Pablo was struggling to sleep peacefully. He started to breathe heavily as nightmares flashed, memories echoed in his mind.
He slowly opened his eyes as the smell of Nasaki violated his nose. He groaned and tried to get up. "...What?"
Nasaki was holding a bucket, he helped Pablo get up by supporting his back. "I think It's time. Vomit in here, chop chop."
Pablo sighed. "You think?" He looked at the bucket with reluctance. "You know I can't just vomit. That's not-"
Nasaki moved like he was waiting for Pablo to say this. He grabbed his pants he changed a moment ago and brought it close enough for Pablo to smell them. It was more than enough. Pablo quickly gagged and threw up in the bucket. He could feel the slugs rise up in his throat and fall onto the bucket.
Pablo coughed repeatedly and swatted the pants away, Nasaki laughed in response. "That did the trick."
Pablo held himself back from vomiting more. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" He yelled.
Nasaki got back to cooking. Without moving a muscle, the meat in front of him was lit ablaze. "A lot of things."
Pablo watched in intrigue, but was far too disgusted to be impressed. "Could tell." Pablo rolled his eyes and watched him prepare food. His stomach growled, he can't remember the last time he ate something.
"Where are we?" Pablo asked, looking around the cabin. There was no light entering the place. The only thing lit up the room was the subtle lamp, and the fire Nasaki created.
"My soul." Nasaki stated pretty casually. Pablo thought he was making some poetic quote. "Since when were you a poet?"
Nasaki snuffed out the fire, and inspected the food. Once he deemed it was good enough, he created a wooden plate out of thin air and placed the steak on top of it. "Since never. That wasn't a metaphorical statement, Pablo. We're quite literally inside my soul."
Pablo stared at Nasaki in disbelief, but he was so desensitized that he just rolled with it. "I'm not even surprised at this point. That explains how you just created a plate out of nothing."
Nasaki created a wooden dinner table and two wooden chairs. He placed the plate on one and sat. "I didn't say we were in my imagination, Pablo. We're in my soul. Some laws still apply here. I can do all of this in the real world too."
Pablo got up and tried to stretch as he felt very stiff. After the pain kicked in, he stopped and sat in front. "Oh right, I should've known. Given how we're inside your literal soul, an area I'm clearly experienced in." Nasaki laughs in response. "My bad."
He still doesn't understand why Nasaki is doing all of this. "Why did you save me anyway?"
"For Ayano's sake. Even if she probably doesn't care about you all that much, I don't want her to learn that you died."
This wasn't the answer he was expecting. Probably the last one. "Everyone else wants me for what I am, not who I am. So I just… had to ask." He looks a little bit solemn. Nasaki finds that funny. "That's fair. But I genuinely have no interest in what you can do or not do."
"Hm. That's surprisingly a nice thing to say, coming from you." He tries to reach for the steak, but Nasaki acts first and eats it. Pablo looks at Nasaki in confusion, so does Nasaki. "Oh shit. You're hungry."
Nasaki finishes the rest of the steak with a single bite. He then gets up and opens the drawers behind him. He takes out a piece of bread and throws it towards Pablo. It is launched at immense speed, but Pablo manages to react at the last second and catch it. "Ow," He winces. "How does this place work? Your soul, I mean." Pablo reluctantly starts eating from the bread. Beggars can't be choosers.
"I transferred our physical bodies into the Soul Realm. Well, not the Soul Realm, one layer of it. But forget about that. So this means you're not metaphysical like the rest of this place. You can pretty much die, get injured, get hungry, all that shit. I brought you here so you'd be safe and out of reach. I don't like to brag but not even The Demon King himself could enter my soul."
Pablo stares at him like he is running countless calculations. He liked the idea of being safe, which relieved him slightly. "Layers? Soul Realm? …I didn't even believe in the existence of souls before."
He looks at the table with a hint of sadness. "Every belief I once had keeps getting crushed eventually."
"Womp womp." Nasaki sits down. He leans back in his seat, watching Pablo. "...What kind of name is 'Pablo'?" Nasaki accidentally speaks out-loud. Pablo raises an eye-brow. "Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Everything about you screams 'ordinary'. Like- If your name was, I don't know, Xanxouzot The Fifth… that's something, right? I'd teach you then and maybe even trade names because that's so cool. You could go as XXZ and-" He stops when he realises how weirded out and offended Pablo is. "...Look," Nasaki sighs. "I don't really feel like mentoring a guy named… Pablo." Nasaki chuckles after saying his name.
Pablo's lips pressed into a trembling thin line, and he looked down. "I suppose so."
Nasaki's smile drops when he hears the shaking in Pablo's voice. "Oh come on, It was just a joke." He leans further, looking at him.
Pablo clenches the table, on the verge of snapping. "Well, everything about you screams pathetic."
Nasaki chuckles, not taking him seriously. "What are you on about?"
Pablo looks at Nasaki right in the eye, even though he knows he can't see Pablo. "I heard your name a lot growing up. Everything I've heard about you… doesn't match what I'm seeing right now. I feared you, in a way. Even when trying to find you… I was a little afraid of standing near you. But now… now I don't feel anything, honestly. Because I know you're just a clown. No matter how strong you are, you are the guy who soiled himself right in front of me. So your opinion doesn't mean jackshit."
Nasaki didn't respond at first. Pablo said more than he'd like to. He didn't hold himself back and just kept talking. That's what he always does.
But now he feels like something might go wrong, just because he couldn't keep his mouth shut.
Nasaki exhales sharply. Pablo freezes, just slightly.
"Well, your mom." Nasaki laughed and got up. He aimed for the door. "I'll be back in a sec. Don't go anywhere, 'kay?"
Pablo watched Nasaki leave, shocked. He was in disbelief due to the lack of reaction. "Huh." He chuckled nervously as he left. That felt… good. Standing up to someone like him.
"Manchild." Pablo muttered under his breath and got back up. As Nasaki gets more far away, he can feel the pressure on his body. The further he is away, the less he is suppressing Pablo. Pablo can feel the mana on his body leak outwards like a violent bomb.
"I should focus on this feeling for longer. Maybe If I can get used to what it feels like, I can control it." Pablo closes his eyes and tries to feel it, in every cell of his body. But all he can feel is his stomach growling. He exhales and lets out the breath he didn't realise he was holding. "No use."
He closed his eyes and tried a different approach. He tried to remember. Thalorien… no- he hates that place. He tries to remember Eldoria… that's a no too, such a lackluster city. He tries to think of Kori's smile, how gorgeous her eyes are, how smooth her skin looks- No! What the hell is he thinking? She is too suspicious.
He thinks of Tsuyoi.
He feels satisfied, slightly. His mind eases as he drifts into his memories. The day he met Tsuyoi…
"I don't want to hit a woman, so just leave and empty your pockets!" Tsuyoi yelled. Pablo looked at him in fear and anxiety. He stepped back, his hands shaking. "I'm not… I'm- I'm not a girl!" His voice was shaking. He was caught red-handed, before he entered the vent in order to infiltrate the Doctor's house.
"Oh that's relieving." With the news, Tsuyoi immediately dashes forward and draws his fists, aiming them at Pablo's face. "Wait!" Pablo yelled and guarded his face. Tsuyoi stopped at the last possible second. "What?"
Pablo tried to think of something, a loophole, a bluff, anything. "I'm just here for information, and I have nothing on me. Other than this." He pointed at the poorly drawn map in his hand. "Just let me go. Please-"
Tsuyoi snatched the map from his hands. "Woah. Where did you buy this map from? That bird-masked fella from the upper class?"
Pablo stepped back nervously, flinching at his sudden move. "I didn't buy it. I drew this myself…"
Tsuyoi looked at Pablo in awe, then back at the map. "That's sick! You must be really good at that 'thinking' thing."
Pablo raised an eyebrow. "...Thinking thing?"
Tsuyoi smiled and handed him the map back. "Yeah! The thinking stuff. I never got the hang of it though. It must be a really hard technique…" He put a hand on his chin.
Pablo rolled his eyes, he can't help but be amused by his energy. "I could tell."
Tsuyoi put an arm around Pablo and walked with him. Pablo was visibly uncomfortable and looked away. "Tell you what. You seem like a smart dude. How about you and me partner up, rob some bastards together?"
Pablo thought about this but eventually made his decision. "N-No. Sorry, mister- But I can't just go around robbing people! This was a one time thing. I'm not… that type of person, I don't rob!"
Tsuyoi looked him in the eye, still smiling. "I'll kill you."
Pablo went pale, as if his heart just stopped suddenly. "D-Deal."
Pablo drifted back into his current self, he had this stupid smile on his face without realising. He felt at ease.
When he opened his eyes slowly, he found the inside of the cabin wrecked. Everything was thrown around, destroyed or damaged. As if a strong burst of wind just hit it.
Realization dawns upon Pablo. "Oh. I did this." He looks at his ring again, noticing the subtle purple glow that faded slowly. "So It is true, my mana is tied to my emotions. But how could being at ease release it even further to a point where Nasaki's suppression doesn't matter?"
Pablo clenched his fists, guilt started to bite his soul once again. "Tsuyoi is god knows where, while I'm here having an outburst like I am a kid. He hates my guts right now, I bet."
Nasaki opens the door with child-like joy. "I'm home!" He enters the room with a smile on his face, but it disappears when he sees that the room is wrecked. "What the hell happened?"
Pablo can't look him in the eye, he turns his gaze away. "I happened. Something happened and I…"
Nasaki's expression goes soft upon hearing that, he approaches Pablo and sits beside him. "Oh, Pab-" He snorts accidentally. "...Pablo…" He places a hand on Pablo's back, but the small reaction didn't slip his attention.
"Things like this happen frequently at your age. It's normal. Before you know it, you grow hair in strange places, your voice cracks and-" Pablo interrupts Nasaki with pure shock. "Huh? What, no! That's not what I meant! I'm 19 already!"
"Ah, a late-bloomer." Nasaki nodded, this is the worst time to be the graceful patient mentor. Pablo furrows his brows. "I'm saying that something happened that caused my mana to release more violently. You're such a freak for thinking that."
Nasaki breaks character and starts to laugh, the 'caring' attitude disappears instantly. "Yeah, yeah. But that's interesting. Given how your Aura Link and Mana are one in the same, this doesn't surprise me."
"Elaborate, could you?" Pablo reacts with a 'tsk.' "Normally, Mana and the Aura Link are two separate things. Aura Link is the Dawnthinker ability to love and care. Mana is the building block of the Magiborn species. Magiborns do not require the Aura Link in order to have selfless emotions, but we do. So they are not connected in the slightest."
Pablo starts to connect the dots. "So my mana being affected by my emotions is weird."
Nasaki smiles. "Exactly. But given how your Aura Link is assimilated with mana, It starts to make sense."
Pablo follows along, nodding with him. "How do you use mana then? If you're not the same case as me."
Nasaki scratches his neck and sighs. "It's complicated. All you need to know is that, my eyes are my Treasure. And they have mana inside them, a devastating amount of it. Remember though, Dawnthinker bodies reject mana. I'm not an exception. So my eyes aren't connected to my body, making me blind."
He gets even more confused, but It's clear Nasaki doesn't intend to fully explain. "Why the cataracts then?"
Nasaki shrugged. "Oh, I started to get them last year. But I'm already fully blind so I don't care. That makes me blind squared." Nasaki starts to check Pablo's bandages, to see if anyone got loose.
"What does 'squared' mean?" Pablo asks. Nasaki rolls his eyes and refuses to answer. "Yikes." Nasaki finishes inspecting him and gets up. "You won't teach me. Why am I still here then? Can't you just heal me, oh strong one?"
Nasaki gets up and gets another bottle of alcohol from the drawers. "Nah." He takes a sip of his drink. "I don't have a way to heal you with my abilities. I mean, I technically do. But just forget it."
With each new riddle Nasaki gives him, Pablo's head starts to hurt more. "I shouldn't be here. I should be out there, helping Tsuyoi. But my stupid mana decided to ruin everything."
"That's a good summary of what happened, yeah." Nasaki dismisses Pablo's rant, recognising it as an attempt to make Nasaki pity him. Pablo clenches his teeth slightly.
"Look, kid. I know this isn't good advice but… chasing after Tsuyoi won't do anything. He isn't in a random prison. He is in the hands of The United Government."
Nasaki pours a glass for Pablo, and gives it to him. "Going after him would just end up with you captured too. He wouldn't want that."
Pablo slaps the alcohol away in rage. "Don't tell me what he would've wanted. You don't know what he would've wanted!" His breathing goes heavy after yelling at him. Nasaki looks at his outrage. "...Do you?" After a while, he responds.
Pablo gulps, left without an answer. He has a bunch of things to yell against Nasaki. He has thought of countless curses, countless insults, countless come-backs that will win the argument…
But he realises, this isn't about him. While he is safe and cozy here, his friend is suffering.
Nasaki turns his back on Pablo, he crouches down to pick up the glass of alcohol Pablo swatted away. "You just stop yelling and try to calm down, 'kay? Maybe that will help-"
When he turns towards Pablo once more, his eyes widen in shock. Pablo is on the ground, his face is touching the ground. He is on his knees. "...I beg you."
Nasaki smiles nervously, he didn't expect this. "You're embarrassing yourself, kid. Get up."
Pablo doesn't move an inch, his hands clench the wooden floor. "I can't…"
Nasaki can hear the conviction in his voice, his smile drops. He watches Pablo with an indescribable expression. "You can't..?"
"I can't dream without him." Pablo mutters. The words hit Nasaki like a truck, hitting every part of his body like a full-on impact. Nasaki drops the bottle in his hand immediately. How long has it been? How long has it been since he heard those words? Nasaki tries to catch his breath, he takes a step back looking at the begging man on the ground.
"Oh." He puts a hand over his forehead. He sighs, not able to find anything to say to Pablo. "I…"
Nasaki kicks away the bottle on the floor in frustration. "Damn it."
He walks around the room, his hand still on his forehead. He thinks of something, anything. He loops around the table repeatedly, Pablo doesn't move an inch. Every time he looks at Pablo, he gets even more frustrated.
Eventually, he groans. Really loudly, and for a very long time. His groan echoes through the cabin and back to him. "Fuck it."
Nasaki shrugs, and heads for the door. "Alright, dipshit. Get up."
Pablo raises his head in shock and surprise, a glimmer of hope shines through his eyes. "What?"
Nasaki yells, this is the first time he is angry like this. "Don't say a goddamn word. Just get up and follow me before I change my mind."
Pablo quickly gets up, wiping away the dust that got on him. "Yes, of course!" He follows Nasaki outside.
When he steps outside, he finds himself in a strange environment. He feels the cold wash up his body immediately, the smell of smoke almost suffocates him. He notices a volcano near them, on the verge of exploding. But the entire place is frozen, surrounded by ice. The volcano looks out-of-place.
"What is this place?" Pablo can't help but ask. Nasaki looks over his shoulder, not affected by the environment in the slightest. "A place that stuck with me through everything."
"Stay there." Nasaki commands Pablo. "We'll set up some rules." He creates distance between him and Pablo. "First rule: always keep in mind that I'm a shitty person. But more importantly, I'm a shitty teacher. So try to not be a shitty student. Second rule: Do not question me, ever."
The wind blows past them both, the cold starts to make Pablo uncomfortable. "...That's it." Nasaki adds.
He nods, determined to prove himself. "Got it." He stands against The Strongest, he can't help but feel a little nervous. "First, we'll spar. I gotta see your hand-to-hand prowess. Try to land a hit on me."
Pablo reluctantly raises his fists, a nervous smile on his face. "Why?"
Nasaki gets angry again. "Rule fucking two, Pablo!" He yells. Pablo flinches slightly. "Yeah, right."
Nasaki starts walking towards him. Pablo tries to find a comfortable stance. "He is a blind drunk bastard. How bad can this go? Even if he is the man everyone fears, nobody said anything about his hand-to-hand skills."
Pablo gets overconfident, and tries to deliver a right-hook towards Nasaki. Nasaki dodges swiftly. This frustrates him and makes him commit even further to land an attack on Nasaki. Nasaki dodges all of them pretty easily. "Oh boy." He looks disappointed, he parries the punches he can't dodge. It's clear Nasaki isn't using anything to strengthen himself.
Pablo gets even more angry, and his punches start to lack technique. "Just stop… moving!" He throws a heavy punch with all his might. Nasaki catches it and throws him away. "Can't hit a blind man?"
He struggles hard to stand on his feet after Nasaki throws him, but manages to balance himself. Pablo then rolls his eyes. "I'm starting to question that. How can you even dodge me this easily?" He started panting.
"Do you think blindness means not seeing anything? Then you really are a fool. The blind see the truth, protecting their mind from what is fabricated." Nasaki points at his blindfold.
Pablo spits at the floor and wipes his sweat away. "What is fabricated?"
Nasaki starts to walk towards Pablo again. "The world." Seeing Nasaki walk towards him, he raises his fists again. "That's deep." A sarcastic smile appears on his face. Pablo gets an idea and removes his shirt, keeping it in his hand.
"The moment you trust what you see, that's when you lose." Nasaki dashes forward and starts to send light punches towards Pablo. Even though Nasaki isn't giving it his all, the wind pressure the punches create is enough to push Pablo back. He can't imagine what happens if he gets hit by one of those.
Pablo reads Nasaki's footing in order to predict his attacks, and dodges his fists barely. "I don't see how this is helping my problem." He thinks to himself, but is afraid to say outloud due to rule 2.
Nasaki notices what he is doing, and headbutts Pablo's face. "What did I just say?" As he is falling down on the floor, he throws the shirt in the air.
He lands face-flat as his nose starts to bleed. He sees Nasaki tower over him. Nasaki removes his blindfold and looks at Pablo on the floor. "We aren't done yet. You didn't land a single hit."
Pablo grins. "I know."
The shirt he threw from before lands on Nasaki's head. It doesn't affect anything in the slightest as he is already blind, but it surprises him enough to give Pablo an opening. "What the fuck?" He removes the shirt from his face. But while he was doing that, Pablo lands a kick on Nasaki's shin. It doesn't do anything, but it is a hit. "I did it, I hit you! That's a hit."
Nasaki sighs in disappointment and throws the shirt towards Pablo. "That's dirty." He can't help but grin though. "I like it."
He lends a hand to Pablo. He reluctantly takes his hand and slowly gets up. "Thanks-" Nasaki gets his revenge, and sucker punches him in the stomach. He feels the pain immideatly spread all throughout his body, echoing back to his soul in addition. Pablo immediately vomits on the floor and falls down once again. He starts shaking violently. "Why- W-Why…" He tries to get a hold of himself.
Nasaki looks over the fallen Pablo. "Alright. That concludes our physical spar. My feedback is: You're clever, but weak as hell,"
Nasaki pauses, then grins. "But. When you got angry and threw that heavy punch, your mana outburst calmed down slightly. Infact, there was a little mana behind the punch."
Pablo can't stop shaking and struggles to breathe. "...That's a relief." Even after all that, he can't help but be sassy.
Nasaki looks at the ring on Pablo's finger. His grin grows bigger. "Alright, I know what we'll do next."
Pablo slowly turns towards him, still not able to stand up. "You're fucking improvising..?"
He ignores Pablo's plea, and still has his eyes on Pablo's Treasure. "If you want to save him, eating and shooting is clearly not going to work."
Nasaki's eyes glow with the color white. His body is suddenly covered in mana, still invisible due to the presence of Pablo's own mana.
Pablo managed to get back on his feet slowly, stumbling. He watches Nasaki.
"Why don't I show you true treasury while I'm at it?" Dust around Nasaki starts to levitate, reacting to his presence.
Pablo watched him channel his mana, slightly afraid. "What the hell is your Treasure?"
The volcano behind him started to make loud noises. The ground beneath shook slightly. The dust around Nasaki started to circle him. "You'll see."