

He coughs again after finishing his sentence.

''Yeah, something like that, but you should be careful Half. Those are some serious injuries.'' Yota answers with a voice changing from positive to concerned.

''Shut up!'' He sprints toward Yota while running in the air, disappearing just a moment before him.

?

He is quite smart, already figuring my technique from before, but I'm sorry to show you that the technique you copied is just a poor imitation of the original.

Half is just about to strike Yota's neck from behind, but…

out of nowhere another pillar crashes into his chin from below.

''Aagh!''

_____________________________________________________________________

The screams he's letting out are painful, I can't look up because of his hit from before. I need to get me and Ovia out of here. But I can't even speak let alone talk!

C'mon, c'mon, I need to get all of my Ectoplasma to get on my feet.

My legs. They hurt and feel so heavy, that the thought of these legs not being mine has crossed my mind countless of times, it's just in my mind, it's not that they aren't mine, I can clearly tell that those are my legs. But still, I don't want to accept that this is me right now. A hopeless, powerless, beaten close to death bystander. I want to help; I want to help Yota. I want to protect; I want to protect Ovia. But I can't. I can't do it if I DON'T STAND UP!!!

The Ectoplasma gets heavy, I can feel the flow being a little clearer. But the image I'm having in my head isn't the river she was talking about. The thing that I'm imagining is a fire struggling to burn, that fire tries and tries to find the fuel to burn more, but fails to do it.

Why?

Because the fire is in a cold place not suited for him.

The mixed feelings of protecting and helping.

The selfless act of will.

The feeling of responsibility.

Are keeping that fire from burning to its fullest.

Those feelings are the wind, and I am the fire.

We both can't stop until we have a source to eat from.

The winds won't stop, just as I won't stop burning.

How won't I stop burning?

What's the fuel?

What can make me burn and light more?

It's trust, bonds, relationships

No matter what kind of relationships, whether they are about hate, love it doesn't matter.

Those bonds and relationships, the thought of knowing that another person has some kind of bond with me.

Make this fire shine through the darkness.

''Can you stand up Aalish?'' A beautiful voice reaches his ears.

He looks up to see her comforting face.

*hmpf* ''Of course I can.'' He says with a relieved voice.

''I'm glad to hear that.'' She replies with a smile on her face while reaching with her hand out.

He grabs her hand, tightly.

''Thank you, Ovia.'' He says with a soft voice while getting himself back up

Thank you Ovia…

Because of you…

This fire shines through the darkness.