Taking a look at Aki one last time the man said-
"I'll be back for you."
With a huge force, he kicked the air beneath him and jumped even farther and flew away. Both the boy and Emi at once came back running to check on Aki. It looked like his wounds had finally started to heal after the cooldown timer ended.
"Come, we'll go to my hideout, it's not too far from here. If we stick around for a few more minutes the officials will find us"- The boy said.
Aki awoke with a throbbing headache in a dimly lit room, where sunlight peeked through the gaps of the curtains. As he slowly turned his head, he noticed a glass of water resting on the nearby table. Reaching out, he grabbed the glass and drank it in one big gulp, feeling the cool liquid soothe his dry throat.
Steadying himself, Aki sat up and took a moment to observe his surroundings. The room looked ordinary—several cupboards lined the far end, a small study table stood near the window, bathed in sunlight that illuminated the books and magazines on top of it. In the center of the room, a coffee table was surrounded by three sofas, arranged neatly.
As memories of the previous night flooded back, Aki instinctively peeked under his blanket, expecting to find wounds covering his body. To his astonishment, there wasn't a single scratch. His body, which had been in immense pain, now felt completely normal. Almost naturally, he moved his arms and legs with ease.
The strange window that had appeared before his eyes resurfaced in his mind. Had it all been a dream? Hesitantly, he tried calling for it again, and to his surprise, the translucent display appeared before him once more.
[System] flashed across the top of the window. Aki stared at it, trying to make sense of what it was. Was this window something only he could see? Or did others have a 'system' too? So many questions swirled in his mind.
[Player 01 - Level 1 - Rookie]
It seemed to be displaying his stats. Aki wondered if, like in video games, he could level up and grow stronger.
[No quests available yet. Please check again later.]
Before he could dwell on it further, Emi's voice broke his concentration.
"Ah! You're awake!" she exclaimed as she entered the room. It was clear she had been up for a while. She walked over to Aki's bedside and quickly took a seat on the chair next to him.
"I was so worried. I was scared you'd never wake up again," Emi said, her voice filled with relief. "You know, it was really strange. When we first found you, you were covered in wounds, but after bringing you here, they just... vanished."
Aki struggled to find the right words. After a brief pause, he finally said, "I don't know what happened to me."
Emi sighed, then continued, "Aki, we have a lot to talk about. How did you even make my wounds disappear the first time? Don't think I've forgotten—I clearly saw that sword go through my stomach. The next thing I knew, I was alive and resting on your lap."
Aki hesitated before responding. "I really don't know, Emi. There was this... window that appeared in front of me. It made me do things—things I never thought I could do. Things I never would have done."
Emi fell silent, lost in thought. After a moment, she stood up. "Let me refill your water," she said, taking the empty glass from the table.
Before leaving, she placed the back of her hand on Aki's forehead, then compared it with her own. His temperature felt normal. Satisfied, she turned toward the water filter at the far end of the room. Aki watched as she pressed the glass against the notch, letting the water flow into it. Once filled, she returned and placed the glass on the table beside him before taking a seat again.
"Do you want to take a walk outside?" she asked.
Without a word, Aki nodded.
The fresh air outside was invigorating. The house was surrounded by lush greenery, with vibrant bushes, leaves, and flowers covering the area. In one corner of the garden, the boy from the previous night was trimming some branches with a small blade.
"Kenji!" Emi called out to him.
Kenji turned around and immediately made his way towards them. Flashing a confident grin, he extended a hand toward Aki.
"Hey, I'm Kenji."
Aki shook his hand, noting the firm grip and the sharp look in Kenji's eyes. There was something different about him, something hardened by experience.
"Thanks for saving me back there," Aki said.
Kenji shrugged. "It's what I do. And you're lucky Emi here was around, too."
Emi smiled but quickly turned serious. "Kenji's been helping me for a while now. He's got a reputation in the underworld. People call him 'The Bulldog.'"
Aki raised an eyebrow. "The Bulldog?"
Kenji chuckled. "Yeah, not the most flattering name, but it stuck. Let's just say I know my way around certain… situations."
"Situations?" Aki repeated, intrigued.
Kenji leaned against a tree, crossing his arms. "The Nobi Nobi gang has been making moves. I don't know what their real intentions are, but every time we tried to bring you back into this world, they interfered. It's like they don't want you to exist."
Aki felt a chill run down his spine. "But why?"
Kenji shook his head. "That's what I'm trying to figure out. They're dangerous, and they have people everywhere. But I've been tracking them, gathering intel. I know one thing for sure—your presence here is a threat to them."
Emi nodded. "We need to be careful. They could come after you again."
Aki clenched his fists. "Then we have to stop them. I can't just sit back and do nothing. If they don't want me here, there must be a reason. And I need to find out what it is."
Kenji smirked. "Good. I like that attitude. But first, you need to get stronger."
Aki glanced at the floating window still hovering beside him. If this system could truly help him grow, then he had no choice but to use it.
"Alright," he said.
Kenji clapped him on the shoulder. "Now you're talking. Welcome to the real fight, Aki."
The dimly lit room in the Nobi Nobi hideout was thick with tension, the air heavy with the scent of burning incense and the faint mustiness of ancient parchment. The flickering candlelight danced across the walls, casting long, wavering shadows that seemed to twist and writhe like restless spirits. The three men standing around the table were cloaked in silence, their faces obscured by the low light, but their presence was suffocating, their intent unmistakable.
The tallest of the three, a man with a sharp jawline and piercing eyes that glinted like shards of ice, finally broke the silence. His voice was low, gravelly, and carried an edge of finality. "Aki is here," he said, his words cutting through the stillness like a blade. "And if he remains, the timeline will unravel. The balance we've fought so hard to maintain will collapse. War and chaos will return, and everything we've sacrificed will be for nothing."
The second man, shorter but broad-shouldered, with a scar running down the left side of his face, nodded grimly. His hands, calloused and scarred from years of combat, rested on the table, fingers drumming a slow, deliberate rhythm. "We've seen the signs," he said, his voice a low growl. "The anomalies, the disruptions in the flow of time. His presence is already causing ripples. If we don't act soon, those ripples will become waves, and then a tsunami that will drown us all."
The third man, slender and wiry, with a pair of round glasses perched on his nose, adjusted his spectacles nervously. His voice was softer, almost hesitant, but no less resolute. "But killing him… it's not that simple. He's not just some ordinary boy. The system has chosen him. He's a Player now. And if the legends are true, Players are… difficult to eliminate. They have abilities we can't predict. We've already seen what he's capable of. If we move against him directly, we risk triggering something far worse."
The tall man slammed his fist on the table, causing the candles to flicker violently. "Then what do you suggest, Hiroshi? That we sit back and watch as he destroys everything we've built? The Nobi Nobi have existed for centuries, protecting the timeline, ensuring that the world remains as it should be. We cannot allow one boy to undo all of that."
Hiroshi flinched but held his ground. "I'm not saying we do nothing. I'm saying we need to be smart about this. We can't afford to underestimate him. If we're going to eliminate him, we need to understand how his system works. We need to find its weaknesses, its limitations. Only then can we strike with precision."
The scarred man, whose name was Riku, leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. "Hiroshi's right. We've already lost Tsuki trying to take him down head-on. We need to gather more information. We need to know what makes him tick."
The tall man, known only as Kaito, exhaled sharply, his breath stirring the flame of the nearest candle. "Fine. But we don't have the luxury of time. Every moment he's alive, the risk grows. We need to act quickly and decisively. Hiroshi, I want you to gather everything we have on Players. Dig into the archives, consult the elders. If there's a way to neutralize his system, I want to know about it."
Hiroshi nodded, though his expression remained uneasy. "I'll start right away. But… what if there's no way to stop him? What if the system is too powerful?"
Kaito's eyes darkened, and for a moment, the room seemed to grow colder. "Then we'll have to resort to more extreme measures. If we can't kill him, we'll trap him. Seal him away where he can't interfere with the timeline. There are places even the system can't reach."
Riku's lips curled into a grim smile. "The Void. It's risky, but it might be our only option. If we can lure him there, we can cut him off from the system entirely. Without it, he's just a boy. Vulnerable. Mortal."
Kaito nodded slowly, his expression hardening. "Then that's our backup plan. But first, we gather information. We find his weaknesses. And when the time comes, we strike without mercy. The fate of the timeline depends on it."
The three men fell silent once more, the weight of their mission pressing down on them like a physical force. Around them, the shadows seemed to deepen, as if the room itself were aware of the gravity of their discussion. The maps and documents on the table, covered in cryptic symbols and notes, seemed to pulse faintly, as though alive with hidden knowledge.
Hiroshi reached out and picked up one of the documents, his fingers trembling slightly as he scanned the ancient text. "There's something else," he said quietly. "If Aki is a Player, then it's possible he's not the only one. The system doesn't choose lightly. If there are others like him, they could become a threat as well."
Kaito's jaw tightened. "Then we'll deal with them too. One by one, if we have to. The Nobi Nobi have always been the guardians of the timeline. We've sacrificed too much to let a handful of Players destroy everything."
Riku crossed his arms, his scarred face set in a determined scowl. "We'll need to mobilize our forces. Every agent, every informant. We need eyes and ears everywhere. If Aki so much as sneezes, I want to know about it."
Kaito nodded. "Agreed. But we must also be cautious. We need to move in the shadows, strike when he least expects it."
The three men exchanged grim looks, their resolve solidifying. They knew the stakes. They knew the cost of failure. And they knew that, no matter what, they could not afford to lose.
As the candles burned low and the shadows stretched longer, the Nobi Nobi leaders began to outline their strategy, their voices low and urgent. The battle for the timeline had begun, and they were determined to win—no matter the cost.