Aspiration to the Heavens: Becoming the Supreme Mage Vol. 1- Novus Magus

[Revised/Edited] Episode 8: Runaway

-"The Lotus will bloom, and life shall breathe yet anew."

*Sarah*

Hal and I followed Fan and the kids into a concrete building in a better condition compared to some of the other buildings further down the road— which were starting to crumble from disrepair and abandonment.

"Sarah," the kids said once we were inside the building. Several of them pulled me forward. "Let's play!"

"Kids," Fan said, sighing. "You have to sleep. And so does Sarah and her friend here."

"Aww!" Huo's twin sister said.

I patted her head. Despite being two years younger than me, she looked and acted like she did when she was little. "I promise that I'll play with you when I return from my trip."

"Yay!"

"Also, Hal is my acquaintance," I corrected her.

"Oh. I thought that he was your boyfriend," said another of the girls, giggling.

My face flushed. "You are wrong, Lidi! I would never date a guy with his personality!"

Hal snickered. "Nor would I date a girl like her. I prefer derederes and kuuderes over tsunderes."

I glared at him. "I am not a tsundere!"

He crossed his arms and grinned. "Uh huh. Like I would believe that." He stretched his arms and glanced around the small living room. "Well, I'm exhausted. I'm off to sleep! Mind showing me to my room?"

"You are a guest, act the part," I whispered, narrowing my eyes at him.

"Ah, where are my manners? May I be shown to my room?"

Fan snickered and said, "Certainly, I'll show you to the guest room then." She glanced at me. "But it's the room usually reserved for the princess."

I walked ahead of her and Hal. "I guess that's fine. Hal can just sleep on the floor. I'll take the bed."

"Mean!" Hal cried like a child.

He ran after me while I snickered at his reaction. Honestly, he acted almost as bad as Scarlet. Although, it was just an act in his case. Which annoyed me more than if it were his real personality.

"Aww, going to bed so soon?" one of the kids whimpered. It was a little girl with short white hair. She seemed to be on the verge of sobbing.

I turned around and made my way to the little girl. I crouched down to her level and wiped the forming tears away. "Please don't cry, Pai. Your big sis hates to see you cry." I took a deep breath. "I suppose that I can slumber later."

Pai looked up. "R-really?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Good, then I'll take the bed," Hal said, grinning.

Rising to my full height, I sighed. "You can do that. I'll be staying here with Pai and the others."

Hal raised an eyebrow. "Not going to threaten me?"

My nose scrunched. "You truly are a maso."

"No, it's just unusual is all," Hal said, averting his gaze.

"Yeah, right..."

"What's a Maso?" Pai asked, staring at me with her beady blue eyes.

Fan laughed nervously.

"It's when someone loves it when pain is inflicted on them," Hal said. "You could say that it's a kind of k..." He winced as I hit him upside the head. "Ouch! What did you do that for?"