“Who are you?” Finnian spoke in a low tone but soon figured out that it wasn’t as low as he thought it was. He quickly covered his mouth and stole a glance at the man beside him to see the latter’s reaction. But a soft chuckle was all the response the man gave him before moving closer to the statues. The man looked to be in his early thirties but he had a slender appearance for someone at that age and in addition to it, he had quite a tall yet sloppy posture even when standing.

“Timid as you might seem, I’d always choose someone who speaks their mind to someone who keeps their intention hidden.” The man’s tone was lazy, as if not taking his words seriously in the slightest.

Finnian didn’t know who this man was nor could he understand what he was trying to say or why he was saying it in the first place. While Finnian wondered this, the man snuck a peek at the former’s shoes and smiled faintly, “Nice shoes,”

This might look like a compliment, but Finnian had gotten a lot of such ‘compliments’ to understand the underlying message. “You’re one to talk. I’m not the one moving around in flip-flops.”

Yes, the man wore flip-flops.

The man didn’t seem to have taken offense and laughed, “Not bad words for a kid your age. You have quite the personality, and here I thought only your appearance stood out.”

Finnian frowned, greatly displeased when he heard the man’s mockery. It sure was humiliating when an outsider walks up to you and says things that struck where they hurt most. Nevertheless, Finnian knew that it was true, no matter how harsh it might sound. This wasn’t the first time it had happened and it was definitely far from being the last time something like this would happen. He shook his head ruefully, “I stand out alright. I stand out so much that no one stands with me at all.”

Finnian’s reply painted an ethereal picture of how things had been for him for a while. At this point, he wasn’t seeking anyone’s pity or attention because he had long made up his mind to not get any. But sometimes, he couldn’t help but think of the kind of life it would have been if he wasn’t so ‘awkward’.

“But, aren’t things easier that way?” The man’s voice suddenly sounded out in Finnian’s ear.

“To an extent,” Finnian replied. “But it wouldn’t always be so easy all the time. And being isolated here doesn’t make things any better for us. It’s like we’re caged and used for experiments.”

“What else would you want besides that?” The man asked, “The organization is yet to find out the root cause of the incident so they’ll need you here till then. Would you rather have them release you into the world to terrorize humans?”

“What guarantee do you have that we’ll do something like that?” Finnian frowned, clearly not wanting to back down from this sudden argument.

But the man replied with a playful smile, “You might not do that, but what of the others? Can you vouch for them as well? And do you think the world out there will see you the same way again? Words can always be taken back but actions relay one's true intention. And at this point, we aren’t listening to words but acting based on protocol.”

Finnian wanted to say something to retort but was cut off by the man, “We can go on and on arguing about who is right and who is not, but that wouldn’t change anything. Maybe your entire family was relocated and you have to stay here alone. That could be why you’re bitter inside.” The man seemed to have said this carelessly and threw his face away. But when he didn’t hear Finnian’s retort after some time, he turned to see the lad with a downcast expression. The man sighed; he was unexpectedly accurate in his guess.

“Listen, kid, I’ll give you a piece of advice,” The man’s tone turned serious. “The world you know is changing. It started with this city, but ghost knows what the future will hold for anyone. However, the most important thing is to look after yourself. And to do that, you’ll need to get stronger. This might be a small town, but that was before. Now, everyone has an ability, which means the competition becomes more obvious. In the end, only the strong will have their way. It doesn’t matter how weird or lacking your ability might seem to you now, always remember that everything has a potential for growth if given the chance. The only way to come to the full knowledge of your ability is to constantly try to hone it to perfection. At that time, joining cliques and all that nonsense wouldn’t matter because you can survive with or without a group. You’ll be a weapon of your own…”

The man’s words might seem too high-handed for an 11-year-old, but they made a lot of sense. He wasn’t trying to scare Finnian either, and the latter could tell from the tone used. What reason was there to scare an 11-year-old in the first place?

After making his point, the man started to walk away, quietly as he came. Finnian was still mulling over the man’s words to the best of his capability when he jerked, seeing the man turn to leave. He fidgeted a bit before taking in a mouthful of saliva. And like someone who had just received courage from nowhere, he spoke out,

“W-Will you teach me?”

The man stopped, completely taken by surprise by Finnian’s request. He had to admit that he didn’t expect to hear something like that from a boy his age. Should boys his age want to learn in the first place?

But before the man could say anything else, Finnian followed up his request, “I might be alone here, but if things are true as you say they are, then I’d rather learn from someone who has had a first-hand experience.”

The man remained speechless the more Finnian spoke. It appeared that the latter’s last words struck a chord somewhere in his heart. He turned around with a playful yet sinister smile tugging on his lips,

“I’ll teach only on one condition, you’ll do exactly what I say…”