Sounds of footsteps on the grass.
"Finally, you woke up," Takashi says.
"Where are we going, Kashi?" she asks. "And why are you carrying me on your back?"
"I didn't want to wake you," he says. "You looked so cute sleeping."
"Are we leaving the kingdom?"
"Are we?" Takashi asks. "I've just been walking straight since I woke up."
"That's good," Akane says. "If the king finds us, he could finish us off."
"Why would he do that?" he asked her. "I didn't do anything."
"You have a very powerful skill," he begins, "and that's a very bad thing."
They kept walking until they reached a forest. It was already night, they were hungry, and had nothing to eat.
"I'm hungry," Akane says. "Do you have any food?"
"No…" he answers. "But there should be some fruits around here."
He walks further in.
"Do you at least know how to tell if a fruit is poisonous or not?"
"Do you believe that… no!" He goes deeper into the forest.
After a while, he found a bush with fruits.
He picks one and eats it.
[Skill acquired: Anti-Poisoning]
"What does that mean...?!" He spits.
[Skill acquired: Purifying Sight]
Then he looks to the side and sees a bush with a fruit his skill says is not poisonous.
He goes back and, when he arrives, there's a campfire. He places the fruits on Akane's lap.
"Who should try first? Me or you?"
"You can! Since it was your idea, Kashi."
He eats and falls to the ground.
"Kashi?!!!" Akane says, worried.
"Just kidding," he says.
She punches his arm. "Don't do that, silly!"
He laughs. "I can't be poisoned," he says. "My new skills are anti-poisoning and purifying sight."
"Cool. You don't seem scared! You don't even seem from this world."
"I'm not."
"You're not?" she asks him. "Tell me more?"
"I just… slept permanently. Before waking up, I…" He pauses. "I didn't have many friends, only Tetsu and maybe Milena. My dad was like a king and… he didn't pay attention to me, only to my brothers."
"Sad."
"And you?" he asks. "What made you a prisoner?"
"Well… to help you understand, I'll tell every detail."
"I was so… small," she began to tell.
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
(Flashback)
"It was such a beautiful day…" she narrated.
"KICK!" the boy shouted.
"I'm trying," she said, kicking the old ball.
"GOAL!" shouted the team.
"Sweetie, come here," my mother shouted.
"I'm coming!" I shouted.
Narrator - Akane:
"She picked me up and took me home, and… hid me."
"Daughter, don't leave here, okay?!" said my mother, trying to hide her worry.
"Why am I here, mom?"
"Just don't… leave," my mother pleaded. "Take Jack."
Narrator:
"Jack was my stuffed animal."
"I heard… it was clear… the royal trumpet."
"What could that be?" I wondered. "Mom won't mind if I peek."
Narrator:
"At that moment, I saw what I shouldn't… they… I saw her fall on the ground."
"I covered my mouth. I didn't want to be discovered… but it was no use."
"I saw her hide one inside," said the guard.
Narrator:
"I was caught and saw… everything."
"He was smiling."
"I WANT EVERYTHING IN RUINS!" the king shouted to his knights.
Narrator:
"They took me in a carriage, near my village hill. They only wanted the children."
"I didn't feel anything anymore. All my friends were no longer with me. Each noble from that place took one by one."
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
"That's terrible," Takashi says, crying.
"After a while, they took me. He treated me well. But he betrayed me… traded me for money." She collapsed to the ground.
"Don't cry, Akane," he says, wiping her tears.
"But… you found me. And even if only for two days… you've already taken good care of me."
"And I will keep doing it," he says. "You can sleep. I'll stay awake tonight."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Akane."
"Good night."