"HAAAAAAAUUUHH!" Rynan's body shot up like a spring, waking up right away as tears ran down his face. Once again, the bad memories of his past came back to hurt him, reminding him of things he could never forgive himself for. He put both hands on his head and looked down at the ground while sitting there, his whole body shaking.
―I'll never forgive myself. I let them die. ALL BECAUSE I HESITATED. I HAVE GROWN AS A COWARD! FUCK! His thoughts screamed inside his head, each word cutting deep into his heart. The faces of his dead friends flashed in his mind, their last moments playing over and over again.
―HOW COULD I EVER FORGET ABOUT THEM, THE COMRADES I CARED! KILL ME ALREADY! As Rynan slowly put his hands down, feeling tired and broken, he looked up in front of him. What he saw made his blood turn cold—a girl was sitting there, eating his stored venison meat like it was nothing.
Their eyes met at that moment, and everything went quiet for a few seconds. Both of them just stared, trying to figure out what was happening. The girl's cheeks were full of his meat, while Rynan's mind tried to catch up with what he was seeing.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Rynan screamed loud, his mouth wide open as he tried to crawl away from her. His heart was beating so fast it felt like it might jump out of his chest.
"AAAAGSHSHVQHQYQHSBDHWUWBVEHWJ!" The girl screamed back just as loud, rolling on the ground like a loose barrel. Her arms moved wildly as she rolled around, pieces of meat flying from her mouth everywhere.
Both of them got up and got ready to fight, but then they stopped to look at each other carefully. They wanted to see if the other person was dangerous or not. The girl standing in front of Rynan was really pretty—she had long, soft blonde hair that fell down her back.
Her dress was blue and white, and it looked clean and nice on her small body. Her eyes were big and bright blue, making her look cute but also strong at the same time. There was something about her that felt both safe and scary.
"W-what are you doing here!?" Rynan asked, his voice still shaking with fear as his words came out fast. His hands were still trembling from the shock of finding her there.
"Y-your food s-smelled delicious... s-so... I ate them all..." the girl said simply, like taking someone else's food was totally normal. Her voice was soft and sweet, but her words hit Rynan like a punch to the stomach.
"AAHDJEJWJJXNEIWIDN DJEIDJ IT WAS SHO HARD TO GET ALL TAHT STOCKKKKKK!!!" Rynan cried out loud, his careful control completely gone. All those weeks of hunting and saving food, now it was all gone in one meal.
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After all the screaming and chaos, both of them finally sat down on the ground across from each other. Rynan felt like something was strange about this girl—she gave off a weird feeling that didn't seem human. The air around her felt different, like there was some kind of power hiding under her skin.
"Haaah..." Rynan let out a long, tired sigh as he closed his eyes, feeling all his stress crash down on him. His shoulders dropped with exhaustion, and he felt much older than he was just a few minutes ago.
"I-I'm sowwy..." the girl said quietly, looking down at the ground as her lips curved down sadly. She looked exactly like a small child who had just been yelled at by her mom.
"No, no, it's okay. If I was in the same situation as you, then I'd probably do the same too," Rynan said gently, crossing his arms as he felt his anger fade away. Even though he was upset, something about how sorry she looked made his heart feel soft.
"A-are you going to kill me..?" she asked in a tiny scared voice, her whole body getting tense like she was ready to run away.
"Hm? Why would I?"
"I-I'm a Lumina..."
"Yeah, so what?"
―H-huh!? H-how does he not care!? I'm a Lumina, an extremely rare species! The girl's thoughts spun around in her head, not understanding his calm reaction. She felt both confused and happy at the same time, like a weight was lifting off her chest.
"You're a rare species, right?" Rynan asked in a normal voice, just curious and nothing else. He talked like he was asking about the weather or something simple.
"Y-yes..."
"Mind if you tell me your name?"
"It's... Lumi... what about y-you?"
"Rynan. Nice to meet you!" Rynan held out his right hand for a handshake, smiling in a warm and friendly way. To his surprise, Lumi didn't wait even a second before taking his hand, her smaller fingers wrapping around his with trust.
When he looked at her face, her eyes were shining like bright stars in the night sky. ―It's clear that she didn't have many friends either, Rynan knew, understanding the lonely feeling he knew so well.
"Anyway, why is a Lumina like you here..? Shouldn't you be... in your homeland?" Rynan asked without thinking much about it, but when he looked at Lumi, her happy face changed to a sad, empty look. Her bright smile disappeared like a candle being blown out, and her eyes lost all their sparkle.
"I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that," Rynan said quickly, feeling bad for making her upset. He could see the pain in her face and wished he could take back his words.
"No, no! It's okay, it's just that... we've been raided by slave traders. A-and my parents..." Lumi's voice got smaller and smaller as she spoke, her hands shaking. Rynan grabbed her shoulders gently, making his face calm and soft to show her that he was a friend, not someone who would hurt her.
"I understand," he said in a quiet, kind voice. His words were simple but full of warmth, letting her know she wasn't alone anymore.
"K-khugh... sniff... sniff..." Lumi started to cry, tears rolling down her cheeks as her body shook. Her small hands covered her face as the pain of losing everything came flooding back.
―Is she crying!? W-wait! Why!??!?! Rynan's arms moved around wildly, not knowing what to do to help her. He scratched his head, trying to think of a way to make her feel better. His mind suddenly had an idea, and he ran to the nearest bush that had a flower on it.
The flower was beautiful and blue, glowing strangely under the sunlight like it had magic inside it. Rynan picked it carefully and walked back to Lumi, then placed it gently on her head. He waited to see if it would help her stop crying.
Lumi touched the spot where Rynan had put the flower, trying to figure out what he had placed there. When she realized it was a flower, she laughed sweetly, her blonde hair moving in the breeze as she covered her mouth with both hands. Her tears were gone, replaced by pure joy that made her whole face light up.
It was at this moment that Rynan finally understood what the word "beautiful" really meant. He stood there, unable to move, just watching her smile as something warm filled his chest. A small chuckle escaped from his lips as he felt something new and strange.
―Just what is this feeling? I'm like a child again... Rynan gently patted her head, happy to be her newest friend. The simple touch felt natural and right, like they had known each other for years instead of just minutes.
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"..." Rynan walked along the path, his mind racing with confused thoughts. His face showed how lost he felt about the whole situation.
―Okay, I get that I did all that for her... but... WHY'S SHE FOLLOWING ME!??!?! The stupid Rynan had not understood that making friends with someone meant they would want to stay together. He kept walking, trying to make her lose her way, while she just followed behind him like a loyal pet.
"U-uh, Lumi... why are you following me?" Rynan asked, turning around to look at her with a confused face. His voice was unsure, like he really didn't understand why she would want to come with him.
"...A-aren't we friends now..?" Lumi asked back, her voice small and hopeful. She looked at him with big, trusting eyes that made his heart feel strange.
"Uhhh"
"Are we not..?"
"O-of course we are!"
"I-I'm sorry to be such a burden, b-but I have nowhere to go!" Lumi explained, playing with her fingers nervously as she hoped he would let her stay with him. As she waited for his answer, she got more and more scared, closing her eyes tight like she was trying to hide from the truth.
"I'll let you come with me. On ONE condition," Rynan said seriously, trying to sound like a grown-up. His voice was firm but not mean, showing he was thinking about this carefully.
"I-I'm ready for anything you'll command me..." she said, her face turning red as bad thoughts filled her head. Her voice was shy and nervous, making the air between them feel weird.
―WHY'S A CHILD MY AGE THINKING OF SOMETHING LIKE THAT!? Rynan took a step back, clearly shocked by what she was thinking. His face turned bright red as he tried to figure out how to handle this strange situation.
"Remember that I'm a boy, and you're a girl. Y'know something might happen between us two?" Rynan said with a completely serious face, trying to scare her into being more careful. His voice was deep and stern, hoping to make her understand the danger.
"I-I don't mind..." Lumi said quietly, her face still red as she looked down at the ground. Her words were barely a whisper, but they hit Rynan like a thunderbolt.
"FUKIN' STOOPPP THAAATTTT! I WON'T DO ANYTHING TO YOU, PLEASE, STOPOPOPPOPOP!" Rynan screamed, waving his arms around like a crazy person. His whole face was red with embarrassment as he tried to make her stop saying such things.
"See? I just know you won't do anything to me," Lumi said with a smug smile, grinning as she teased him playfully. Her face showed how much she trusted her first ever friend, even though Rynan thought it was dangerous to trust someone she had just met.
―Well, there's nothing I can do now...