Caspian sighed again, relenting as he started walking home with Bela trailing behind him. He absentmindedly touched his forehead, where the scratch from the bullet had already crusted over. By the end of the day, it would be completely healed.
Then, he felt it. A sudden, prickling sensation spread through him as Bela's fingers brushed against his tail. Before he could react, she full-on grabbed it.
"What are you doing?!" he yelled, spinning around. Bela shrieked and stumbled backward, her hands raised in surrender. "I'm sorry! You're just the first boy I've met with a tail, that's all!"
"Don't touch it!" Caspian hissed, his tail flicking irritably behind him.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," Bela said, though her curiosity was far from satisfied."'What's even up with that? Some kind of mutation? You need that snipped off ASAP."
Caspian blinked at her, baffled by her bizarre combination of words. It was like she was from a different planet entirely. His tail had always made him stand out—neither Grandpa nor Spike had one. Even in the village, opinions were divided. The eastern villagers thought it was a sign of his divinity, while the western villagers believed he was a demon sent to destroy the planet. Caspian had never taken the them seriously.
"It's not a mutation," he said firmly. "It's my tail, and I don't want it snipped off."
"Really?" Bela asked, tilting her head. "How would you ever get a job or a girlfriend?"
"A girlfriend? That's more Spike's field," Caspian replied, his tone dry. The forest was calm now, a cool breeze rustling the leaves around them. "In the village, girls would swoon over him when he arrived. Some even followed him into the woods to "kiss." Whenever he tried to tell me stories about it, I'd tell him that I don't care. But Spike would just smirk and say, "You'll care someday."' Caspian smiled faintly at the memory.
"This Spike guy sounds like a real hotshot," Bela said, grinning. "How about you take his example." She reached out to touch his tail again, but Caspian shot her a glare that made her pull her hand back. Still, she couldn't help but smile. She sure got comfortable fast.
"I don't need a job or a girlfriend,'" Caspian said, crossing his arms. "I'm a martial artist."
Soon, they arrived at Caspian's home—a small, rustic hut nestled in the forest. Beside it stood a smokehouse, its faint aroma of curing meat mingling with the earthy scent of the woods. On the other side of the hut was Grandpa's grave, a simple mound of earth marked by a weathered stone.
Inside, the house was modest and sparse, divided into just two rooms.
The first room held several beds laid out on the floor, their blankets neatly folded. The second room served as a combined kitchen and dining area, with a sturdy wooden table at its center. The walls were bare except for two pictures: one of Grandpa and Spike, taken when Spike was even younger than Caspian, and another of all three of them together, with Caspian as a baby cradled in Grandpa's arms.
On one side of the room stood a shelf, and there, resting atop it, was the shard. Its smooth surface caught the light, a faint glow emanating from within. Caspian glanced at it briefly, a flicker of nostalgia crossing his face before he turned back to Bela.
"there it is," Caspian said, gesturing toward the shard with a wave of his hand.
Bela stared at the object, her eyes wide with fascination. She crossed the room slowly, her gaze never leaving the shard as she approached. Gently, she picked it up, cradling it in both hands like a precious treasure.
"Just watching, remember," Caspian said firmly, his arms crossed as he kept a close eye on her.
Bela turned her head toward him, her expression softening. "Don't worry," she said, her tone calm and reassuring. "I doubt I could steal from someone like you." She offered a small smile, clearly trying to lighten the mood.
Her eyes drifted to the window, where the faint outline of the grave outside was visible. "That grave… it's your grandpa's, isn't it?"
Caspian's expression darkened, his eyebrows lowering as if a shadow had passed over him. 'I wasn't there to help him,' he said, his voice heavy with regret. 'And the great beast… it doesn't know mercy.'
Bela hesitated for a moment before asking, 'And what about that Spike guy? Where is he?'
'Spike is my brother,' Caspian replied, his tone flat. 'He left a few years ago to finish some mission of his.'
'So you're really alone,' Bela said, her voice tinged with worry. She looked at him, her eyes softening. 'How long has it been? How do you manage to live like that?'
'I just do,' Caspian answered quickly, a flicker of annoyance in his voice. The question struck a nerve. How long has it been? he wondered. Two years since Grandpa died. Four since Spike left. In that time, he'd rarely spoken to anyone. The seclusion was boring, isolating, but it was his life.
'Grandpa said we have to take responsibility for our lives,' Caspian continued, his voice growing quieter as he spoke. 'Spike chose to take revenge, and I'll wait for him until he's back. Until then… I'll manage.'
But the more he spoke, the less conviction his words seemed to carry. Maybe he didn't even believe them himself.
Bela shook her head, looking at him with a mixture of pity and disbelief, as if he were a baby bird fallen from its nest. Caspian didn't like it—not one bit.
'Maybe that's not what your grandpa meant,' Bela said gently. 'Maybe he didn't want you waiting alone in a forest, cut off from the world. Maybe he wanted you to do what you want.'
Caspian smacked his teeth, rolling his eyes. 'You don't know my grandpa,' he snapped. 'And you don't know me.'
Bela frowned, pursing her lips as she slid her backpack off her shoulders. 'What if you didn't have to wait?' she said, her tone shifting to something lighter, almost playful. 'What if you could have one wish that could change anything? Find your brother? Revive your grandpa? Get rid of that tail?' She smirked, pulling her piece of the shard from her bag and holding it next to the one Caspian had.
Caspian raised an eyebrow, watching her closely. Then he saw it—both shards faintly emitting a soft, blue glow. His eyes widened. He'd always known there was something mythical about the shard, but this… what did it mean?
Caspian stared for a moment, his curiosity piqued as he slowly stepped closer to observe the objects. The heat radiating from them brushed against his skin, growing warmer with each step. His brow furrowed as he tilted his head, his mouth slightly agape. "What's going on?" he asked, his voice tinged with both wonder and caution.
Bela smiled, her eyes gleaming with a mix of excitement and desperation. "The legend says these fall from the sky once every decade or so, shattering into eight pieces each time. And whoever manages to assemble them…" She paused for effect, her voice dropping to a near whisper, "gets one wish granted."
Caspian reached out, poking one of the objects with his finger. A faint, pulsating energy tingled at his touch, sending a shiver up his arm. He frowned, his skepticism evident. "How do you know this actually works?"
"I don't," Bela admitted softly, her smile faltering. "But I have no choice but to believe in them."
Caspian took a step back, his expression hardening. "No," he said firmly, his voice carrying a weight that surprised even himself. Bela's eyes widened, taken aback by his sudden resolve. "Grandpa always said the dead should be left to rest. I don't think he'd approve of this."
Bela's lips parted in disbelief. "And your brother? Don't you want to see him again?"
Caspian's gaze softened, but his resolve didn't waver. "I know I'll see him again someday. And he wouldn't want me to give away Grandpa's stone just because it might grant wishes. Whatever Grandpa did with it, it's a memento now. It's… important."
Bela hesitated, her hands trembling as she clenched them into fists. Her voice cracked as she finally spoke, her desperation laid bare. "Caspian, my father is sick. If I don't do this, he's going to die."
Caspian froze, her words hitting him like a punch to the gut. He stared at her, the conflict in his eyes finally visible. The warmth of the objects seemed to intensify, as if urging him to make a choice. His gaze flickered to the pictures on the wall—memories of Grandpa Gohan and Spike, One where his choices were much simpler. But then it settled back on Bela, her eyes pleading, her hope hanging by a thread.
"I—" he started, but Bela cut him off. "And you should come too!" she blurted out. "Getting this first shard on my own almost cost me my life. I'm sure it won't get any easier from here… I could use your help, Caspian."
Caspian sighed, the weight of her words pressing down on him. He rubbed his temples, closing his eyes as he tried to sort through the storm of thoughts in his mind. She needs that shard more than I do, he thought. But at the same time, that last sentence stirred something in him. A longing for something more than this forest, adventure.
"Where did you find the first shard?" he asked, his voice cautious but curious. He needed to know what he was getting into. What kind of dangers awaited them.
Bela's eyes widened at the question, her gaze flicking upward as she recalled the memory. "It was right in the middle of a fire monkey habitat," she said, her voice dropping to a whisper as if the mere mention of it might summon them. "I had to sneak right into the middle of them while they were sleeping. But they woke up, and I had to run for my life."
Caspian groaned, running a hand through his hair. Fire monkeys were no joke—fast, vicious, and territorial. He could only imagine the chaos Bela had barely escaped. But despite the danger, a small spark of excitement flickered within him. Maybe this was exactly what he needed.
"Fine," he said at last, his voice firm but resigned. "I'll help you assemble the pieces."
"Really?!" Bela's face lit up, her earlier desperation replaced by pure, unbridled joy. She jumped to her feet, a wide smile spreading across her face. "You won't regret this, Caspian! I promise!"
Caspian couldn't help but smile faintly at her enthusiasm, though his mind was still racing.
Moments later and Bela waited patiently outside, her excitement barely contained as Caspian began packing his things. He moved methodically, grabbing a simple bag and stuffing it with essentials: a change of clothes, a few rations, and the strange badge that Grandpa had given him when he was just a toddler. He hesitated for a moment, the thing had a strange symbol on it -a yellow line crossing the shield diagonally, with a blue background. He never figured out why his grandpa gave him this, he shook his head before he tucked it safely into the bag. Whatever lay ahead, he knew he couldn't leave it behind.
As he slung the bag over his shoulder. The cool evening air greeted him as he stepped outside, the sun dipping low on the horizon. He paused for a moment, taking in the familiar sight of his home—the small garden, the worn path leading into the forest, the quiet peace he was about to leave behind -for now of course. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for what was to come.
"Alright," he said, turning to Bela with a determined look. "Let's go."
Bela grinned, as they both walked off.