Chapter 24: Ami's new friend
In a forest, two children, a boy and a girl, were holding hands and playing.
Ami: ..... ..... ....... ... .....?
Boy: I don't understand? (he shook his head while answering)
Ami: ...... ! ....... ...... .
Ami said something to the boy and then led him to a house in her village.
Ami: Mr. Rakam! Are you home?
A voice echoed from inside.
Rakam: What is it, Ami?
Ami: I need your help with something.
The door slowly opened, and an Elf man stepped out in front of the two children. He was about 1.8 meters tall, appearing like a human man around 30-40 years old, but for an Elf, he might have been several hundred years old.
Rakam: Oh, sweet Ami. What do you need from me? (he sat down and looked at Ami as he asked)
Ami: I want you to use magic to help him understand our language, can you? (as she spoke, she pointed towards the boy)
Rakam: Who is this human boy?
Ami: My friend.
Rakam: Oh, our Ami... . . All right, since you've asked, I'll help.
Rakam turned to talk to the boy.
Rakam: Why are you here, boy?
Boy: "He knows my language too?" (he thought)
Boy: She brought me here.
Rakam: What??!!
Rakam: Ami, did you kidnap someone???
Ami: No!!! I saved him from the abyss at the edge of the forest across from us. He seemed lost, so I brought him here. You said he's lost his memory!
Rakam: Hahaha, I see. I misunderstood you. I'm sorry. So, did he tell you how to resolve this?
Ami: He said he would let him stay here.
Rakam: Hmmmm.... Wait here. And you, come inside with me.
Rakam led the boy inside the house, leaving Ami to wait outside.
While performing the spell to give the boy the ability to understand the Elvish language, Rakam's mind was filled with thoughts.
Rakam: "This is surely a good thing for you, Ami. But one day, he will still have to leave. I hope by then, you won't be too heartbroken." (he thought)
Rakam: I hope you can become a good friend to Ami, boy.
Boy: You seem to care about her a lot. What are you to her?
Rakam: Me?
Rakam: "What am I to Ami? Perhaps I'm nothing to her." (he thought)
Rakam: We're just friends, like you.
Boy: You seem very close to her though. Maybe you could call each other family.
Rakam: Family, huh?
About 30 minutes later, the boy stepped out of the house. Ami immediately ran over to ask him questions, possibly having wandered around the house while waiting.
Ami: Hey, can you understand what I'm saying now? Hey!! Hey!!
Boy: Umm, yes.
Ami: That's awesome!!! Hahaha!! Yay!!
Ami: Where's Mr. Rakam? Why didn't he come out with you?
Boy: I don't know.
Ami: Hmm....
Ami: Thank you so much, Mr. Rakam. I'm really grateful.
Ami: Let's go!
Boy: Where are we going?
Ami: We're going to play.
Ami led him on a tour of her forest. Throughout the journey, she talked to him happily and kept a smile on her face.
Ami: My name is Ami, and this forest is my home, Apat Forest.
Boy: Ami.
Ami: Yes, that's right!
Ami: You've lost your memory, so I guess you can't remember your name. When we get back, I'll ask him to give you a new name.
Ami: Hey, let's go over there.
Suddenly, they saw some Elf soldiers patrolling. Ami grabbed the boy's hand and hid in a nearby bush to watch them.
Ami: Do you see those people?
Boy: Yes, I see them.
Ami: Don't go near them, they don't like humans.
Boy: What about you? Why do you care about me so much?
Ami: We're friends, and friends always care for each other, right?
The boy nodded in agreement.
Ami: All right, I'm tired. Let's go back to my grandpa's place; he'll arrange a place for you to stay. My house doesn't have any empty rooms, so we might have to sleep together. Are you excited?
Boy: Uh, yeah, excited...
Ami: Let's go home.
The two children arrived at a large tree.
Ami: You don't have wings, do you? What should we do... Ah!! Let's try this.
Ami spread her wings from her back and flew a little above the boy.
Ami: Grab onto my leg.
Boy: Like this?
Ami: Hold on tight. We're flying now.
Boy: Aaaa!!!
They flew just a little before both fell. At that moment, someone slowly approached.
Oga: What are you two up to?
Ami: Grandpa, I wanted to take him up to the house.
Oga: With those tiny, fragile wings?
Ami: I... I had no other choice. (she looked upset)
Oga: You go up first. I'll carry him up.
Ami: Yes!
Ami flew up to the treehouse, and after that, Oga carried the boy up.
Ami: Let me introduce you, this is my house.
The house was fixed to the large tree's trunk. From the outside, it looked like a ball of leaves, making it hard to notice. Inside, it had enough furniture and decorations, and it was quite spacious.
Ami: Grandpa, can he sleep with me?
Oga: Sure.
Ami: Yay!!
Oga: From now on, we'll call you Amai, boy. How do you feel about that?
Boy: Amai.
Ami: It's a beautiful name, just like mine!
Oga: I'll prepare dinner, you two go play upstairs.
Ami: Let's go, Amai.