Niko and the others finally arrived at the store while enjoying a candy courtesy of Mylo, including Sevika who had intended to refuse, but a glance from Niko after seeing Mylo's kindness changed her mind.
The appearance of the store from the outside was... well, old and brown, much like the room inside. There were small cracks here and there, dirt everywhere, and the metal door was somewhat rusted, but at least it was large.
The children looked at the store in amazement, declaring it their new hideout. If Niko knew about this, a headache would be the least of his worries.
"Well, everyone, this is my humble store. Let's get to work."
They began unloading the wood and bringing things inside. A few minutes later, Niko told them to sit on the floor to rest while he went to make a counter.
But as usual, stubborn as ever, they followed him to the forge room.
He needed the hammer and preferred to work in a more enclosed space, so to speak. The forge room was larger than the other, but it seemed smaller to him. It was strange for him to explain it.
He stood in the middle of the room and closed his eyes. To his left were the others looking at him, in front of him were the furnace and the anvil. Behind him was the door, and to his right, near him, were the materials and some small cubes of primary colors along with others of black and white.
He began to imagine how to decorate the counter.
With a red base, he thought that combining it with blue and using white spider web patterns in the decoration would attract too much attention when he made his debut as Spider-Man.
So he opted for gold, something similar to Iron-Man, which would be visually appealing. He also thought of using the same color combination for the exterior of the store.
"Vi, why is Niko closing his eyes, does he have gas?"
"It's called concentrating, Powder."
Niko heard this and couldn't help but laugh while holding his hands to his stomach.
After a few seconds, he stopped and wiped the tears from his eyes, pushing the hair that usually covers his face to the sides. When he finally looked back at the others, he saw them staring at him, especially Powder, who had slightly flushed cheeks, which he assumed was because he laughed at what she said.
Instantly, a blush of embarrassment covered his cheeks and ears, so he quickly turned with a cough as he began to imagine the design of the counter.
Meanwhile, the children began to whisper among themselves, and Sevika listened in from the side.
"...Did you see that? Niko is handsome, very handsome..." "...His eyes and that scar on his mouth make him look terrifying, but cool..." "...He doesn't look bad..."
Sevika didn't know why, but she nodded somewhat proudly.
Powder, on the other hand, had her head down and her ears red. Vi, who saw this up close, couldn't help but laugh a little.
Niko, completely unaware of what was happening, finished the mental design of the counter and turned around.
"Does anyone have a flathead screwdriver or something similar? If not, no problem."
Ekko quickly pulled out a metal one and offered it to him.
"Here, bro."
"Thanks, Ekko."
Niko noticed Ekko's facial expression change slightly and made a mental note: 'Always return the 'bro''.
"Sistema, is the last ability I got activatable or passive?"
[One moment, host]
[Flow: The host enters a state of extreme concentration where instincts take control of the body]
[Ability Type: Active / Applicable to any situation]
[Disadvantages: When activating the ability, the action must be completed entirely. If forcibly stopped before completing the action, a great mental burden will fall on the user.]
Niko found it quite useful and thanked the system.
Then, he grabbed some planks and the hammer, and using the screwdriver, he placed it on a red plank and began to hammer it. Wood chips fell to the floor as he gave them shapes and elegant touches.
When he stopped to catch his breath, the rest who were watching him regained consciousness, they had been immersed in Niko's work. Powder approached him and handed him a handkerchief.
"What are you doing, Niko?"
"Mmm, does anyone have something to draw on and a pencil or some graphite?"
This time, it was Claggor and Mylo who brought out the materials. Niko thanked them as he grabbed a pencil and a crumpled piece of paper, then picked up one of the wooden pieces to use as support and started to draw.
"Acting, blacksmithing, inventing, carpentry and now drawing? It would be the height of it all if you also knew how to fight."
Vi remarked, and Sevika shot Vi a slightly amused smile.
"Don't forget I also know how to clean, cook, and be pitiful. And done" Niko responded with a smirk as he finished the design and handed it to Powder.
"That's a preview of what I have planned."
[IMG here]
The five of them gathered around Powder, who was examining the sketch closely. "This is really good."
"And it looks too realistic, if someone told me it was a photograph, I'd believe it."
Niko happily turned around at the compliments and, after a few moments, got up and headed towards the woods.
"Listen to me for a moment, please. I'll say something important. I'm going to start building the counter and I won't be able to attend to you until I finish because I'll be focused. If anyone needs anything, say it now."
Niko nodded, and seeing that no one spoke up, he activated Flow.
Niko's eyes clouded over and his posture relaxed, then with superhuman movements, he started to move his hands.
He mixed the red and blue colors to make violet, then added yellow and white to achieve gold. He easily lifted the boards and sanded them.
Suddenly, he began to take in air, and his lungs expanded unnaturally. When he stopped, the size of his chest had doubled, and he blew, creating a strong gust of wind that made the wood shavings disappear.
Then he grabbed the brush and in less than a minute, he had painted everything with red and gold before proceeding to nail it all together.
"Phew, that was easy."
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?"
Niko looked at Ekko, who yelled, and saw everyone looking at him strangely. Before he could even ask, Powder and Ekko ran over and started poking his chest.
"Hey, that's, wow. HEY, THAT'S HARASSMENT, PERVERTS!"
Suddenly, Vi rushed over and gave Niko a strong punch to the head that he couldn't dodge. Why couldn't he dodge it?
'Why couldn't I dodge it?'
No idea, well, Niko was confused about why they were confused, so he asked them. And it was Ekko again who spoke up.
"What the hell, bro, your chest got bigger, you looked like an upside-down pear."
"That was a good one haha. Well, I breathed a lot."
"That's not an explanation."
"Don't care bro, I still have to make the sign... AND STOP TOUCHING ME!"
Niko pushed Powder and Ekko away, grabbed the paints and brushes, and headed to some leftover planks, sitting on the floor.
He thought of something simple and that didn't bear his name. He didn't overthink it and wrote a sign with the words 'The Last Forge'.
Vi approached him and looked at the sign.
"Very original, I wonder where you got that from."
"You're very good at hiding your irony, Violet."
"Don't call me that, I don't like it, call me Vi."
"I know, but I like teasing you, Violet."
Niko put on the most conceited smile he could muster, finally managing to dodge Vi's punch.
"...Idiot, we need to talk."
Vi really couldn't stand that face, she was gearing up for a second punch.
"You sound like a broken record repeating the same thing over and over."
"That's because you don't give me a straight answer, genius."
"Touché, I'll stick with 'genius.'"
He quickly left with the sign in his hand and left it to dry leaning against the wall.
"I have some extra money so I'll go get some metal, stay here, I'll be back. Someone has to watch the shop, so if anyone follows me..."
Niko didn't finish the sentence, letting everyone get the message, and left the shop.
Being in the center of the Merchant District, the area was anything but dull. His shop was on the corner of the street, with a restaurant to his left and a tailor's shop opposite.
There were stalls on the streets, either from wandering merchants or merchants without a shop, and the streets were crowded with people. Walking about three streets to the right, while dodging the crowd, he finally found a fairly large materials store he had seen when he was carrying the cart.
The exterior looked quite large, with a sign that read 'The Mineral Emporium,' the store he needed.
He entered through the door, but not before pulling his hair back to show more of his face, knowing that if he covered it too much, he might be treated like a kid trying to steal.
Inside, he could see a large counter with two receptionists, a man and a woman both in their 40s, attending to a man who looked twice their age, and behind him, a muscular woman.
Niko got in line behind the woman, observing the minerals displayed on the walls near the counter, for safety. There were wooden crates on the sides of the room, closed so he didn't know what was inside.
About two minutes later, they finished attending to the woman, who seemed to have come to make a deal to sell them materials from the mine she had just acquired.
Both receptionists organized papers and began to look around in case there was anyone else to attend to.
When they were sure there wasn't, they approached and started to intertwine their hands as their faces got closer. A cough startled them, interrupting their approach and directing their gaze downwards, where they could see a somewhat embarrassed Niko looking away.
"...Good morning, I'm Niko, do you have alloys like aluminum or stainless steel for sale? If not, I'll buy iron or titanium."
The woman blushed and looked away in embarrassment, but the man, though also embarrassed by the boy, remained professional and showed a serious face.
"Good morning to you too, customer Niko, I'm Mark, and unfortunately for you, this store only has minerals, as our name indicates. We had plenty of titanium, but someone else bought it recently. But don't worry, we still have some iron, zinc, and we also received a large shipment of copper recently."
Niko wasn't sad about the alloys because he expected it, but what caught his attention was something else.
"Excuse me, how come you had plenty of titanium?"
"How did we have it? Well, titanium is abundant in all existing regions, it is easily extracted, but few can work with it due to its difficulty, which means no one buys it."
"Excuse me again, for asking, but how is it easily extracted?"
"Well... by extracting it? In the mines, there are piles of pure titanium minerals."
'Pure titanium mineral? I think I'm going to faint again.'
"Thank you for telling me. Could you tell me the price of iron per kilo and also of copper, please?"
Niko had obtained 90 coins from the thugs, spent 60 on materials and 10 on Mylo's candies, so he had 20 left for the metals.
"A kilo of iron is 2 coins and a kilo of copper is 1 coin."
'Cheap, too cheap, a candy is half a coin, and a kilo of copper is two candies...'
Somewhat surprised, he asked the receptionist the reason for the price, but this time it was the woman who responded.
"Good morning, customer Niko, sorry for the late introduction, I'm Tessa. The reason for the prices is that the origin of the materials is from Zaun itself, and we receive a low price weekly supplies of metals."
"When would the next titanium delivery arrive, Miss Tessa?"
"Since we just placed the order this morning, it will take a week."
Niko's shoulders slumped upon hearing this, and he raised both palms of his hands.
"I'll take 5 kilos of each, 15 coins, right?"
"Certainly, it would be 15 coins. By the way, I was wondering, is your companion outside?"
"Huh?"
"Well... don't you have someone to help you carry this?"
Niko had gotten used to his strength and had forgotten that it wasn't normal for such a young child to carry 5 kilos in each arm.
'Damn, here we go again.'
Niko returned to his surprised expression and began to play with his trembling hands as he lowered his head
"Could I request a small cart? My shop is three streets away, please."
Mark was about to offer to accompany him, but Tessa's scream accompanied by a shove made him step back.
"Kyaaaaa, how can you be so adorable, cutie, CUTIE." (A/N: Forgive me.)
Niko resigned himself to the pinches on his cheeks with a small smile.
"We'll accompany you, little one."
'And there it is, it was taking too long.'
Niko thanked them and asked if it was okay to leave the store unattended, it turns out they were the owners and were about to temporarily close the store to go buy food. How convenient.
(A/N: What a coincidence.)
Niko paid them, and minutes later, he, Tessa, and Mark were talking as they walked along the second street. Well, Mark was pulling the cart with the materials, the other two were just talking.
"So, you have a shop? What kind of shop do you own, our little Niko?"
'This woman is getting too comfortable too quickly to be from Zaun.'
"I run a blacksmith/forge. If you need something repaired or made, just give me a call-"
Niko's words were cut off by a sensation he had never felt before. He quickly began to look around, under the confused gaze of the couple.
'What the heck is this, System?'
[Host, look at your palms]
Niko looked down, and in his vision, a blue energy was gathering in his hands.
'What the heck is this, am I doing a damn Rasengan?'
[What? No! Host, that's mana, your bioelectricity is feeding off a nearby mana concentration, follow the current, and it will lead you to the source]
'...Going.'
"I'm sorry, could you guys go ahead? My shop is one street ahead, on the corner, and it's brown with some cracks. It needs renovations... I don't know why I said that, I'm going now."
Niko left Mark and Tessa behind, who thought something strange had happened to the boy but didn't pay much attention to it.
Following the mana trail, he ran through some alleys and entered a large street, in a secluded area. A vendor wearing an old cloak and covering his face was sitting with a blanket spread out in front of him.
There were various items on it, such as necklaces, rings, pendants, and multiple decorations. Niko's gaze stopped at the large blue stain enveloping something that seemed to be shaped like a staff and then at the old man who met his gaze.
"...Hello, little one."
'...'
"Good sir, I want to buy that object. How much does it cost?"
The old man's gaze fell on what Niko was pointing at and showed a surprised expression.
"How much are you offering?"
Niko raised three fingers.
"3 coins, sir."
"And what do you want it for? Better not lie, if you're not sincere, I won't sell it to you."
"...I feel like something inside me resonates with it, sir."
The old man's expression turned into a smile, and he raised his palm.
"Five coins, and it's yours, kid."
Niko showed a very excited smile and shouted.
"Deal!"
"Here, before you go, can I ask you a question?"
"Of course, tell me, sir."
"Since yesterday, I've noticed a time anomaly, and my senses led me to Zaun. Do you know anything, kid?"
Niko began to sweat as he gripped the staff-like object tightly. The old man, in turn, lowered his hood, revealing a large white beard.
"Don't be on your guard, kid, I don't think I've introduced myself, and neither have you. My name is Zilean, The Chronokeeper."
Niko couldn't help but stare with his mouth wide open. Freaking Zilean.
"M-my name is Niko, Mr. Zilean. I don't think I know what you're talking about."
"I won't beat around the bush, Niko, your past, present, and future. I can't see them, nor can I see the future of time now. You're an anomaly, the anomaly I've been looking for."
'System, I don't know about his lore, what is the old man talking about?'
[Host, Zilean is a powerful time mage. He accidentaly trapped a part of the population of Icathia to a tower and took them out of time. Shortly after, he observed the end of Runeterra, a disastrous one it seems, while observing all times looking for a way to free the people he trapped.]
Maintaining a defensive posture, Niko looked at the man who seemed, rather pleased?
"Mr. Zilean, the way you say it makes it seem like you're trying to eliminate me for being an anomaly. Are you?"
"No, no, not at all. You can rest assured, I just wanted to contact the reason behind the anomaly. I want you to accompany me to talk about something in private."
"Do you realize that from a third-party perspective, this situation would be odd, very much so?"
"What are you talking about?"
"An old man with a smile telling a 6-year-old to accompany him to show him something. I don't need to say much more."
Zilean's face turned somber at Niko's 'joke.'
"I must say, your ability to make jokes even when you're in this situation is commendable. I won't waste any more time, get ready."
"Get ready for WHATTTT!!!!!"
Before he could even finish his sentence, space distorted into multiple fragments of crystal, and the landscape changed completely.
'System.'
But Zilean's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Welcome to the Tower of Lost Time. This is where I observe the possibilities of time."
"...Where is this place?"
Niko marveled at the tower he was in, a somewhat medieval taste had arisen in him for the decorations around with a time theme.
From the area below them, he heard sounds, similar to clocks, and when he directed his gaze from a balcony overlooking the room to the outside, he was amazed.
In the distance, he could see a beautiful city with a desert theme, giant clock towers, sandstone buildings, and a huge floating pyramid, everything, including the tower they were in, was enveloped in a large bubble with numerous patterns that formed it and circulated through it.
"It's beautiful."
Before Zilean could rejoice in Niko's words, the bubble began to ripple with a powerful crimson glow.
Niko became alarmed and looked at Zilean's face, which was in total shock, staring with his mouth open at the sky, while screams were heard in the city.
The glow, now taking on a light tone, enveloped the bubble, and the patterns surrounding it warped more and more, taking the form of spiderwebs, which caught Niko's attention.
"The Web of Life and Destiny..."
Zilean, who had heard his whisper, snapped out of his state and proceeded to ask him, only to be interrupted once again.
The glow in the sphere adapted white and crimson colors and merged, forming a sphere of spiderwebs. Suddenly, a large, giant spiderweb materialized and shot towards Niko.
'Fuck me.'
Feeling a powerful blow to his chest, Niko was pushed backward with a powerful force that made him crash into one of the walls, embedding himself in it and losing the staff from his hands.
Zilean couldn't react due to the terrifying aura emanating from the web, which seemed to have a life of its own, and it continued to penetrate Niko's body.
Minutes passed accompanied by cries of suffering and exhaustion, and when it finally ended, Niko was on the verge of fainting.
[The host's will has triggered the use of Synaptic Stability.]
Niko regained the gleam in his eyes with his entire body aching.
[Alert! An unknown entity has entered the host's body!]
'...The hell is happening?'