5 Chapter 5: T...Troublemaker

"How many times has this been!? Have we not already given you enough warning!?"

"We… we truly are sorry. We did not even know that he was no longer within our home."

"Do you really have no one else to take care of the child!?"

"Good heavens, Grumpy Emmett and Meera are being grilled by the city guards again."

Right after the incident with Little Birdy, Luci was able to escape its angry owner. But alas, the guards of the city of McDonald were already well aware of where he lived… as they could not even count how many incidents the blue-eyed menace had caused in their otherwise peaceful city.

From swimming in the plaza's fountain naked, stealing vegetables from the fresh market saying it was convenient farming, and his utmost favorite, 'freeing' pets from their 'evil' owners.

"And why is a young cheron like that walking around the city unattended!?" The senior guard stomped his foot, causing a small crack to form on the wooden floor, "People at your age are unfit to take care of a child! I know you village people do not have the gold, but at least teach the brat some basic etiquette."

"Well, maybe if you increase your fortress' defenses we would not be having this conversation. Teach? My son is smarter than all those noble brats," Meera looked to the side and whispered very quietly and extremely fast to herself, "And dare call my cute little baby boy a brat? I can destroy your walls with a single finger."

"What was that!?"

"I am but coughing. My lungs are already weak," Meera faked a cough.

"Do not let this happ—what the!? Where did this shrimp come from!?"

And before the senior guard could even finish his words, he could not help but take a step back as Luci suddenly appeared in front of him out of nowhere. Before he could take another step, however, Luci grabbed his hand.

The senior guard tried pulling his hand away, but found himself unable to move even a single millimeter. Even as Luci pried his hand open, the only thing he could do was stare as Luci placed something in his palm.

"Berns, Berns, Berns. Meera and Emmett have already learned their mistakes," Luci then let go of the senior guard's hand; his long black hair, waving in the air as he obnoxiously shook his head, "Perhaps we can just forget all of this ever happened? A little… something for your troubles."

"You're… bribing me?" Berns's eyes started to twitch as he looked at his palm, "...With grass?"

"Ugh, don't show it to me or I might regret my decision and ask for it back," Luci stepped back and looked away, looking completely pained as he slightly covered his eyes, "That is the favorite snack of Joy's goats, you should eat it before it goes bad."

"...This is dried grass!" Berns quickly threw the grass to the side, but Luci quickly leaped to catch it.

"You dare waste food when the people of this village are starving!" Luci pointed at the window, only to point at the fattest resident of the village.

"Then you eat it, you little brat," Berns grinned as he looked Luci in the eyes.

"Eat what?"

"The grass."

"What grass?"

"T—where did you throw it!?" Berns looked at Luci's hand, only to see nothing there, "You—No, it doesn't matter. Out of respect to reaching your old age, let this serve as the city's last warning. If the kid does anything again, anything – we will take him from you by force and he will be sent to clean the latrines of the Earl's castle, maybe then he could finally learn the discipline you failed him to do."

"That… is much appreciated," Emmett bowed, "I will discipline the boy myself, you have my word."

"You said that last time." And with those words, Berns finally stepped out of the house, angrily kicking the door and causing all the onlookers to quickly dissipate.

"Gods be damned. They're going to take the boy from us," Emmett remained lowering his head as it trembled, "Perhaps we truly are lacking as parents. Maybe… it truly is for the best that he is sent to the castle to learn."

"No!" Meera quickly shook her head, "He must not leave this village, Emmett. You promised me that!"

"Look at us, my love," Emmett looked at his wrinkled hands, "We are old. It is not our fault the boy is unteachable — he talks to himself and learns things that seem completely out of the ordinary."

"No. You do not understand, Emmett," Meera turned to look at Luci, who now had a stalk of grass in his mouth; trying not to puke as he forced himself to eat it, "He…

…is different."

"I can see that," Emmett also looked at Luci with his head still lowered, "Also, can you help me up? My back is…"

"...Right. Luci, can you help your father—" And in the blink of an eye, Luci was no longer in the hut, causing Meera to just let out a very long and deep sigh,

"...And there he goes."

***

"What did Sir Berns want from you now, Luci?"

"Oh, you know. Same old Berns."

In a small glade within eye's view of the hamlet, Luci was currently lying on top of a tree; the grass, still hanging from his mouth as he spoke to a boy of similar age, who was swinging a wooden sword in his hand and carrying a wooden shield on the other.

"This is Luke, he wants to be a Hero when he grows up. That's why he swings his sword every day."

"...Who are you introducing me to, Luci?" Luke stopped swinging his sword and started looking around.

"You do not have to worry about it," Luci jumped from the tree, landing right in front of Luke and doing a weird pose while covering his face, "Even Meera and Emmett are not worthy of feeling them."

"Stop calling Grandma Meera and Grandpa Emmett by just their names! And whoever it is you are talking to — you are right," Luke raised his sword to the dimming orange sky,

"I am going to become like the Hero of Freiden!"

"Dead?"

"No, I am sure she is still alive somewhere!" Luke chuckled, "And I will become just like her and be the new Hero and lift the status of our village!"

"Dreams of a child," Luci also let out a chuckle as he once again covered his face.

"You're only a year older than me!" Luke pointed his sword at Luci, "And you're smaller and you even look like a girl!"

"Typical of a child, fufu," Luci shook his head, "Resulting to insults when you can't win."

"Then what about you, Luci. What's your dream?" Luke sheathed his sword away inside his pants.

"My dream..." Luci turned to look up at the sky which was slightly veiled by all the leaves, "...to travel beyond the blue ocean above our heads."

"...Pft!" Luke pointed at Luci's face, the tip of his finger almost sticking on his nose, "There's nothing there! And that's the sky, stupid! Who is the child now, Luci--!!!"

And before Luke could finish his words, Luci suddenly grabbed his other hand and raised his shield. The young Luke did not even need to wonder why Luci did that, however, as he saw something sharp protruding into the back of his shield.

"An arrow!?" Luke quickly pointed the tip of his sword to where the arrow came from, only to see several armed men stepping out of the bushes and trees,

"B...Bandits!? Here...!?"