Chapter 10: Only Human (Part One)

The sky was raining sideways when Chester strolled up to the miserable-looking tent sitting conspicuously in the middle of the forest.

It was still smack in the middle of summer, but with the blistering heat came sudden and heavy thunderstorms. He didn’t know how the science worked, nor did he ever care. School was just a formality to his family anyway; the only career he was allowed to dream of was being in the upper echelons of the Union Of Magus.

Wet plopping sounds squelched as he trudged through mud, Liam close behind him. Their waterproofing spell worked well enough to keep them dry, but the soil had long turned into mush. Chester grumbled under his breath, making a mental note to clean his shoes afterwards.

The huge white tent standing in front of the boys looked no less miserable than the skies. Plastic strained against the ropes that held it down in the howling wind. Loose flaps of fabric flapped around pathetically, threatening to come off any moment.

Chester ignored them, feeling the invisibility charm wash over his body as he stepped into the tent.

He found the Kappa’s container after two short minutes of walking through the winding hallways. Purple sparks left the boy’s fingers as he snapped them resoundingly. They flitted around before choosing to land gracefully on the sleek metal. The container morphed into a glass bowl.

It was simple enough, easily mistaken for an oversized fish tank. The only unusual thing was the water swirling within, which seemed to change colour every few seconds. The boy pulled out an ornate box and tossed it into the tank.

A bluish-green substance diffused into the water as the box burst open, promptly making the whole tank look like it was covered in algae. It swirled around for a few seconds before being sucked back in by something, revealing the Kappa now swimming happily in its makeshift river.

Chester smiled quietly to himself. Two days down, two Yokai found. If they kept this pace up, he’d be able to return all four Yokai just in time before they had to be shipped back.

A familiar clacking of heels caught his attention. He didn’t have to look to tell who it was. Chester turned around excitedly.

“I got the Kappa, Mum!” he said. “That’s two down, two to go!”

Ava Watson frowned as her shoulders drooped slightly. Concern filled Chester; he hadn’t noticed how tired his mother had been looking ever since she had to take over the Yokai migration project. The boy stepped forward eagerly—

“Only two?”

Chester froze.

“Only— Do you know how many days we have left to return them?” Ava sighed in exasperation as her voice raised sharply. “How can you still be taking your own sweet time to find them? Have you two no sense of urgency? What are you kids even doing?”

The boy flinched, but anger possessed his eyes immediately.

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“How… dare you…” Magic fizzled around his clenched fists. “We have been at this all by ourselves for two days, and we’ve already caught two of them. We’re only human; what more do you want?”

“I want you to stop being so useless!” the woman yelled. “Only human? That’s not an excuse! Do you know how much pressure we’re under? You already screwed things up for our family. The least you can do is help us! Our work is important—”

“Dammit, this again?!” Chester shook with emotion. “All I hear from you is work. Is it really that important to you? Is this damn society everything to you? What about our family? I was happy back home; I was happy in London! But you just up and dragged me halfway across the world just because the union told you to do so. Did you ever stop to think that I didn’t like it?!”

The boy heaved as he glared at his mother, resentment threatening to explode from his body. He wanted her to yell back. He wanted her to argue, to defend herself. To show that she at least acknowledged how he felt, even if she could not oblige him. He needed something. Anything.

Ava rolled her eyes instead.

“I can’t believe how childish you still are. You don’t like it? I don’t care.” Her exasperated hiss came out sharper than the thinnest knife. “Be grateful. You’re a Magus because of us. You have your magic because of us. And we have a House because of the Union. Grow up, boy. We do what we must for the sake of our duty. It’s the least we owe them. So stop complaining, you useless—”

“Shut up! Shut! Up!”

“What—”

A resounding crash shook the entire tent.

“Chester—”

Chester swung Liam’s hand away from his shoulder. His own hand was still throbbing with pain, his face burning with both anger and embarrassment. But he couldn’t care less about anything now.

His mother’s eyes were darting from him to the huge crack in the wall. Chester could see disbelief swirling along with anger in them. The most satisfying part? There was also the slightest hint of fear. It almost made him smile.

Magic fizzled around his entire body as the boy stomped up to the woman. She was putting up a good show of standing her ground, but Chester could already sense latent magic swirling around her body in anticipation of his next move.

“What do you think you’re doing, boy?” Ava narrowed her eyes, staring up at her glowering son. “Are you going to raise a hand against your mother now?”

Chester did not deign to answer. The dark purple glow in his palm intensified sharply as he raised his hand with a murderous look in his eyes. And then he swung down hard.

There was a horrifying moment of silence.

The boy swivelled on his feet sharply as the familiar sound of glass cracking reached his ears. Commotion erupted as the Magus struggled to catch the Kappa escaping from its broken container.

“Chester Luca Watson, come back here right this instant!” The unholy shrieking from behind grated his ears, but he ignored it. “Oi! Where do you think you’re going? You better fix this right now!”

The boy stopped walking momentarily before tilting his body slightly to the side.

“I’m useless, aren’t I? Fix it yourself.”