Chapter 20: Nighttime Encounter
Anni's view
I was standing in the plaza with the night sky above me. Thinking about Saero and his friends potentially going off to do something dangerous, I wasn't sure of what to do. Saero was the only person who didn't look at me as if I was a failure at Turf Wars. Infact, he and his friends were the only people I met that had been nice to me.
Just then, I thought I heard footsteps. But when I turned to where I heard them, I didn't see anyone. Even so, I readied my LR Charger. Suddenly, I don't know how, but I had a strong feeling that something was behind me. As if by instinct, I did a quick jump forward and turned around, quickly firing my Charger, hitting whatever was behind me.
"You're perceptive, I'll give you that.", I heard a male voice say. I instantly recognized it as Kareo's voice. As I got a better look, I saw that he was like me. The bottom of his eyes were green, and his hair wasn't entirely Inkling or Octoling. "You have to snap out of it, Kareo!", I said to him. "Don't try to confuse me with those mind games.", Kareo said back, "I'm not going to let myself be swayed by lies like you were!"
Just then I saw a few lights in the distance, which Kareo seemed to notice as well. "You got lucky this time.", Kareo said, "But next time we meet I will finish my mission!" Kareo then ran off toward the grates and jumped through them. "Do you really not remember who you are, Kareo?", I said to myself.
Saero's view
When the three of us jumped out of the grates, we saw that Anni was there as well. "What are you doing here, Anni?", I asked her. "Last night, I had an encounter with Kareo.", Anni said, "He doesn't remember who he is at all. But before I could do anything, he was scared off and retreated. But more importantly, he was transformed, like me." "So the others are being changed.", I said, "But why?" "Saero, I have something I want to say.", Anni said, "I'm going with you."
*To be continued*