Chronus'Gaze | Diseases Diner | 3 Days After Cronus' Gaze
At this moment, the Mercurian was serving one of the store's recurring customers while preparing one of its signature dishes, the Pastel Pizza: Cancer Edition.
The dish consisted of a pizza not merely made with pizza dough. No, no—the pizza itself was the second filling.
This pizza used pastel dough on both the top and bottom. On the bottom layer, before adding the pizza itself, mozzarella cheese and cheddar cream were placed.
Next, the pizza dough was laid on top, covered with barbecue sauce, an absurd amount of cheese, salami, potato sticks, and mayonnaise. It was then sealed with a second pastel dough layer, and, to finish, more cheese.
(N/A: Try making it at home and let me know what you think!)
(N/CA: Being a foodie is truly tragic, huh?)
Putting the pizza into the oven, she got ready to take the order of the customer she was talking to.
"What's today's order?" the Mercurian asked while wiping sweat from her forehead.
"I'd like a Sausage Burrito: Venereal Disease Edition, please."
The Mercurian nodded as she pulled the pizza from the oven.
"Mr. Olávio! Your order is ready!"
A chubby, Western-looking man resembling a Chinese person walked to the counter, taking his order—but not before paying, of course.
Merkana then received a notification on her phone. When she looked, she saw it was from Renovas.
"I have my answer. Meet me after work at the Osvaldo Carmini National Museum."
The Mercurian sighed but smiled faintly. Perhaps her best friend had finally realized where he had gone wrong.
(It's not like I was going to ignore him forever.) Merkana thought.
---
Outside the Mall | After Work | 2501
Her shift ended quickly, and when it was finally over, Merkana said her usual goodbye by cursing out her boss before leaving. She made a quick stop at Vavá's bar, where she crossed paths with an employee—a mole-like monster who seemed vaguely familiar, though she couldn't recall from where. After a quick sip of something to calm her nerves, she left the mall and headed straight for her motorcycle.
With a click on the panel, she activated the Pull The Cast Off mode. The engine roared like a beast as Merkana sped through the city, feeling the fresh wind whip against her face. For a moment, everything seemed to fade away: the frustrations of work, the repetitive tasks, the exhausting hours.
Work had always been her defining trait—and her greatest refuge. She didn't know how many jobs she'd juggled over the years, but it hardly mattered. What mattered was the sense of purpose, of contributing to something bigger, even if just for a moment. It was strangely satisfying to contribute to a society that remained endlessly chaotic.
Before she realized it, she was in front of the museum.
As she parked, she noticed Sirius standing there, staring intently at a painting on the building's exterior walls. Something about his posture caught her attention—a rare seriousness, perhaps even melancholy.
Curious, she entered the museum and followed Sirius' gaze. On the wall before them, a grand artwork depicted Earth as it once was. Dense, untamed jungles, untouched mountains, and clear, powerful rivers. A lost world, captured in every brushstroke.
Places that no longer existed, such as the Amazon Rainforest, the Brazilian Cerrado, and countless others, were recreated with almost magical precision, evoking a past brimming with life and diversity—a world humanity had failed to preserve.
"What must it have been like to live back then?" Sirius finally broke the silence, his voice nearly a whisper. "To wake up every day and see thousands of bird species... to explore places no one had ever set foot in. A world untouched by mankind."
Merkana didn't respond. She just stared at the painting, letting Sirius' words guide her thoughts, sensing that he was reaching something deeper.
"Just as this painting shows us the past," he continued, his eyes fixed on the painted Congo jungle, "I've thought a lot about my actions... and I've finally understood where I went wrong."
Merkana stayed still, though her eyes narrowed slightly, attentive.
"I should've been training from the start," he went on, his voice heavy with regret. "I shouldn't have waited for a chance. I shouldn't have said that if I were rejected, I'd just give up and become a nobody." He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry."
The silence that followed was almost tangible. For a moment, it seemed as though Merkana wouldn't respond. But then she smiled—a small, genuine smile—and lightly punched Sirius' arm.
"Idiot," she said softly.
Without warning, she pulled him into a firm hug.
Sirius was surprised at first, his eyes wide, but soon relaxed. A shy, sincere smile crossed his face as he returned the gesture.
Merkana pulled away slightly, still smiling.
"Well, well, my dear Renovas! Leave the moping behind from now on!" she said, crossing her arms with a playful air. "Because your life's about to take a big turn!"
---
Salvador | 4 Days After Cronus' Gaze | 2501
Renovas got up eagerly, and after a quick shower, put on his checkered shirt and headed straight outside, leaving his father utterly baffled.
(Since when is he this excited?) the blind man wondered before smiling. (Heh... seems like things are looking up.)
Today would mark the beginning of his training for the academy admission test, so he was genuinely thrilled.
As he ran through the streets of Salvador, he thought about the conversation he had with Hirofumi after reconciling with the Mercurian.
The Japanese man was truly the most benevolent person he had ever met. Not only did he congratulate Sirius like any normal person would, but he also offered to help with his training despite being busy.
Truly, an angel in human form.
When Sirius finally reached the indicated location, he was puzzled to see only an empty lot filled with dirt.
But as he stepped forward, his leg passed through something—a kind of transparent fabric. When he decided to move further, he vanished from where he had been.
Sirius had never seen the place his friends had chosen for this training session, but honestly, the view was breathtaking.
The field was the most concentrated display of nature he'd ever encountered, surrounded by vibrant, beautiful trees with yellow and pink leaves.
The place exuded a refreshing scent, and he could hear the sounds of birds around him—though he couldn't see any.
The grass was unmistakably real grass, a rarity in a big city these days.
As he looked around, he noticed something odd. Earlier, there had clearly been a city behind him, as this place had appeared in the location of an empty lot.
But now... why was there only more nature?
"Like the view?" a male voice asked.
When Sirius turned, he saw Hirofumi staring at him with a smug expression.
"Isn't it obvious?" Sirius replied, marveling at the place. "How does a place like this even exist?"
The Japanese man chuckled and answered, "A very complicated process, but let's just say this is a Dead Zone."
"Dead Zone?"
"Places with artificial rifts in space-time that lead to a completely empty void, which can be filled using certain techniques and pact combinations to create a fully customizable field." Hirofumi gestured toward the trees. "See that tree?" He clenched his fist.
In moments, the tree transformed into an orchid. When he opened his hand, the flower floated toward him.
"That's... amazing," Sirius said in awe, but then a question struck him. "If anything is possible, then why don't they use this place to create infinite resources?"
"Because what's created here only exists in the zone. Outside it, it turns to dust and vanishes," Hirofumi explained, tossing the orchid into the air. It transformed into a green butterfly and flew away.
"Wow, I never thought you had the brains to explain something like that," a feminine voice said, instantly recognizable to Sirius.
Merkana emerged from between the trees, carrying an absurd amount of exercise equipment. She smiled as she saw Sirius' shocked expression at the sheer quantity she was hauling.
Hirofumi just rolled his eyes as Merkana stopped beside him.
"Well, Sirius, before we start, is there anything else you want to know?" Merkana asked.
After some thought, Sirius finally replied.
"Yes, since I'll be working with it... what exactly is a Projection, and how do they work? You've never told me."
(Damn it, Merkana!) Hirofumi facepalmed.
Merkana smiled nervously, a bead of sweat on her forehead, as she scratched her neck and made a flashlight appear in her hands.
"Look, I won't explain everything because that's the academy's job, and I'm not getting paid. But here's a basic version without certain important details," she said.
"But then why did I ask—" Sirius began but was interrupted.
"Shut up and listen!" she said, comically irritated, holding the flashlight that had appeared thanks to the Dead Zone.
"Think of this flashlight as your soul," she said, turning it on. "The projection is the light that comes out of the soul, an energetic beam produced by the soul that affects the material world, based on your personality and quirks." She pointed to herself. "My projection is a clock because I've always wanted more time to work, as work could give me a better life for myself and those I love. My special ability is what it is because I've always affirmed certain things to myself to make them true—basically like hypnosis." She sighed and continued. "They're categorized into three classes." She looked at Hirofumi and gestured. The Japanese man smiled.
"First, the Nature Class!" Hirofumi glowed green, and a giant fly made entirely of energy appeared behind him. He transmuted, becoming Jihai, and said, "This is a Nature Class Projection, Animal Type: Fly. With it, every time there's a snapping sound..." He disappeared from where he was and reappeared behind Sirius.
"AAAAAAAH!" Sirius nearly had a heart attack and fell backward. "What the hell?!"
Hirofumi burst into laughter.
"I erase the hypothetical time it would take to perform an action, thus skipping that action in time," he explained between laughs.
"Hypothetical time? Like the time it would take for something to travel through space?" Sirius asked.
"Bingo! Or the time it would take for something to end," Hirofumi replied, and Sirius blinked a few times.
"Wait, then why didn't you, like, during the fight with Zariani, just erase the time it would take for him to reach exhaustion?"
"Because when the action involves me, it's automatic as soon as the sound happens. But when it involves my enemies or the environment, the action has to begin before it can be advanced," Hirofumi explained, and Sirius finally understood.
"Oh... yeah, that makes sense," Hirofumi smiled at Sirius' response.
Merkana chimed in, saying, "Besides, that Projection ability is a Special Ability, exclusive to the user. That's why others with fly Projections don't have it."
"So, following that logic, there are abilities both users of the same Projection can use?" Sirius asked.
"Bingo. An example is my ability to speed up or slow down something in time—those are the two abilities anyone with a clock Projection can use."
"Only two?"
"Yes, those two are the standard for each Projection, called the 'Standard Package.' They vary by type, mainly those of the nature class and inanimate class, which is the Class of projections of things such as Clocks, Bottles, Brushes, Cars, Buildings, etc." Merkana paused to think "It's different with Platonic Class Projections, though. That class is extremely rare and something you'll learn about at the academy."
"Ah," Sirius nodded. "Well... now what?"
Hirofumi and Merkana exchanged glances, then laughed menacingly.
"Ever heard of getting your ass kicked?" Merkana asked, raising an eyebrow.
"How does that even-?!"
Sirius was cut off by a kick to the face that sent him rolling across the ground. When he stopped, a knee landed squarely in his abdomen.
"HOOOOOOOOOH!" Sirius almost choked on his own scream as he writhed in pain.
Hirofumi appeared above him, planting a foot on his chest.
"Your real training starts in a bit. For now, we're going to put you in extreme danger using a certain device so that when your Projection awakens, your soul will adapt more quickly," the Japanese man said.
"B-but if the Projection still needs to awaken, d-doesn't that mean it's better... to just train my body for now?"
Hirofumi pretended to ponder deeply.
"Huuuuuum... no."
The only sound that echoed through the area was the screaming of Sirius Renovas.
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To be continued...