The Rejected Family

Chapter 6

Reject the ordinary

"Hey, Uncle Saul. Why is Muro different?" At the age of four, Toki questioned her brother's nature.

"What do you mean?"

"He's the only one who doesn't do cool things.” 

"Oh, you're talking about the repeller's powers. You know, Toki, most people at the Foot of the Mountain find something they reject very early on."

The unsettling landscape of the Mountain of Trials is now seen as far back as six years ago.

Honda climbs up the mountainside of the primordial relief towards a house. Dozens of dwellings make up the long stretch, all inhabited by countless residents. Saul and the little girl watch from afar as they supervise the play between Muro, Lev, and Lua. The three children have fun with the mud in the area.

The relaxed middle-aged man continues talking to his niece, trying to quell her excessive curiosity.

"In environments like this, each of these children has to face various adversities, day after day. Eventually, they experience something they never want to experience again."

"Is that a good thing?"

"It makes them determined to prevent something like that from happening again, whatever the cost. That's how we all gained our powers."

"And what did Muro do wrong?"

"Wrong? That's not it. People like that boy are hard to find in these conditions."

"Huh?"

In the mountainside community, Honda enters a worn-out wooden house. Going through its internal structure, she inspects the home of a small family. After evaluating the building, the woman gives her opinion, sharing her findings with the inhabitants.

"The structure has not been shaken. The place can still be used under normal conditions. No problem."

"That's great! Thanks for the service!" The happy resident thanks her.

"However, I would like to point out once again that the houses on the mountainside suffer from heavy rains. We have to keep monitoring."

At a slightly lower altitude, Muro and Lev make the most of the muddy ground caused by the rain of the previous days.

The boys engage in an intense mudball war. Lua accompanies the two in their arduous battle, watching the dispute without physically interacting.

"You are two fools. That's disgusting!"

Muro's face is hit hard by a thick sludge. 

"Hahaha. Toughen up, Lev!"

Making a large mound of damp soil, the boy gathers up all the ammunition he can collect from the ground, creating a powerful weapon for combat.

He throws his best weapon toward his opponent, who is hit squarely. The target's body is completely bathed in clay.

"Ugh. Lev, you'll be sleeping on the street tonight," Lua is disgusted.

"A single bath solves a weak move like that. But my counter-attack will demand a river to clean up its damage!"

"Go for it!" Muro calls for a showdown.

Lev gets excited, loading up his extensive arsenal with several mudballs.

"Counter move: Mud Curtain!"

A blast of wet mud targets Muro, who dodges most of it but is hit by the last throw, ending the attack.

"You did well," Lev acknowledges his opponent's skill.

Returning from duty, Honda joins the children.

Lua asks her aunt, "how come there's so much mud in this place?"

"It's rained a lot in the last few days. It's normal."

Again, an unfamiliar voice demands the experienced woman's attention, "Miss Honda, could you inspect another house?"

"Which one are we talking about?"

"It's the one just below mine. It looks like only one person is living in it."

"What's wrong with it?"

"Its foundation looks slightly weak. I'm afraid the rain has damaged its structure."

"Right, I'm on my way."

As Honda walks along the mountainside again, Muro crouches to pick up more heavy mud ammunition to continue the fight.

"You shouldn't let your guard down, Lev. It's time for my last attack."

The boy's secret technique relies on a peculiar execution method. A sphere filled with slime is placed directly between his lips.

With his mouth full, Muro prepares for a precise strike.

"Jesus! I'm going to be sick!" Lua feels nauseous.

"Oh, you're going to bet everything on that strike! Bring it on!" Lev anxiously waits to receive it.

Like a balloon that pops and releases all its air, all the mud in the boy's mouth is spit out at the person facing him.

However, an unforeseen event occurs. The spit-out dirt spreads through the air, with one of its parts heading for Lua.

"No!" she cries out.

The projectiles go through her body supernaturally. Not a single particle can touch the girl.

"That's enough! It's my turn!"

"Hey, that's cheating!" Muro is disappointed in his sister.

Suddenly, a tremor kills any fun that might have taken place in the area. The ground vibrates so intensely that it can knock anyone off their feet.

Honda stops moving, witnessing the house she was heading for collapse right in front of her. 

The house crumbles and several parts of its structure fall down the mountain, sliding toward Muro and the others.

"Run!" Honda orders.

"There was still one person inside!" informs the desperate resident.

"Just run!"

Running away from the disaster, they head down the mountainside. Clumsily, Honda stumbles along the way and is left behind in the landslide.

Further on, Lev gives in to nervousness, "this is bad. What if I can't make it?"

With his mind spinning, he takes off at unbelievable speed, escaping in less than a second.

"Hey, Lev! Don't leave me here!" Lua runs with all her might, trying to stay out of the danger zone.

At the same time, Toki and Saul can see the whole disaster from a safe distance.

"It's all going down! Look out!" The little girl shouts, frightened.

"My goodness... this is terrible for all those families."

"My brother's still there! You have to help!"

"Don't worry, Toki. I've already told you this, but these people are hard to find under these circumstances."

"What?"

Faced with the tragedy, Lua searches for her little brother. Walls are destroyed, dozens of chairs and countless wood planks are thrown into the air. A dense wave of dust makes it difficult to understand what is happening.

"Muro! Where are you? We need to get away!"

Lua runs towards the ground when she suddenly sees a figure running past her.

She was running away, saving herself from any danger that might put her life at risk.

The ten-year-old boy was returning, advancing straight towards the collapse.

The girl's eyes take a long time to take in the scene, unable to believe the actions of the familiar figure. Muro runs opposite from his sister without even noticing her. His attention is not diverted from the scene, not even for a millisecond.

"Huh?" Lua is startled.

A focus capable of stopping the most insignificant drop of sweat so that the liquid would never fall, a concentration that stopped his breathing for several minutes. The boy sets out against the chaos, aiming for the house responsible for the disaster.

His uncle talks about the catastrophe, explaining his conclusions to little Toki.

"When you're at peace, it's easier to care about others around you and interact with everyone with a big smile on your face."

They both watch Muro, who dodges countless pieces of debris, moving without hesitating.

"However, when the situation gets tough, we often only think about getting out of it. That's why rejections often depend solely on the Repeller's emotions."

The lone resident — who lived in the destroyed house — is spotted in a drastic fall amidst the remnants of his home.

Muro's determined mind finally locates its objective.

"It seems the boy's case is different. So, you'll have to be more patient, okay?"

The resident is reached with a leap that defies the most basic logic. The little boy can barely carry half the victim's weight, causing them both to roll down the slope, along with the rubble of the building.

Without any further details being witnessed, the slide stops, with piles of objects piling up on the ground. 

A head pokes out from under numerous pieces of debris as if it were coming to the surface after having dived into a lake.

"That was... too intense," Honda comes forward among the survivors, covered in blood."

Along with the other mountainside inhabitants, Lev and Lua are in safe territory, safe from harm.

"We survived," Lua sighs, relieved.

"Where are they?"

Lev searches for more survivors, almost at his wits' end. The sound of intense movement in the rubble pile restores his drained sanity.

No rational argument can explain how, but as the disaster is over, Muro and the terrified resident find themselves alive, lying on the comforting ground.

Toki isn't sure of what to think, but the words come flying out of her mouth.

"He made it..."

Going through the six-year journey back to the present, the girl's memories guide her reaction, and she can make the same statement.

"You made it, Muro... You're a Repeller!"

The boy gets up with difficulty, staggering after his great battle with Jony. He walks towards his opponent, who is lying on the grass.

"Hey, what are you doing?" His sister asks him.

Muro takes off his shoes, the only markings on which were from his latest fight.

The shoes are gently placed on the skin of the calloused feet that torment the man lying there.

"Didn't you buy these shoes today?"

"Yes, I told you. Your little adventure with Nico ended up keeping me from choosing."

"And why are you getting rid of them?"

"Isn't it obvious? He needs them more than I do."

Muro moves away from Jony. Toki joins her brother, walking side by side. They both walk in the opposite direction from Jony, distancing themselves from the man.

The defeated man's lips move, trying to communicate one last time with the duo.

"Hey, kid. Let me know if you ever make it to the summit, okay?"

Muro continues walking without stopping to talk.

"Sure, why's that?"

"Maybe, as long as I'm wearing your shoes, I can walk around in places where I don't belong."

A silence paves the way for one last question from the man, almost fainting from exhaustion.

Without even knowing if those he was talking to were still there, his question is heard by the others.

"Hey, little girl, are you tall?"

She turned to Muro, not knowing how to answer.

"Huh?"

Her brother realizes something about the guy without the hood.

"No."

With a depressed look on his face, Muro leaves the place with his sister.

Jony mutters to himself, "in the end, it was all for nothing. The clothes wouldn't even fit you, Mi. Could it be that the boy was short, too? That would be bad luck."

The sunset shines on the way home as the boy leans on the girl for balance. His knees can hardly bend, and he relies on the full strength of his sister to walk.

"Hang in there, Muro. We're almost at the village."

The boy's muscles can't withstand his body. His body falls to the ground.

"Muro! Hey! Wake up, Muro!"

As the child's voice becomes more and more distant, the boy faints, blacking out completely.