The day was unusually bright and sunny for an autumn day. Leaves danced through the air and collected on the grimy sidewalks and streets. The tender breeze that carried those leaves served as a deterrent to the minimal heat. There was a sense of calmness that swirled within the soft and gentle breeze.

As Tamashi stepped out of the house, he turned his head to the sky, glaring at the cotton-like clouds against the cool blue sky. As his mind began to drift towards the clouds, one thought looped through his mind.

‘Charlie and Anna. I need to find them.’

——

Savior: Original Story by OneSevenEight

Episode: Framed Perspective - Part 15

——

‘I need to talk to Charlie and Anna, but how do I do that? I can’t go near the school and I don’t have a phone. So am I just gonna have to stand around in the streets and hope they pass by at some point?’

As Tamashi thought about his next steps, he began to approach an intersection. He stopped at the light post to press the crossing button.

‘Man, that’s such a stupid idea. There’s like a one in a million chance I’ll be in the right spot at the right time. Can I even call myself friends with them if we never even really do anything together outside of school?’

He waited for the light to change. There was no traffic nearby.

‘Wow, this is a long light. It almost feels like something weird is about to happen’

Tamashi felt a gentle tap against the back of his right foot.

He looked down to find that a cucumber resting against his shoe.

‘Weeeird.’

“Excuse me, ‘Bocchan’, I seemed to have dropped my cucumber. Would you mind picking that up for me?”

Tamashi turned around to find an older-looking man standing with two grocery bags in his arms.

“Uh, sure, just let me- wait a minute, what did you just call me?”

“I don’t remember. What did I call you?”

“You called me the Japanese word for boy, the one specifically used as an insult.”

“Ah, you know Japanese?”

“A bit. I have a Japanese heritage.”

“Interesting. Do you want to help me carry my groceries home?”

Tamashi froze in place, glaring at the man with pinpointed pupils.

“Who are you, and why are you calling me Bocchan?”

“That’s great to hear! Thanks for helping me out! Alright, take this bag!”

“BUT I DIDN’T AGREE TO HELP YOU?!”

“Here you go!”

“WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!”

——

Tamashi harshly dropped the bag on the counter.

“Alright, ‘Jiji’, I carried your shit here. I’m leaving now.”

“Wow, you’re calling me a geezer? You should respect your elders, especially this elder that you should be thanking.”

“WAIT, WHY SHOULD I THANK YOU?!”

Shadows obscured the right side of the man’s face as sunlight from the nearby window radiated off his peppered hair and earth green eyes. He formed an unworldly grin.

“Because, you just hit the jackpot.”

When Tamashi locked eyes with him, the hairs on his neck began to rise.

Suddenly, Tamashi felt a small jolt of electricity in his head, as if he had been briefly electrocuted.

‘Get out of here, Tamayo. I don’t wanna deal with this guy.’

“What the hell? Now you’re messing with me too? I don’t want anything to do with your annoying ass-”

“Who are you talking to?”

“Oh, uh, I guess… I’m starting to get a headache, and I’m… uh… complaining about said headache-“

“Let me guess. Right about now, Rai’s telling you to leave. Am I correct?”

Tamashi’s eyes widened to twice their normal size.

“Huh? Wait… who’s Rai?”

The old man moved his right eyebrow up in curiosity.

“You know, Rai, the guy inside you… Wait, you never knew what his name was?”

Tamashi began to take a step back. He tripped and fell backward.

“Wait, so that guy in my mind… He isn’t some weird fever dream?”

“What? Of course not. He’s a ‘Seishin’. One of the five great elemental powers that can be used to protect or destroy the world.”

“What… is… going-“

“Alright, can do me a favor? Can you tell Rai to show himself? He can’t stay out of sight from me forever.”

Tamashi’s deep blue eyes visibly shook for a few seconds. He then closed his eyes.

“Rai, or whatever your name is, SHOW YOURSELF!”

The sound of a brash wind battered the house as Tamashi and the old man paused in silence.

“Rai? NOW YOU’RE IGNORNING ME?! GET OUT HERE!!”

The old man began to cackle.

“HA! Rai can be both extremely unpredictable and predictable. Maybe we should approach this in a different way. Maybe I should just drag him out of you by force? Yes, I think I’ll do that.”

He initiated a brisk walk towards Tamashi.

“Wait, what are you- What do you think you’re-“

“Just shut up and sit still.”

Before Tamashi could say anything more, the man was kneeling directly in front of him.

“Don’t flinch.”

“Huh?”

In the blink of an eye, he snapped his fingers, slamming the nail of his index finger against Tamashi’s head.

Tamashi felt the sensation of a large amount of pressure leaving his body through his back, as if he was in a plane experiencing rapid decompression.

Tamashi instinctivly looked behind his shoulder and his face turned into pure shock.

The white-haired clone that had been terrorizing his mind since the truck incident flew out of his back, slamming into the front door in the process.

“Wait, is that-“

“Yes, that’s him. The one and only.”

As the clone crumpled against the door, the old man began a slow walk towards him.

“It would be nice if you would stop avoiding me all the time. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a proper conversation.”

The old man towered over the manifestation as he sat slumped.

“Don’t be shy. Why don’t you look at me?”

The man moved to grab the clone’s shirt collar.

In an instant, a wave of electricity appeared, slapping the man’s arm away.

“Don’t touch me, bone bag.”

The clone lifted his head up and locked eyes with the old man.

“I’m gonna kill you.”

The old man grinned with anticipation.

“It’s great to see you, Rai.”