Echoes of Fire and Shadows

Chapter 13: Hide-and-Seek

"Ready or not, here I go!" Mia shouted with her usual cheerfulness.

Yeah, I doubt she will be able to find me! I have the best hiding place of all!

Ah, I'm currently playing hide-and-seek with Liliana, Luna, Mia, Klein, and some other kids from the neighborhood who are also friends with Mia.

My mom is currently in the kitchen preparing everything for the party she suggested alongside Natalie. Harold was sent to buy ingredients and other errands by the former two.

Mia and the twins were feeling bored so they wanted to play outside. I wanted to take my mind off the whole "engagement" so I joined them. Mia dragged Klein outside to join us too.

At first, it was only the five of us. Then, several friends of Mia appeared and decided to join us, so we are currently playing hide-and-seek with about fifteen other kids.

This is one of the times where I appreciate being a kid again. Being able to run around without a single worry on your mind is simply cathartic...

Anyway, where am I hiding, you ask? You won't believe the answer, my nonexistent friend!

I'm hiding inside a barrel, right beside Auntie's house!

The barrel has a few holes here and there, so oxygen and light are not an issue!

Fufufu! This is the best spot around to hide! I can clearly hear everything and I can take a peek outside if I really want to!

"Hahaha! Found you, Liliana! You're really terrible at this!" Mia giggled innocently.

"How did you know that I would hide at the same spot!?" Liliana seemed really annoyed that she was the first to be found out.

Ah, so she chose the bush in the corner of the house again huh… It seems like she hasn't learned her lesson yet.

"Now help me look for everyone else!" Mia said cheerfully to my older sister.

"Next time, you won't be able to find me!" Liliana seemed fired up.

Even if there are now two of them, they won't be able to find ME!

"Let's split up! I know where they might be hiding!" Liliana suggested.

As soon as she said that, I could hear some panicked murmurs nearby.

Oh… My secret hiding place might not be so secret after all…

Let's not panic… There's no way they'll find me here!

"Can I go home now?" Klein suddenly asked loudly.

"No! Go back into hiding!" Mia shouted back.

"Sigh… I'll just help you out so I can go back inside..." Klein sighed in a really exaggerated manner.

It is clear to me that Klein is an indoors type of guy. I kinda feel bad that we ended up dragging him outside…

"Found two more!" Liliana shouted with excitement.

"I found three!" Mia shouted with as much excitement as my older sister.

"Found two more…" Klein seemed to have joined them. He was less enthusiastic looking for us.

What…!? These guys are way too good at this!

Just stay put Julius… Do not move and do not make a single sound…

Rabbitfolk have sensitive ears, so making even the tiniest bit of noise will alert them of my position... So I need to keep myself as silent as a rock!

You're as silent as a rock. You're as silent as a rock. You're as silent as a rock. You're as silent as a rock. You're as silent as a rock…-

While I was repeating my new mantra in my mind, the lid of the barrel was suddenly raised, making sunlight illuminate my hiding place...

As I looked up, I noticed that the one who took off the lid was one of my older sisters…

I, of course, ended up panicking as I realized that I had just lost the game.

Jeez! I was so sure that I could win with this spot! How could she find me so easily!?

"..." 

"..."

My older sister and I made eye contact… We both kept looking at each other in silence.

(Wait a minute…  She's not Liliana...) I Immediately felt extremely relieved…

It was all thanks to the clothes my sister was wearing that I was able to realize who she was.

"Luna… This hiding spot is taken…" I said to her while urging her to put the lid back on top of the barrel and go away.

Luna quickly analyzed her surroundings… She decided to ignore me and got herself into the barrel. As soon as she got inside, she quickly put the lid back in its place.

She immediately sat right beside me without making any eye contact with me.

Luckily for us, the insides of the barrel were spacious enough for the two of us to sit comfortably and still have some remaining space.

"There's now three of them, so it was very unfair… My hiding spot was really bad as well…" Luna averted her gaze while blushing. "I-I-I followed you and then waited for a good opportunity to sneak and get into the barrel with you..." She admitted with a shy tone.

"Well, I don't think they'll look here anyway, so I guess I don't mind sharing my hiding spot…" I smiled bitterly.

"Thanks…" Luna kept averting her gaze.

Luna then suddenly leaned against me…

"Are you feeling tired? You can take a nap if you want to." I looked at her with curiosity.

She quickly shook her head.

"I'm not tired…" She didn't stop leaning on me.

"Do you want a hug then?" I asked her with a teasing smile.

"Yes…" She said shyly.

"Alright." I immediately wrapped my arms around her and hugged her.

"..." She hugged me back after a few moments of hesitation.

She's really adorable, isn't she? In the few weeks that I have known her, I've noticed that Luna really struggles to convey what she wants from me or Liliana.

I would like to help her with that. I would do anything to make her feel comfortable enough that she's able to tell me whatever she has on her mind.

"C-C-Can we stay like this for longer…?" She asked me with her usual shy expression.

"Of course. We can be like this for as long as you want." I started patting the back of her head.

"Thank you…" Luna's head was then placed on my shoulder. "Julius?" She called my name.

"Yeah?" I replied while still patting her head.

"Umm… What do you think of Mia? Do you want to get married to her?" She suddenly asked two incredibly difficult questions…

I was caught off guard by my older sister suddenly asking me that… My brain quickly went into overdrive in order to think of an answer for both of her questions…

I don't think Luna would snitch on me, but I prefer taking no chances since I really don't want to hurt Mia.

I took my sweet time choosing the words I would use… Luna simply kept hugging and said nothing while waiting for my answer.

"Mia is nice. She's more clingy and excitable than our older sister, but I don't dislike that part of her... She's also fun to play with! She's a great friend!" I told her what I thought of Mia.

Although I don't really know how to feel when she calls me her "Beloved Prince"... I feel awkward and embarrassed when she calls me that...

"And about us getting married… As you can imagine, I didn't know that touching her ears would make me her fiancé…" I smiled bitterly.

"So… You don't want to marry her...?" Luna suddenly separated herself from me and looked at me with a difficult-to-read expression.

"I don't really know. I would prefer to worry about it when I'm older. I'm too young to even think about getting married..." I said awkwardly.

I have been giving this some thought since I was told about my sudden engagement...

As of now, I know that I don't want to get married because: 1) I'm a child and 2) I have other things to worry about.

But, who knows? Perhaps Mia makes me fall for her hard as Claire did and we get married in the distant future.

Though I feel a bit conflicted about that happening because of the difference in age, mentally speaking...

It is like my parents from Earth always told me: "Never close yourself to the infinite possibilities offered to you."

And I really believe in those words.

So, I have reached the conclusion that my standing about this particular issue is that while I don't completely reject the idea of marrying Mia, I will not be actively seeking that outcome.

For now, that's probably the best way to not hurt her until I know what I really want from our relationship.

So for now, Mia will be my friend and that's it.

"I see…" Luna replied with a serious expression. She suddenly closed her eyes and leaned against me once again. 

She was resting her head on my shoulder again...

"Then… What do you think of Me and Liliana…?" Luna muttered something that I couldn't quite hear.

She muttered in such a low volume that I thought she was actually talking to herself.

"Luna, did you say something?" I asked.

I definitely saw her lips moving!

"I-I-I said, what do you…-" 

When Luna was going to repeat to me what she had whispered, she was interrupted by the loud voice of a young man.

"You filthy beasts! Who the hell even allowed you to walk on the street!" A young man screamed with a mocking tone.

"Ugh! Look at their ears! They are so disgusting!" A young woman said with the same mocking tone as the man.

"I can't stand the sight of them, but I have heard that cutting their ears and keeping the pair brings good luck!" Another young woman joined in.

Huh…?

I was flabbergasted thanks to what I was hearing… As my curiosity took over me, I leaned closer and peeked outside through one of the holes of the barrel.

As soon as I did that, I could only look at the scene in front of me with anger and confusion.

Three young people who seemed to look like adventurers had cornered Mia, Klein, and Liliana.

The man had a sword attached to his back, while one of the women was holding a wooden staff. The other woman didn't seem to be carrying any weapons.

Liliana was standing in front of Mia and Klein... She was protecting them… Mia was trying to comfort a crying Klein while she looked pretty scared herself.

The other kids were just standing there and watching. They were most likely scared too.

"And who do you think you are!? Don't talk to my friends like that!" Liliana shouted angrily.

This is bad… I need to get mom here quickly!

"Julius! We have to help Liliana!" Luna looked at me and panicked.

"Yeah... We need to get Mom here quickly!" I nodded at her and quickly stood up to get from the barrel.

But as soon as I did that, the sound of something being hit reached my ears… That sound was immediately followed by the helpless yelp of a young girl. It belonged to my older sister...

I hurried and removed the lid on top of the barrel and looked outside.

I felt an incredible fury and indignation as I saw Liliana lying on the ground... Her cheek was reddened and her eyes were starting to tear up...

She had been punched in the face by the man with the sword...

Luna simply stood there beside me looking speechless...

…

"You really hit a little girl… You're the worst~." The unarmed woman spoke with a flirty tone.

"Shut up! That stupid brat didn't know her place!" The man pointed at my crying sister.

"That was so manly~." The woman with the staff immediately praised the man.

"Why don't we go back to our house to have some fun after I teach these freaks their place as well?" He spoke to the unarmed woman.

"I like the sound of that! Let's get this over with!" The unarmed woman started stretching.

"I want to confirm the rumors about their ears being good luck amulets." The woman with the staff nodded to herself.

"Why don't we offer them something better instead?" The man had a disgusting grin on his face.

The man suddenly started walking closer towards Mia and Klein while pulling a knife out of his belt…

"Why don't I make you look like real humans? That way I might be able to bear to look at you freaks." The man said as he tested the sharpness of the knife with the tip of his finger.

"D-Don't come any closer!" Mia immediately put herself in front of Klein and protected him just like Liliana had done before. Her entire body was trembling. 

She was scared…

"Oh, so one of the freaks decided to volunteer huh... That works for me!" The man extended his hand in order to reach Mia's rabbit ears.

As soon as I saw his hands approaching Mia, everything slowed down for me and the world turned completely white.

It felt like I was in the middle of Melius' Divine Realm again, but it was clearly different…

There was no feeling of oppression by the infinite nothingness like in that white void… There was just the feeling that I belonged here, for some reason...

Soon, the images of my crying older sister, the terrified Klein, and the trembling and scared Mia came to my mind…

I felt an unbelievable rage that I had never experienced before as soon as the faces of those bastards came to my mind… At that very moment, a voice resounded in my mind.

"Crux, do not show any mercy to your enemies, for they will show you none given the chance. Destroy your enemies without a second thought." That distorted voice belonged to the father of Crux, the original owner of this body.

His words suddenly made something snap deep within me...

I want to make them suffer for what they have done… I want them to be tortured until they can no longer scream…

I want them dead. I want them to experience the most gruesome and painful death possible...

After having many violent thoughts, my mind then became unnaturally clear at that moment.

The world around me recovered all color as the hand of the man was approaching Mia's ear.

"Touch her and you're fucking dead." I said loudly with a threatening tone.

My warning immediately made the man and the women as well as Mia's friends turn around and look at me with confusion.

"Hoh... Big words for a pipsqueak! What are you gonna do about it?" The man immediately started mocking me with a disgusting smile on his face.

Despite his mockery, I was still experiencing an unnatural calmness...

"..." I simply looked at him without changing my focus.

"What a creepy brat! Did the cat eat your tongue! Where's all the bravado from before!?" The man suddenly looked at me with annoyance.

"Yeah, he's giving me the creeps…" The unarmed woman said sarcastically.

"That black hair… Do you think he's a [Demon-touched]?" The woman with the staff asked the other two.

I merely got myself out of the barrel without breaking eye contact. I immediately started walking towards them while ignoring their stupid comments.

"Oh! Don't tell me… This freaky rabbit is your girlfriend! Isn't that right [Demon-touched]!? Is that why you are trying to look tough!?" The man pointed at Mia, trying to get a reaction out of me.

I still ignored him and kept walking towards him and his group.

"You fucking brat! Are you trying to mock me!? Do you know who the fuck I am!?" He got enraged because he couldn't get a reaction from me. "If you don't stop right there, I will fucking cut this little bitch's ears!" He immediately threatened Mia.

I stopped and looked at him with disdain.

"This is going to be your second and last warning." I said with a serious tone. "Touch her and you're fucking dead." I reiterated my warning from before.

As soon as I said that, I broke eye contact with the guy and then made eye contact with Mia.

She was looking at me with relief while her body was still trembling a lot.

"And who the fuck is going to kill me!? You? Don't make me laugh, pipsqueak! Someone like you couldn't possibly dream of defeating an adventurer like myself!" The man declared with a disgusting smile.

"Hahaha! This guy is just a freak like those rabbits!" The unarmed woman laughed.

"I would like to see if he's really a [Demon-touched] though." The woman with the staff rubbed her chin while looking at me.

"Shut it!" The man said to his companions. "What are you gonna do, pipsqueak!? If you don't answer this second, I will really fucking cut their ears!" He pointed at me before his hands moved towards Mia's ears once again...

As soon as I noticed his filthy hands got closer to Mia, I raised one of my hands into the air.

"I will fucking murder you. That's what I'm going to do." I said as I started making my mana travel to my arm. " By the end of this you'll regret ever being born and you'll be crying like the little bitch you are, bastard." I looked at him dead in the eyes without losing my focus.

Soon, a massive fireball appeared and hovered on top of my hand… The fireball was almost the size of a wrecking ball.

The scorching heat immediately started spreading in the area as soon as the massive fireball appeared.

"Oi…" The unarmed woman looked at me with terror.

"Watch out! He's gonna throw it!" The woman with the staff panicked as she realized my intentions.

"How the fuck is a brat like him making a fireball that big!?" The obnoxious man looked at me with both surprise and anger.

Despite his initial reaction, the man quickly jumped away from Liliana, Mia, and Klein.

"Don't say that I didn't warn you." I said with a flat tone as I threw the enormous fireball into the air.

The gigantic ball of fire flew far into the air and then…-

"Let's begin…" I closed my eyes and unsheathed the dagger my Dad gave me.

The fireball exploded, provoking shockwaves in the air. The sound of the explosion could be most likely heard anywhere in town.

Contrary to the expectations of the bastards in front of me, that was not meant to be an attack. That was meant to get the attention of my mother or any other adults in the area just in case something went wrong.

"..." I opened my eyes and immediately started running towards the trio of adventurers while using my body to hide my dagger.

The words of my Auntie resurfaced from my memory…

(Listen, Julius! The best attack is the attack your enemy cannot see! Speed, Technique, and Precision are the key to that. Dominate those three things, and you'll be able to defeat almost anyone! With the exception of me and your father, of course.) I remembered the teasing smile that she was showing me when she said that.

(You forgot about Strength… Kid, if you are lacking physical strength, you simply won't be able to damage your opponent. What you really want is to reach a balance between your Speed, Technique, Precision, and Strength. That's the current purpose of your training.) I also remembered Fred joining my conversation with my Auntie.

While I was running, my mind revived every single training session I did in the last two weeks…

The lessons imparted to me were engraved into my very soul. There was no need to be afraid or to hesitate…

"Tsk! You think you're fucking smart brat!?" The man looked enraged. His hands were reaching out for the sword in his back.

"I'm gonna kick the shit out of him for scaring me with that crap!" The unarmed woman also looked enraged. She immediately took an aggressive stance.

A martial artist huh…

"Now I'm even more interested in this [Demon-touched]! I'll bring him home in order to do some experiments!" The woman with the staff said with excitement. She immediately raised her staff into the air while having a depraved smile on her face.

Thanks to my [Mana Perception] I could see how she was gathering her mana into her staff.

A magician… She's troublesome… I'll deal with her first.

I think it is finally time to learn how to use the rest of the [Six Primordial Elements]...

Darkness is the total or partial absence of light. Darkness was the first thing to exist before creation… Darkness is what humans fear the most…

With a clear concept of what Darkness was, mana started traveling from all across my body towards my hand…

I then immediately launched the dagger towards the magician woman and stopped running. As soon as I launched the dagger, it disappeared from view...

<System Announcement: The user has regained the ability to use elemental magic and a resistance skill. The skills: [Magic: Dark Element] and [Elemental Resistance: Darkness] will be returned to the Status of the User]>

The fact that the mechanical voice of the system spoke to me in my mind, confirmed that I had been successful in what I wanted to do.

I grinned while watching the unsuspecting magician woman who was still gathering her mana into her staff.

"AAAAAAGH! My arm! My arm! Something hit my arm!" She suddenly started screaming in pain while holding her right arm.

There was nothing on her arm except a large hole on her sleeve, which hid a large wound on her arm.

Her wooden staff fell to the ground while the blood of its owner was staining the ground beside it. 

(One down…) I was pleased with the results.

As soon as I thought of that, my dagger which had previously disappeared in the middle of the air had reappeared. It was currently stuck in the arm of the magician girl.

My dagger had not really "disappeared", it had just merely become "invisible".

Using the magic of the Dark Element, I coated my dagger in shadows and made it invisible to the human eye.

It was hard to pull off without any previous practice, but thanks to the lessons of my mother, I was able to succeed.

Due to what happened the first time I used magic, she wanted to make sure I was able to completely control my own mana and Fire Magic before learning how to use the other elements.

So she forbade me from trying to learn how to use the other elements until then.

Though, she didn't actually forbid me from learning details about the other five elements. I read as many books as I could about the [Six Primordial Elements] so I would be prepared to use them as soon as I learned them.

The magician woman then fell on her knees while holding the dagger stuck on her arm. She was starting to tear up while struggling to breathe.

"You! What did you do!?" The man looked at me with anger.

"It doesn't fucking matter what he did! I'll just make him wish he hadn't done that!" The unarmed woman shouted at the man before she started running at me.

I simply smiled as I saw her approaching me as fast as she could.

Mother Earth is full of blessings… From the richest of soils filled to the brim with nutrients which nurture life to the depths below where riches beyond imagination are being held…

My mana then started traveling towards my right foot… I raised my feet and then stomped on the ground with as much strength as I could muster.

"I don't know what the fuck you did back there, but I can assure you that won't happen to…-" The unarmed woman suddenly stopped before finishing her sentence. "Guuuuh…!" She looked as if she was about to vomit.

The woman had been suddenly hit in the stomach by a wall made out of the cobblestone underneath our feet.

<System Announcement: The user has regained the ability to use elemental magic and a resistance skill. The skills: [Magic: Earth Element] and [Elemental Resistance: Earth] will be returned to the Status of the User]>

The mechanical voice of the system was music to my ears.

"What… The fuck...?" The man looked at me and the woman with shock.

"Agh…." The unarmed woman quickly fell to the ground while holding her stomach. She seemed to be in a lot of pain.

That's two…

"Now then..." I changed my focus from the fallen woman towards the bastard who hit my sister.

The man quickly unsheathed his sword despite his previous shock. He then looked at me with hate and disdain as he pointed his sword at me.

"You really are a [Demon-touched]... Fucking freak! People like you should all be exterminated, just like those beasts!" He said while looking at Mia and Klein. "I'll handle that job and send your kind to hell, [Demon-touched]!" He took a stance and looked at me with caution.

I want to see if I can do something similar to what Auntie did during our training sessions…

The wind is simply moving air that goes from high pressure to low pressure areas. A force with incredible destructive power and an even more incredible capacity for aiding the creations of mankind.

I concentrated my mana on my feet and legs, causing a dim light green aura to engulf those parts of my body.

<System Announcement: The user has regained the ability to use elemental magic and a resistance skill. The skills: [Magic: Wind Element] and [Elemental Resistance: Wind] will be returned to the Status of the User]>

As the announcement of the voice that belonged to the system resounded in my head, I started running towards the man, preparing myself to fight at close quarters.

My speed has improved by leaps and bounds thanks to the spell I just used.

"I'm not scared of you, fucking brat! Bring it on!" The man prepared himself to attack me.

As soon as I got close enough to him, the man slashed horizontally with his blade.

The sword drew an arch over my head as I dodged the attack by crouching.

I was able to see the look of sheer shock in the face of the bastard in front of me.

I grinned in response and dashed towards him.

"I'm not done yet, you freak!" A strange grey aura covered the body of the man.

He quickly raised his sword over his head and then launched his attack, intending on cutting me in half.

His sword had gotten faster. It was probably due to that strange aura.

I immediately jumped to the side, dodging the attack with ease.

The man looked at me as if he was a deer that was about to be hit by a truck.

I kept grinning as I prepared my next move.

Light is the natural enemy of Darkness. Light is electromagnetic radiation in the form of waves and lights. Without it, we would be condemned into a world of eternal darkness.

<System Announcement: The user has regained the ability to use elemental magic and a resistance skill. The skills: [Magic: Light Element] and [Elemental Resistance: Light] will be returned to the Status of the User]>

I gathered more mana into one of my hands while also keeping the Wind Element spell on my legs and feet.

I immediately thrust my arm forward and showed the guy my open palm. I quickly closed my eyes after that. As soon as I did that, an explosion of light was created out of nothing in my palm.

"My eyes! My eyes! AAAAAAAAAHG…!" The man immediately let go of his sword and used both of his hands to cover his eyes while he panicked and screamed in pain.

The sword produced a loud metallic sound as soon as it crashed against the ground. I opened my eyes at that moment.

The aura engulfing him had also disappeared completely.

The fact that the spell did just what I had imagined and the man was blinded by that very same spell made me grin from ear to ear.

My spell was a flashbang. I used only a small quantity of mana in order not to affect other people other than this guy... In other words, the worst part of the spell only affected the bastard in front of me.

I wasn't sure if I could direct light in a single direction, so this move could have been a double-edged sword since I could have blinded myself as well.

I looked at the man who was still covering his eyes and moving frantically.

I immediately stopped concentrating mana into my legs and feet in order to take it somewhere else…

"I'll never forgive you for punching Liliana…" I said with disdain as I started to move the mana inside my own body.

"Where are you, freak!? I'll swear I'll fucking kill you, brat!" Despite trying to put a strong front, the man looked hopeless.

I started gathering as much mana as I could on my right hand and then took a stance.

I took a deep breath and focused on the memory of my Auntie using this move.

My right arm was quickly enveloped by a gust of wind… 

After taking another deep breath, I was prepared to strike...

With the power of elemental wind magic, I quickly closed the short distance between the man and myself and launched a punch at him.

"This is for bullying children and punching my sister, you asshole!" I shouted as my fist quickly approached the stomach of the man.

As my fist collided against his stomach, I was able to hear a loud cracking sound.

"Guaaah...!" The man-made a similar expression like the martial artist woman had made. He looked like he was about to vomit.

He fell on his knees and held his stomach. His facial expression was one of fear and confusion.

"I'm not done yet! Prepare yourself! I'm putting my all on this one!" I shouted as I prepared myself to throw another punch…

I gathered as much mana as I could on my left hand… The man simply stood there while still being out of it due to the pain inflicted by me. 

A powerful gale then engulfed the entirety of my arm…

I took a step backward and then.

"HAAAAAAAAA!" I shouted as loudly as I could as I threw another punch at him.

This punch was obviously way faster and stronger than the last one.

My fist quickly traveled towards its objective… The face of the man.

As soon as my fist came into contact with his face, the man was sent flying backward thanks to the great power put on my attack.

He was not able to even make a single sound due to the speed of my attack.

The man flew a few meters away until he crashed against the brick wall of one of the neighbors.

The vibrations on my fists remained as I kept looking at the man who had fallen to the ground… Those vibrations were unpleasant.

Regardless of how unpleasant that felt, I grinned from ear to ear as I made the trio of adventurers pay for their transgressions.

I started walking towards the man who seemed to be unconscious while also looking at his two companions.

The magician woman was crying and yelling in pain while trying to get my dagger out of her arm.

The martial artist woman was lying on the ground right beside the wall of cobblestone while holding her stomach. She had an expression filled with pain.

Neither of the two seemed to have realized that their other companion had been defeated.

I kept grinning as I walked to the seemingly unconscious man.

"To bully a couple of children just because of their race and to hit a young girl just because she was defending them…" I closed my eyes and stopped grinning.

This was the first time in my new life that I had faced malice from another human being…

It was extremely unpleasant and infuriating.

"You guys are scum… Why are guys like you allowed to be adventurers?" I said while looking at the unconscious man with hate and disdain.

I stopped right in front of the man.

"Scum that was defeated by a mere seven-year-old child. How laughable!" I grinned again as I let out that snide remark.

Obviously, the man could not respond to my hateful comments.

Now then… What should I do with them now? I'm still absolutely livid… I want to inflict more pain upon them for what they did to my Liliana, Mia, and Klein.

That's it… These people must die... The world will be a better place without them.

As I made up my mind about the punishment of the three bastards, I felt the strong urge to turn around and look back at my friends and sisters...

I saw Luna hugging Liliana. She was consoling her while also helping her clear her tears… Mia was doing the same with Klein. Both Mia and Klein were still trembling due to the scary experience…

The other kids were looking at them in silence...

All the boiling rage I had been feeling until a few moments ago, completely disappeared as if it had been nothing but an illusion.

"Huh…?" I couldn't hide my own shock and surprise...

I looked at the three adventures lying on the ground and that's when the realization hit me…

I was about to kill them… I was about to take the life of another human being…

I was about to murder these criminals in front of children... I was going to do it in front of my sisters and my friends…

With my mind no longer clouded by that unyielding and unnatural rage, regret started to take over me...

"..." I looked at both Liliana and Mia before looking once again at the group of adventurers… "I should at least restrain them…" I said with a hoarse tone…

I got closer to the unconscious man and then crouched beside him… 

I started gathering more of my mana and put all of my imagination and concentration into my next spell…

Water is the essence of life. It is a substance composed of both Hydrogen and Oxygen. Water exists in solid, liquid, and gaseous states. In other words; Liquid Water, Ice, and Steam, or Water Vapor.

My hand got closer towards the arms of the man… Chains made out of ice were coming out of my open palm...

<System Announcement: The user has regained the ability to use elemental magic and a resistance skill. The skills: [Magic: Water Element] and [Elemental Resistance: Water] will be returned to the Status of the User]>

"Huh…? Why won't my arms move…?" I asked myself with a dumbfounded tone.

Not only my arm, but all of my body would not move… My entire body was trembling uncontrollably…

"I… I can't give them the chance to get away…" I said as I struggled to keep producing the chains of ice…

I tried my hardest to fight against it, but… I simply couldn't…

"C'mon...! Move...!" I said to my own body with desperation…

I continued to struggle against my trembling body until a big and robust hand was placed on my left shoulder...

"Don't keep forcing yourself, kid." My Dad spoke to me with a compassionate tone. The hand belonged to him.

"Dad… I…" I couldn't help but feel ashamed and guilty for what I almost did…

Another hand was placed on my right shoulder… This hand was small and delicate.

"Julius, it is okay. We'll take care of everything. You did nothing wrong." The hand belonged to my Mom. She spoke with her usual gentle tone.

As soon as she said those words, I started to tear up… Tears were just flowing on their own…

"It's okay, sweetie. Everyone is okay thanks to you." My mom immediately hugged me and started patting my back to console me...

"Don't cry! Your Auntie is here, so there's no need to cry!" My Auntie immediately started ruffling my hair.

Despite their comforting actions, my tears didn't stop flowing…

What is happening to me…? Why are my emotions so out of control all of a sudden…?

But obviously, due to my emotional turmoil, I couldn't reach any answer...

<The user has leveled up!> The voice of the system resounded in my mind once again...

On top of all the myriad of emotions, I was feeling, I could now add befuddlement to the list...

Chapter 13: Hide-and-Seek

END

GodlyKamui

Heya! I'm really really sorry that it took so long to get this chapter out. Work has been killing me lately and on top of that, a coworker got sick and I got sick because of her (Not rona, so I'm safe in case that you're wondering). So I have been working and attempting to write with a 38º fever... Definitely -10/10 would not recommend... Anyway, for those wondering why these adventurers attacked some children right in front of the Guild Master's (Tiria's) house, I have a great explanation for that! You will have to wait for the next chapter, sorry about that! PD: All the spells Julius used were all Grade 1 spells. Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please join the discord! Discord link: https://discord.gg/uH6APbzrFR