"When do you think he'll wake up?"
"Hmm, children do tend to sleep for a long time; we should let him rest."
"But brother.."
─'Ugh, what is up with these two?!
This is ridiculous! Change of plans: I'LL LEAVE THEM TO DIE A HORRIBLE DEATH! Heh, who told them to disturb my sleep?'
✿ 'Kal, your eyebrows twitched.'
─'So what? It's not like they'll notic—'
"BROTHER, HE'S AWAKE!" With his finger pointed at Kal, Ian excitedly shouted.
Ivan turned to face his sibling after taking a brief glance at Kal.
"He doesn't seem awake to me; it must be your imagination."
Ian frowned, unsure of whether to believe him or not, but his brother wasn't one to lie or joke around.
"But I saw his eyebrows twitch!" Ian argued.
Ivan laughed at Ian's childish behaviour, showing him his own amused expression.
"Are you certain you saw it? Perhaps we might need to go adjust your blindfold. In any case, it's getting old and should get replaced."
"That must be it! No way I'm seeing things. IT'S THE BLINDFOLD'S FAULT!" Noticing Ian's hostel gaze while holding the old customized blindfold, almost ripping it to pieces, Ivan's amused expression turned into a serious one.
"Cover your eyes."
Ian yelped in surprise and instantly covered his eyes with the blindfold, worried that his brother was going to lecture him about it again.
Ivan calmly fixed his brother's blindfold and to ease the slight tension, he said, "We should go and replace them right away, don't you think? "
"Right now? But what about Kallous?" Totally tossing out any ill intention he previously had towards the blindfold, Ian didn't forget the main reason as to why he came to Kal's side of the room.
"Was that his name? Quite fitting if I dare say. Hmm, how about we get him something on the road instead of waking him so early in the morning? word has it that he is a fan of freshly baked cookies."
Ivan gave Ian a warm smile as he added, "I'm sure he will be happy to receive a gift from his new friend."
"Friend..." Ian silently muttered.
Ivan kept his eyes on Ian, smiling as he continued to speak. "Don't you agree, Ian?"
Ian glanced at Kal's sleeping profile as if he wanted to confirm something and smiled brightly. "En! We are going to be the best of friends!"
Ivan chuckled at his enthusiasm, nodding slowly in approval.
Even though he doesn't have the slightest trust in Kallous, he could easily see the reason for his brother's excitement about this friendship.
However, as long as nothing bad happens to his brother, he will allow this phase to continue until Ian grows tired of it.
"Ivan! What are you still standing there for? We have to head out now before the witch and her minions notice anything. Let's go!!"Ian hooked his arms through Ivan's, who found himself dragged by his brother, and was out of the room like a bullet, heading off to the town centre.
Inside Kallous' room, Allyn was monitoring the place just in case the twins decided to head back to pick something up. After a while, and with no sign of the twins or anyone else in fact, she concluded that it was safe for Kal to 'wake up' and mentally prepare himself for today's shiny schedule.
While she floated around Kal in circles, small light blue stars hovered along with her as she spoke.
✿ "Rise and shine, sleepy head! The threat is gone, so get up. We have a long day ahead of us ☆*:.｡.o(≧▽≦)o.｡.:*☆"
The instant he was given the all-clear, he got off his bed and stretched his body. Despite being used to the chilly ground, he was still taken aback when his feet first made contact with it.
"Could've at least let me ease drop on their conversation; I was quite curious as to why they just stood there for what felt like an hour, chatting." Kal commented as he took off the earplugs Allyn had set earlier and replaced them with a glass of hot chocolate milk from the system shop.
✿ "Ease dropping is bad! Plus, I was only protecting you from learning new cuss words," Allyn skilfully lied. Although she wasn't one to stop Kal from doing what he wants, but to ease drop on the twins felt a bit ..off.
In order to help her master learn the difference between right and wrong, sacrifices must be made.
He is quite young after all.
"Fine.. But don't cover my ears without warning like that again; I thought I had gone deaf for a second." Kal poked Allyn's small figure which turned bright pink and fled under the bed sheets.
Upon watching her reaction, Kal burst out laughing. When Allyn heard Kal's laughter, she decided against confronting him for bullying her and instead scolded him in her heart.
✿ "Let me ask you this, are you seriously going to act as Ian's friend? He's way straightforward and might make you do some unthinkable things that might not be your cup of tea." Allyn asked him once he was done laughing and actually finished with his breakfast.
He answered with a nod "Besides, given his intellect, I doubt I'll be engaging in some childish activities such as hide and seek. Plus, I don't intend to keep them around for long. When the time comes, I'll give them the information they need and send them off on their way.
They will remember this favour, which will be repaid in the future. Moreover, I have no intention of becoming their babysitter."
With that settled, Allyn then relayed the day's plans and attached a map indicating the location of the unfortunate colony that would soon cease to exist.
Kal was pleased with the layout of the plan and had a feeling that he could easily complete the objective before anyone notices his disappearance.
A faint red glow illuminated the corridor leading to the stairs that separates the upper floor from the lower level.
Rooms occupied both sides of the corridor, and the walls were dark grey in colour. A colour which Allyn was displeased with the moment her eyes landed on it.
At this moment, most of the orphans were not awake yet, as the early morning hours rarely allowed little rest for most of them.
Every step he took creaked in the quiet hallway, broken only by the cold wind that blew through the windows.
Kal quickly made his way to the stairs with Allyn, who kept an eye out for him till he reached the lower floor, where the door leading to the backside of the building was located.
Once there, he stepped outside of the building and was immediately hit by a blast of cold air, chilling the skin on his face.
His breath billowed out like smoke, visible in the air. Allyn took advantage of his brief distraction and snapped a picture of Kal, adding it to her shiny collection.
Unbeknownst to what his starlight did behind his back, Kal continued to follow the map till he reached an abandoned building.
The building's walls were constructed of bricks and concrete, while its roof was composed of rusted tin. He checked the map to be sure that this was the precise place before he stepped inside.
Thanks to the unique fabric of the clothes, which were made using the materials Allyn provided, Kal wasn't worried about getting dirty. However, that didn't stop him from wearing a second pair of gloves in case things got messy.
"Scan the area and check if there is any creep living here; I want to peacefully destroy the hive without any outside interference." He pulled out a little pellet pistol from the system shop as he spoke. Although the gun's design was fairly simple, Kal found it fascinating since it could fire tiny, specially created explosives that could destroy everything in its path. Although it was only F in rank, it was sufficient enough for him to complete his task.
After locating the hive, he discreetly took aim and calmly awaited the ideal opportunity to pull the trigger. As soon as he did, the little red bombs blasted into the target, instantly obliterating the hive and what was left of its surroundings.
Thankfully, it didn't cause any loud commotion which could've attracted the attention of the people nearby.
Returning the now useless weapon to the system space, Kal checked his mission update and noticed that there was only one kill count missing. Confused, he looked over and noticed that the queen of the hive was twitching, presumably still alive.
Not intending to deal with it, he quickly called out Allyn and threw her at the half-dead queen.
Allyn, who just finished her little tour and made sure that no one was inside or near this abandoned place, quickly appeared at Kal's side, thinking that her little master was in trouble, only to find herself thrown at a fist-size insect queen like some kind of Pokémon, and could only silently curse her master as she hit the insect upon impact, leading to its death.
"Allyn, how are you doing?" He hurried to Allyn's side after knowing that the task had been successfully completed.
✿ "...Kal.." With much effort, Allyn voiced out faintly.
Worried, Kal quickly held her, scanning for any possible injuries. Totally forgetting that Allyn was incapable of receiving damage or bleed to death.
"Starlight, I'm right here. Can you hear me?" Kal had never before seen Allyn in this state; even her light dimmed. In disbelief, he wrapped his hands around her, realizing that her light was slowly disappearing.
✿ "You... " hearing her speak, he paid close attention to what she was trying to say.
✿ "No.. more.. free pudding for a month."
Silence.
Kal silently stood there, surrounded by insect corpses. His eyes had lost their luster, as if he no longer had a purpose to live for anymore. Allyn merely observed this scene without showing any remorse or sympathy for the small joke she pulled on him, and she swiftly reminded the drama queen that they need to head out right away before anybody noticed that his disappearance.
He gathered his thoughts, stepped out of the building with his hood on, and proceeded to the town before going to the orphanage. He felt deceived, but he was also relieved that Allyn was still alive and well, even when she was definitely angry with him and it would take time until her fury simmers down.
As he wandered around the town while trying his best to apologize to Allyn for throwing her, he noticed a troop of knights stationed outside a local library. Curious, he went over to ease drop on what they were discussing.
✿ "Kallous, what did I tell you about ease dropping on people?" Allyn's irritated voice rose up to his ears.
Kal fought down the grin tugging at his mouth as he hushed her "I'm not ease dropping but simply spying and besides, you only told me not to do so with the twins." He defended himself while hiding from plain sight.
Sighing in defeat, Allyn set up an invisible shield around Kal. Although it's not the best out there since she hadn't unlocked the rest of authorities yet but it should keep him invisible and safe for now.
On second thought, a wise star once said, "If you can't beat them, join them." Since Kal wasn't a child by any means, Allyn had always believed that she could handle him. Unfortunately, he would occasionally display childlike behaviour, even though it only lasts a few minutes before he returns back to normal, therefore, She made the decision that she wouldn't react differently when he behaved like that but would instead join forces with him and have pleasure in her time without feeling stressed out because of it.
Being a guardian and a caretaker isn't a job for the weak. And besides, childish Kal always makes the shiniest of expressions which are always a treat to enjoy.
Her thoughts came to an end as the loud chatter of the knights took both her and Kal's attention.
"Damn it! I don't want to stay here a second longer! These kids are going to be the end of me." Spiky hair side character fussed as he fiercely stomped the ground.
"Calm down, Ned. Think about the silver coins we'll receive from doing this." White lotus wanna be side character tried to calm his fellow knight while patting his back.
"Can't believe I'm related to this punk." The pirate-like side character knight face palmed as he watched his cousin make a scene for no reason.
"At least you two got away with a free pass unlike us. Who wants to spy on an orphanage anyway? I would rather travel to the capital with the captain in time for the tournament." The bald side character sighed as he looked at both his friend and blondie who was listening in while fixing his hair.
"What can I say? The captain likes me." Blondie side character smirked which irritated spiky hair.
"Stop arguing you guys! We are a team, and we should take care of each other." White lotus spoke as he stopped spiky hair from hitting blondie.
"You guys don't see the bigger picture, do you?" pirate-like side character spoke, drawing everyone's attention to him. Some people were puzzled, while others were curious. He noted this and continued.
"An orphanage with a clean and high reputation such as this is being secretly monitored by the Elpis knights, no less. Don't you think it's a bit fishy?" He said the final sentence in a questioning tone as he examined everyone's expressions, waiting for their reaction.
The silence was deafening, causing the white lotus wanna be side character to shudder and instinctively try to divert their attention on something else.
"How come you're all like this? It is not our responsibility to investigate such matters! Who cares if that place is sketchy? Let's simply get our work done so we can treat ourselves to a feast afterwards. A fun celebration should do the trick."
The word 'feast' instantly made them all trash Any thoughts they had as they instead began discussing the kind of feast they would be having.
The pirate-like side character knight could only helplessly observe them while shaking his head in disappointment. What was he expecting from them anyway? A punch of airheads.
✿ 'And I believed that only you would experience IQ loss when food is brought up.' Allyn muttered in silence, forgetting that she was speaking in their connection line instead of her own thoughts.
─'Hmm? Did you say something?' Kal questioned after losing interest in what the knights were chatting about. While chatting with Allyn, he somehow found himself strolling into a suspicious-looking alleyway.
─'Allyn, am I seeing things or is that a dead body?' He asked his shiny assistant as he made his way towards the eerie sight in front of him.
The body, lying down on a dusty tile floor, was that of a woman with bronze skin and dark red hair streaked with green. Her cape was bloody and unkempt, as though she had only just been brought to death's door. Her face was smeared with a mix of dirt and blood.
✿ 'She's alive, however it appears she was poisoned before the assault.' Allyn answered, trying to to figure out why her scan showed two heartbeats instead of one.
Kal knelt beside the injured woman, not because he was intrigued by the scene before him but because something about her reminded him of someone.
As he was about to reach his hand to take a better look at her face, a system notification alerted him of a new quest.
─'Allyn, is this your doing?' eyeing the suspicious task reword, he had a feeling that his starlight had a hand in this.
✿ 'Only made a little adjustment hehe~ (◕‿◕✿)' she replied innocently.
'Little? This is basically giving me a free ticket to finish the last mission I have left.' Dumbfounded, he started reading the quest in silence.
[ALTER THE COURSE OF DESTINY]
DIFFICULTY: F+
Like a leaf falling from a tree returning to earth, death is but a natural part of the cycle of life. He treasures all, waiting for them patiently till they naturally come to him.
However, even death has had the sorrow of taking souls that weren't welcoming of him.
Souls, in death's eyes, were not yet ready to remain with him.
One of which, the spirit of a lady who was forced to face her demise before her time.
Her bright future vanished in an instant, saddening death in the process.
He may be unable to intervene, but you can.
Help him,
And he will open a path for you in return.
☆QUEST CLEAR REWARDS⇩
Glitch
Five status points
Skill ticket
'To think I'll receive the glitch as a reward again, not to mention the skill ticket.' Kal hummed as he accepted the quest.
✧ Shiny short explanation brought to you by our favourite fourth wall breaker, Allyn.
The system has many functions that can't be simply counted by hand. Some of which, unrealistically, are way too powerful to be left in the hands of our dear Kallous.
The Skill store and the Glitch option are two examples of said functions.
To put it simply, the Glitch option has the power to alter the results of tasks that the system assigns, based on the rank, it acts as a tool that Kallous could utilize to finish a challenging quest quickly, as if he had done it himself.
The Skill store, on the other hand, as the name implies, is a store where you may find all the talents that can be gained in this world. An ability that might potentially increase one's blessing can be obtained by accumulating twenty tickets, and even if one does not already have their blessing unlocked, they can still utilize the earned skill in their daily lives.
✧ Now back to Kal before he notices Allyn's disappearance.
─'Allyn, will you be so kind as to bring me a potion that can heal this lady so I can get this quest over with?' Kal innocently smiled at Allyn knowing full well that she won't say no to him.
✿ '...Enjoy the free privilege while you can. After ten months, this function will end and you will have to pay for the items you want from the shop.' She reminded him as she handed the A rank potion from the shop.
─'An A Rank huh, this should be enough to heal her wounds and get her back on her feet. ' Kal slowly but carefully fed the injured lady the potion.
Once he felt that her breath became stable and that her body showed signs of recovery, he got up and prepared to leave as he heard the quest's completion notification.
Taking a final look at her, he used the system to check the lady's status.
Name: Sonnet.
Race: Human. Age: 24.
SB: Eternal rest. Rank: A+.
> Upgrade the system to show the rest of the stats.
Looking at her status, Kal paused, before walking away from the scene as if what he just witnessed was simply of his imagination.
Allyn watched the scene in silence as she too, became speechless.
Let's not hope that their action today won't drastically change the future.
Unknown to them, Sonnet was watching Kal's from the start. At first, she thought that he was sent here to finish the job, but not only did he not harm her, he somehow healed her as well.
Looking at the boy that just left, she couldn't help but chuckle.
It's as if someone heard her prayers and sent an angel to help her.
And in a form of a child as well.
Sonnet stroked her belly, relieved that her baby was safe. She looked up and smiled.
"We'll meet again, little Angel."