Ampithera: One Side
Chapter 3

The sun was already almost drowned in the western sky. Dairen and Reiga sat on the park bench while watching Altara who was lamenting his fate at this time. In front of them, the river was flowing quietly. Across the river, a forest filled with banyan trees looks dark even though the sun still hangs in the sky.

Altara continued to walk to and fro making her two friends dizzy to see it.

"Why are you, anyway, pacing back and forth to twenty-three?" Dairen finally raised his voice after the silence that had struck them some time ago.

"It's very intention to count," muttered Reiga commenting on Dairen's words.

"I'm looking for a way to keep us from being punished" Altara replied without stopping her pacing activities.

Reiga breathed a heavy sigh. "That's it. Let's just say we're on vacation," he said making Altara look at him sharply.

"You know? All my life, I've never been punished like this. Of course it's very heavy for me. If so, how can I maintain my rank."

"The sound of one is different," Reiga replied while clucking. He placed his elbow in the hand of the chair and rested his chin on his clenched hand. Apparently, he was tired of lingering here. But if he were to leave, the glasses would definitely nag him the moment they met again.

Daren.

"He's sleeping?" Altara stopped her steps when she found the black-haired man sleeping on the chair.

Reiga saw Daren at a glance. Then he turned his eyes back to the original. "Sometimes you have to learn from him."

"Studying?"

"Yes! Learning doesn't care about that much of a problem."

"It's musthil." Altara seemed to have calmed down more than before. "But I think I should try."

Reiga looked at Altara for a moment, then he lifted one corner of his lips, proud of his success making Altara stop raving.

"Amphitera .. a very great name .. he is the conqueror .. hero to the world ... Ampithera .. They don't...."

"Don't you hear someone singing?" Altara facing the river. More precisely to the forest across the river.

Reiga frowned for a moment before he interrupted Altara's words. "Yes. Sounds like a popular kids song these days."

"What is that guy?" Altara set her eyes on a girl leaning against a tree across the river in front of them.

"Ampithera .. they do not know surrender .. sleep well then you are the Ampithera ...."

The girl sang while stroking the top of the boy's head lying on his lap. Their clothes look shabby. Their bodies also look so thin.

"What are they doing there?" Reiga squinted his eyes with the hand he placed on his forehead to deflect the sunlight for a clearer view.

"Should we approach them?" asked Altara who seemed to have grown a sense of compassion in her mind towards the two children.

"No!"

Altara and Reiga were simultaneously staring at the recently-tested Dairen.

"You're still conscious of it."

"No one can go there!" Daren repeated his words.

Altara and Reiga must have been confused by what Dairen said just now. Usually he was always indifferent to what others were doing, including the two of them.

"Why?" Altara represented the question Reiga wanted to ask as well.

"Look! they're right across there. There are no boats or bridges here. I don't like getting wet."

Reiga's facial expression seemed to say, 'Yes too, yes'. While Altara, he heaved a heavy sigh.

"alright. Let me go there. You guys just stay here." As usual, Altara relented.

"But ...."

Not to mention finishing speaking, Altara cut off Reiga's speech just now.

"Why? Don't you also not like getting wet, Prince?"

Hearing the thing that was true, Reiga rolled her eyeballs originally. "I'm just lazy."

Altara sighed for a moment before she finally threw her body into the river. Fortunately, the surface of the river is not deep, the water flows calmly. That made it easier for Altara as she swam towards the other side of the river where the two little ones were.

When she reached her destination, Altara dried her clothes for a moment, then stepped her feet towards the girl and boy who looked limp under the shady tree.

Meanwhile, Dairen was still sitting on the chair while watching Altara. And Reiga, he was standing by the river, looking worried for his friend across the river.

Some time it looks fine. However, suddenly something happened making Reiga and Dairen surprised to see it.

Altara bounced onto the trunk of a banyan tree in the middle of the forest. His glasses fell and broke making his gaze blur.

"IT!!" Without thinking of the farmer, Reiga plunged his body into the river to save Altara who was already in the forest.

Daren was a little surprised. He squinted his eyes intending to see more clearly what was happening there. He breathed for a moment. "I told you that." Then, he renders his body back on the chair without caring about his friend's circumstances in the slightest.

Altara fell under a tree while holding her stomach. There was nothing he could see at this moment other than someone walking up to him in a jolt. He fumbled the surface of the ground looking for the whereabouts of his glasses.

That guy's getting closer to her. Altara could not do anything because in addition to her blurred vision, her stomach also felt so painful that it made her legs also difficult to move.

Amidst Altara's fear, the person who was moving so slowly was like throwing something at him. Sure enough, something like a very hard blow landed on Altara's face, causing him to roll further into the forest.

Altara grimaced in pain. As it was endless, the person came back to Altara despite the extremely slow movement.

However, the man had not yet gotten close to Altara again, someone thrust something in front of the man in pain. Altara could not see the man clearly. However, he knew what the person gave him was his broken glasses.

The man stood up after Altara received her glasses. Then, he ran towards the person who was walking that barren. Altara had no idea what was going on. But in his faint vision, the two people before him were seen fighting.

Not for long, the slow-moving person had already fallen to the ground. While the man who had given his glasses to Altara, came back to the man who was still sitting under the tree.

Altara was a little scared as the man approached her, with a trembling voice, he said, "Who are you?"

Without answering Altara's question, the person immediately carried Altara around easily like the person carrying the sack of rice. It seemed that Altara was very light from when the person did not have the slightest trouble even as Altara continued thrashing.

Along the way, Altara continued to nag because the person carrying her did not make any sound.

Meanwhile, Reiga made an attack by aiming his kick right at the waist of his enemy who was none other than an eight-year-old boy.

The boy bounced to the ground. Every wound that was on his body, regenerated rapidly. With that, Reiga knew that the child was no ordinary human.

The boy got back up after being knocked down just now. Unlike the one who came to Altara earlier, this boy looked agile. He ran quickly with his hands and feet.

"What is he really?" Reiga frowned. Quickly, he avoided the boy who was about to tear his skin with long nails that looked more like the claws of a savage beast.

"Damn! I think I should use it." Reiga cursed in his mutterings. He seemed not to want to do the attack he was about to launch, but how else. He did not know how his friend was in the forest. However, he could not go inside as the boy continued to follow him.

Reiga unsheathed the two daggers that were jammed on his right waist. Without a pause, it ran violently leaving a tread on the ground below. He kept circling around the boy making the boy confused and not moving in the slightest.

Reiga ended his steps by placing two daggers on two trees across.

After that, he ran away into the forest to get to Altara.

Reiga ran very fast. He imagined how Altara was inside with the strange creature. However, his steps suddenly came to a halt when he found a man carrying someone walking towards him.

"Who are you?! Don't you dare kidnap me! You'll be beaten up by my friends!" Altara was constantly nagging along the way.

The man carrying Altara lowered the man when he was near Reiga.

Immediately, Reiga helped Altara up. "Your vision is already very severe" Reiga said, making Altara surprised to find out who is with him at this time.

"Prince?" Altara looked at the person on her left. "Who is this guy?"

"You really don't recognize him? Dairen knows! Dauren! The world's most annoying creature."

Hearing Reiga's reply just now. Altara heaved a sigh of relief.

While Dairen, he was seen stretching his body after carrying Altara just now. "Duh .. It hurts so much my back! I helped you, but you beat me."

"It's your fault for not speaking at all" Altara said angrily.

Without caring for the two people anymore, Dauren stepped foot to go ahead of the two of them.

Reiga turned his back to Altara, then said, "Alright!"

Hearing this, Altara seemed to feel bad. He immediately replied to Reiga's words which of course was to deny it. "No! Nah! I can still walk by myself."

Reiga heaved a heavy sigh before speaking. "Yes, you can walk on your own. But it may take an entire night just to get near the river."

Altara looked a little sad. He could no longer deny the words of his blonde friend.

"Let's not say much. Hurry along!"

In the end, Altara obeyed Reiga's orders by riding on the man's back. "I am so weak."

"You finally admit it."

They traveled without even talking to each other.

Daren. His gaze was fixed on the boy who was already lying on the ground in an unconscious condition with blood flooding his body. Without the slightest interest, Dairen resumed his steps. But just one step he took, someone surprised him by making a sound from the top of the tree.

"Soyu, yes!"

Dauren turned. The look without his passion was aimed at a red-haired man he had previously met in the school cafeteria. "Who are you?" ask her coldly.

The red-haired man jumped from the top of the tree and landed on the ground very well. His feet did not hurt even though the tree trunk he had previously climbed was six meters high from the ground.

Dairen raised his chin slightly like someone who was challenging someone. "What do you want from me?"

The red-haired man chuckled for a moment as he waved the bangs that were the same length as his face. With a look of disdain, he said, "Don't I tell you I still want to test you?"

Dairen exhaled his breath violently. "It really doesn't matter." After that, he turned around to continue his path. But just a few steps, something came back to make him have to stop. Dairen dodged when he felt someone was trying to attack him.

Justright. The man threw a punch at him. Fortunately, Daren followed his instincts. If not, he would have been hurt by now.

"Now ... Hockey!" dairen said as he managed to avoid the man's fist.

Unsatisfied with his missed punch, the red-haired man again attacked Dairen with his kick.

Again, Dairen dodged the attack the man had given him. He dodged to the left side while whistling in admiration. "You're pretty good at martial arts. But I don't know what you want from me."

The long-haired man corrected the position of his robe while smiling haughtily. "I just want to make sure that you're the right person for His Majesty."

"Your highness?" Dairen raised his one eyebrow in a confused sign. It seems he misinterpreted the meaning of the man.

"Yes!" This man also seemed to have misinterpreted the intent of Dairen's question. "You're Reiga, right?"

"Oh .. So you're looking for that stupid prince?"

"Fool prince?"

"Sorry, Mr. Long Hair. If you're looking for Reiga, you're wrong. I'm Dairen tau. Dauren!" obviously Dairen with a little emphasis at the end.

"Eh? Did ya? Then the other one, huh?"

"But!" Dairen's expression suddenly changed. He squatted for a moment to stick his hand on the ground. Suddenly, a blue light shot out from his hand as if it entered the ground and then spread towards the forest. As he stood back up, the look in his eyes became sharp making the man shudder in horror. "With your current strength, don't try to look for it or do the same thing you did to me. Because if you liken it, you're just a rabbit while he's a hungry wolf."

Hearing this, of course the man felt humiliated. Infuriated, he looked at Dairen full of hatred. "You insulted me?"

Seeing him, Daren laughed. Makes the man even more angry. However, his words managed to quell the man's anger and instead replaced him with a feeling of confusion. "You're really irritable, yeah. I was just kidding. I can feel a different aura inside your body. It seems you're not an ordinary human being. How could a fool like Reiga be stronger than you. Even to be equated he's not worthy."

Hearing Dairen's words just now, the man frowned, puzzled. "Who are you really?" ask her seriously.

"Who am I? I am this ...." Daren paused his words for a moment. "I'm just a very graceful girl." The smile that he had not shown at all, was now beautifully revealed. The lens of the eye that was previously pitch-black, was now turning into like very fresh blood.

The red-haired man was shocked.

"You are the enemy."

The man squirmed. Like his body was being squeezed by something. His eyes were glaring because of the pain he was unable to let out through the sound.

"really pitying. I see you're young. But, I'd be angry if I saw me letting the enemy roam in plain sight."

Apparently, it was Dairen who controlled the man's body. Without moving a single bit, he made the red-haired man filled with blood coming out from every hole in his body. However, while having fun with his activities. Something as fast as lightning struck, soared from the sky and carried the helpless man away somewhere.

"Curtain!" Dairen clucked. He flicked his finger making the blue light propagating within the ground fade away quickly. After that, the iris returned to its original state.

The sun that had sunk completely, was replaced by bright moonlight. The night breeze blew away the rather long mane of Dairen.

Not long after, Reiga and Altara came out from within the forest. Looks like they got lost because they should have arrived earlier.

Reiga looked exhausted, while Altara only cursed herself in the heart because she felt that she had really troubled the person she called the prince.

Reiga lowered Altara from her back then placed her hands on her knees making her head bow. "Crazy! Though-next-this. But why get lost?"

Altara looked guilty. He constantly apologizes to Reiga for feeling that he has troubled him even though Reiga also constantly says that it does not matter.

While Dairen, he was still standing there. Paying attention to the two people who looked extremely exhausted with the slightest disinterested look. The night wind continued to blow making Dairen's black hair endlessly dance.

The warm twilight was replaced by a cold night. No matter how far you try to guess, in the end your guess is always not right. There are many things in this world that cannot be understood. One of them is the human soul.

"Ah ..really a bad day."

…**For Your Information…

New Word - Axili

Yes** (ja) .Informal.: you

H*Jeja* (hi.ye.ja) .formal.: you*