The woman shot him a knowing look, her expression hardening slightly.
"It's a simple job. You keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't get into trouble, and stay out of the way."
"No one's expecting you to be his tutor or play nanny, but your ability to keep a low profile makes you perfect for this task."
Kalisto exhaled slowly, his mind already racing.
The job might not be exciting, but it came with perks—access to places he'd normally never be able to go, and the opportunity to learn more about the people in power while avoiding dangerous assignments for a while.
"Alright," Kalisto said with a resigned nod.
"Where do I meet him?"
Before she could respond, the door to the office creaked open, and a man stepped inside, his presence immediately commanding attention.
Tall and composed, he exuded an aura of quiet intensity, the kind that made people instinctively shift their focus.
What struck Kalisto the most, however, was the man's striking white hair, which seemed oddly out of place in the otherwise dull surroundings.
His eyes swept over the room with sharp awareness, and for a brief moment, their gazes locked.
The man walked confidently toward the counter, his steps measured and deliberate.
"Excuse me..."
He said, his voice smooth but with a hint of uncertainty.
"Is this where I register as a Walker?"
The woman behind the desk furrowed her brow, not quite impressed.
"You can't just walk in here and register like that. You need proper documentation—citizen status, identification, all of that."
The man didn't flinch at her words. Instead, he seemed to scan the room briefly, his eyes lingering on Kalisto once more.
For a moment, something flickered in in Kalisto's gaze— it was recognition.
"Wait..." Kalisto said, his voice shifting.
"You... You're here too, troublemaking brat?"
It was Ivaim.
Kalisto's heart skipped a beat. His mind raced as the face finally clicked.
It was the teenager he saw last time!
It was the troublemaker who he had seen skipping school not long ago!
Kalisto's memories of their brief encounters flashed before him, though the surprise of seeing him here as a Reality Walker still left him momentarily stunned.
"Yeah, surprised to see me?"
Ivaim replied, trying to keep his cool.
"You told me not to give up on my dreams, right?"
Ivaim grinned, and his gaze softened, though there was a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"So, you made it too. A Reality Walker, huh?"
Kalisto's eyes narrowed, processing the strange turn of events.
The last time he'd seen Ivaim, he was a rebellious teenager skipping class, not someone he would expect to walk into a government office with an air of quiet confidence.
Before Kalisto could answer, the woman cut through the rising tension.
"You'll have to take your registration elsewhere," she said firmly, her patience running thin.
"No point standing here wasting time."
Ivaim gave her a casual glance, his smile never wavering.
"I'll handle it then. See you later, Uncle."
He said briefly, before turning to leave the room.
Kalisto stood frozen for a moment, unsure of how to process what had just happened.
The troublemaker who had been skipping school not long ago was now a Reality Walker?
What the hell happened? And how did he get his hands on a Threshold item so quickly?
The whole encounter left him agaped, and he couldn't help but wonder if there was more to Ivaim than met the eye.
As Ivaim exited, the woman handed Kalisto a small device with the boss's emblem etched onto its surface.
"The boy's at the Central Compound," she instructed, her tone no-nonsense.
"Keep an eye on him. Don't let him out of your sight. He's a handful, but you're the best fit for this."
Kalisto pocketed the device, his mind still whirling with the strange encounter with Ivaim.
He made his way to the Central Compound.
The last thing he had expected today was to cross paths with Ivaim in such an unexpected way, but now he had a job to do.
Babysitting his boss's son—he could handle that.
When he arrived, the place was quiet, almost too quiet. He was greeted by a tall woman in a crisp uniform who led him down a long, sterile hallway.
The walls were lined with thick glass windows, but all Kalisto could see through them were the muted colors of the city beyond, far removed from the activity inside.
They stopped in front of a door. The woman gave Kalisto a brief nod before walking away, leaving him alone in front of the room.
Kalisto hesitated for a moment before pushing the door open.
Inside, he found a small, neat room. At the far end of the room sat the boy, his back to Kalisto.
He was staring out the window, arms crossed and shoulders hunched in a way that suggested he was either lost in thought or deliberately trying to avoid attention.
"Hey, kid," Kalisto called out, his voice steady but lacking the enthusiasm he usually put into a greeting.
The boy slowly turned, his gaze flicking over Kalisto with sharp, calculating eyes.
Kalisto could see the faint trace of a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips as he looked the newcomer up and down.
"You're here to babysit me, huh?"
The boy said, his voice quiet but dripping with sarcasm.
Kalisto raised an eyebrow, unsure of how to respond to the kid's tone.
"Something like that. I'm here until your dad gets back. Just gotta keep an eye on you for a few days."
The boy's eyes narrowed.
"How boring..." he muttered, turning his attention back to the window.
"What's the point of babysitting? Are you going to sit here and watch me do nothing all day? Is that the plan?"
Kalisto sighed. This kid definitely wasn't going to make it easy. He was sharp, already testing the waters.
Kalisto decided to keep it casual, not giving the boy the satisfaction of getting under his skin.
"Look, I don't want to be here any more than you want me to be," Kalisto said, leaning against the doorframe.
"But I'm stuck with the job, so you might as well make the best of it."
The boy snorted, his eyes still fixed on the window.
"I don't need someone to hold my hand," he said, his voice low and almost bored.
"I'm not some little kid who needs to be babysat."
Kalisto studied the boy for a moment, noting the sarcasm in his tone but also the quiet intensity behind his eyes.
There was something almost mature about the way the kid carried himself, even if his words didn't match up.
"I get it," Kalisto said after a pause, pushing off from the doorframe.
"But until your dad gets back, I'll be here. So you better get used to it."
The boy didn't respond, but Kalisto could feel the weight of his gaze following him as he moved around the room.
He wasn't sure what kind of trouble the kid might get into, but he had a feeling it wouldn't be as simple as sitting around all day.
"Alright," Kalisto said, trying to lighten the mood.
"You got any plans for the next few days, or are you just going to stare out the window and act like the world's coming to an end?"
The boy glanced at him briefly, then looked away.
"Don't expect me to be a perfect angel. I won't make it easy for you."
Kalisto gave a wry smile.
"Wouldn't dream of it. Just don't cause any trouble, and we'll get along fine."
The boy's lips curled into a small, almost imperceptible smile, but he didn't say anything more.
Kalisto took a deep breath and settled into the role he hadn't asked for.
Babysitting a bratty, sarcastic kid wasn't exactly what he had in mind when he started his day, but it seemed like the job he had to do.
And with any luck, the next few days would pass without too much trouble. Or so he hoped.
Just as Kalisto began to relax into the silence, a sudden knock on the door interrupted the stillness.
It was sharp and quick, the kind of knock that made Kalisto's instincts flare.
He turned toward the door, eyebrow raised. The boy didn't react, still staring out the window with his arms folded, looking as uninterested as ever.
"Didn't the worker leave already?"
Kalisto muttered to himself, frowning.
He pushed off the wall and made his way to the door, opening it cautiously.
He hadn't been expecting any visitors, but maybe there was something the worker had forgotten to mention.
As the door swung open, his eyes met the last person he expected to see—a tall teenager with striking white hair.
The teen grinned at him, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Hello, uncle!" the teenager said, his voice light but tinged with something almost playful.
Kalisto's brow furrowed. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice low, though his surprise was clear.
It was Ivaim again...