“GHILLA PROTECTION AND SECURITY, YOU TWO, STAND STILL!”

“Dang, there are more of them, I thought it was only Jeff, the older one eating donuts on Mondays and Sundays”

“You really have good deduction skills, you know?”
Asked Starter with a slightly disappointed reaction towards Chester

“Shut it, I know you’re sarcastic”
Said Chester, whispering a shout out of anger, with a slight comical hint in his voice

Starter did a gesture of someone who hasn’t matured yet, of taking his tongue out, towards Chester, with a smug smile on his face.

While running, Chester pointed towards the first left that they were close to. Because he already knew those roads and paths from before.

They kept on running, looking behind them and in the sides, at the entrance of the houses and windows, seeing if someone caught them running in such a suspicious manner, but bad luck… a lot of people looked down at them from their windows, bothered by the loud noises that they for sure knew that came from the two of them

“Keep it down, punks, my cat can’t sleep!”

“I dropped my washing soap because of you, NOW EVERYTHING’S A MESS!”

“SHUT IT, CLOWN ADVENTURERS!”

Now in a closed space, with only a path in front and a path behind, they had nowhere to go if something unexpected would happen… like the appearance of the prince, Kerie, which would either result in getting to the end of one of them and the capturing of the other one, or in a peaceful surrender.

Both of them suddenly stopped, like hitting the brakes to a jet plane, mid-air, that’s how quickly and suddenly they stopped.

“Chester, any ideas?”
-

“Starter, any ideas?”
Said both of them in the same exact moment, looking one at the other with shocked and sour faces, trying to find answers but getting none from each other.

The boy was still sitting on the same stone golem, but with a change of sitting, like he couldn’t wait to get off it, and get on his own two legs.

“Starter… a true treasure. Where did you spawn from?

Asked Kerie, showing both of his hands in the air, with a smug smile given out

He didn’t get any answers, and changed his look at Chester, who was preparing to take Starter and run with him, but he knew they didn’t have that kind of time.

“You got yourself someone interesting, a rich one”

Continued Kerie with a calming voice, leading the conversation in his favor.

“Shut it, Kerie”
Exclaimed Chester, annoyed by the vocal tone of his enemy.

They slowly backed up, having the same instinct of running away right in that moment, but still a sign of hesitation inside them. Will they get caught by the rest of the Gray hats? Or will they face the consequence of Kerie’s powers, not understanding what consequences will their choice have.

Raising his left hand in a hurried motion, Kerie looked right between the two of them, towards the exit, from where loud rumbling noises of stone and dirt were heard, along with a recoil of dust, coming from it, spreading across the tight space that they were in.

On realization, Chester quickly turned around with a fear reaction inside his eyes, along with the narrow of his eyes, while covering his eyes with his arms, only that so he can see in front of him, the dust revealed a massive wall, twelve meters high, high as the buildings that blocked the alley in a straight and tight space.

“NO!”
Shouted Chester, seeing that their only way of escaping was gone, and the choice of taking themselves to the “Gray Hats”, to let them be caught by them, was no longer an option. It was only Kerie, and their chances to escape with their lives were very narrow.

Starter placed in front of Chester, like a smaller protecting brother, after sensing the danger that they were in.

“On three, you better do something to break that wall, got that?”
Asked Starter, turning half of his face, smiling at the end of his sentence. Chester looked at him with a slight shock and confusion, not understanding what he was talking about

“What are you on, we can take him down, it’s only him!”
Exclaimed Chester, pointing at Kerie with his left hand, sensing the fear inside him activated by Kerie’s outside, innocent smirk.

Chester understood in the final moment that Starter would sacrifice himself for him. Now knowing this, he couldn’t let it happen.

Bending his back and flexing his legs is a semi-squat, he was ready to risk it all, if it meant for his friend to escape, even a few seconds would be enough… even Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven–...

Time moved in slow-motion and Starter whispered inside his mind, a sentence right before taking off like the fastest animal on the planet, giving out a one last happy side-eye to Chester.

“Chester… don’t think about me, go on, will you do that for me?

Starter was a step ahead, and his unusual and unnatural stamina and power in his legs were the protagonists in helping Chester’s escape.

“WAIT!”
Shouted Chester, trying to catch up right before confusion and shock took over, covering his thoughts with multiple questions… “Why” “What is this guy doing, I should be the one to–” “Noooo!”

Many thoughts rushed through Starter’s mind in that situation, but his only thought was that if they would get caught, it would be the end of their adventure, right there. They would be put as servants for life in some fancy Castle or home for people to make fun of them, to make them be like jesters, amuse everyone from the room they were in. Starter couldn’t live like this, not even if he would’ve been forced to.

The rush of adrenaline running through his mind and body, gaining more and more speed, more strength in his muscles, more durability in his bones and more thoughts of things going right or wrong.

“Adventure?”
Asked Feli, raising his head toward the girl next to him, giving out a confused and joyful reaction.

The buildings were tall, buildings that would touch the bright blue sky. On a crosswalk, five people were passing, after which it lit green. 

“An adventure!”
Exclaimed a friend of Starter’s, with a white outfit in a chilly day

“What?”
Asked Starter, turning his head towards her, narrowing his eyes and giving out a slight smirk as well.

“After High School, let’s go on an adventure. Somewhere around the edges of the world”

“Whaaat are you talking about, Mire. That is crazy. Let’s just eat ice cream and chill this summer. I just don’t really want to have to wake up early, you feel?”

Said another person from the group, carrying his only backpack support in his pants pocket, which was held in, by his right hand.

“I think that is a good idea”
Said another girl from the group, taller than all of them, with long eyes and pale-blonde hair.

“Then it’s settled. After High School, we are going somewhere far. No buildings blocking our view. A place far far away!”
Exclaimed Mire, excitedly, showing her words with a few arm movements for context, while having a burning motivation inside her joyful eyes. That’s how hyped she was about her own personal idea that could help their group to create new experiences together.

“What?! We didn’t even agree”
Said the boys in unison, tired and confused about Mire taking advantage in the conversation, but somewhat not upset at all.

A whisper was being heard inside Starter’s mind, but very very faintly, scratching the back of his ear canal.

“-ter…”

After they said the last sentence, all of them laughed lively, heading towards the restaurant next to their High School, while chit-chat went on, as their voices went into a muffle and the scene grew tall in the sky.

“-RTER…”

“STARTER WAKE UP!”

Shouted the voice of Chester with a hint of fear and pain inside his voice.

“Huh…?”
Asked Starter, looking in front of him, seeing Kerie entering his close-space, having his left arm extended right towards his face… no, it was inside his face.

His hands are tingling like ants would dance inside his skin. His walking and grabbing parts were cold, an unnatural cold. His stomach felt empty, yet he felt a little bit sick. Shock took over, as well as adrenaline. Looking down, Starter tried opening his left eye, but something was wrong, he just couldn’t. Only after that, he felt a freezing cold going inside his brain, just like his warming functions would be turned off. 

“You are slow as a bug, for a Starter, aren't you?”
Asked Kerie, really confused about Starter staying still all this time, then giving out a quick annoying chuckle.

In the next moment, Kerie quickly took his hand out from Starter’s skull, by dragging his shoulder towards the back, which made the sound of a melon being dropped down from a hundred meters.

Starter continued staying still for a few moments, no processing entirely the situation that he was into. Suddenly, his entire body went cold, his face pale and Starter had to endure a very hard shiver , even shaking from the eternal blizzard that was going through his body from his organ functions slowly turning off.

Very slowly turning back towards Chester, who was more shocked than he was. Something that Starter didn’t think that he would ever see. His friend’s reaction. Pure pain and regret. The regret was because Chester knew that he let him do his wanted action, and he could have stopped it.

A muffle scream could be heard in the background of his mind. The words echoing away, faintly. Shivering on the ground, Starter hugged himself trying to find a warm spot, but instead found himself agonizing in the coldest enviroment known to him, a soulless cold.  

“STARTER…. STARTER… STARTEEEEEEEER!”

These were the painful exclamations of Chester, freezing in a single place, not being able to move a muscle. Fear or cautiousness took over him?

Kerie looked down at Starter giving out his last breath, crumbled down, empty on the inside, yet filled with regret.

Locking in sight with Kerie, who had no reaction at all on his face, no remorse in his expression, he ragefully took out his thick metal tool from his waist and extended it towards Kerie, with the need to take him down, no matter what.

Throwing his tens of kilograms item, Chester shouted two words out loud.

“METAL. DOWN!”

The thrown item was flying at a really fast motion, sucking the air around with its flaming speed.

But with a more calmed exclaim of a word, Kerie stopped the rapidly spinning item that was coming towards him, slowing it down mid-air, letting it fall down with a loud cling of the metal mixed with the soft dust from the ground.

“Seril!”
Gently exclaimed Kerie, suddenly creating a burning pattern that was smoking, inside Chester’s forehead.

The burn was so painful that Chester fell down on his knees and yelled on the top of his lungs, trying to take out the fire that was causing the burn, but that was no fire, it was a curse. It could last a second, a minute, a day, or however the one summoning it wanted.

He walked over Starter’s lifeless body and approached Chester, who was in pain and agony.

Crying with tears of hate towards the person looking down at him, Chester narrowed his eyes, filled with anger, giving out a cold look to Kerie, trying to breathe in through the burning pain from his forehead.

“One down, one left”

Whispered Kerie right before Chester would unintentionally drop down on his chest, breaking two of his teeth in process, falling face-flat. The burning pain was getting more and more agonizing. 

After “The Tale” has ended, loud whooshing could be heard, coming from the top buildings and homes, followed by a loud thud of plastic and rubber smash on the ground. The sound came from two people that wore white masks with one straight open line in the middle.

“Very low of you, boy. “It” was indeed Starter”
Said both entities at the same time, looking down at Starter who remained in the same lifeless position, with a pond of blood in what his skull was sinking.

“I think your kind forgets who’s father can make life itself disappear in a few blinks”

Said Kerie with a threatening voice towards the two persons, narrowing his eyes in a rageful manner. Such anger that his pupils started shaking and glowed with a black color.

“Civilians are around us, we have to move. Take the son of the blacksmiths and follow, boy”
Continued the two entities at the same time, with the same neutral voice.

Using his magical abilities, Kerie created a glass-material chain, which he stuck inside Chester’s knuckle. 

The two people jumped high up, towards the  top of the buildings, just like a shot bullet. Kerie did the same as well, with Chester flying after him, dragged by his hand. 

A few minutes later, the same cloaked stranger from before came from inside the shadows of two buildings.

Taking a quick look at Starter, the stranger’s face couldn’t be seen from the long height of the hood. People started coming out of their homes, asking questions about the fuss. Knowing it was no good for its entity to accidentally be known, the cloaked stranger took Starter, placed him over its shoulders and dissolved into the shadows of the buildings nearby. Right at that moment, the gray hats came from the corner, but saw no one, so they kept searching, along with some civilians.

The shadow got darker and darker, slowly turning into an inescapable cage of void, where you couldn’t even see your own hands or body. A few moments more of walking, a small light was born in the darkness, around twenty five meters ahead.

“It’s the only thing I can do, Starter. Live for me”

Whispered a gentle voice of the hooded stranger, being the voice of a girl.

She walked inside the light, which seemed like a door, from its size and shape, after which, the whole scene dissolved to a white scenery, transitioning to the sound of a crowd of birds, chirping from a tree near the window inside Feli’s room.

The hot and bright sun bothered Starter’s tired and closed eyes.

“Waaah!”

Yawned Feli. Narrowing his eyes, he felt something poking the back of his head and his entire back. Halfly getting out of the bed, Starter looked what was underneath him, and found out that sharp plastic pieces, wires and thick metal cables. Narrowing his eyes even more, now confused and sleepy, he decided to take a plastic bag and just sweep them inside the plastic bag, then throw it inside his garbage bin from his kitchen.

“Aghh, my pre-birthday party sure got out of hand. This is the first time this happened” 

Said Starter, looking at the plastic bag one last time before letting his foot off the metal garbage’s support, which stopped it from closing the lid.

Loud knocks inside Feli’s flat door

“Alright, alright, I’m coming”

Said Feli, narrowing his eyes, not understanding who could be at his door, this early in the morning.

Opening the door with an uninterested look on his face, Feli found out a horde of people outside his front door, all overfilled with joy and excitement, raising their hands in the air, shouting loudly