The Rejected Family

Chapter 14

Reject the alliance

A body escapes the eyes of any human, moving at an unimaginable speed.

Lev continues his fight with Seki, relentlessly charging towards the enemy. Constantly being pushed back before he reaches his target, the boy accelerates more and more. 

In search of a different result, the young man moves in different directions, trying to surprise his opponent. Still, nothing changes the outcome of his actions. Contact between the two seems impossible.

The angle doesn't matter, Lev thinks.

Seki's eyes can no longer even follow the boy's silhouette. He is startled whenever the young man suddenly approaches.

"Why do you keep appearing out of nowhere?"

The process repeats itself, with no progress being made.

Lev maintains his train of thought. It doesn't matter if he notices me.

A pause in the strikes. The boy moves away from the scene in the opposite direction of the enemy. Then he returns with a single strike, using all his strength. His footsteps can no longer be heard at the height of his speed.

In a millisecond, his body is thrown back to the movement's starting point. Seki remains unreachable.

No matter the strength of the strike, Lev makes one more lunge.

"Ahhhh! Just stop it, man! You're making things worse."

The man loses it; his shouting can be heard throughout the corridor. During the outburst of dissatisfaction, the boy realizes something crucial. Calmly, he approaches a small stone without using his skills.

"Have you finally had enough?" The enemy asks him.

As Lev stoops to pick up the stone, his thinking continues: he hasn't attacked me yet. That's undoubtedly his Repeller skill. In that case, I have to test one more thing.

Like a comet colliding with anything in its way, the boy uses the speed of his arm to increase the force of the projectile. Lev throws the stone at Seki.

The expected response occurs; the stone is propelled away from the target before it hits him. 

It doesn't matter what the threat is, either.

The young man breathes a sigh of relief. His thoughts seem to lead him to a positive conclusion, gee, it's a pretty simple rejection. Usually, the less complex they are, the more effective they are.

"It makes no difference," Seki interrupts the boy's logic.

"What?"

"There's no need to think so much. There won't be any difference."

"Sorry, did I miss anything?"

"My rejection, you figured it out."

"I have a hunch."

"Do you think anything has changed with that piece of information?"

"Yes, now I'm sure I have to try something else."

"Your rejection is simply ineffective against mine. There's no complexity to it."

Both competitors' silence precedes a drastic change of scenery. Seki stares at the young man as his words trigger conflicting emotions.

"Now you understand, don't you? That old man's feelings."

The boy's eyes — previously unfazed and unfocused — suddenly lock onto his opponent. His eyelids direct his gaze like a blade, threatening each new utterance coming from the mocking man.

"Someone who was simply born weak. Who, even among the lowest rung of society, can't outdo anyone."

A sudden strike. In the blink of an eye, Lev is propelled backward. His speed was such that it was impossible to keep up, and he was only noticed after being pushed away.

Seki was startled again, not realizing what had happened, " Ah! Stop, man!"

"Sorry, I forgot I can't punch you. My body just moved on its own."

"That's never going to happen. That's because people like you and that old man should stay away from me forever."

"I guess I've understood one more thing about this ability. Your rejection... is out of fear."

Lev circles the enemy several times while running at a speed even greater than any previously displayed. As if he were creating a hurricane with his own feet, the boy's action generates a whirlwind current as he repeats the process uninterruptedly. 

Seki remains in the middle of the circuit — the eye of the hurricane — just watching his opponent's latest attack.

"Are you still going to do this? Don't you know when to stop, child?"

A new pair of competitors arrives at the scene. Seiji is amazed, watching the fight from afar. Lua accompanies him.

"Little guy's friend, back off. There's a big mess going on."

"Lev," Lua recognizes her cousin, impressed by what she sees.

"Huh? Did you find one of your own?"

The enemy teases the newcomer, "Look who's turned up; we were just talking about you. The failure of failures."

Noticing Seki, Seiji takes a step back.

"You're from Xilo's team."

"What happened to all that politeness? Outside, you even seemed comfortable with our presence," the man in the eye of the hurricane asks him.

"It's hard to get comfortable when you want my head. If you show up at a better time, we can talk."

"You're afraid of anyone in here. This is not your place. The only ones who can stand beside you are the losers."

The words affect Seiji, who remains silent. Lua notices his depressed state.

"Hey, old man. Do you know this guy?" she asks.

Seki teases the shaken man, "Are you here trying to get lucky again? Is this pure desperation? Or have you come to lose yet another member of your team?"

Seiji lowers his head. That little spark ignites the anger inside Lua.

"Old man, tell me once and for all. Do you know this guy?"

"I know quite a few people."

"Is he someone you want to win the trial?"

After a brief silence, Seiji replies, depressed, "I don't know how to answer that question."

Lua's determination guides her steps as they turn toward the fight. The young woman calls out to her cousin.

"Lev, the old man wants you to finish this guy off. Don't stop until he's knocked unconscious."

Seiji is surprised, "What are you—"

"If you're sure you don't want this. Just ask me to stop."

No more answers.

"That leaves you with no options, Lev. Go for it!"

Resting in another part of the cave, Kelly wakes up in a bed inside a small hut. She takes on Muro's appearance.

The structure is strangely simple, with no decorative objects. In this tiny empty room, it is possible to hear the footsteps of a man. Dundo is leaving the hut, and no one else is around apart from the two competitors.

Kelly spots the young adult on the move and asks, "Where are you going?"

"That's a shame. I was hoping you wouldn't wake up," Dundo says, turning to see his companion, who is already standing by the hut door.

"You helped me again. You're from that group from before, aren't you?"

"Don't get me wrong. It was against my will. But I don't know if I could face Seiji if I let any of you die."

"And now you're leaving? Is that it?"

"I don't accept alliances anymore. Seiji should do the same, for his own sake."

"Is he the leader of your team?"

"You don't need to know about us. I'm leaving."

Dundo walks away from the hut, with Kelly following him in silence.

"What are you doing?" The man questions the unexpected pursuit.

"Oh, me? Don't worry, I won't do anything you don't want me to."

"I told you I don't need alliances."

"It's nothing like that. I'm just returning the favor. You can ignore me and move on."

"You..."

Dundo materializes a chair in his hands, holding the object like a shield.

"If you're going to do this, I must stop you. Just to be safe."

Kelly doesn't understand the defensive reaction, "Do I seem to offer any danger?"

"It's because Seiji believes in people like you that he is the way he is today. What's more, you're also acting like him. What if I betrayed you?"

"In a way, you're already doing that. I'm still here."

"What if I killed you?"

"Some people have no choice but to believe others. Right now, this is my best choice."

Dundo observes Kelly's body — which is currently taking on the appearance of Muro — paying attention to her strong physique.

"And what do you know about that, huh? To need something? You're young, you have a big, healthy family. Don't try to understand what's out of your hands, kid."

Showing no hostility whatsoever, Kelly sits calmly on the ground. Her hands remove a shard of glass from her pocket, where the reflection of a Repeller can be seen. 

Soon after, Muro's appearance is replaced by a woman. Her body shows the true face of an older woman who carries sixty-five years on her back.

Perplexed, Dundo can't accept the new truth.

"That-that doesn't make sense."

"You know that group you saw before? That's my family. I'm completely dependent on those people."

The man remains silent. What he sees makes his mind go haywire, splintering it into countless emotions.

Kelly continues, "I don't know who this Seiji guy allied himself with in the past, but maybe he thought he depended on it."

Dundo falls to his knees in shock.

"Her name was Honaka," he comments.

The subject's memories take the story back to a brief moment in the past. Apparently, being the same age as in the present, Seiji, Dinda, Dende, and Dundo walk together as members of the same team.

Facing the Waterfall of Trials, the group concludes their conversation with the Trials Organizer.

"Registration successful. Come back in five days to take part in the trial."

Everyone moves away from the waterfall, walking in the opposite direction. 

Dende gets discouraged, "and here we go again."

"Stop it. This time, we have Mai," Dinda replies.

"Do you think an extra team member will make a difference?"

Dundo joins in the conversation, "she seemed pretty determined."

"Seriously, guys, we've seen this attitude dozens of times. They always give up in the face of danger."

"What do you think, Seiji? Will she leave us?"

The leader gives his verdict, "We don't need to know that. Let's accept her help."

Dende is still against the idea, "When she sees our abilities, she'll ditch us on the spot. Everyone gives up when they see how useless we are."

"Where did she go, anyway?"

Dinda's question is followed by shouts from near the Foot of the Mountain public well.

Several inhabitants are desperate, "Bear! Somebody help!"

At the scene of the confusion, a bear attacks a white-haired woman, who runs away with all her energy. Honaka runs away from the menacing animal.

"A bear? That's quite unexpected. Poor woman," Dende feels sorry for the victim.

"Aren't we going to do anything?" Dinda frets.

"What do you want me to do? Throw water on something that size?"

Beyond all expectations, the unimaginable happens. Seiji runs towards the danger.

"Seiji! Not you!" Dinda tries to stop him.

Dundo predicts the worst-case scenario, "Damn it, he's going to kill himself."

In her uncontrolled flight, Honaka stumbles and falls to the ground. The bear charges at the defenseless woman, who remains still in shock.

The animal readies its sharp claws, and the chase ends.

The victim loses her mind, "Not this... where are you, Phoena?"

"Stop, you stupid beast!" A voice full of energy is heard.

The bear suddenly stops its attack. Mai opposes the frightening animal.

"Come towards me. Leave the poor thing alone," the rescuer continues, in control of the situation.

In an immediate reaction, the bear moves towards the feisty woman without any resistance from her. She then looks at the victim, lying on the ground.

"You, stay down."

After listening to her savior's instructions, Honaka smiles mockingly, "Thank you, now I can—"

Something unexpected happens. The rescued woman can't move; her body seems to have gotten out of her control.

"What? But... what? How did you—?

"It's just a safety measure. I'm not going to hurt you."

The bear continues on its way, strolling towards Mai. 

"Sit down, creature," she orders.

The animal obeys. Completely oblivious to the situation, Seiji arrives at the scene exhausted.

"Mai?"

"Ah, what's up, Seiji? Sorry for disappearing like that. It's just that I saw it happening from afar. Hey, do you have anything to eat there?"

"What exactly?"

"Anything. It's for the big guy."

Using his repeller powers, Seiji materializes a lifeless giant fish in his hands. The bear smells the delicious aroma of the food.

Mai is amazed at what she sees, "ah, so these are your skills! That way, we'll never go hungry!"

The woman's genuine smile soothes Seiji's spirits, and he recovers from the fatigue in his body.

Returning to the unsolved problem, she communicates with the animal, "Right. You, go back to the forest."

Using its sharp teeth, the creature grabs the fish with its mouth and walks away from the humans, leaving the Foot of the Mountain.

Honaka stares at Mai, perplexed, "You—"

"I apologize for the surprise; you can relax now. As it happens, my orders are absolute."

Seiji's team approaches their companion, celebrating her performance.

"Mai, you're amazing! What was that?" Dinda hugs her friend.

"What do you think, Dende? Strong, huh?" Dundo brags about his new ally.

Still on the ground, the victim's eyes can't look away from the powerful figure who saved her. Her curiosity dominates her thoughts.

"That rejection..." she mutters.

Embarrassed by the praises, Mai thanks them, "Thank you, guys. Oh, I forgot. You can get up now."

At the woman's words, Honaka finally regains control of her body, which is instantly on its feet.

"Are you a group?" 

"Yes, we are," Seiji says.

"Do you intend to take part in the trial?"

Dundo bursts into laughter, "Hahaha! She has no idea! We've been at it for a few years now."

"Oh, I see. In that case..."

In a matter of seconds, Honaka's new posture draws all eyes to her. The bear's victim stands with her head held high, ready to put her trust in her following words.

"Would you like to join my team?"