Morgan followed the path Adam had indicated to get out of the forest. He walked and walked until, along the way, he found what appeared to be a navy blue and gold carriage, with silver wheels and two black horses tied to it. It looked quite luxurious… too much so for being in the middle of nowhere.
Filled with curiosity, Morgan approached the carriage to inspect it, wondering what something so elegant was doing in such a remote place. He stroked the horses, who reacted surprisingly calmly to his presence.
"Wow! I've never seen horses this big… What are you doing here, friends?"
(Morgan said kindly.)
While observing the carriage's cabin, he peeked through the windows to see if someone was inside. Sure enough, there was a man with short, slightly wavy, reddish hair, dressed in humble, simple clothes. He was kneeling, covering his head and turning his back to Morgan, as if praying for his life.
"What is he doing…?"
(Morgan said, confused.)
Intrigued, he began tapping on the window to get the mysterious man's attention. As soon as he touched the glass, the man jumped in fright and, with slow, trembling movements, turned his head. When their eyes met, Morgan, wearing his best smile, gave him a friendly thumbs-up.
Instead of relaxing, the man became even more startled and jumped back, hitting his head against the carriage wall.
"AAAAAHHHHHH!"
(He screamed, terrified.)
Morgan, clueless, also started screaming and frantically looked around, trying to figure out what had terrified the man.
"W-what's going on?! Where?! Why are we screaming?!"
(Morgan said nervously.)
"Please, don't hurt me! I beg you! I have a wife and a child on the way!"
(The man cried out, trembling with fear.)
Morgan, feeling a little offended, pointed at himself incredulously.
"Me??"
The man nodded frantically.
"Ah… I just had déjà vu…"
(Morgan said, remembering his first encounter with Iliana.)
To calm the situation, Morgan stepped away from the carriage and, using his kindest tone, tried to reason with the terrified man.
"Come on, friend. I won't hurt you… You can come out."
The man slightly raised his head, revealing half of his face through the window. Morgan smiled and waved at him, but the man still didn't seem convinced.
Morgan noticed his distrust and started thinking of ways to gain his confidence. Suddenly, what seemed like a brilliant idea (to him) crossed his mind.
"I got it! Maybe this will work!"
(Morgan said, snapping his fingers.)
He moved even farther from the carriage so the man could see him completely.
"I'll show you I'm not dangerous!"
Striking a dramatic pose, he stretched out his arms, stood on his tiptoes, and, with all the confidence in the world, shouted:
"TRANSFORMATION!"
Morgan held his heroic pose… but nothing happened.
The man inside the carriage stared at him in utter confusion.
"What is this guy doing…?"
(The man thought, puzzled.)
An awkward silence filled the air. Morgan's proud expression slowly turned into one of pure embarrassment.
"O-o-one more time…"
(He muttered, blushing.)
"TRANSFORMATION!"
(He shouted louder.)
But again, nothing happened. The color in his face shifted from red to deep burgundy.
The man, who had been terrified before, now only felt secondhand embarrassment for Morgan.
"I think he's lost his mind…"
(The man whispered to himself.)
"W-what's happening...? I was supposed to… I should be able to transform or something…?"
Morgan collapsed to his knees and buried his head in the ground, feeling utterly consumed by shame.
"Ahhh, how embarrassing! What did I just do…?"
(He said, completely mortified.)
The redhead, seeing his state, opened the carriage door and, with a hint of compassion in his voice, asked:
"Hey… buddy… Are you okay...?"
"Ahhh, I want the earth to swallow me whole right now!"
(Morgan screamed, burying his head even deeper into the ground.)
The man approached him and began patting his back, as if comforting a child.
"There, there… It's okay, it's okay…"
(The man said, with a mix of pity and amusement.)
"Ah… now he pities me…"
(Morgan thought, feeling even worse.)
He slowly lifted his head from the ground and, with his dignity in pieces, asked:
"Are you… not afraid of me anymore?"
The man, now more relaxed, smiled.
"No… I've definitely never seen a Zorath act like you in front of a human."
(The man responded calmly.)
"Oh… well."
(Morgan replied, more at ease.)
"Also, don't worry. We've all been through that stage."
(The man said, patting him on the shoulder.)
"Huh...?"
(Morgan asked, confused.)
"Yeah, you know… that whole… 'TRANSFORMATION!'"
(The man said, imitating Morgan's pose.)
Seeing the imitation, Morgan immediately slammed his head back into the ground, feeling more humiliated than ever.
"JUST KILL MEEEEEE!"
(He screamed, dying of embarrassment.)
The man couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"You're quite a curious one, my friend."
(The man said, still laughing.)
"So… what's your name?"
(The man asked between chuckles.)
The young man with pink hair, still with his pride in shambles, lifted his head from the ground and replied in a defeated tone:
"Morgan… My name is Morgan…"
End of the chapter.
Next chapter: The Cruelty of the New World - Part 2.