Click, tap, click.
A mechanical and rhythmic sequence settled itself in the room.
Click, tap, click, click.
The repetitive noise did not give away the presence of a person but rather a machine. A lifeless echo that was more akin to describe a soulless construct rather than a human. It resembled the algorithmic ticking of a clockwork automaton working on its own, without the need to feel any emotion or drive. An existence that only sought efficiency before enjoyment or meaning.
Tap, click, tap, tap.
The pattern resonated once more. It coursed through the entire enclosed space.
The room was almost entirely plunged into darkness. Colors were not a part of it because light could only remain scarce. This was a place where even finding a foothold presented a challenge and where sight became impairment instead of sense. Multiple shades overlapped and blended with one another which confounded any notion of distance. What one would have distinguished in this plethora of mixed up shapes and contours were the geometrical dispositions of a bed, a drawer and a desk, yet none could ever guess how close things were exactly positioned.
Tap, tap, click, click, click!
The consistent tapping briefly sped up. Then came to a halt.
Thunk. Creak.
The source of the commotion was in fact the only place light, however small it was, still originated. It was precisely why it could figuratively be called the center of the room.
The shy luminescence was coming out of a rectangular device that displayed plenty of moving colors. A screen, to be precise. Its glow shifted from intense to dim depending on its display.
The pixels' brightness was enough to reveal the unknown figure sitting in from of them. A boy was silently fixating the images defiling before him. His physical features were mostly hidden by the night but his face was left visible to the naked eye. Bags were accumulating under his eyes. His eyelids twitched periodically as if they struggled to stay open. Small red veins were surfacing on his sclera and the pupils seemed a little dilated.
The boy showed obvious sign of fatigue. Yet despite his not so mild exhaustion, he did not waver in his task. His expression remained lifeless, devoid of sentiment. With the exception of his eyes, no small muscle moved on his face. His cheeks and lips were like stuck in time.
Was it focus that shaped such a robotic behavior? Or is it the inherent lack of sleep that forced him to stay impassive?
Nevertheless, the absorbed cybernaut's thoughts were as concise as they could be. He had an objective, an end goal, and all he had to do was to carry on until it was over. Even if he has to disregard anything else.
Three in the morning should be a time where one is asleep. This is a general statement, it would apply to most people living in society. There is of course a strong case for exceptions. We could effortlessly list out many examples of company employees that are required to perform night shifts, or operatives who are to work at a time where public activity is in downtime. Undoubtedly, a change in one's daily equilibrium is usually something that is decided out of necessity rather than a choice based on personal intentions. Habits tend to lay a structure of consistency in your life, and breaking them can often be felt as a disturbance.
And for that matter, sleep is one of the most basic form of habits.
Therefore, the act of pulling an all nighter is the display of a person's willpower, determination, vision and, most importantly, stamina.
It saddens me to hear the common populace deems it an exertion of foolishness. These outsiders do not share the same enlightenment we, the gamers, have reached through sheer devotion and passion.
For I have completed the arduous training assigned to me, given by myself, for myself, invented by myself. And thus, have acquired the power of the 'Player's Eternal Consciousness'.
It is a skill many generations of gamers, or hard workers similarly , have sought to master. Such prowess mustn't be mistaken for simple sleep deprivation.
Truthfully, three hours less worth of sleep isn't something that drastically affects your health.
Granted, it did not justify being awake for a period of 62 hours straight...
This may be a good description for the 'crime' I'm apparently committing. I've been intensively staring at a screen for almost three days in a row without any major break.
I've managed to carry on so far. Not without my share of supplies.
My desk was littered with snack wraps, cans of energy drink, dirty dishes and whatever a person needed to sustain themselves with minimal movement. I had prepared for this dauntless enterprise. Although my supplies are running quite low, I should still be able to last an entire week.
Everything was all part of the master plan I concocted to hone my 'Player's Eternal Consciousness'.
The ability consisted of ensuring the user total access to their cognitive functions while they perform in a game and sustaining their body for as long as they wished.
As for perfecting it?
The solution was exposure, experience and excelsior. This is called the three X rule. It meant you had to immerse yourself in gaming, learn to adapt your mind and body to it and by that process elevate your skill to even greater heights. The rule is definitely not something I just came up with.
It may seem delusional to a normal person, but that simply means it is a concept beyond their ability to comprehend. Rather, it's something I strive for. Not that I'm a M or anything.
All things considered, what matters most is the game.
The boss unleashed a devastating attack and nearly wiped us all out.
[Fairy Heal] : Hey Rose, are you okay? Your DPS is decreasing..
Wah? Err.
[Rose] : Sorry, I lost my focus for a second, I'll adjust again.
We were in the middle of a raid. My party relied on me to do my job.
[Mindful Support] : Rose, I know you'll be starting a 9-month internship next week and you won't have time to play with us, but please take a break once in a while.
No one should be slacking in the text chat when we have this much trouble staying alive! These back liners always have too much time on their hands and end up messing around. The frontline does all the work.
What? I'm one of them?
...
...
...
Never mind! Back liners are wonderful people we all should aspire to become!
[Ironic Tank] : Hush, weakling.
[Dianne] : You're just being lazy.
[Rose] : Thanks, but I'm fine.
Focus. We've been on this for three hours. If we fail now, it will be all for naught and we'll have to restart from the beginning.
[Bar Tea Leader] : Boss one shot attack incoming in 15 seconds. Dodge it! I'll start the countdown in 5 seconds.
This is the moment of truth, if we get past this phase we will have practically finished the whole raid. There is no margin for error.
[Bar Tea Leader] : 10
[Bar Tea Leader] : 9
[Bar Tea Leader] : 8
[Bar Tea Leader] : 7
[Bar Tea Leader] : 6
[Bar Tea Leader] : 5
...
...
...
Hm?
Bar Tea Leader has disconnected .
...
...
This is pretty unfortunate.
The Boss raised its gigantic weapon and leaped above us. It brought down the shaft of its deadly tool and smashed the whole party to the ground.
We got wiped out in an instant.
[Ironic Tank] : ...
[Mindful Support] : ...
[Dianne] : ...
[Rose] : ...
[Fairy Heal] : ...
You have died.
We were all speechless. All this work ruined by a poorly timed disconnection. We might as well shed some tears at this point.
[Ironic Tank] : Okay, guys. I'm done. See you.
Ironic Tank has left the party.
[Mindful Support] : This is so sad. I'm leaving too.
[Fairy Heal] : Bye, everyone.
Mindful Support has left the party.
Fairy Heal has left the party.
Unsurprisingly, the loss has demotivated the troops and each member began to leave one by one. Bar Tea Leader didn't come back and probably won't even try to return because they foresaw this would happen.
Only me and Dianne were still online. I intended to keep my sleepless routine for a few more days so logging out was out of the question.
[Dianne] : Roooose! Where are you? I can't find your character.
Dianne wanted to speak with me. 'He' needed something.
His character was male after all. It was less difficult to determine his true gender than if I were facing a female character. Most of the time male characters are faithful to the player behind it. Boys were played by boys.
That reasoning is reversed when the character is of the opposite sex.
A lot of guys like to play as a girl in games. Those even omit the fact that they are men in real life. I understand their way of thinking. Hiding your identity makes your roleplaying even more fun and, in a sense, you get to enjoy better 'aesthetics'.
I'm a prime example for this type of player. My character is called Rose.
Surely this isn't the right way to introduce her.
...
From divine providence, a single sorceress by the name of Rose mastered all four elements : water, fire, earth and air. As a goddess walking amongst mere mortals, she has resolved herself to bring peace upon this fantasy world. Her legend echoed throughout the lands. It was said her strength and beauty set her apart from regular heroes. Though as word spread around, her physical description gradually became blurry. Three main features however remained : piercing silver eyes so bright that they glow even at night, long straight pink shoulder length flowing hair , and of course, white archwizard robes imbued with magic enhancing runes giving her an air of transcendance.
I spent a great deal of time on getting good fashion for her and gearing her to fit my tastes but everyone so far has told me she's ugly though ... People just do not get my refined tastes and more advanced trends. No bunch of casuals have the right to criticize my work!
[Dianne] : Heeey. Earth to Rose?
Ah. I forgot about him.
[Rose] : My bad. Need something?
[Dianne] : About earlier, how long has it been since you last stopped playing?
Shall I brag about my 'Player's Eternal Consciousness '? Yes. The time has come.
[Rose] : It's been, what? 65 hours? I plan on continuing.
[Dianne] : ...
[Dianne] : Are you serious? You're not even kidding. I haven't seen you go offline the past 2 days.
[Rose] : Yup.
[Dianne] : Come speak in voice chat for a second. I need to yell.
Interesting.
First, I'm going to get shouted at no matter what. Second, it'll be the first time I hear his voice. We started playing together a long time ago but we never talked with our microphones.
Riiiing. Riiiing.
He started the call.
I accepted it.
"Hello? Is this Rose?"
A feminine voice went through my ears.
"I'm sorry, this is indeed Rose but I am supposed to be meeting someone else. Goodb-" I tried to hang up immediately. This must be an error. Dianne is a guy.
"No! Wait! Wait. I am Dianne! Don't leave." She caught the issue and cleared the misunderstanding right away.
"So you're a girl. Huh." I deadpanned.
I was curious about how she didn't give it away. And about how dense I was this whole time.
"You're one to talk. Rose." She retorted.
"Point." I had to admit that.
She tried to get back in topic.
"*Sigh*. Listen, you've got to stop now. You'll collapse if you don't. Even worse, you might have heart issues if you force yourself that much."
"I am fine. Don't worry about me."
"Are you sure about that?"
"I am f-i-i-"
It came suddenly. An intense headache took ahold of me and pinned down my senses and my thoughts. I couldn't breathe. The pain was unbearable.
"Rose?" Dianne called out.
"..." I couldn't reply.
"Rose? ROSE!" She shouted, gradually panicking.
My hands weren't moving. I-I couldn't feel them anymore.. My nerves flared up so much they numbed my whole body. It felt like a seizure but there was more to it. It was like part of my limbs began to to fade, progressively losing their opaque aspect to become see-through. After a few seconds, I could see my screen through my palms, then my forearms. The bizarre phenomenon quickly spread to my shoulders and my chest. I tried reaching out for something, or anything real but my hands were already gone.
My vision started to darken as well, minimizing my field of view and almost making me believe this is all due to the accumulated fatigue. The world spun as I fell down my chair and hit the ground with my back.
It's not how it is meant to happen! I am supposed to have 'Player's Eternal Consciousness'!
And then I collapsed.
Waking up never starts with opening your eyes, that's just a myth. What truly forces you to part with your dreams is the sound of your surroundings. It's like when your alarm rings or when a relative barges into your room in the morning. Noise is what keeps you in a light sleep, or awakens you. The following natural action would then be restoring your sense of sight. That said, if one manages to realize they are awake quickly enough, they can forgo this motion.
I heard the sound rustling leaves and grass, an owl hooting far in the distance, the wind howling around.
And then I felt. I felt the rough texture of Mother Earth under my hands, the cold air assailing me like a swift predator, and the atrocious pain of having to get up.
I expected to find the reassuring silence of my room instead of the melody of my rivaled arch nemesis: nature.
What have I gotten myself into?
I opened my eyes, bracing myself for an incoming flux of light.
It didn't come. It was night, and around me was a forest as dense you could imagine.
What a pleasant surprise! For once the odds have favored me! A normie would have panicked over such trivial circumstances, but I am a legendary introvert. Being alone in the middle of nowhere is a preference I would place above many others.
It's not like I'm s-scared or a-anything.
I made to look around, with the right amount of caution.
The verdant woods were actually quite lively for a night time. Squirrels were roaming around the canopy, and some owls were flying above. Every time I'd step forward, I would flinch at the slightest movement I could notice near me. Stressful doesn't even come close to describe how it felt.
Would it hurt to give me a break? I need something to calm myself. A simple clue to get a glimpse of wherever I am or a quiet place to sit down and think!?
The darkness engulfing me began to sway as I kept walking. The more I wandered, the calmer I got and the better my eyes fared against the night.
I eventually came across a small pond. It shone faintly in the darkness due to the moonlight.
Two things almost blew my mind when I stared at the water's reflection.
First, the moon was shattered. Marvelous! The right side was comprised of several separated broken chunks that were floating further and further away from the other half of the celestial body. The left part of the moon was still undamaged, but that makes it look like a crescent more than ever before. It must be affecting the daylight cycle of the planet. More importantly, the moon holds a sacred meaning in some records of the arcane. As a divine construct, it can affect the life forms under the surface. Its current shape may shake our spiritual resonance! At last, I can reveal my hidden powers, the elements of nature shall henceforth heed my commands hahahaha.
Uhh, I digress. So let's move back onto the bad news.
Second, I was Rose.
As chuuni as I could be, these sort of inconceivable yet undeniable and unpleasant facts made me want this to be a dream.
Letting my cognitive functions regain their total capacity, I started to get a better hold of myself.
I was actually Rose.
I was wearing a white coat made from empowered silk and hardened leather. The fabric had runes engraved on its long sleeves, forming an intricate pattern with the chest part. The cloth just near my heart held a circular glyph which was made to enhance my mana flow. The back was comprised of my guild insignia : a golden dragon facing sideways. And of course, there was the mandatory hood to conceal my identity when needed, though also to look cool.
On my back hanged my weapon. The treasure I spent days crafting. My legendary staff, the must have equipment for a sorcerer. It was basically a mystical tree branch. The shaft had its main body covered in blue glowing runes, with a secondary branch entangled like a serpent to the thicker component. The top was split into three directions, each bit of wood supposed to be emitting a cyan orb when I cast a spell. And in between was the sculpture of a raven with its wings largely spread, its beak facing upwards.
Seeing the gear I grinded several hundred hours for real would have made me happy, if not for my physical features..
Let me say it again, I was Rose.
That meant I had the girly pink hair, the girly face and everything that goes with it. Now, now, now I'm starting to feel heavy down on the chest area. That's not what I think it is.. Is it? And that empty feeling down my crotch, is this what you go through when lose your manhood?
No, no, no! Unacceptable! Inventory! I should have that, right? Inventory! Do I have to say it out loud?
"Inventory."
Poof!
A small bag appeared out of nowhere. That's fine. I just wanted a single item. I thrusted my hand in the bag in hopes of getting the solution to all my problems.
I grasped a familiar form and pulled it out.
Here it was, the glorious [Total Makeover Kit].
Now if you were wondering what it does, allow me to enlighten you. It is a vital item that enables players to change the appearance of their character completely, regardless of gender. You could switch from female to male and vice versa. I always kept one on me just in case.
Now, let me be reborn!
I activated the artifact, and was about to head into one of the mmo player's worst nightmares.
Character Creation!
Every single one of my kind has already spent at least two hours committing to this meticulous task. Now, I do care about appearances...
A few hours later (very long)..
Just a little bit smaller... Right there! Thank you. Now, mental interface, confirm all changes!
Immediately!
...
Crack
"Grrrr"
That's not the reply I was waiting for.
I looked around cautiously. I rotated left and right, tracing back the disturbance.
Bright red pairs of eyes surrounded me. Dark shapes were lurking beneath the trees' shadows, emitting a low predator like growling sound. The unseen creatures slowly but steadily approached me. They numbered at least a dozen. Some of the shades were about the size of a deer, others were like wolves.
As they drew closer, I got a better view of what they looked like. The mobs, for it is what I will call them, were bipedal black furred monstrosities. They would look like werewolves if not for the skeletal armor covering their body. Bone spikes were sticking out of their arms and their spine. A bone mask was covering their head, their snout and jaw, leaving only three holes open to expose their eyes and.. um.. their mouth full of oversized fangs? Also, is that drool I'm perceiving? Yikes.
I reviewed my options. Do I need to consider them as hostile? Let's be optimistic here. Maybe they're all sentient and just a little hungry? Surely we can reach an agreement-
"Raaaawwr"
The pack leader rushed in front of its peers and roared. Its teeth were bare and it looked ready to jump on me.
I don't think they're up for negotiations...
Anyway, those were inconsequential. I feared not, for I was a legendary wizard!
"Hail, bewitched fiends! You do not know against whom you have stumbled upon. I am Rose, one who has mastered advanced magic. Bearer of the four elements! Tremble, as I unleash my wrath!"
I brandished my staff, and with a zealous amount of focus, I raised my hand to release a powerful attack.
"Haaaaaaa yaaaa! "
.
.
.
Ara?
"Ha!" I flicked my hand again to try and trigger some magic.
.
.
.
"Umm, could you spare me a moment, please?"
I kept waving my hand awkwardly while trying to come up with something to get me out of this sticky situation. It didn't do me good.
Rather, the mobs gained confidence from it and approached me even more.
"This is it! Kneel before my might!" I stepped forward to intimidate my opponents. The mobs lowered their heads and eyed me with their piercing red gems. "Hiyah!"
My arm dropped once more.
"..."
A long moment of silence ensued.
.
.
.
"..."
Welp, nothing happened. That's bad right?
Immediately after my (amazing) stunt, the mobs who were patiently analyzing my moves instantly lunged towards my direction.
That is pretty bad..
"Alright, alright, I was just kidding! No need to be so serious, geez. Help!" I shouted while trying to flee.
I ran towards a random direction to evade my little friends there, but they really were persistent.
[Are you sure you want to commit to these changes?]
Now's not the time, mental interface! Why did you have to bring up the [Total Makeover Kit] notification with a 5 minutes latency?
Whatever!
Getting chased and shape-shifting? Sure!
"Yes!"
[Do you wish to confirm your decision?]
"Yes."
[This decision is irrevocable, are you sure?]
[Your age will reset back to-]
"Yes, yes, yes and yes!"
Wait, what about age?
[The changes will occur in 5 minutes]
Great! Now back to staying alive I guess?
How fun. Not!
Now, think! Brain, I need you. Why couldn't I cast spells?
What does Rose normally do in combat?
Raise her staff? Check.
Channel mana through her hands and then thrusting one hand forward? Check.
Attuning to an element by chanting beforehand? Not check, not check at all.
As I ventured through the forest, the air began to grow foggier. I kept running thataway in hopes of losing my pursuers. Despite having better odds of survival, my field of vision gradually shortened the further I was progressing. I fell a few times due to not seeing some tree roots on my path. Fortunately, the environment made it harder for the mobs to catch up.
Actually, how am I managing to outrun them? Must be my character stats.
After several minutes, the foliage above me grew thinner, the number of trees became scarce to reveal a small clearing.
I slowed down to catch my breath, and to analyze the bit of space before me.
I found an abandoned wooden shed, in such a bad state that I thought it would collapse at first sight. The walls were lacking material and only part of the foundations remained.
I looked behind me.
Nothing. I was fast. Tactical retreats always were efficient and overly underrated.
Now that I am getting some respite, let's mentally catch up.. Things to do?
Survive. Get back home, or wake up. Be a boy again.
Poof!
Oh right. The [Total Makeover Kit] .
Reality snapped back almost instantly. My ears were painfully ringing and everything was blurry. I couldn't breathe nor move. I struggled and flailed to free myself of whatever is binding me down.
This feeling, the touch... Clearly I was in my robes.
I literally meant inside them. I somehow buried myself in my own garments and was on the verge of suffocating. God knows these kind of things only happen to me. I looked for the neck hole and popped my head out my self made trap. The least I could do was to figure out how I got myself to that situation.
I was still in the same area, laying on the dry and short grass of the clearing. The difference was that everything seemed bigger, whether it was the old shed or the trees that were in a distance. I however couldn't get out of my apparel to get a better view, lest I walk around naked.
Still, what did the [Total Makeover Kit] do?
I looked at my hands.
My.
Hands.
Huh.
Were they always this tiny?
I don't suppose so. I articulated my small limb to check it's truly mine.
It matched. How peculiar.
This is definitely interesting.
If I had to guess the size of my body from how loose the vestments around me were, I'd say I was bigger than a baby but smaller than grader.
I'm pretty sure I was an around 4 year-old toddler right now. And I'm convinced I didn't ask to be rejuvenated that much.
I shouldn't have repeatedly answered 'yes' without thinking earlier. Probably. Most likely.
Time out! Time out! Reality, my dear friend, do me this little favor.
I think the insanity has been going for quite long enough? Isn't it time my neighbours do some usual yelling to wake me up? Or that a stupid goddess briefs me on why I'm getting isekai'ed? As much as I love being on my own, I do need some interaction right now!
Criek.
The far sound of wheels rolling on the ground and someone's footsteps suddenly caught my attention. I turned towards the source. The fog still made it hard for me to see anything and I was stuck in the pile of oversized clothes. The noise came closer and closer. Someone or something was getting to me and I did not know their or its purpose nor nature. I couldn't move with my clothes.
So I waited.
Patienty.
A humanoid silhouette started appearing.
Please be human.
They were pulling some sort of cart or small wagon behind them, dragging it strenuously.
I reached out for my staff just in case. Had to crawl a little bit there.
The shapes were becoming clearer, enough for me to be relieved by what I saw.
It was a human. A girl and a kid, perhaps, but a human nevertheless.
She was small, still taller than I currently was but smaller than was female Rose. She had long blond hair flowing on her back with a few strands going over her petite face. She was wearing a short sleeve yellow shirt and brown pants, typical clothes for a child. She had a tired expression, her lilac colored eyes were struggling to look ahead and her lips were trembling from fatigue. Her breathing was heavy and so were her steps. It looked like she had walked a great distance and for a very long time , all the while pulling a big wagon.
It was quite an enterprise for someone who couldn't be much older than me. Physically, obviously.
When I came into her view, she lightened up a little bit before addressing me.
"Um, excuse me, but have you seen my mom around here? Red dress, black hair with red eyes and probably a scary looking sword?"
Lost children, how cliche. But. Sword?
"Do not be afraid. I, the valiant Rose, shall help you in your search. But first, could you tell me where we are?"
Equivalent exchange, can't refuse that.
"Why do you sound like an old man? You look younger than me. We're in a forest near Patch to answer your question."
Old man? Who? What? And why? Ah, of course, mere mortals couldn't understand the beauty of my speech..
But Patch though, where's that?
"And where on Earth is Patch? "
I raised my voice quite a bit.
Crack
...
That sound again..
Sigh.
...
The shed inadvertently stemmed with activity.
Glowing red dots began popping two by two, rapidly numbering dozens. That's payback for being loud. I woke up the sleeping mobs right there, screw me. That, or the mobs from before just caught up.
"You! Leave that wagon and come with me! We need to run!"
My hands were swiftly working to gather the cumbersome clothes that were pinning me to the ground. I pushed myself to stand somehow.
I wanted to take the lead. It's too dangerous to panic because we'd only get slaughtered without being able to do anything.
When I talked though, my high pitched childlike voice made me yell internally at how ridiculous I must have looked like.
"I can't! My sister is sleeping in there, a-and I can barely move my legs!"
So there's another kid in the wagon? Sure, why not? I'll have to make this work then.
"Okay, then get behind me! Quickly!"
She hurried to me with her charge.
Alright, Rose. Don't let me down.
I raised my beloved staff, Nevermore, in a second attempt. Crazy things were already happening, so why wouldn't any more take place?
"This Rose has thorns, and here they are!"
Didn't I insist my name wasn't based on a flower? Whatever.
I channeled magic with my free hand while using the staff as a catalyst, like Rose did in every fight. Wind currents began to spin around me, attracted by the mana flow.
Then I chanted.
"The storms shall bend at my will!"
I attuned to air.
I brought my palm up.
Energy gathered around me, then traveled upwards.
I drew a circle in the air with my staff. A magic imbued inscription formed and shone rapidly to direct the wild mana. The tip of Nevermore glowed a cyan light and a blue energy started to fill the space before me. I carved an intricate sigil shaped a little vortex onto the circle. The blue aura flooded the scriptures and painted the spell with the purple tint of air affinity.
It was the glyph of Storms.
I spun around and struck the rotating mana circle with Nevermore. The glyph shattered and broke free everything it held.
In mere seconds, lightning bolts appeared out of nowhere, crackling in the air and following my commands. All of them targeted the black monstrosities. Each time heavenly lightning struck down our foes, sparkles burst from the impact point and set the surroundings ablaze.
The intensity of the spell blinded me for the a second. I could hear screams of terror behind me as well. The abrupt sound of thunder had no doubt woken up the sleeping little one, and surprised both of the girls.
The fight must have lasted no more than 10 seconds, everything happened in a flash.
The mobs found themselves obliterated by the supernatural firepower. Nothing remained, except for the smell of ash and burnt wood coming from the shed that ended up as collateral damage.
I had to come back to Tai after learning about Summer. I could always recover from mourning by drinking lots but the man couldn't afford that treatment. And I knew for obvious reasons he was going to be devastated. But he still had many responsibilities as a father, rather than a husband.
He had Yang and Ruby, my precious nieces, to worry about. And if he doesn't switch gears in time, then I'll make him.
I was traveling through the forest to get to the Xiao Long household. The weather was really bad tonight. Foggy setting in a dark forest? No matter how fast you are, you're bound to be slowed down by these. Thank heavens I had my scroll to navigate, would be such a mess otherwise. Now, let's not trigger my semblance.
The rest of the trip should be uneventful, the grimm around here were pretty weak after all.
Boom
Crash
What was that? Thunderclaps? Without rain? Is someone messing with lightning dust at this hour?
I swiftly hurried to the site where all the commotion originated from.
"Wow, that actually worked! Quick banzai to magic, and the broken moon. Yay!"
Three small shadows were standing in front of what looked like a burning wooden construction. Huge amounts of black smoke were already heading up into the sky.
Sneaking behind them, I managed to get a clear picture.
These three idiots were all kids, two of whom I recognized.
Yang was there, crouched, hair messier than she normally allowed it to be. She was tightly grasping the handle of a wagon.
Its content revealed another (un)pleasant surprise.
Ruby was there as well, lodged in the cart and covered in blankets. She seemingly had just woken up, never before has that girl been so disoriented.
Their presence was already troubling enough, but the state they were in? That made me angry.
Both of them had forced their eyes shut and were pressing their hands against their ears in fear.
I needed to lash out on to someone or something. To find the cause of this mess, you know?
There came the third figure.
The unknown kid was basically the epitome of weirdness. Visibly a boy judging by his posture, the child was wearing oversized heavy looking white robes with some strange inscriptions on them. They would fit an adult in their twenties, not a toddler.
Moving on to his physical features, he looked as young as Ruby, with his face revealing puffed cheeks common for his age, and bright shining silver eyes. He had spiky pink hair complimenting his looks but they were all over the place as if he had gone through a tempest. His expression too was a bit anticlimactic. He was smiling excitedly, while looking at the fire as if it were his handiwork..
He was holding a branch, a staff, I guess? The bloody item had a raven sculpture on its top, making the kid all the more intriguing. What are the odds the brat may be linked with the Branwen tribe? He might be the reason why Yang is here in the first place.
Alright! Let's kidna-, I mean take him into custody, for later inquiries.
Silver eyes? Raven statuette? Too much of a coincidence to let things slide.
I walked up to him.
"Umm, hi? "
.. And then hit him in the back of his neck, rendering him unconscious.
How convenient that Yang had brought a wagon large enough for two kids to get on.