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Chapter 4 - 003

Jade and I talk about a lot of things, touching every topic from the Gods to our sleep schedule – fruits, food, fights, weapons, Megasaurs, trainings, tribes, rituals, the moons. Meeting him made me warm. In the mere time span of a day, I already feel like I've known him forever. It is as if we're on the same page, though I think he is a little more experienced than me and powerful too – afterall I never killed a Moon beast.

Before returning to the cavern at night, we go to the Forbidden forest since Jade insisted to see the place the Megasaurs were trapped in. He was amazed by the lanterns that hung on the trees and the fences that stood so high. That happens when someone sees the forest for the first time. I tell him about how I burnt myself when I tried climbing the fence. I tell him about how the oil in those lanterns never ended, how the seals were invisible but could still be felt. He was as awestruck as I expected him to be.

In the cavern, Mama has a number of delicious food prepared.

"Sit down for food boys."

"What's the occasion Mama?" I ask.

"We have a special guest, don't we?" says Baba.

"Who? Who is it?" I look back and forth, around our stone house.

"The one you've been playing all day with son" Mama giggles.

"This is all for Jade?" I turn to look at it. "Come on! Look at him. He'll barely be able to taste them all."

"You bet" says Jade, grinning, before he sits down cross-legged and joins his hands in prayer.

I sit beside him and start digging into my food. The rice is pretty sweet and the stew, like always is better than any chef could ever make. It's always above and beyond the world of Xiao. I decide I'll stick to the rice and the stew, occassionally takings bits of the tofu. With the amount of food and the pace at which Jade eats, he not only proves me wrong but leaves me baffled.

"How in the name of Xiang are you able to digest all that food?" I ask, tease dripping off of my tongue.

He burps in response.

"Grosssss!" I wave my hand in front of my nose, in an attempt to act like it bothered me.

All of them laugh and even Zeke snorts. My precious babygirl !

Forgive me for not having mentioned it before. Zeke is my baby sister. We adore her. She is, a matter - o - factly, very adorable.

We wait in the common area for everybody to go to bed and then I walk Jade to the weaponry. I close the door stealthily behind us. Lighting a lantern, I hold it for Jade to look for the best tools to use. The crystal, in the dead of the night, looks all the more beautiful. Jade picks up the jadder. He seems to have had quite the experience with a jadder. He keeps the crystal in the crater and starts moving the grate. It takes him more than an hour and I watch the crystal's sides being shaped, very slowly and perfectly. After it's dine, he holds it up for me to look at.

"What a beauty!" I whisper - shriek.

"Now then, the sharpening."

"I'll do it" I say hopping with joy.

I grab the sole, roll my sleeves and start at the one thing I'm really good at. When I'm done, the crystal looks marvellous. We stare at it for quite sometime, appreciating our own selves. As powerful as it may be, when held in the moonlight, the weapon we newly made looked as fragile as a piece of glass. I jab it in my arm with a very little force (I may act all brave, but I bleed when I'm cut too, and it hurts).

"What are y –"

It cuts right through my skin and I feel a terrible pain, like someone is forcing a salt covered rod inside a fresh wound. I almost scream when Jade grabs me and forces his fist in my mouth. The tears sting my eyes. "Ja-ade" I manage through my tears as I crumble to the ground. He holds me in his arm, his fist still in my mouth so I don't scream. I bite hard. It's probably bleeding, his knuckles, but he doesn't show the slightest hint of pain.

"How stupid can you be!" Jade curses under his breath. He immediately tears a part of his shirt to tie at the wound.

I lie on the ground for Lord knows how long. When I feel the pain settle a little, I ask Jade to hold me up so I can lead us to my chamber. We can not be found here and definitely not in the condition I was.

Jade bandages my arm properly when I get to my chamber. We hide our weapon and go to bed, hoping to get some sleep. Jade sleeps soon after lying straight while I keep staring at the carvings on the roof. As the night passes, the pain seems to lessen at a greater pace and I eventually fall asleep around the last third of the night.

Early next morning, Baba and Jade ready their rides to leave for his tribe. It's only been a day and I don't want him to leave already.

"Will I be meeting him again?" I ask Baba as Jade climbs up his Haurus.

"Lord willing, yes my son. I promise you to not come back alone" says Baba with a reassuring smile.

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