(CHAPTER 6: POWER)

"Fwosh-"

Another arrow was shot, with one hand Aiko pulled me back to safety while with the other, she metalize her arm and decide to block it. But then something unbelievable happened. Just when the arrows was centimeters away from her palm, it suddenly swirl towards the side, changing course and strike her straight in her shoulder.

"Gah!" She let out a yelp, before pulling out the arrow, together we leap behind a tree for cover. "How?" Even now she started to question. "It is possible, if the attacker, was an Air Energy User." I whisper to her while handing her a bandage. "So what should we do?" She asked while bandaging her wound, luckily the wound wasn't that deep. "We are in a bad situation right now." Yeah we are so fucked up. A melee close combat really stood no chance against that freaking arrow controller.

Think Rey, Think! As a creator you've seen countless brutal wars, countless epic fights, countless legendary duels! It is your time to prove yourself!

"We need to have a plan." "A plan?" "You can't go head on." I said. "H-head on-n." Her voice seems blurted out. "Aiko you okay?" I saw her face growing paler and paler, her eyelids shutting down. "Hey hey hey." I shake her by her shoulder "S-lee-py." She mumbled before finally dozed off. I look at the arrow head of the arrow, and indeed it was coated with something, must've been some kind of sleep medicine, thank god not lethal poison.

"Give me all your gold coins and valuables so you shall leave!" When matter couldn't get any worse, a voice boomed, it seems to be at everywhere. The voice seems to belong to a middle age man "Gold coins, bandits huh." My mind races, I really needed a plan, a good one too. If Aiko is still awake, maybe we could hotfoot our way out of here with her speed, but now she is fucking in a middle of a nap. I couldn't carry her too, she was way too heavy, not in a bad way. Maybe I am just too small and weak. Well it is all up to me now.

…

What the FUCK is my power!!

For that question I screamed eternally within me. We are like fish in a tank, there is no escaping. I rub my hair, exhausted, fear, impatient, disappointment, whatever the fuck is those negative emotions all suck me dry. Come one! I slapped myself, hard in the face hoping that would pull down a lever between me, or maybe beat some sense out of me.

And guess what, shit really do work

"What on earth." I may or may not have slap myself way too hard, cause my sight is starting to messing up. Instead of colors, I can see… What the fuck is this, temperature? "The hell is this vision." I look around, everything seems weird… The grass and the night sky all seem blue, while my hand seems red, and yellow on the edges. I scout around, poking my head out from the thick tree trunk, and sure enough, I am able to detect a temperature signal hiding amongst one of the trees, just not far away from us.

"Great at least at some way." Now I knew where that fucker is, how could I get rid of him… Oh boy, I have an idea, a terrible idea. Never in my life would I've come up with such an idea.

I slap myself hard square in the face.

Again.

Again.

And again.

"The hell are you doing!" The voice shouted again, upon seeing that highly ominous noise. "Clapping right now?" My face was red, even under in the darkness I am highly confident I look like a tomato, swollen in both cheeks. "No I am not!" I screamed, both in pain and anger as I look at the figure still hiding in the tree, couching. Through it I could see him raising up his bow and placing his arrow, before pointing it straight towards up.

Oh crud.

But then I found something even more bizarre.

"Wait a second." I stare at the figure, "Can I?" I raises my eyebrow and concentrated. "What, what the." The figure seems redder. "Gah!! What! I am, why I am on fire!!!" I concentrated even more and it continue to grow redder than the sun, as the screams grew louder, he let go of his bow and struggled, before falling from his tree and down to the ground with a thud. He tossed and turned, trying to extinguish a flame that never exist, his screams didn't stop but it become much more eerier, filled with unimaginable pain, scream after scream, until suddenly he stopped. And it was silence.

"Is this, my power?" I look at the burnt bandit, lying on the ground, his expression twisted, hair burnt off. It was indeed a gruesome and painful way to die, to be burnt alive. His entire body was sizzling in smoke, with a dark crisp layer on top his skin as if he was burnt in molten lava. And yet there is no sign of fire, his shirt is still intact, which is almost impossible for that amount of heat.

"You're finally awake airhead?"

"Huh?" Aiko rub her eyes as she get up, half asleep and half awake. "Where are we?" She asked and let out a yawn. "Still at the forest, you got hit by an arrow and feel asleep. It was until this morning that the effect wore off." I scoop out some stew from a clay pot into a wooden bowl and hand it to her. "How?" She asked in confusion and stare at the clay pot bubbling on itself, with no fire.

"Well the fact is that I can control heat." I explained, scooping out my own share of food. "But I needed concentration and a lot of time, so it isn't that useful to be honest." I hand her a spoon, she take it as two of us dine, it was a simple meal, but enough to satisfy both of us. "So where are we heading today?" I lick my lips, finishing my bowl of stew. "Towards the Capital of the Sun, before finally arriving at the Ray of Hope." She replied, she seems kind of shaken, I can't seem to blame her though. Especially the fact that human is such an asshole in this world, we even got bounty on our head for whatever fucking reason.

"As long as we stay hidden there is nothing we need to worry about." I patted her by her head, rubbing her bunny ears together trying to calm her down. "Yeah." She stare at me with those damn looks again. I immediately look around, trying to act calm. "I suggest we start moving right now." I said, switching the topic between us. She stretch her arms wide open, and I stepped into, I think I kinda get used to this sensation already, getting carried around is actually, quite great.

And together we headed towards the Capital of the Sun.