Zelaive also walked after the woman bowed.
Unexpectedly, they rode the same bus as the woman, and when they got off, they were still on the same route. The woman noticed that they had been walking the same path for a while.
"Are you sure this is the way you're going? Maybe you're just following me with bad intentions."
Zelaive spoke, "If any of us has bad intentions, I'm sure it's you."
The woman walking with Zelaive replied, "If you have plans for me, don't even try. You'll only end up harming yourself."
"I have no plans for you."
Zelaive saw a path he knew existed, but it would take him farther from his family dinner. He stopped, hesitating whether to take it, even though it would make him late. The woman saw Zelaive stop and thought he might take that path.
"Is that where you're going?"
"Ahh Yes."
Zelaive agreed, even though it would take him farther, but he did it anyway because he thought the woman was uncomfortable since they'd been on the same route for so long. He did it to make her more comfortable.
As Zelaive walked, a heavy rain suddenly started, and the sky turned red.
"Good thing I brought an umbrella."
Zelaive passed a convenience store and planned to buy chocolates and ice cream, his favorite treats, even though it was raining. Upon entering, he noticed a familiar outfit, soaked from the rain. As he approached to see who it was, and was about to touch the person, the person with the familiar outfit turned around. It was the woman from the train and the bus.
The woman just stared, looking like she was judging Zelaive as a stalker.
"Wait, let me explain. I'm not a stalker or anything you think I am."
Zelaive had a funny reaction while trying to explain.
"Why do you look like that?"
Jazel smiled slightly.
"Did you smile?"
"Me?"
"Yes, you. Smile a little."
"Is that really how you see me? Not smiling?"
Zelaive answered directly, "Yes."
"Wait, I want to hear your explanation. Why are you here? We separated routes a long time ago."
Zelaive explained that wasn't actually his route, and that he'd taken that detour because he thought the woman was uncomfortable. After hearing Zelaive's explanation, the woman couldn't help but laugh.
"Seriously? Hahaha!"
"What's so funny? I'm already worried about you, even though I don't know you."
"Sorry, sorry, I can't help myself. Wait, what's your name? We've been seeing each other for a while now."
Zelaive said, "It was just an accident."
"There are no accidents. Everything has a reason, and everything that happens in your life, from the moment you're born into this world, has a reason."
"How can you say my birth has a reason?"
"While you're still waking up in the morning. That's enough reason to believe you have a purpose in this world because as long as you're breathing, there's something you need to do or finish. It could be in the future, or it could be now."
Why didn't I notice before how beautiful this girl is? Am I that clueless not to notice it right away?
"My name is Henzu Zelaive Mazerch. I'm 18 years old, my birthday is March 11, 2005, and I'm single. Nice to meet you." (Henzu is the given name, Zelaive is the middle name, and Mazerch is the family name)
"Zelaive, that's an unusual name, but I didn't ask for your whole life story. Just your name. And I don't care if you're single."
Jazel said that jokingly because of Zelaive's statement of his full name and birthday.
Zelaive noticed Jazel had been looking at her watch.
"Do you have somewhere to go? Want to use my umbrella?"
Jazel refused Zelaive's offer because she didn't want Zelaive to be left without one if she borrowed it.
"I don't have anywhere important to go. It's just a family dinner with my future stepmother."
"Me too. I'm going to a family dinner with my future stepfather."
They both realized at once that they might be step-siblings. They rode the same bus, took the same route, and were both going to the same family dinner.
Zelaive said, "I don't think what's in my head is right, is it? Maybe it's a accident? hehehe"
"I don't know either, but I believe that there's no accident, but there's a chance you're right."
They left the convenience store, sharing Zelaive's umbrella. The thunder and wind were incredibly strong, and the sky was red, so they went back into the convenience store because they were getting wet. Zelaive offered to share his jacket with Jazel because they would get soaked if they didn't. Jazel agreed because she had no choice.
"It's so stormy! Is there a typhoon? Why is the weather like this?" Zelaive complained.
Jazel's phone warned them to stay home due to the strong wind and rain; it was dangerous to go out, and all public transportation was shut down. They should stay home.
"We need to go back, Zelaive."
"I think so too."
As Zelaive and Jazel turned back, they saw the silhouette of a person.
"Isn't it dangerous to be outside?" Zelaive shouted at the figure. "Don't continue wherever you're going. All public transportation is shut down, so go home. It's dangerous outside." Jazel noticed something was wrong; it wasn't just a person.
"Run, Zelaive! It's dangerous here!" Jazel yelled.
Just as Zelaive was about to retreat, the silhouette, which had been in front of them, was suddenly behind him. It had no face, just like a gust of wind that had taken on the form of a human.
Jazel reacted swiftly, pushing Zelaive and summoning a creature resembling a red-furred bear with gold eyes, black claws, and gold crystals on its paws. The bear-like creature grabbed Zelaive and attempted to escape, leaping incredibly high. Suddenly, a gust of wind formed in front of the bear, coalesced into a human form, and punched the bear. Zelaive was flung back, but Jazel caught him.
The wind-human created a wind barrier to prevent further escape attempts.
"Are you okay?" Jazel asked Zelaive, concerned.
"What kind of creature was that?" Zelaive asked.
"I don't know, but I know it inhabits the Layer," Jazel replied.
Jazel pondered, "How did that creature get here? Is someone responsible?"
"What's the Layer?" Zelaive asked, curious.
"I'll explain later. We have a bigger problem," Jazel said.
"I think so too," Zelaive agreed.
The creature Jazel summoned transformed into a spear.
Zelaive was awestruck, his eyes gleaming.
"Wow."
Jazel quickly attacked the wind-human with the spear, but to no effect; it simply returned to its original form.
The wind-human taunted Jazel, whose attacks were ineffective. The wind-human vanished, only to reappear behind Jazel, grabbing his neck. It could have finished him, but chose not to, believing itself superior and wanting to toy with him.
From the start, the wind-human hadn't erred in its decision to prevent Zelaive's escape and to create a barrier, except for its decision to taunt and underestimate Jazel.
"I'm only just trying this, but since you forced my hand, you'll be my practice dummy. Zone Divine Fire!"
The surroundings, including the wind-human's barrier, were engulfed in flames. The fire spread to Zelaive, but he wasn't harmed.
"I'm not hurt," Zelaive stated.
Jazel said, "Only those with evil hearts can be burned by this fire."
Jazel smiled at the wind-human. "You could have killed me earlier, but you didn't. You were too confident, too sure of your own strength. Don't underestimate people, even small creatures."
The wind-human dashed at Jazel. As it grabbed him, its hand was burned, the fire spreading to its face. Unlike before, it felt pain and was forced to sever its own hand. The wind-human smiled, thinking its hand would regenerate, but it didn't.
Jazel's spears multiplied, floating and blazing, their light visible even through the clouds.
"Divine Meteor Shower!"
A shower of spears, like a meteor shower, rained down with tremendous impact. Jazel used his fire to protect Zelaive and the nearby houses from the attack's destructive force.
The heavy rain stopped. The clouds, reshaped into a circular form by Jazel's attack, dispersed, revealing a star-filled sky.