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The boiling rain slid right off.
Hunter stared at his hand. He could feel the heat from the droplets but it didn’t burn him. They slid off like it was nothing, leaving no marks, like he had outstretched his arm into a spray of regular water.
He stepped out from under the shield, silently praying for this to be some kind of trick, but the rest of his body was no different. The droplets hissed as they landed, but he felt no pain. It was like his skin was made for this, made to withstand the heat of boiling rain, boiling seas.
He looked around. The rest of the world continued on as it normally would in a boiling rainstorm. Plants wilted. His clothes were steaming.
It was just him. He alone remained unaffected.
Hunter looked back at his hands, at his body, suddenly so foreign even though he’d seen it every day of his life.
It was true.
Hunter fell to his knees, and then onto his hands. The rain slid over his back.
His skin once belonged to a selkidamas. His heart was a galderstone. His cartilage was made of palistrum wood.
He wasn’t a powerless witch. He wasn’t even a witch.
He wasn’t born.
He was made.
Someone made him.
And he had all the proof he needed right here.
They found him sometime later, sitting curled up in the middle of the yard, the rain still pouring down from overhead.
“Hunter?” Luz said gently. He didn’t so much as twitch.
“You should come back inside, kid.” Eda stated.
“Why?” His tone was dry, flat, monotonous, “It’s not like the rain is doing anything.”
“You could catch a cold.” Luz tried. “It happens when you stand out in the rain back home.”
“The rain’s hot. I can’t get cold from being hot.”
“I think it’s more about being wet, actually.”
“Seklidamas live in the boiling sea. That shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Oh,” Eda watched him for a moment, unsure of what to say. “Look, kid, it doesn’t matter what you’re made of-
“I shouldn’t be made of anything!” Hunter interrupted, curling in on himself. “I should be a witch! But I’m not, am I? I’m some kind of freak abomination completely under the delusion that it’s a person like everyone else!” He hiccuped on half a sob, the first indication that he’d been crying. “I never had parents. I don’t even have a family. Someone made me out of spare parts and they didn’t even bother to let me know.”
Luz reached a hand out, wanting to comfort him, but a drop of the boiling rain hit her finger and she snatched it back instinctively.
“Hunter, don’t say that. You’re still a person, no matter what.”
He didn’t respond.
“Luz,” Eda said quietly, placing a hand on the young girl’s shoulder. “Let’s just give him some time. We can’t get to him until the rain stops anyway.”
Luz looked at Eda teary eyed, back at Hunter curled up in the rain, and then nodded to herself and marched back inside.
“She’s right, y’know.” Eda called to Hunter. “I don’t know what you’re going through but I’ve met my fair share of oddballs. Nothing, not their quirks, not their origins, nothing, make them or you any less of a valued living being.”
He stayed motionless on the grass. Eda looked at him for a long moment and then turned back to the house.
Luz barreled past her with a battle cry, her witches cloak draped over her like a shield.
“Luz!” Eda cried, but it was too late, the human had already ran past the edge of the protective spell and into the boiling rain.
Hunter looked up quickly upon hearing the slapping of her footsteps coming towards him.
“What are you doing!?” He yelled in alarm.
“You are a person, you are valued and you are coming inside!” Luz insisted as she reached Hunter. Some drops of rain made it past her makeshift umbrella and splashed onto her ankles from the ground. She winced at the contact but didn’t retreat.
“You’re going to get fried!”
“Come inside then!”
“Are you seriously ransoming your well-being on this?”
“If it gets through your thick skull then yes!” Luz crouched down, hoping to shelter more of herself with her cloak, her ankles were already definitely burnt. “I know this sucks and you’re hurting but I care about you and I’m not going to let you wallow in the mud during a boiling rainstorm!”
Hunter stared at her with his mouth open, and then a drip of rain made it through Luz’ cloak and onto her face. She hissed at the burn and looked up at where it came from. The fabric was becoming too waterlogged to repel the rain any further.
“For Titan’s sake, go inside!” Hunter exclaimed, jumping to his feet and shielding Luz partially with his own body, almost pushing her to go faster as they ran back under the spell shield.
Luz dropped her cloak as soon as they crossed the threshold, it was steaming from the rain and hot to the touch.
“Are you insane!?” Hunter yelled at Luz as Eda rushed to check her over for burns.
“Got you inside.” Luz responded proudly.
“You also fried your ankles.” Eda pointed out sternly. “Sit down, now. I need to get some potions.” With that she retreated further into the house.
“What were you thinking!?” Hunter pushed Luz to sit on the couch before she could move there herself. “Do you not know what happens to people in the boiling rain!? I was fine! You could have gotten yourself killed!”
“I was thinking that my friend was in a bad place and needed a little push.”
“So, So you nearly boiled yourself alive!?”
“Obviously. Weren’t you paying attention?”
Hunter groaned. “You’re insane, you know that?” He stared at the doorway Eda left through, waiting for her to come back. He glanced back at Luz and said softly, “Thanks, though. I guess.”
“Anytime, buddy.”
“No! Never do that again! I swear to Titan, Luz.”