The apprentices

The sea. It was Shirohara's first time to ride on ship. She remembered Mokuro's drawings about ships. He used to tell her a story about a ship that could fly on the sky, sail through the seas, and dive underwater effortlessly. She wonders if one day, she would be able to meet that ship and ride with it.

Somehow, this adventure was like a dream for her. Only the sad part is that she wanted an adventure with Mokuro, but he's gone, and now she's with an Alchemist, and she was an apprentice. Even so, what questions her mind right now is that they're pretending to be father and child.

Even when they were just together for days, Shirohara realized that Namia is someone who tells the important details when it's almost too late, at least not that late. Or if ever you asked him. she took a deep sigh. Even when she was still young, it seems like she inherited the sighing from Mic's habit of complaining by sighing. She smiled. She misses everyone. Even when she had cherished those time they've spent together, it wasn't enough on a sudden parting.

She preferred how Marcus orders around, he completes all the details that's needed in everything. "But Marcus and Namia were different, I can't expect Namia to be like Marcus anyway." She told herself.

Shirohara watched the waves of the ocean as she rests her chin on the deck.

Namia had pretend to be her father, though they don't look alike. She wondered why Namia suddenly did that. She was also thinking about that white dragon that appeared in her dream. Or, if ever it was a dream. She would even wonder why she slept for so many hours yet feel like it was just a normal sleep.

"It seems like going in that outer space thing makes me unconscious huh. Even though I lasted for like a minute in or less in there." She pouted as she looked at the town they've been before. It no looked very small, like a dot drawn by a pen.

"You seem to be thinking about something too deep." Namia said as he handed her a cup of juice.

"Oh, you're here. I was just thinking about my dream about that white dragon thing." She replied and took the juice.

"It seems like she wants an audience with you yet returned you when she found out that you were still young." He replied.

"I see, but why do we had to pretend like father and daughter?" she pouted.

Namia looked around them to make sure that no one's listening to their conversation. "Well, I'm being followed. It's better for my identity to be hidden, also for your safety. If ever someone asks you what's my name, say something else."

"you're not going to suggest any names? I might name you weirdo."

"I don't mind, as long as it's not my real name anyway."

"Who were those following you?" she looked around.

"Mimics, I've had a misunderstanding with those yesterday and now they want me dead. And you'll be in danger too. I promised to make sure that you'll be safe. And you're my apprentice. If ever I die, no one else will know about elemental alchemy and it will be a huge effect to the unbalanced peace and chaos. There must be at least one elemental alchemist to exist." He explained in a way where he moved his hands a lot which distracts Shirohara.

"So, why can't you train more alchemist apprentice? And you said you had an apprentice before, right? What's the unbalanced chaos and peace?"

Namia admitted in his mind that he had dug his own grave. He should've wrote a dictionary for everything about what he's talking about so he doesn't have to explain that much. He thought and decided to take a mental note about that next time.

"Well, if I had two or more apprentice, they would totally compete against each other about who was stronger and who is my favorite. That'll be a hassle and I don't want to be a referee all the time they were having fights." He explained.

"Well, that makes sense. But what about your previous apprentice?"

Shirohara never rans out of questions to ask. Almost every kid does after all.

Curiosity is what enhanced and broadens one's mind. They would be able to discover what are the right and the wrong in their own way.

"My previous apprentice only wanted riches, that's why I taught him how to be but didn't taught him about the elements, he only had to use his own intelligence and that is all. But you, you're the chosen Lu- you know what you are and I don't have to say it. The thing is, an Alchemist's duty is to make sure that all the elements are balanced and they do not create chaos. Without the alchemist, no one can monitor and took control of it. No one else would. So please, Shirohara. Duck." He closed his eyes.

"Duck? What duck?" it was almost too late for her but she realized what duck means. Not the animal duck but to duck and she immediately did.

As she ducks, she looks above her to see Namia jumped off the ship.

She followed him through her gaze and was amazed by how Namia was able to stand in the water.

"So, you've been following me, until now. You even send your mimics." He said as he was looking at something invisible. He was now holding an arrow.

Shirohara was puzzled. "Why was he holding an arrow?" she asked to herself. (I'm also tired of her questions. The author sighed)

"As expected from the great All-knowing Alchemist, Namia Exe. I'm impressed. Your new apprentice doesn't seem to be dumb after all." A man said.

Namia didn't move from where he was standing. The ship wasn't moving as Shirohara noticed.

A man suddenly appeared in front of Namia. He was floating. He had a golden bow in his hand. "Looks like I failed to assassinate her." He pouted.

"What are you doing here, Rain? And why do you want to harm my new apprentice?" he asked and never taking off his sight away from the man in front of him.

"You see, I believe you still had that coin with you, eh?" he smiled manically.

"I see, you have been spying on me since you gave me that coin, ten decades ago." Namia said as he pulled out a golden coin in his pocket and threw it on the ocean.

"Ten decades ago? How long is ten decades? I should've paid attention to Mokuro's Math lesson. I thought I only had to learn about the basics since that's what Mic told me." Shirohara thought o herself as she watched. "So, this man was Namia's previous student? They… why does Namia looks younger than him?" she keeps on asking herself.

The man had long pony-tailed white hair, his beard was reaching his collarbone and he wears black and white tuxedo. His eyeglass was made of gold too.

"Too late to throw that though. I appreciate you kept it. The reason why I tried to kill her is that I'm so upset to you! How come you decided to find a new apprentice! I'm not yet finished being your apprentice! I wanted to learn how to make myself look younger now! All those years I've spent training under you had made me age yet nothing changed on you since the very first day I've met you!" He angrily spoke each word with resentment towards Namia.

Namia sighed. "You had aged slowly; however, I am cursed. I envy how everyone grows old and dies yet I'm here stuck and looking like I'm only twenty years old. I envy how you can do whatever you want ever since you had learned the Alchemy of Riches, yet here I am, still carrying a burden ever since I've became an Alchemist. I warn you, just go on and continue your usual life. I've got nothing else to teach you. My youth was a curse from the Goddess of death, four thousand years ago. You wouldn't understand." Namia finally closed his eyes and walked towards the ship which seemed to slightly move.

"Four… thousand... years?" The man shivered the moment he heard that.

"What on tensei did master have done that made the goddess of death curse him. This man… it can't be." The man thought, he couldn't move after hearing that.

Shirohara herself was shocked to hear that. she even backed away when Namia jumped towards the ship. She can't believe how old Namia was already. She might not know what's decade but she knows a thousand's meaning.

The man had forgotten how to speak, yet still he chased the ship.

"Master!" he called out. "Hear me!" but Namia already went inside and only Shirohara was left outside and watching him. he immediately approached her.

"Hey kid, I'm sorry about earlier, I just got carried away. Anyway, my name is Rainer. Master used to call me Rain. I'm his apprentice… well, you're his apprentice now so I'm the former. Glad to meet you." He tried to shake hands with her but Shirohara don't know what that means.

Suddenly, dark clouds appeared and flash of light followed by thunderclap.

"Oh shit. Master's upset!" he immediately went inside the ship.

Shirohara was left outside. She decided to watch the lightning surrounding the ship. As If it was calling to her.

And yes, it was. The god of Thunder had appeared in front of her.