Tensura : The Unmatched Human Spirit

Curiosity, Explosions, and Flowers

The moment Raul connected the final wire, a deep hisssss filled the air.

Wait… that's not normal—

BOOM!

The explosion was sudden and violent. A wave of heat blasted against his face as the coil connected to the battery melted in an instant, turning into a useless lump of slag. His ears rang, and he instinctively threw himself backward, shielding his eyes from the blinding flash.

Smoke curled up from the now-destroyed battery, and Raul coughed, waving his hand to clear the air.

"Shit." He quickly grabbed the bucket of dry soil he had prepared beforehand and dumped it over the volatile mess. The reaction slowed almost immediately, the soil acting as a barrier to cut off any further combustion.

He stared at the charred remains for a few seconds before sighing.

So, this metal combusts with the acid spontaneously… and with way too much energy output.

Frowning, he pulled out a small notebook from his satchel and jotted down his findings. It was frustrating, sure, but not unexpected. Trial and error was part of the process, after all.

Once he was satisfied with his notes, Raul packed up his things and made his way down the treehouse ladder.

—---

On his way back to the village, he spotted a familiar figure walking along the dirt path.

Marie.

She was about his age, lived near his house, and was—without a doubt—the shyest person he knew. She always spoke in soft whispers, barely looking him in the eye, and had a habit of playing with her hair whenever she got nervous.

Raul grinned.

He reached into his bag and pulled out a small bunch of flowers he had picked along the way. He had made it a habit to bring her some whenever he went out, knowing how much she liked them.

"Oi, Marie!" he called, jogging up to her.

The girl flinched slightly at his voice, turning to face him with wide, startled eyes.

"For you." He held out the flowers with a casual grin.

Marie's cheeks turned a faint shade of pink as she hesitantly reached out, taking the flowers from his hand. Her fingers traced the petals delicately, as if they were something precious.

"You don't… have to bring me flowers all the time…" she mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper. She twirled a strand of her hair around her finger, glancing away shyly.

Raul just laughed. "Oh, come on! Who else is gonna bring them if not me, huh? What kind of friend would I be if I couldn't even do that?"

Marie's lips twitched slightly, as if suppressing a smile, but she didn't argue further.

Marie clutched the flowers Raul had given her, staring at them for a moment before glancing up at him.

Her voice, as always, was quiet.

"U-Um… can you come to my house for a bit? I want to show you something."

Raul raised an eyebrow, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Oh? This is new. You don't usually invite me over. What's the occasion?"

Marie fidgeted slightly, twirling a strand of hair between her fingers. "It's… just something I want to show you."

Raul pretended to think, tapping his chin.

Then, with a serious expression, he said, "Hmm… what if this is a trap?"

Marie blinked. "Trap?"

"Yeah," he continued, nodding sagely. "You could be luring me into your house just to lock me up in your basement. Maybe you're planning to experiment on me. Poke me with needles, see how I react…"

He narrowed his eyes at her dramatically. "Tell me, Marie, are you secretly an evil scientist?"

Marie's eyes widened in alarm. "W-What? No! I'd never do that!" she insisted, looking genuinely distressed.

Raul let out a snort. "Oh no!, that's exactly what a secret evil scientist would say."

Marie frowned, now looking slightly worried. "B-But I'm not…"

Raul watched as she struggled to process his words, completely missing the teasing tone.

He couldn't help it—he burst out laughing.

Marie's frown deepened. "Why are you laughing?"

"Because you're too easy to mess with." He wiped a fake tear from the corner of his eye.

Marie blinked again, then stared at him. Slowly, realization dawned on her face.

Her expression shifted from confusion to mild irritation.

"…You were making fun of me?"

Raul grinned. "not at all."

Marie's face puffed up in anger, her cheeks turning slightly pink.

"Raul! That's mean!"

He chuckled, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright, I'll make it up to you by coming with you. Now, what's this mysterious thing you wanna show me?"

Marie huffed, still a little annoyed, but turned on her heel and stomped ahead. "Hmph. Just follow me."

Raul smirked and trailed after her, amused.

Whatever she wanted to show him had better be interesting—otherwise, he was totally going to tease her about this later.

When Raul reached Marie's house, the first thing he noticed was the absence of her mother.

Frowning slightly, he asked, "Where's Aunty?"

Marie, standing by the doorway, clasped her hands behind her back and answered in her usual soft voice, "She's at your house… Aunt Davina is learning some local recipes from her."

Raul hummed in understanding, shrugging. "Guess we'll be having something new for dinner then."

Marie nodded before suddenly perking up, her eyes shining with excitement. "Wait here!" she said, turning on her heel and rushing inside.

Raul blinked. "Uh, okay?"

Before he could think about leaving, Marie peeked out again, holding a cloth in her hands. "Close your eyes and put this on."

His eyebrows shot up. "What, why?"

"It's a surprise," she mumbled, shifting slightly.

A smirk tugged at Raul's lips. "Oh? Should I be worried?"

"No! Just—just put it on!" she huffed, puffing her cheeks in frustration.

Chuckling, he took the cloth and tied it over his eyes. "Alright, alright. I'll play along."

The moment the fabric covered his vision, he heard Marie shuffle away.

Then, the sound of objects clattering, drawers being pulled open, and hurried footsteps filled the silence.

"What are you even doing?" Raul asked, amused.

"Shh!"

"Bossy."

More cluttering.

Then silence.

Finally, Marie returned. "Okay… you can take it off now."

Raul untied the cloth and opened his eyes, only for his breath to catch.

In front of him, Marie stood with a large, decorated box, her fingers gripping the edges nervously.

"I-It's late, but… I wanted to give you a birthday present," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I couldn't finish making it in time…"

Raul's chest tightened, and a strange feeling settled in his stomach as he slowly lifted the lid.

Inside, his smile froze.

A portrait lay on top—drawn with care. It was him, handing her flowers, and beneath it, in neat handwriting, were the words: "My Bestest Friend."

And below that—

A wooden statue.

It was of him, but not just him. He was wearing armor—intricate, detailed, almost mechanical.

His breath hitched.

He remembered.

Marie must've listened to his ramblings and carved this based on that childish dream.

For a moment, his vision blurred.

Before he knew it, he was moving.

He wrapped his arms around Marie, hugging her tightly.

Marie squeaked, stiffening in shock. "W-Wha—?!"

She barely had time to process before he mumbled, "…Thank you."

His voice was quiet, almost fragile.

Marie, still red-faced, stammered, "Y-You don't have to get so dramatic about it…"

Raul didn't respond immediately.

His mind was somewhere else—trapped between two lifetimes thinking of that one girl who always was there for him.

I'm still not over it, huh…?

It hurt.

It hurt because, deep down, he knew.

He wasn't looking at Marie.

He was looking at someone else.

I'm such a piece of shit…

Taking a breath, he gently pulled back but kept holding her hand.

Marie, meanwhile, was practically steaming, her face an embarrassing shade of red.

"I-It's just a gift," she mumbled, playing with her sleeves.

Raul, forcing his usual smirk, teased, "Oh? So does that mean I won't get one next year?"

Marie blinked, then frowned. "That's not what I—!"

Before she could finish, the world went silent.

Raul's ears popped, and for an instant, everything was frozen in time.

Then—

A deafening roar shattered the air.

A column of blinding white fire erupted before him.

A beam of destruction scorched the land.

His mind barely registered what happened before the shockwave hit.

Raul felt his body being thrown back, flames licking his skin, heat searing his face.

He hit the ground hard, rolling several times before stopping, the wind knocked out of him.

His ears rang, his vision spun, and—

His hand.

His fingers were still curled around Marie's.

But something was wrong.

Slowly, with trembling hands, he looked down.

And saw a charred lump of flesh the size of a hand clinging to his hand

His breath hitched.

Marie's hand—what remained of it—crumbled to ash between his fingers.

He stared.

His brain refused to comprehend it.

No… no… no…

His head snapped up, and his stomach dropped.

The land before him—gone.

Everything—gone.

The village.

The trees.

The houses.

The fields.

Nothing remained but an endless stretch of blackened earth.

A dragon's roar thundered in the distance.

Metal clashed against something enormous.

The sound of a battle raged beyond the destruction.

But Raul couldn't move.

He couldn't think.

His body trembled, his breath shaky.

His lips parted, his voice barely a whisper.

"…What is this?"

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Stones and Reviews please