Meanwhile, Hajime was still hiding in the house, but could hear the people who attacked the village talking like they were close by.
"So, when are we going in again?" He heard one of them asking as the eye that changed to saturated yellow grew brighter, while his mismatched eyes started to twitch without his knowledge.
"I don't know, maybe after we've refilled on bullets and our stomachs." He heard another say as they sounded like they were moving. "Nah... we're going in after the barrier that's surrounding the village is down." another one said.
"Wait... isn't it down yet?" Another one said, but they sounded like the first person he heard when these people started their conversation.
"Shut up, you two, if you talk about the barrier, some of the villagers close by might hear you." Another one said, but they sounded like a woman, their voice commanding.
"Come on... can't we have a little fun, and it's not like someone from the village has super hearing, and if someone had that kind of ability, then the capital would have fallen by now." Another one said, their footsteps sounded like he was walking towards the others, but a moment later, he suddenly stopped and added. "Let them talk about something other than just sitting there getting bored while we wait..."
Hajime tried covering his ears, but the more he tried to cover them, the louder the people talking he could hear.
"...Make it stop..." He said as he continued to cover his ears while his body started to move by itself, but it tumbled as it took a step forward.
"How are you doing...?"
"Are you done yet setting up that ability of yours?" He heard someone ask. This voice was new, unfamiliar.
"Not yet, you just wait until the twilight skies arise, and then the magic will be ready." Another one said, and this person also sounded new, but his voice had a cool demeanor, like he was righteous in another way.
"Until dusk. Then it might be a powerful spell you're conjuring up." The man who asked his friend said as the sound of a metal pipe being set on the ground buzzed in Hajime's ears. Then the man added and some people who were near him started laughing behind the earlier voices.
"I guess we have no choice but to wait until you're finished, then."
"...Make it stop, making it stop," Hajime said, lying still on the floor as tears were running down his cheeks while the saturated yellow eye continued glowing brighter than before, but Hajime still didn't notice it.
Close to where Reiko's house was, Reiko was still looking for Hajime as the baby dragon was sniffing for Hajime's scent.
As they were looking, they stumbled upon the shop where Hajime had stopped earlier to ask about the dagger the shop owner was throwing away in the trash.
'Something about this place feels off.' Reiko thought while looking at the sign that was at the front of the shop, while the baby dragon kept smelling the area where Hajime had stood earlier when he was asking the man.
Reiko grabbed the baby dragon by the stomach and lifted it, putting it in her arms, then she started to head towards the building's entrance.
Inside the building, the building owner was hiding under his counter table while holding a silver-plated dagger and with a scared expression on his face.
"Is this it for the village?... Are we all going to die here?"
"No. am I going to die here..."
"Someone... please answer me..."
The man wondered as sweat ran down his face. and his body shaking with fear.
The man hid himself when he first heard some of the people in the village crying and screaming with fear, and the sound of people panicking outside.
"Hello, is someone in here?" Reiko said as she opened the door of the shop slowly, and before the door could fully open, her foot was already inside the shop.
The shop owner stayed quiet because he thought that it might be one of the people who were attacking the village earlier, and now that they were done, they were looking for survivors to capture and make them work as slaves.
suddenly, the dragon yawned.
It was tired of walking around, but the shop owner thought it was an older dragon because of the yawning sound the dragon produced, so he was startled bumping his head under the table and Reiko realized where he was hiding.
Reiko's attention turned to the table, and after a brief second, she went to approach the table. The man under the table did not touch his head because he had gotten more nervous that the people attacking the village had found him. Clouded in fear, the man's eyes started dripping with tears as his hands quivered uncontrollably.
she reached the table and without wasting any time, she raised her right leg a little bit and kicked the table up chattering the roof sealing of the building.
"You." Reiko said, her voice sounded serious than usual.
The man shifted slightly as Reiko was lowering her leg down while still holding the baby dragon in her arms.
"pl-please... Don't hurt me." The man mumbled as he dropped the silver-plated dagger on the floor.
Reiko, with a confused but yet serious expression, asked, "And what makes you think I want to hurt you?"
The man slowly looked at Reiko and immediately stopped shaking with fear after seeing her.
"...It's you." The man said while looking at Reiko. Then he added, "Sorry, I thought you were someone else."
Reiko, puzzled, just kept looking at the man with a confused look as the man stood up from the floor.
"Wh, what brings you here today?" The man asked while cleaning himself up with a waster he uses to clean his tools, which were in the shop with. And Reiko, after looking at what the man was doing, she asked as she faced away from the man, "Have you seen Hajime. A boy with slightly long white hair and crimson eyes?"
"A boy with white hair and scarlet eyes?" The man muttered nervously as he narrowed his eyes to try and remember something.
Then he immediately said, his tone still nervous, "I don't know about the crimson eyes, but I saw Nanako's kid this morning. He also has white hair..."
"...But his hair isn't that long, its slightly shorter than long." He added.
"You saw him? Then that's good." Reiko said as she turned to face the man again while making a smile. Then she continued, "Where did he head off to, after you saw him?"
And without wasting his breath, the man replied, "I saw him heading to town when I was throwing out some old stuff this morning."
Reiko stopped and thought to herself, 'If Hajime was heading into town. That would mean he was going home.' Then she turned to face the door and said, "Get your act together and leave this place..."
"...Head to the training grounds. You'll be safe there."
"Huh?"
The man, confused, looked at Reiko as she exited the building. "Ahhhh?" He uttered again and was left speechless as the door of the sealed shut, shaking the air inside.
***
Reiko was passing through town and heading to Hajime's house, some of the men who were looking for her saw her walking by from a distance, and one of them called out to her.
"Oi, Reiko!"
She turned to see who it was and noticed four men hurrying toward her.
"We've been looking for you all over." One of the men came closer to her.
"Sorry, but I'm in a hurry, so make it quick," Reiko replied, her expression serious.
"The villagers are asking about what to do... since you were left in charge and all?" he continued, while the others lingered behind him.
"Tell everyone to meet at the training grounds and wait till I'm there." She said as she looked away from the men and started walking forward without glancing back. Carrying the dragon, still asleep.
The men, bewildered, simply watched Reiko walk away, exchanging confused glances. "Okay... That was strange," one muttered, all of them still staring after her.
"And quick," another added, shaking his head.
Meanwhile, at Hajime's house, he huddled on the floor, tears streaming down his face as he clutched his ears. His bright yellow eye dulled slightly, and he kept repeating the same desperate plea.
"Make it stop…"
The voices of the attackers grew louder, echoing in his mind, and he repeated the words over and over.
They laughed, relentlessly, without pause.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
It was Reiko. She stood outside, knocking, but Hajime didn't respond. Growing concerned, she opened the door to make sure he was actually inside.
"Hajime!" she called, hurrying toward the room where he slept at home. She saw him lying on the floor, crying. Gently, she set the dragon down and rushed to his side.
"Make it stop... Make it stop..."
Hajime continued to sob uncontrollably as Reiko drew closer, her heart tightening at the sight.
She quickly reached him, lifted him off the floor, and spoke softly as he continued to mumble, "It's okay. Everything is okay. You can stop crying now. Everything is okay."
Hajime's sobs gradually eased, and the repeated, desperate words—'Make it stop'—slowly faded as he listened to Reiko's soothing voice.
On the borders of this village, the people who attacked the village were getting ready to begin their second raid; the only difference was that this time they were going in with their full forces.
"How much time left till the barrier's down?" a woman in knight's armor asked, her gaze fixed on a young man who appeared to be casting a spell, both of them looking toward the village.
"About nineteen minutes" The young man replied.