Chapter 14: Fire ,sticks and then steel
I woke up at the crack of dawn, excitement surging through my body.
Even now, my mind raced with visions of the future. Dragons falling from the sky beneath anti-aircraft fire. Medieval armies trembling before tanks and artillery. Steel planes roaring through the clouds while entire kingdoms stared upward in disbelief.
Of course...
Reaching that stage would take time.
A lot of time.
Still, for the first time since my awakening ceremony, I genuinely felt excited about the future again.
After quickly finishing breakfast, I immediately headed toward the forest with an empty notebook tucked beneath my arm and a large bag slung over my shoulder. Inside were candles, ink, feathers, planks, nails, and a hammer—everything I needed to begin repairing the shack.
As I walked through the forest path, I mentally drafted ideas for future projects.
Primitive engines.
Steam pressure systems.
Early firearms.
Even basic industrial tools would look revolutionary in this world.
But as I approached the clearing where the shack stood, my thoughts abruptly halted.
There were voices.
Children.
I slowed my steps carefully before crouching behind several bushes near the edge of the clearing.
And what I saw instantly made my expression darken.
A group of children around my age surrounded a lone boy near the shack.
The child looked thin and malnourished, his clothes old and ragged compared to the others. Fear was written clearly across his face as the surrounding kids shoved him between each other while laughing cruelly.
"Look at him!"
"He seriously came back here again!"
"What a freak!"
One of the boys shoved the lone child hard enough to send him stumbling into the dirt.
Before he could recover, another stepped forward and landed a clean punch directly across his face.
Blood splattered lightly onto the ground.
My eyes widened slightly.
Then narrowed.
Anger surged through my chest almost instantly.
What the hell was wrong with these kids?
The boy curled slightly on the ground while the others laughed around him.
I carefully lowered my bag onto the dirt and rummaged through it quickly.
Ink.
Feathers.
Candles.
A flint and
Copper nails
A hammer
Books.
And finally—
A small dagger.
My eyes lingered on the blade for a moment before I immediately stopped myself.
No.
That would be going way too far.
I took a slow breath while staring toward the group again.
But one thing was certain.
I wasn’t going to let this continue.
I slowly pulled the small dagger from my bag before grabbing several of the copper nails I had brought for repairing the shack.
Quickly, I began scraping the blade against the nails, carefully shaving tiny flakes of copper into my palm.
The metallic powder gathered slowly.
He could hear the cries of pain as he continued his work.
One he had collected enough copper powder he scanned his surrounds and saw a shrub, one that wasn’t fully out in the clearing but had a bit of distance from the other plants.
He pulled out his flint and steel and striked it letting sparks fly onto the shrub enveloping it.
Once the shrub was burning enough, I quickly ruffled up my hair and splattered mud across my trousers and sleeves, making myself look as though I had been sprinting frantically through the forest.
Taking a deep breath, I stumbled out into the clearing directly in front of the burning bush.
"You have to run!" I screamed.
The group of kids immediately stopped and turned toward me.
"There’s an evil magician chasing me!" I shouted while panting heavily. "One that controls green flames and eats children!"
The boys stared at me for a second before several burst into laughter.
"What kind of stupid lie is that?" one mocked.
The biggest boy of the group—the one who had been grabbing the smaller child by the collar—dropped him onto the dirt and slowly started walking toward me with the others following behind him.
"Looks like there’s two idiots now," he sneered.
Perfect.
Keeping one hand hidden behind my back, I slowly stepped backward toward the burning shrub.
Then—
I threw the copper powder into the flames.
FWOOOSH!
The fire instantly burst upward in a violent flash of glowing green.
The children froze.
I immediately threw myself forward onto the ground, pretending to be blasted by some invisible force.
"AHHHH!" I screamed dramatically.
The group’s expressions changed instantly.
"What the hell?!"
"T-The fire turned green!"
"H-He wasn’t lying!"
Panic spread through them almost immediately.
One of the younger kids screamed before turning and bolting into the forest. The others quickly followed after him in complete terror, stumbling over each other in desperation to escape.
Even the leader backed away in fear before finally running after the others.
Within seconds, the clearing was completely silent again.
I slowly pushed myself up from the dirt, brushing mud off my clothes.
"...That worked way better than expected."
A weak groan pulled my attention toward the lone boy still laying near the shack.
Surprisingly, he was still conscious.
He slowly lifted his head and stared at me cautiously, almost viciously, like a cornered animal unsure whether I was another threat.
He looked around my age, maybe slightly younger. Messy blond hair hung over sharp amber-colored eyes, though dirt and dried blood partially covered his face. His clothes were old and worn out, filled with tears and patches, and several bruises were already forming across his arms and jaw.
Despite how beaten he looked—
There was still a stubbornness in his eyes.
"You alright?" I asked while walking toward him.
The boy slowly pushed himself up onto one knee.
"Yeah... I’m fine," he muttered weakly.
The moment he tried standing, however, his legs buckled beneath him and he collapsed straight back onto the dirt.
"...Right," I said flatly. "You definitely look fine."
The boy frowned slightly, clearly annoyed.
"I just need to get home."
"Where is home?" I asked.
The boy immediately went quiet.
That silence alone told me enough.
Orphan.
Or abandoned.
Maybe both.
I let out a quiet sigh before gesturing toward the shack behind us.
"You’re free to stay here if you want," I offered casually. "I own this place now."
The boy’s eyes widened slightly.
For the first time since I arrived, a faint bit of hope appeared on his face.
"...Really?"
"Yeah. Though fair warning, the roof leaks."
The boy stared at me for another moment before quietly speaking.
"My name’s Finn."
I gave him a small nod.
"Leon."
Finn sat quietly near the shack entrance while I rummaged through my bag again, pulling out tools and supplies one by one.
The poor guy still looked half dead.
His blond hair was messy beyond repair, dirt covered half his face, and one side of his cheek had already begun swelling from the earlier punch.
Still—
At least he no longer looked ready to bolt into the woods at any second.
I leaned a hammer against the wall before glancing back toward him.
"So," I began casually, "if you’re gonna stay here, you’ll need to work for me."
Finn immediately looked cautious again.
"...Work?"
"Yep."
He narrowed his amber eyes suspiciously.
"What kind of work?"
A grin slowly spread across my face.
"The kind of work you’ve never seen before."
Finn stared at me blankly.
That probably sounded way more ominous than I intended.
"...What does that even mean?" he asked carefully.
"You’ll see."
"That doesn’t make me feel better."
I waved my hand dismissively.
"It’s nothing illegal."
Finn immediately responded.
"As long as it’s legal, I’m fine with it."
Honestly, the fact that he clarified that specifically made me slightly concerned about what kind of life this kid had lived until now.
Still—
I extended my hand toward him.
"Then deal?"
Finn hesitated briefly before slowly reaching forward and shaking it.
His grip was surprisingly firm despite his condition.
"Deal."
The moment our hands met, excitement surged through me again.
Free labor acquired.
Sure, it was technically just one malnourished blond kid with trust issues.
But every great inventor needed assistants.
And now?
I officially had one.
