Chapter 17: A Lost Child
"Shinraaaa!!"
Samy shout echoed through the quiet village streets.
Hearing the commotion, neighbors peeked out of their houses. A man in a loose black shirt, grey baggy pants, and slippers, stood in the middle of the street, flustered and clearly new.
"Then they gathered around him".
"Oi, you're the one Marcus Bring, right?" a villager called.
Another chimed in, "Yeah, isn't his name… Rymen or something?"
"It's Ryken," Samy corrected with a sigh. "And I'm not Ryken. I'm Samy—his older brother."
"Ohhh, so Ryken has a brother?"
"You must be a guild member too, young man."
"Look at his build! Of course, he's a guild fighter."
Samy waved his hands. "No, no. I'm a baker."
The crowd murmured in surprise. A baker?
Samy, growing annoyed, forced a smile. "Sorry for the ruckus. I'm looking for someone—my younger brother ran off."
No one listens' him.
An elderly man stroked his beard, "Hmm… from the way you were yelling, it looked like you were trying to catch a runaway child. Thought you were kidnapping him."
"What?! No! Uncle, he's my younger brother," Samy explained, exasperated. "He wanted to look around the village, but the moment we stepped outside, he bolted. And while I was talking to someone here, I lost sight of him…"
"Oh… makes sense."
Samy quickly bowed. "Sorry for disturbing you all!"
Without waiting, he sprinted off in the direction he last saw Shinra.
"Haaa… I really thought they were going to beat me up..." Samy muttered, catching his breath. "Where the hell did you run off to, brat?"
He scoured the neighborhood, checked alleys, peeked into fields—but no Shinra.
Then, a villager waved at him. "Hey, you with the purple hair!"
Samy jogged over.
' He ask "Me?"
"Yeah, you're the loud one, right?" the villager grinned.
"I saw a small lizard flying around your house earlier. Is that yours?"
Samy's eyes lit up. "Yes!
"I see it go inside?"
"Broke through a window and flew in."
"Thank you! You're a lifesaver!" Samy bolted back home.
Inside the house, Lizz, the dragon, was sprawled lazily on a pillow in the hall.
"You little—!" Samy snatched Lizz up by his tiny wings. "You're going to help me find Shinra!"
"Oi oi! You purple pulp! You're crushing me!!" Lizz flailed.
"Not until you help me."
"I know ! you can tell,
'where is shinra,
"find him."
"Fine! Fine! Let go off me, dammit!" Lizz grumbled and focused his mana, sensing the faint trace linked to Shinra. "Hmph. He's in the garden. With some kids, I think."
"Good." Samy smirked, gripping him tightly.
"Now let me go, you brute!"
"Nope. You're coming with me."
On their way, Lizz bit Samy's hand and spat water on his face, to which Samy responded by bonking him gently on the head.
—
They reached the village garden—a serene place filled with children playing, laughter in the air.
At the far end, Shinra was standing before a boy sitting silently on a swing.
Samy approached, arms crossed. "So, this is where you've been, huh?"
"Ahh! You found me!" Shinra yelped.
Samy grabbed his ear with an evil grin. "You bet I did."
"Ouch ouch ouch! I'm sorry! Stop pulling!"Samy let go.
"So? This kid not letting you use the swing?"
"No! I wasn't going to swing. I just wanted to make a friend…"
The boy didn't say a word and simply walked away, ignoring Shinra's attempt to call out.
Samy raised an eyebrow. "Friend, huh? He didn't even say a single word to you."
"He… he will, eventually!" Shinra puffed his cheeks.
Lizz, who'd been watching, suddenly spat water on Shinra's face.
"Hey! What's that for, Lizz?!"
"That's for being stupid."
"Be careful with him, Samy! You're hurting him!" Shinra scolded as Samy held Lizz by his wing like a bag.
Samy sighed and placed Lizz gently on Shinra's hand. "Alright, let's head home. I'm exhausted."
—
Evening settled in, casting a golden glow over the village as they returned home.
Ryken had just stepped out of the bathroom, wiping his hair with a towel. ,
Grabbed a cold drink, from kitchen table and move towards the hall.
Shinra see Ryken with drink.
"Ryken, where'd you get that?"
"Cold drinks. Bought them for everyone. Go get it from the kitchen," Ryken sit ,and sipping calmly, his drink.
But as his gaze shifted toward the window, his expression darkened. He noticed the crack.
"…Who broke this damn window?"
"SHINRA! Get over here!" Ryken bellowed.
Shinra froze mid-sip, juice dribbling onto his shirt. "Eh? What's wrong?"
Samy's voice echoed from the kitchen. "Not him! It's that damn lizard! He smashed through it earlier."
Ryken's gaze locked onto Lizz, who was pretending to be invisible in the corner. The moment Lizz realized Ryken's eyes were on him, he panicked and zoomed toward Shinra, landing roughly on his shoulder—causing Shinra to spill the rest of his juice onto his shirt.
"Oi! What the hell, Shinra?!"
"I didn't do anything! It was him!" Shinra pointed at Lizz.
Samy , grabbed Lizz by the tail, and lifted him up like a hanging bag. "You little menace. Keep acting up and you're soup."
Lizz's tiny eyes glistened with fake innocence. Samy was unfazed.
Samy casually flung Lizz towards the kitchen door. But midway, Ryken intercepted him, catching him by the wings.
"So… how are you planning to fix this window, lizard?" Ryken asked calmly.
Lizz's cute-act intensified. Big sparkling eyes. Puffing his tiny cheeks.
Ryken sighed and set him down gently. "We'll need to fix that before the landlord sees it. Or we'll get reported to the guild."
Samy shrugged, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah… sorry. I tossed him out the window earlier. Long story."
"…I don't even want to know," Ryken muttered, collapsing into a chair.
Changing the subject, Samy said, "Anyway, Ryken, we're coming to the guild with you tomorrow morning. Shinra's education needs to start."
"Huh? Why so sudden?" Ryken raised an eyebrow.
"Don't ask. If I stay alone with him one more day, I'll lose my sanity."
Shinra grinned cheekily. "Hey Ryken! Guess what? I learned to control mana today!"
Ryken blinked. "What? You didn't know how to before?"
"Nope! Samy taught me today."
Ryken's eyes narrowed. "Hiroshi didn't teach you?
Shinra nodded. "Yup. He never even let me touch his sword."
Ryken's expression grew serious. "Wait… then how did you form a bond with Lizz?"
Shinra, said, "It's a 50/50 contract!"
Ryken froze. "…A what?!"
"Yeah! Lizz said it was fair." Shinra smiled innocently.
Lizz grinned smugly from Shinra shoulder.
Ryken was still baffled. "A 50/50 bond without knowing mana control… seriously reckless."
"I also learned to swing a sword!" Shinra added proudly.
"With what? We don't even have wooden swords here," Ryken said, suspicious.
Samy coughed loudly, pretending to clean dishes. "Uh, the real one."
"You WHAT?!" Ryken almost choked.
Shinra, seizing the moment, quickly lied, "But I controlled my mana perfectly on the first try!"
Ryken's surprise shifted into a proud grin. "For real? That's impressive. Only a few manage that. You're lucky you didn't mess up. If you fail to control mana flow, you could hurt your organs badly. Some even get permanent injuries."
Shinra's face went pale. "S-Samy didn't tell me that…"
"Of course he didn't. Didn't want to scare you," Ryken muttered.
Dinner was served—mutton curry, cumin rice, and a fresh vegetable salad. They sat together, sharing laughs amidst scolding and teasing.