Entry 20: 

Being pissed off can help you do a lot of things. I learned to ice skate cuz my sister’s couldn’t and I just wanted to get the hell away from them. Rage is a weird motivator; it doesn’t care if you're tired or in pain. It simply does. The eraser in front of me was getting a first-hand look at the power of rage as I stood on my own two feet. I could feel my shoes sinking into the dirt as I stared down at her. My chattering teeth filled the silence as she looked up wide-eyed. 

A bluish hue began to coat my body until it turned a deep violet, followed by a small gust of air erupting from my feet. I had cracked into my mana storage. It wasn’t a lot compared to these guys. If I had a rating of fifteen, these guys had about fifty, but I was packing more than the average person. I didn’t have much time, so I just spoke. 

“You don’t understand a damn thing. Kid,” I growled. 

“Kid? I- what?” she said, clearly flustered.

  “Only a child would look at a group of people suffering and not understand what the problem was. You lack nuance, tact. You’re a fucking kid.” I said, taking a step towards her. Something that sounded like a spark rang out as my mana began to push against the power bounding me to the ground. Her eyes widened even more before narrowing. She took a step back and I felt the weight increase again.

“Woah. L, cool it. You’re gonna hurt him for real,” said the boy. His voice was slightly muffled.

“S, I got this,” she said, turning to her partner before looking back at me. “And you get to throw stones? Do you know what our lives are like? We have a thankless job where we can die at any minute, but we keep people safe. What have you ever done?”  I took another painful step. 

“Not enough. I have responsibilities I can’t meet, but I struggle every day trying, even though I know the game is rigged.” Another step. “But I’m still going-because there are people who are counting on me.” I got closer. “Just like how you risk your lives, I do the same. Only I’m working against a ticking clock and I can’t smash my problems away by staring at them.”

I got right up in front of her. “Besides, you can walk away. Me, I gotta stay like this, drafted from birth to a destiny I gotta kick and scream against, not knowing if, or when my next sunrise is coming. You’re just a punk doing an elf's dirty wor-.” Next thing I knew, I was on my back.

“L!” her partner shouted.  The violet aura was gone, and I was feeling the after-effects of using too much mana. It felt like my rib cage was housing a million lit candles ready to burn me from the inside. I couldn’t move or speak. The Eraser woman let out a slow breath, and in an instant, the unseen force on my body was gone. If it wasn't for my mana coating my body and my clothes, my bones might have shattered. Her partner put his hand on her shoulder. She only needed to give him a quick look before regaining her composure. She turned back to me.

“Runner. I can only offer you a warning and a piece of advice. If you get out of line again, despite our lady’s orders, I will take you down. I don’t care if you’re protected, you're a damn menace.” I responded with only a defiant grunt. She sucked her teeth. 

“My advice? If you want to avoid trouble? Follow your namesake and run your ass out of town.” She stormed off after that. Her partner followed. Then I was alone.