Bab 20: Chapter 20: First Night

"This'll have to do," Caius muttered, stepping inside.

Trent nodded, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Better than nothing. At least it's quiet here."

They quickly pushed some boxes in front of the door, creating a makeshift barrier.

Trent sat down on the cold floor, leaning against the wall. "I'm too tired to even think right now. We'll figure out what to do in the morning."

Caius nodded, taking a seat on the other side of the room. "Just try not to snore," he said dryly.

Trent chuckled softly, closing his eyes. "No promises, pretty boy."

Caius frowned. "Stop calling me that," he muttered, lying down on the floor with his arms crossed. The exhaustion was catching up with him fast, and soon, the room was filled with nothing but the sound of their soft breathing

Caius' dream shifted, taking him back to a time long ago. He stood in a thick forest, the air cool and damp. He was dressed differently, wearing a dark coat and gloves that tingled with the magic he controlled so easily back then.

A loud roar echoed through the trees, followed by a cry for help. Caius' heart quickened, and without hesitation, he sprinted towards the sound. As he broke through the trees, he saw a massive ogre swinging a club at a young boy, barely dodging the heavy blows.

Without a second thought, Caius raised his hand. "Flame Barrage!" A series of fireballs shot out, slamming into the ogre's chest. The creature roared in pain, staggering backward.

The boy stared at Caius, frozen in place. "Get back!" Caius shouted, focusing on the ogre as it recovered and charged again.

With a steady breath, Caius whispered, "Thunder Spear." A spear of lightning formed in his hand, and he hurled it at the ogre. The weapon struck true, sending electricity crackling through the monster's body. The ogre collapsed, defeated.

Caius turned to the boy, who sat on the ground, still shocked. "You alright?" Caius asked, offering his hand.

The boy blinked, still shaking. "Y-yeah. I thought I was done for."

Caius smiled lightly. "You're safe now."

The boy stood up, grabbing Caius' hand. "Thank you. My name's Theodore. Theodore Blackthorn."

"Caius," he replied, looking around the forest. "What were you doing out here alone?"

Theodore sighed, his fear slowly fading. "I was gathering herbs for my village. I didn't know there were ogres here."

Caius nodded. "You've got to be careful. This forest is dangerous."

As they started walking back, getting to know each other, Theodore asked, "What are you doing out here?"

"I travel around," Caius said simply. "I deal with things like that ogre from time to time."

Theodore looked impressed. "You're really strong... and with magic too."

Caius chuckled. "I've had a lot of practice."

Suddenly, the sky darkened, and heavy rain began to fall. "Great," Theodore muttered, pulling his hood over his head. "We need to find shelter."

"Come on," Caius said, spotting a small cave nearby. "Let's take cover in there."

They ran through the rain, soaked by the time they reached the cave. Caius pulled off his wet coat and shirt, tossing them to the side. Theodore did the same, sitting down and shivering slightly from the cold.

"You're hurt," Caius noticed, seeing a deep cut on Theodore's arm. Without waiting, Caius placed his hand over the wound, his palm glowing softly. "Hold still. This will heal you."

Theodore watched in amazement as the wound closed up, leaving only a faint scar. "How did you do that?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"Just a bit of healing magic," Caius replied with a small smile. "It's useful in situations like this."

"Thank you," Theodore said, clearly grateful. "I owe you."

"You don't owe me anything," Caius said, sitting back. "Just be more careful next time."

As they sat in the cave, drying off from the rain, Theodore glanced at Caius curiously. "How old are you, Caius?"

Caius leaned back, still feeling a bit tired from the fight with the ogre. "Thirteen," he replied casually.

Theodore raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Oh? What month?"

Caius hesitated before answering, "August."

Theodore chuckled, a playful glint in his eyes. "I'm older than you! I turned thirteen in June. You should call me 'brother' then."

Caius frowned, feeling slightly irritated. "I'm not calling you 'brother'," he said, standing up, trying to shake off the awkwardness.

But before Caius could step away, Theodore quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Caius lost his balance and stumbled, falling right onto Theodore's chest. He froze for a second, his face inches away from Theodore's.

Theodore just smiled up at him, clearly amused. "What's the rush?"

Caius immediately scrambled to stand up, his face burning with embarrassment. "I—I'm not," he stammered, turning away to hide the blush creeping across his cheeks.

Theodore laughed softly, watching him with amusement as the rain outside finally began to let up. "The rain's stopped," he said, still smiling. "Guess we can get moving again."

Caius nodded.

Caius slowly stirred awake as a sunlight crept through the small window of the storage room, landing right on his face. He groaned, squeezing his eyes shut tighter, trying to block out the brightness. Rolling over, he felt something hard pressing against his back, making him frown.

Still half-asleep, Caius muttered to himself, "Why is it so hot?" He shifted uncomfortably, noticing that the heat wasn't just from the sunlight. His body felt warmer than usual, and something didn't feel right.

Blinking his eyes open, he rubbed his face, groggy and disoriented. That's when he became aware of a presence behind him. A hand. Caius froze. His heart started to race as his eyes darted down, realizing someone's hand was inside his pants.

Instantly, he grabbed the hand and yanked it away, spinning around to see Trent lying next to him, awake, with a lazy smirk on his face.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Caius yelled, his voice shaky with a mix of confusion and anger. He scrambled to sit up, backing away from Trent.

Trent, still smirking, didn't seem bothered by the outburst. He sat up slowly, raising his hands in a mock gesture of innocence. "Relax, Caius. You're so tense."

Caius's heart pounded in his chest, anger rising in him. He glared at Trent, refusing to let him get any closer. "Don't ever do that again."

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