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Chapter 6: Needing the Protective Flame

As try as he might, Keahi could not forget about that strange man. He was bright, charming and seemed to be quite friendly. No matter what he did, what teachings he tried to drown himself in, no matter how many of the Islanders he spoke with, he still found himself thinking about Masou.

I’m being stupid, Keahi thought to himself harshly. One literal run-in with a guy I’ve never seen before and I’m acting like a fool.

“Oh look,” An unfamiliar voice all but sneered at him, pulling him from his thoughts. “It’s a Fire Priest.”

Glancing up, Keahi was slightly startled to realize that he had unconsciously found his way to the beach on the south side of the island, walking dangerously close to a poor fishing village that was notorious for being a port for Sea Bandits. And it was just his luck that he happened to come across a small group of unshaven bandits just as they were coming ashore.

“What’s ya doing all on your lonesome, sweetie?” a rather tall and lanky man with a red bandana around his forehead, tied off to the side asked him, an obvious leer in his voice.

Keahi subconsciously took a step backwards, nervousness immediately taken residency in the pit of his stomach. “Pardon?”

“Ah, I see,” another man said in a slow drawl, his sporting a rather large cross shaped scar on his cheek. “Since youse is a Priest, you don’t chat with the likes of us, eh?”

“Well,” a third man said as he came up behind him suddenly. “That’s rude, ya know?”

“I’m sorry,” Keahi said rather meekly as he tried to step around the three men circling him, not looking any of them in the eye in fear that they’ll see how scared he was becoming. “But I am in a hurry.”

“Corse you ares,” the man with the bandana said as he moved to stand in front of him.

Suddenly, the man that was behind him snared him by the upper arm and turned him around abruptly so he was facing him. “Ya ain’t going anywhere, Pretty Boy.”

Panic was really starting to set in now as Keahi struggled with the man’s surprisingly strong hold on him. “Let go of me.”

Keahi, however, stopped struggling when he felt something cold touch his cheek and he knew immediately that it was a small blade of some kind. His breath hitched in his throat as a tremor of fear raced down his spine.

“And if I’s don’t?” one of the men, he didn’t know how as he was too busy staring at the knife from the corner of his eye asked him.

“What’s wrong, pretty?” The guy with the scar mockingly asked him. “Why aren’t ya using your Fire Magic on us?”

“...” Keahi couldn’t answer that question out of fear and tears began to sting at his eyes.

“Wait...you can’t!”

“Bwahaha!” One of them laughed mockingly, causing Keahi to squeeze his eyes tightly shut. “What a worthless piece of shit you are.”

“I said let go of me!” Keahi demanded as he ripped his arm out of the bandit’s hold and managed to stumble back a couple of steps.

“Uh ah,” one of them mocked him with a wag of his finger. “We’re not finished with you.”

“Yeah,” Scar face drawled as they began to approach him again. “We’re gonna have some fun, aren’t we, boys?”

Tears began to blur Keahi’s vision as he found his back suddenly pressed up against a large boulder. With the three men approaching him at a slow, tormenting pace, he knew that escape was going to be difficult.

Brendis? Bharath? ...Someone?

“Set the Sky Ablaze – Fiery Haze!”

Suddenly, an incredible warmth flooded the area, blinding everyone with a tremendous light. The sound of crackling flames and the three startled yells of pain were immediately heard. Opening his eyes Keahi saw flames snaking across the sands, dancing and crackling, circling him in a protective barrier of fire. And the three bandits, who were once so threatening, were now recoiling in pain, vile curses passing their sneer twisted lips.

Dropping to rest haphazardly to his knees, resting back on his feet and his back resting against the boulder, Keahi sat dazedly, in a light state of shock. Suddenly, a figure moved to stand in front of him. He stood tall and strong, his shoulders set back, his legs set apart ready for battle. And his hair, blue in colour, cascaded down his back.

...Blue hair?

“Huh?” Keahi murmured numbly.

“What a coincidence that we should bump into each other again in the same day,” The figure said as he turned slightly to gaze over his shoulder and a smile presented itself on his lips, his blue hair swaying in the heated wind created by the flames. “Huh, Beautiful?”

Keahi’s eyes widen. “It’s...”

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