Shing.
...
There was only silence in the room.
Nothing happened. 'Was that a dream, again?' I slowly opened my eyes and saw the katana stopped right above my head. I tilted my head and looked at Master Khun in a daze.
'Did someone stop time?' My eyes sparkled but died after a second.
Master Khun retracted his katana and stared at me.
Master Asha came forward and said, "You are one lucky squirrel!"
'Squirrel?'
"You were given a second chance. You can live...for now." Master Asha giggled.
"So I can go back to my daily life?" I backed away from them.
"Unfortunately, not." Master Khun returned to his usual self and smiled. "You will be following us instead."
"Where are we going?" Master Jay made me wore a bracelet. 'Bracelet?' I fiddled with it.
"You'll see." Master Asha answered while checking her nails.
When they started walking, I was pulled along by the bracelet. I tried to take it off, but it got tighter on my wrist. I checked the bracelet to see any trigger to release it. "You should stop that. Doing that would only make it worse." Master Jay flicked my hands away.
"Oh yeah? What could be worse than that now?" I shook the bracelet towards Master Jay.
He grabbed my hands. "Your wrist might snap."
"... You're kidding me, right?"
Master Jay looked forward and ignored me. "..." My eyeballs rolled back, and I nearly fainted.
After that, we were silent throughout the whole journey in the dark until we reached my house. I tried to escape several times but failed. After every failed attempt to escape, I was nagged by Master Khun. Every time he nagged, he reminded me of my Ma.
[Llyne's house]
The Doctor put his tea down on the table. "Is the child alive?"
I peeked out. The Doctor smiled. "You got my message before you sliced her in half. Wonderful!"
"You have impeccable timing, The Doctor. As always." Master Asha sat on the couch and powdered her nose.
"Is everything done, The Doctor?"
"Ah, yes, Master Khun. To be honest, I was surprised when you left an engineering job to a doctor. How did you expect me to complete this job when I have zero knowledge of it?"
"It was just an installing job. Since you stayed behind, I thought we could save some time by having a genius doctor such as yourself to install it."
"Well, if you say so, Master Khun. I do hope it functions properly."
Master Khun moved to the centre of the living room and started pressing something in the air.
"What is he doing? Playing with the air?" I whispered to Master Jay.
"Each of us has a specially designed system which can be used and seen by us, Scorpions only. Depending on which department you are from and your rank, the features in the system will be different. For example, those belonging to the IT department are in charge of handling information and delegating missions to other Scorpions. Other departments do not have the same features as the IT department. Ranks are also important. Not all ranks in the IT department can handle information or delegate missions. The higher your rank, the more features there are in your system. Of course, there are some default features like your personal information, inventory, points, and more." Master Jay explained in detail.
I was in awe when Master Jay explained. It's just like those RPG games I love to play.
Suddenly, a bright light shined in the middle of the room. I turned towards the bright light and saw a giant black hole forming. "It seems the portal device was installed properly." Master Khun was pleased. "Shall we, now?" Master Khun looked at me.
I was baffled. I couldn't speak or walk. 'A portal? Like in movies? Was it already invented at this time? I thought it needed another century or more for a breakthrough.' Master Jay picked me up like a sandbag and carried me into the portal. I closed my eyes and mouth as we entered.
When I opened my eyes, it was broad daylight. The sun was shining, the sky was crystal clear, and we were standing in the middle of a buzzing market. It seemed like we came at the wrong time when the market was at its peak. Although the market was packed, no one came close to us. It seems as though they were afraid of us.
I whispered to Master Jay, "Why are they standing so far away from us?"
"'Cause no one wants to make Master Khun angry. Once he gets angry, heads start to fly, and no one can stop him except the Grand Master."
"Ouish~" I shifted away from Master Khun and hid behind Master Jay.
While Master Jay guided me somewhere else, I looked around the market. The market sold lots of stuffs, vegetables, clothes, fruits, food, medicines, accessories, and more. All of the items were unique and cheap. I also saw people pushing each other and bargaining with the sellers for cheaper price items. I could see buyers smiling from ear to ear when they managed to bargain down the items. On the other hand, the sellers were very busy bargaining, refilling, and packing the items. None of the stalls were empty.
While walking through the huge market, Master Jay asked me. "That boy, he's with you, right?"
I cocked my head. "You mean, Lyndall?"
Suddenly, Lyndall jumped out of nowhere. "You called me, Llyne?" Lyndall jumped around in excitement.
"Lyndall! You're here!" I exclaimed.
"Lyndall? That's his name?" Master Jay gave me a disgusted look.
"You got any better name? Besides, he wants my name in there, too."
Master Jay stared at Lyndall. Lyndall didn't notice Master Jay's stare and was jumping from stall to stall.
"You can see Lyndall, Master Jay? You know him?"
"I can see, but I...I don't know that boy." Master Jay had a sorrowful face.
'Now that I think about it, Master Jay had been acting strange ever since Lyndall appeared. Besides me, he was the only one who could see him. Maybe something happened between the two of them. Maybe Lyndall knows.'
"Lyndall? I got something to ask you." Lyndall appeared out of thin air.
"Sure. Sure." Lyndall's face was filled with crumbs. "Munch. Munch. Munch." He was like a little chipmunk, stuffing his face with food.
I was shocked. "Where you get the mon-."
Lyndall tilted his head.
"Oh, never mind that, I was wondering if you recognize that red-haired gunman."
Lyndall shook his head.
"No? Nothing? Na-dah?" I asked again. Lyndall shook his head.
'Should I ask Master Jay?' I looked at Master Jay. He was checking his gun. '...Wouldn't want to disturb him.' I continued following Master Jay.
Crossing the market, we arrived in front of a giant gate made of steel. The gate was heavily guarded by big-built men equipped with heavy armour. At least 50 men were patrolling around the gates and walls. They would stop anyone from entering the gate before they had checked and approved your documents. If they found any suspicious-looking documents, they would silently bring you to another room in the walls and interrogate you. Or torture?
"The wall is soundproofed. No one can hear any sound coming out of the wall." Master Asha grinned.
'She knows what I'm thinking?!!' I started sweating, and my legs were shaking.
Master Asha laughed and walked away.
"Just ignore her." Master Jay placed his hand on my head and reassured me.
I calmed down and looked to my left and right of the wall. I saw no end of the huge long wall. Unlike normal walls built with bricks, the walls they used were made of steel-like structures. It looked very sturdy... and gothic.
"The wall was built since this place was founded. It had never fallen before and witnessed many battles throughout its time." Master Khun approached us.
"It's made of steel and not bricks? It's not hot under the sun?" I poked the wall.
"Steel? Maybe so. All I know is that it is a special material our ancestors found during their time. There was no record stating if it was pure or alloy and where it came from." Master Khun was fiddling around in the air again. "Well, it's time we split up. This gentleman here will show you the way." Master Khun stepped aside, and a tall brute appeared in front of me.
"Ouiii?" I was speechless. I thought my life flashed before my eyes. "Aren't I going with you guys?"
Master Khun shook his head. "No. Only after you've become a Scorpion can you enter through the gate." Master Khun walked through the gate, followed by Master Asha.
Master Jay grabbed my hand. "Try not to die, brat." He released his hand and walked through the gate. I felt something in my hand. 'Hmm? What's this?'
Suddenly, the tall brute man grabbed my arm and dragged me away.
"Hey! Where are you bringing me?" I screamed.
"Somewhere worse than hell, kiddo. HAHAHAHAHA!" He cackled like a witch.
My face turned pale, so I tried to do everything I could to get out of there. I tried hitting, kicking, and biting his hand, but he wouldn't loosen his grip. I even tried to shout out for help, but everyone ignored me. All of a sudden, I saw something shiny on a man walking towards us. 'Bingo!'. I took a glance at the brute man to make sure he was not facing my way. Just as we walked past, I stole the knife and wanted to stab the brute man. My mind went blank all of a sudden. I shook my head and saw a huge tunnel in front, I had a feeling I should hold onto the knife tight if I wanted to live longer. 'Oh boy. This ain't good at all.'