A Slap of Air [4.2]

(Author's note: This is from no one's POV)

The men watched with vigilant eyes as their carriage of "crops" moved down the abandoned road. They traveled for many days and many nights managing to avoid any curious eyes. They arrived at their location and opened the back. Children whimpered and cried at the sight of the burly men glaring at them. Each child had on a metal collar with complicated magical symbols etched into it.

One of the burly men shouted, "Get out! Don't make me have to get in there!" The children cried as they were marched out. He shouted, "Don't even think about running away! We won't hesitate to kill you!"

This elicited another cry from the children who were then shouted at for being too loud. After the last child, the man turned to another. "Is that all?"

The other shook his head, "There's one girl left. She was knocked unconscious and it seems she still hasn't woken up."

He clicked his tongue, "That better not lower her value."

They grabbed the girl roughly and carried her inside. Her long wavy brown hair swayed slightly as her eyes remained delicately closed. A blue bruise decorated her forehead looking particularly painful.

The children were placed in a small room that reeked of urine and other wastes. The girl was thrown onto the floor as if she was nothing but a discarded rag. A small child, who had already been there for a few weeks, frowned and carefully dragged the girl to the wall to support her. The child's touch was gentle as if worried that the slightest of touches would hurt her. Once assured she was safe, the child glared at the attackers.

The child had shoulder-length blonde hair that looked unkempt from the time he spent in that small room. Even the clothes the child wore were worn and dirty, but one could tell it was still high-quality cloth. The child's bright blue eyes remained fierce and arrogant despite the position they were currently in. His features were perfectly symmetrical with slightly effeminate characteristics.

The burly man noticed his glare and grew irritated. He kicked the child, forcing him to crash to the ground. The burly man shouted, "Wipe that look off your face, brat!"

The child struggled to lift himself up. They hadn't eaten well since arriving, and most of the food the child did receive was given to others out of pity. Despite receiving a strong kick, the child still remained indignant. His glare didn't disappear and only got more hateful.

The burly man felt as if he was being mocked and grabbed the child's beautiful blonde hair. He yanked the small child who bit his lip from the pain. He growled, "You think you are better than me, brat?"

The child glared back, "I know I am."

The burly man exploded in a rage. He threw the child to the ground and began to kick him brutally. He screamed, "You d*mned brat! You need to be put in your place!"

The child let out a yelp from the savage kicks. He curled in a ball and attempted to protect his head. Even though his personality was strong, that didn't mean his body was. Each kick was dreadfully painful and he couldn't contain his excruciating howls.

The smaller man stood behind and just watched with a blank expression as the burly one continued to severely injure the poor child. Before he delivered a final blow that would kill the poor child, a gentle breeze flew into the room…

...And as if it was targeting her…

It slapped the girl with brown hair so hard, one could almost see the red mark across her cheek.

Her eyes fluttered open from the pain.

___…..___

(Author's note: Back to Reika's POV)

I felt my eyes flutter open.

Oi. Who just b*tch slapped me? That hurt!

A sudden nauseating smell assaulted my senses and I wrinkled my nose up in disgust. I looked around the smelly room and noticed children with fearful looks. I heard another child shout out in pain. I looked toward the noise and noticed a small blonde girl being kicked by a large burly man.

Not good! A child can't survive that kind of attack!

I sprung forward and covered the child's body with my own. I felt a hard kick to my ribs and let out a pained shriek.

That f*cking hurt!!!

The smaller man pulled back the attacker, "Calm down. If we lose any of them, then that means we are losing money."

I scowled at the two men. Losing money? Where exactly am I?

The man spat on me in anger, "Fine. These brats aren't worth it anyway."

I felt anger rising in my chest as I wiped off the spit. These stupid apes! Prepare to be beaten into a pulp!

I channeled my mana and immediately felt a powerful shock on my neck which caused my limbs to seize up. I screamed in pain and surprise, "Ah!"

He laughed mockingly, "Keep trying to use your mana, stupid brat. I would love to see you get fried."

Fried?

He shut the door behind them and left us alone. I heard many locking mechanisms and saw an array appear on the door. I recognized the array from my studies. It's supposed to lock living creatures in and zap anyone who tries to unlock it incorrectly. Usually, it is used on beasts, but it seems you can also use it to lock in children.

How distasteful.

I turned back to the child who was covered in bruises and cuts. Even though she was bleeding, I didn't feel light-headed or nauseous. I only ever fainted at the sight of my own blood. Seeing another person's blood was just an uncomfortable experience that I would rather not have to endure. I would normally just ignore someone who is this hurt since I wasn't a nurse or anything, but this little girl looks so miserable I feel like I should do something.

I reached out and delicately raised her head to look at it better. Her bright blue eyes widened in surprise. The feeling of my abnormally icy cold skin caused her to freeze before relaxing. She watched me in surprise as I looked over her wounds.

They weren't good, but they weren't fatal either. I really didn't know the extent of her wounds just by looking. It was a shame that I didn't have a flashlight to test for a concussion. Perhaps I could just use magic instead.

I reached into my sock for my wand but didn't find it. D*mn. I must have lost it. I will have to make a light without it then.

As I went to attempt to make a light, the heavy collar shocked me so strongly I completely lost concentration.

I can't use magic? That's not good. How will I know if this child has a concussion or not?

I sighed and spoke to the child, "Just in case, don't sleep for the next 24 hours. You could have a concussion."

Wait. What about me? How long was I unconscious? That's definitely not a good sign. Forget the child! I should be more concerned with myself!

I let the child go and looked at her delicate appearance. Seeing how frail and beat up she was, I let out a sigh. How can I act so selfish when this poor child nearly died? She's probably terrified right now.

I nudged her gently, "Are you okay?"

The poor little girl was still shaking from the attack. Despite her wounds and bruises, her eyes were still fiery and resentful. It was as if she was fighting with herself to remain strong and to show no weakness. My heart was moved at the sight. For once, I wanted to comfort a child.