Maeyurai stepped back in fear, reminded of what he felt in his right arm upon touching the frozen eye yesterday.
I'm scared... I hate this feeling...
He felt tears seeping through his eyes, but they didn't last long due to the heat of the flames evaporating them before they fell.
The hot temperature radiated through the air.
Maeyurai's sudden burning slowed Shienne and Mhiya down in time.
But as the flames continued to eat down on Maeyurai's forearms, a certain memory within Mhiya's mind replayed.
"It's the First Sign," she said quietly behind Shienne, already making her move.
Moving swiftly, Mhiya threw her recurve bow towards Shienne and headed off towards Maeyurai.
Shienne caught the recurve bow and stayed back.
Mhiya's hand touched Maeyurai's left arm and emanated Wind Mana on top of it. Though she doesn't have a Skill, she could still create a gust of wind if her requirements are met.
The condition she set was:
[Upon contact with intense fire, blow a powerful gust of wind.]
She hasn't practiced using Emanation, so it was possible that something worse would happen.
Maeyurai then glanced her way. "Mhiya!" he said reflexively. Currently, he sees Mhiya as his savior.
She then activated the Wind Mana placed on Maeyurai's left arm with her Emanation attribute.
The Wind Mana was activated, and a strong wind came blowing past the surroundings, pushing nearby small objects away and putting out the fire.
Mhiya was sent sliding away due to the strong wind. But it was a success; the fire had dissipated.
"Phew, are you alright, Maeyurai?" Mhiya asked, her eyes slightly more open than they usually are due to the adrenaline.
"T-thank you so much, Mhiya..."
Maeyurai's voice was shaking. It was quite another terrifying experience for him.
"But... it still hurts! I feel my arms throbbing! Argh!" Maeyurai groaned; he was still in tremendous pain.
Hearing this, Mhiya immediately turned her head towards Shienne and yelled, "Shienne, pour the entire barrel full of water on his arms, now!"
After speaking, Mhiya hastily went back in the house to get a roll bandage.
Shienne nodded after hearing Mhiya's command. She moved immediately and lifted the barrel, opening the lid and pouring it all over Maeyurai, specifically at his arms.
Ssszzzzz!
The burning sensation was slightly cooled down, but since Maeyurai received second-degree burns, the treatment isn't going to be simple.
"Hnng... Hagh!" Maeyurai groaned; the pain was unbearable, the same way that it was with the situation on the frozen eye.
After the fire disappeared, burn marks formed on both of Maeyurai's arms. Shienne would put down the barrel.
"It stings so much!" he exclaimed, tightening his muscles reflexively to endure the pain.
His tears were finally allowed to escape because the fire had been put out. Tears flowed down his cheeks continuously in a silent cry.
Mhiya returned, the roll bandage and cloth in hand. She threw the cloth to Shienne and commanded, "Gently pat the wet skin with that cloth; I'll cover it with the bandage afterwards."
Upon catching the cloth, Shienne nodded. "Got it."
Walking towards Maeyurai, Shienne would gesture him to take a seat on the bench and calmly reassure him that it would be fine with a sympathetic nod.
When he sat down, Shienne took Maeyurai's right hand and gently straightened his arm; she then lightly pressed the cloth on the blisters and sloughing skin, making sure to dry it properly without discomfort.
"Is this fine?" she asked.
"A little... it's still painful, but it's unavoidable... I can endure it," Maeyurai replied, gritting his teeth as he winced every time the cloth made contact with his burns.
When his right hand was dry, Shienne moved on to the other. Mhiya would then cover the burns with a bandage, making sure to keep it loose in case the swelling worsens.
After two minutes of tending to Maeyurai, his arms were finally covered in bandages, properly treated by the two girls.
Looking at Maeyurai's eyes, Mhiya observed his facial expressions and asked, "Are you feeling okay?"
Shifting his gaze from his bandaged arms to Mhiya, Maeyurai replied, "Yeah, I should be fine now; it's thanks to the two of you."
Patting Maeyurai on the shoulder, near his neck, Shienne said, "No problem; we're your seniors after all—"
Zap!
"Yowch!" Shienne exclaimed, recoiling back in surprise as she felt a jolt of pain when she touched Maeyurai.
"What the hell was that?!" she asked, shaking her hand.
Seeing her weird actions, Maeyurai was left in confusion. "Huh? What are you talking about? I didn't do anything."
Skeptical, Shienne raised an eyebrow.
She thought that it was probably just the heat from the fire earlier and still hasn't subsided from Maeyurai despite being poured on by water.
However, it was quite illogical.
Illogical to think that it was heat, that is.
An instantaneous zap wasn't something connected to the lingering effect of heat, and Shienne was fully aware of this.
To her skepticism, Shienne took a glance in Mhiya's way. They seemed to be communicating nonverbally again.
Maeyurai was getting more confused; he didn't know what Shienne felt or why she was acting like this.
Another thing was the lasting sensation in his arms, making his thinking distracted by the waves of burning pain.
What's up with Shienne...?
Did I do something? She flinched when she touched me; that can't be good.
The way that the fire sparked up was also mysterious. What could possibly be happening to me?
This training is such a fail... And this is just my first day!
As Maeyurai was sitting down on the bench, Shienne walked towards Mhiya to whisper something.
"Mhiya, he just showed two signs," she said, her voice flat.
"The second should be when you touched him, right?" Mhiya whispered back to clarify what Shienne meant.
Shienne nodded. "Yes."
"He conjured flames earlier, hence why the bow had burned. And he infused his body with lightning, which was why I was electrocuted upon contact," she said.
A pause.
She would then continue talking, "That means Maeyurai is both a Conjurer and an Infuser with two Affinities, Fire and Lightning."
"A double Affinity, huh?" Mhiya said. "He has the potential to use Fusion Skills on his own—if he can utilize his mana, that is."
The two glanced in Maeyurai's direction in silence.
He was tapping his foot while staring at his bandaged arms. Inside, he was feeling stressed out.
Mhiya walked to the shooting line and took her bow from the nearby table.
"Maeyurai, you can rest," she said. "The two of us can continue; you don't have to force yourself."
Maeyurai lifted his head. "Huh? Oh, I see. I appreciate it."
The training continued for the two girls, and Maeyurai kept resting on the bench.
For Maeyurai, the day was as horrible as it was yesterday. Ever since encountering that eye, he's been subjected to pain, which was something he isn't accustomed to. Well, no one should be.
Is it still right for me to continue?
I feel like giving up already.
This sucks. I hate this so much.
Maeyurai sniffled. He leaned back on the bench and soon fell asleep, his mind clouded in negative thoughts.
*
It had been five hours since Maeyurai slept. It's currently afternoon, and he finally woke up.
I fell asleep so fast...
Never mind that; I slept so many times in a single day.
I wonder what's causing this.
Feeling his surroundings, what was under him wasn't the hard surface of the bench. But rather, it was soft and comfortable.
He opened his eyes tentatively and saw that he was lying down on the couch in the living room.
"Am I inside the house...?" he muttered, slowly sitting up, propping his elbows to support his upper body's weight.
He looked at his surroundings and saw Mhiya from across the room; she was on the kitchen counter, sipping on a cup of coffee.
"Ow!" he uttered. It seems he put a little too much pressure on his swollen forearms and now feels the pain.
Mhiya on the kitchen counter turned her head towards the sound.
"Maeyurai? Finally awake?" she asked before setting her cup down to stand and approach him.
Standing behind the couch, she placed her elbows on top of the backrest, closely observing Maeyurai.
"I had a good sleep, I guess," he said while yawning. "Did you guys move me here? What time is it?"
"It's 3 o'clock," Mhiya replied. "Shienne's out to buy food; she'll be returning in five minutes."
"Oh, okay. I'll change in the meantime, since the sleeves of my uniform are broken."
Then, Maeyurai's eyes opened widely as he realized something.
Crap! How do I explain it to Huizen?
I just got this uniform and broke it already!
It's also probably a uniform he treasures, because he's used it since he was a teenager!
Maeyurai stood up from his seat and headed to the bathroom. Inside, he took off the uniform and changed into his old clothes.
"There we go," he said while dusting his shirt.
He stood still in front of the mirror, taking a look at his state: bandaged and haggard.
Leaving the bathroom, he saw Shienne and Mhiya sitting down on the couch, eating familiar pastries.
"Hello," he greeted the two before taking a seat, looking at the table full of pastries. "Bread? Where did you buy this, Shienne?"
"From the Soft Loaves. I've been seeing much delicious bread at that bakery, so I decided to buy some for us," Shienne replied, eating a cheese-filled bread.
"Delicious indeed," Mhiya added, happily munching on a cream puff.
Maeyurai raised an eyebrow upon hearing the bakery name. "Soft Loaves? That's where I work! I appreciate that you both like Shikkan's baking."
The two of them nodded.
Mhiya chewed out a reply, "Yesh, we're awareh you wok there." Her words sounded like a mumble due to having a mouth full of food.
Sitting silently, Maeyurai kept still in his seat. He merely watched the two eat up the loaves one by one, satisfied to see the pleasant expressions on their faces with each bite.
"Aren't you going to eat?" Shienne asked, noticing that Maeyurai hadn't eaten even a single one.
"No, I don't feel hungry, nor do I have the appetite to eat," he replied, keeping a neutral face.
"I see, I'm taking the last one then," Shienne said, reaching out on the table.
However, her hand was stopped in its tracks as it met another one of its own.
It felt like time had paused.
Shienned looked to her left and saw Mhiya staring her way as well.
"This one is mine," she said sternly.
"You ate more than I have," Mhiya replied. "Therefore I should have it."
"I was the first one to say that I'm getting it. It's mine."
"What are you talking about? Don't be greedy."
"I'm not being greedy; I'm being logical."
"Clearly, it's greed. Also, you're not being logical; you're only being selfish."
A moment in silence passes.
Then, the two of them quickly reach out to get the bread.
However, the last piece was gone, leaving them in a state of shock. The very last one they had been fighting for suddenly disappeared.
"Huh?!" the two exclaimed in unison, both of their brows furrowed in confusion.
"Yum, it always tastes good," Maeyurai said, the last piece of loaf in his hand. "Shikkan never disappoints."
Shienne and Mhiya sat back with a sigh, feeling stupid for fighting over something that isn't even there anymore.
"You said you weren't hungry," Shienne muttered, shifting her gaze towards Maeyurai.
As he gobbled down the last piece, Maeyurai shrugged. "You guys couldn't decide who would take it, so I just did."
"Eh, whatever."
"I've had enough already, anyway," Mhiya said, leaning back into her seat.
Taking a cup of water on the table, Maeyurai drank before speaking. "When is Huizen coming back?"
"In about an hour or two," Mhiya answered. "It depends, really. It's possible Mr. Koja might return in the evening."
Nodding his head, Maeyurai shifted his weight on his seat and crossed his legs.
"Can I go home in the meantime?" he asked.
The two girls looked at each other before answering. It seems that they did something that Maeyurai wasn't aware of.
"No," Mhiya said. "We already told your father, Mr. Shogen, that you're staying here."
"Huh? Without my consent?"
"Huizen's orders," Shienne spoke up as she stood from her seat.
Maeyurai scratched the back of his head as he looked at Shienne, who headed upstairs to get something.
Silence filled the air for a moment—only broken when Mhiya continued speaking.
"On the second floor, you'll be sharing a room with me. You'll stay here and continue training until the day of The Hunt."
The Hunt? What is that? Maeyurai thought to himself.
Is that some sort of event coming in a few days? It's the first I've ever heard of it.
"What's that?" he asked.
"The Hunt? It's the yearly event in Gangumen where archers compete to become part of the army. It includes camping outside of the nation and hunting down Common-Level Hell's Spawns. This year will be my first time competing, so don't be nervous."
"I see," Maeyurai said. "So it's the only way I can become a professional archer, right?"
Mhiya nodded. "Well, yes. But there are other ways as well. A given example is becoming a full-time adventurer, where you just sign to become one at the Adventurer's Guild."
"But it's not that simple," she continued. "You also go through testing through paper and practical activities so the guild can assess whether you are skilled enough to become an adventurer."
Nodding his head, Maeyurai placed his hand on his chin, seemingly in thought.
I see...
While applying to become an adventurer does sound easier, it sounds boring to become one.
Then, an idea brightened in Maeyurai's mind like a light bulb.
He turned his head towards Mhiya and asked, "Can't I just train archery and leave Gangumen if I want to explore? Why the need to sign up in the Adventurer's Guild?"
Mhiya shook her head.
"That makes sense," she said. "But here's the thing,"
"You can't. You cannot leave Gangumen unless you are an adventurer or given a permit by someone of authority. The same goes for every other nation in all of Baofuming," she continued.
So that's how it works? I guess I'll just participate in The Hunt. It sounds fun anyway.
If I succeed, I'm gonna ask for a leave. But I will need valid reasoning, though...
"Understood," he said with a slight nod.
After a while, Shienne returned with a large paper in hand. It looked old and heavy to carry.
Maeyurai and Mhiya turned their heads towards Shienne.
"What's that?" Maeyurai asked.
"It's a map," Shienne replied. "I remembered that you wanted to borrow one, so I brought it for you."
"Oh, thanks! Can I check it out?"
Shienne then reached out to Maeyurai, handing over the map. "Go on, just ask us questions when you want to know more about something."
Taking a closer look at the paper, it wasn't a world map.
Instead, it was a map of the Paltheoma Continent, one of The Eight Worlds.