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"Why would anyone be happy after being kidnapped by a murderer who seeks to bring their country to ruin? On top of that, his minion comes to watch me like I'm a puppy in need of training."

"You're back to your usual self."

"Usual self? Usual? Is my life a joke to you?"

"You were a lot easier to get along with the other day."

"That's because—"

A loud bark grabbed Harper's attention. When she saw the dog from days before, her breathing became heavier. She gripped onto the shovel and raised it to defend herself.

The dog ran over to them, and she shrieked. "Arnest! Get it away!! Please!"

"Apologize first," Arnest smirked at her, still bothered by her attitude.

"Arnest!" Harper heaved. "I'm sorry! Please get that thing away from me!"

Arnest whistled and waved for the dog to move away. It barked happily, before darting toward the other end of the vineyard.

Harper kept her eyes on it until it was out of sight. And even when she could no longer see the canine, she wondered how long it would take for it to come back.

"So..." Arnest whistled and shoved his hands into his pockets, nudging the dirt around with his boot. "Giada has you working your arse off again. You know you can just say no, right? Though, there's no guarantee she'll feed you after you say it."

"I'm not doing this because Giada told me to." Harper placed another flower into another hole.

"Really?" Arnest's eyes widened. He laughed mockingly. "Are you serious?"

"Believe it or not, I'm actually willing to help out in any way I can. Unlike some people..."

"So, you're enjoying this? Getting your hands smothered in the ground? Sloshing worms around? Smelling like crap?"

Harper ignored him.

"Papa Arnesto did say hard work builds character, but yeesh. I didn't think it was possible you had anything to start building on."

"Are you finished?" Harper sighed. "You can go back and report to Hyde where I am. If you don't plan on leaving, can't you just stand there quietly?"

"You must really think I'm some low-life errand boy." Arnest snickered. "This is my home. I can go wherever the heck I please. I don't have to answer to Hyde all the time. You? You're a different story."

"Okay, Arnest, I get it." Harper huffed. "I don't need to be reminded. Just please go somewhere else."

"You look like you're about to cry."

"Well, maybe I am."

"Is it because I made fun of your hair?"

Harper inhaled and a stream of tears ran down her face.

"Okay..." Arnest coughed awkwardly. "It was a joke, I was just kidding, no need to—"

Harper quickly wiped them away when Anna approached. She cleared her throat and sucked it up before Anna could see.

"Here's your water." Anna shoved a cup of water into Arnest's grasp. "Let's get back to work before Mama says we're slacking."

"Si..." Arnest rolled his eyes.

And without saying anything else, the three continued to work. An hour went by, and Anna decided to go and sit elsewhere. Arnest felt a little disturbed by the awkward silence.

He paused and placed the shovel down. His expression softened, and he glanced at Harper. "Have you ever wondered why Itaria is full of flowers?"

Harper wiped her sweat, refusing to respond to him.

"I'm sure you've thought about the vast differences between Itaria and Westona. But the reality is, our countries aren't that different, in terms of our land. It's all the same, the dirt is full of Puron."

Harper leaped out of the dirt patch with a horrific gasp. She extended her hands out and away from her frame. Arnest cackled at her.

"Relax, it's not a bad thing."

"Puron is dangerous!" Harper exclaimed. "Are you serious!?"

"Absolutely. But I'm surprised you don't know anything about Crystonology. You're a scientist, aren't you?"

"I know plenty about Crystonology! I also know that Puron in its organic form is extremely poisonous and toxic! People have died from accidentally touching it!"

"So that's what they taught you in Westona, huh? Do you still feel well-educated? You touched it all, and you're still here."

Arnest scooped a big pile of dirt in his hands and rubbed his fingers back and forth through the soil. "Take a good look, there's small crystals everywhere."

Harper leaned forward. There were tiny specks of velvet-lit particles tucked in between the dirt. Every time a beam of light hit them, they brightened because of the reflection.

It didn't seem possible, but somehow it was right there in front of her eyes. How could it be? Puron was something carefully stored in vaults back in Westona.

"I don't understand..." Harper grabbed a fist full of dirt as well and shifted them around in her hands. She raised it to her nose. There was not a single horrid smell, unlike the Puron fumes back at her home.

"Puron is the enhancer of this planet." Arnest tossed the dirt back into the patch and brushed his hands onto his pants.

"I get that, but..."

"It's rich in nutrients to help our produce thrive. That's why the vineyard is full. We never have a bad season."

Harper wanted to ask more questions, but Arnest cleared his throat. "Anna, we're finished for today! I'm gonna head back."

"Go on." Anna fanned herself and walked over. "Come, Harper. Let's water them before we go."

Arnest poked Anna playfully before dashing away before she could hit him. She was too big to run.

"Anna,"

"Si?"

"Is it... okay if I keep one of the flowers to plant myself?"

"Oh. Hmm..." Anna looked into the wagon. There was a tiny pot with a small pink bud poking out of the dirt. "You can have this one. I'm not sure what it is, but when it blooms you'll know. Just take good care of it."

"Thank you." Harper smiled at the small plant in amazement, after receiving it. Anna was taken aback by Harper's childlike admiration for it. But she found it cute nonetheless.

~~~

Yanpu panted heavily as he maneuvered under and around every adult he passed by. A woman began shouting at him as he accidentally raised her skirt too high.

But he didn't stop to apologize. Yanpu was running for his life. There was a mob of older children after him.

In an attempt to leave the school, some of his bullies began to berate him and mock him. Yanpu wasn't sure what happened, but a rock he touched flew up and smacked one of them in the face.

And Yanpu felt like energy left his body when the stone collided with the bully. He took the chance to run and they all started to chase him down, like a pack of wild dogs hunting a squirrel.

There were so many tall people around him, and a lot of legs to get by. There wasn't a single adult he recognized nearby.

Yanpu cut corners through busy or crowded alleyways, throwing himself up to climb over boxes. He tore the sleeves of his shirt off while knocking down an auto part stand.

It wasn't until he neared the familiar area that he smacked face-first into a hard tree. His little frame hit the tile street, and when he looked up, he saw Hyde standing there.

Hyde raised a brow at him, but Yanpu thought nothing of it. Immediately, he propelled himself off the ground and shielded himself behind Hyde's leg, clutching onto his shin like his life depended on it.

"What the— let go of me!" Hyde sneered, trying to shake Yanpu off. "Get off!"

Yanpu began to cry when he saw his abusers get closer and wrapped his arms tightly around Hyde.

"Listen brat, you—"

Hyde raised his head when he saw 4 other kids approach him. "You've got three seconds to release me. If you don't, I'll make sure you never see that scientist again..."

"Isseh this your Papa?" One of the older boys snickered mischievously. "He runs to his Papa for help. Ha!"

The four began to mock Yanpu, and Hyde quickly caught onto the situation. "I ain't related to this brat." Hyde shoved Yanpu away, and he whimpered in response.

"He whines!" The group of kids started to jeer and laugh. "Like a babinio!"

"Grab him." The other boy shouted, and they all darted toward him. However, Hyde quickly stepped in front of Yanpu, protectively.

"What kinda game is this? I don't remember there being multiple "its" in tag." Hyde crossed his arms. "State your reason for being here."

"What's it to you, old man?" Another spat.

"Old man?" Hyde scoffed angrily, infuriated by the kid's disrespectful attitude. Swiftly, he knocked one of the boys off their feet. "Try that again, slob-ridden imbecile. I'm giving you one more chance. State your reason for being here."

"Why? Are you his pa?"

"Are you his Pa?" Hyde mocked him. "You've all got three seconds to get out of my sight."

"What are you gonna do to us if we don't? We're just kids!"

"Mess around and find out." Hyde stepped forward dangerously. "You dopes have no idea who you're dealing with. I don't give a shite how old you are, I'll kick your arse to Krahagh if I have to—"

One of the children kicked Hyde in between his legs, but Hyde grabbed it before it made contact, and tossed him back. The other three kids screeched and backed away.

"Alright. Looks like I'm done playing nice." Hyde cracked his knuckles before grabbing the oldest-looking kid by the collar of his shirt. The other three children took off running in the opposite direction, far from Hyde before he could do anything else.

"Let me go!" The boy whined and flailed his arms around.

Instead, Hyde walked over to a clothesline and placed the boy on top of it, making sure that he was hanging for every passerby to see. "Put me down!" He cried.

"Look who's whining now." Hyde placed his hands on his waist and smiled wickedly at Yanpu. "Like a Baby, right?"

Yanpu chortled a little. The boy became even more humiliated when his trousers fell down, revealing his pee-stained underwear.

"That's not a pleasant sight." Hyde looked away with a smirk.

"Mama!" The boy screamed. "Mama! Help!"

"Where's your mom? I don't see her. I'll wait until she appears." Hyde looked around the crowd who gazed up in surprise. No one showed up. "Guess she doesn't care enough to save a lowlife like you, eh?" Hyde teased.

"I'll tell you what. I'll let you down, but if I see you show up with your pals on my doorstep again, I'll beat you, and your parent's arse. Am I clear?"

"Si!" The boy begged.

Hyde took him down and threw him onto the street. "Get outta here, before I change my mind."

"I'm telling my Papa!"

"Go and tell him, so I can smack sense into him for raising a fool." Hyde urged. When the boy disappeared, Yanpu rushed over to Hyde and pulled on his pants.

"Don't touch me." Hyde stepped away from him.

"Thank you." Yanpu smiled, grateful for Hyde's protection.

"Why don't you defend yourself from those twits?" Hyde rolled his eyes. "Running away is stupid. Stand up to them and show them who's boss."

Hyde turned around and headed back toward the doors of the dojo, but he stopped when Yanpu's little voice uttered something that took him back 10 years in the past.

"I need your help." Yanpu stuttered softly.

Those four words were the same ones he told Bomb when he first started having painful episodes. He tried his best to shake away the hurtful memory, but it wouldn't go away.

When he looked over his shoulder at Yanpu, the kid was teary-eyed and slouching.

"You don't need my help." Hyde spat.

"I... I do."

"No, you don't."

"P-please." Yanpu reached up to touch Hyde's hand, but he quickly swiped it away.

"Don't touch me!" Hyde snarled at him. "Listen up, kid, life's tough. You've gotta learn to suck it up and deal with your shite yourself."

"I'm scared..."

"It doesn't matter. They don't care. And neither do I..." Hyde grumbled.

Hyde massaged the bridge of his nose in frustration. "If you act this way, they'll continue to mock you. And eventually, they'll hurt you and cast you aside."

A tear streamed down Yanpu's face, and he began to cry.

Hyde exhaled and brushed his hair back. "It's the truth. You've gotta face reality and grow a backbone. Harper's not gonna be around to coddle you all the time."

"Can... y-you help?"

"And what the heck do you want me to do? I already helped you. It's not gonna stop them from pushing you around when I'm not there." Hyde rolled his eyes.

Yanpu continued to cry. Hyde remained in place and swallowed hard. He hated that he understood exactly what Yanpu was going through.

It was worse because Yanpu had no control of his abilities.

After thinking about it longer, Hyde realized that his dull response was similar to Bomb's 10 years before. The only difference was that Bomb didn't care, and Hyde was trying to be frank with Yanpu for his own good.

It still caused a twinge of guilt to burn within Hyde. He wanted nothing to do with the mad doctor. He took a deep breath and rubbed his face.

"Stop crying." Hyde lowered himself to Yanpu's height. "If you don't wipe those tears, I won't help you."

Yanpu sniffled and wiped his face quickly.

"Suck it up. Listen to what I'm about to tell you."

"Uh... huh." Yanpu nodded.

"Knowledge is earned. Whining is a nuisance. If you want to learn how to defend yourself, you're gonna have to be stubborn."

Hyde wiped his mouth. "None of this. You hear me?"

"Y... yes."

Hyde grabbed onto Yanpu's hand and turned it. As he examined it, he pressed his fingers against Yanpu's skin. The boy was built with muscle.

"You're not weak. You've got it in you to fight." Hyde dropped Yanpu's hand. "But you're clumsy. Your movement is uncontrolled."

Hyde shifted his gaze to a pale and a mop nearby. He stood up and kicked them over to Yanpu.

"Go to the sea and fill the bucket with water. Then, come back here and mop up this entire courtyard."

"Huh?"

"Don't 'huh' me. You heard what I said. Go." Hyde shooed him away. "Don't come back until this entire section is spotless." Hyde turned on his heel and went back into the dojo.

Yanpu was puzzled. He processed Hyde's words, wondering what mopping had to do with learning to defend himself. But rather than arguing, he picked up the large bucket handle with both hands and slowly dragged his feet down a path that led to the water.

~~~

"There you go staring at that plant again." Hyde sat across from Harper with a smug look on his face. "What's so interesting about it anyway?"

"Westona doesn't have them." Harper frowned. "My whole life, I've been told that flowers ceased to exist a century ago. But we used to see pictures of them all the time. It's noteworthy to study them now that I can actually see it in front of me."

"So you enjoy watching something as slow as grass grow?" Hyde scoffed. "I could paint a wall right now and you'd watch it dry. You would study the chemicals or some shite in the paint that causes it to stick."

Harper narrowed her eyes at him but decided not to retort.

"Why don't you make yourself useful?"

"I am."

"Try again." Hyde challenged her.

"What do you want me to do, Hyde?"

"These shoulders are a little stiff." Hyde rolled his arms around and rubbed his bicep. "I could use a massage."

Harper sighed. "Are you testing me?"

"A test?" Hyde flouted at her. "You're keeping up your part of the deal. Get to it."

"Our deal was that I wouldn't run away."

"Exactly. So what you're not gonna do is run away from this task." Hyde snapped his fingers before pointing to his shoulders. "I don't have all day."

Harper was uncertain, but she crawled over to him. She was very apprehensive about his request.

"Oh. I forgot." Hyde pulled off his shirt. His back was on full display, and so was the scar on his neck. Harper felt her face flush, but she ignored the butterflies in her stomach.

Harper hovered her fingers over his skin for a while, nervous about his reaction.

"I'm not a patient person. You should well know that by now." Hyde sneered.

Harper finally placed her hands down and began stretching her fingers back and forth around his shoulder blades.

Hyde groaned. "A little lower."

"Is this necessary?"

"I could still kill you. It doesn't take much to drag you over and rip your vocal cords out."

Harper moved her index finger and thumb downward, and Hyde moaned. He leaned forward and relaxed himself, not completely, because he still didn't trust her.

"Is this enough?"

"Nope." Hyde chortled. "Can't you use more pressure? You've got weak hands."

"I'm trying my best."

"Clearly your best is not enough."

"Then massage yourself," Harper mumbled under her breath, before using her elbow. She rolled her funny bone around his left shoulder, and Hyde sat up.

"That's it. The spot."

Harper tilted her head to observe his scar. The more she studied it, the more curious she was about it. His scars were able to heal so quickly, except this one.

Harper switched back to using her hands, placing her fingers near the wound on the right side of his neck. But with every motion, her fingers inched slowly toward it.

Hyde's pupils began to glow when he noticed her hand move away from his back. He wasn't surprised, but he was angered that she was deciding to cross his boundaries, once again.

However, he let her. He decided to pretend that he didn't notice.

But when his eyes began to glow, so did the scar. The red beam distracted Harper. She slid her index finger forward, glazing it by only an inch, and a painful shock darted through her body.

She exhaled abruptly when Hyde grabbed her hand.

~~