"Sekhemu Netjeri, shamru Ani'i shemsu sagkot kawsara. Tawren!" ("Empower") Tatiana cast a spell directed at Bobbin, covering its whole body in yellow radiance.
Then she cast another directed at Reiji, "Sekhemu Netjeri, shamru'an Khema'nu Ani'i sagkot hotepu. Khanur!" ("Oppress")
He glanced down. The air around him felt heavier—like gravity had doubled.
"Sekhemu Netjeri, shamru Ani'i shemsu sagkot kawsara.Tahara." ("Flight") She cast the spell on herself and flew upward.
Looking down on Reiji and Bobbin as they clashed, she said, "Reiji-eni, you can't reach me now."
Reiji delivered a spin kick to Bobbin at a downward angle. Bobbin defended with crossed arms, but the kick still pushed her back. "It looks like I can still deliver powerful blows even with her debuff skill," he thought to himself.
Then Reiji turned towards Tatiana and said, "You can't be so sure," with a smirk.
Moments earlier, before Tatiana cast her spells, Reiji had leaned in with a furrowed brow. "An outsider? How do you define that?"
The room was filled with momentary stillness. Then, Tatiana's gentle voice broke the silence, "Don't bombard me with questions, sir. Which one would you like me to tackle first? Your questions require a lengthy explanation."
"Lengthy, huh? Maybe we can start with who you really are?"
"She's loosening up. Is it just me, or does her voice sound calmer and gentler now?" Reiji thought to himself.
"Anyway, maybe I can answer all with one story,"
"That would be better, I'm listening." He replied as he sat.
"Currently," she started, " we are on the western side of Paragonia. The most peaceful region of the four. However, this part of the continent has prejudices against people from different continents."
Reiji tapped the wooden planks beneath him, thinking, "So, Paragonia is the name of this world– should I ask if she knows Earth? Maybe later."
"I started to become aware at around nine years ago. It has always been Bobbin taking care of me, I even thought she was my mom, and I am like her kind."
Reiji nodded his head, his mouth curling into a silent "oh, I see."
"What's with that reaction, sir? You're kind of creepy."
Reiji quickly raised his eyebrows and said, "What– No. What do you mean? How is my nodding face creepy? Time for Lesson three: Don't judge."
Tatiana leaned in close to Bobbin and muttered something.
Reiji lifted up just one eyebrow and asked, "What are you whispering about?"
She just gave him a sidelong look and started talking. "Going back, as I grew, our differences became clearer and clearer. With all the reflections I saw of us, I realized I wasn't like her."
"Curiosity overtook me, and I ran away from her. I fled until I found a small village where I saw a semblance of myself. Humans."
"I could still remember the look in their eyes—the look of fear and judgment."
Reiji's demeanor shifted.
"I didn't understand it back then, but I'm sure it wasn't a pity."
"I was so confused—why did they look at me like that? I didn't know what to do, maybe I—"
"Hey, Tati," Reiji said, standing up and gently tapping her shoulder.
Tatiana, lost in thought, snapped back to reality and asked, "Huh? What, sir?"
"This kid is carrying a lot," Reiji thought to himself.
Reiji waved his hands at the distressed Bobbin, calming her down.
"I think I've heard enough," he said.
Tatiana looked at Reiji and asked, "Was I able to answer all of your questions, sir?"
Reiji gently pressed his hands on Tatiana's head, and she closed her eyes as if she was waiting to receive a punishment and accept it.
With an unblinking gaze, he sat level with Tatiana and said, "You've informed me well." He patted her head once more.
"And by the way, I was just messing with you when I told you to call me 'sir'. Starting now, I want you to call me 'big brother'—got it?"
"Yes, Reiji-eni."
"I'm surprised you accepted that so quickly." Reiji smirked.
"I have to, because you're stronger. I have to follow."
Reiji felt a pang of sorrow with those words, Tatiana's innocent tone made the weight of her words all the more poignant.
"I can only imagine what nine years of surviving in this environment must have been like for this kid, with a nature that seems so violent," he thought to himself.
"You bet. I didn't even realize I was this strong until I almost died when I taste-tested those Rocallini and Cipombole," Reiji replied, covering the sadness he felt for Tatiana.
"Why did you attack me earlier so suddenly?"
"I sensed something dangerous in you. It was instinct, like I had to end you only if you weren't stronger."
"Alright, lesson 4: Do not attack people so suddenly…"
"Yes, Reiji-eni…"
"How old are you anyway…"
"I think… I've been alive for eleven years or so…"
The more they talked, the more Reiji saw it—Tatiana was broken. Killing carried no weight for her. "Thankfully I am strong enough to save this child."
"Lesson five: Control your power. That goes for both you and Bobbin. Fight without aiming to kill."
Tatiana and Bobbin exchanged a glance. She frowned. "But that would put us in danger. We might be the ones who get killed."
"Then we'll just have to make sure you don't," Reiji replied. "Just like I did earlier, right?"
Tatiana paused, then nodded slowly. "Okay, Reiji-eni."
"See? Look at the result—we're now friends, aren't we?"
"Right, Reiji-eni."
"We'll do a practice match tomorrow," he said, standing up and stretching his arms. "Show me what you've got. But remember—no death blows."
"Understood, Reiji-eni."
"Good." He grinned. "Here, have another piece of my Reiji Special No. 1."
"Thank you, Reiji-eni."
The rest of the day passed in quiet peace. They talked casually—about food, stars, strange animals, and the names Tatiana had given to things only she understood. Bobbin even made a strange chirping sound that might have been laughter.
And then, as the sun began to set again, Reiji thought to himself:
"It is shameful. I called Tatiana mysterious. I even doubted if she was really a child. But she wasn't hiding anything. She's just a lost kid… raised in a world where violence teaches quicker than kindness ever could."