Chapter 4: A Friendship Beyond Worlds

Wide-eyed and trembling, Luke stood rooted to the spot, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. He couldn't tear his gaze away from the creature that had suddenly appeared before him. The only thought running through his mind was, "What the hell is that thing?"

"Damn it! A human kid!" Ruster cursed to himself. He was frustrated by this unexpected encounter, knowing that the stone usually teleports to a location where no humans were present. But something had clearly gone awry this time.

Only the Charters, specialized priests trained from childhood for this very purpose, could use the stone to its full extent. Ruster realized that his lack of experience was likely to blame for this mishap. However, he knew that now was not the time for dwelling on it – he needed to act. He had to eliminate the boy before more people arrived on the scene.

Ruster assessed the frightened boy, his keen senses allowing him to perceive Luke's aura. Auras revealed a wealth of information about an individual's emotions and intentions, and Luke's was pulsating with panic and distress. Ruster concluded that this was a normal human reaction, especially for a child. He had killed numerous humans who had witnessed him in the past, and they all wore the same desperate expression, revealing their weakness and desire to flee. Determined to prevent Luke from escaping, Ruster steeled himself to finish the boy off before it was too late.

"Ghost! My sword, Jian!" Ruster called out, intending to summon one of his swords named Jian. But nothing happened. Confused, he repeated the command, only to be met with silence. Suddenly, his armor seemed to come to life, unwrapping itself from around his body and settling on his back like a backpack. "Ghost isn't responding!" Ruster realized, inspecting the backpack. "Maybe he shut down because of the jump... Damn it! It looks like I have to do this barehanded!"

Ruster spoke in an unfamiliar Wardokian language, leaving Luke unable to comprehend a single word. Stumbling backward in fear, Luke fell to the ground as Ruster rose to his feet and approached him.

Now that his armor had been removed, Ruster's muscular physique was more visible. He wore no shirt, only some jewelry, while his pants resembled those of ancient Viking garb.

Ruster towered over Luke, his nearly three-meter height both awe-inspiring and terrifying. With his heart racing, Luke closed his eyes, bracing himself for the end.

However, Ruster hesitated, observing the fear-stricken boy before him. An overwhelming sense of guilt and self-disgust washed over him. He had just stolen the stone to save humanity, and now he was about to kill a human with his own hands. Ruster felt that he was betraying his purpose and dishonoring his grandfather's memory. He had renounced all of the Wardok beliefs, but this was different – it went beyond faith and was a matter of being itself. No Wardok could ever let a human live after witnessing their existence. It was an unspoken rule ingrained in their very nature.

As Ruster's hand hovered over the frightened boy, an odd sensation began to gnaw at him, a strange force urging him not to follow through with his lethal intent. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was something different about this specific child, something that made taking his life unthinkable. Deep down, he couldn't help but feel that if he truly wanted to save the human world, he had to listen to this mysterious force and spare the boy's life, no matter the consequences.

However, despite the mysterious force growing stronger, Ruster knew he had a duty to fulfill. Gritting his teeth, he attempted to shake off the hesitation and focus on the task at hand. He clenched his fists, gathering every ounce of resolve he had left, and raised his arm, preparing to deliver the final blow. As he brought his fist down, a mixture of fear, confusion, and hope swirled within him, making it impossible to predict the outcome of this fateful encounter.

As Ruster's fist descended towards the terrified boy, time seemed to slow down. The air grew thick with tension, and the gravity of the situation weighed heavily upon both of them. Luke's heart pounded in his chest, each beat echoing in his ears, drowning out the sounds of the world around him.

Ruster's mind raced as he struggled to comprehend the mysterious force guiding his actions. He couldn't deny the powerful, inexplicable pull he felt towards this child, urging him to halt his attack. The conflict within him reached a boiling point, and in that critical moment, something inside Ruster shifted.

His fist stopped mere inches from Luke's face, trembling with the effort it took to restrain himself. The boy's eyes remained squeezed shut, waiting for the impact that never came.

Suddenly, Ruster experienced an excruciating pain in his chest, so intense that it caused him to double over and scream in agony. He clutched at his chest as if he were suffering a heart attack. The pain didn't subside until he had coughed up all the blood within him. Breathing heavily, he thought to himself, "Was this an injury from the battle?... No... It must be the curse!"

As Ruster was recovering from his unexpected bout of pain, he felt a gentle touch on his shoulder, followed by warm, comforting words that filled his heart with relief and a sense of solace.

"Are you okay, mister?" Luke asked, his concern evident in his voice.

Ruster couldn't believe his eyes; his mind was reeling from how drastically the situation had changed. "This is unbelievable... this kid... in an instant... his aura shifted from a state of fear and panic... into a state of nothing but genuine concern for my well-being..." Ruster thought, astonished. He marveled at how Luke could disregard the fact that he wasn't human and still show compassion towards him. This time, it was Ruster who stumbled back, landing on his bottom as Luke stood before him, asking, "Do you need help? Are you okay?"

After a moment of silence and amazement, Ruster suddenly burst into laughter, the sound resonating from deep within his heart. He exclaimed, "Hey, kid! You're the best!" and continued laughing with pure, unbridled joy. The young boy's kindness had not only touched Ruster's heart but had also transformed a seemingly impossible situation into the beginning of a remarkable friendship.

Luke was amazed that Ruster could speak Japanese and said, surprised, "You speak our language!"

"Of course I do, I speak 94 human languages!" Ruster replied.

Upon hearing Ruster's friendly tone, Luke's aura shifted once more, this time expressing comfort and trust. Ruster, who could easily read people's auras, noticed the change and asked, "Why didn't you run away from me?... This has never happened to me before..."

Luke looked serious and replied, "Should I?"

Seeing Luke trying to act tough, Ruster burst into laughter again, tears streaming from his eyes as he slapped the ground with his hand. "Hahaha... No... Haha... You're fine... Hahaha... But your tough act is killing me!"

Even as he laughed, Ruster felt grateful to Luke, who had managed to ease his heart and alleviate his guilt in such a profound way. "Seriously, kid, why didn't you run away?" Ruster asked.

From Luke's perspective, there was something strangely familiar about Ruster that made him feel as if he were standing beside his late friend, Shimizu Kei. However, he didn't reveal this to Ruster and responded differently. "I heard a voice calling my name. It was you, right?"

"A voice?" Ruster questioned.

Luke saw the confusion on Ruster's face and asked again, "It wasn't you?"

Before Ruster could answer, he sensed someone approaching from around the corner of the street. He immediately grew serious, grabbed Luke, and urgently said, "Hey, kid, I need somewhere to hide and rest now! Can you help?"

Luke was captivated by Ruster's large, wide-open eyes, which conveyed the urgency of his request. So Luke replied, "This is my home," pointing backward with his thumb to the house just behind them. "You can hide there; my family isn't home yet..."

Without hesitation, Ruster scooped Luke up and carried him to the house. The door had been left open when Luke came outside earlier. Ruster, being taller than the doorway, crouched to enter the house before gently setting Luke down and softly closing the door behind them.

"That was weird," Luke commented.

Ruster's expression turned serious as he said, "Listen, kid... No other human should see me. You're the only one who has... No more... understood?"

Luke felt the weight of Ruster's words and couldn't bring himself to respond verbally, so he simply nodded in agreement.

"Where can I rest?" Ruster asked.

"In my room, it's upstairs... I'll show you," Luke replied. He then led the way, with Ruster following close behind. As Ruster stepped on the wooden stairs, they creaked under his weight. They reached the door to Luke's room, and he opened it for them to enter. It was a medium-sized room, featuring a bed, a window, and a desk on the opposite side of the bed - a typical Japanese bedroom.

Ruster immediately stretched out on the bed, which was too small for his large frame, leaving his legs sticking out. Despite this, he didn't complain.

"Hello... Sir?" Luke asked, but Ruster was already fast asleep.

For a while, Luke watched Ruster sleep, wondering about his true nature. He felt an inexplicable connection to the strange visitor, a mix of familiarity and excitement that reminded him of the camaraderie he had shared with a close friend. It was a feeling he had been missing for quite some time.

Unexpectedly, Luke heard the front door of the house swing open, followed by the sound of his little sister's footsteps as she bounded up the stairs, calling out for her brother.

"Luke! Luke!" his sister shouted.

His mom must be home already! Panic set in, and Luke scrambled to close the bedroom door before his sister could make it upstairs. Unfortunately, she was too quick, and she entered the room just as he reached the door.

Luke's heart raced, his body frozen with fear. His sister was going to see the creature!

"Luke?... What's that?" his sister asked, her eyes fixed on the bed behind her brother.

The room fell silent, tension thick in the air as the consequences of this discovery loomed large. Luke knew he needed to act fast, but his mind raced with uncertainty. The lives of everyone involved now hung in the balance, and one wrong move could spell disaster.