The next day…
"Aerin, wake up. It's time for you to meet up with your team," Arthur said.
Ok, I'll be right down.
Aerin then ran down the stairs and ran out of the house, saying…
See ya later, old man.
"Have fun, Aerin," Arthur replied, smiling.
Today we are supposed to meet up at the city gates.
Aerin met up with his team at the city gates…
"Ok kids, today we are going to learn about mixing elements to make a stronger attack," Mr. Sato said.
But when he looked over, Aerin was zoned out…
"Aerin, did you hear me?" Mr. Sato asked, knowing that Aerin had heard nothing.
Ya, ya, ya, I did. Please continue.
"Sigh, Aerin, please focus. Anyway, we will be learning how to combine the elements fire and ice specifically," Mr. Sato explained.
Then Mr. Sato looked over at Aerin again and noticed he wasn't paying attention at all…
"Aerin, I want you to go home. You are too zoned out today. I will teach you this technique later," Mr. Sato said with a tinge of disappointment.
But!
"No buts. Go home and enjoy thinking about whatever you're thinking about," Mr. Sato said in a stern tone.
Fine.
Aerin then left, went home, went into his room, and slammed the door…
Then Arthur went upstairs to go check on Aerin…
"You ok, Aerin?" Arthur asked.
I'm fine!
"Do you want to talk?"
No, go away.
"Are you sure?"
Fuck off, okay!
Arthur then stepped back and went back downstairs…
Hours later, after Aerin had calmed down…
Hey, Arthur!
No response…
Hey, Arthur!
No response…
Aerin began to worry and went downstairs…
No, no, no, no, no, no!
What Aerin saw before him was Arthur on the floor, motionless…
Aerin then ran to Arthur to check for a pulse—anything, any sign of life. Nothing…
Why! I was just frustrated! Why did it have to happen now!
Aerin began to cry and be overwhelmed with guilt…
In that instant a familiar voice began to speak…
"Why are you crying, child?" the voice said.
I had an outburst and said some horrible things. But now he's dead, and I can't take them back.
"Anger is a normal emotion, but if left unchecked, it can cause even the kindest people to become demons that end up unleashing chaos," the voice said.
I just want to take my words back.
"I can do that for you, but remember that you can't let anger rule you, child," the voice said.
"I will let you have your time with Arthur, but remember his time here is fading away. You need to make that time special and full of joy rather than anger and regret," the voice said.
Then Arthur's finger started to move and he opened his eyes and coughed…
I'm sorry for what I said, Arthur. I didn't mean it.
"I know, child," Arthur said.
After that Aerin hugged Arthur and almost never let go…
"Hey, careful. I was just dead, you know," Arthur said, laughing.
To be continued…