Reunion

Note from author: If you're confused on where's where (location-wise) I kinda dropped it. I've no sense of place. But, I do have time. So, when I put a name of a country/state/city don't think about it too much. Just think that everything's right next to each other. Sorry.

After the fight, the police, the fire department and the CCC arrived on the scene. Approximately a hundred people were found dead. Burnt to death. Heath, Sam, and Volta were scolded by Kai who arrived later on. They explained that Cryo took the Star Ring. The ring of the third Dayton sibling, Elena Dayton.

That's two rings that Shujin now owns. He just needed one more, the Gravity Ring of the eldest sibling, Asarath Dayton.

Derrick, Sam, and Volta went back to the school and Volta was brought to the infirmary to be healed. Sam laid in his room. Heath requested to go to Libra with the kid Theo. The kid said that his parents died in the fire that Ablaze caused. Libra was where Heath had someone to take care of Theo.

THE NEXT MORNING

In the middle of the outdoor training facility—the field—Nate had erected a thick and cold pillar of ice. The pillar was cracked and dented. It also had prints of blood on it. His fists were red and slightly swollen. He was sweating and panting for air. He had no shirt on. So sweat ran down his abs as he stood with his hands up. He had wrapped his hands with white cloth that were more red now.

He clenched his fists harder and started punching the wall again. No spells or magic of any kind. Just his raw strength. A jab, a cross, a hook, an elbow strike, a slap, a open palm strike. All in that variety just repeated over and over. Not sequentially. At stomach height, chest height, head height. Going up and down. With an average pace of four to six punches a second. With every punch, he chipped the pillar. Little by little.

Everytime he did a full jab after a sequence of attacks, he stopped. For a second or more. Then through the ice, he saw a figure far in the distance. He took a slight glance to the figure and it was a man. Wearing his yellow uniform. Wasn't Sam. It was Derrick. But, Nate doesn't recognize him. Doesn't even know who he is.

Derrick then started running around the field at full speed. He circled around it a few times in two minutes.

Nate didn't mind. He just kept on punching. After two minutes nothing really happened. Derrick took a glance at Nate a few times. Derrick then decided to stop behind Nate. He walks up to him slowly from behind.

Derrick stood quietly behind Nate. He then placed his hand on top of Nate's shoulder, which alerted him. Nate turned around slowly.

"Hey." Derrick greeted

An unwaning memory of abandonment flooded into Nate's head.

Nate then unleashed jumbled ice spikes from the heel of his shoe. Derrick dodges by propelling himself backwards with his feet. A good ten feet away.

The ice then retracted back into his heel. He was suddenly wearing his turtle neck shirt.

"What the hell, Nathan?" Derrick shocked

"Why?" Nate yelled

"..."

"Why now dammit!?" He yelled again, his voice cracking up

"..."

"Why did you show up? Why did you show up now?" He questioned

Derrick stood silent. No answer to convey. He wants to hear Nate out.

"Just after I gave up... Just after I stopped looking for you!" He state frustratedly

"Nathan, I'm sorry." Derrick apologized

"You're... Sorry? Sorry?!"

Nate made a long staff of ice. A few inches shorter than his height. He charged at Derrick. He starts to swing his staff. A blow to Derrick's right left knee, his left cheek, hip, chest. Nate swung and thrust with his staff. Derrick easily blocked and dodged every attack.

"Why did you leave!!?" Nate asked

Derrick dashed back and slides on the grass. "Oh, come on! You know the answer to that!" Derrick replied

"Why?!" Nate yelled louder

"..."

"Why didn't you take me with you?" He asked

"..."

"Why did you leave me with that abomination of a family?!" He asked as teardrops ran down his cheek

Derrick stood still and stayed silent. He glanced at the ground, he frowned. He loosen his fists and drops his shoulders.

"Why won't you say anything?!" Nate yelled angrily

Derrick was about fifteen to twenty meters away from Nate. Nate swung his spear horizontally. From behind him and swung ninety degrees, he had the tip of his spear pointed at Derrick. From the ground, rose a trail of ice. Jagged spikes with one spike larger than the rest leading them. The trail reached Derrick easily and quickly. Then it ceased to move adjacent to Derrick's left cheek.

A long pause from the two. All that was heard was Nate's sniffing and heavy breathing. Teardrops ran down his cheeks slowly.

"Wh- why'd you stop?" Derrick asked

"There's no point. You weren't going to dodge."

The ice then dissolved into cool mist. As the mist was subsiding, Derrick walked forth. Close to Nate. Nate looked down, tears dropped to the ground. Derrick stood a couple of inches away from Nate. He grabbed the back of his head and pressed him gently against his chest. Then Nate jumped forwards and wrapped his arms around Derrick.

"I left because I was selfish, Nathan. I couldn't bear the house. Running away was all I could think of. When I thought about you before I left, I thought maybe it'd be best if you stayed."

Nate didn't say anything, but he was listening.

"Between us two, you were the one that had potential as an actual sorcerer. So, I thought maybe you could be a great sorcerer if you stayed. And between us two, you were the one in line to be the head of the clan. So, I left because I didn't want to hold you back."

"Promise me... Promise me you won't leave again!"

"I swear. Until I die, I won't leave you again." Derrick swore