Amon stared at Peculiar with caution and waited for her to speak.
Peculiar gave an awkward laugh, hesitating on whether to speak, but seeing Amon's stern gaze, she hastily started:
"Actually, aside from training for over a year, I also engaged in life-and-death battles with a few Bandits in the surroundings. That was how I was easily able to master the Spear Art. It might work similarly for you."
Hearing her explanation, a spark of light lit up on Amon's face, and he felt the urge to pinch Peculiar's flushed cheeks.
"Why didn't you tell me about this since…"
"Well… well…" Peculiar stammered, trying to explain, her head hung low.
Amon just casually rolled his eyes. "I get it. You were worried about my safety."
"Let's go."
Peculiar was stupefied. "Where?"
"To fight Bandits, of course," Amon replied matter-of-factly.
Peculiar's eyes darted around nervously, and for a brief instant, she contemplated silently using her Gift and leaving.
She was fearful of what Amon's Parents might do should they find out she had endangered his life.
It wasn't just her who would be in danger then, but her Parents as well.
Amon understood her worries and shrugged nonchalantly.
"Today's a free day for me, so my Parents won't even know I went out for a bit. Quickly, lead the way."
From Amon's voice, Peculiar could tell he was already getting annoyed by her delay.
Sighing, Peculiar nodded reluctantly.
With that, Peculiar led Amon through the grassy terrain.
Following the corner of a few Trees, Amon and Peculiar soon found themselves at the entrance of a pathway leading to something akin to a Forest, with sparse Trees.
…
The moment Amon and Peculiar left…
Surprisingly, if one glanced at the door of the Adam Household, where the grassy Courtyard was, they would notice Seth and Vela casually standing there.
With her arms folded and her face scrunched up in worry, Vela glanced at her Husband and frowned. "Honey, are you sure we're doing the right thing by letting him encounter danger so early?"
Seth shook his head slowly.
"If he continues staying holed up here, he won't have much room for growth. Besides, with the Creation Points he had gathered, he should be able to create Gifts that'll be helpful to him."
"Still…" Vela was reluctant to agree with the current development.
Letting out a breath of relief, Seth calmly stated,
"Don't worry too much about his safety. I sent Jamie to look after them, so their safety should be the least of our worries."
Hearing that Seth had sent Jamie caused Vela's tensed heart to finally settle.
"That's thoughtful of you," she appreciated with a smile, then snorted sweetly. "Why do you have to wait so long before telling me that? You made me worried for nothing!"
Seth laughed non-committally. "It was nice seeing your facial expression filled with worry for our Son, haha."
"Hmmph," Vela snorted once more, then straightened and walked back into the House.
As Parents, how could they not keep tabs on all of Amon's movements?
Since the moment Amon started hanging out with Peculiar, they knew, and with the little Girl bringing no danger but companionship to him, they decided to let her be.
…
Meanwhile, unaware that his Parents already knew everything, Amon found himself in a Forest-like space.
Using the shortcut that Peculiar had directed him through, they had both arrived at a large Clearing after an hour of walking.
There were a few sparse Clusters of Trees gathered around, quite similar to the Grassland from before.
Except, Amon could instinctively sense a quiet danger lurking in a few places within the Forest.
He noticed an excited expression appear on Peculiar's face as she jogged to a spot near a tall Tree.
She bent down and dug for a bit before retrieving a Leather Pouch from the ground.
Amon watched curiously at what she was about to do.
He noticed her opening the Black Pouch in her hand before retrieving two objects.
One of them was Black, while the other was Dark Blue.
"Mask," Amon mouthed in surprise.
"Yeah, Masks!" A glow of excitement sparkled in Peculiar's Purple Eyes.
"Using these Masks, we can hide our identity. So even if news about us spreads, they won't know our real faces, hence protecting us and our Families…"
Hearing her explanation, Amon praised her smartness internally.
He gave her a thumbs up, causing Peculiar to blush in embarrassment before she proceeded to hand him the Dark Blue one.
Amon's gaze shifted to the Black one in her hands. "I think that will be more fitting."
"Oh, alright," Peculiar immediately made the switch.
Holding the Mask in his hand, Amon didn't hesitate to place it over his head.
It was like a cloth designed to completely cover his facial features while leaving the important areas exposed.
Amon's hand ran through the Mask, and he noticed the gaps left for the Eyes and Nose.
Aside from those, the rest was completely covered.
"Impressive, right? I made Mother knit it for me, hehe."
Seeing Peculiar's mischievous expression, Amon laughed.
"It's cool. It makes us look like Villains and, at the same time, Superheroes."
Peculiar was confused by Amon's words.
"What does 'Superheroes' mean?"
Noting his mistake, Amon quickly waved it off.
"Lead the way. We shouldn't waste time before my parents find out."
Peculiar nodded in a daze. "Oh, alright!"
Giving a curt nod, she led the way through the Trees.
As they casually walked, she explained:
"There are strong Bandits with unique Gifts along these parts, so I try my best to stay clear of them and only deal with the new Bandits I find. Staying cautious is the way," Peculiar thrust her fist outwards confidently.
"Where did you learn all this?" Amon couldn't help but ask.
After all, Peculiar was merely a Five-Year-Old Kid and was of a similar age as him in this Lifetime.
A saddened expression appeared on Peculiar's face.
"My Father was a Warrior. I heard he awakened a Speed Enhancement Gift, but his ambitions were quickly cut short when a Star Beast crippled his leg.
"He lost the ability to use his Gift, and Mother is the only one supporting the Family… this is my little way of trying to help out. I plan to grow strong enough to kill the Star Beast responsible for this with my own hands!"
'Such burning conviction!' Amon exclaimed internally, even sensing a tense Bloodlust emanating from the little Girl.
For a moment, Amon admired her tenacity.
He had always loved people willing to go through any lengths to accomplish their goals.
After all, he had failed to do so in his previous life…
…
A/N: Here's the Chapter as promised. I didn't expect it to take so long to write, haha. Anyway, here's the new Discord link I created, in the Author's Note. If you want to bond more with the Author, discuss, see Character Arts, and share your brilliant ideas, you're free to join.
In the meantime, please help me with your Powerstones.