• tab The village of Lunda is near a big river that cuts through the forest. Lushes greens surround houses and stores. That’s where Allester and Cillia went to.
    tab “Why are we here?” Cillia asks him. They were outside of a building with a sign that read Mongel. “What is this place? Weird name”
    tab Allester walked inside and closed the door in her face. Stay outside and don’t come in, he says to her in his mind.
    tab “What? Why should I stay out here! What are you going to do in there, anyway? Hey, say something!”
    tab People around her started staring since she was shouting at a door. Cillia blushed and looked at the ground. It was hard for her to switch back and forth from a mind talk to a real one.
    tab I’m coming in anyway. She reached for the door knob and was ready to turn it, but then Allester’s voice boomed into her head.
    tab DON’T COME IN! It was said out of pure anger and frustration. He hated it when people don’t obey, Cillia was guessing.
    tab “Fine, have it your way” Cillia said in complete calmness. “I’ll just go somewhere else” Allester couldn’t hear her when she’s talking out loud but she didn’t care.
    tab She turned around and walked away. Today was a really warm day, and Cillia liked that. She tried to focus on birds flying in the sky so that she could quiet her bad mood. They seem to not help her though. Instead, she decided to just roam around the market area. There were a lot of fishes being sold, all different shapes and sizes, and color too. The shop next to that one was full of fruits, but mostly apples. A little girl was reaching up to grab one but she was too small to touch it. Cillia helped the girl get one.
    tab “You want an apple?” Cillia asks. The little girl didn’t say anything, just nodded. “Here you go sweetie” she gave her an apple then looked at the man who was selling it. “How much?” was all she said. Cillia knew that she didn’t have any money. Maybe she should act as if she lost all her change. Hopefully the little girl would be gone by then.
    tab “Free of charge” he says with a bright smile.
    tab “Oh, but—” she should be happy that its free but she expected to be charged. It left a bad taste in her mouth to take something for free.
    tab “That girl’s name is Pipo”
    tab Pi…po? Pipo? “What a—unique name” she tried to laughed but it came out awkward.
    tab Pipo? What are you talking about? Allester was mind talking with Cillia again. Stop filling my head with trash.
    tab What—is none of my thoughts private anymore? Cillia meant to say it for herself, not him. Allester made some sort of a mind sneer before his presence was gone. “Good riddance” she crossed her arms, pleased.
    tab “Huh?” the salesman said, confused. Cillia had forgotten he was there.
    tab “Oh, uh…nothing. So about the apple—er, Pipo?”
    tab “Ah. She’s my daughter” he gave a proud fathers smile.
    tab So that’s why he didn’t charge for the apple. Cillia felt really stupid now. “Oh I see. Well I got to…go now, so—oof!” a kick ball bounced off the back of her head and fell beside her foot.
    tab “Sorry!” it was a boy with dirty blond hair, literally dirty. It looked like he spent his day playing in the mud with pigs. “Can I have my ball back?”
    tab He seems like an arrogant kid, so bossy! “Here you go” Cillia gave him the ball anyway. She kicked it over to him and he caught it with his hands. Not even a simple ‘thank you’, or ‘sorry for hitting you’.
    tab A girl peeked out behind the blond boy. She was wearing a cute yellow dress and her strawberry red hair was tied up in pigtails. Pipo! Her face looked flush from being hot. She clung onto his shirt, a head shorter than him. The boy patted her head, all smiling, all laughing. Then he pointed towards the river and they took off.
    tab Don’t give me that sappy feeling. Allester says. He could feel her emotions, and right now she’s all buttered up. An image of the two kids flashed into his mind because Cillia was thinking about them. The boy and girl held hands, skipping in a flower field. The mood was too loving, it sickened him.
    tab Oh will you shut up? Stopped reading my mind or whatever! I can feel whatever I want. They looked adorable though, didn’t they? Cillia giggled.
    tab “I’m hating you already” Allester says, but not in thought. He was right next to her and she didn’t notice till now. His dark hood covered his face.
    tab “You kept your face hidden for a long time now—actually, you’ve kept it hidden ever since we came into civilization. Why?” Cillia had a strange attempt to pull off his hood and show everyone what he looked like. And she did. Right when Allester was going to say something, she reached up and took off his hood.
    tab Instant reaction. Shouts came from only one person, and then everyone was shouting and running towards Allester. “The savior! The Guardian! Our protector!” they all screamed with joy. Everybody knew that there was a mysterious man with black hair, dark clothes, blue eyes, and an eye patch on the right. He was their hero since the day he killed the three Honstuki’s. Now was the time they found him once again—found Allester. “Where have you been, our great hero?” hands reaching out everywhere. Bodies being shoved aside to get closer. Allester, meanwhile, was having the worst time of his life. Being crowded around humans is the worst thing that could ever happen to him. Then there was Cillia. She was temporarily stunned, not knowing what to do or where to go.
    tab It’s all my fault, isn’t it? She says to Allester. She was the one that took off his hood. Now she knew why he hid his face, because he didn’t want this to happen. People’s elbows hit her face and side.
    tab Yea. That was his reply. It was said so calmly that it made Cillia feel even worse about it.
    tab Sorry. Now it was Cillia’s turn to get pushed aside. A man knocked her to the right and once she regained balance, everyone else began moving her to the back. It wasn’t that easy though. The space was crowded, insanely crowded. You don’t even get a centimeter of space between the person next to you, and Cillia was being squeezed between the people.
    tab Where are you going?! Allester raised his voice high. It echoed in her mind. Then he yelled out loud, “MOVE” nobody listened though. They just kept on charging in. As he struggled to get out, Cillia was getting further away. She was scared, and guilty. Allester could feel that. He physically bulldozed people away till he came to Cillia. She glanced up at him with frightened eyes.
    tab “Allest—” was all she got to say till he grabbed her by the waist and lifted her over his head. She put her hands on his shoulders for balance. “What are you doing?!” but she already knew what he was doing. He started walking away from the crowed, ignoring everyone that blocked his way, that touched him, that praised him. And Cillia was the one that got nothing. He was carrying her to help her. She wasnt suffering from the crowed like Allester was.
    tab Stop thinking so much of it. Allester says to her in a menacing tone. If you think I’m a nice guy, you’re dead wrong. I’m only doing this because you’re my user and I need your power.
    tab Cillia could sense the lie in that, but she could be mistaken. She’s not that good at reading Allester’s emotions yet. But even so, she still thinks he’s nice by heart. Allester, the monster, was really a nice guy hiding under all that pretend evilness. “The world really has gone crazy” and she smiled.