RLRD Chapter 5

Chapter 5 A close encounter. 

Kyro was grappling with the surreal reality of his survival. Moments ago, he was on the brink of death – his bones shattered, his body mangled in ways unimaginable, metal shards from the car embedded in his back. Yet, he found the strength to stand and run, his legs barely cooperating, his body aching with each step.

Staggering into an alleyway that spilled onto a busy street, Kyro gasped for air, his hands on his knees. He touched the wall beside him, ensuring its solidity, feeling its rough texture under his fingers. Sliding down against it, he collapsed to the ground, overwhelmed.

"I was about to say we're far enough from that creature," Slith's voice echoed in his mind, a hint of relief in his tone.

Kyro examined his hand, stained with dried blood, and noticed more blood on his shirt, evidence of his traumatic experience.

"I should be dead," he murmured, the words barely a whisper. The improbability of his survival weighed heavily on him, a mix of confusion and awe at what had just transpired. His mind swirled with questions about his own resilience and the mysterious force that had enabled him to escape certain death.

“I should be dead.”

"Yes, you should be dead. And now that I've saved your life twice, I think a 'thank you' is in order," Slith replied.

Kyro reflected on the recent events. He vividly remembered the creature's blow, a strike that should have been fatal. Oddly, there was no immediate pain, but the agony followed moments later. The force of the attack alone should have ended his life, and if not that, then certainly the severity of his injuries. Yet, here he was, alive and breathing.

Thinking back, he recalled the sensation of his body repairing itself. His bones realigned, his chest expanded freely, all his injuries reversing just like they had in the hospital. A burning sensation had engulfed him, and then, as if by magic, he was not just healed, but felt stronger than ever before.

It dawned on Kyro that his recovery was not just a return to normalcy. His body had undergone a transformation, leaving him in a state that surpassed his previous physical condition. This realization filled him with a mixture of awe and uncertainty about the newfound capabilities within him.

"Are you saying you did this, you healed my body again?" Kyro was checking all over to see if there were any other wounds. "You're really not just some made-up voice in my head."

"I already told you, I am one of the strongest beings that ever existed. Doing something like this, healing you from your wounds, is the least I can do," Slith replied.

Thinking back to the monster, Kyro couldn’t imagine ever fighting against a large creature like that again. Even if he was a Purger. He had envisioned himself with powers doing it, like some type of video game.

But the reality of the situation, and actually facing it, were two different things. Thinking back to the beast, the image of the crushed woman came back in his head.

"Ergh!" Kyro was sweating, and his gag reflex had activated. He soon stopped himself, shaking his head. He couldn't think of that image, think about what had happened; it was making him queasy and lightheaded.

After a few moments to himself, he looked at the sun; it was slowly starting to set and in about two hours it would be dark. He needed to return soon. His clothes were ruined and destroyed, and he didn't exactly have money to get new ones either.

'I'm going to have to figure this out when I get back,' Kyro thought.

Heading home, there were a few people who gave him odd looks here and there. A couple of people had even asked him about it, to which his response was that he was just playing a zombie in a school project they were doing.

It explained the ripped clothes and the blood; people seemed to believe him. Especially since they could see no visible wounds on his body. Heading on his way back, Kyro finally wanted to say a few things that were on his mind.

"Thanks for helping me," Kyro answered. "I still can't comprehend everything. I have no clue what's going on, or how my body could even do something like that. But I have to ask, if you can do something like heal me, then couldn't you have given me the power to deal with that thing back there, to take down that monster?"

There was an ulterior thought to Kyro's question. The ripped clothes; he needed to get new clothes somehow. Although, the idea of becoming a purger that fought monsters went out of his head.

He still thought, maybe he could do something to earn a bit of income for them.

"I thought about it myself, but your body, it's not strong enough," Slith answered. "I already used up a lot of energy healing you originally. That took up more of my powers because I was changing your body's state to something more permanent.

"Back then, I used my energy just to heal you, but I still need to wait to gather back my energy myself. Even then, your body, it’s weak."

"Ah, thanks for that," Kyro replied.

“No, I mean all human bodies are weak. Do you think that you could take the energy that was meant to be in the body of a dragon and really use it in that little flesh body of yours? But it does make me wonder, when I saw that girl, and the Purgers.

"Their bodies seem to be slightly different. If I was put into a body like that, then maybe they could take more of my powers. Maybe, that’s what happened to…”

Slith's voice trailed off, which was quite an odd feeling because Kyro could hear him in his mind, yet it had turned close to silence.

“I’m sorry I’m not a Purger,” Kyro answered. “And I’m sorry that you seem to be stuck with me, just like my family is as well.”

—

Returning home, Kyro quickly opened the door. He could hear his parents were busy cooking; there wasn’t much time, so he needed to bolt to his room, which he did. Once in the room, he could finally change into some clothes that wouldn’t scare his parents half to death.

“What are you sneaking around like a thief for in your own home?” Slith commented.

“If they see me like this, or find out what happened, they’ll never let me out of the house again. The first day I go out, after being able to leave the hospital, and this happens. No, I just want them to live a happy peaceful life.”

Those words spoken by Kyro, they had resonated with Slith a bit.

‘I have heard those words a lot…in the past…when things are peaceful, then we can rest.’

Kyro returned to his parents for the rest of the evening. They continued on as if nothing had happened, and news of what had occurred didn’t seem to reach their ears. Everything else was normal from there, that was apart from Kyro himself.

When returning to his bedroom to sleep, he knew he should have died, his life would have been lost back there, and yet it hadn’t been.

'In normal situations, an experience like that would be a chance for someone to awaken into a Purger, but I guess it’s not the same for me.'

“And why would you need a Purger when you have me? I’m stronger than any Purger, I keep telling you that!” Slith commented.

“Yes, and you have also told me that I can’t even use your powers. That’s like having the world’s biggest muscles but not being able to lift anything.”

“That’s a very strange example to use,” Slith replied back, but decided to keep quiet and try to lessen his bragging of the past. His mind was filled with something else after today’s events.

The next day when they woke up bright and early, Kyro exited his room and noticed that the TV was on. His mother was busy away cooking breakfast this time, but his father’s eyes were glued to the TV.

Turning his head, the image that was on the screen set his heartbeat into a frenzy.

“That magic box, it’s showing where we were yesterday!” Slith said.

It was true, there were news reporters right outside the convenience store, and not just that, right now there was someone else on screen that had been brought on for an interview.

“Thankfully, the beast was quickly dealt with, by none other than the S rank Purger, Arlet Spring!” the reporter said with great excitement in her voice.

Soon, going onto the screen, was the same Purger they had seen. The one that possibly had saved their lives.

‘Ah, so she made it… that’s good at least,’ Kyro breathed a sigh of relief.

The report continued, mainly asking questions about how Arlet was able to defeat such a creature. They went into details, but the report kept bringing up a certain word that was bugging Slith.

‘On this magic box, why do they keep referring to the woman we met yesterday as, an S Rank Purger?’

‘Didn’t you say Purgers existed during your time? Did they not have rankings back then?’ Kyro thought. ‘Well, you see, when someone unlocks their Purger powers, their powers get tested.

'Every Purger’s powers are slightly different, and even if they are the same, the strength between them can change. At times, Purgers' powers can increase, but you see, governments, corporations, and countries, they all like to show off their Purgers, which is why a rating system was made.

‘The ranks go from E to A, and then above that, there are the S ranks. It means they are the strongest Purgers that exist today. This is also due to the rank’s of the skills they use as well.’

“Ha!” Slith laughed out so loud, it felt like someone had stabbed Kyro in the head. “If they had this ranking system back then, then I would be L.”

“L for what, loser? Loser Rank?” Kyro replied.

“No, you idiot, L Rank for Legendary. I would be the Legendary Ranked Dragon.”

Kyro couldn’t help but pull a face. Although Slith had done some amazing things, they were nothing compared to the S ranked Purgers he had seen; there was nothing legendary about this dragon apart from his bragging skills so far, and his healing abilities.

Still, Kyro was getting used to it, and couldn’t help but smile; he enjoyed having Slith’s company.

“Hurry up, you two, and let’s go eat some breakfast. You need to make sure you're well rested today for tomorrow,” his mother said.

As Kyro approached the table in the kitchen, which was literally two steps from the living area, he looked at his mother with a raised eyebrow.

“Tomorrow?”

“Yes, tomorrow. It will be your first day at school.”