Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Seji

The moon along with the stars can be seen in the skies. On the streets with many aligned lamp posts, a boy with a yellow shoulder-length braided hair with clothing that exposes his stomach with a bit of tattoo resembling a bear and wolf was taking a walk around.

His dark eyes are truly menacing that it causes intimidation to many people who make eye contact with him.

Two older bulky men who were taking a walk accidentally glanced at him, then they snickered while staring at Seji.

The taller bulky man talks to his bulky smaller pal. "Tingnan mo siya, pare, mukha siyang criminal."

Seji slowly stops walking, and he slowly clenches his hand. Anyway, the two bulky men continue to gossip about Seji.

The shorter bulky man laughs. "I'm deeply concerned for his parents," he glances at Seji who stands straight, "having a son like that was such a disgrace to their family."

Seji closes his hands and it shakes, he turns around and speaks loudly. "Hoy! Mga kupal. Ang lalaki nga ng inyong mga katawan eh mukha naman kayong kupal."

The two bulky men veer around toward Seji and clenches their hands as they grit their teeth. The taller bulky man runs toward Seji.

Seji smirks as he touches the handle of a long blue staff that was covered by the red fabric. It's attached to the back of the upper part of his clothing, then he pulls it from his back, and the red fabric that's covering his blue staff was removed.

"It's time…" Seji walked towards the incoming furious taller bulky man.

He tightens his clasp on his long blue staff, he swings it towards the taller bulky man, causing it to hit his stomach. The taller bulky man holds his stomach while he's whimpering in pain. Seji also delivers a strong swing of his long blue staff towards his face.

The taller bulky man was brought down to the ground by the great impact of Seji's long blue staff, causing him to lose consciousness. Seji walks toward the smaller bulky man.

His eyes widened as he saw Seji's stern eyes staring upon his existence with so much killing intent, Seji ambles towards him.

He yells while walking backward. "Don't dare to come closer to me, brat!"

Seji suddenly gallops towards the smaller bulky man. Seji jumps towards him as he rotates in the air, and then Seji delivers a greater swing of his long blue staff towards the smaller bulky man; the long blue staff makes an impact on his waist, causing him to spit some saliva from his mouth, and he flies away towards the nearest trash can.

Seji twirls his long blue staff before walking towards its red fabric. Seji picks up the red fabric, hence he wraps it again to his long blue staff.

He attaches his long blue staff on the back of his upper part of clothing. After that, he starts to walk away with a bright smile on his face.

"Buti nga, mga kupal," he whispered to himself.

At a house, in a room with dim yellow light, a boy was sitting near the opened glass window. There, he continues to gaze at the flying fireflies that are currently flying around outside of the opened glass window.

A hand appears holding on the cemented white slab below the opened glass window, provoking the boy which was Relov to be shocked.

Relov shifts his eyes downward, he steps back from his seat; and the hand pushed itself propelling itself inwards to Relov's bedroom.

The person smiles as he stands up from crouching on the ground, he looks upward at Relov's face.

He says, "Kumusta aking tamad na kaibigan? Sana'y nasiyahan ka sa aking pagdating."

Relov glances toward the palm of the person in front of him. "You've come here from a fight, right?"

Seji shifts his eyes toward his palms that have multiple scratches. He smirks. "I'm impressed… Alam mo talaga kung nakipag- away ako."

Relov steps toward his dresser and he opens it, then he stares at the multiple layers of messy clothing. He takes a deep breath. "Of course! I'm one of your friends…"

"Lazy? And dami bang tiklupin?" Seji sat on Relov's bed.

His eyes wander around. "Katulad ka pa rin dati, you're so sluggish when it comes to folding clothes."

Relov stops walking beside Seji, henceforth he puts many clothes that he's carrying on top of his bed. He glances at Seji. "Are you here just to tell me that?"

"Maybe," Seji replies calmly, "Aside from folding clothes. Si Efrein, nag-enroll na ba kayo?"

Relov folds 1 red t-shirt, he puts it beside the multiple layers of messy clothes, after that he sighs. "No. He easily resisted my request, like it was nothing."

"Ah… Gano'n." Seji lowered his face.

He furrows his eyebrows as his eyes become colorless. "I think he wants to see me in that 'state' again…" he cracked his knuckles.

The tattoo symbolizes a bear and the wolf on his stomach glows. Afterwards, an alive bear and a big wolf emerge from his body.

The fireflies flying around the house glow into a bright red-orange color. Relov smirks and he declares toward Seji. "Before Efrein will see you again, I think he'll witness your funeral first."

Seji chuckles while staring at Relov, then he wears his stade look. "And why so?"

"Thou shall not forget that I have another ability," Relov grins, "Which was, hindi ako tinatablan ng apoy."

Seji gawks, hence he closes his eyes, and the bear and wolf returns to being a tattoo on his stomach.

He opens his eyes and gives out. "Oo nga pala, ngunit mahina ka pa rin pagdating sa melee. Don't get so much cocky on yourself."

Relov glanced at Seji, he shifts his eyes toward the opened glass window only to see that the fireflies flew away.

"I know," Relov said.

After that night…

The sun is shining once again upon the world, civilians are walking around; whereas searching for their personal needs.

A boy was taking a walk towards his obligated destination. He yawns. "Bakit hindi na lamang si Ate ang utusan nila? Batugan kasi eh."

He inserts his hands inside his pocket. Not so far from him, two men wearing black clothing and black tinted eyeglasses are watching him.

The other one who wears a hairnet covering his yellow long braided hair speaks toward his pal. "Make sure that this so called 'plan' will work!"

His pal gestures him to be calm, and he says, "I'm sure of myself. Huwag mainit masyado ulo."

The boy with the yellow long braided hair inhales deeply and he rolls his eyes. "Ok."

Back to the boy whose walking towards a bakery. Two sprinting men wearing black clothing who have the names of Seji and Relov stops in front of him.

Relov whose holding a picture frame of a boy frowned upon Efrein. "Ang batang ito ay nakakaawa sapagka't marami pa siyang pwedeng tuparin na mga pangarap."

Seji lends him a tissue, hence Relov accepts it and uses it to sneeze, after that Relov moves his face downwards.

Seji sighs, he changes his calm look into a stern one. "I'm here to say that—!"

He was interrupted by a hot sensation on his back, he grits his teeth and glances at Relov whose smirking while his eyes remain fixated forward.

"Na ang batang ito'y napakabata pa upang maranasan niya 'yan." Seji shedding tears from his eyes.

Seji looks at the picture frame while looking at it: he pretends to cry and fake tears fall from his eyes.

Efrein walks closer towards them, he takes a close look at the picture frame. He scratches his chin. "Sinungaling… Ang batang 'yan ay namatay sa isang uri ng sumpa."

Relov replies still acting sad. "Ang kapal mong kontrahin kami, ngunit ano 'yon?"

Efrein shifts his eyes toward Relov. "He was cursed by a dwarf from telling a lie to his parents about how he achieved his high grade.

"Which caused him to die to a life-threatening disease."

Relov and Seji were horrified to hear that from Efrein, Relov throws the picture frame upwards as he panicking runs away, also Seji fled along with Relov.

Efrein giggles while gazing at his two pals who were bolting away. He looks down and sees the picture frame on the ground.

Efrein just ignored the picture frame on the ground, hereafter, he continues to walk towards the bakery. The picture frame's glass had a crack on it, low green energy flickers around it.

After a few hours…

Seji is furiously stomping his way towards a house of someone he knows, Relov was just following him. Seji was still wearing the same clothing, while Relov was wearing a red stunning clothing.

"Why with such a furious face?" Relov shifted his face toward Seji.

Seji grits his teeth as he clenches his hands,

his eyes remain to look forward. "We don't have any option but to use force upon that idiot to force him to enlist himself."

Then an enormous green smoke occurs in that city, it provokes Efrein who was swinging his sword in the front yard of their house to completely veers his eyes around.

His eyes meet an enormous green dwarf, which made him very shocked; he accidentally let go of his sword.

Seji and Relov sprint inward the front gate of Efrein's house, they halt beside Efrein.

Seji says angrily. "Hoy! Nakita mo ba yung dwarf na 'yon—"

Efrein shifts his eyes toward Seji, furthermore, he raises a question. "Anong ginawa ninyo?"

Many men wearing armor, leap from rooftop to rooftops toward the enormous green dwarf.

The man who was in front screams, "We must defend this city! This city that gave us home!"

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Author's note: Magandang araw... Sina Seji, Relov, at Efrein ay nasa 18 years old na po.