“What are you talking about?”
“I think I saw a flash of red over there.”
“Stop talking nonsense and let’s hurry home!”
Yan let out a heavy sigh. Red hair really was too conspicuous. He tied a rag around his head while hiding atop a stack of rice sacks, then ran and climbed onto a fruit cart headed for the city.
The cart rocked as someone climbed up to the driver’s seat. He hurried inside one of the rice sacks. The journey to the city was excruciating, so to speak. His body felt as though it were being violently shaken whenever they passed over rough, rocky roads, or as if his heart were sliding down to his ankles whenever they traveled along steep, winding paths.
Then the cart stopped, and Yan felt his body float up before being slammed down.
‘Are these sacks being dumped in a trash heap?’
He closed his eyes—and after confirming that there was no life energy within his surroundings, Yan crawled out of the sack, gasping for breath.
His eyes scanned the area. It was dark, smelly, and damp, like a storage shed for livestock feed.
The moment he took his first step, Yan felt slimy muck squish beneath his feet. He instinctively cursed.
His fingers danced, guiding a white aura to blast away the disgusting grime clinging to his feet. Then he chose to step onto the air instead. The white aura surrounded him like light—a two-year-old couldn’t help but feel proud.
‘Just as I thought. Wind really is the best fit for my first element.’
He floated toward the door, his fingers dancing again. This time, a thin strand of white aura slipped into the keyhole and forced the door open.
Yan went back to walking on his feet. Beyond the door, he found an expanse of forest. There was no sign of anyone else, as if the shed were a dumping ground at the edge of the woods.
Just as he began to relax, someone grabbed him by the back of his collar and lifted him like a cat.
“Hey, hey! Look what I found!”
Someone else came rushing over.
“Wow! How could there be a baby here?”
“Ha, haha! Who cares? We’ll get a lot for this one. Just look at how clean his skin is!”
The man behind him yanked off the cloth tied around his head, and the two of them stared wide-eyed.
“Wait... doesn’t he look like someone?”
“You’re right... His red hair looks like that woman’s, doesn’t it?”
Yan’s eyes darkened.
“Whoa, you’re right! They look exactly alike!”
The man holding him by the back of his collar like a cat leaned closer. “Hey, little baby... You’ve got terrible luck, huh? Tsk, tsk. I almost feel sorry for you.”
“Where. Is. That woman.”
The two men were startled.
“Hey, did he just angrily talk back to me?”
“I-I heard it! This baby is speaking clearly!”
Yan raised one hand. At the same time, the leaves on the trees rustled, and the air suddenly turned cold, as if it were choking the skin. A dense white aura enveloped Yan, and his caramel eyes became dark and empty.
“I asked you. Where is my mother?”
His tiny hand lowered, and sharp white blades of wind shot toward the man in front of him.
“ARGHHHHHH!!!!”
The man released his grip on Yan’s collar and rolled across the ground, clutching himself. His body felt as though it were being stabbed by a thousand needles. And that wasn’t all. Yan raised his hand again, and this time, a cloudlike mass of wind descended onto the man. His eyes widened in shock as he coughed up a torrent of blood.
“I-I can’t... I c-can’t move...”
Yan turned toward the other person, who was still standing rigidly behind him.
“Are you going to answer my question?”
The man trembled, his hands clenched tightly.
‘What did I just see?’
‘Was this baby the one who did all that?’
“You... you damn gifted! I’ll take you on!”