Chapter 16: A Calm Day
A day had passed since the guild arranged a house for them. They had moved in quickly, settling into yet another temporary place—like fate didn't want them to stay in one spot.
The house was a simple, rectangular wooden building. The entrance was on the right side, opening into a small garden patch. It had two modest rooms, a kitchen, and a hall that doubled as their living space.
---
Afternoon.
Samy and Shinra were lying flat on the floor of the hall, completely bored out of their minds. Shinra, in his usual fidgety state, was tugging at the dragon's wings for entertainment.
The dragon wasn't amused.
"Oi, you brat! That hurts!" the dragon snarled and bit Shinra's finger.
"Ouch! Why'd you bite me?! I just fed you!" Shinra whined, waving his stung finger.
The dragon, looking thoroughly pissed, puffed his cheeks and tried to spit fire.
Samy shout up instantly. "Oi, you little lizard! You tryin' to burn down the house?!"
Without hesitation, he grabbed the dragon by the neck and—SWOOSH—chucked him out the window.
The dragon cursed mid-air, flapping wildly. "You bastards! Go to hell!"
Shinra sprinted to the window. "Hey! Come back, lizz! Why'd you throw him, Samy?! He's mad now!"
Samy laughed so hard he almost cried. "Hahaha! Lizz! You just named him Lizz! What a trash name, sounds like Rizz!"
"You shut up!" Shinra barked back, red-faced.
"Pfft, can't believe you called him that. Haaah… I'm bored."
He sat up and looked at Shinra seriously. "Hey, Shinra… do you know how to use a sword?"
Shinra shook his head, "Nope."
"Good. Go get my katanas."
"Why me?!"
"Because I said so!"
Grumbling, Shinra dragged his feet and brought back two katanas. Samy took one, tossing the other aside. "Sit. Watch and learn."
He slowly drew the blade, holding it with both hands in front of him, parallel to the ground. He closed his eyes, letting his mana flow into the katana. A faint hum filled the air as he swung—right to left, spinning 180°, then a full 360°. He ended with a firm thrust into the ground.
Suddenly, the plain green garden bloomed into a vibrant sea of flowers. Colorful petals danced in the breeze.
Shinra's mouth hung open.
Samy gently pushed his chin up. "Close your mouth, kid."
"I didn't know you could use a sword like that…"
"Then why do you think I carry two katanas, huh? Just to look cool?"
"…Yeah."
Samy's eye twitched. "You little…! You think I'm some poser?"
"Well, you're the guy who took a random kid who lost his parents and didn't even report it to the guild. You dragged Captain Ryken along when he was supposed to leave us, rejected a guild job, and now you're aiming to be a baker in some random village! I mean… LOOK WHERE WE ARE!"
"…You talk a lot for a kid who can't even swing a sword properly. Grab that katana, let's see what you got."
Shinra struggled, dragging the blade like it was a log. When he finally pulled the katana from its scabbard, he lost balance and fell on his back.
Samy rushed over, "Oi! You hurt yourself?"
"No, I'm fine! Let go of me!" Shinra pouted, brushing Samy's hand off.
Samy smirked, "You talk big, but can't even hold the damn thing."
"Let me teach you how to use mana first. Sit cross-legged. Meditate."
Shinra did as told, closing his eyes and relaxing.
"Feel the air around you. Try to gather the energy in your chest, like forming a bubble."
Shinra furrowed his brows. "I… I feel it!"
PFFFFT.
"…Did you just fart?"
"Sorry! It slipped!" Shinra laughed nervously.
Samy sighed. "Wrong energy, dumbass."
"Okay, try again. This time, focus on the wind. Gather it slowly. Feel it fill your body like blood flowing through veins."
Shinra concentrated harder. This time, he managed to collect a small swirl of mana in his chest, but when he tried to circulate it, the energy burst, knocking him backward.
"Agh!" Shinra gasped, his breathing ragged.
"Calm down! Breathe slowly. It's okay," Samy said, steadying him.
After a few minutes, Shinra's breathing normalized.
"Wanna try again?"
"…Yeah."
He sat again, this time with more control. He gathered mana, maintained it, and started circulating it through his body.
The air around him subtly shifted.
When Shinra opened his eyes, he gasped. For a fleeting moment, he saw a faint, purplish mist emitting from Samy's body.
"I—I saw something! A purple smoke coming out of you!"
"Must be your imagination," Samy said with a crooked grin.
"How do you feel?"
"Strangely… energetic."
Samy handed him a katana. "Then swing this."
Shinra lifted the katana with ease this time, swinging it left and right, clumsily but with enthusiasm.
Samy corrected his stance, taught him the basics—grip, swing arcs, footwork. They trained until their arms ached and sweat poured down their faces.
—
An hour later, they collapsed onto the floor of the house.
"You're good with a sword, Samy. Can you teach me magic too?" Shinra asked, panting.
"Pffft, sure. One step at a time."
Samy handed Shinra the katana scabbard. "Go put this back. Then wash up."
Shinra trotted off, no longer dragging the sword, now light as a toy in his hands.
—
Later, they both lounged in the hall, Samy sipping tea while Shinra flopped beside him.
"Hey, Lizz didn't come back?" Shinra asked, looking toward the window.
Samy spat his tea. "PFFFT! You're really sticking with that name, huh?"
"Well, yeah! It sounds good, doesn't it?"
Samy chuckled, then frowned. "Wait. How'd you two even bond if you can't use mana?"
"Oh, that? It's a 50/50 contract or something."
"…WHAT?! That damn lizard tricked you into an equal contract?!"
"What's a 50/50?"
Samy facepalmed. "It means you and Lizz have equal authority. He doesn't have to listen to you, and you can't force him to share power. The only time you're bound to help each other is when one of you is in a life-or-death situation."
Shinra smiled. "That's fine. Lizz wouldn't betray me."
"You're too soft, kid."
—
Boredom hit again.
"I wanna see the village, Samy! Let's go out! Don't say you're tired or some dumb excuse."
"…Fine."
They locked up the house and stepped into the bright streets of Pine Village.
Shinra stood dramatically in front of their home, pointing to the right. "Let's goooo this way!"
He sprinted off, leaving Samy groaning behind. "Oi! Don't run off, idiot! We don't know the roads yet!"
A passing neighbor saw the chaos and shouted, "Oi, you brats! Don't cause trouble!"
Samy bowed apologetically. "Sorry for the noise!"
But when he looked back… Shinra was gone.
He scanned left. Right. Up. Down.
His face froze, his jaw dropped.
"OOOHHHHH SHIT… I LOST HIM!"