The Village Disciples

(FLASHBACK(NOZOMU RESIDENCE){Chp. 13}

"Well, this is one hell of a reunion."

With the reunion of Kaminari Nozomu and Reberu Manabu coming to a close, Manabu still had a question lingering in her mind-- "So, where have you been?"

Nozomu halted his thoughts of surprise from the earlier realization and adorned a more serious expression, "Um, well-- a lot happened after we were distanced from each other.  For starters-"

NOZOMU'S PAST(Second Flashback)

Lost. This was the basic summary of young Kaminari Nozomu-- a lost soul who has been wandering for what seemed like forever. Blood had stained his ragged and tattered clothing, the dirty-white t-shirt that had no sleeves, several holes, as well as also attaining dirt matched perfectly with his black pants that matched the description of the white shirt's condition. 

Stumbling through a forest, he sought out food, water, shelter, etc. Every animal he came across-- died instantly, usually being shocked to death by Nozomu's 'disgraceful' lightning. All the events that led Nozomu up to where he currently stands were all because of his stupid ability. 

He lost all of his home, friends, and loved ones-- all because of his stupid and ugly lightning. Nozomu only had one person still there for him, the voice inside his head. It was a voice that guided Nozomu through the hardships of living a lonely and hateful life. The voice supplied him with seemingly never-ending information-- teaching Nozomu the pin-points on animals when hunting, what fruits in the forests were edible, and what water was potent.

One day, Nozomu was traveling through a foreign forest-- though the area was unfamiliar, he still only looked for necessities for survival. Or at least he was until he saw that-

He wasn't the only person within the forest.

Men in huge, shiny, silver armor were walking in groups throughout the forest. When he saw the armored travelers-- he attempted to sneak away, only to turn around and be greeted by one of the armored men right in front of him.

"Halt! You are in the territory of Furusato; I'm going to ne-ARGH!"

Nozomu then proceeded to attack the man with a barrage of lightning, the man's armor not even standing a chance at protecting him. Once the man fell back, Nozomu sprinted in a random direction. Not being familiarized with the forest-- he had no clue of where to go.

Nozomu then heard the sound of heavy footsteps heading in his direction. Attempting to speed up with his lighting, sparks of electricity surrounded his body. Just as he was about to gain even more speed-- an armored forearm came from behind a tree and Nozomu slammed right into it, face first.

With the speed Nozomu was building, running into a metal arm was more serious than it would have been if he was running at a normal pace. Landing on his back, taking the breath out of him-- he watched as an armored man that the arm belonged to, step out from behind the tree. The man towered over Nozomu, pulling out a rope from a leather pocket strapped to his waist-- and proceeded to tie Nozomu's hands and legs together, then pick Nozomu up and throw him over his shoulder.

As this was all happening, Nozomu kept berating himself for not being strong enough, not being fast enough, for not being able to empower these men-- but instead, he fled. Nozomu felt himself blacking out but restricted himself from crying out for help, no one would come-- even if they did. The predicament Nozomu was in was laughable in his opinion.

Nozomu then abruptly blacked out.

XXX

Nozomu could be seen opening his eyes. Looking all around, he identified the room to be a cell. mossy walls, rusted sink, and toilet-- along with thick metal bars that restricted anything from going in or out.

The familiar sound of footsteps radiated throughout the cell as someone seemed to be nearing his cell. Bracing for anything, Nozomu watched as a man dressed in a red and white mantle-- a robe meant for nobles, brown gloves on his hands, and a golden crown shining ever so brightly on his head, even in this dark cell-- Nozomu could tell this guy was important, which was bad in his case. 

"Ah, I see that you have awoken. That's good!" The man spoke in a boisterous voice, cutting the silence immediately.

"Where am I." Nozomu hastily and demandingly questioned, making the robed man raise a brow.

"You're in Furusato Village, young one!" The robed man answered, but unfortunately noticed Nozomu's ever so stoic and hateful expression.

The man then put one of his hands on one of the rusted cell bars, making Nozomu slightly flinch and step back. The man then asked, "How old are you?"

Nozomu at first didn't want to answer any questions, which would be showing desperation, and weakness-- but he just wanted to leave, "I am 16 years old." Nozomu then answered.

The robed man's face fell ever so slightly, saddened at his young age along with where this kid ended up. "May I ask why you were in the forest?" The man proceeded to ask. 

Appreciating the kindness the man was showing, Nozomu lightened up a tad bit, "I was hunting for supplies." Nozomu still sadly explained with a semi-hateful expression,

What happened next confused the young Nozomu. The man robed in red unlocked the cell door- opening up and creating an opportunity for Nozomu to escape. Just as Nozomu tried to hot tail it out of the cell-- a blue wall of magic blocked Nozomu in, still keeping him trapped in the stone room. 

"Not so fast, youngin'." the man stated, holding his hand in place to keep hold of the barrier, agitating Nozomu.

"I was informed of the possibility of you attaining lightning on you, could you elaborate on what that would have meant?" The robed man asked, making Nozomu grimace and look down.

"It's just a stupid curse, something that was a so-called gift by god, but most likely an idea from the devil." Nozomu narrowly explained, making the robed man sigh.

"This seems to be going in a bad direction. How about this, I set you free from this cell-- as long as you stick near me." The man offered, Nozomu could only remain silent in thought.

"...Fine, I accept," Nozomu answered, making the robed man smile, then the man's eyes seem to widen and adorn a shocked expression-- confusing Nozomu.

"How informal of me, my name is Kokoro Kangae: The King of Furusato!" The man, now known as the King, explained.

The King then let down the blue barrier, granting Nozomu access to walk out of the cell-- slowly of course. Once Nozomu stepped out of the cell, the King told Nozomu to follow him out of the dungeon that they were residing in-- following the king, Nozomu glanced at the other cells, containing a variety of people; men, women, thin people to heavy and big people. Each assumingly being dangerous enough to be locked up.

"Don't be intimidated by these folks, they're locked up for good." The King informed, making Nozomu huff,

"I could fry these guys anytime," Nozomu boasted, making the King's brow raise.

"You seem to place yourself on a pedestal for the ability you hate so much." The King assumed, making a tick mark form on Nozomu's head in anger.

"I'm just learning to accept the curse, don't get the wrong idea!" Nozomu 'explained', making the King laugh once again to Nozomu's annoyance. 

"Sure you are. Now, this is the exit to the dungeon-- once we leave, I expect you to have good behavior. I won't hesitate to bring you down if my people are threatened." The King explained, making Nozomu grumble out 'fine'.

The King then opened the exit to the dungeon, revealing a hallway with marble flooring. Walking through the hallway, portraits of fancy-looking people were hung up, making Nozomu look down at his current condition. Still beat up and bloody, the men from earlier apparently not caring to clean him- which also makes Nozomu happy that he wasn't handled by strangers who were most likely weaklings.

The King noticed Nozomu glancing at his clothing, making the King keep a mental note to get him cleaned up. 

The King and Nozomu then reached the end of the hallway, now walking into a huge room with pillars evenly placed throughout the area. Walking through the said room, a balcony with glass doors that were opened was seen. Walking over to the balcony, Nozomu had a beautiful view of the village known as Furusato.

The King noticed the admiring gaze Nozomu had, making the King feel pride for his wondrous home.

'I hope he likes it here because tomorrow-- I'll show him around the village' 

XXX

Hey! A longer chapter showing the first part of (Unfortunate Paths) A flashback at a certain point in Nozomu's time, kinda like a flashback in a flashback with how the chapter started, ha! Stay tuned for part two.

Have a Good Day!

Peace - Cr1ticalz_