"Sir, could you help us with something?"
Cyr lazily lifted his heavy-lidded eyes, his disinterest evident as he regarded the group of children in front of him.
They looked decent—clean, and passable enough to be called cute in the outside world.
At the moment, these "cute" children were gazing up at him with expectant eyes of varying colors.
But if he recalled correctly, his relationship with them was lukewarm at best. Why approach him for help? Weren't there plenty of priests around for this sort of thing?
"It's about Tara… She's gone missing, and we hoped you could help us…" One of the kids fidgeted nervously, as if lowering themselves to ask for help was an unbearable task.
Or perhaps it was more of a Meteor City phenomenon—children in District 12 were always obedient in front of the church members. Maybe that extended across the entire Meteor City.
"Why not ask someone else?" Cyr propped his chin on one hand, his tone lazy, lacking any real investment.
"Father Syd and the others are really busy. We didn't want to waste their time on something like this…" The children hesitated, their reluctance clear.
The priests in District 12 already did so much for them. Asking for help in finding a friend who had ventured into District 13 would likely result in rejection.
"So, I look like I have time to kill?" Cyr countered.
He reflected briefly on why the children might think he was idle.
Maybe because the other priests were either leading training sessions or out scavenging through garbage, while he spent his days "playing" with Syd?
Training wasn't play!
Cyr concluded his moment of reflection, deciding he had nothing to feel guilty about.
"It's not that… It's just… You're not much older than us, but you're already part of the church, so you must be really strong…" The child's voice trailed off, trembling with apprehension, as if expecting outright rejection.
Cyr's sharp eyes caught sight of Pampas and Syd emerging from the church. Without missing a beat, he raised a hand and called out, "Hey, Syd, Pampas!"
He waved them over.
Syd seemed to take Pampas's words to heart. Knowing his own limitations, he often deferred to Pampas's judgment, who usually had the right answers.
The two men turned toward Cyr and approached him.
"What's up?" Syd, unsmiling, gave off a stern vibe.
"Is something the matter?" Pampas asked, his expression warm and patient.
"They have something to say." Cyr gestured toward the children beside him.
Following Cyr's direction, Pampas and Syd fixed their gazes on the kids.
"Do you have something to share?" Pampas asked gently.
Despite his approachable demeanor, the children still appeared nervous.
"It's… it's Tara," one boy stammered. "She's gone. We were supposed to meet up today, and she promised she'd wait for us at the District 13 gate…"
"Tara?" Syd frowned. "She's missing?"
Pampas remained silent, letting Syd press the children for more details.
"And… Ang, Isaac, Gremmy… They're all missing too," a little girl added, her voice quivering on the verge of tears.
"Isaac?" Pampas's calm facade finally showed a crack upon hearing the familiar name.
Meanwhile, Cyr stood to the side, yawning nonchalantly.
'Children disappearing in Meteor City? What else is new? With the Scavenger Vultures hunting people like prey, they were probably snatched up.' Cyr thought.
District 12 housed nearly twenty thousand kids under eight, but District 13 had its fair share of older ones.
Even in the outside world, human trafficking was a grim reality. In Meteor City, such occurrences were even more commonplace.
Cyr had no intention of getting involved, so he promptly waved Syd and Pampas over, neatly passing the problem to them.
"I understand. We'll find them," Pampas assured the children, calming their fears. He watched them return to their training under the watchful eyes of other priests.
Once the kids were gone, Pampas's affable demeanor shifted. His smile thinned into something colder, more calculating—a man clearly concealing a deeper plan.
"The number of missing kids in District 13 has been climbing. Over the past six months, more than two hundred have vanished," Pampas stated, his voice quiet but weighted.
"No matter how much we investigate, there's nothing. Gatekeepers report no signs of the kids leaving willingly. It's as if they've disappeared into thin air."
"Strange, isn't it?" He glanced at Syd.
"Do you remember how many kids went missing the year District 12 was founded?" Pampas asked, a peculiar glint in his eyes.
Syd shook his head. "No idea."
"Twenty-nine," Pampas replied without hesitation.
"That year, twenty-nine children disappeared. The next year, thirty-two. Then five, then three. By the fifth year, none."
"Of course, this excludes those who died of illness or whose bodies were found. These figures only account for those who vanished without a trace."
"Last year, the number was 182."
"And this year? We're already at 357."
His tone remained eerily calm, but the weight of his words settled heavily.
In those early years, when a certain Meteor City group was just establishing itself, disappearances were scarce. But over time, the numbers grew, mirroring the perpetrators' increasing boldness.
"That's not even a lot," Cyr muttered from the sidelines, lazily propping his chin on his hand.
Compared to some real-world places, those figures seemed almost low.
Meteor City's danger level suddenly felt tame, as though its crime rates were improving.
"I remember Isaac," Pampas continued. "He was excellent in training. After leaving District 12, wasn't he leading a cleanup crew in District 13?"
"Yeah, but you know District 13 isn't our turf," Syd muttered, scratching his head.
District 12 focused on child rescue and care, occasionally dispatching teams for cleanup. Most of District 13, however, fell under the control of Elder Farouk Zapata, a member of Meteor City's Council of Elders.
"Cyr," Pampas turned, his sharp gaze softening with amusement. "Want to play a game?"
[Daily Side Quest: Investigate the Missing Children. Complete the task to earn rewards.]
The system's notification jolted Cyr awake from his boredom.
Finally, a side quest. Now it felt like a proper adventure game.
A mischievous grin spread across his face as his once-dull eyes sparkled with newfound interest.
"Sure," he replied, his tone laced with excitement.
It was the perfect opportunity to test his growing strength.
°°°
A/N: Give stonesss plssss
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