"Well, I am." I say bluntly. "Thought you were going home."
"Oh..." She giggles. "I decided to stay here for the night and keep you company." She sighs. "I know you're alone and lost."
"Thank you. But, I don't need any company."
"It's kinda getting late. Soooo....."
"Fine. But don't try anything funny." I say, cutting her off.
She sighs. "Thank you."
"Sure."
"So, what's for dinner?" She laughs and rubs her tummy. "I'm starving. And I guess you owe your new friend a favour."
I stare at her in disbelief. "Ok. Let's make some corrections to your statement. One: we're not friends....."
"Nope. We are." She says with a look of satisfaction on her face.
"Aqua."
"Yeah."
"We aren't friends!"
"We are."
"We aren't!"
"We are."
"We..."
She splashes water on my face, shocking me and cutting me off.
She laughs aloud. "See! I win! SO... WE... ARE... FRIENDS!"
Cleaning the water on my face and glaring at her, I say, "We aren't! And two: I'm not your cook or servant!"
"Why you being such a meanie?!" She says and pouts.
"Me? A meanie?" I sigh wearily.
"Yeah. Why are you being such a big meanie?!" She asks jokingly.
Before I could stop myself, I say, "And why are you being so desperate?!" She gasps. Realising my mistake, I say, "I'm sorry. I..."
"No. It's okay." She says with a smile, cutting me off. "I guess I went too far on the first day."
"No. I'm sorry. It's not like that. You..."
"No. It's ok. I understand perfectly." She says, cutting me off and increasing her smile. "Goodbye then."
She stands up and walks pass me.
I grab her wrist lightly. "Please! Stay."
"Mum will be looking for me." She says calmly, freeing herself and leaving the cave.
The cave becomes quiet and strangely dissatisfying. I walk farther into it and find a peaceful place. I lie on the hard cold ground and feel like an idiot.
"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! God, I'm so stupid!" I shout. "I can't believe I just sent away someone like that!"
After some minutes of lying on the floor in silence, I get up and begin looking around the cave for something eatable. I finally come across some fruits and nuts in a plastic bag, but they are wet, like they have been dipped in water.
'Water?! Don't tell me it's...!'
I stop the thought as I feel my stomach become surprisingly tense.
I look at the fruits and nuts in hunger. But, somehow, my stomach is saying otherwise.
I sit on the ground, beside the plastic bag.
"How will I apologise to her tomorrow?" I mumble to myself.
I look at the bangle around my wrist and reach for the chain around my neck, rubbing it the moment my fingers touches it. I release it and face the ground.
"Well, let's watch and see." I say and sleep off.
I wake up and yawn, standing up and walking to the cave entrance. My stomach, finally waking up to reality, growls in hunger. I run back into the cave and grab the plastic bag.
After some minutes, the bag is empty and I'm surprisingly full, with my guilty conscience gauge full too.
"Need to explore and train, since it's already morning." I say as I stand up and stretch. "Hey! Supreme advisor! You there?!" I say in a mocking tone, but receive silence.
'That's strange! Hey! You there?!'
Silence again.
"Hmmm. Maybe he is busy with his own life." I walk out of the cave and into the beautiful sun light that isn't too strong or bright, due to trees.
I inhale deeply. "Wow. Nature, sure is wonderful."
I begin walking around not knowing where to go or what to do. I decide to go to the town to look for Aqua. But I dispose the idea quickly, not wanting to draw attention to me and wandering if she would be happy to see me.
I continue walking, but stop the moment I hear a snap of something behind me. I turn around, but a dashing blow sends me flying and landing hard on a tree and falling to the ground.
I stand up, groaning in pain and look at what attacked me. And YES! This forest is for people, who would love a quick and simple death. In short suiciders.
Standing before me; is a massive black six feet scorpion, with two tails; each about five feet and as thick as a human leg and having a stinger that is almost as long and as thick as a human hand, the hands and claws are also huge, but surprisingly they are four!
'DUDE LITERALLY HAS TWO TAILS, FOUR ARMS! Like, who created this nightmare!'
The mental film of it stabbing a person to death, makes me feel sick.
The creature begins running towards me. But, I stand still, not knowing what to do.
My whole body is screaming, "GOD DAMNIT! RUN FOOL!" But my mind is calmly saying, "See how far you can go." And for some reason I listen to my body and begin running, my body happy and giving me as much support I need.
Something lands in front of me, shattering the ground a little. I turn left and continue running, turning around and seeing what landed in front of me; was the two tails of the scorpion. And as if that was not enough, the spot it landed on turned black.
The scorpion turns left and continues chasing me, not losing hope on a nice breakfast.
I continue running, increasing my pace. Hot tears begin running down my face.
"I CAN'T DIE! I CAN'T DIE! I CANT DIE!..." I keep on chanting the words and continue running.
The sound of the scorpion's thudding legs, stops.
I turn around and stop instantly.
'Where did it go?!'
Half of me is happy that it has stop, thinking it obviously got tired. The other half is disturbed, feeling the scorpion devised a plan and might be closer than I think.
I continue my running, having high hopes. When it suddenly lands in front of me.
Protruding from it's back; are two black, thick looking insect-like wings, which then folds back.
"Foolish creature! You think you can escape me!" The scorpion says in a loud booming voice and begins laughing.
'It can talk. Which means it is at least supreme level!'
"Look, let's just go our separate ways! You can forget about ever seeing me!" I shout out, so it can hear me.
"No way! It has been long, since I last ate a human! Since you all ran away from the forest and only the strong or powerful ones enters and kills us! I am not letting a weak tasty meal like you run away!"
I open my mouth to speak.
"But I do believe! That one day! The day! Oh! The day that special powerful beast will arise and be our saviour!" It says cutting me short.
I couldn't help but burst into laughter, tears streaming down my face.
"I thought it's only humans that do that?! Did you hear yourself?! That was so funny!" I say as I clean the tears on my face with the back of my left hand.
"You haven't seen the one, the humans call 'THE END'! He has never lost to a beast or a human for as long as I remember!"
'It's just as I thought! There are powerful people in the town!'
"Is he that strong?!" I ask, expecting a no.
It looks at me in a way that says, "You sure are stupid." Before saying, "I just said that didn't I!"
'Interesting! I would love to match with him in the future!'
"Enough talking! It's time to eat!" It says and begins running towards me with an incredible amount of speed. "A hungry lady is a sassy lady!"
The last sentence makes me happy.
'It's a lady, so it shouldn't be that tough!'
I begin running towards her. On reaching her, I jump up and attempt to punch her. But I hear a cracking sound and find myself breathless and flying, colliding with a tree and falling to the ground.
'Damn! She's extreme! Who said females don't pack a punch!'
I cough out some blood and stand up, looking at her.
She is some metres away from me, but jumps, landing almost in front of me and sending her two tails forward.
I manage to dodge them. One lands on the ground, shattering it and turning the spot black. While the other lands on the tree that was behind me, making a big hole in it and turning the spot black too. The black, starts spreading around the tree quickly. And, almost in an instant, the whole tree, including the leaves, is black. The scorpion removes her tail and smiles at me or what I suppose it's a smile.
The spot on the tree that was stung, breaks off easily and lands to the ground, shattering in contact.
'WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT! HEY INNER VOICE! I NEED YOU! PLEASE I DO! I'M SORRY IF I OFFENDED YOU! I PROMISE TO BE OF MY BEST BEHAVIOUR!'
I get nothing but silence.
Trying to act unphased, I say, "Do you know death is around the corner?! It is closer than you think!"
Her smile widens. "Yes! For you.... Darling!" She lunges forward, but I dodge her, luckily.
'Damn! Damn! Damn! Voice.... You there! Please come give me some advice!'
Silence again.
"Great." I mumble in disappointment. "I guess, I'll handle this alone." I dodge another of her swift tails strike.
I begin breathing in and breathing out, focusing intensely. I begin feeling a rush of energy and the boosting of my senses.
'I need to make this quick! One sting from her and it's over!'
I jump high, dodging another of her swift tails attacks and landing some distance away.
I start running forward at incredible speed. I reach her almost in an instant, dodging her claws and landing a strong punch on her that cracks my finger. I jump back, landing some distance away and wriggling my wrist.
She is unphased by the attack and begins laughing. "You really think you stand a chance! Don't you?!" She laughs more. "Fine then! I'll go all out to show you the difference.
She increases to about eight feet! Her tails becomes bigger and welcomes a new companion that is just as big! And her hands and claws?! They literally become six and bigger!
'GOD! THIS IS CRAZY!'
"If you're this powerful, why can't you beat the beast killer?!" I ask as I dodge a fast three tails attack.
She gasps and begins laughing. "You are right! I might stand a chance after all! But, that would be after you!"
I increase my breathing force and decrease it's pace, focusing, hoping, wishing not to die.
She rushes towards me in incredible speed and attempts to use three of her claws on me.
I luckily dodge it, but get smashed to the ground by the other three. I get up quickly, dodging the three tails that lands on the spot I was on.
I rush forward and begin raining punches on her and dodging her claws, but it's futile.
She sends her three tails, but I dodge them, one almost landing on me.
'The tails I need to handle them first!'
I rush forward, dodging her claws and jumping up. She shoots her three tails towards me in an instant, but I dodge them and land behind her.
Increasing my special breathing more, I grab her tails, jumping up and pulling it with me. I twist in the air, twisting the tail along, and landing her to the ground with all my strength, pulling her three tails off and throwing them some distance away. I land some distance away.
She lies on the ground shouting and crying, then stops. "I will KILL yooouuu!" She shouts and begins running towards me.
I begin running towards her, jumping up and stumping on her head the moment I reach her.
She shouts in pain and grabs my leg in an instant before I could reach ground, smashing me to the ground in an instant with such force that the ground shatters a little below me.
"The way I see it! You're a pathetic little non-magic! Am I right?!" She asks as she raises me through my leg that she's still holding on tight to and causing a lot of pain on them and bringing me to her face level, with me hanging upside down.
I stare into her big black beady eyes with anger and pain, groaning in pain.
"Am I wrong?! Why can't you just die?! Why do you still fight, when you know you are a powerless and a weak non-magic?! Why do you choose to fight what is bigger than you, when you know it will still kill you at the end?! WHY?! WHY?! WHY?!....." She continues chanting the 'whys' as she begins hitting me to the ground.
She finally stops and pulls me to her face level again. "Your body is surprisingly strong and durable! But that's okay! My jaws will handle that!" She raises me up above her two scorpion-like mouth and leaves my leg.
I manage to grab the bigger outer part and push myself away from her mouth.
I land to the ground and cough out some blood. Although the pain is reducing and my wounds healing, I am still bloody.
I bend my head and sigh. "WHY?! WHY DO I NOT GIVE UP EASILY?! WHY DO I KEEP ON FIGHTING SOMETHING BIGGER THAN ME, EVEN IF IT WILL KILL ME?!" I shout and look up as hot tears streams down my face. "THAT'S BECAUSE I NEED TO IN ORDER TO GAIN! THAT'S BECAUSE I NEED TO, IN ORDER TO SURVIVE! WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ME OR MY KIND OF PEOPLE?! WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT US?!" The flow of tears intensifies. "YOU WERE BORN STRONG! YOU WERE NEVER BORN WEAK! YOU NEVER WOKE UP IN AN ABANDONED HOUSE AND STRUGGLED TO BE GOOD AT THINGS, EVEN THOUGH PEOPLE DON'T ACKNOWLEDGE YOU OR THE THINGS! YOU NEVER STRUGGLED AGAINST ANYONE BEFORE! SO WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO QUESTION I, WHO IS TRYING MY BEST TO ACHIEVE GREAT THINGS! NOT TOO LONG AGO I PROMISED SOMEONE EXTREMELY POWERFUL, THAT I WILL RISE AND DEFEAT ANY WHO HURTS THOSE LIKE ME, INCLUDING HIM AND YOUR KIND! I PROMISED HIM, I WILL RISE TO BE ABLE TO DEFEAT HIM AND KILL HIM IF POSSIBLE! AND NO ONE, NOT EVEN AN ENORMOUS SCORPION WILL TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME! EVEN IF IT MEANS KILLING, I WILL DO IT!"
"Awwnn such lovely little speech!" She shouts and lunges three of her claws towards me.
I dodge one and catch two easily and squeeze them, shattering the armour covering them and causing her to shout in pain. I let go of the claws and punch her hard, shattering the armour on the spot and sending her flying some distance.
"WHY?! BECAUSE THERE IS NO GAIN WITHOUT PAIN! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT MY KIND GOES THROUGH! YOU DON'T KNOW THE PAIN WE GO THROUGH BEFORE WE GAIN! YOU DON'T KNOW THE PAIN SOME OF US GO THROUGH, WHEN WE DISCOVER WE ARE STILL NOT USEFUL, AFTER ALL THE PAIN WE WENT THROUGH TO GET TO THE GAIN! SO WHAT MAKES YOU AND YOUR KIND THINK YOU CAN STOP US?! WHAT MAKES YOU AND YOUR KIND THINK YOU HAVE THE RIGHT?!" I say and begin walking towards her, chanting, "NO PAIN, NO GAIN. NO PAIN, NO GAIN. NO PAIN, NO GAIN. NO PAIN, GAIN. NO PAIN, NO GAIN....." I continue chanting as I get closer.
"Stay away from me, you monster!" She shouts and begins moving back.
Grining a wide dark grin, I ask, "What?! You afraid of me; a pathetic little non-magic now!" My grin widens.
She continues moving back at immense speed.
I appear in front of her in an instant and give her a powerful slap with the back of my right hand, releasing a strong wave and sending her flying and colliding with a tree, breaking it in contact.
I appear in front of her and slap her with the back of my left hand, releasing another strong wave and sending her flying.
She lands hard to the ground, shattering it and releasing dust around her.
I appear in front of her, about to burst her eyes with a punch, when a voice shouts, "MAMA!" Behind me.
"Mama?!"