The Fallen Death Dog

The boy's gaze fell on Cain and his guardian beast, unmoving. They seemed unconscious. Thinking deeply, he realized that all of this had happened because he had overheard a certain group discussing something dangerous that could make the people drown in power. Also will bring catastrophe if a slight mishap happens. 

He doesn't know if it was luck or not, but at that time, he had a chance to steal the thing and throw it far away, but destiny spoke otherwise. He got caught and desperately hid until he found himself sneaking into a cargo car that brought him to the outskirts. 

Alone and in the strange land, the boy was petrified, but upon seeing the men still chasing him, he ran away, and with fate guiding him, he met the boy Cain. 

He felt happy that, for the first time, someone other than his sister put him first before their own. However, because of that thinking, Cain got involved in this mess he created and was injured. 

The boy couldn't contain his guilt and began to blame himself. Cain's last shout might have opened a bit of his sentience, but all of that perished upon seeing his battered body lay motionless with his partner. 

"So, kid, where are the fragments?".

He couldn't feel even the pain in his hair as the boy's empty eyes stared at the boss man with a bleak outlook. His finger lifted and pointed at one of the corners where he had hidden before. 

To make sure, the leader and hyena approached the place and found a piece of jacket Cain had given to the boy. Upon checking it carefully, he found the crystal, and soon, his lips parted in joy.

"Boss, it's here!".

Pointing the crystal up into the air, the leader's face brightened, and the boss man nodded his head satisfied. He turned to the boy, and Cain before his eyes knitted. A bit of pity clouded his eyes, but it disappeared briefly. 

With no use for the boys, he threw him to the floor, but the boy did not yelp; he just sat back up and approached Cain's side. 

"Give me that, I will hand it to our commander later. You guys do what you wish!".

After saying his piece, the boss man turned his back, and the wolf, which kept its vigilance, followed him from behind before it dissipated into nothing and returned to its master subspace. 

"Big brother…".

The boy said meekly. He reached out toward Cain and caressed his bloated back, which moved up and down, indicating that at least he was alive. The same was true for the black dog. 

However, unnoticed by the others, even the boy's Cain had already regained consciousness a few moments ago; he just had no strength to move or even speak. He kept pried his ear open, listening to the events that were happening around him. 

In his hand, he could feel a pulse thumping from Noir in his hold; relief washed away his grief upon noticing his partner was alive, albeit it was weak. 

Cain feared the worst happening to Noir. The moment he saw its condition being dragged away earlier, it pained his heart and brought him almost to tears. Even though the two had just recently met, the bond they created was strong enough for them to feel each other as a family.

As someone who lived alone in the past year, Cain yearned with the term family and always looked forlorn if some kid around his age was arguing with their parents or happily laughing together after shopping for some ingredients for dinner.

All of that feels foreign to him. Not knowing his parents and living with his strict grandpa made him strong mentally to not depend on someone but only himself. Also, if he can save a person who needs help in front of you. 

That moment came when he met with the boy who wept beside him; one time, he intended to give up, but his grandpa's words snapped him back to reality. However, the outcome was like this. 

This is purely his miscalculation to never consider another party interrupted. Cain becomes arrogant after he beats up those four men with the help of Noir and an element of surprise. Without any of that mixed together, he is nothing but an ordinary teenage boy. 

{Noir, can you hear me?}

{*hauu!}

Hearing Noir's weak breath puts Cain's heart in tatters. Noticing that his next word was to give Noir some instruction when its body weakened, Cain cursed himself. 

{It's okay, Noir. Rest for now!}

{*Grrr!}

Instead of acceptance, Noir refuses to admit its demise and is determined to rise up, confusing even Cain. Noir's ears perked up, and with that alone, the hyena, which kept its eyes straight at its enemy, responded by standing up from the side of its master, alerting them. 

"Hm, what? They are awake!".

"!? Big brother!".

The leader and the boys shouted, attracting the other three's attention. Seeing their situation, a sinister smile crept out of their mouths. Those corrupted thoughts also began to be transmitted to the hyena, which snickered in laughter. 

From the atmosphere that hung in the room, Cain and the boy's face stiffened. Their hearts pumped wildly, sending a rush of distressed signals through all of their systems. 

*Grrr!

Noir growl escapes its lips, which is received happily by the hyena. It still holds a grudge against the earlier event; the bite marks were still present, and the pain still lingers. The hyena stuck out its tongue and approached Noir. 

"No, please stop!".

The boy pleaded to the men, but the other men lifted his body up, then he saw the leader and the hyena now standing near Cain. 

"Let's see!".

'Kuh!' Cain groaned as the leader's man yanked his hair. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and the leader's lips parted in joy. 

"Now, what should I do to you?".

The man is lost in thought, thinking back upon the event that brought them together in this conflict. He recalls that the boy before him had just awoken his ability as a Resonator, and the dog was his guardian beast. 

A sickening smile plastered on his face made Cain's body shudder in fright upon thinking about it. Cain gritted his teeth and struggled to open his mouth. 

"...top …it. Stop …it!".

"As a Resonator, sooner or later you ought to experience the thing when your partner loses their life, and that is what I will teach you…".

Cain's face whitened; it was also the same for the boy his subordinates had held. His eyes trembled, and tears began to stream from his cheeks, but Cain was still unable to open his mouth fully. 

He had heard about it once a resonator lost its guardian beast. They will suffer a loss as if half of them are gone, along with their partner. Cain saw many in the news that some resonator turned crippled or even decided to suicide for the loss that befell them. 

This phenomenon was cruel, like a curse, but at the same time, it was also a gift and a blessing for those who awakened. 

Those terms teach us about a curse to remind a person that this will be the cause of losing some part of your heart, whether it was involved in a family or a loved one. No matter what your relationship was, if it's true to its heart, regardless of what it is, they will suffer the same fate. 

At the same time, it was also a gift because they would shoulder responsibility for taking care of that power and using it for what their hearts followed. It also acted as a blessing for the sense of fulfilment of having a companion willing to share joy, sadness, suffering, and struggling together through the end. 

Those are what make the resonator shine so bright, becoming a hope for humanity to thrive and walk the path of an endless journey with a long-life partner beside them until death parts them away. 

'Stop it!'. Cain's body screamed in pain as he was slammed to the floor, and then before his eyes, Noir was taken away, leaving Cain in panic. 

"No, stop it; you guys are too cruel!".

"Shut up, Kid!".

The boy's outrage was being held on by the man holding him; the man covered the boy's mouth, making him only humming in protest. 

Under the many pairs of eyes that stared at the leader, he dragged Noir's weakened body a few meters from Cain's place, making sure that Cain could spectate it in the front seat. 

Ever since the warmth of his partner had gone from his chest, Cain's body never stopped trembling, fear began to chew his consciousness. Is it anger for the people who try to kill his partner? Or anger directed at himself for being too arrogant and weak, so he was in this dire situation. 

The man who noticed Cain's state looked around and soon found a piece of steel stick he had brought earlier; he walked toward it and took it in his hand. He also saw the appearance of a wooden box, so he took out the lid, brought the two together in his hands, and approached Noir. 

Cain's body was convulsed; he couldn't take himself to see Noir, his new family, being killed right in front of him. 'No! No, please stop, please!'.

His prayer only incited the man's sadistic nature further. He pondered for a second and chose the wooden lid first. He stood beside Noir and looked toward Cain for confirmation. Both eyes met for a second before the man struck down the wooden lid toward Noir. 

*Hauu!