The sons of the red moon part 2

"Boy. Tell me honestly. It's not like you can't use your divine powers, but you are afraid of them," old man Haufen asked like a parent.

Haufen caught Rufus by surprise. Haufen knew perfectly what was bothering Rufus.

"I understand why you are so uneasy – apprehensive of what you are capable of achieving. I've encountered such battle-scarred men in my own time spent in the military. You're scared, and that's perfectly all right. Taking on such responsibility and feeling discomfort is part of being human – we protect and defend those nearest and dearest to us in spite of our trepidations.

"Fighting for fame or other gratuitous reasons will only lead to disaster; you must remember the cost of war, just like that mad nobleman Blausaber. Do not fight for those in front of you, but for those behind or beside you," Haufen clarified.

Rufus thought about Haley then, his only remaining kin. He could not bear any misfortune befalling her.

"I will use my powers," said Rufus confidently. Old man Haufen smiled slyly, almost like he knew something no one else did. He beckoned to Rufus and walked him over to the back of the bar. There was a single log on the floor.

"This is your target," old man Haufen declared. "Let's see what you can do. I only saw a glimpse of your power that night, but it looked powerful enough to me."

Rufus narrowed his eyes menacingly and pointed his hand forward, as if he were about to shoot an energy beam from his palm. Both him and old man Haufen yelled at once, believing something powerful would emerge from Rufus' hand. But nothing happened.

Rufus puzzled for a moment before turning to old man Haufen.

"Old man, why isn't anything happening?" he asked in confusion.

The old man chuckled, shaking his head embarrassingly.

"Believe me kid, I'm just as clueless as you are! If I had divine power do you think I'd be here in this crummy bar?"

"Oh, you two are so comically clueless right now," said Mrs. Jean with a chuckle as she stepped into the backyard," First, you have to know your power. You get to know your strength when you listen to it. You can feel it inside you, and you will learn how to control it and release it. Like THIS!"

A bright spark of fire lit on Mrs. Jean's finger, making old man Haufen and Rufus jump in surprise.

Mrs. Jean chuckled again at their shocked reaction, "What? Did ya'll forget about the time we spent at the bar? I always light candles like this!

"You see my dears, there are two kinds of divine powers. One that flows throughout the universe like winds of energy, which is usually wild and uncontrolled, and then there is the divine power that's inside living things, often inherited through bloodlines, BUT sometimes, someone is gifted with a unique magical blessing all their own - like YOU! You've been blessed with true original divinities!"

Mrs. Jean then pointed at Rufus. She continued to showcase her small but still impressive powers.

"I'm of diluted noble blood, and that lends me a small measure of the divine. It doesn't do much for combat, but it helps to light fires and tend to small flames," she said bitterly, "It's not much compared to my grandmother's gifts, but I have enough to do some good. What she taught me was simple: listen, build, release. All powers are different - they speak in different ways, and you must heed them if you're to make full use of them. Listen close and perhaps you'll learn something."

Rufus closed his eyes, quelling his taut nerves. He felt the presence of something in the air, as if a chill had descended upon him. It seemed unnatural, but he heard an ethereal voice beckoning him closer to the log in the center of the backyard. With his eyelids still sealed shut, he blindly reached up and felt a booming voice bellow: "DESTROY". He clenched his fist, letting loose a powerful blast that decimated the log into pieces.

As Rufus opened his eyes, he relished at what he accomplished, shouting out like a child who pedaled their bicycle for the first time. Mrs. Jean and old man Haufen were petrified with fear; a reaction that Rufus found peculiar. But then he took notice of his surroundings - The ground was split open in a shallow crater, and splinters of wood flew everywhere with remnants of smoke lingering in the air. Unbeknownst to them all, they were lucky not to have been caught within its range.