Inkin Fruit

"Curse you, Sebastian," Mikko said with a pouty expression on his face, while Sebastian's head was still bowed on the ground. "Sorry, You can have this apple pie in return," Sebastian offered, handing Mikko a lunchbox with a half-eaten slice of pie.

"...Ok!" Mikko exclaimed, taking the fork and digging into the pie, oblivious to the fact that it had already been eaten, he was the type who's not picky when it comes to food after all.

They are currently on the outskirts of town, leaning against a tree; they had planned to play in the forest, but the adults told them off because they were also preparing in the forest.

"By the way, Mikko, could you please help me with my reading?" Sebastian asked, pulling a book from his shoulder bag and holding it out to Mikko, who grabbed it with his hands.

"This is basic ruins alphabet though," Mikko replied, making Sebastian nod his head while pulling out a piece of paper and an ink pen.

"Ok, see this, it's the letter "A," Mikko lectured, laying the book on the ground so both of them could see it properly and pointing to the letter in the very beginning that is drawn in an odd manner. "Then this is the letter "B," Mikko continued, pointing to the next ruin.

"Is this D then?" Sebastian inquired, pointing to the fourth ruins, which were written in the same strange manner.

"Yup" Mikko confirmed making Sebastian smile as he wrote down the letter "D" followed by what be assumed as letter "O" and "G".

"Then is this how you spell dog?" Sebastian inquired, thinking that despite the new way of writing, learning how to write was quite simple and that he could probably learn to read faster as well.

"Technically, yes, but if the dog is yours, this is how you write it," Mikko said as he scribbled a new word in Sebastian's notebook, leaving Sebastian perplexed because the word Mikko scribbled was so far away from what he had written.

"And if the dog is not yours but you know who owns it, this is how you write it," Mikko continued, confusing Sebastian and prompting him to ask, "What?" Mikko chuckled.

"And if you don't know who owns the dog-"

"Wait, you're telling me that the way you wrote it changed depending on the context?" Seb interjected, looking at Mikko puzzledly.

"Exactly!" Mikko exclaimed, thinking that Sebastian was gradually learning how to write, but Sebastian only groaned before facepalming in disbelief.

"This is ridiculous, no wonder I never learn," Sebastian grumbled, letting out a frustrated sigh as Mikko's brow furrowed.

"Well, let's just get back to training then," Sebastian said as he stood up from under the tree, dusting himself, only to be dragged back down by Mikko.

"Oh no you don't... I'm sure you think you can join the Knights of the Capital even if you don't know how to read, but let me just tell you that you need basic writing and reading skills to join, because Knights are required to write reports," Mikko explained, making Sebastian stare at Mikko as he tried to understand everything he was saying.

"I also don't recommend you join the Knight because most of them don't have freedom over their actions; every move they make must be ordered," Mikko added.

"How do you even know all of this?" Sebastian wondered as he sat back down, crossing his arm intrigued by the new information, earning a wide grin from Mikko, leaving Sebastian puzzled as to why he had such a wide grin plastered on his face.

"Because I read it on one of the books in the "Skarlax" Hall library for third level, which is one of the special privileges we have," Mikko replied, a smirk forming across his lips as he was clearly boasting.

However, his boasting was cut short when an elderly man with a white beard approached both of them. His name was Shiy, and he was one of the town's craftsmen who worked on repairing weapons and armor, and he frequently assisted people in repairing their weapons.

He was one of the most dependable people in town; he knew everyone and everything about the town, and he even gave people advice on occasion.

"Mr, Shiy! How have you been? Haven't heard from you in ages," Mikko said with a bright smile on his face, while Sebastian just stared at Shiy with a blank expression because he couldn't recall anything about the man in front of them.

"Still as strong as an elephant," Shiy answered Mikko before turning to Sebastian. "It appears that the two of you are not busy, so I was wondering if you could get me an Inkin fruit tomorrow morning," Shiy requested.

"Oh! It's tomorrow already?" Mikko exclaimed, clearly excited about something, as Sebastian raised his eyebrow while giving Shiy a puzzled look, the man only nodded his head in response. "We got you, we'll see you tomorrow then!" Mikko exclaimed cheerfully.

Shiy smiles as he walks away, pausing halfway to wave goodbye to the two who also waved back.

"I guess we'll have to do something other than to study tomorrow," Mikko stated, looking back at Sebastian, who was still perplexed but was glad he didn't have to study.

ーーーー

Another day has passed, the sun has not yet appeared, but Mikko and Sebastian were already deep within the forest in search of the tree that grew the Inkin Fruit, Shiy had requested yesterday evening.

They walked through the tall trees and bushes, passing by a few animals or maybe it's birds, Mikko could tell Sebastian isn't having a good time walking through nature, he's always stumbling over his own feet as well as tripping over the roots and branches that are scattered around, but he doesn't complain one bit since he knew Sebastian would never complain about things that can help him get better, but that alone worry Mikko.

"Hey Mikko, What's an Inkin Fruit?" Sebastian inquired as they came to a halt and leaned against the tree to catch their breath for the time being.

"The Inkin Fruit seed can be boiled to make black ink, and its color can also change depending on how long you boil it and the way you boil it, it's the same thing you used to dyed your hair remember?" Mikko replied, looking up at the cloudy sky above them.

Sebastian stare at Mikko perplexed as he nodded his head 'So my hair is dyed, I thought it was natural' he thought placing his elbows on his knees and leaning his head against his palm.

"Why does Mr. Shiy needs it then?" Sebastian inquired once again, tilting his head at Mikko, who responded by smiling and pulling the collar of his shirt down to reveal a two-line tattoo that circled his neck just like Coste and Al's.

"He used it for the tattoo since anyone can easily add Nether energy on the tattoo to make it disappear," Mikko explained as he closed his eyes, the tattoo on his neck gradually disappearing as Sebastian stared in awe.

"Not everyone except our tradition, after all," Mikko grumbled as he stood up and reached out to Sebastian's hand.

Sebastian took Mikko's hand and stood up from his seat; they continued their journey through the dense forest, with Mikko still leading the way.

They eventually arrived at a small clearing near the base of the massive tree. Sebastian looked around for a while but nothing seemed familiar; the only thing that piqued his interest was the massive red leaf that grows in each branch; the leaves were nearly the same size as him and were a deep red color.

"So, what do we do now?" Sebastian asked, looking at Mikko, who was looking at the tree with a thoughtful expression.

"We wait since the fruit can bloom unexpectedly anytime of the day," Mikko simply replied as he sat down on the ground, and they both waited patiently for the tree to bear the Inkin Fruit.

"While we're waiting, let's study-"

"I suddenly need to go to the bathroom," Sebastian said with an awkward smile, causing Mikko to pout, clearly annoyed by Sebastian's sudden need to pee.

"Fine, but don't go wondering around" Mikko grumbled as Sebastian stood up, causing Sebastian to chuckle at his irritation.

Mikko watched as Sebastian walked deeper into the forest and vanished from view. Sebastian continued to walk around the forest, making sure to stay straight so he wouldn't get lost around.

Until he came across a small path that led to an abandoned mansion, which appeared to be in worse condition than any other mansion in the world. It lacked any windows, doors, or gates, implying that whoever lived here had abandoned it a long time ago, leaving only a sign that read "Do not enter," a warning to trespassers.

But Sebastian wouldn't let his curiosity get the best of him, so he shrugged and turned away to return to wherever Mikko was when he heard footsteps hitting against the fallen leaves and turned around, his eyes widening.

Near the mansion's entrance stood a girl that seems to be on the same age as Sebastian she have a long wavy blonde hair, her skin is fair skinned with blue and purple bruises around her body that look really fresh as Sebastian noted.

She was dressed in a simple dress that is barely covered by a thin layer of fabric, her hands were clutching on the dress tightly as tears began to pool in her eyes, that look pretty lifeless, her ears were pointy indicating she's from the race of elves.

Sebastian felt a pang of pity for the girl, it wasn't his fault in the first place, but he couldn't help but run towards the door to help her, only to be stopped by three men in black robes covering their entire body from head to toe. They must be the reason for the girl's bruises.

They are all wearing a golden necklace with a familiar pendant, and Sebastian immediately unsheathed the dagger on his side, pointing it at the men. "Let her go!" Sebastian yelled as the three men finally noticed him.

Sebastian charged towards the three, not fully considering what might happen to him, but when he was only halfway across towards the man, his vision abruptly got turned around as he was thrown upside down.

He grunted in pain when his back softly hit the ground, but when his vision adjusted, he saw Mikko kneeling in front of him, facing the men and holding out the same necklace the men were wearing in front of him.

"I'm sorry, Masters; my friend here is suffering from a medical condition that is interfering with his decision-making. Please consider forgiving him" Mikko apologized with a sad smile as he gripped Sebastian's wrist, as if telling him to stay put, but he couldn't help but feel uneasy about being treated helplessly.

"..Begone," one of the robe men stated as Mikko nodded his head and turned around to face Sebastian, easily putting him on his shoulder and running away as fast as he could with ease as Sebastian just look at the silhouette of the girl that gradually disappear in the distance.

When they both returned to the tree of Inkin fruit, Mikko immediately put Sebastian down and began slapping his back while chanting 'Idiot, Idiot' repeatedly as Sebastian grunted in pain trying to cover himself from the attack, he wasn't expecting Mikko to get so angry because he tried to help someone.

"Should I just ignore the fact that they're doing something to that gi-"

"She's a "Shift". Persons with magical abilities can awaken their ability by experiencing both physical and emotional happiness or pain. There are people out there who violently try to awaken their magical power by joining a ritual in which you will feel mental and physical pain for a long period of time. As it is believed that a magic awakened by pain is powerful, which is obviously a ridiculous lie, yet some races still believe in it" Mikko proceeded to explain while Sebastian stroked his back, feeling some soreness in the spot Mikko had previously pounded.

"But no matter how you look at it, it sounds so wrong," Sebastian said, frowning and looking down at the ground.

"Yeah, and awakening you ability isn't even guarantee especially if you really are born without one" Mikko went on to say.

"I wonder if I still have a chance?" Sebastian asked, pointing to himself, causing Mikko to smile and place his hand on Sebastian's forehead, pulling his hair up to reveal the scar near his brow.

"If physical and emotional pain can truly awaken a person's magical power, yours should have been open when you jumped in front of a carriage to "rescue someone," but no one was there, and everyone mocked you for sometime" Mikko explained as he ruffled Sebastian's hair, eliciting the young boy's smile.

"All roads that lead to success have to pass through hard work boulevard at some point and using a shortcut can't be called a success" Mikko started.

"So never lose your smile and don't worry about your Nether Doom, I'm pretty sure all your hard work will pay off," Mikko continues as he ruffled Sebastian's hair once more.

The two boys' moment was cut short when a square-shaped fruit fell on top of Mikko's head, bouncing down and when it hit the ground, it was absorbed almost immediately, prompting Mikko to stand up. 

"Sebastian, the bag! Don't let the Inkin fruit touch the ground or it'll get absorbed!" Mikko instructed as Sebastian stood up, attempting to catch the falling fruit.