22 Ember's story

After retrieving some wood for the fire to set up camp I sense something following me. I started continued walking towards our 'Camp' or will be camp. I stay on guard trying not to let the thing following me know I spotted it. The thing isn't powerful because I can sense the mana around it, and it has a little less mana than me. But I don't specialize in mana so my 'mana thing' isn't strong at all, but Yuko's is compared to mine.

I soon entered our 'camp' and noticed everyone is still paced out while Ember has a fire set up already, but I still sense something behind me.

I saw Yuko full of energy again jumping around bothering Ember while she tries to keep the fire lit. Then Yuko stops jumping and looks at me with a serious expression.

'She noticed it too. That means Yuko has better control of sensing mana than me because she spotted it right away.'

"Yuko come here," I say out loud. This causes Ember to look at me too with a big smile on her face.

"Welcome back Sir. Satoru," Ember says waving at me.

Yuko jumps on my head and I quickly mumbled to her 'I know you sense it too. Don't let it get away and don't draw any attention to us. Make sure you bring it back alive too please.'

As soon as I finished mumbling my orders to Yuko she jumps off my head and goes into the forest quickly.

'Didn't I say don't draw any attention to yourself' I wanted to do a facepalm right now, but my hand was occupied with a bunch of wood for the fire. Then my other hand was still heavily injured and hurting more as time went by. Why?

I quickly went over to Ember and placed down the firewood next to her small fire. She started the fire out of small leaves and little sticks laying around.

"Here you go these should work even better," I say to Ember staring into her red glowing eye. They really are beautiful you wouldn't think that she was an adventure from how gentle the red tone looks.

"Thank you...aghu...Sir...Satoru please don't stare at me like that...It's rather unpleasant" She says blushing covering her eye.

'Is she embarrassed by her eye color, but why?' I thought to myself thinking she looks really cute but seeing her like this made me blush.

"I'm sorry Mrs.Ember please forgive me," I say quickly replying to what she said without any hesitation.

"It's quite fine...Just please don't stare so hard at my eye."She replies while putting her dark hair over her eye.

"Why not your eye is so beautiful?" I say telling her how I feel starting at her.

"You don't have to be nice Sir Satoru just because you saved us. I know my eye is unattractive." She replies with a frown on her face. While she is placing the wood into the fire she made.

That kinda hurt me cause she and I have the same eyes. So when she calls hers unattractive she is calling mine unattractive, and when I was starting to think I looked so cool. This thought made me want to frown, but I didn't give in.

"You shouldn't save something like that about yourself, and you should take my words to heart. Your eye is gorgeous, and it is so wonderful to look at and beautiful too." I say trying to comfort her with my words. At this time I grab the fish that I caught that was on my hand made spear. I grabbed them and head over to Ember and handled the fish to her to put over the fire.

As I had her the Fish I look into her eye saying intensely "Look into my eyes if you can tell me that you hate the color of our eyes then I will stop pushing you on this topic Mrs. Ember" I have her just a few inches away from my face.

Her skin tone was a warm beige tone and complimented her dark-coal hair perfectly. She had a silver earring in the shape of fire on her right ear that was very small. Her facial features were gorgeous just to look at, but I don't know why she hates her eyes.

My eyes were starting to burn a little as I could feel them getting brighter again.

"I...like...your...eyes..."She says blushing a lot trying to get those words out as it took everything she had just to say that.

"May I ask you something, Mrs. Ember?" I say while backing up a little from her face to give her some breathing space.

"Please go ahead Sir Saturo" She replies politely. I hate this Sir Saturo stuff though...I sigh thinking this.

"Are there any other people with our eye color?" I say questioning because she seemed surprised when she first saw my eyes.

"No, You're the only person I have seen with those eyes. And you have both of your eyes while I only have one." She says looking down at the floor. I could see that she was being bothered by something, but what?

"Mrs. Ember, Why does our eye color bother you so much?" I replied in a questioning tone tilting my head trying to get some answers.

"In this nation, people don't like different people. They think if you look different you must be a spy or a terrorist. My whole life I have been an outsider, my parents left me because they thought I was a witch. No school would take me in because they thought I would harm the other students. Even my own nation has tried to hang me a couple of times for my eye color..."At this time I could see tears dripping down her face, but only through her black eye. Her red eye didn't shed a single tear, but why?

She has had a tough life I can see that clearly, even her own parents left her...I feel for her life.

"But then I met some nobles one day when I was about to get hanged for my 5th time...That is where I met Kay and Luna. They took me in because they never had anyone to take care of them anymore. Their parents have passed away in the recent Beggar's explosion. So I have been taking care of them as payment for them saving my life..." She started shedding more and more tears as time went by. Why is she just telling me her whole life story?

"Mrs. Ember" I stop her where she is at for she wouldn't cry anymore cause I have heard enough.

She turned and look at me with a sensitive expression like she could fall apart at any second.

I move closer to Ember whipping her tears away with my hand. "You have a tuff life and I won't be able to understand that, but hear my words. If you don't want to feel pain like that ever again then make a name for yourself. Get stronger and make your own allies, and most importantly make friends and family. Because when the time comes the nation won't be by your side. Not even the world will be by your side, but you know who will?" I paused making sure I have her attention for she won't forget these words.

"Your friends and family that you have gained...No one else will be able to understand you, but they will. Because at the end of the day they know you and the nation doesn't." I say while getting and patting the dirt on my shorts.

"Sir Satoru...Thank you..No one has ever said something so nice to me before." She replies smiling finally, but still crying though but these tears aren't sad ones.

"No need to thank me...Mrs. Ember I will be back." I say as I am leaving for the woods.

"Where are you going?" She says questioning.

"Yuko needs me really quick, but I will be back. If anything comes and attacks you scream I will come." I say while leaving off into the forest again.

'Now Let's see who was falling us why don't we' I mumbled to myself feeling Yuko and the being clashing in attacks.